Mary Goes to Mirkwood

Mary Goes to Mirkwood

Chapter Ten/?

Revised 2004 Edition

Co-Authors: Mary A & Malinorne

Disclaimer: Just playing with Tolkien characters, for fun, and not profit, do not claim to have created them. Thaladir, the king's seneschal, is our own creation.

Warning: Adult sexual situations, naughty use of desk, LOTS of nudity

Pairing: King Thranduil/OFCs

Summary: Mal spends time with Legolas, Mary spends time with the king, Thaladir disapproves of everything.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

~ Mal ~

The king said something quickly to Thaladir and dismissed him from the study. I didn't hear quite what he said, but I think it was something about guests for tonight. Then he turned to me and said some nice words about my reading, but he did it without emotion and it was quite clear that his mind was occupied with something else other than ancieoetroetry. Almost distantly he patted my rear when I passed him to leave the room, and it was obvious from Mary's smug little smile that my presence wasn't required.

I was not comfortable with leaving the two of them alone together, but what could I do? I just hoped that the king would at least remember that he had invited me to his bedroom tonight. Or had he changed his mind? Could I trust his feelings for me? Did he have any?

It was a pleasant surprise to find the charming young prince waiting in the corridor. He asked if I would care to take a stroll with him in the palace garden, and I could hardly deny him when the question was accompanied by his most winning smile.


~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

~ Mary ~

It was hard not to notice that the king's concubine was barely dressed and the seneschal did not appear to disapprove. It did not strike me as fair that some of us had to be covered in layers and others of us did not. Within moments, a not very happy Thaladir was dispatched to greet the expected guests, alone, and Legolas was given the task of taking Mal out for a walk.

I was too happy to see her leave the study to make mention of her skimpy dress, however, and just enjoyed the little pout she had on her face when Thranduil dismissed her. After they were gone, the king closed the door and turned to me. I took a precautionary step back.

"You are at my service?" He asked, lifting one elegant eyebrow like a question mark.

"Did I say that?"

"You did not have to say it. It is your duty; do I have to remind you?" There it was, the tucked up corner of his mouth, like a red-flag. It was time for me to wave a white one.

"I guess I am, then," I conceded for the moment. "At your service. Like you said." The king smiled more broadly, his eyes narrowing, and then he lifted his chin and nodded across the room.

"Go over to my desk."

"That one?" I asked, pointing at the only desk in the room. The king's eyes never left my face.

"Go over to it. Now." He took my shoulders into his hands and slowly backed me across the floor.

"Why?"

"I want to show you something." He wet his lower lip with the tip of his tongue, making it shiny, which makes me crazy.

"Show me what?" I felt the desk against my backside. "I have already seen everything on your desk."

"Not this," he said a lif lifted me to sit upon it.

"Oh, you're trying to get me into trouble with Thaladir, aren't you? For unauthorized sitting on your desk and showing disrespect and mussing the finely polished finish and crumpling important documents..."

As I spoke, the king's smile widened wolfishly while he lifted the skirt of my gown up to my hips and then ran his hands down my thighs, to where the tops of my stockings met the exposed skin of my legs, raising goose bumps along the way.

"Sire," I sighed dramatically, "it is unseemly to show this much flesh outside of the bed or bathing chambers. Were you not aware of that?"

"Open your legs," ordered the king.

"Oh, no." I held them tightly closed. "No, no, no. Thaladir says that well-bred ladies do not sit with their legs apart in the public areas of the palace. They must keep their knees together, with their ankles crossed, like this," I demonstrated.

The king was not impressed with my new sitting skills. In fact, he was so unimpressed that he immediately pulled my knees apart as far as they would go, and held them that way for a moment, before wrapping my legs around his waist and holding them there while pressing his hardness against me. I could feel the lacings of his leggings through the thin fabric of my underwear.

"I don't think Thaladir would approve of teitheither," I fluttered my eyelashes at him, "Your Royal hardness. Oops, I mean, Highness." The king grinned and lifted himself off of me, standing straight again, but still holding my legs at his waist, his eyes shining with heat.

"Unlace me," he whispered, his voice a caress. It was fun having him at such a disadvantage.

"I can't reach your pants with you holding my legs up in the air like this." I protested. "What do you think I am? An acrobat?" The king did not answer, but he kindly lowered one of my legs while lifting the other to his shoulder.

"Now try." He took my hand and ed ied it at the leathers ats at the top of his leggings. I pulled one of the laces but it just seemed to tighten instead of loosen. I tugged at it harder without success. I yanked at it as hard as I could and it tightened even more.

"Can I use my teeth?" I asked. The king gently moved my hand away and, with a simple pull at the other lace, undid the knot and quickly opened his leggings. His royal member appeared to leap out into his hand.

I gasped with pretended shock at the sight and put my hand up to my mouth in mock surprise. "Oh, is that what you wanted to show me?" I pointed below with feigned trepidation and added in a loud whisper. "Because I think I have already seen that before."

"Lift your bottom." It was an order. I remained sitting. His hands were on my underwear and I liked how it felt to be stroked through the thin silky fabric.

The desk was hard under my bottom but I did not complain. If the seneschal had nearly fainted because I had put my feet up on it I could just imagine what he would do if he saw how Thranduil was using it. That thought seemed to soften the situation.

"Why don't you just rip them off of me? Please?" The king quickly complied with my request and I just as quickly proceeded to cover myself there with one hand.

"Wait a minute!" I wailed with feigned despair, "I have a request, My Lord! Don't I get one last request?"

"Very well," said the king with little patience left in his voice. "What is my lady's request?" I reached out and grasped his beautiful shaft in one hand and held it against my overheated little self, but not allowing him in me, and petted him there while I replied.

"Say you want me." As if I did not already have the throbbing evidence of that in my hand.

"Want you?" the king smiled indulgently at my words, "I have you. You have sworn your allegiance to me, body and soul." He moved my leg from his shoulder and put it, with my other leg, back around his waist.

"I want you to say you want me, not remind me that you own me, there's a big difference."

"I do not have to want what I already consider my own." His voice was tenser, almost indignant. His fingers covered my hand that had, so far, kept his royal member away from its intended mission. His grasp was firm; I would not be able to stall him much longer...

"So, what's so hard about saying you want me?" I tried talking faster as his fingers peeled mine back off of his marble-hard scepter. "Is it some kind of a king's rule? To never have to say you want something? I'm not asking you to say plea..., hey, wait!"

Kings will have their way.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

~ Mal ~

The garden at the halls of Mirkwood was rather wild, if one may say so. It didn't exactly look like a garden either, but more like a part of the surrounding forest where the thick undergrowth had been removed and enough trees cleared to create a woodland park landscape with flowers planted at different places along the winding paths.

Here and there, a solid stone bench was placed, always in a spot overlooking a beautiful or interesting feature; an unusually patterned tree-trunk, or a collection of rocks of different shapes and colours, or, a small pool with water slowly dripping into it.

Legolas asked me about Thaladir, and laughed when I tried to be polite by saying that the seneschal seemed a bit too serious.

"He's an old bore," Legolas said frankly, but not without tender affection in his voice, "and the tediousness of his lengthy lectures could probably kill even an ent, but he's not a bad elf. He's been with my family for ages and Adar trusts him more than anybody else. But he's still a grumpy old elf, most of the time. I remember when I was an elfling..."

Legolas stories about his childhood made me laugh and I enjoyed every minute in his company. He seemed so different from the other elves here; so open, and so modern in a way. To be with him was almost like talking to someone my own age, in my own world.

It was late afternoon, and the autumn sun did not warm the air enough for me to feel comfortable for long. After a while I asked Legolas if we could go inside, and if he thought it would be possible for me to use the king's bath chamber, the room with the pools that I had been reminded of by the sound of the dripping water.

The prince excused himself for not having thought about how the weather could be cold for me, and assured me that the pool room would be at my disposal whenever I wished.


~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

~ Mary ~

Some time later, Thaladir, after knocking politely and being ignored, then a bit more loudly, and then a third time with equal lack of reply, opened the door to the study and then just stood there, frozen in place. A perfect Thaladir statue. Or ice sculpture, considering the way his face grew so pale.

The king, who was too busy to notice anyway, had his back turned. But I could see the petrified seneschal clearly. He could not see too much of me except my stocking-covered legs, and the soles of my slippers. Which was fortunate as the king had removed the rest of my clothes.

I uncrossed my legs from behind Thranduil's back and "waved" my feet at the dour elf, "Look, Thaladir," I panted. "At least my shoes aren't on the desk. Proud of me?" He quickly retreated.

Thranduil's face was tucked in my neck, his breathing at that ragged point just before climaxing and, as soon as the door shut behind his seneschal, he grabbed me close to him, and released his passion, and hot sticky wetness, within me, while shouting out in Elvish.

For a few moments afterward, he leaned against me while I held him, stroking his hair and giving the warm, damp skin of his jaw and face tiny kisses as he caught his breath and regained his control. Then he stood away, holding himself deep inside of me.

"You're going to get in trouble now." I wagged a finger at him. "Thaladir hates it when anyone messes around with this precious desk, you know."


~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

~ Mal~

We ended up going to the bathing pools straight away, as I began to feel really cold, being without underpants and all. Legolas left me at the entrance of the chamber and said that he would be back a le lle later, but I suspect that he only did that to let me take off my clothes and choose a pool, because as soon as I in tin the water, he returned.

He nodded to me and then quickly undressed as I turned my back on him, and I could hear him plunge into the larger pool and swim some strokes before he got up and jumped into the smallest pool, the one that held the coldest water.

We did not talk, and for a while I just enjoyed floating in the warm water, thinking happy thou, pr, pretending I could feel sunshine in my face, and that the soft ripples against my skin were the king's hands caressing me...

I was startled by Legolas' voice. "I hope you don't mind if I join you," he said. "I think I just changed my mind about wanting to cool down." I felt I could hardly hinder him from doing what he wanted in his own home, so I said it was okay, but I quickly swam to the end of the pool and sat there with just my head above the surface, wishing that the water hadn't been quite so transparent. I modestly crossed my arms over my chest, but I didn't turn away my gaze when the prince went out of the cold pool and nonchalantly strolled towards the one I was sitting in.

Legolas' body was as beautiful as his face. He was slim, but the muscles under that smooth, marble skin signified great physical strength and centuries of training. His nipples were the same pink colour as his lips and they were slightly contracted from the chilly water. His abdomen was criss-crossed by small, tight muscles and his belly button was adorable. I did not look further down. DespDespite his perfect features, Legolas had nothing of the sexual field of force that surrounded his father, and I felt that I was immune to his beauty.

He sat down in the other end of the pool, and it felt a little odd, at first, to be naked together with him, but after a while it felt natural and we started talking again.as oas on the verge of asking him if the king often had female visitors, when the prince mentioned that he'd just received information that Elrond' sons were back in Rivendell.

The prince then asked if I knew them, but I had to say that I had not yet had the pleasure of meeting the Imladris twins in person. I added that Mary was a very close friend of theirs, but kept to myself that it was mainly because of her I hadn't seen the twins. Despite her words of sharing them freely, she had so far turned me down every time I had volunteered to care for them while she was occupied.

Remembering what I'd read before my departure, that Elladan and Elrohir would come for Mary if she didn't come back from Mirkwood after the stipulated time, I wasn't too happy when Legolas said that he'd decided to go to Rivendell to see his friends, and, at the same time, tell them that Mary was happy and safe. I would have preferred if they came here and took her away, but I didn't say that.

And it was impossible to be unhappy for long around Legolas, his cheerful temperament was contagious, so I was soon giggling at his stories again.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

~ Mary~

The king seemed worried about something as he ignored both me, and the seneschal's now more urgent knocking, while he looked around his study as if hunting for something important Before I could ask him if he wanted any help he picked up the shredded remains of my undershift. He muttered something under his breath, then tossed it aside and startlanclancing about the room once again.

"I think what you are looking for is up there," I said while pointing behind and above him. There, on the top of the bookcase, peekhe she skirt of my gown where it had landed after being tossed up in the air by a very impatient king. Thranduil pulled the dress down and examined the tattered bodice with a look of growing concern on his face.
I toI told you those dresses need zippers," I reminded him. "Those little hooky things at the back can be mighty frustrating, can't they? Your Majesty?"

Thranduil was removing his tunic and I jumped up to stand on the desk before he could drape it around me. "You gotta catch me first!" I shouted with glee.

There was no contest and he probably would have been able to bring me down, and cover me properly, with one hand, before anyone saw me. But his harried seneschal could not resist his impulse to serve his beloved monarch without further delay and he opened the door, again. Only this time he did not peek into the room but held himself behind it and used it as a shield to protect himself.

"Sire?" His voice was plaintive and strained to the breaking point. In response, the king pointed a large, firm finger up to my face as if warning me to stay put, before he pulled his tunic back on and went to the door.

"Oh, I see your plan," I said to his back, loudly enough for the nosy seneschal to hear me. "You just want Thaladir to see me with my shoes on the desk!" I lowered myself, being careful to scatter a few scrolls off of the desktop and onto the floor as I knelt, and then sat on it. I placed my legs over the side and assumed the proper sitting position.
The seneschal would have been pleased to see me. If I had clothes on, that is. And if I was not sitting on top of the desk.

After speaking to Thaladir, the king swiftly turned back into the room with his seneschal's velvety dark brown robe held wide like a snare net within which he had me wrapped completely in seconds. He held the overlapping flaps and twisted the loose fabric into a convenient handle with which he pulled me to the doorway before turning me in his direction while placing me into Thaladir's hands.

I only caught a glimpse of the unhappy seneschal's grim expression before being spun to face the king. The olduch uch must have felt stark naked standing there wearing only his leather tunic and thick leggings made from the same brown velvety cloth as the robe around me.

"Take her to her private chambers," The king began as he took the loose fabric in his hands and fashioned a crude knot to keep the slippery robe supported up around my shoulders.

"Private chambers?" I interrupted. Thaladir stiffened behind me. Algh hgh his hands were holding my arms too loosely to stop me from moving, as if he were afraid to touch me, I could still feel him react to my outburst.

"You will be still," said the king to me. "My son will escort her to dinner tonight," he told his seneschal.

"I have private chambers?" I interrupted again. Now the seneschal's hands tightly gripped me, but only for a moment. I immediately shook myself free from his hands and glared up into his face.

Thranduil grinned with amusement and there was a str twi twinkle in his eye that made me look back at Thaladir again hastily. There was something else going on in the mind of the king, I could tell, but I could not say how I knew. But something passed between those two elves in one simple glance.

"She can visit within the halls before dinner," continued the king, "but post guards at her door afterwards. Lock her in if you must. I will be spending this night with my concubine in my chambers and I do not want this clever little vixen out and about my halls in search of another warm body for her comfort." He said this last part with a self-satisfied smirk. I refused to rise to his bait in front of the disapproving seneschal.

"Ooh, clever vixen?" I said. "Gosh, that sounds better than dumb old bridge any day. Thanks, king." I turned and started walking off into the corridor, without asking permission to leave. I deliberately stepped on the trailing hem of the robe, causing it to begin slipping off of me as soon as I moved. "Well, are you coming or not?" I asked over my now quite bare shoulder.

Thaladir was not as alert to my movements as the king is and I traveled quite some distance before he could catch up with me to hastily cover me again with the inconveniently slippery garment before it dropped completely off of me to the floor. I watched his smooth, nimble fingers retie the fabric into a more sensible configuration at my throat.

"Hey," I said softly and intimately, like I meant it for his ears only. It worked. He looked directly into my eyes before realizing what he had done.

"You look a lot better when you smile, almost handsome," I whispered, then, still holding his eyes, I winked at him.

His reaction was immediate. He straightenedrnedrned, and strode off in the direction of the private chambers within the palace, after bidding me curtly to follow him. As if I was just going to trot along behind like an obedient little puppy. Which I am sure most of the well-trained ellith in the halls of Mirkwood would have done without hesitation.

Instead, I spent a few happy moments alone wriggling out from beneath the swaddling layers of the robe and had my hands out to the open before he noticed I was not right behind him and returned to fetch me.

"Stand back or I will drop this," I announced proudly with my hands to the knot at my throat, as if threatening to undo it and, consequently, stand naked, in a busy hallway, in a public place, within the palace. He halted in his tracks.

"I am not taking one more step until you ask me nicely to come with you," I said while slowly undoing the knot. "And say please, first." He stood speechless. "You better hurry..."

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

~ Mal~

After some time, Legolas told me that he had to go, as it was time for him to prepare for tonight's dinner, and the negotiations with the foreign guests that were to begin the following day.

"Wait here," he said, "I will fetch your chamber maid."

"My what?" I must have looked really astonished, becauselauglaughed.

"Do not look so surprised," the prince replied. "There are many servants in a place like this, you know. Of course you have your own, and you have already met her, I think. Ithilwen is your chamber maid now."

"But I've never... it doesn't seem right, that she..." It really did not seem right that the beautiful elf-maid should serve me. I was used to taking care of myself.

"It is her duty, and she does not mind doing it. And despite my father's infamous stinginess, everyone in the palace is well paid for his or her services. It is also considered an honour to serve in these halls, and they are doing it above all out of respect and love for their king. Wood-elves are extremely loyal."

He continued; "I know our way of living is different from what you are used to, but the best thing you can do is to relax and enjoy it. It is not so bad to have someone braid your hair, for example." He tossed his head, sending the now wet hair flying into his face, which made me giggle again.

"Okay," I replied. "I'll take your word for it."

With a last smile, Legolas turned and left the pool. My eyes didn't leave his well-shaped backside until it was too late, but he didn't seem to be offended by my staring, rather satisfied. I closed my eyes and sank back into the pool, allowing him to dry himself and dress in relative privacy.

The warm water made me drowsy, or maybe the prince just left very quietly, but the next sound I heard was a female voice calling softly; "My lady?" I looked up and saw Ithilwen standing on the edge of the pool, holding a huge linen towel, clearly inviting me to let her wrap it around my wet body.

With joined efforts, I was soon dry enough to put on clothes and the elf-maid handed me something silky. "I thought mighmight wish to wear these," she said with a shy smile as I took the garment that she was offering me. It was the underpants from this morning, or a pair similar to them, and she was right, I had wished for them more than once this day. I thanked her sincerely and put them on, again enjoying the way the soft fabric felt against my skin.

Ithilwen towelled my hair and put a thick paste that smelt of flowers into it. 'Elven balsam' I thought. That made sense; with their hair they must be great hairdressers.

We left the room with the pools that was soon becoming one of my favourite places in the halls of Mirkwood, and for the second time that day I was led to my room along winding corridors. But before we had reached the private living area, we were stopped by the king, who opened a door just as we were passing. I just stood there, smiling and happy to see him again, but Ithilwen immediately sank to the floor in reverence.

"The green dr" t" the king said to her. "You may rise," he added and then dismissed her with a nod. She stood at respectful distance, waiting for kin king to release me as well.

"So, you have been enjoying my bath chamber." It was a statement, not a question. "A pity you did not linger." I bit my lip and regretted that I had listened to Legolas. I had just missed a chance to bathe with the king! I fought back the impulse to say that I suddenly felt I hadn't washed well enough; it wouldn't have been fair towards the Ithilwen. The king spoke again.

"Now, see to it that you are suitably dressed for my seneschal. Thaladir will escort you to the dining hall and I would think he has had enough of excitement for this day." He smiled wickedly, which made me realize that he must have known exactly how Thaladir would react to seeing me in the concubine dress.

"It's not fair," I replied accusingly. "You made me put on that dress, and you knew I was going to get in trouble for it!"

The king chuckled. "Ah, but it seems you deserved that." He held my gaze and parted his lips just a wee bit - and I instantly understood. The grapes. I felt a little guilty for that, but not much, not really. It had been too much fun to regret. That stiff seneschal!

Thranduil interrupted my thoughts by speaking again; "Besides, it is a very pretty dress." He looked me up and down thoroughly, as if to emphasize this statement, and then stroked my cheek with his knuckles, before he said quietly; "You know where I want you tonight."

I felt my heart starting to beat faster as I realized what he had just said, and my cheeks heated at the mere thought of being with the Elvenking in his royal bed. Doing my best to incorporate the fullness of Thaladir's lectures into my answer, I replied; "I do, My Lord, and your will is my law. It will be a pleasure to serve you."

Not yet having mastered the proper reverence, I had to stick to a simple curtsey, and I couldn't help looking up into his handsome, royal face, despite the seneschal's attempt to teach me not to. The king looked pleased, and amused.

"I will make sure it will be just that. Now, go."

I looked into his eyes a last time and then almost ran to Ithilwen, who was still waiting further down the corridor. I would happily endure a dozen formal dinners now and was eager to look my very best while doing so.

Ithilwen didn't disappoint me. She assisted me with the green velvety dress and then asked me to sit while she got busy with my hair. It seemed that the balsam she had used didn't only soften the hair, but also made it dry quicker. I was used to walking with damp hair for half a day after washing it, but now it was already dry enough to be formed into an intricate combination of loose locks and different styles of braids.

Finally, the elf-maid gathered all of my hair on top of my head and fastened it there with pins and clasps. She handed me a small mirror and let me watch as she completed her creation by tucking three tiny sprays with green leaves and red berries into my hair.

It felt strange, but looked lovely, and, most important, quite "elfy" and I assured Ithilwen that I had never had my hair done so beautifully before. She said that she was happy that I was happy and then we just looked at each other, both smiling shyly, until it got too awkward and she excused herself, saying that someone would be back shortly to escort me to the dinner.

I went over to the closest window, careful not to make any sudden movements that might ruin my hair, and looked out into the garden, that was enchantingly beautiful in the light of the setting sun. And I waited.


~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

~ Mary ~

I refused to follow behind Thaladir, after he acquiesced to my demands and asked me, nicely, to accompany him. Instead, I made him walk beside me. I kept the robe tightly wrapped around me so I could pretend that I had to take little shuffling steps, like a geisha in a kimono, which forced the long-legged seneschal to slow down to accommodate me.

A str strolled along, I used the time to ask him about Mal's skimpy little dress. It did not seem fair, I suggested, that I had to be completely covered, head to toe, and with many layers beneath, while the king's concubine could run about the halls of Mirkwood wearing practically nothing.

"My lady," answered the seneschal, "though it pleases me to notice that you seem to have acquired at least a rudimentary understanding of seemliness, I must insist that you keep youservservations to yourself. It is not proper for guests to engage in conversation about the attire required in certain court functions."

"That figures," I sighed. "Nothing I do is proper around here, is it?" He did not reply, so I added, "And it also seems to me that you are making up all these silly rules for proper behavior to suit yourself, Mister Thaladir."

He still refused to answer me and we continued to walk along the hallways, in silence, until we came to a passage that dead-ended in a semi-circle of doors. He stopped in front of one of them.

"Your room, My lady," he said stiffly. Before he could reach for the door handle, I slipped myself in front of it so he would have to physically remove me in order to open it.

"Wait a minute, Mister Thaladir," I began, and then paused. "Um, you know, Mister probaisn\isn't the right word. What am I supposed to call you?" Thaladir's face softened a bit. I could tell I had finally asked him something he felt comfortable answering.

"Although I am not familiar with the title, "Mister," I am inclined to interpret your use of the term as a wish to address me somewhat more formally." I nodded in agreement. "In which case, you may call me "Your Excellency." That took me aback for a moment. But it seemed to fit the dignified seneschal better than Mister.

"Well, Your Excellency, would you mind telling me where we are? I don't recognize anything around here. How far away is the king's bedroom?"

It had been so fun pestering him that I had not paid any attention to the directions we took as we had traveled along. And I did not recall Miriel showing me this particular part of the palace during our time together earlier in the day. But I was not paying that much attention when I was with her, either.

"I can assure you, my lady, that an escort would be provided, should His Majesty require your presence within his chambers. Meanwhile, you may enter your own. I trust you will find them more than suitable for your needs as a visitor." He turned to leave but I snaked my hand out from beneath the robe and caught his arm before he could step away.

"Wait a minute, Your Excellency. I have one more question." He froze instantly at my touch. I felt as if I must be quite repugnant to him and released his arm quickly so he would not have to suffer more than necessary. "Thiom?\om?" I pointed over my shoulder behind me. "The king, uh, His Majesty said it's mine, right? So I can behave however I want to when I get in there? I mean, no one can tell me what to do in my own room, right?" His mask of disapproval returned.

"As long as your behaviour within these walls does not attract unseemly attention, you may act as you deem fit. However, my lady, it would be wise of you to remember that your pleasures are limited to His Majesty's desire to fulfill them." With that said he nodded curtly, as if to punctuate his last thought and turned again to leave. I opened the door but only took a token step over the threshold.

"Oh, no, please wait!" I cried out as if in sudden pain or abject despair. He turned back to me, and the startled look of concern on his normally rigid features surprised me for a moment. But I did what I had to do anyway. "You forgot this," I said as I tossed him the robe. He caught it, although I do not know how he did it when he did not even see it coming.

"Close your mouth, Mister Thaladir," I said and then added, "Such an expression on the face of a seneschal is quite unseemly." I shook my head at him, "Quite unseemly."

Before he could recover himself, I slipped through the door and stood hugging my naked self on the other side. I giggled, remembering the look on his face, and a touch of something new that had appeared, for just a brief instant, behind those normally disdainful features.

And it was not disapproval.

But, as soon as I looked around me, I stopped wondering about anything having to do with the seneschal or the king or his concubine and just enjoyed how lucky I felt to finally have a place to be alone. I was happy to be given private rooms.

My chambers seemed to be a smaller, cozier version of the king's massive ones. There were two r; th; the first was a sitting area, with two chairs in front of a nice little fireplace and a table in a corner. In a small bowl on the mantelpiece there was an arrangement of brightly colored autumn leaves.

A separate chamber held my bed and a door to one side of that led to a dressing alcove where I found a wardrobe that contained my gowns and a few other items I had never seen before. And I found my suitcases.

I was so happy to have my own clothes again that I sang while I pulled them out to wear, "I love my jeans, I love my jeans, my jeans are so comfortably lovely...I love my shirt, I love my shirt, my shirt is so..." I stopped short. There was a mysterious package, wrapped in tissue paper, placed in the bottom of my bag.

There was this note attached:

"Hey, Mary, I thought the king might get a kick out of seeing you in this. He is legendary for enjoying sparkly things, isn't he? Hurry back! I know the twins are going to miss you like crazy! Love always, Sheraiah."

I peeled back the paper to reveal a dress, made of some sort of stretchy red fabric shot through with silvery mlic lic threads. I let out a little squeal of delight at the way it glittered as I held it up to myself.

"Well, well, well! Hello little red dress! Just look at you!" I twirled to see it shimmer in the candlelight. "I wonder," I asked my pretty new dress, "just how much trouble I will get into if I wear you to dinner tonight? Yes, I do."

For quite a while after I had tried it on I giggled like a little girl. There was no way I was going to wear undergarments under the skin-tight stretchy fabric. That was for damn sure.

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