THE
LOOK BRIE
GAVE JILLIAN
as she entered the bedchamber
was enough to confirm the Scepter’s
words. The girl bounced to her feet
with a horrified
expression on her repugnant face.
Twitching like a rat caught in
a trap, Jillian
thought. Brie’s hands shook
uncontrollably under
the queen’s gaze.
“I’m so glad you’re back, my queen,”
Brie managed
as she clasped her fingers together to
stop the
quivering.
“Really?” the queen asked.
No, I am not going to
make this as humane as killing
a rat. You will suffer little
spy.
“Yes, my queen,” Brie confirmed.
Guilt was written all over the girl.
Her eyes
couldn’t come close to meeting
Jillian’s, and the
smell of fear permeated the room,
overshadowing
Brie’s natural stench. Jillian didn’t
need to question
the girl. The Scepter told her all she
needed to know
about the betrayal. This little whore
turned on her
for the sake of a man. A baker, no
less.
After all your lessons,
Jillian thought,
you are still
just as stupid as the day I
took you home from the docks.
“You don’t look very happy to see me,”
the
queen objected.
“I was just so shaken,” Brie defended.
Tears began
to stream down her cheeks.
“Are those for me, kitten?” Jillian
asked. Brie
wiped the tears, but didn’t answer the
question. “No
need to shed those for me.”
Jillian walked over and placed an arm
around
the girl. Brie’s shivering increased at
her touch. She
tightened her grip and forced the girl
to walk with
her. The queen would savor the fear
before the pain.
This was the way of revenge.
“Your brother,” the queen started,
“does he still
work in the stables?”
“Yes,” Brie answered with some
hesitation.
“You,” the queen commanded one of her
servants,
“Go fetch Karel.” The servant hurried
away.
The girl’s face went white. Her tears
spewed
from her eyes. The queen knew Brie
would be terrified
by the move. The possibilities of all
the things
she could be planning had to be
churning in Brie’s
head. It was revenge at its sweetest.
“I can’t have your brother slaving away
in some
stable,” she soothed.
“He likes the stables, my queen.”
“He deserves more respect than that,”
Jillian argued.
“After all, you were my right hand in
all of
this. Where would I be without your
help?”
“I’m just a slave, m’lady, nothing
more.”
“Ah, but I reward loyalty where I find
it.” Jillian
placed a finger under Brie’s chin.
“Just like I punish
traitors.”
The dismay on the girl’s face made
letting the
Scepter have his pleasure all worth it.
Jillian kissed
her on her right cheek and felt the
girl pull ever so
slightly away from her. This girl who
had been her
concubine, her lover, for years found
her repulsive.
A flash of anger ran through the queen.
“Wash her,” the queen commanded her
dressers.
“The smell is atrocious.”
The dressers took the girl to the bath.
Jillian sat
by the bed, basking in the sobs of her
victim. Brie
had just begun to pay for her sins.
Before Jillian was
done, the chattel would learn to fear
her betters.
“What would you have her wear?” a
dresser
asked.
“Leave her undressed,” the queen
answered.
Brie was dried thoroughly and left
standing
nude. Her hands were crossed in front
of her bottom
half, nervously twittering. The slave
found the
strength to stop her crying. This was a
strength
Jillian promised would be short-lived.
The queen looked beyond the gangly girl
to the
beauty of the chambers. Her bed had
long oak bedposts
reaching almost to the ceiling. The bed
was
zyder-made and complimented the fine
tapestries
covering the walls. A marble fireplace
made from
stone cut in the Eastern Empire warmed
the room. A
sitting room connected to her
bedchamber as well as
one whole room just to keep her
clothes. All of this
was almost lost because she trusted a
slave.
Her servant returned with Karel, who
was lucky
enough to keep the good looks his
sister lost. His
strawberry-blond hair was trimmed
neatly on the
sides and a little longer on top.
Light-blue eyes set in
a fine chiseled face. Looking at him
made Jillian
wonder why she ever sent the boy to the
stables. He
still had two or three years before he
grew too old
for the queen’s taste.
“Karel,” the queen greeted.
“My queen,” Karel replied with a bow.
“I am
sorry for my appearance.”
“We can take care of that,” Jillian
replied, turning
to her dressers. “Clean him up.”
They did as they were told. The boy was
undressed
and helped into a tub of water. His
stable
clothes were thrown into a bag and
hurried from the
room. Karel was lathered from head to
toe and then
rinsed. During the whole procedure, the
queen noticed
the boy didn’t look to his sister once.
Jillian sent for some clothing for the
boy. When
the chattel returned with the
traditional all-white
clothing of a slave, she scolded him
soundly.
“This is not the proper attire for a
freeman,” she
said. Jillian sent the eunuch out to
get the desired
clothing.
The servant returned with a suit of
fine purple
silk and a couple of lesser outfits.
Jillian cast the others
away and pulled out the purple silks.
She inspected
them closely.
“Yes, these will be fine,” she said.
“Hurry and
dress him.”
Karel was soon clothed. Jillian looked
over her
prize. The boy could pass for a noble
dressed this
way. She had some boots brought to
finish the look
before she revealed her plan.
“Karel, today you are free,” Jillian
told him. “I
will have one of my guards see you to
the gate.”
“My queen,” Brie cried, “Dressed like
that without
armed guards, the peasants will tear
him to
pieces.”
Jillian smiled at her. The queen knew
the girl’s
words to be true. With the poor
starving in the
streets, it was not safe for anyone of
noble birth to
travel the street. Karel wouldn’t make
it a mile from
the castle before he was mobbed.
“You are quite right,” the queen
conceded.
“Take him to the armory first and let
him chose a
sword of his liking.”
“Thank you, my queen,” Karel said.
Jillian heard
no gratitude in the eunuch’s voice. She
knew he lost
all desire for freedom when the king
had him castrated.
Her guard took Karel by the arm and led
him
from the room. Jillian’s smile grew
larger as she saw
the water pressing at the girl’s eyes.
“With a sword and those clothes, Karel
won’t
make it two feet from the gate,” Brie
said.
“Then we will be able to watch from my
window,”
Jillian replied. “Maybe he will take
down a
few of the beggars before they kill
him.”
Jillian picked up one of the pastries
by her bed.
She nibbled at its edge. Then she took
a full bite.
“Mmm,” she announced, “this is the best
pastry
I have ever had. Who made these?”
“Shan,” one of her dressers told her.
“Well, then I must reward him,” Jillian
said.
“I’m in a giving mood today.”
The queen looked for the tears on
Brie’s face and
was more than a little disappointed
when she found
none.
The little slut is stronger
than I gave her credit for,
Jillian thought. “What do you think I
should give
our good baker, Brie?” Jillian queried.
“I don’t know, my queen,” Brie
answered.
“I hear he is unwed,” Jillian
commented.
“Maybe a bride then. After all, he is a
grotesque looking
thing, not much chance of him finding a
woman by himself. What do you think,
Brie?”
“I wouldn’t know, m’lady.”
“For someone who spends her whole day
in the
kitchens, you sure don’t know much
about anything.
Perhaps you would like to be Shan’s new
wife.”
Brie’s face lit up at the comment.
Jillian saw the
faint glint of hope flare in her eyes
and took great
pleasure in crushing it.
“Of course, I will offer him options,”
the queen
continued. “I can’t have him thinking I
pawned off a
mutt on him.” Jillian smiled her
sweetest smile as
she turned to her concubine. “Tarra, go
get Maya
and send for Shan.”
As Tarra left the room, Jillian took
Brie by the
arm and led her to the wall in front of
the door.
When Tarra and Maya returned, she
placed one on
each side of Brietana. The queen smiled
at her crea-
tion, two of her most beautiful female
slaves cornering
her most hideous.
A few minutes later, Shan waddled into
the
room. Jillian never really noticed how
ugly the man
was until that moment. As tasty as the
pastry was,
the sight of the hands that made it
wrecked its appeal.
Jillian placed the treat back on the
plate, intent
on tossing the bundle after the man
left.
“Shan, so good of you to join us,”
Jillian greeted.
“My queen, have I displeased you?”
Despite his looks, this man knew his
place. He
bowed low keeping his eyes to the floor
and waited
for her answer. Jillian looked at Brie
one last time
before answering the baker. Brie still
attempted to
cover her secrets with her hands.
How many times has this baker
had you? Jillian
thought,
and you still try to hide
yourself from him. “I
am rewarding you for your service.”
“Rewarding, m’queen?”
“You sound as though you have never
heard of
the word,” the queen laughed. “Before
you stand
three girls. Pick any of the three to
be your wife.”
Shan looked at the three nervously.
Brie shot
him a furious glance when he gazed too
long on
Tarra. The baker lowered his head,
appearing to fear
the girl’s wrath.
“Oh, you have an interest in my Tarra,”
Jillian
said after watching the spectacle. She
knew she’d
better take control of the situation
before her plan
crumbled. “Show him your wares, my
dear.”
Tarra slid out of the loose white robe,
dropping
it to the floor. Brie’s misshapen body
appeared even
more warped beside the perfection of
her concubine.
Jillian walked over and stroked Tarra’s
nipples until
they hardened.
“She is an excellent choice,” Jillian
told him.
“Come feel the silk of her skin.” Shan
resisted her
call. Finally, the queen took his arm
and pulled him
close to Tarra. As soon as his hands
embraced the
curve of her breast, all Brie’s efforts
were crushed.
The man left with Tarra and didn’t look
back.
Tears struggled at the edges of Brie’s
eyes, but
didn’t fall. Jillian was mildly
impressed with the
slave’s resistance; however, she was
not yet finished
with her punishment.
“The baker took my concubine,” Jillian
said. “I
guess you will have to take her place
till a new one
can be found.” She took a finger and
pushed Brie’s
hands away from her body to expose her
secrets.
“Please, wash her again,” Jillian
commanded her
dressers, “and use rosewater this
time.” She walked
toward her sitting room. As she heard
the sounds of
soft sobbing coming from her victim,
she turned and
added, “Oh, and move the tub to the
window. I
wouldn’t want her to miss her brother’s
departure.”
Continued...
