038 – Formally On Display

The Sorceress joined the procession as it started out of the suite. She wore a dark green gown with her full set of regalia, demarking her station. Rox had seen her wearing this necklace and collar set once, but had been forbidden to do anything about helping with it. They marched to a formal dining room, flanked by a quad of guards.

The walls of the room were the same color white to light grey as the rest of the stone that the palace was either carved or constructed from. The columns rose up to vaulted arches supporting the roof, four stories up. Every third column all the way around the perimeter had a medium sized fireplace within, half with fires in tonight. From the entrance, the room was longer than it was wide; with stained glass windows on the three sides the doors were not on. The room had several straight tables at the far end, and the same number of round tables at the close end. Stewards’ tables lined the outer edge, with stair wells going down between the walls and the tables.

Several people were already sitting at several tables with the stewards bringing up food from below. Roxanne was escorted to a round table and instructed to sit. The Sorceress was escorted to a seat at one of the straight tables. The Court began to arrive. As The King and Queen arrived, everyone stood. They were shortly followed by the Ambassadors from each of the southern countries. As the various ministers and guests arrived they were announced, and shown to seats, but otherwise the conversations continued. Assorted Traders and Merchants from the local communities and other countries were seated at the table where Roxanne was.

As the dinner progressed Roxanne felt herself under scrutiny. These merchants were interested in her origin and antecedents, in a polite manor, but once they realized that she was a slave in the palace, and of no real possibility of selling or buying large quantities, they dismissed her from the conversation. Roxanne listened carefully; most of the conversation was about buying and selling. A third of the guests were local. The other two thirds were divided between the two southern kingdoms. They mostly talked of trafficking in the local silks, foodstuffs, and salt.

Roxanne would later be told that she was watched by the guards to see if she recognized any of the people there, or if they recognize her. The conclusion reached after consideration what that Roxanne only knows those she has met, and none of those here appear to recognize her. Either she was a very good spy, unknown to any of those here, or totally honest in being from elsewhere and not involved.

Once the dinner was done, Roxanne was approached by a steward and quietly told that she was dismissed and to return to her suite. Rox glanced briefly at where the Sorceress sat in conversation, and then stood and excused herself, and was escorted down the closest stairwell. Linell waited down in this kitchen area, and guided Roxanne back to her suite. Linell then helped Rox undress from the formal gown and hang it on a dummy that had been left by the tailor. Roxanne then got to wait. Linell departed to go off duty.

The Sorceress came back late and simply sent Rox to bed.

*          *          *

The second day out of the native village Abey felt good enough to remove the sling. The Healer’s magic had repaired her broken bone and torn up muscle, generally, but she had to be careful to get it back to full strength, and not over stress her shoulder too quickly. She would keep the scars on her left collar and shoulder from the mauling she took, as well as the light scratches on her back. But with the salve the healer had given, she was healing quickly. She applied it apparently at need, and had a little bag of it that she drew from.

As they tracked across the highlands to the mountains, Abey and Steven decided that hunting and keeping the pelts might be a good way to earn some keep. At their insistence, Caspian went with them off the main road Abey had brought then along, and back onto the game trails. In this instance, these were a bit out of the way, where prior Caspian had been following them as the shortest path. Abey soon proved as good with her sling as Steven did with his crossbow. Abey drew the main duty of tanning the hides, as Caspian had no knowledge of how and Steven was ages out of practice. Their little bundle of hides soon began to grow. The ghillie suits were abandoned incomplete, as they were deemed too impractical.

*          *          *

The next morning, Linell woke Rox with instruction to help her bathe and dress. Rox was to attend court, as The Sorceress’s assistant. The Tailors returned while Rox bathed in the cold water and quickly made a set of formal outfits for Rox to wear. These were essentially the same as the Sorceress’s costumes, but in a light blue color instead of the green the Sorceress wore. Roxanne sat in a chair off the side of the dais behind the Sorceress. Mostly she just got to sit and watch.

One thing that Rox watched with some interest was the interaction of The King and Queen, and The Sorceress. Mostly The Sorceress sat aside and watched herself, speaking only when spoken to. The King plowed through issues quickly, passing some things to The Queen to handle and pass a decision, and plowing through others himself. The ministers came and went according to the business they had to do. Rox noticed that there was a pair of guards who sat and watched her, and only her. The King quickly moved through the other mostly domestic business, and then called in the Ambassadors to discuss the trade treaty. Roxanne listened, grasping only the general principles, but was quickly out of her depth for particulars. After a few moments, she only paid polite attention. They stopped the discussion for lunch; one of the guards who watched Rox spoke briefly to The Queen, who in turn spoke briefly to the Sorceress. Just before lunch was brought in Roxanne was dismissed from Court, and escorted from the office wing, then left to get back to her suite on her own.

Roxanne returned to her suite, changed clothes, and set about her chores. Just before dinner a procession arrived. The Queen and The Sorceress were escorted by eight guards. Once the women were within the suite, two guards turned aside to stand in the corners of the hall and the rest departed, closing the doors to the suite.

Roxanne stood at attention in the doorway of her room. The Sorceress looked at her, smiled, spoke a word and waved her hand. Rox felt the magic in the chains and their bands on her arms and legs dissipate.

The Queen relaxed. “You have leave to speak and act freely.”

Rox looked at the women. “Are you joining us for dinner?”

The three women sat at the table chattering as friends do. The guards stood at the corners of the room, flanking the doors. The stewards came up the stairway and served the women, and also gave some to the guards. Roxanne sat and watched old friends talk as only old friends do. Roxanne had again explained and told her story, this time to The Queen.

“Did you see their livery or symbols?” The Queen had a keen interest in the kidnappers.

Roxanne had to shake her head. “No. If I did, I do not remember. I spent most of my time with them half awake, or less.”

“I am left to wonder who it was. That circle has attracted travelers of all kinds. The Kings of the kingdoms around it have long since stopped trying to manage what there is of that.” The Queen evidently knew more about that circle than Roxanne would have guessed.

Roxanne paused, letting The Queen control the conversation.

“I suppose I have to apologize. My husband included your arrival in his correspondence to me while I was out of the palace. He was concerned by the timing of your arrival that you might be a spy. It was easy enough to leave you in the charge of The Sorceress until I could return. We needed to see if you knew or were known by any of our . . . neighbors. We brought you to the dinner last night and to court this morning to test their reaction to you and your reaction to them. Had you recognized them, or they reacted to you, there might have been more reason to be concerned. Now, we see that you are most likely not known, or a good actor. Besides you were dismissed before we got to the real meat of the issues.”

Rox considered this. “I accept your apology.”

The dinner the rest of the evening drifted to other conversation topics. The one Rox wanted to ask about was never brought up.

Several days later The Sorceress shared breakfast with Roxanne. The treaty had been signed the night before. As the conversation continued, Rox looked for an opening to ask about the one issue that did interest her.

The Sorceress was quietly amused and slightly embarrassed. “The Queen has been home for about a week. In that time, The King granted a dismissal to his last harem-girl. The Queen has insisted on his time, and his bed. I have not mentioned it to you, but I wrote to The Queen once I had the church lined up.”

The Sorceress looked around conspiratorially. “I have realized she had been going into The King on her own over the years, and she was gratified at the idea of having him all to herself again, if even for a little while, as he might think for now.”

That afternoon The Sorceress took Rox into the city. They went shopping and on other personal errands. Rox learned that her gold slave chains actually had a significant social status, as she was from the Palace complex. As they went, the Sorceress mentioned for the first time that Roxanne had a bit of funds at her disposal. This surprised Roxanne, but she did not have much need to spend just now. Rather to save it to buy her own freedom.