Author's Note: Hey everyone! Thank you for your patience! Here is Chapter 13. Chapter 14 is finished and being edited! I am hoping to have it submitted by next week!
He lied.
Her little slave, who she had bent over backward to make feel welcome, to make happy, had looked her in her eye and lie to her.
She couldn't keep her eyes from narrowing. "Nothing that Allek's boy did today bothered you. At all."
"No, Mistress." Straight faced.
Oh, this ungrateful little-
What was worse, was that he dared to lie to her in front of not only Ehrik and Alaliya, but the King as well. Such disrespect, at such turbulent times, could not be tolerated. She'd warned him! She had warned him that with the King in residence that their lives would be more stressful, that leniency would be restricted.
"Don't worry, little slave." Sarantha forced herself to smile, her voice coming out sugary sweet. She ignored the way everyone in the room stiffened. "We will sort this out." Gently, she stroked his cheek before calling to a guard. "Bring me the boy." She turned back to Trivalm. "You see, Braym said that you had some difficulties today, that you were rude to some of his guests. That you called them
'nausiating'
. But don't worry, my little slave. I will see the boy properly beaten for telling such atrocious lies of you."
It was difficult to keep the satisfaction from her face when Trivalm's eyes widened, his lips pressing into a tight line.
"Wait, don't!" There was a pause as Trivalm fought to swallow. "What I meant, Mistress, was that by the end I had no difficulties." A pause as his eyes slid to the side and he took a shuddering breath. "The difficulties the boy described occurred earlier in the day."
It was obvious that he was trying to fumble though the predicament he had put himself in. He was an honorable man. He wouldn't allow the boy, so much smaller and weaker than himself, to be beaten over his lies. He didn't need to know that Sarantha would never lay a hand on Braym. Nor that if she did, she wasn't sure if Allek would ever forgive her. Allek loved that boy. Truly loved him.
Still, even through her anger, Sarantha took pity. "Ah. Perhaps there is some difference of translations. In our language, when we say 'at all' we mean from beginning to end. Is that understood, little slave?"
Trivalm, smart enough to take this opportunity, simply nodded.
Sarantha was done with him. For now. For the day. For however long it took for her to forgive him for lying to her.
This wasn't the first time, she realized. He had lied when he said there was nothing he wanted to learn. Had that set the precident in his mind that untruths were acceptable? This whole thing was because he wouldn't answer a simple question. Now, though, it was because such blind hatred was unacceptable. Homosexuality wasn't illegal in this country, not a sin in this religion, as it was in Trivalm's. He needed to be able to accept it. Even if he couldn't accept it, he needed to be able to tolerate it.
Vaguely she wondered if her own brand of information deprivation was a form of untruth, but brushed it aside. No. If she gave him too much information too quickly, it would cause him to rebel.
The servant that had just collected the dishes from the free citizens' midday meal arrived with a plate for Trivalm.
"Kneel." She pointed to the cushion at her feet. "Eat your food. Remain quiet and keep your head down."
She ignored Ehrik's raised eyebrows.
Her Trivalm had lied to her!
"I am tired. I want to finish this so I may rest." She looked the King in his eyes. "I will not accept these conditions."
The King sighed. "Which conditions, darling?" he seemed almost defeated. "There are literally no conditions present except that I require an heir of my blood, and that I would expect you to not take an intact male lover."
"But women and eunuchs are acceptable lovers." Sarcasm dripped from the words.
Jecis took it in stride, "As they cannot impregnate you, yes. Perfectly acceptable."
"You however, can take any status of lover you desire and breed as many bastards as you can manage?"
Jecis seemed almost confused. "Sarantha, my darling-"
"I am not your darling. I am not your anything, as it is." Fury erupted. How dare he! How dare all of them!
Finally, Alaliya, who had been oddly silent all morning and even through midday meal, spoke. "Perhaps a break would be beneficial. The men can go do men things. I can take Sarantha for her rest before the child wakes-"
But that wasn't to be, because just as the words left her mouth, the child began screaming from where it rested in the bassinet nearby. Sarantha's face flashed despair for a mere second before she schooled her features and rose. She prayed to the generous Goddess that nobody saw it.
She was just so
tired
. The child was awake at all hours, as was expected. But she was expected to entertain the King's ridiculousness, and fight off the incessant attacks of her brother and sister regarding the midwife. And all of this was taking away the time she should have been planning her child's presentation -- an event normally planned by both parents, but was falling solely on her shoulders.
Before anyone could utter a single, preposterous word, she scooped her child into her arms and began to walk away. When the disgusting midwife stepped toward her, as if to offer to use her disgusting breast to feed the child, Sarantha, without pausing, sent her one glare. It was all the woman needed to know her place. The midwife was employed by Ehrik. Ehrik could suckle her teat if he wanted his money's worth.
"Slave! Come!" Only the sound of his feet behind her assured her that Trivalm obeyed. She allowed him a few more steps before she turned on him. "Did you hear me, slave?"
Trivalm blinked, confused. "Yes..."
Her eyes narrowed. "Yes?" She gave a little shrug. "Just yes. Yes...what? Yes, bitch? Yes, whore? Yes, breeder? Yes
