Queensbride
folder
Original - Misc › -FemSlash - Female/Female
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
40
Views:
18,481
Reviews:
120
Recommended:
2
Currently Reading:
2
Category:
Original - Misc › -FemSlash - Female/Female
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
40
Views:
18,481
Reviews:
120
Recommended:
2
Currently Reading:
2
Disclaimer:
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The Author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.
Chapter Five - "In which Phi returns"
Chapter Five - "In which Phi returns"
It wasn’t until a half hour before the end of the day shift that Phi realized the extra complication to her already complicated situation. "Hope you’ve had a good life, Phi, b’cause Chamberlay’s gonna skin it from you when you go to quarters.” said one of the other maids. Phi's heart stopped. Usually they had to pass by the head maid on their way back to their quarters. By the time the Queen had come for her last night Miss Chamberlay had already left. The girl wouldn’t be so lucky today. “Oh no...” “'Oh no' is right, and she’ll be watch’n for you this time, dirt maid.” added Jain, her eyes glowing with revenge. “Serves you right for staying out all night to try and spite me.” The blood was in the water and Bess shook her head as she watched the girl try to fend off her attackers. "She can’t help it. She’s not such a bad little thing, just cursed is all." she muttered to herself. As the clock ticked closer to nine Phi truly began to panic. She wasn't afraid of what the head maid intended to do to her but how much time it would take her to do it. 'Sidja said nine, I have to be there at nine. How can I be there at nine? I've got to get out of here now!' Phi thought and she slowly inched herself out of the scullery. “Miss Chamberlay, Miss Chamberlay, Phi’s running away!” came a chorus of voices from behind. The girl blanched in horror and shot up the stairs as fast as her weary legs could carry her. ‘Please not now, not tonight. I don’t have time. If only I could tell you why!’ The head maid appeared in the doorway above, a fresh cut switch in her hand. “And where do you think you’re going? Thought you’d try and run out on what’s coming to you, did you now?” she said with a sneer and grabbed the girl by the arm. “Just for that you’ll be getting extra. I doubt you’ll be sitting any time soon.” “Please, you don’t understand, I have to go! I promise I’ll take the beatings tomorrow I promise, please!” Phi cried as she struggled with her, dreading every second she was wasting. The head maid hauled the girl over to a chair and threw her over her knee. “Have to go? Where? Where would a scrawny, worthless little tramp like you have to go at this hour? Off for a night with some back alley cur?” Phi fought the urge to tell the truth and felt just about to lose when a voice interrupted. “Actually, actually I needs her for something, Miss.” The two looked up to see the kitchen maid with a basket of rags in her hand. “I mean, she won’t be much use aft’ she’s been done up. Should only takes a minute.” The head maid scowled heavily but let the girl up, for much as she wanted to thrash her, work always came first. “Don’t think I’ll forget this. Tomorrow I’m taking you aside, even if it be mid day by the time I get to you.”Bess grabbed Phi by the hand and pulled her along out of the pantry. “Right, right, come on then, almost quitting and we have to, er... clean these, these, statue head things theys have everywhere.” She dragged Phi through several empty rooms before letting her go. “Right, get on, go. Don’t you tell no one about this. Anyone asks, I turned round and you shot off.” she whispered as she absently polished a bust with a dishcloth. Phi looked at her, bewildered. “Why are you doing this? You know more then you’re letting on, don’t you?” “Don’t know no’fink, girl. Just these head’s is getting dirty. Keep it under your bonnet or we’ve both had it, clear?” Bess muttered without looking up. Phi stared at her a moment, unsure, then nodded solemnly. “Thank you...” she whispered, then turned and disappeared into the upper halls. The kitchen maid looked up from her mindless scrubbing and watched her go. “Good luck ta yeh, child...” she whispered back to the empty room and left for the shadows herself. ****** Phi raced back through the upstairs rooms, enduring again the stares of those upperclassmen that had not yet retired to bed. They had much to stare at. Her hair was a mess, her clothes were further stained, and her face was red from the effort of walking so quickly. ‘Just remember what She said,’ she thought to herself as she pressed on, her eyes to the floor. ‘The only words that matter are Her own, the only words that matter are Her own.' At last she came to the upper chambers and slowed her pace. She had been so consumed with getting here that she hadn’t much thought about where it was she was going and why. Now she was alone in the vast marble hallways and fear crept in. She didn’t know if she could face the White Queen again, to be able to exist in Her presence let alone handle whatever whim Her restless heart desired. Even now a little voice inside her begged her to turn back. ‘She’s not here. I could run for it, run away somewhere.’ Did she dare? Did she dare disobey the great White Queen of the Northern Lands and run? Every fiber of her sense of survival screamed for her to take this last chance for escape. But if she ran, where could she go? Not back to the scullery and her simple life as a maid. The Queen would come for her again and it wasn’t likely She’d leave her in one piece for the trouble. She could flee the castle but the Queen ruled for miles and miles of currently frozen wasteland. The girl barely had any other clothes save for those she had on. She had no money, no family, nothing. A cloud of darkness shrouded her and she sagged in despair. That was it. Follow or die. It was then that a new set of thoughts began to drift into her mind, forbidden thoughts that sought an opening where logic had broken down. ‘Why would you run? It’s Her, Her, the one that stirs your deepest fires. You've yearned for Her acknowledgment since the day you first saw Her. Even if you ran from Her now, you know you’d never be free.’ In the end it was not fear of death that made Phi climb the marble stairs. It was the fear of living without Her. “You, My dear, are late.” Phi looked up to see the Queen's elegant silhouette, dark against the golden light of the hall beyond the great carved doors. Though Her face was shadowed Her eyes lost none of their brilliance and Phi cast her gaze downward to avoid them. “Please... Please forgive me, your Majesty. I had some trouble getting here.” Waves of nausea washed over her and the room seemed to tilt. She knelt on the floor and wished fervently that she could sink down within it. “And your hair is a mess once again...” The Queen continued, though more to Herself then the quivering ball at Her feet. ‘But still you came...’ “Why did you come if you are so uncomfortable and afraid?” Phi could feel the dreadful pricking of the Queen's gaze upon her back and she shrank within herself further. “You.. wanted me to?” The Queen’s impassive face broke into a smile.
‘Because I wanted her here, not because I ordered her to.’ It pleased the Queen to degrees immeasurable and Phi felt the tension evaporate like a morning fog. “You did want me to... Yes?” the girl asked, confused. “Yes, yes I did.” The Queen said. Something glinted in Her eyes a moment, the disappeared as She gestured through the open door. “There hasn’t been that much time lost. Stand and follow Me.” Phi stumbled to her feet and followed Her to the bathing room. “All of that, off.” The Queen said and waved a hand dismissively at Phi’s stained clothing. The girl slowly pulled off her apron and overskirt, then paused. “Could, could I at least keep the bloomers?” “No. I think I’ve tolerated your dreadful servant’s wear long enough. Do you never clean them?” This offended the girl, for even though she was of the lowest class she worked very hard to meet her own high standards.
“I clean them every night before I sleep, unless something unexpected comes up-“ she said before she could catch herself. “Life is full of the unexpected, Phi.” The Queen plucked the mop bonnet from her head and dragged the half naked girl over to the sink by her hair. “Ow ow ow, stop, stop, that hurts-” Phi squealed until the Queen shoved her head under the faucet. “I don’t want to waste time with a full scale bath tonight, but this needs to be attended to before anything else.” Phi half heard Her say through the rushing water. The scent of the blue-green washing liquid from the night before filled the air, followed by that of lilacs, but Phi could not breathe though her nose to smell it. She couldn't breathe at all, save for the quick gasps of air she stole whenever the Queen loosened Her grip. The only thing she had been wearing were her bloomers but now she was so preoccupied with fighting for air that she didn't notice when the Queen yanked them off. It wasn’t until She let Phi’s head up from under the water and began to wash the rest of her that Phi became aware of her nakedness. She flinched away but the Queen pushed her into the sink counter and trapped her there. “No, no, Phi, stay right where you are.” The Queen murmured as She continued on. “Just a quick wash over for now.” Once the Queen was sure that most of the day’s dirt was gone She abandoned the rag for the use of Her own soapy hands. Phi was startled by Her touch, but this time she did not pull away. This time she found, for some reason, she really didn’t...want to... ‘...Sidja...’ The Queen’s hands traveled over Phi’s pale arms, her back, her stomach and even her breasts without resistance. The need to fight drained away and she was flooded with a strange new feeling, something warm and pleasant, like the scotch but…different. But when the Queen ran Her hands up between her legs, the trance was broken. Phi tripped over the Queen’s arm in shock and slammed down onto the wet, marble floor. “Phi, you clumsy little-” The Queen started, but the sight of the girl sprawled on the floor, dazed and helpless, stole away Her ire. “Whatever am I going to do with you?” She finished instead, then pulled the girl to her feet and roughly toweled her off. “You need to learn to handle yourself better if you ever wish to be seen with Me.” “I...I was just startled is all.” she muttered to the floor and her cheeks burned red at the thought of almost having been touched there again. “Startled? By being washed thoroughly? At some point you are going to have to reconcile with the rest of your body and how it works, My little one, and it will be much sooner than later I assure you. Now, on to the next step.” The Queen handed Phi a parcel of old clothing She had had dug up from the royal cellar. Inside was a yellow ruffled blouse with a missing button, a pair of old felt slippers, and some faded pink petticoats, the last of which were so large that Phi used a frayed silk scarf tied around her waist to keep them from falling off. All in all they fit rather well, if not a bit too big. The Queen didn't mind; the girl wouldn’t be wearing them for long. “Now, let’s have a look at you. Yes, this will do for now until something better can be found. Don’t button that blouse up so high, there’s no need to hide in it. Now come along.” With that She swept the ill matched girl out into the hall, down another short passage and into a fair sized room equipped for cooking. Aside from the obligatory signature of wealth that was written most everywhere in the upper chambers, the room was a rather simple pantry affair, complete with its own little stove, a sink, an icebox, some copper pans hung from the vaulted ceiling, a fancy wooden cupboard filled with this and that, and a long table to work on. Past this was an adjoining room with high arched windows that extended all the way to the floor, framed with extravagant drapery. Some plush sitting chairs and a small tea table sat beside them. Phi wished she could spend a day in that little room trying to read a book or watching chunks of ice floating in the frigid seas below. The Queen took out a ceramic teapot and placed it on the long table in front of her. “You claimed to be the maker of the scented tea that the upper servants have been enjoying all this time, did you not?” “Why yes, My Lady, would You…would You like me to make You some tea?” Phi asked, trying to keep the excitement out of her voice. The Queen observed her with a look of amusement. “Is it really that thrilling to you? Yes, you will make Me tea, exactly as you say you have with your assorted spices-” “Yes, but they’re all back at the-” The Queen struck the girl across the cheek with the back of Her hand. “Do not interrupt Me when I’m speaking.” Phi stumbled back with a cry of pain and cast her eyes to the floor for fear of burning away under Her gaze, the joy dissolving from her face where it had shown brightly just moments before. “As I was saying,” the Queen continued calmly as She slipped an ivory hand under the girl’s chin and tilted it upwards, “you will be using My little stash. I’m sure I have everything you need.” Phi hesitated, no longer sure if it was safe to speak. She made a few small gestures with her hands instead and waited to be acknowledged. “Yes?” “I...I don’t really know the names of some of them. I just know them by sight or smell.” “Then look at them all and smell them. I’m sure they won’t be insulted.” The maid smiled despite herself and wiped away a stray tear. “Yes...yes My Lady.” “Get to it, then.” Phi filled the ceramic pot with water then looked at it uncertainly. “You…You wouldn’t happen to have any pots made of metal would You? I’ve never used one like this before. It might make the water taste different.” The Queen waved her off. “I’m sure it will be fine. Now go on.” She was curious to see if this girl really was the one responsible for the mysterious servant’s tea or just another trying to lay claim to it. The Queen was also keen to ensure that every ingredient remained uncompromised, forever wary of ingesting anything that didn’t come from Her own private sources. Phi began her curious tea-brewing ceremony, humming along despite the fright she had just received. Tea making made her happy. No one had ever shown her how. She just made it up as she went along. First she put a spoonful of brown sugar in the water before she even put it on the stove, then continued to throw this and that from a number of boxes and jars, sniffing each one to make sure it was what she thought it was until she couldn’t find something. “I say...You wouldn’t happen to have those white leathery looking things that I think are dried out apples, would You?” The Queen raised an eyebrow in thought. “No, is it necessary?” “Well it won’t taste the same...” the girl muttered in disappointment, for she took her craft quite seriously. “A slice of a fresh one, would that work?” the Queen replied, secretly just as concerned. The thought that Her long sought pleasure was almost within reach made Her crave it terribly and the possibility of it failing to be as it should was almost too much to bear. “I don’t know. I usually don’t come by them that often and they’re pretty hard to smuggle. I could always try it if You like.” The Queen plucked an apple from a hanging fruit basket and handed it to the girl along with a small paring knife. Phi carefully cut off the skin. “I bet if I skin it like this and put the skins in, it should work just as well. I say, could I...could I have the rest of this?” Phi asked and held up the skinned apple hopefully. She hadn’t eaten for some time. “Wait until you are done. Then you may.” “Thank you...” she whispered gratefully and placed the apple aside, then returned to fussing with the balance of tastes in her brew. “Now all I need the tea pouch.” “A non-flavoured one, I presume.” “They have flavoured ones?” The Queen rolled Her eyes and handed the girl a cup and saucer with a tea bag inside. “I hope this came out right...” Phi murmured as she poured the concoction, trying to decide for herself from the aroma alone. The Queen waited as long as She could stand before taking a tablespoon of it from Her cup to cool it quicker and sipped its contents. Her eyes fluttered to a close and Her face radiated a glow of pure bliss. The Queen looked to be no longer bound to the mortal cares and concerns of the world. To Phi it looked quite literal and panicked. “Oh god, I’ve killed Her. Sidja? Sidja are You all right? You look like You’re going to pass out, oh Crike I’m sorry Sidja, please wake up, I swear I didn’t-” “Hush, little one...” The Queen whispered and placed a finger to the girl’s lips. Then She picked up the cup and saucer and brought it over to Her favourite sitting chair by the window. “You may now eat your apple, girl. Come, bring it here.” Phi did as she was bidden and took a seat on the rug beside the Queen's feet. She felt a hand gently ruffle her newly dried hair and press her head against its owner's knee. “Such a good girl, Phi. Such a good girl...” “Do... do You like it? I've never used a fresh apple before.” The girl asked as she ate the remainder with relish. The Queen took another sip from Her cup, closed Her eyes and smiled. “So it was little you all along. How funny, everyone claiming your tea as their own, though no one could ever reproduce it. You say you made this up yourself?” “Well... the other stuff tasted awful and I thought I’d be beaten for making it wrong, because it tasted so bad, and then they’d know I didn’t know how to make it, so I thought if I added flavours, no one would notice.” The Queen chuckled to Herself at the irony of it and drained Her cup. “Phi, bring the pot over and take some for yourself. You could stand to have a hot drink in you as well.” “I, I don’t know. I mean, it’s Your tea, so it’s royal, and I don’t think that someone like me could...could...-” The Queen sighed. “Do I need to order you?” “Well, I guess that would make it okay-” “Then I order you. Now do it.” Phi pulled herself up off the floor and scampered off, then returned with the pot and an extra cup for herself, but poured for her Queen first. The she returned to her place at Her feet and gazed out the window at the crashing waves below as she sipped from her own cup. ‘This...this must surely be a dream...’ She felt her Queen’s fingers run through her hair and she leaned against Her leg, feeling the heat of it on her cheek, the feeling that She was real and alive and happy…with her. Eventually the warmth of the tea and the steady roar of the waves took their toll, and the little girl fell asleep propped against Her leg, the Queen's fingers still running through her hair. “Congratulations, My little one, I have made My decision.” The Queen said to the exhausted form at Her feet. “You now belong to Me, and to Me alone.”