Chapter Twenty Five - "In Which Phi and the Queen take a Ride in a Carriage."
But first; Last night someone asked me,"Why do you write?" I thought about it a lot. There's so many reasons I wrote this, but I always planned on publishing it. It's not the money itself. It's that... when someone buys your book, they're saying, "This is worth spending money on, money that I wouldn't give if I didn't think it was good enough." A sort of measure of success. On the other hand, there's a lot of bad writing that makes lots of money, so I guess it's not the best way to measure. I'll answer all of last chapters comments tomorrow in the forum thread, promise. <3 So anyway;
Chapter Twenty Five - "In Which Phi and the Queen take a Ride in a Carriage."
Averring was one more thing the Queen was thankful to be getting away from.
“I swear, he’s like a spitting cat whenever you’re around and if it didn’t upset you so much, I’d find it funny. I keep offering to make him a house servant, but for some reason he just keeps turning Me down. Shame really. I could use an extra pair of hands right now.” It was the morning of, and the Queen was trying to decide whether to have Her porters take the traveling chest down to Her carriage for royalty sake or attempt to load it Herself for secrecy’s sake. Phi watched Her morosely from where she had draped herself across the bed. “Sidja, You can’t really mean to bring that heavy thing down Yourself.” “I thought to give you the task, but I suppose that would be silly. Oh I’ll have the porters take it. Much as I would have enjoyed the element of secrecy it isn’t worth a possible injury. No...not when I have so much planned.” The girl sighed heavily in her mind and rolled over on her back. The sun had yet to rise and she had slept so fitfully the night before that the Queen had banished her to the edge of the bed. Fear and exhaustion stalked her at every turn and Phi picked through the meagre clues the Queen had dropped in search of solace. ‘Presented, with no clothes, to a bunch of people very much like Her, and I may need to use my signal word, a possibly a non-verbal one... I wonder if I could hide under the bed until this date passes.’ The Queen glanced over at the girl and drummed Her fingers on Her desk with mild impatience. “Come, Phi. It's your own fault you didn’t sleep last night. I did offer to drug you or wear you out.” “That wouldn’t have fixed the real problem, though.” “Always so dramatic. You act as if you’re off to the gallows. Get up and put your coat on. It’s time to go.” Phi realized it was pointless to delay any further as she dragged herself off the bed and followed the Queen down the back stairs to a waiting carriage. The carriage wasn’t at all what the girl had expected. It was so small and plain, not at all the lavish thing that led the coronation processional so long ago. ‘Perhaps She doesn’t wish to attract much attention. What do the footmen think of all this? No, surely they would not be told the nature of this thing, but someone has to drive the horses there, so how…?’ A chill ran through her. “Sidja, You aren’t going to…to kill the coachman once we get there, are You?” Phi whispered anxiously. The Queen gave her a sharp look, then laughed the comment off. “Why in the world would I do that? I doubt his driving will be that bad. Good morning, Charles. Could you give Me an estimate as to how long it will be until we arrive at Baron von Montbatteran’s estate?” The young man in the rider’s seat tipped his hat. “Good morning, M’Lady. If I factors in the usual travel delays, I’d say just about the day.” Phi winced. 'A whole day? It just gets worse and worse.' The coachman looked at her and chuckled. “Looks like the little’n din’t like the sound of that.” “Oh she’s just fussy today. I haven’t a vague idea why. Shall we depart?” The man nodded and offered his hand. The Queen waved him off in Her usual fashion but Phi took it with gratitude. The Queen pulled her up the rest of the way and with a snap of the reigns they were off.
*****
Even though the sun had come above the horizon, there was still a chill in the air and Phi unconsciously pressed herself against the Queen for warmth, forgetting she was in public. “Is something wrong, Phi?” The girl pulled away and shook her head, but it was obvious that she was freezing. The Queen sighed and reached down under the seat for something. “I knew I should have made you wear a woollen under your coat, but it will warm up once the sun gets higher. Here, this blanket should work. Better?” “Yes... Th-thank You, Sidja.” The girl murmured, distant with worry. “Do you have to make it so painfully clear that you don’t wish to be with Me, Phi? It doesn’t make for a travelling atmosphere.” “I, what?” Phi said suddenly. “That’s not true and that’s not fair to say. You always do this, always expecting me to be happy about something horrible and then counting it against me when I’m not. I was thinking last night about how weak and unwilling I must look, but I think I'm being quite reasonable in my trepidation based on what little I know and how little You'll tell me." The Queen was startled by Phi's unusual outburst but it always tickled Her when the girl used large words correctly, and so She let it pass. “No one ever said you were weak or unwilling, Phi, and I cannot express to you enough that nothing will happen to you. Nothing… bad will happen to you. Do you not trust Me? I thought we had gotten so much farther.” “If that’s true, then why won’t You tell me what will happen?” “Secrecy is a big part of a secret society. I did tell you one’s life is forfeit if they speak of the Circle to a non-member, didn’t I?” “But You said I was to become a member.” “‘Become’ being the key word here.” “Well if I can't know, then I feel I have the right to be wary. It's...only natural....” Phi trailed off as they rode over a stone bridge spanning an outlet to the sea. Spring had not yet found the docks as it had the fields, and the grey, predawn mist sapped the life from it further. Still... there was frail signs of it; tiny, huddled figures picking their way along the rocks. Phi pressed her face against the glass and she could feel them staring back. Something cold and raw crept under her skin as tears traced her face, but she couldn't look away. 'That's me out there. That's...' The Queen followed her gaze and inwardly cursed Herself for not keeping the curtains drawn until they were further away. “Phi, look at Me.” “It’s… all right, Sidja. I'm just....thinking…” The girl answered without turning, unwilling to show her face as it was now. “That wasn’t a request, Phi. It was a command.” Phi tried to obey but she couldn’t and looked at the Queen’s knees instead. “I’m so sorry about all this. Sidja. I'm not right for this thing. I'm still just a... underneath it all, I'm... if only it were something I was made for, like a tea making contest or a dish-cleaning contest, where I could….” The Queen took the girl gently by the chin and succeeded in getting her to meet Her gaze. “Poor little thing. You’re going to waste this whole trip fussing, aren’t you? If you want to do something that you’re good at, then why don’t you rub My feet? Maybe that will calm you down. You being as odd as you are it probably will.” She let go of her chin and gestured to the floor where the girl could no longer see out the window. Phi nodded thankfully as she sat at Her feet. The Queen slipped off Her shoes and wrapped Her legs around the girl’s body, letting her sink into Her traveling skirts as she sought a foot to adore. “That’s My girl…” Phi heard the Queen murmur above and she felt her worry drain away as the Queen's fingers traveled through her hair, her heart ceasing to pound against her aching chest at last. Phi pressed her face into the Queen’s inner thigh and cherished one foot; her only thoughts now being of it and the gratitude she felt towards her Queen’s travelling skirts for being so much softer than Her usual beaded gowns. Hours passed in this fashion until the gentle rhythm of the carriage and the warmth of the Queen’s legs lulled the girl to the sleep she should have had the night before. ‘Thank god she's so easily distracted.’ The Queen though with a quiet sigh of relief and reclined to watch the scenery go by. It had been so many months since She had been out past the borders of Her far-flung kingdom, and still longer since She had travelled south of them. Her mother had often taken Her to the southern regions when She was very young. She held the memories dear, though not many of Her mother herself, who would send the young princess out on Her own once they arrived. ‘Not that I minded. I was so free then, just to wander and make the servants give Me whatever I wanted. Such a beautiful place. You could feel the endless summer resonating in the very stones. No wonder Mother died when he took her away…’ Her thoughts drifted into darker waters so the Queen shifted Her attentions back to Her servant, still sleeping with her head between the Her legs. ‘It almost looks as if she’s pleasuring Me.’ The Queen thought playfully, then wondered what that might be like. For all Her sexual exploits She was still a virgin in so many ways. The idea of having anyone touch Her was repelling enough without adding a sexual element. Allowing the girl to embrace Her, even if it was on a strictly regulated basis, had felt like a paradigm shift. And yet, it had felt…quite nice… She placed Her hands on Phi’s head and gently drew her in closer to feed Her fantasy. ‘Would I dare…?’ The Queen’s thoughts were interrupted by the girl yawning herself awake. “Caw…. I must have dozed off…” “Phi, turn around and face Me.” “Yes, Sid-?” Phi had just managed to turn her body when the Queen took the girl's head and pressed her face against Herself. There was so much cloth between them that at first Her drowsy servant didn’t know where her face now was. She was more concered with breathing. “Crike Sidja, I’m up, I’m up! There’s no need to frighten me like that. Are we there yet? I say…what are You doing?” The Queen leaned Her head back and smiled as She continued to hold the girl’s head in place with a firm ivory hand. “Kiss Me, Phi.” It was only then that Phi realized where she was in relation to her Queen’s body and let out a gasp of surprise. “What-, but, but Sidja, surely You can’t be suggesting-” “Of course I’m not suggesting, I’m ordering. Come, My little one…let Me experience something new.” Phi stared at Her lap, trying to comprehend what the Queen was asking of her. Surely touching such an intimate place on Her body of all bodies had to be some form of sacrilege. But then again, her precious Queen was making a rare request for affection. How could she deny Her that? Phi leaned against the Queen's thigh to think. “Sidja…this is a bit…odd.” The Queen sighed above her, already wondering what had possessed Her to ask such a thing as well. “Somehow I knew you’d give Me a hassle over this. Forget it.” “Well, well wait, wait… I never said I wouldn’t. I, I just said that it’s a little…odd is all.” The Queen cocked Her head, suddenly awash with strange, hopeful anticipation. Phi nodded slowly as she considered a peculiar thought that had floated by. The request was bizarre on its own, but when paired with her Queen’s normally skittish nature it took on profound proportions. ‘You would trust me with this most vulnerable point in Your armour?’ Whether or not the Queen perceived it the same way became of little importance to the girl, for she could not conceive of it being without truth. ‘I am honoured that You would trust me so. Of course I will protect You, Sidja, protect Your every vulnerability with all my heart and soul.’ With that she pressed her lips against Her and sealed her oath with a kiss. “…Phi….” The girl’s name slipped from the Queen’s lips and She grabbed Phi by the hair, pulling her closer against Herself. She could not explain the charge that sparked through Her from so gentle a touch. She just knew She wanted more and it took a few minutes before She realized that Phi was struggling for air once again. ‘Oh that’s right… She needs to breathe.’ The Queen thought hazily as She let her go. Phi fell backwards, flushed and dizzy, and clutched at the Queen’s skirts to regain her balance. “C-caw, Sidja, what the bloody hell has gotten into You?” She gasped without thinking, then clapped her hand over her mouth in fear, but the Queen made no note of it. She was asking Herself the same question, but when no answer presented itself She waved the whole thing off and patted the seat beside Her. “A thought came to Me so I seized upon it. Come up here and watch the seasons change with Me.” Phi stared at Her for a moment longer in the hopes of further explanation, but the Queen just gazed out the window and continued to indicate where the girl was now to sit. Phi was reluctant to leave the safety of the Queen's skirts but soon noticed how much warmer the carriage had become. She shed her coat and sat beside the Queen, only to be pulled up into Her lap instead. “You see, little one? The further south we go, the further into spring the land advances. It’s almost like passing forward through time, wouldn’t you say?” Phi felt the Queen drape Her arms about her and what she swore was a kiss on the back of her neck. ‘She seems so content now, so much so I can almost hear Her purr.’ Phi thought, and her heart swelled with the knowledge that she had somehow brought this contentment about. “Yes, Sidja.” She murmured. Sleep still clung to her and she fought to stay awake within her Queen’s embrace. “Sleep well?” “Yes, but I woke up in the most bizarre fashion.” The Queen chuckled and moved the girl back to the seat beside Her. “Yes, well such things can happen when I get bored.” Phi leaned against Her and looked out the window, growing more and more curious of the alien scenery passing by. “They have so many plants I’ve never seen before. So many more trees with flowers on them. Even their birds seem brighter.” “Ah, that’s right. You’ve never been outside of My kingdom before, have you? Well I’m sure the sun will still be up by the time we arrive at the Baron’s. You can run around outside and explore.” “I wish You had told me we were going there first. I was afraid You were really would have to kill the driver.” “Silly girl. I told you I don’t just kill people off for the fun of it.” The Queen said with a laugh, confident the noise of the travelling carriage would shield them from eavesdroppers. “This way, anyone who asks where I went would be told I went to see an old friend. Besides, the Circle doesn’t meet until tomorrow night and I’ll not overnight at an inn. I wanted to show you off to him first anyhow. He’s sort of a connoisseur of this sort of thing.” “Of what sort of thing?” “Sweet, pretty little girls.”
