The Contest Ch. 03

The fifth child, the youngest child of the royal family of Henrill, was Princess Rellenora Analisa Nograith.

One day, she had been summoned to her mother's office. It was there that she was told she would go to Zenthia for the ruler there judge her. "You aren't going to win his favor," the queen told her, "but you can't remain here. He'll be insulted if we don't send you off. Try not to embarrass your country while you're there. Your head might end up rolling on the ground."

The environment was foreign in many, many ways. The complex was basically a maze. Strangers who didn't even try to understand her were always walking about. The bed she slept in smelled funny. The pillows weren't firm or long enough. The mattress was weak. All the food she had been served was disgusting.

At first, the only comfort she had was Naeva's motherly presence. Then came Booboo.

Booboo was so cute. Rellenora could never stop enjoying a good pork dish, but that didn't matter. Booboo was a good piggy.

She wanted to play with the piggy again.

This morning was a free day. Nobody told her anything about doing something. So, she got up early. She was so early, in fact, that all of the servants and Naeva were still sleeping. This was even better because that meant Naeva wouldn't help her dress herself. Rellenora could dress how she wanted.

The neckline of her chemise had an adjustable size via a drawstring. It often felt too tight. So, she loosened the circle of fabric once the chemise was on her body. She did the same thing for her dress. Then she tied her skirts up over her knees. It was the same dress from the last time she had played with Booboo. It was very stained, but that was fine.

Her shoulders and a bit of her bosom was exposed to the world, but Rellenora thought that was fine. It was hot out anyway, and it wasn't as if she needed to worry about getting sunburn. The mud would be a natural sunscreen, and it would help keep her cool. That's why pigs liked mud so much. Besides, Rellenora knew she wouldn't win the contest. There was no point in trying to be pretty.

Funny ... there was a piece of freedom in this place she hated so much. Back home, she wouldn't have been allowed to play this way. Back home, not only would she be told to avoid the mud, but she'd also have to wear a hooded cloak or carry a paper parasol to keep her skin white.

At the Imperial Palace, she silently requested another play session with the Royal Sow. One of the guards made a smooth gesture below his belt with a relaxed hand. "Lady Francheska is inside. His Majesty has said that you may visit her whenever you like." It took a moment for her brain to recognize the words, as it often did.

Rellenora was escorted inside the palace. The Emperor lived there. He slept there, ate breakfast there, bathed there, and did whatever else he wanted. For a moment, as she passed walls of stone, then walls of paper, then wood, and then stained glass, she wondered about the family here.

According to what she knew, the previous emperor had taken the throne by force. He had launched a surprise attack with a frightening, mysterious army of Majustans.

And ... well ... the new emperor, despite being human and having a human wife ... his only son was visibly Majustan. It was so obvious that it hurt. Even Rellenora could see it ... the odd skin tone, the tail ... it was ... demonic.

Sometimes, her eyes would point up, naturally avoiding the face of the Emperor, and she'd notice the horns on his head.

Absolutely profane!!

And this Majustan Emperor ... this horned Emperor ... he didn't wait for his turn at the throne. He actually, literally ...

Killed ...

Rellenora couldn't fathom it. She had a certain emotional and physical distance from her parents, but still ... they were her parents. After her father died, Rellenora had felt oddly broken for a few days. Her father was always existing in her mind, and suddenly he wasn't.

The voice of a guard yanked her out of her painful thoughts.

Her lips pursed as she decoded the statement.

"This is Lady Francheska's room."

A wooden door was slid away. Rellenora stepped into the room. The door was closed behind her.

Booboo was turning all sorts of things over, rugs, toys, empty boxes and buckets, etc. Some of the boxes and buckets had little treats for Booboo to find, such as beets, carrots, and kale. More food and plenty of water were stored in dishes in all corners of the room except one. The exception had a litter box lined with paper. In the center of the room, there was a charming pet's mattress with several pillows and a blanket.

As Rellenora's feet moved against the bamboo flooring, she looked at the pig's feet, and she cooed out, "Piggy, piiiiigy, piiiiiiiigy!"

Soon, they started a game of fetch with a knotted ball of cloth. Rellenora briefly wondered why the Emperor wasn't here to play with the sow. Maybe he was usually too busy? But why keep the sow in the first place? People could be so odd, really.

The door opened. She heard it. Her eyes moved from Booboo's excited snout, down the bamboo floor, and to the doorway.

Cochineal red slippers, two layers of robes' hems above those slippers, the lower hem black and the upper hem a strong pine green.

A low, nearly purring voice.

What did he say? What was it?

A few slow blinks, and she got it.

"Booboo, come here Pretty Princess."

A white hand, great and powerful, reached out as the man knelt down.

Booboo huffed and sniffed. Then she trotted over to the man, her toes clicking on the floor. When she was close enough, a set of silver fingernails grazed and petted the sow's head. Then a floppy black ear was rubbed between white fingertips.

Rellenora's stomach felt like it was curdling. She knelt down anyway.

There was his voice. It took her a few seconds to understand.

"You may rise."

Rellenora rose. Then she thought she should leave the room. Her legs were quick, but the man's voice was quicker.

If only her brain was quick.

She was fairly certain that he was asking her a question. Her legs turned to stalagmites of ice as she struggled to solve the puzzle.

Then it was solved.

"Your Highness, has the Royal Pig been rough with you?"

She fished out a stick of chalk and gripped her writing slate, wanting to be as clear as possible. When she was holding up the slate, it had these words written on it, "Booboo was not rough with me." She wasn't certain why he was asking such a thing, but she wasn't about to question him.

A rough, wet cough from below had Rellenora jumping in place. Her palm slapped her heart. She looked down at Booboo's body. The pig's ribs seemed to be expanding and contracting in a battling, critical manner. Her breath sounded thick. Then, right from the sow's mouth, an odd blob of red and green was driven out, splattering onto the floor.

Concern weakened Rellenora's hands. They trembled as they replaced the chalk and wiped the slate clean. She heard the Emperor say something; panic was there.

After a a handful of seconds, Rellenora understood.

"What's wrong? Have you swallowed something you shouldn't have?"

Rellenora's fingers rubbed and scratched each other as she watched the white hands attempt to pry the sow's mouth open.

Lady Francheska didn't want that to happen. She snapped her teeth at the fingers. The man had good reflexes. He pulled out just in time.

With a groan, the Emperor tried again, but Booboo ran away, squealing. The door was open, so she was able to exit freely. She was big but she was also incredibly fast.

The red slippers dashed.

Thinking that she needed to help catch the pig, Rellenora dashed too.

It was a fairly chaotic line, beginning with the pig and ending with the princess. Crying, yelling, oinking, stomping, scratching, with visuals whizzing by.

Soon, Rellenora found herself falling behind. She made a turn, another turn, and then she found two hallways in a forked path. She didn't see the Emperor nor the pig. She tried to concentrate on the sounds of pig chasing so she could figure out where she needed to go, but a young male servant distracted her.

He was saying something ...

Rellenora scratched an itch on her wrist as she tried to find the meaning.

"Your Highness? What in the world is going on?"

Hastily, she scribbled onto her slate.

"The Emperor is chasing the sow."

It was suddenly ... almost quiet. Rellenora looked about, trying to focus all the nerves in her ears.

The servant's index finger rose and pointed down the hallway to Rellenora's right. He said something. Then he ran off. A moment or so later, and Rellenora knew that he had told her, "I'll go there. You try the other way."

Rellenora put her chalk away and sprinted down the hallway to her left.

After a few more moments of running around and taking a few more turns, she realized she was lost.

This was embarrassing.

Rellenora leaned against a door and sighed. Then she heard something ... a straggling, dawdling noise, like a beast under the influence of a depressant. Her fingers discovered a gap between the door and the wall. It wasn't closed all the way.

The thirst for knowledge was overpowering her common sense, what little she had.

Her chalky fingers slipped against the door's edge, and she pushed it aside. It yielded easily and softly, moving into its hidden pocket in the wall. When she stepped inside, she smelled an odd incense. It was milky and citrus-like all at once. She didn't know what to call it.

There were no windows. The room was dim. Even in this daytime, there were a few lit candles. The walls had the colors white and black. The dark floor was hard and smooth. She saw the floor curve down into a very large depression, which was filled with water.

Another beastly groan, louder, intense, Rellenora layered her hands over her throat. Then she noticed ... smacking ... wet sounds. She looked for the creature that was making the noises.

Off in a corner, she saw ...

A long foot with bent toes, the instep dark from apparent exposure to the sunlight over time, the heel on the floor.

A leg, just lean enough yet also just thick enough, a beautiful example, resting.

Another leg bent up, away from the floor, the other foot hidden.

A left fist. Two fingers on that fist were shorter than normal and didn't have any nails. It was moving up and down very rapidly, grasping something.

Oh ...

Everything except Rellenora's lungs, heart, and eyelids felt still. She blinked at the hitherto unknown image of a man stroking his own erection.

Weren't women supposed to do that with their bodies? Why would he need to touch himself this way? Couldn't he pay a maid off or hire a courtesan? He could even marry if he needed to.

A glistening, moist substance was between his hand and his phallus. Did he put something there? Some kind of oil? Why? Wouldn't that be overly messy?

Rellenora wondered about how ... flushed the head of the penis looked. It was a bit purple, reminding her of flowers and fruits. The pulled back foreskin, at least she thought that was the foreskin, made her think of a tight sleeve.

The right hand soon rose and slipped between the man's thighs, petting and tugging on a pair of testicles dusted with brown hair. In fact, there was curly brown hair all around his pubic area, sparkling from the dripping oil.

A well carved belly lurched. The fist was blurry. A masculine voice called out half a name.

What was that?

Her nose wiggled.

Then ...

No ...

Rellenora gasped. She retreated a few steps.

A confused statement.

She was already running away.

But as she fled, she slowly recognized the words. "Agh! What?! Why are you here?!"

As she zoomed down a hallway, her mind vaguely repeated the man's voice in her thoughts.

Half a name.

Relle.

Relle.

Relle?

Her mind tested the vocalization out.

He hadn't noticed her at first. She knew because he had been surprised.

A woman called out to her. Rellenora nearly ran into a column. She halted herself with her forearm. She looked at the woman and assumed she was a servant.

The servant bowed to her and spoke.

Rellenora looked at a wall. Then, her eyelids nearly closed as she understood the servant's words. "His Imperial Majesty is now preoccupied with seeing to Lady Francheska's health. It wouldn't be very entertaining for you. He said that if you wish, you may leave this place."

Rellenora's shoulders rose and fell. She wanted to know if the piggy was going to be alright, but she didn't want to risk seeing that man any time soon.

Her eyes widened as she realized that man had been the prince of Halarsi.

Rellenora wrapped her arms about herself and nodded. She definitely wanted to leave this building.

***

The next morning was heavy with cool rain and sadness.

Lady Francheska Darla Nikoletta Varesqu had died in the Emperor's lap. She was buried in the gardens, under an apple tree. His Majesty was distraught. He demanded that the contest would be under an intermission until further notice. Then he stayed inside his palace, refusing to allow any princess to visit him.

Rellenora was rather sad at first. She moped around for a few minutes, wondering about the poor sow. It had been literally hours between the last time she touched Booboo's warm body and Booboo's death. It was a chilling, thought provoking memory.

But ... an idea came to her.

This was an opportunity to go home.

Naeva was having a sick moment in a closet with a chamber pot. That was the best time to go through with the plan. Rellenora tip toed to a member of the Royal Staff. She gave him a written message and a package containing one of her gowns.

"Please sell this gown and use the money to purchase a piglet that has been fully weaned and has a sweet temperament. Then give the piglet to me."

The next day, after lunch, the servant arrived at the Eggplant Palace with a crate of straw that a pink piglet slept in. It was another little girl. She had a few black spots on her back.

Naeva couldn't be kept busy. She asked all sorts of questions. "Why do you have a pig? What are you going to do with it? You aren't going to keep the beast, are you?"

Eventually, the piglet woke up and lazily looked around as if she found every person in the area to be a little bit interesting. Her snout quivered in the air.

Rellenora simply carried the crate, and the piglet inside, out of the Eggplant Palace.

Naeva followed with a stern look on her face. "You're plotting something stupid. I know you are."

Not caring about being considered stupid, mostly because she was used to that anyway, Rellenora held her head high and made her way to the Imperial Palace. When she was standing before armored guards at a side entrance, she knelt down and put the crate before her knees. Then, as she petted the piglet's head, she said very loudly, "Gift!"

She heard Naeva slapping her own forehead and saying something with an exasperated voice.

Rellenora was given time to comprehend the words. Naeva knew better than to ignore her needs.

"You've done it, Child! You've gone and lost your damn mind!" She leaned over to give Rellenora's shoulder a little shake. Another statement, a question.

When Rellenora understood the question, she sighed.

"Are you trying to insult His Majesty?!" Naeva's gray skirt fluttered in the air as she turned to the guards and spoke to them. Rellenora assumed she was asking them to forgive her.

One of the guards shifted his weight, his armor clacking. He was talking. He was likely saying something about how if a princess gives the Emperor a gift, then she'd be disqualified.

Rellenora didn't have a reason to care, at least none that she could see. She repeated, "Gift!!" Then she nudged the crate an inch or so forward. The piglet touched her finger with her precious little snout. Rellenora believed that snouts and ears were normally the cutest parts of a pig. She scratched behind one of those ears as she said the word gift again.

A man said something as he opened the side entrance doors and stepped outside. Expecting the Emperor, Rellenora bowed in place, but she noticed the dark and damaged hands. This was someone else. Her brain puzzled over his words, and she realized he had asked, "What's the meaning of all this?"

It was Prince Yban!!

Rellenora's face heated but the rest of her body felt like a clumsy trip against a floor of ice. She had already done so much and come this far, though. Giving up was a difficult concept for her. She said the word gift and pointed at the top of the piglet's head. This was truly a well behaved creature. She hadn't cried or tried to jump out of the crate at all. Such a patient, soft little thing! Certainly, the Emperor would be pleased to have her.

And Rellenora would get to go home too.

Prince Yban crouched down before the crate. Buzzing and purring to the pink piglet, he gently took her into his silk clad arms. Then he stood up. Rellenora thought his blue slippers were rather pretty. Silver flowers had been embroidered into the fabric.

The piglet became more vocal then. She oinked and huffed, but she didn't squeal.

The prince said something. Rellenora understood a moment or so after he spoke. "Ohhhhh, you're a little porkchop, aren't you? That should be your name, Porkchop."

Suddenly, as soon as she was able to understand the words, the prince was speaking again. Rellenora's eyes screwed shut as she vaguely realized that Naeva was speaking too. She couldn't concentrate on that. She didn't try. The prince was of a more important status.

But the prince kept talking and talking. Then the guards were talking too. Rellenora's head ached from the mental struggle. Understanding auditory verbal communication was often challenging.

Then the prince said something else, something with a stern tone, and everyone quieted down. Another statement from the prince. The tone was questioning. Rellenora sighed and tried to understand.

"Is what your companion said true? Are you sometimes a bit slow?"

They were all waiting on her.

Her fingers dug into the straw in the crate. "Hearing ... no ... but ... understand?" Her voice was as brittle as an old woman's bones. "Understand ... slow ... normally."

Prince Yban spoke again, and he politely waited for her to unwrap the words.

"Well, thank you for the gift, Your Highness. I've always wanted a pet of my own, but I'm not sure if I'll keep her. Maybe I'll give her to someone else."

When Rellenora finally showed signs of comprehension, her head shaking and her fingers closing over straw, the prince spoke again. He was inside the palace with the piglet in his arms by the time she understood his words.

"Did you hear that? Princess Rellenora didn't give His Majesty a gift. She gave Prince Yban a gift. Me. Nobody else. And if anybody asks, then tell them exactly that. Princess Rellenora gave Prince Yban a gift."

Naeva was laughing and tugging on Rellenora's sleeve, prompting her to go.

Rellenora wanted to put her face into the straw in the crate and weep.

***

Emperor Antonai was sitting on the bamboo floor of the pig's room, his back against a wall, his dark eyes low. The new piglet was wandering around, sniffing, rubbing her body against everything that was sturdy enough. Yban was sitting beside the Emperor his arms resting on his bent knees.

The prince said in a hushed tone, "You're still heartsick."

"Of course. I won't be healed after a day." The emperor reached up to adjust a silk band holding his hair up. His black eyelashes fluttered as he watched the piglet explore. "Why would that woman bother giving me pig, knowing she'd be disqualified?"