Queendom 06: Hiatus

Bella's eyes roamed wild, surveying the shed and its surroundings as she listened. Everything seems alright so far. No sign of Sir Fyodor, and Jokshun is just surprised to see me. And it doesn't seem like he saw anything unusual inside. I shouldn't waste time, I should get back.. Maybe I had it wrong. Maybe the Queen is still in the secret pathways somewhere. She had mentioned being not too familiar with this castle routes..

"So you going to wake him up, or head back.?"

"Oh, I'm just heading back Lady Agrafena. He's out. I think he had one of those wild nights. There's even a friend inside sleeping.."

'Oh God, no! Could it be..?' Bellatrix pushed him aside and ran into the shed.

She kicked in the door, though totally unnecessary, and looked around, her eyes focusing on the right corner. There was a small table, with two drunk men sitting at either sides. One had his balding hair turning red, with his head hanging backwards, with an empty bottle about to fall off his fingers. His coat crumpled on the ground. The other, slouched over the table, was Sir Fyodor Belkin, his nose flat against the wood, snoring heavily. Bellatrix felt the burden lift off of her shoulder, as she exhaled in relief.

'Thank heavens! When he said, that the guy was sleeping with a friend inside.. Oh no! Even if it made no sense, for a moment I thought.. Thank goodness it wasn't a female friend.'

Bellatrix composed herself, as she heard a very confused Jokshun run back in. She instructed him calmly.

"Jokshun, take him back to the Castle now.."

"But Lady Agrafena, I've got to tend to Laisa. She's all tired, and it's my day off.."

"For God's sake, soldier, get your priorities straight! Does your cattle come before your Kingdom.? Before the Crown..?! Are you really the Jokshun of 11th troop, the famed charioteer from the Battle of Dreumak..? I read your file. You were awarded the Knighthood of Valor, at what, fifteen..?! Where's that committed young man.?"

As Jokshun looked down, Bellatrix said in a pacifying tone.

"Do this for your Queen, Jokshun..! This here, is a very dear friend of her Majesty. Sir Belkin. It seems he came to visit his old friend, and slept over. You must see to it that he safely reaches the Castle.." Her voice got stuck the moment she saw what was on the table, between the two men. One neatly folded leather legging, with custom belt buckles. It had a thick layer of dark velvet.

The one she remembered buckling on to her Queen.

'Dear Lord! That's a piece of the fetish-suit.!'

The Queen was here..?! The Queen was here. Did she come with him? He led her here..? Why, why would she follow? Well, if he held the leash, then.. But then again, that's not the task.. The task was to reach the Chamber, not some.. Why does she always give in, and never say no.! Oh hell..!

Her tongue. It's on me, this time..?! Great Bella, great..! What happened in here..? Did they do something to.. Oh no, no.. That can't be the case.. Even if he led her here, nothing could have happened. Domestication is not sexual in any way, right.? It's strictly behavioral training, isn't it?!

This was too real, too much, for Bella to handle. She walked back and forth, shaking her head, as a clueless Jokshun stood by the side.

Well, it could be anyone's. It's a pretty common design, a leather legging, with velvet coating. With the custom-made belt buckles.. Oh, who am I kidding..? It's doomed. But what's that legging doing here, if not.. Where's the rest of the suit.. Should I question these..? No point, they are wasted beyond belief.

Bella shouted out suddenly.

"Jokshun, quick.! Take Sir Belkin back. Hand him to Tabitha, personally. This is nothing she hadn't seen before. I want him alright and well rested, by noon. Okay..? Go. Right now.!"

As much as she felt bad, Bella couldn't afford to wallow in guilt, for inadvertently manipulating an unhealthy old man, her best friend's father of all people. There were more pressing issues at present. For one, finding her Queen.! As Jokshun loaded up the sleeping man to his cart, and headed for Cloveshire, Bella looked into the adjacent room. And she was equally scared and perplexed by what she saw.

Right before her was the table, with shackles hanging from the edges. One of the shackles had a leather arm sleeve stuck to its end. A peculiar wax-lamp was hung from the ceiling, mildly swinging back and forth, its candle half burned and extinguished. With a thick pool of solidified wax in the center of the wooden table, splattering at the corners. The splatter droplets forming an inverted V shape. And a long, torn piece of thick, dark velvety leather, bunched up in one corner.

She looked around, wondering how to proceed.

'Where are you, Highness? Give me some hint.'

Bella tried calling out 'Elanor' in a loud whisper, hoping the Queen would respond. Even if her tongue was still numb, there were plenty other ways to signal.

There was nowhere the Queen could have run off to, not without being spotted, not in broad daylight. There weren't even any shrubs around to cower behind. In front of the shed was the cobbled road, and it was getting busy by the minute. That's no way to escape, not without a stitch of clothing. Which leaves, behind the shed, with miles and miles of nothing but prairie, with herdsmen coming in by now, with flocks of sheep and cattle. There's nothing there, except for the.. Wait, is that a..?

Bellatrix squinted her eyes, focusing in the middle of the vast grasslands before, at a dark wooden patch quite distant from the shed. Is that a barn, or something..? As she stepped forward for a better view, she saw on the muddy ground before, the footprints of a woman, seemingly running away from the shed. And a broken leather strap next to it.

Elanor..!

Without another thought, she jumped out into the open, and ran with all her might, towards that old barn at the very end of the lands. It'd have been faster and easier, had she taken her horse instead. But Bella wasn't thinking rational, or logical. She was in her raw protective instinct now, running wild to ensure her Queen's safety. Soon she knew she was on the right path, running into a strange looking object, especially in the middle of a grassland. It was a discarded mini corset, with leather straps. Bellatrix ran now, at full sprint.

Since starting at the Palace, she hadn't had a proper workout, and it took a toll on her stamina. She was panting exhausted by the time she stopped against the barn wall, rubbing her chest, trying hard to catch a breath. No way I've grown this weak. I'm seeing colored spots now. Oh God.! Sliding the door open, just enough for her to get in, she remembered feeling wind on her hair. The next thing she felt was her back slamming against the floor, the pain of it numbed by the horror.

It took a moment to understand what just happened. As soon as she slid the door, a hand came out from the shadows and gripped her collar. As her head whip-lashed to keep up with the force of the pull, a foot swiped hers off of balance. Bella remembered her hips hinging against a rigid pelvic bone, and being thrown over the shoulder like a sack of corn. Her whole body flipped mid-air, before landing on the floor. The impact was dampened by all the hay scattered around, though she definitely felt something against her ribs.

Before her eyes could adjust, she felt it in her bones. Bleeding into her senses. A gritty fear. The hair at the back of the neck rise on instinct. A low, drained yet deep voice growled.

"WHERE.. WERE.. YOU..??!"

Bellatrix felt, for the first time in life, her whole body go cold in an instant. Everything confident in her shrinking back to the far pit of her underbelly. Even a little piss, dribbling out on its own.

It was warm exhalation, that she felt right against her cheek, the fiery breath of a hunting lioness. Opening her eyes, she realized she wasn't far off. Only, it was a lion, with its eyes burning into her soul. It felt like staring back into death, not willingly, but unable to look elsewhere. And not just the lion in all its pristine regality. But a lion, with an immense anger fuming within, its canines drooling with blood, hungry and ready to take a full bite.

A feet from Bella's face, was her Queen. Angry and shaking, crouched over her body.

Elanor had her left hand clutched against the right bossom, holding in place a dirty, torn curtain wrapped around her torso, covering partly her bottom as well. She had a rusty old axe with a broken handle on her right fist, held against Bella's throat. The remaining sharp edge of the axe-head barely touching her, as Bella felt her heart flutter, along with the metallic cold.

Bella simply couldn't take her eyes off. The Queen looked so different, with her face and body stained with visible oily hand prints, her skin coated with multiple layers of dried sweat, mascara dripping spread all around, And that beautiful hair a mess, and falling from the sides, like a lion's mane. With an unmistakable scent of molten wax all around. Her eyes fuming and lips quivering, trying hard to not let it out, all the frustration upon the seemingly incompetent Mistress!

Is this how this ends.? In the hands of someone she doesn't even recognize..?!

Because this sure wasn't Crimson, right before.

Nor Demura. Not even Nora.

This was the true ruling monarch of the whole of lands.!

The Great Queen Chaste. Elanor of Wolkenshire..!!

In flesh, sound and soul. The one admired and feared equally.

For good reason.

After all this time, they finally meet, beyond all pretensions and facades.

The Queen, and her humble subject, the Horse Whisperer.

The latter could hardly believe her luck, of surviving that true death stare. She could hardly move still. This was in no way the kind of beast she had any chance with. She might have stepped back, but Bella was under no illusion. She was very much in the claws of her Highness.

Her Queen, who seethed in silence.

And part of her knew, it was deservedly so. Is this where my dreams end? Bellatrix wondered, still lying on the floor, horror-stricken, her eyes transfixed to the mortal terror she just witnessed, pupils trembling like a frozen prey animal. Oblivious to all else, as the Queen slowly eased back, placing the broken axe gently on her torso, making sure Bella's beating heart could feel the cold of the blade. Knowing by now Bella always carried spare clothes in her satchel for such emergencies, the Queen rose up, and walked away, taking the satchel along.

And no, the Queen didn't shy away into the comfort of a dark corner.

Elanor stood, her back towards the employee, as a beam of golden light seeped-in through the open barn-door, highlighting the Queen in a stripe of illumination against the humid dark of the barn. Bella couldn't help but watch, as she dropped that dirty curtain to the ground, now standing with not a thread to hide her shame. And she didn't seem scared by skin anymore.

Her stance almost challenging. Not just comfortable, but utterly reigning the bare skin, with a level of confidence unattainable to most women, fully clothed. Her skin looked riddled with dirt, leather texture, strap marks and striations; her ass cheeks and back-thighs, with crimson blemishes, from the Leash Master's riding crop. Even with all that, and an oily glow on her skin from all the sweating, her bare behind basking in the sunlight from the door, Elanor had never looked more divinely regal.

Etching it into Bella's mind, for all time.

Queen wasn't the crown she wore, the throne she sat, nor the riches of innumerable gold and silver adorning her. The Queen, is who she was. Elanor of Wolkenshire, in her soul. In that very bare flesh. As she got dressed slowly, it dawned on Bella. It's not like she hadn't been in such proximity, with the Queen in nude before. But this was the first time she felt truly terrified, realizing she had no idea what kind of beast she was toying with. Laying there processing it all still astonished, Bella heard clear and commanding, her Queen say once. Her tone, evidently disappointed.

"I am to address, the delegates in one hour. The Diplomatic Meet."

"Make arrangements. And make it quick.!"

**

*

"Disgraceful!! It's just disgraceful..!!"

Prince Gaskier, of Aestrikus, turned his head wondering who could be walking around so irritated. In walked the Archminister Grinwald, his face clearly repulsed by whatever seemed to bother him. In all these years, he had rarely seen Grinwald so upset. None of them were having a great start, especially with the Diplomatic Meet getting delayed by an hour, in its very first day.

No.! It can't be the delays, that made him mad. Sure the Minister was a stickler for punctuality, but nothing called for such outburst. Not even from him, Gaskier thought. As he met the Prince, Grinwald sighed in relief.

"Oh Prince.. At least I can be sure it wasn't you. I know for a fact, not just your character, but we were together playing chess most of last night.."

"Sir Grinwald, please. What's bothering you so early in the day.?"

"Oh god! We play the host so graciously, and invite you all with utmost respect. A respect that is instilled and cultivated by the age-old wisdom of both our forefathers.. Something we truly, deeply, cherish. And to think, it only take one rotten egg, to spoil the bunch..!"

"Minister, you must tell me what happened, instead of spiraling out like this. What has gone wrong.? Does it have to do with the Queen..?"

"Queen!! I pray to almighty that Her Eminence doesn't get the stench of such disrespect. To her Castle grounds, to her men. I just heard it from the Castle guard, that apparently one of our guests decided the middle of the night is perfect for him to take a stroll in the garden. And he took it appropriate to let his pet tag along as well.."

"Minister, what's so wrong about.."

"His pet was a whore, my Prince.. Some wanton harlot, who fancies playing dress-up, acting like a bitch in heat, exposing to all my guards what god only meant for the eyes of her wedded man. The pull of lust isn't strange to me, you know. Hedon himself is in our bloods, especially us Lords, but there's a limit to it. Won't you agree, my Prince? It's one thing to experiment in the unnatural within the confines of one's marital chamber.. But to do so in broad moonlight..?! Defiling the sanctity of our grounds, the purpose of this gathering. It's such a disgrace my Prince.. DISGRACE.!!"

"Calm down, Minister. I'll ask around. And I'll make sure the news never reaches Her Majesty. I swear on my life, it wasn't me."

"Oh Sir. I know. I didn't imply that in the least.."

"But this is serious, I understand. I agree, most from my convoy was pretty drunk. I'd suspect my brother's friends, but even they brought their own concubines. And I strongly doubt them to be the type to do something so explicit, in public. Why weren't they captured at the time..?"

"Oh, thank goodness for that. Lady Agrafena, in her impressive wisdom, had instructed the senior guards to turn a blind eye in case any guests blew off the steam in any unconventional way. Can you imagine, the royal guards arresting the very guests of Wolkenshire.? The strain it'd have on our diplomatic ties.. It's a godsend, that such disastrous ends weren't met. Still I want to know the bastard who did it, you see? Even more, I want to see the face of tat horny bitch..! I mean, what self respecting harlot would let a man, apparently thrice her age, lead her by a leash..??"

"A leash, you say??" Prince couldn't contain his bafflement. Suddenly a maid emerged from the Queen's study.

"His Eminence Prince Gaskier! Her Majesty would like your presence."

He nodded to the maid, and reassured the Minister.

"Worry not, Sir Grinwald. I'll check with the Head of Households afterwards. Right now, I must meet the Queen."

**

*

Elanor stood in her spacious official chamber, her gaze fixed in some file, pretending to be preoccupied. She knew it'd be wise to avoid direct interaction, of close proximity, for a while, as she still felt in parts of her body, aches from the prior night. Meets were different, with all their attention of the larger, more serious issues than mere appearances. No one even glanced her way, other than the customary bows and such. But this was an in-person meeting, with Prince Gaskier nonetheless. At least the decorum dictates that even a Prince should stay ten feet from the Queen. So she had nothing to worry about.

Gaskier walked in, and bowed down to the Queen, paying his respects. He didn't had to take the complete bow, being the next in line for the throne of Aestrikus. Yet, she remembered that Gaskier had always given her the proper bow. Even before her coronation, way before their engagement. Come to think of it, he had done the same, the very first night they met. Paying proper respects, like a man would, to his lady. Elanor simply nodded, not wanting to encourage him.

"Gaskier, why the sudden request for my audience.? Couldn't this have waited this the end of play?"

"Her Highness, I just heard from my men, from my spies at the Orcan ranges. Its regarding what we talked yesterday, and I felt you'd appreciate staying updated..." Gaskier eased back from bowing, his gaze finally meeting hers, and he felt his voice stop abruptly.

"Highness, are you alright.?" As if possessed by true concern, forgetting protocols, Gaskier walked right up to the Queen, his right arm extending as if to caress her cheeks. Elanor wasn't sure what made him behave so. Yet she had known him long enough to be comfortable at his sincere reactions. She simply looked at his eyes, and he knew he should stop. He said.

"Elanor, you look so exhausted. Your skin so pale, eyes so tired. You are putting up a face, and doing a great job. But I know you, and I'm not falling for it. What's wrong..? Have you fallen ill..? Should I call for the Royal physician..?"

Elanor was pleasantly surprised by his reaction, and realized how she had taken for granted, his genuine goodwill all this time. She said.

"It's all fine, Prince. Let's get to the matters of true concern.. Now, is this about the Blue Poppy again..?"

"Oh, I beg to differ my Queen. All other concerns can wait. This is your health we are talking about. The well-being of the true Ruling Monarch of Wolkenshire. Should we even be proceeding with the Meet, with you not feeling well.?"

"I feel fine, Gaskier."

She truly didn't. She wanted to spend at least an hour of proper medicinal cleansing, removing all the dirt from her skin, and all stains from her soul, of that terrible, terrible nightmare. She wanted to feel her weight plunge into the extra-puffy royal feather-bed, to a space of true suspension, of absolute rest, absolute relaxation to every muscle in her worn-out body. She wanted the comfort of a long, dense, deep sleep, letting her mind and body take its time to heal. And she wanted it now.

The Queen went back and forth with Gaskier, on whether they continue the Meet at all, him convinced now that she was actually sick. Gaskier said.

"At least my Queen, you take a leave. The Meet doesn't need to stop, and you are well aware.. Your presence here is largely symbolical. You really don't have to add much to the discussion. At least take a day's rest. If you are feeling alright, you can return for the rest. You can rest up here itself, and.. May be one of your body-doubles can stay instead. That way you don't have to worry about appearances. Wasn't it Gertha.? I remember her from before. She does a great job."

Gaskier was taking another lungful, mentally preparing more arguments to back his stance, when Elanor finally said.