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pixiemoonmagic · 3 months ago

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The Lady's Maid - Chapter 2

Click here for Chapter 1

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The Lady's Maid is a high fantasy sapphic romantasy novel.

By: R. B. Mangold

The following morning was a quiet one. The celebrations were preparing for their final day and the Contran and his retinue were readying for their journey north to meet with King Tzored in Zaer. Like so many mornings before Mahrie helped Dranora get ready for the day. Today Dranora would be wearing her fine purple and gold gown with lavish makeup to highlight her features. Though Dranora had been spurned by her husband she was determined to leave a lasting impression on his memory as he left with his concubines in tow.

Mahrie could not understate the severity of the insult which Urstrar had inflicted upon Dranora. Dranora and Mahrie should have been preparing to travel with the Contran but instead they were sending him off with a farewell wave as his caravan left the city. Dranora was the Contrina and her absence in the King’s presence would affect her standing within the circles of the nobility.

As Mahrie dressed Dranora and brushed her hair she could feel the tension in Dranora’s body. The woman felt rigid and Mahrie had to meter out the blush she applied to Dranora’s cheeks as the anger Dranora was clearly holding back was causing a natural red to burn in her cheeks.

At the sending off, Mahrie stood back with the other servants and watched as Contrina Dranora stood alone. In the past, at such farewells, Dranora would wave but today, the Contrina stood firm and refused to show any concern or affection towards the husband who had spurned her so brutally. Such passive aggressive spats were common in the nobility and royalty, especially when the political stakes were set so high. It saddened Mahrie to think that Dranora would likely spend the rest of her life in her own isolation, forced to live with a man she no longer loved and with children that were not hers.

Since Zaer had taken over the region the practice of concubines had diminished. It was considered proper etiquette for the husband to receive the blessing of his wife before taking a concubine. However, for reasons that had confounded Mahrie, and frankly most of the Contran’s advisors, he had chosen to do so without consulting his wife. Mahrie speculated that Dranora was right and that her own words of reassurance, that he would one day return to Dranora, were categorically false.

This truth left Mahrie with an uncomfortable thought, Dranora had set her passions towards her. That primal voice within Mahrie’s mind had taken permanent roost in her thoughts and it was clear that a part of her wanted to embrace such an opportunity. However, despite her own desires there were still the looming threats that came with opening herself up to Dranora. Dranora had promised her protection. At best such a tryst could be a chance, even if fleeting, for Mahrie to experience passion and intimacy again and to finally be free from the self imposed isolation she had put upon herself. However the other end of the spectrum included scandal, exile or far worse.

After they’d seen the Contran off Dranora retreated to her personal garden. The Contrina’s Garden was off limits to most of the staff and the guards patrolled it from outer walls that were obscured by high growing shrubbery. It was intended as a refuge for the Contrina, a place, like her chambers in the Contrina’s Tower, that were hers and her’s alone.

The Contrina’s Garden was large enough to accommodate a brisk walk and walled on all sides for privacy. In the main court of the garden were two fountains, one at each side and a bathing pool filled with blue and white water lotuses. At the far end of the court, near the bathing pool, was a large sandstone alcove with pillows, sofas and even a bed, which the Contrina would use on hot summer nights.

“I feel relieved,” Dranora sighed as she sat on an ornate stone bench which faced the larger of the two fountains. “I’m glad that Urstrar is gone. I heard Loshan say they would be heading to war and that over the next month he would be mustering the city's troops and marching them north to follow.”

Apparently the rumors had been true, Mahrie thought. She had heard throughout the palace that Tzored was preparing another push into Nuran territory. The desert kingdom to the northwest was impossible to strike anywhere but along the Emosan River which meant that a large host of troops would be needed. Over the last two decades King Tzored had turned Zaer into a war machine and much of the nation’s resources were committed to the waging of war against Nur. With such a dire focus on waging war with their neighbors it seemed likely that Nur would fall within the next year or two. This was just Tzored’s latest push into Nuran territory.

Loshan was a name that Mahrie knew well, he was Urstrar’s personal general and the field marshal to his troops. After the celebration was completed it was likely that the call to arms would be made and that all the men of age, likely from fifteen to thirty, would be drafted into service. Thankfully Vrena’s husband, Hamam was thirty two and would be spared the first wave of conscription as long as a second draft wasn’t called.

“And good riddance,” Dranora practically spat the words. “If he and his harlots are overrun by the Nurans all the better.”

Mahrie could tell Dranora meant that. It was unlikely to happen, Nur was on the defensive and Urstrar’s concubines would likely stay in the rear camp and have ample time for retreat if the main army faltered. The only two advantages the Nuran’s had was that they were on the defensive and that they had tamed petradons, winged saurians that a soldier could ride, which gave them the ability to attack from the air.

“Perhaps the goddess will hear your plea,” Mahrie added. She wasn’t normally a religious or spiritual person, that had been Izmelda’s realm. However, her recent experiences were making her reconsider such things.

“Ansueala be praised,” Dranora chimed in and kissed her two forefingers on the left hand, a gesture that Ansuealan worshipers made at the end of a prayer.

“I feel so free,” Dranora continued. “At first I was so angry that Urstrar was leaving without me, I still ‘am if I’m being honest. But the burden of all that negativity feels as though it left with him. I feel as though I’m on the precipice of something new, that I’m my own person again. Which is something I haven’t felt since before we were married.” Dranora turned to Mahrie and asked, “Do you not feel it as well?”

“I suppose I do,” Mahrie nodded in reply. They were on the precipice of something new but unlike Dranora, Mahrie felt the edge of danger on the horizon.

“Mahrie, I want to go out,” Dranora said as she stood and began taking off her jewelry.

“Out?” Mahrie raised a curious eyebrow.

Dranora placed her bracelets and necklace on the stone bench and then crossed over to the edge of the bathing pool. She slid the elegant dress she’d worn for her husband off. As the delicate garment fell to Dranora’s ankles revealing the woman’s nude figure Mahrie’s breath hitched in her chest. Mahrie had seen Dranora in the nude many times both to dress and bathe her mistress. In the past it had always just been part of the job, something that came with being the Lady’s Maid. But after the previous night, after Dranora’s confession and the warm yet delicate kiss, things had changed and Mahire now saw her mistress in an entirely new light.

Internalizing her sudden urges, Mahrie quickly went about doing her normal duties. She gathered up the jewelry that Dranora had discarded and placed it in the pockets of her dress. She then knelt over to collect her mistress's dress but her efforts to ignore the beautiful nude figure were thwarted when her mistress looked up at her from within the shimmering pool.

“You’re flushed,” Dranora pointed out.

“I’m just warm,” Mahrie replied with a half truth. It wasn’t a particularly warm day. Winter was already fading and the region was known for its mild and often warmer climate. This sudden wave of heat was a clear response to the desire that was now welling up in Mahrie’s chest.

“As you say,” Dranora shrugged in the water.

Slipping beneath the surface Dranora swam away leaving a cloud of cosmetic dust behind as she went. The shimmering silhouette of Dranora’s body left Mahrie short of breath and slightly dizzy. Though she was on the older side Mahrie was hardly venerable, so it was a shock that she felt so out of sorts. Then again she hadn’t been so aroused and enticed in what felt like a lifetime. She sat at a bench near the edge of the pool and took a deep breath before folding the garment she had retrieved and placing it in her lap.

After a few moments Dranora surfaced and pushed back her wet dripping hair. Standing in the shallows the water only concealed her from the stomach down and the sight of Dranora’s shimmering breasts in the morning sunlight was enough to send Mahrie spinning again. Mercifully, Mahrie was already sitting down so hiding the sudden dizzy spell was easier this time.

“I need a few things from the apothecary and I’d like some books about the Tethiri Heartland,” Dranora announced and then frowned as she cleared the water from her eyes. “You really don’t look well,” Dranora added when she saw Mahrie’s even more flushed face. “You should join me, the water will help you cool down.”

“I couldn’t,” Mahrie stuttered and then leaned on her right arm. In all her years working for Dranora she’d never offered for Mahrie to join her. If Mahrie hadn’t been sitting she likely would have collapsed on the spot.

This was not going to work, Mahrie thought. It was clear that Dranora was still interested, though they had yet to speak about the previous night. Mahrie also knew in her heart that she was interested as well, afterall her body hadn’t responded so passionately in decades. However, her mind was still unsettled on the matter and so she did her best to push the thoughts aside and instead focus on her work.

“With your permission, I can go out and gather those items for you,” Mahrie offered in an attempt to change the topic.

“I’d like to go with you,” Dranora added quickly and wadded to the edge of the pool and stepped out. Her dripping nude figure shimmered in the morning light sending warmth rushing through Mahrie’s veins.

Mahrie quickly stood and retrieved a robe from the alcove and then held it out so that Dranora could put her arms through the sleeves. Mahrie then reached around Dranora’s waist and tied the robe. In doing so Mahrie’s chest brushed against Dranora’s back. They had been in close proximity so many times but everything felt electric now. With the tingle of desire welling up within her Mahrie again considered her options, resign her position or embrace the desire she was trying desperately to hold at bay.

“I’ll notify the guards that you’ll be traveling into the city-,” Mahrie began.

“That won’t be necessary, I’ll go with you incognito.”

In the five years of her service to Contrina Dranora her mistress had never once requested such a thing. The city was safe, some districts were safer than others, as in most cities, but Mahrie was no bodyguard and had no training in martial skills.

“I want to see the city with you and see how you and our citizens experience it. Very few people have seen my face up close and with a shawl and an unassuming dress I should be able to blend in. Besides, you’ll be with me and we’ll only take enough coin to purchase what we need so as not to draw suspicion.”

“I may not be able to protect you,” Mahrie admitted. She never felt good about admitting a deficiency, especially in her professional life, but it was obvious that Dranora was drawing on their friendship and not their professional relationship for this request.

“I don’t expect you to,” Dranora replied and turned to Mahrie. “Today is a new day and I intend to explore new sides of myself and see the world in ways I was never allowed to. I won’t let this potentially limited freedom go to waste.”

Mahrie stifled the urge to sigh and conceded. “Very well.”

“Good,” Dranora nodded with a devilish smirk. “From now on when we’re not in our assigned roles as Contrina and Lady’s Maid you will call me Nora. Today I just want to be your friend and to spend time with you.”

“As you wish, Mistress…” Mahrie paused at Dranora’s raised eyebrow and then corrected herself. “Nora. I’d like that as well.”

It didn’t take long for the two women to ready themselves for their citybound excursion. Mahrie dressed herself in a tan and beige travel dress with floral patterns and Dranora borrowed one of Mahrie’s older off white dresses which had geometric blue patterns running along the hems of the skirt. It was strange to Mahrie seeing Dranora dressed in such common clothing.

Putting Dranora’s long dark hair in a single braid, as Mahrie did with her own silver hair, made the Contrina look as though she were just another maid from the palace, albeit a very beautiful one. Mahrie knew Dranora would still catch eyes, but with a bit of luck she would not draw attention to herself. She was the highest ranking woman in the city but today they hoped she would just be another beautiful woman. A gossamer shawl draped over Dranora’s hair helped to tame some of her natural beauty, but to Mahrie it only added to her feminine mystique.

To elevate any suspicion from the guards, Mahrie went to the current captain on duty, a man named Mosek and let him know that she’d be going out with one of the other maids and that the Contrina was resting in her suite. Their alibi secured, the two women slipped out of the servants entrance when no one was looking.

The city was still abuzz with the celebrations. Now, on the final day, there were military displays where troops marched in in their uniforms and onlookers waved their yellow and silver Zaeran flags or handkerchief to show their patriotism. Mahrie led Dranora, who was all smiles at the sights and smells of the city and festivities, to the market district. There the covered streets were shaded from the now warming afternoon sun.

The city of Kesh Nakael was the gateway to the lands south of Zaer. Kesh Nakael had always been a trading hub as the Golden Road ran south to the Tethiri Heartlands to the southwest and the Bay of Sarosa to the southeast. As such the market was full of wares from around the known world.

Their first stop was the apothecary where Dranora purchased vials of oils and ointments. Next, they went to the bookseller and leafed through a few books. Dranora found the text she’d been interested in, Mathrina’s Guide to Sarosa and the Tethiri Heartlands.

It was well past noon when they’d finished their shopping and were heading back towards the palace when they passed a curious looking shop that Mahrie had never seen before. Colorful crystals hung from a cloth awning sparkling in the sunlight and a young woman, whom Mahrie guessed was from Sarosa due to her dark black, red and copper tinged hair, called out to them.

“You ladies have a powerful aura,” the young woman, who looked as though she were in her mid twenties stated. “Powerful indeed, an aura that at first glance looks mundane and unassuming but upon further examination bursts with profound and intense shades. You share a prismatic bond.”

Dranora looked at Mahrie and grinned, “We have to know more.”

“It’s just superstition and fortune telling,” Mahrie whispered.

Mahrie had never been to Sarosa, but she had heard that their culture was deeply ingrained in crystal worship and superstitions.

“I know,” Dranora shrugged, “But what’s the harm?”

“Three zheks and I can tell you all you need to know about your bond, ten and I’ll imbue crystal bracelets with the power of your aura.”

Dranora produced ten small silver coins and placed them in the fortune teller’s hand. The woman nodded and in her thick Sarosan accent directed the women to the door, “Come, we have much to discuss.”

Calling the shop small would have been a fantastic understatement. The small box-like room barely accommodated a small round table with four chairs and a cabinet full of crystals and jewelry. The entire room was covered in deep red fabric which draped from the ceiling and hung on the walls. In the center of the room was a lantern that had hung from the ceiling and had a shutter on it that cast points of light throughout the room in the shapes of astrological signs, stars and the symbols for the mystical elements found in many fortune telling traditions.

“Please, sit,” the fortune teller instructed.

After taking their spots across from the fortune teller the young woman produced a satchel. She then lit a candle and placed it in the center of the table. “Please, select a crystal,” she held her hand out to Dranora first.

Dranora reached in and produced a shimmering teardrop crystal. The woman then shook the satchel and held it out to Mahrie who then withdrew a hexagonal cut crystal.

“Interesting,” the fortune teller murmured.

“You,” the fortune teller addressed Dranora, “Are facing troubled times, your heart breaks and your world is in great turmoil. However, do not despair, with the rain comes the fresh dawn in the morning and the promise of new growth in the days to come.”

“And you,” the fortune teller looked to Mahrie, “You are guarded and have stood behind a shield of protection for far too long. Your world is a safe one, but in holding up your shield you have allowed much to pass you by. You have languished long behind your protections; they can serve you better when applied in the defense of others.”

“Now,” the fortune teller looked back to Dranora. “Hold your crystal up to the candlelight so that it may cast its prism upon the ceiling above.

Dranora did as instructed and a prismatic blotch cast upon the ceiling above. At its apex was a rose colored rainbow which bled into an orange and then purple tone.

“The spectrum of the lovers” the fortune teller said with a happy sigh.

“And now you,” she nodded to Mahrie.

Mahrie held her crystal above the candle and a prismatic blotch bloomed on the ceiling where Dranora’s had just moments ago. The colors were identical.

“It is as I suspected,” the fortune teller nodded.

“And what is that?” Dranora asked with baited enthusiasm.

“Your aura shows that you both hold lives of great importance and that your bond is strong, passionate and holds great gravity. The colors in your aura indicate that your bond, if properly cultivated, could lead to great change for you and those around you… perhaps even to those not in your sphere of influence. The crystals show a bond of love, romantic and filled with vibrant passions. Are either of you considering a romantic connection with the other.”

“How?” Mahrie blurted as her cheeks grew warm. “How could you know any of that?”

The fortune teller stiffened and leaned back in her chair folding her arms in a defensive posture. “As I said, your aura tells me much and the crystals fill in the rest… but,” the fortune teller offered to her sceptical client, “I can tell that or you that won’t be enough. I watched you enter the market and I watched you shop. For those with a trained eye you can see such subtle hints. How you both talk to each other, how you look at each other and how you touch each other. However, you chose the crystals and your aura projects the rest. I am but a messenger from the cosmos here to tell you that your passion, your connection, dare I say your romance, will lead you to new and exciting realms of reality. There will be danger, there will be trials, but the scales show that you stand to gain more than you will lose if you are cautious in your approach.”

“Then the crystals are encouraging a romance… between us?” Dranora asked.

“They are,” the fortune teller nodded and reached out. “May I?” She nodded at the two crystals they held.

Dranora and Mahrie both placed their crystals in the fortune teller’s hand and she began fastening them with bracelets beaded with seed sized beads. The pattern was in the same rose, orange and purple colors that the crystals had produced in the light.

“Of course you both have free will, the crystals are meant as a guide, nothing more. It is not a guarantee of success, but the promise of a spark, a spark that can ignite a fire that will light your life in new ways and banish shadows in your worlds that may hold peril.”

The fortune teller handed Dranora the bracelet with Marhie’s crystal and Mahrie the one with Dranora’s. “The crystals will protect you. For yours,” the woman nodded to Mahrie, “her crystal will help ward and wash away the anxieties you’ve felt for so long and which have kept you defensive for too long.” She then nodded to Dranora, “And for you, her crystal will offer protection and caution as you navigate your troubled path. Wear them on your left wrist, the wrist closest to your hearts.”

“Thank you,” Dranora smiled and slipped her bracelet onto her wrist.

“Thank you,” Mahrie added and placed her bracelet on as well.

Mahrie was still skeptical of crystal magic, but she felt a sense of intense connection to her new trinket. The crystal, which Dranora had chosen out of the satchel dangled Mahrie’s her wrist. It felt sensual and intimate that it had been picked by the woman who was quickly consuming her heart.

“We should be on our way,” Dranora stood and thanked the fortune teller once more.

They made their way out into the crowd and headed towards the hilltop palace. As they went they saw couples holding hands and smiling with amorous romance. As they walked they passed a couple, two women, who were holding hands and walked in the opposite direction. The sight of the sapphic couple made Dranora smile, a smile that quickly graced Mahrie’s face as well.

“May I hold your hand?” Dranora asked.

Mahrie’s first instinct was to object, to say it was too risky, but then she thought of the shield and how isolated she had become. As the fortune teller had said, she had free will and she could embrace change and let it wash away the dry stagnation she had been enduring. Or she could keep to herself and remain alone in a desert of her own creation.

With a deep self-reassuring breath she nodded saying, “Yes, I’d like that very much.”

(3/19/2025)

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pixiemoonmagic · 4 months ago

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The Lady's Maid - Chapter 1

By: R. B. Mangold

Mahrie looked back over her shoulder as she entered the jungle. In the distance she could still see the outer walls of Kesh Nakael. The journey to the Crimson Vale was a short distance from the city and she knew she could be there and back in two chimes. She had journeyed out this way hundreds of times and it was in the Vale that she felt free. Perhaps it was because she was truly alone in the jungle or perhaps because the happy ghosts of her past still resided within the thick overgrowth.

Thirty years ago she had called the Vale her home and thirty years ago the village of Luwan Kael thrived there. But thirty years ago Zaer came and King Vaen Dumaval had surrendered without a fight. The King of Zaer, King Tzored, abhorred the Umbralans and the village of Luwan Kael was home to Kesh Nakael’s Umbralan population. Many chose exile and fled into the deserts of the west. A desperate few, along with Mahrie and her wife Izmelda, decided to try and make a stand; it was the worst mistake she’d ever made.

King Vaen, then retitled as Contran Vaen by his new Zaeran masters, attacked the village in the night. As a display of loyalty he burned the village of Luwan Kael and killed all who resisted. The villagers had never stood a chance and it was Izmelda’s dying wish that Mahrie take their daughter and flee into the jungle. Being eclipsed, Mahrie and her daughter Vrena were able to blend in with the rest of the humans of Kesh Nakael so when things calmed down she’d returned to the city and built a new life.

Today the people of Kesh Nakael would be celebrating the anniversary of the city-state joining the Zaeran Empire, but for Mahrie it was a moment for her to slip away and hold her own vigil for her wife. Walking through the jungle she found the path that had once led to Luwan Kael. Now overgrown, the paving stones were mostly hidden and covered with moss.

Despite its troubled history, the Crimson Vale was beautiful. The jungle got its name from the foliage which had red tipped leaves as if some spirit or creature had painted the tip of each leaf one by one with vivid shades of red. The Vale was a lush expanse nestled in the hills to the west of the Kesh Nakael.

It didn’t take long for Mahrie to find the ruins of Luwan Kael. All that remained now were the abandoned sandstone walls of the village and even those ruins were concealed by decades of dense overgrowth. Finding the small stream which ran along the southern edge of the ruins, Mahrie followed it to the Grotto of Asueala. Mahrie passed through a moss covered tunnel and made her way into the grotto. The grotto was a section of the natural tunnel where the ceiling had collapsed and a small stream trickled down the far wall with red and gold flowers growing in thick vines. At the far end of the Grotto was the small moss covered shrine to Asueala, goddess of the Umbralans.

In the aftermath of the attack Mahrie had buried Izmelda next to the shrine. King Tzored had forbidden the worship of Asueala and so the shrine was now left unattended. As far as Mahrie knew she was the only one who still ventured out this way and the only person left in Kesh Nakael who still left offerings and prayers to the goddess. She had brought one such offering today and placed a small stick of incense onto the altar and then lit it with her flint letting the fragrant floral smell fill the space. She bowed her head and then brushed the dead leaves off of the base of the small statue of Asueala. The goddesses face still smiled and her arms were held up in a circular pose where she held a downward facing crescent moon above her head.

After paying her respects to the goddess Mahrie turned to the spot where she’d buried Izmelda. She’d left a stone to mark the spot with her name carved upon its surface.

“You’d be so proud of Vrena,” Mahrie started as she knelt at the grave and placed a bouquet of flowers that she produced from her satchel. “She and her husband have a thriving bakery in the city. No grandchildren yet, but I suspect in time that’ll change.”

A tear ran down Mahrie’s cheek and fell to the soft earth at the foot of the grave. Izmelda hadn’t been an Umbralan, she was a priestess of Asueala. They could have fled into the desert, found a home in distant Nul Azel or the realm of Nur to the west. But the people of Luwan Kael were Izmelda’s flock. Mahrie had understood when Izmelda had decided to stay, to protect and guide the few villagers who had refused to leave. At the time Mahrie had felt as though she were being supportive, that she was being brave. Since then Mahrie had cursed herself a thousand times for not being more selfish that day, for not insisting that they’d left. Her misguided support had led them down a path of misery. Those villagers who’d stayed all died and so there had been no point in staying. It hadn’t mattered what they did or how noble their intentions were, staying just meant they shared in the same horrible fate.

But dwelling on those poor decisions only opened wounds that had turned to scars in Mahrie’s heart. It had been a lifetime ago and now at the age of fifty nine Mahrie had found small comforts in her life. She had her daughter, and hopefully soon grandchildren and then there was her job as Contrina Dranora Dumaval’s Lady’s Maid. The pay was good and she was able to give most of her money to her daughter.

It helped that Contrina Dranora was a kind mistress, though that was a bit of an understatement. In the five years that Mahrie had been serving Dranora they had become close friends. The line often blurred between their professional relationship and their personal one. It was likely because Dranora had never truly put roots down within the social circles of Kesh Nakael and also that the two women shared similar interests, such as a love of geography, bird watching and romantic literature. Mahrie really didn’t want anything except for some rest and the presence of Izmalda’s memory.

Mahrie spent most of the day at the grotto. She had no interest in the celebrations happening in the city and so once the sun was low in the sky she made her way back through the Vale and into the city. Though she was an Umbralan she was one of the rare ‘eclipsed’ Umbralans. Unlike most of her kin, she did not have the blue-gray skin or the vibrant colored eyes. Her heritage and nature blended in with the rest of the humans of Kesh Nakael.

Asueala had fashioned the Umbralan’s from humans and so every few generations a handful were born with features that were more akin to humanity. As such Mahrie’s lightly tanned skin, dark brown hair, which had begun to turn silver, and green eyes all hid her identity as an Umbralan. Vrena had been born with Izmelda’s features, her fair complexion and deep blue eyes and dark blond hair. Umbralans who married humans had a half and half chance to have either a human or Umbralan child and since Vrena was human it meant that she blended in with the rest of the people of Kesh Nakael.

It had of course meant that Mahrie was condemned to a life of loneliness. Having a romantic partner would mean that she would have to expose herself as an Umbralan. Umbralans were all feminine, though like humans they had two sexes, even if humans couldn’t discern them from their appearance. Within Umbralan communities parents were described as being earth-mothers or sky-mothers. The earth-mothers, like the earth itself carried their children in their wombs and the sky-mothers, such as Mahrie and like the sky itself, rained the spark of life upon the earth as rain clouds did. It was this aspect of herself that would reveal her hidden truth. Mahrie had considered journeying to the west to find a new life in lands that were more tolerant, but Vrena was here and she had a life and was building a family. Besides, the journey into the west was fraught with dangers and she often told herself she was too old to face such perils. So it was easy to convince herself to stay and enjoy being with her daughter rather than to leave and find a life and possibly a romance that may not have existed at all. Chasing mirages in the desert seemed like another mistake and she’d made enough of those already. It would have made more sense if she had convinced Izmelda so many years ago to have left with her, but she hadn’t and so this was the crop she’d sown and would reap from.

Mahrie slipped through the city unnoticed, not that anyone cared much for her coming and going. The people of Kesh Nakael were busy in their celebrations dancing and reveling in the festivities. As Mahrie ascended the stoned walkway towards the palace she wondered at the possibility of a romance. Such flights of her imagination struck her every so often, less as she got older, but they still happened. She spied glimpses of young couples embracing. Even a pair of young women were locked in a passionate kiss. She knew it wasn’t a thought worth dwelling on, not if she wanted to stay close to her daughter, but she couldn’t help feeling the gnawing of loneliness upon her heart. It had been a long three decades and for the most part she had thrown herself into her work at the palace. She had risen from a chambermaid all the way to the coveted position of Lady’s Maid, which made her one of the highest ranking members of the palace staff.

Upon reaching her room she opened the small box on her dresser and found the pendant of Asueala. It was one of the few relics she’d held onto from her prior life and holding it in her hand she said one more prayer to the goddess. At first it had been a prayer for her daughter’s happiness but it ended with a sudden mental plea, …and a reprieve from this loneliness. It had been an unconscious plea, one that shocked her even after thinking it. Mahrie sighed and chuckled sardonically to herself, kissed the pendant and returned it to the box on her dresser.

“That caravan left long ago,” Mahrie murmured to herself and chuckled once more.

The sun had set and the city was still alive with celebrations. Most of the palace staff had been relieved of their duties for the day which gave the palace a quiet, almost abandoned feel to it. Much of the staff wouldn’t return until after the two day festivities. Only a handful of people remained, Mahrie included, along with some of the kitchen staff to make food for those who remained along with the guards who patrolled the outer walls of the palace and kept watch during the night.

The night was hot and Mahrie was thirsty after her trek into the jungle. She took off her green travel dress and put on a beige nightgown. The thinner material was a nice reprieve from the heat. Her quarters were on the same floor and tower as Contrina Dranora’s. The palace had two large square towers which jutted up from the base of the palace. Originally the tower to the east was called the Queen’s Tower, but after Zaer it was renamed the Contrina’s Tower. A bridge connected the Contrina’s Tower to the Contran’s tower where Contran Urstrar Dumaval’s chambers were. The perk of being on the same floor as the Contran and Contrina meant that it was mostly deserted after hours. Only Mahrie and Contrina Dronora remained after hours so Mahrie could move about in her cool gown without scrutiny or question, Dranora had never minded. As mistresses went Contrina Dranora was often kind and understanding towards her staff.

Mahrie slipped out of her room and went to the serving parlor on the far end of the floor. Fresh jugs of water, fruit and food were kept there after hours if Contrina Dranora needed anything and a small tray of food and a jug of water was left for Mahrie. Mahrie poured herself a cool glass of water and then padded back down the hallway towards her room eager to rest. As she passed Contrina Dranora’s slightly cracked door she heard a sound.

“Mahrie?” The familiar voice of Contrina Dranora called out.

Mahrie stifled the urge to sigh in disappointment, she had almost made it to her room and instead quickly composed herself and gently opened the door. “Yes mistress?”

The door opened revealing the familiar lavishly decorated room that was Contrina Dranora’s personal chambers. The door leading to the bridge that connected her chamber to her husband’s was open and the silken curtains and drapery wafted gently in the evening breeze. In the distance the sounds of celebration echoed in the city below but in contrast Dranora’s face was stained with tears that Dranora quickly wiped away the sleeve of her gossamer purple nightgown.

Though unusual, Mahrie had seen Dranora cry a few times in the last two years and her mistress, her friend, had begun confiding in Mahrie regularly, often seeking advice or solace in her marital abandonment. Dranora was hardly the type of person Mahrie would consider emotional. She was, by the forging of her upbringing, a commanding presence and a pillar of confidence. Rarely did Dranora make rash decisions or succumb to outside influences. She was a natural skeptic and questioned authority while projecting it. This was often evident in her collect of books that had been banned by King Tzored, many of which included Umbralan romance or themes.

Dranora was twenty four years Mahrie’s younger and it was no secret that the noble couple had been having issues. Dranora had been married to Urstrar, the eldest son of the now deceased Vaem, five years ago. In that time the couple had gone from jovial and amorous to cold and removed. It had started two years ago when no heir had been produced and in time it had worsened until a half a year ago when Urstrar decided to take not one, but two concubines to speed the creation of an heir.

“I-,” Dranora choked on her words as she collected herself. “You’re not at the celebration?”

The question came off as both an inquiry and a sort of mild accusation as if Dranora had expected to be alone.

“No, I’m not one for the Imperial Celebration,” Mahrie nodded. “You did not want to attend? She quickly added turning the focus back onto her mistress.

“No,” Dranora answered meekly and then crossed the room to sit on the edge of her bed. “He’s with them again,” Dranora bit her lip in bitter jealousy.

By he, Mahrie knew Dranora meant her husband, Urstrar, and by them she interpreted the concubines, Naneesh and Zavra. Marhie didn’t like to involve herself in the couple’s politics, but it came with the territory of being the Lady’s Maid.

“He will come to you again,” Mahrie reassured Dranora with the only words she knew to use. In truth Mahrie was at a loss on how to console the young woman and would have liked to have kept a healthy emotional distance.

“No he won’t,” Dranora replied bitterly. “He will have an heir with one of them and I will be expected to take that… child,” Dranora paused as though she were silently adding more insults to her statement and then continued, “as my own. As if being pushed aside wasn’t insulting enough.”

“You are very beautiful, he will return to you when he grows tired of this tryst,” Mahrie offered once again.

Mahrie wasn’t exaggerating, Dranora was uncommonly beautiful. The daughter of the Contran of Zael, Dranora had been sought after by all of the highest of Zaeran nobility. Her father had married her to Urstrar to help solidify his hold over the southern cities of the Empire, which in turn made him a favorite of King Tzored. Were Mahrie younger and of noble stalk she’d have considered Dranora very attractive and desirable. However, none of those things were true and she had always done her best to push such distracting thoughts away from the surface of her mind.

“You are kind to say that,” Dranora conceded, finally forcing herself to push aside her sadness. Such a display would normally be considered vulgar coming from a Contrina, but with Mahrie, Dranora knew she was safe. It was a point of personal pride that Mahrie never spread gossip and was one of the reasons she’d risen so high within the palace over the years.

“Will you sit with me,” Dranora patted the spot next to her on the edge of the bed.

“I-,” Mahrie began to object.

“I would greatly appreciate it,” Dranora quickly added, stifling Mahrie’s objections.

“But if your husband were to-” Mahrie began again.

“He won’t,” Dranora patted the spot again and added, “He is with both of them and tomorrow all three of them will be leaving for Zaer to join the King in his campaign against Nur.”

“I see,” Mahrie nodded and placed the cup of water on the dresser next to the door and then took a seat next to Dranora.

“It’s why I’m so distraught,” Dranora filled in the gaps. “He says it’s because my constitution is too delicate, but I know it’s because he is done with me.”

There was a long moment of silence between the women before Dranora stiffened and added, “And perhaps I’m done with him. Perhaps I will have a lover of my own.”

“Would the Contran allow that?” Mahrie wondered.

It was not unheard of, Urstrar gained much from his marriage with Dranora and spurring her completely would cause him to lose standing with Dranora’s father and in return the King. In such scenarios couples often took lovers but kept their marriages going for the political gain that it offered. Dranora’s value to Urstrar afforded her a latitude of freedom. She could of course demand the Contran’s blessing for such a boon but with her leverage over her husband. However, it would likely be better to just take a lover and then deal with the fallout if and when it ever came.

“It matters little what he will allow,” Dranora said in a flimsy but haughty voice as she drew the same conclusion. “Do you really think that I’m beautiful?” Dranora asked.

“I do,” Mahrie admitted.

“I think you are as well,” Dranora blushed slightly and rubbed her knees.

Realization flashed in Mahrie’s mind. Was this something Dranora had been considering? Did she want to take a servant, her servant as a lover? It was an ideal cover for an affair, but Mahrie would have to find a way to divert this sudden interest. But was it sudden? Taking a moment to think Mahrie realized that she had caught Dranora gazing at her many times throughout the years. Perhaps this wasn’t some emotional fling but a long standing attraction. Mahrie had always pushed such thoughts aside, but perhaps Dranora had spent that time indulging in such fantasies.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you,” Dranora stated.

Mahrie hadn’t realized she’d gone tense and calmed her mistress' concern.

“I-,” Mahrie began, “Thank you for your kind words, to be appreciated at my age is a rare thing. No one has said as much since my spouse died,” Mahrie hid the gender of her late wife.

Dranora had known about Mahrie’s daughter, it was no secret, but most assumed that Mahrie had been the birth mother, the earth-mother, and so she just never bothered to correct them. It was better that way. For others to think she’d been married to a man in the past, otherwise there would be too many questions and those questions could lead back to her daughter in a very destructive way.

“You’re safe with me,” Dranora leaned closer and gave her the most reassuring smile she’d ever seen her mistress produce. “I would never betray your trust or your secrets.”

“My secrets?” Mahrie asked with a raised eyebrow.

“That…” Dranora paused and then looked confused as well. “I thought you knew that I knew.”

“That you know what?” Mahrie was genuinely confused and her mind spun at the thought that her mistress was under some false impression of her.

“Once again I am sorry,” Dranora’s face flushed. “I will say no more.”

Now Mahrie needed to know.

“What secret do you think I’m hiding?” Mahrie insisted. She would not have normally been so forward with Dranora but she couldn’t hold back, not with the threat of scandal hovering above her.

“That you are Eclipsed,” Dranora replied and winced at having the words pulled out of her.

And there it was, Mahrie’s secret, her truth, the truth she had thought she’d hid so well over the decades was out there in the open. In an instant it was as if her world was on the verge of imploding. She would have to flee, leave into the desert and try to brave the wilds to find a safe harbor. Her mistake, her failure, of staying in Kesh Nakael was finally and in the most bitter irony complete… and that was if she would even have the chance to flee.

It was clear that Dranora could see the horror playing out across Mahrie’s face. Dranora raised her hands in a calming gesture, as if she were calming a startled Armasaur. “Please, you are safe with me, perhaps this…” Dranora paused, stood and went to her jewelry cabinet.

After a moment Dranora produced a small shimmering pendant and hung it out so that Mahrie could see. It was the downward facing moon of Asueala, just like her own except covered in fine jewels and made of precious metals.

“My grandmother gave it to me,” Dranora explained. “Her favorite goddess was Ansueala and she taught me about her. Before Zaer took over Zael she had a lover as well, an Umbralan woman…”

Dranora trailed off and sat down once again next to Mahrie. The shock had finally passed but Mahrie was still overwhelmed by everything she was hearing.

“I’ve always thought you were beautiful,” Dranora admitted. “But I’d never want to drive you away or to make you feel vulnerable because I knew, the truth is I-,” Dranora paused then added quickly, “I admire you so much.”

Dranora’s plea had been made, it was now up to Mahrie to consider what was being proposed and if anything was being proposed. Was her mistress, Contrina Dranora Dumaval of Kesh Nakael proposing a romantic tryst with her? Such an affair would come with great risk, mainly to herself. It wasn’t that she was disinterested in the proposition, more so that the idea of its possibility had never crossed her mind. Mahrie wanted to flee to her room, or perhaps further, to her daughter’s house or even the grotto in the jungle. This could not be happening. But it was, despite her disbelief and shock her mistress had made an overture towards her.

The advance was not an unwanted one, just profoundly unexpected. Mahrie feared that such confessions were due to the stress Dranora was under, but she knew that wasn’t quite right. Dranora’s marriage had been failing for years and this was just the next chapter in the doom of her matrimony. The women had often discussed romance and read the most salacious books together. Their emotional intimacy had been established for quite some time. If anything Mahrie’s hesitancy was born out of a fear of jeopardizing the relationship they’d already established.

It was clear to Dranora amidst the awkward pause, that she would need to lead the way. As Contrina she was used to taking the lead and being an entity that projected authority and will to those around her. However, she knew this was far too delicate a situation to just will into existence and so she decided to signal that the door was open the only way she could. She reached out and touched Mahrie’s hand. There was no tension, Mahrie did not recoil, there was just a quiet moment between the two women.

“Your safety and comfort are paramount to me,” Dranora reassured. “If you want nothing to do with this then I understand and nothing will change between us. I value your friendship more than anything that could happen.”

There it was, the proposal and an exit. Dranora had laid herself bare before Mahrie and placed all the power in her hands. It was such an alien feeling that Mahrie had no idea what to do with it. She’d never had power, or at least not in the last three decades. It was not unheard of for nobility to have trysts with their staff, she told herself again, but it was not something that Mahrie had been prepared for.

“Mistress,” Mahrie began.

“You can call me Dranora,” Dranora corrected.

“Dranora,” Mahrie replied, the name feeling like a foreign word upon her tongue. “I cannot say that this is entirely unwelcome…” Mahrie trailed off.

“But you’re not sure,” Dranora finished with a hint of bated disappointment.

“I’m not,” Mahrie nodded. “I need time…” Mahrie trailed off once again, she desperately wanted to think.

“Time you can have,” Dranora paused, looked down at where she was touching Mahrie’s hand and then looked back up adding, “But first, may I kiss you?”

Mahrie instinctively wanted to object but something inside her, a small voice she’d not heard in her mind for three decades begged, no, insisted that she accept.

“Yes,” Mahrie conceded to the primal voice in her mind.

Before she could reconsider and retreat back to her self imposed isolation, back to the safety she clung to, Dranora moved in and pressed her lips against her own. It was a quick touch, a gentle peck that lasted but a handful of seconds, but Mahrie couldn’t deny that it felt good, it felt right. With Dranora so close Mahrie could smell the floral scent of Dranora’s nightgown. It was a scent Mahrie was very familiar with, afterall she placed the flower petals in Dranora’s dresser each evening so that her clothing smelled fresh and alluring. But this was different, the familiar smell mixed with the gentle musk of the other woman’s body creating a bouquet that was unique and enticing.

In those precious seconds Mahrie’s heart pounded, her blood grew warm and her cheeks burned with desire. That primal voice wanted her to continue, wanted more. It pushed her to kiss back, to wrap Dranora in her arms and to hold her tight and to be held in return. But it was all so sudden and Mahrie needed to clear her head. Too much was at stake, she trusted Dranora’s intentions, she knew the young woman well, and had spent the last five years attending to her. However, there was too much to consider and the kiss had left her mind clouded with desire.

The kiss was over as quickly as it had begun. Mahrie hadn’t realized she’d lost her breath and after a deep gulp of air she nodded to her mistress… no to Dranora saying, “I just need time to consider.”

“Of course, I’ll let you be,” Dranora agreed and took her hand back.

The sudden removal of Dranora’s hand left a cold and empty feeling upon Mahrie. The warmth and comfort that had been lost to her life had sparked and vanished so quickly in that instant. Swiftly, but not to appear as to flee, Mahrie stood, curtsied to Dranora and retrieved her water. She took one look back at Dranora who nodded with a kind look and then left the room and made her way down the hall to her room.

In the solitude and privacy of her quarters Mahrie breathed deeply. It took a few moments for her to regain her composure. She drank her water, laid in her bed and tried not to think of Dranora’s passionate embrace. Every time she thought she’d pushed away such thoughts a new one sprouted like flowers in the landscape of her mind. Thoughts of Dranora’s touch, her kiss and more permeated the edges of Mahrie’s imagination.

It was in those fitful hours as she tried to sleep that she began to grasp just how isolated she’d become. The garden of her life had gone from one that was filled with beautiful flowers to a landscape devoid of color and full of utilitarian shrubbery, shrubbery that she could hide herself in. She had boiled down her existence to pure survival and hadn’t allowed the notion of letting another person in to breath in her mind for decades. Despite the passionate thoughts invading her mind she wondered if she even had the capacity to love still within her.

When she was at the edge of sleep she had considered what had caused this sudden shift in Dranora’s behavior. The logical aspect of her mind knew the young woman had been suffering in a failing marriage now for years. Dranora and her husband had now faced more bad years than good and the fruit of their marriage was clearly withering on the vine. However, the spiritual part of her mind wondered if perhaps it was that unconscious prayer Mahrie had made to Asueala. Had the goddess been listening? There was no way to know, and perhaps it was a bit of both that had led Mahrie to this point.

What remained of her thoughts as she crossed the threshold of consciousness into sleep was that primal voice within her. It didn’t matter where it had all come from, it told her. All that mattered was that she wanted it to continue.

Afterward

Thank you for reading the first chapter of The Lady’s Maid. The Lady’s Maid is a sort of side story to a novel I’ve been working on. In the world of Xoran readers will find romance, magic, dinosaur-like creatures and ancient civilizations with far reaching impacts. As a side story, The Lady’s Maid follows some of the events of the main novel (which at this time is still pending publication). Hopefully this story, posted to my blog, gives readers like yourself a glimpse into the world I’ve been crafting, one that is transgender and intersex inclusive amidst elements of sapphic romance and fantasy filled adventure. I plan to continue writing and developing Mahrie and Dranora’s story alongside my main novel and hope that you’ll return for more as the story continues to develop.

(3/10/2025)

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