The Contest Ch. 03

With a shrug, Yban said, "I'm assuming she wanted to help you."

Antonai's upper lip formed a snarl-like expression. "I don't need her to find a pig. I can have any pig I want, whenever I want it."

"True, but what if all she thought of was your happiness? What if she was too blinded to think logically?"

Antonai actually smiled then. His tail wiggled up and onto his legs. "I'm grateful that you thought of a loophole for her."

"I can't stop the gossip, though. She might be accused of using dishonest tactics."

Standing up, his tail putting its tip under his belt, Antonai said, "I'm the final judge in this contest, and I'm to blame for my decisions." He walked over to the piglet. "I'll be lenient, just as I was with Chohni. If anyone objects to this loophole, then they will answer to me. I'll see to it that everyone understands this." He crouched down and stroked the piglet's back.

Yban asked him, "What are you going to name her?"

Without a hint of a thought, the Emperor replied, "Lady Tatiana Amaranda Kloelle Varesqu, with a nickname. Noffnoff."

Yban's back slid against the wall as he got to his feet. "Why don't you name her Porkchop?"

Antonai looked back at him with venomous eyes. "No. She's not Porkchop. She's Noffnoff."

***

Chohni wanted to laugh at the situation.

Certainly, Lagath had been her only true competition in this contest, and she still believed this was the correct way of thinking. But Rellenora surprised everyone with that loophole. Chohni wanted to send gifts to Prince Yban, but she believed that would only make her look like a heartless opportunist. "You're only doing this because you just now realized you could." That's what people might say.

How unfortunate.

Strangely, though, just after she woke up in the Rose Palace, one of her ladies-in-waiting sprinted to her bed and said, "The Emperor is here! He's seeking an audience with you!"

Unannounced, and so early in the morning? What a man! Perhaps it wasn't fair to expect much politeness from a Majustan, but it couldn't be helped, now could it?

At the very least, though, he would learn to wait on a princess this morning.

Chohni asked her lady-in-waiting to tell the Emperor that she needed time to prepare. Then, as that order was followed, Chohni took her time to get dressed, testing the color of each gown against her flesh, holding her jewelry before her face as she gazed into her mirror, having a lady-in-waiting comb perfume into her hair and arrange it into a tall coiffure. By the time she was finally able to greet the Emperor in the reception room, she was feeling rather positive.

A servant took a gift from the Emperor and presented it to Chohni with a bow. "His Imperial Majesty would like to submit a gift to Her Highness."

What excellent servants!

She was delighted to receive a beautiful, rare curio from the Emperor. It was an antique vase with rope and cord impressions. Chohni put the vase on a shelf, making sure everything was properly arranged according to size and shape.

They spent some time sipping hot tea and sharing each other's knowledge of the history of pottery and giving their opinions. It really was an exciting conversation for her. She was wonderfully surprised to learn that this Majustan had a more artistic yet scholarly side.

Perhaps a marriage with him would have more advantages than the obvious political ones.

Soon, the Emperor suggested a walk, and Chohni agreed. She took a few of her ladys-in-waiting with her as they left the Rose Palace. Having such pretty, noble maidens in her entourage was a wonderful way to boast. They'd have to return to Ribenji and find new mistresses if Chohni was chosen as the Emperor's bride, but at least she would be granted a new set of local Zenthian women.

Chohni was led to the several barracks. There were several squads, each assigned to live in a certain building. One squad in particular caught her eye, though, the largest group of soldiers in the whole nation.

A squad of Majustan soldiers, practicing combat with each other, their tails, horns, and odd skin tones conspicuous.

She had to say it.

"They're citizens in this empire, aren't they?"

A nod and the Emperor said, "Of course."

Of course ...

Chohni held her sleeve before her mouth as she contemplated the purported history she had been told beforehand.

An aristocrat had somehow gained the loyalty of a great army of Majustans, and with this army's strength, he took over the throne.

And even though he was an ordinary human, even though his wife was a human, the man he claimed as his son appeared to be ethnically Majustan.

"It's a spell, that's all!" The father had insisted. "This is the same son that everyone knew as human before I claimed this throne. I consulted a sorcerer and had a spell cast on my son, to symbolize this empire's new alliance with Majusta!"

Chohni thought that was a foolish reason to have your son's body permanently altered, if that was indeed what happened. Many people likely thought the same way.

Funny thing, there were many rumors all around the world of a Majustan sorcerer engaging in enchanted contracts with several people. Chohni had never met anyone involved in such a thing, though.

A few more buildings away, there was a giant pond. Chohni was nearly horrified to notice men, several naked men, swimming about in the warm weather.

She put her hands to her eyes and turned around, shrieking out, "Oh my! Oh my! How lewd, how inappropriate for a maiden's eyes!!" Her ladies-in-waiting followed suit, hiding their eyes.

She heard the Emperor step closer to her. Then she heard him say, "I understand why you'd be so astonished, but please don't be offended. These are soldiers. They need to keep their bodies strong, and swimming is excellent exercise. It's also quite pleasurable, and such a dangerous occupation requires the best pleasures to keep the mind balanced."

Her painted lips contorting, Chohni shook her head, still keeping her hands to her eyes. "Why would you lead me to such a place?"

"There wasn't much of a reason. I went where my feet took me." The sounds of his clothing sweeping around and his breath hissing touched the princess' ears. "Oh," the Emperor said, "Princess Lagath is here."

What? Why?

Chohni whirled her body around and removed her hands.

Nude, so very nude, and brazen, the warrior princess was standing near the edge of the pond. Her hourglass-like body looked so dark and beaten to Chohni. She couldn't see anything beautiful or elegant about it. Her breasts were so large, jiggling around like heavy sacks of water, and her nipples were like bronze coins.

Such a vulgar, careless body!

But ... but she noticed that the Emperor was watching her with very interested eyes.

Chohni's fingernails tapped against each other.

Someone approached from around a corner of a building. It was the Emperor's dear friend, Prince Yban. Chohni didn't think much of him. He was a lower prince of a land loyal to the empire. He didn't have much political authority. He walked to the Emperor and patted his great, silk covered shoulder. "Ah, it's a gloriously hot day, isn't it?" the prince said, grinning and flipping his curly hair.

With a nod and a mellow posture, the Emperor responded with, "This spring is as lovely as summer." Then he turned his head back to the nude Lagath, who was dipping her foot into the pond's water.

Prince Yban's eyebrow rose as he looked at Lagath. "Ahhhhhh, that's a bold woman."

"Bold and strong," the Emperor said, folding his arms and tilting his head. His long tail moved up and curled into one of his elbows.

Chohni honestly disliked the appreciative tones the men held.

***

Another morning came, and a lady-in-waiting had to shake Princess Lagath awake. "Your Highness! The Emperor's here! Get up! Up!"

Yawning in much the same way a dog does, her mouth wide and her limbs stretching as her belly rubbed against the sheets beneath her, Lagath vaguely wondered what that man might want. She forced herself out of bed and dug dry mucus out of her eyes. Then she used a comb made of bone to smooth her hair out.

She dressed herself with the first outfit she saw, a cherry red tunic shirt with a beige skirt. Her favorite, worn boots were put over her stocking clad feet. She threw a random gold chain around her throat and went to the reception room.

A kneel, and the polite greeting, and then she sat down before the man.

He gave her a present. Well, one of the servants took it from him and handed it to Lagath with ridiculous ceremony weighing down his words. "His Imperial Majesty would like to submit a gift to Her Highness."

Lagath rolled her eyes, but she took the gift. It was a box of whetstones. They weren't very expensive, but they were very useful, and Lagath smiled at them. Bowing, she thanked the Emperor. Then she put the box aside.

The Emperor asked for a walk. Lagath didn't see a problem with that. They left the Pomelo Palace with fearlessly straight spines.

"Your Majesty," Lagath said, her hands behind her back, "there's something I've wanted to tell you."

Strings of pearls and lapis lazuli beads swung around the Emperor's face as he turned to look at her. A few lines of stress and adulthood in general were under his black eyes, but he was smiling. "Then speak."

Lagath reached up to scratch at her scalp. "The women here seem pretty weak, but I suppose the women in many nations seem weak."

"An average woman is weaker than an average man," the Emperor said very casually, "and men are naturally protective of women, at least generally speaking. So, it's sensible for many women to be weak when compared to men."

Lagath almost laughed. "I don't mean the average woman. I mean the women here in your palatial complex. Women both strong and delicate exist in Udin, Your Majesty. My point concerns the highly educated women here. When a woman has access to wealth and power, then she should also have access to athletic pursuits other than delicate dancing, but most women here are pale and soft, even though they can recite all the finest literature."

"Hmmmmm." As he walked, his fingers seized a flower, and he snapped it away. He put the bloom to his nose. Then he said, "I have seen a few highly skilled women, but I've never met a woman as powerful as you. Perhaps this is a cultural difference."

A smile crinkled in Lagath's eyes as she asked, "Do you think I'm ugly?"

He tossed the flower off into the world. "If I did, I wouldn't tell you."

"I wouldn't be offended if you thought I was ugly. I was only curious. The beauty standards here are so fluffy and false. I'd imagine a woman's body would be a pure surprise on her wedding night. How can a new husband cope if he learns his bride is ugly under all those robes?"

The Emperor's grin was completely recognizable as a clever, partially brutal thing. "Not every bride is a virgin at her wedding."

"Ah." Lagath nodded. "So this nation has more reasonable people than I thought."

The rest of the conversation was very unimportant in comparison.

Near the end of the walk, though, they happened to see Princess Rellenora with her companion, Mrs. Donner. Actually, it would be more accurate to say that the princess was gripping a fence near the swimming pond while her companion was trying to pull her away. Lagath heard Mrs. Donner cry out, "It's simply NOT proper!!"

The Emperor gave Lagath a questioning look. "I believe ... that princess wants to do something at the pond."

Lagath noted how Princess Rellenora was shaking her head, trying to keep herself from being taken away from the pond. Many nude male soldiers stopped their fun to watch the odd scene. "I think that little girl wants to try swimming, but her companion won't allow it."

"Perhaps Mrs. Donner doesn't want her to swim with the men?" The Emperor swept one of his strings of jewels out of his vision. "I can understand her concern, but all my guests should enjoy themselves. I'll suggest a time at night, when the soldiers would be elsewhere, for that quiet princess to swim."

Lagath didn't think that was a bad idea. "Personally, I'd rather swim in the sunlight. I need to feel the warmth on my back."

***