Queendom 04: Retirement Party

Elanor simply lowered her gaze, she found it better to not dwell in the shamefully obvious.

"Well, I believe the next task is up to your tastes then." Bella continued.

"There is this infamous tavern in the south side of the city square. 'The Desert Rose'. Adriana used to be a regular there, and she still has connections. She has got you a spot for tomorrow night to perform, your debut so to speak. Now you must know the Saturdays are discount rates for 'Desert Rose', the drinks will be half price, so the crowd will be much larger and extremely rowdy. Since it's not a posh tavern, most of them will be lower class workers, so expect a certain level of touch play. But I assure you, the security is top class, and the manager does a decent job of protecting his dancers."

Elanor was not expecting this. And her eyes reflected her worried state. It was one thing to act out of character for a few clergymen, underneath a crypt. These are her own subjects. What if they recognize her? And also, the kind of moves Adriana made her practice, she would have hesitated to perform most even for Bard, in the privacy of their chamber fully clothed. But this.?

"Do not worry, your face will remain veiled. I've selected the costumes myself." Elanor wondered, 'Costumes?', as Bellatrix continued. "Remember how Adriana emphasized the importance of getting direct feedback from the crowd? This is the best crowd to up your game. And believe me, there will be more games as we go. This will be part of your training from now on. A spot at the Desert Rose under the stage name 'Demura'. Every Thursday night."

"Are you sure, Bella? Isn't this a bit too risky?"

Elanor enquired, knowing very well the risk of exposure was the least of her worries. They both knew by now. That once gripped by lust, it doesn't take much for the Queen to override all her reason, to be a suggestible plaything.

"Worry not my Queen, I'll be watching over. And I suggest you color your pubic hair to light blonde, I've put the hair dye by your bath tub. The rumors have died down mostly, so no one will see a blonde pubic hair and think, there's our Queen! Also, you'll be much safer amongst the subjects. Most have seen you only at distance. If it was a court officer, or a minister, they'd surely recognize you even with the veil. But most subjects have never even seen your portrait in the Palace hall. Sure they remembered the legends, of your great love to King Barthomius, but.. I mean, when was the last time most of them actually saw you? The royal wedding?! And even then, you're just waving from the balcony. You wouldn't be at any risk. I'll need to check the fitting of the costumes, so I'll come find you later tonight."

With that, Bellatrix left the Queen, and went straight to the Royal library. She just got a new idea, and wanted to verify it didn't go against the rules. After all, a rule is a rule.

**

*

The Unexpected Debut

The night was getting started.

East tower dining hall was coming alive by the minute. Delicacies of all kinds were available, along with the finest meals, as the servant class sat down to feast. The chefs spared no expense for their own party, and the drinks were served in plenty. Tabitha had done her best to arrange everything on such short notice, but at least this wasn't for the bickering upper echelons. A cup of mead and a steak was enough to leave most of the men happy, and here they were being served dishes, half of which they didn't even know how to take.

The main hall was allotted strictly for dining, and Tabitha was well aware they were to change venues once everyone had their fill. Bellatrix had informed earlier that the finest alcohol and wine awaited them in the Private hall a few floors above. She seemed to have a good handle on things so far, Tabitha thought. She had welcomed them at the beginning of the night, and mingled with the crowd before they began dining. But Tabitha couldn't locate her anymore.

'Maybe she was making last minute arrangements with the drinks and entertainment.' Tabitha's thoughts wandered. 'She had been talking to the retiring senior members, asking about their likes and fantasies.'

Anyway she knew that Bella will be back before they were done feasting, she was to lead them to the Private hall, for the 'Appreciation Ceremony' of the old timers. And more importantly, Tabitha knew in a few minutes she was to go to the Castle doors. Apparently there will be a 'special entertainment' for the retiring members, and she was to collect it from the gates.

Tabitha finished her drinks fast, and got ready to leave for the gates.

**

*

"Mistress, what do you think?"

Elanor stood by the chamber door, nude in front of her Mistress, shining in the candle lights. As Bella's fingers combed through her newly colored pubic hair, she simply acted as if it's the most normal thing to be done. More than being used to, Elanor felt more at ease with Bellatrix when she wore next to no clothes. Kneeling on her chamber floor unclothed, with her posterior raised and vulnerable, waiting for the Mistress was one of the most fulfilling feelings she learned to love. For both the Queen and Bella, there was nothing erotic about this ritual. It was purely about submission. Elanor understood that her complete submission was a prerequisite for the success of each task. This isn't something one would willingly do. Those were the rules she agreed to.

Bella, on the other hand, was extremely pleased by the Queen's taming so far. Gone was the emotionally unstable, snappy arrogance that made her shiver the first few days. This is her favorite mare in her stable. An actual Queen acting like a sub-human.

"Well, it appears you have done a great job. No one would doubt you for the Great Queen if they got a chance to peek at that. And I like the touch of eye liners! With such heavy mascara, and thick lashes, no one would even think it is the Great Chaste Queen. I hope that eases your worries."

Elanor appreciated the comment. She had specifically used teal eye shadows and highlights, a color least associated with her persona. Her hair remained loose and flowing for the most part, the way it brushed against her back giving her a chill at times. It'd helped with the disguise that most of her hair still looked more blondish. Elanor had to wear her royal wigs for any public appearance, as the dye took longer to fade off. Bellatrix told her it'd be best to try out her costumes today, as they wanted to make sure she couldn't be recognized for the big day. She walked out, commanding the submissive queen to follow along.

And Elanor stepped out of her chamber, clad in only her shame. Her very first time through the main door, unlike the secret doors they frequented. It felt different. Like the act alone someway legitimized the deviancy in her eyes. She wasn't surprised to learn that the security guards had been posted only at the Castle perimeter, outside the walls, to ensure the safe progression of her naked endeavors. It was under Bellatrix's authority anyway, after the new decree.

She wondered why Bella didn't bring the costume into her chambers directly. And a part of her thanked her for it. It felt like the most freeing thing Elanor ever did, feeling one with nature. She was as bare as the large stone blocks that made the corridors strong. She felt its cold, as she ran her fingers along the wall. Strangely elated even, especially at how her pubes still burned from being soaked in the bleach and dye for so long.

"Do you like the cold of the night?" Bella asked suddenly, catching the Queen off guard.

"No Bellatrix, it's alright." Elanor replied, realizing how quickly her nipple got the chills.

"What did you just call me?" Bellatrix asked in a stern voice.

"Sorry, Mistress. Please forgive my idiocy." Elanor sounded worried.

"You know I can make you walk the rest of the night on all fours, as punishment." Bella tilted her head to face the Queen, a bit of sadism flashing in her eyes. "Don't worry, my punishments wouldn't be such dull affairs. You'll see."

They continued to walk along corridors, and Elanor was starting to get concerned at the way sometimes Bellatrix suddenly shifted her character. Like she was her evil twin all of a sudden. Bella could sense the Queen's fears, and could only smile within. Because she knew how necessary it was to put on a persona so the submissive knows with absolute surety who held the reins. Bella was used to staying in character for days, especially while training wild horses. Because those beasts only yielded to mother nature herself.

And Bella knew how to convince them she was no different.

Elanor realized they were now on the secret passages, the ones used by the royalty to escape the Castle undetected in case of a siege. It didn't surprise Elanor that Bella knew about this, as the new Head of Households it came under her privy, the Castle plans and routes. Bella turned a lever to open a secret door, a narrow corridor leading to a hidden opening. From the way the outside seemed lit, Elanor realized it's a full moon tonight. She remembered the last time being naked outside, and how the dark sky helped hide her shame. 'Was tonight to be round two?', she wondered?

"Here, wear this? And fast, you don't have all day, princess!" Bellatrix almost barked, tossing a small pouch to Elanor. From the flimsy texture of the fabric, she understood it was the exotic dance costumes within it. In the dimly lit corridor, Elanor couldn't see what it consisted of, or how it actually looked. She knew however what to expect from such costumes, as Adriana had shown her the varieties earlier that week. From the sounds alone, it seemed it was less of a clothing and more of an ornate arrangement of pearls and beads. It also had a herbal hair oil, which she applied to her open, lush long hair. It made her hair appear uniquely wet, yet wavy and a bit curly.

Her silhouette now looked nothing like Elanor's. Another aid in disguise, she thought. The last item was a long, thin shawl, resembling her royal mantle. Since it was dark, it was difficult to make out much of the costume, in terms of color or design. But it surely did nothing to cover her feminine beauty.

As she hurried into the costume, Elanor had a sudden realization. It felt better before wearing it. Being nude and shameless at least felt like an animal in its natural state. Being clad so scantily, it felt like her shame was constantly at the mercy of the onlookers. It surprised her how far she had come, to prefer nudity to being seductive. It surprised her more, how sound her own reasoning ringed.

Suddenly, Elanor heard a sudden metallic clink, and turned to see what just happened. The secret door, her only way back to her chambers, was closed shut, leaving her out there, looking like a royal courtesan. As she stood perplexed, she heard Bella's voice.

"Your task awaits at the Private hall. This here, how you make your way to there, is the punishment for your earlier mistake. A good Queen must be in touch with how her subjects get treated by the royal guards. So think of this as an opportunity. Your name is 'Demura' for the night. You are here to perform, as entertainment, for the 'Retirement Party'. On the command of Lady Agrafena, the new Head of Households."

"But Mistress, I thought the task was for me to perform tomorrow."

"Silence!" Elanor froze, as Bellatrix continued, "If I wanted your opinion I'd ask, right princess? Now, go out the corridor, and take thirty steps to the right. You'll reach the Inner gate. In the pouch I gave, you'll find a sealed parchment. That'd be your entry pass, submit it to the guards at gate post. And proceed to the Private hall. With your new hairstyle, make-up and face veil, no one would recognize you. If necessary, use the cloak in the pouch to cover yourself, but I'm sure a nymph like you couldn't wait to lose it. So right, see you at the Private hall."

Elanor heard the footsteps fade into silence, as she stood there dumbfounded.

***

**

*

Vlazid stood there at the Castle inner gate, holding his spear in a near perfect posture, at ease and vigilant. His buddy on gate security, Jezeb, simply sat a few feet apart, laughing at him as he sipped from his secret stash of mead.

"Seriously, you are really going to stand on post, the entire night?" Jezeb couldn't contain his laughter. It was two weeks ago when their Queen reprimanded them both in front of their entire batch, for loitering the royal gardens. Though it wasn't that bad for Jezeb, Vlazid on the other hand had become the butt of the joke among guards ever since. Vlazid had urinated in the royal gardens while they were patrolling, but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out how the news reached the Queen's ears within minutes of it happening. He had always suspected that some of the royal guards were internal spies for the administration, and his paranoia after the incident only added fuel to the mockery. The one incident, the subsequent public shaming, had turned him super diligent and loyal, out of fear.

"You never know who would be watching, Jezeb. And if I were you, I'd ease down the drinking."

"Holy Almighty..!! Is it the mead, or am I watching this for real?" Jezeb couldn't believe his eyes, as a shadow walked towards the Inner Gate. Sensing the astonishment in his buddy's voice, Vlazid turned his gaze to find the unexpected.

Before them stood a lone woman, an angel of sorts, her hair waving in the wind, her eyes blackened with thick mascara, highlighted with bluish teal, her skin shining in moonlight, her face covered in some sort of middle-eastern translucent veil. She wore a thick black cloak over what seemed to be a highly adorned costume. In the moonlight, she glowed like a goddess dropped from the skies. As the rattling of her ornaments lulled him in to a trance, Vlazid heard his buddy's voice boom.

"Hey, State your name and purpose!"

The disturbing stink of cheap mead hit Elanor through the veil. Without knowing the protocol or the right behavior for commoners, she bowed her head and extended the gate pass towards Jezeb.

"Sirs, I'm here at the request of Lady Agrafena, the Head of Households." Elanor recognized Vlazid's face, and especially Jezeb's voice. 'These two again?!', she rolled her eyes. Yet she couldn't afford to risk her identity, for they possibly held a grudge against her. "They call me Demura, I'm an exotic dancer."

The contempt in her tone was palpable, and it got to Jezeb.

"Well, we know you are no princess, slut. Exotic dancer, is that code for courtesans these days?!"

Jezeb's words slurred as Vlazid continued to stand still, vigilant and at ease. Jezeb looked to make sure no one is around, and stepped uncomfortably closer to Elanor. And the Queen, not used to how the guards treated commoners, simply stood her ground without stepping back, steeling through the unease. A big mistake.

"So Demura! How do you want to do this? On your knees here, or under the shades over by the trees.?"

Elanor continued to stare at his eyes, confused as to what he meant.

"What? Is this your first time moonlighting.?"

Elanor simply nodded, testing where it went. Vlazid suddenly turned his gaze to his buddy, signalling to stop.

"What, Vlazid? She should know the customs.. If we are to turn a blind eye to her slutting around, she should know better to pay her dues well. It's not like this is our first time collecting the night tax?!"

"I'm not a courtesan!" Elanor bursted out, her voice commanding, "I'm a guest of the royal palace, here on invitation! Now let me pass."

"How dare you raise your voice at the Queen's men!" Jezeb had already unsheathed his dagger and held it against her chin. Elanor had no fear in her eyes, which confused and infuriated him. Vlazid intervened wisely, pushing Elanor back a step.

"Lady Demura.. If you have the pass, you may proceed." He stated with a soldierly respect, and muttered to his drunk friend, "Have you learned nothing..?! What if we are being watched? What if this is another test, the girl could be sent by the Queen. Have some sense, we do everything by the book, okay?"

Elanor was impressed by Vlazid's handle on things. Clearly the last punishment drove him to the right path, even if it was a bit hypocritical on her part. She bowed to Vlazid, still unsure if that's the right behavior, shot a look at his sneering friend, and walked towards the East tower. Suddenly, she heard a clap behind.

Elanor turned to see Vlazid take the gate pass from his friend, "Here, you'll have to show the pass to the guards at the East tower as well." He gave the parchment a quick glance, and his expression changed.

"Lady Demura, this pass isn't authorized by Lady Agrafena."

Elanor's smile dropped. She hadn't checked the document clearly, as she was in a hurry, being barely clad and all. "I believe it has her seal."

"It requires her signature too. For all new special access, it must have both sign and seal, for it to be valid."

"I'm sure it's a simple mistake." Elanor tried to reason her way, though she knew it wouldn't help. "You can check with her yourself."

"Who do you think you are!" Now it was Vlazid's turn to raise voice, "Ordering around the royal guards? You filthy bitch, you are a mere subject, remember. You should know the rules. We can't disturb Lady Agrafena at this hour for you. You were just caught trespassing the Royal Castle, with insufficient documentation."

"I apologize completely, this is a misunderstanding. I'll simply leave."

Vlazid was never a straight arrow. And he was actually much worse than Jezeb, who acted rowdy only when intoxicated. Vlazid had enough of a hard time the past few weeks, suppressing his tendencies to act out, behaving like an honest guard. He was looking for a chance to be his usual self, without breaking the rules, and fate just offered up his tormentor, his Queen in disguise, on a silver platter. Sure he didn't know at the time of her identity.

"Sorry honey, you'll be secured and put in a holding cell. I'm sure the ones already in there would appreciate your company till morning." His eyes grinned with malevolence as his buddy joined in. "But first, we need to check you for any weapons or contraband."

Elanor was busy formulating her options.

'Was this all part of Bella's plan, or did it just got out of hand? Where was Bella anyways? I could reveal my true self and act as if it was another test, but the scantily clad look wouldn't do much good for my image. Also it would mean I just failed the original task. May be I should wait, and see how far they'd go. I'm sure Bella is just around the corner.'

But Bella wasn't, unfortunately. For the next few minutes Elanor was on her own.

"Shall I whistle for the rest of the boys?" Jezeb leered.

"No. Let's have a taste ourselves first, Jezeb. You wish to do the honors.?"

Elanor stood frozen as Jezeb's dagger went for her, stopping at her throat. Then he slipped it within the knotted cloak, and gave it a tug. The cloth tore open, and the wind carried the freed cloak away from her. It was a particularly bright full moon, and both the guards stood with their mouth agape looking at the Queen in all her heavenly glory.

Her unkempt wavy hair in the breeze, and breathlessness gave her the appearance of a used up submissive harem slave. The kind they both had witnessed multiple times.

Her skin glowed in the moonlight, pliable body fat coating her muscles, in both arms and calves, and thighs and hips. Her backlit hourglass curvature, and the folds of her navel, developed in weeks through strict diet, practice and exercise, was churning their balls wild. Her chest heaved in anticipation, her breasts, both full and round and ripe. Not a sign of sag.