Disclaimer: All characters are owned by my, copyright 2013.
Fortunatus Light of Dark
by AJ Marks
Chapter 2
Tess glanced over at the clock, sighing as she realized she had a meeting in a few minutes. She glanced down at the blonde head of her new slave, Ami. The girl had fallen asleep some time ago after crying herself out. Tess knew her slave needed that to move on, and thought about it all, knowing that they would talk about it some more. Her story made no sense to Tess.
Reluctantly she eased herself out from under Ami, and placing a pillow on the sofa and covering the girl walked out finding Helen standing nearby.
“Empress,” the old woman said, bowing slightly.
“You’ve heard?” Tess asked, knowing how rumors spread in the palace.
“But of course, the entire palace already knows you have a new pleasure slave, a young, blonde, petite thing. I was so hoping for a male stud this time,” Helen said.
Tess shook her head at that. “Not happening anytime soon,” she told the older woman, who merely shrugged her shoulders.
“What can I do for you then Empress?” Helen said, turning serious.
“She is currently sleeping, when she wakes take her down to be fitted out with some outfits, and then introduce her to Kari and Kira,” Tess said to her.
“Of course Empress,” Helen said, then headed into Tess’ quarters.
Tess knew Ami would be in good hands and walked down the hallway towards the meeting chamber, seeing Becca and Carrie already in the room. They appeared slightly shocked that Tess even showed up.
“So, how’s your new toy?” Carrie asked.
“Don’t know,” Tess replied, watching Carrie and Becca faces show shock. “I do know that she is an innocent.” Tess barely counted to one before the outburst came.
“She’s playing you,” Carrie said, looking concerned.
“Yeah, they’re sneaky,” Becca replied, from where she sat.
“I doubt it, she’s too much of a natural submissive, you saw her,” Tess stated, knowing they had both been present this morning.
“So, why did they send her here?” Becca asked, who became quiet as Kari walked into the room with a tray of food set it on the table. bowing towards the Empress before leaving.
“That’s something I want to know, they are all very clever and, well, evil,” Carrie said. “She might be a new breed of demons. We could try some truth serum on her?”
“No, they sent her over here after accusing her of killing over ten thousand people,” Tess replied, not surprised as both Carrie and Becca’s expressions went to complete shock.
“Ten thousand, that’s a tenth of Correl’s population!” Carrie exclaimed in shock.
“And you’re keeping her this close to you,” Becca said. “There is playing with fire, but this is ridiculous!”
“For once I completely agree with Becca, this girl’s too dangerous to have this close to you,” Carrie stated. “She’s going to destroy the palace.”
“We should execute her at once, save us all from any threat she poses,” Becca exclaimed. Tess could already see the two of them making plans to carry out that order.
“No one is executing her, nor touching her,” Tess finally said, raising her hand and her voice. They stared at each other for several seconds, until finally Becca and Carrie seemed to cool down slightly. “I’m not convinced she even did it. Besides I’ve killed more than that in my conquests, and I’m also not easy to kill. I’ve never seen anyone that could act like she did. What she went though was real.”
The statement caused the other two to stop, pause and think. They both had to know she had spoken the truth. During the conquest of the lands her armies had killed and destroyed more than ten thousand people. The effects of the conquest could be felt even now, five years later. Tess waited a few heartbeats, wondering if they would still call for Ami’s execution. When neither spoke, Tess decided to change the subject.
“Okay, she’s not a problem, but we do have one. Gregory’s still hiding in the Shadowlands,” Tess said. “Do we have anything new to report?” Tess hoped to hear something new, but expected nothing. Gregory seemed to have a knack for hiding. However she knew he had a large number of supporters now.
“We have no new reports from our spies,” Becca finally replied, both knowing that Tess did not want to hear such news. Tess took a moment and sighed at the news.
“We need to know what he’s up to. The last information we received is now two weeks old and that mentioned an increase in his numbers,” Tess stated. Gregory’s army seemed to grow lately after being smaller for so long. An increase like this caused some concern for Tess. She needed to know if he had finally decided to come out of the Shadowlands.
“Empress, we know he’s out there, our patrols are working hard and have not spotted anything from that direction,” Becca finally said.
“And I’ve seen nothing in the currents of magic to indicate he might be moving,” Carrie stated adding her own opinion into the conversation.
“He will, this increase in strength means he’s found what he wants,” Tess stated, looking over the maps.
“How do you know?” Becca asked.
“You’ll have to trust me on this one,” Tess said not stating anything about the fact she had known Gregory when she began her mission of conquest. She joined his army with her own small group. She learned he had no interest in conquering the land. Using that information she had quickly undermined his leadership in his army. In weeks she had total control of his army and ousted him from power.
During that time she listened to his ranting, only to gain information to take his army. Now she wished she had listened to it a bit more. The only parts Tess could remember dealt with some gate that he wanted to knock down and he needed an army to do so.
“Maybe if you told us why we could help prepare a bit better,” Carrie stated, looking between Becca and Tess.
“Do you not trust us after all this time?” Becca asked.
“I don’t tell you because I’m not sure myself,” Tess replied a bit angry at the conversation. She wanted no questions today, not when there were other things she still wanted to do. She ran her fingers through her short hair in frustration. Every time this conversation came up, she hoped her spies might have learned a bit more.
“You don’t make our job any easier. It’s difficult to prepare a defense when we don’t know what the enemy is,” Becca stated. Tess knew she was being honest and thought about how she might answer.
“He’s cunning, ut entirely too focused on one goal, and that was raising an army for something. Our soldiers must be ready to defend against him. People think I’m evil but they have no idea what he’s capable of. I wish I knew his goal,” Tess stated. She had not said that Gregory was a Zero-Mage. She never saw him use magic and seemed to almost hate it with a passion. He would fly into a rage anytime someone used it around him. She also had seen firsthand his total disregard for life in general. He viewed life merely as a toy for him to experiment with.
“All right, but he’s hiding himself very well,” Becca said.
“I can order a magic sweep of the area?’ Carrie said.
Tess thought about that for a few minutes weighing the pros and cons of such a mission. It would show any large groups of men, unless powerful enchantments protected them. A deep scan would easily find anything, but such an action would cause Gregory to realize she was searching for him. Looking at the map she thought about it all. Did she want Gregory to know that she might be after him now?
“All right, do it,” Tess finally said.
“I’ll get the word out now and we should have the answer back in the morning,” Carrie said, taking a few notes and then walking out of the room.
“Is that wise?” Becca asked, after Carrie had left the room.
“Yeah, I think it’s time we announce ourselves, especially if Gregory is getting ready to move,” Tess stated.
Tess glanced over as Lycos entered the room with his trust parchment and walking straight towards her.
“Ah, Empress good, I was able to reschedule Leon for tomorrow, and you’ll have a nobles meeting as well in the afternoon,” Lycos said.
“Joy,” Tess replied sarcastically, seeing Lycos look at her funny.
“I was not aware you enjoyed such meetings, shall I schedule more in the future?” he asked.
“No, if you do what’s left of my sanity might snap and I’ll end up killing those idiots,” Tess finally replied, getting a chuckle from Becca.
“As you wish Empress,” Lycos said. “You have a scroll from Victor.”
Tess sighed knowing that the work of an Empress was never done. Sometimes she thought if she knew what ruling meant she have allowed someone else to do it.
*****
Ami slowly woke, feeling slightly disoriented for a few minutes as her brain caught up to where she was lying. She took a few breaths going over what had happened this day. The verdict of her hearing came back guilty, and the judge sentenced her though the wormhole. She barely made it though when two guards looking like something out of a medieval circus captured her and dragged her to the palace. The palace had been an entirely new matter for her. She had met the Empress and after a few humiliating orders found herself the Empress’ new pleasure slave.
She glanced down at the blanket covering her and that she was lying on the sofa in the Empress’ quarters. She slowly stood looking around but did not see the Empress. She thought back to what she could remember, her breaking down and crying, the warm feeling of being wrapped in the Empress’ arms and the knowledge that someone finally believed her.
Folding the blanket and placing it on the back of the sofa, Ami glanced around and headed to the window. She looked down at the street a bit amazed at what she saw. It looked like she stepped back in time and into a movie from the eighteen hundreds. People walked around crowding the streets. She saw no cars and only a few horse and carriages.
The buildings were a bit different looking, like a mix of both modern and ancient designs, as if the architect could not make up his or her mind. Ami noticed that some building material appeared like steel, or stone. One thing she did not see was tall buildings. She spotted a few three story buildings and one five-story building but most were one or two stories.
The sound of the door opening caused her to turn around, partly in fright at what might happen next. She watched an old woman enter the room, looked at the sofa then around the room, quickly finding her. Ami stood in silence waiting to find out why the woman was there.
“Ah, there you are child, the Empress said you would be here,” the woman stated. “I’m Helen, head of the palace staff. So, you come under my responsibility to take care of, seeing how you are now the Empress’ slave.”
Ami listened to the woman in silence as she spoke. Helen stood a bit taller than Ami, about fifty years old with white hair, pulled back into a ponytail. Her green eyes looked right back into Ami’s own eyes. Helen walked right up to Ami, and looking at the shirt she wore, tsking a bit and shaking her head in obvious displeasure.
“Have to get you some proper clothes, I mean honestly, running around in the Empress’ shirts. I don’t care if you are her pleasure slave, at least we’ll get you some better clothes,” Helen said. “Now, the Empress will be busy for a while, but she had stated that you are to eat dinner with her tonight.”
Ami watched her look at the clock.
“Good gracious, it’s already that time, well we’ll have to hurry then, come along,” Helen said.
“Um, all right,” Ami said, unsure, but followed Helen out of the room down a few hallways and stairs. Ami knew she was totally lost and hoped Helen knew where she was going.
They finally arrived in a room that appeared to have lots of fabrics lying around, and a woman about as old as Helen with short grey hair who looked up at their entrance into the room.
“Is this the one?” the grey-haired woman said, eyeing Ami a bit too much.
“Yes, so be good,” Helen said. “The Empress will be wanting several outfits for her, she trusts your abilities.”
“All right, first we need to get rid of that thing on you girl,” the grey-haired woman said.
“Well, you heard her, take it off,” Helen said to Ami, who stood there, shocked at the direct approach.
Ami hesitated for a second before reluctantly taking off the shirt leaving herself nude before the two women.
“Well, at least the Empress’ tastes has improved,” the grey-haired woman finally said.
“Don’t let her hear that,” Helen said.
“I know,” the grey-haired woman said taking out a piece of rope. “Let’s get started shall we.”
Ami watched as the rope measuring her body by itself, as the woman took down notes and nodding every few seconds.
“I’ll have Kari come down and pick her up,” Helen said.
“Okay, shall I have anything ready for the Empress today?” the grey-haired woman asked.
“Hmm, I don’t know, the Empress never said, I’ll go ask,” Helen said then walked out.
Ami now was left alone with the grey-haired woman, who took some time finishing up her measurements before taking out a wand. Ami eyed the wand cautiously as she waved it around. Bit of fabric melded together making an outfit right in front of Ami’s eyes. She had never seen anything like this before. In mere moments an outfit finished sitting on the table in front of her.
“Put that on,” the woman said. Ami did so as the woman went around checking the fabric for its fit making a few changes as she went. Ami looked down at the small dress that barely came to the top of her thighs. “Now, how about a color, a nice green should do.”
Ami watched as with another flick of the woman’s wand and the color of her outfit changed. The white fabric now appeared a light green, as the woman seemed to step back to look at her handiwork.
“Very nice,” the woman muttered nodding to herself.
Ami watched amazed, and tried on more outfits than she ever had in her entire life. After what seemed like a long time Helen came walking back into the room this time followed by a girl who seemed about the same age as Ami. She had brown hair and blue eyes as they walked right up to where she stood.
“How are the outfits coming?” Helen asked.
“Doing well, been a while since I had such a lovely model,” the woman replied.
“You lecherous old woman, you just like ogling her,” the girl with brown hair said.
“Ha, looking is fine as long as I make no advancements, ‘sides, the Empress already knows what I like,” the woman replied back at the girl. “What about you or your sister, need anything?”
“Not likely,” the girl replied back. “And there is no way I’d allow you to get your hands on Kira.”
“Ah, such a shame,” the woman said.
“Ahem,” Helen said to the two of them. “We still have work to do unless you want to explain to the Empress why her new slave is late to dinner.”
“Did the Empress express any desires for an outfit?” the woman asked.
“A simple robe, nothing else,” Helen said.
Ami swallowed, realizing they were talking about her outfit for tonight. She would be wearing only a robe to the dinner and now had no illusions of what would happen during or after the dinner.
“Here we go,” the woman said handing the brown-haired girl a sheer fabric robe.
“The Empress will like this,” the girl said, holding it up so they all could see. Ami noticed that it would come down to about mid-thigh and the sheerness of the fabric would hide much, if anything.
“Well come along child,” Helen said, and Ami knew the woman had addressed her. “Put this on,” she said handing Ami back the shirt she had worn over to this room.
“If I need anything else I’ll inform the Empress, but I think I have enough to make the rest of her wardrobe,” the grey-haired woman said.
“Good,” Helen said, before Ami followed her, and the brown-haired girl, out of the room, down a few more hallways, before entering a room with a large tub with steaming water, a mirror off to the side, a sitting area and another brown-haired girl, who looked like the girl Ami had followed. She then realized the two brown-haired girls were twins. Looking at the two she noticed one parted their hair on the left while the other parted their hair on the left.
“Don’t worry Helen, we’ll make sure she’s ready, one hour right?” the one with the part on the right said.
“Yes, don’t be late with her, I imagine the Empress will be quite anxious for her tonight. Lycos is already fussing over the Empress’ actions today and sudden cancellation of meetings, especially tonight,” Helen said. Ami realized that the Empress was busy and, from what she heard, taking time out of her schedule for her tonight. She felt a mix of flattered and scared.
She heard the twins laugh at that. She realized there was some sort of inside joke going on. She hoped to live long enough to understand that joke.
“All right child,” Helen said as Ami looked at her. “This is Kira and Kari, the Empress’ personal servants and as such, yours as well. They will make sure you are cleaned, fed and healthy for the Empress. If you need anything ask them, if they don’t know they’ll ask me. Understand?”
Ami nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Helen walked out as the twin with her hair parted on the right came up to her.
“All right, into the tub,” the girl said.
Ami hesitated for a second before taking off her shirt and, now nude for the third time today in front of another group of strangers, went over and sat down in the tub. One of the twins came over and started washing her long blonde hair, while the other seemed to mess with several bottles, before coming back over with one.
“What do you think, lavender?” she said to her twin.
“Yeah, the Empress likes that one,” the reply came back.
Ami watched the girl pour some liquid into the bath, and seconds later the lavender smell rose up tickling her nose. Ami decided to relax and allow the twins to do whatever it was they needed to do. Surprisingly she found herself enjoying the attention.
“You’re more relaxed than the others have been,” one of the twins said, breaking the silence.
“Yeah, we expected more of a fight.”
“Remember that last one.”
“Goddess yes, she wanted to do it all herself.”
Ami listened in on their conversation as they seemed to take turn speaking. It sounded a bit strange, as one would start a sentence and the other finished it.
“Or how about the one who tried to bed us.”
“As if that would happen.”
“Um, how many pleasure slaves does the Empress have?” Ami asked, the question had come to her listening to the twins talk about others.
“Only one at a time,” the one in front of her answered.
“The Empress is a very jealous person.”
“So be cautious who you talk to.”
“Yeah.”
Ami swallowed at that before the next question came to her. “What happened to them?” If the Empress only had one at a time then something obviously happened to them.
“Ah,” the one in front of her said, hesitating.
“They were mostly executed for betrayal,” the one behind her said.
“Kari!”
“What, it’s true Kira, better she learn now than later,” Kari said, as Ami finally knew which one was which, if only for a short time.
“Yeah, but that was because they tried seducing others.”
“Because the Empress seems to only get sluts.”
Ami shifted slightly in the uncomfortable silence. She knew now how the rest of the palace would think about her, as a slut. She felt a bit dejected at that but could do nothing about it now.
“Don’t worry about it, be loyal and the Empress will keep you for a long time, the last one who was loyal earned her freedom,” Kira said.
Ami filed that information away in the back of her mind. She had no intention of doing anything that might cause the Empress to doubt her loyalty. Ami settled in allowing them to finish up their jobs and in no time she had stepped out of the tub and they dried her hair. One looked at her before feeling her sex, causing Ami to jump slightly at the contact.
“You shave here, good, the Empress likes that.”
“We’ll use some potions on it so it’ll stay smooth for a several weeks.”
Ami looked at her reflection in the mirror and felt somewhat pleased. Her hair seemed silky smooth and despite what she would be headed to do looked good. She silently hoped that the Empress thought so as well, of course the woman had already seen her nude. She put on the robe, and followed Kira out of the room, down a hallway before standing in front of a door with two guards. Ami wrapped her arms around herself unconsciously with the way the two guys leered at her.
“The Empress is expecting her,” Kira said, not backing down a bit despite the fact both guards towered over them.
“Another one, eh,” the guard said, making no effort to hide the fact he was looking Ami over very closely. “Might have to check this one for weapons.” Both guards laughed at that.
“Yep, never know what they might hide these days,” the second one said.
“Touch her and I’ll inform the Empress,” Kira said.
Ami waited a few seconds until finally the guard backed down. She decided that Kira had some backing with the Empress, especially if she would believe Kira over the guard. She entered the room, the same one she had been in with the Empress earlier. She spotted the sofa and fireplace and only had to wait a few moments until Kari arrived with a tray of food. The aroma filled the room, causing her stomach to growl.
“Go ahead,” Kari said to Ami, who had eyed the food unsure if eating without the Empress’ permission would not result in punishment.
“The Empress will never use food against you.”
“I have other ways to punish you,” a voice, said causing Ami to jump and turn. The Empress had entered the room from the doorway by the fireplace. She could see into the next room and spotted the bedroom. The Empress stood there in a deep red shirt and black pants, showing off her figure.
“We shall see you in the morning Empress,” Kari said.
“Bring breakfast when you do for two,” the Empress said, as the twins bowed and then left the room.
Ami now stood alone in the room with the Empress, or Tess in private. Ami wondered what she might do first and took her first critical look at the woman. She stood about six feet tall, short black hair, piercing blue eyes, nice figure and a beautiful face. Ami had to wonder what the night would entail. Would Tess tie her up, be gentle or rough? Would she use other toys, like a dildo, a whip or her hands? All these questions rose in Ami’s mind, causing her to realize she barely knew what to do.
She shivered slightly, as the Empress tugged on the sash allowing the robe to open. The robe slipped off her shoulders pooling around her feet leaving her nude in front of the Empress. The Empress’ fingers graze her skin in light touches meant to arouse. Ami stood still, accepting a kiss from the Empress. Her tongue demanded entrance to Ami’s mouth. She yielded quickly feeling unexpected pleasure and thought she moaned. The Empress pulled away leaving Ami panting slightly and looking up into blue eyes.
“Beautiful,” Tess said, a rumble interrupted the moment, causing Ami to blush when she realized it came from her. She looked down before glancing back up into amused blue eyes. “When was the last time you ate little one?”
The question caught Ami off guard. She paused a moment to regain her wits, before thinking about the question. “Um, let’s see,” Ami said thinking back through the day. She did not have lunch and was too nervous to eat breakfast. “Last night,” Ami answered truthfully.
“Well then,” Tess said, leading Ami over to the table and to a chair. “You better eat up, we have a long night for us to enjoy.”
Ami swallowed before looking at the food in front of her. She saw, meat, bread and some sort of side dish that looked like potatoes, quite normal considering everything. She barely tasted the food, her mind whirled with the possibilities of what might happen later tonight.
End Part 2
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