Princess Not-So-Innocent

Part One

Chapter One

 

Helana’s mind whirled with the speed of the betrothal ceremony. She had been preparing for it all her life, it seemed, and while she knew when the moment arrived it would happen quickly, she hadn’t expected it to go so quickly.

And without much of a ceremony, either.

It happened in the king’s throne room. She had been hoping for it to be in the grand ballroom. It seemed like it was just another official act of the king that day, or rather, an official act of the crown prince.

The king himself was, as it was described, retired and did little more than enjoy his hobbies. The crown prince did all the official work for the kingdom. Part of that included presiding over the betrothal ceremony between Princess Helana and Prince Arpad.

It was mixed in with all the official business of the kingdom. There was no celebration. The only person in the room that Helana knew was Ambassador Ladislus.

Well, Ambassador Ladislus and the Lady Ada, whom Helana had started to think not so much as her lady in waiting but as her minder.

Helana wasn’t a fool or an innocent.

She knew she was just a pawn in the political machinations between her country and Prince Arpad’s, but that didn’t mean a pawn had no power.

At least, not at first.

The ring went on her finger and a document was signed. Then Helana was escorted from the throne room by Ada and two guards.

“All that preparation for…that?” Helana asked Ada as they were marched down the wide corridors of the palace.

“And that,” Ada said, indicating the elaborate ring on the young woman’s finger.

Helana held it up. It was pretty, yes, but…

“Hardly seems worth all that effort.”

Ada smiled thinly, “You haven’t seen anything yet, young princess.”

 

Helana had arrived at her new home, and a promised betrothal to Prince Arpad barely a week prior. She had been all but sold to the Uralia king as a way of cementing an alliance between the powerful kingdom to her family’s very small and weak one. Even her father had joked that they didn’t rule over a kingdom. “It’s a very modest principality at best.”

As was part of the agreement, Helana crossed over from Jadwig to Uralia with nothing. Literally nothing. She was escorted from her home to the border between the countries. A tent had been set up straddling the border. She had been forced to leave behind everything, including her clothing.

She had known this would happen. She had put on a brave as face as possible when her life-long friend and handmaid had helped her remove all her clothes until she was naked. It was hard to keep from crying. It was impossible to keep her pale face from turning bright red with embarrassment even though she knew this was part of the ritual. Her red face contrasted sharply with her pale skin that had just a few freckles on it from the sun. Her hair wasn’t so much golden as it was brassy, somewhere between red and blonde. It was a color unheard of in her family and she had heard some of the off-color remarks about her possible parentage. That didn’t bother, her not now, because she was a princess of the Kingdom of Jadwig.

Just as she was about to make the short—and naked march—from her side of the border to that of the Uralics, she was stopped by the foreign ambassador.

He was a large imposing man with a large long and long, greasy hair. He looked down on her imperiously—a skill he had certainly developed during his many years in the service of the king—and let his eyes rove over her body.

It took all of Helana’s self-control not to cast her hands in front of her body, hiding her breasts and quim from the man. He—and everyone else—had already seen every bit of her body, and to hide now would bring shame to her family.

“Not like that,” he said.

“Not like what?” asked Leila, her handmaid.

“Nothing but the princess’s body. She is to bring nothing to her new station other than herself.”

It took the two young women a moment to realize what he was saying. Helana only understood when she followed his gaze to her chest.

Helana was still wearing the golden rings through her nipples that had been part of the celebration all Jadwig girls went through when they became women. It had hurt like hell when then piercer went through her small and sensitive nipples, but the ornamentation had been worth it. Jadwig women wouldn’t remove them until they had their first child and needed to nurse the baby.

Giving in to the unvoiced demand, Helana started to remove the rings, but she quickly encountered a problem. Because they had been set for so long—with no reason for removal—it was impossible for her to remove the two pieces of jewelry with just her fingers. She struggled for a moment, tears welling up in her eyes, before Leila interrupted.

“Let me, miss,” she begged.

Helana was forced to stand there in front of the ambassador as Leila now struggled with the rings. She too, failed to remove the jewelry.

“Let me do it,” the ambassador insisted. “We need to get this done with to get to the first waystation by nightfall.” When he reached for Helana’s breasts Leila interposed herself to prevent the old man from touching her mistress.

“No!” she said loudly enough to startle the members of the mission from Jadwig. The guards stirred along with the two members of the royal family that were Helana’s cousins. The last thing anyone wanted now was an international incident that ended in violence instead of a marriage. “You will not touch the princess’s body.”

Whether or not the ambassador had the right to touch Helana’s breasts or if Leila had the right to stop him was a matter for debate. He did pause and Leila stood firmly between him and her princess.

It would have been impossible to say how long that stand off would have lasted if not for a member of the retinue on the Jadwig side had not rushed out to the delineated border, a small tool in her hand. Why she had it was impossible to say. Maybe it was just part of the traveling toolkit that accompanied every princess around the small kingdom. It saved the day regardless.

The tool was a specialized set of pliers. It was handed over to Leila who quickly used it on the jewelry, opening the rings enough to slip them free of the holes pierced through the nipples.

Now Helana felt truly naked. It had been years since the rings had gone in. They were a part of her and they were gone. She missed the familiar tug and tiny weight that had been a familiar presence.

“What shall I do with them, miss?” Leila asked. The rings sat in the palm of her hand. Helana couldn’t take them with her. It wasn’t permitted. They were gold; they were too valuable to toss aside like so much garbage.

Helana folded her handmaid’s fingers over her palm, closing her hand tightly into a fist. “Keep them for yourself,” she told her, kissed Leila on the cheek. “Wear them. Give them to your daughter.”

Without another word, Helana turned around and walked side by side with the ambassador to the Uralia retinue. She was no longer Jadwigian; she was property of the Uralian royal family.

A tall and pretty woman with long black hair, high cheekbones, and a knowing look quickly approached her with a long, flowing robe. The robe she wrapped around Helana’s body. It didn’t matter. Everyone had already seen her body. And even that didn’t matter. She wasn’t so much a person or even a princess, she was just a vessel to unite the two countries.

Helana had already understood that, but she was determine to be a person, not just an object.

 

The journey to the palace wasn’t difficult at all. It was more enjoyable than any journey she had undergone within the border of Jadwig. The coach she traveled in was luxurious. The inns and waystation—former outposts of the expansion of the Jadwigian kingdom—offered hot, delicious food and comfortable beds.

If not for the fact that no one other than Lady Ada spoke to her it would have been a wonderful journey for the land was beautiful to look at and the people who showed up to greet the small caravan waved and applauded as they went through the small villages.

“They aren’t really applauding for me, are they,” Helana observed to Lady Ada.

“Of course not,” Ada agreed. “They are applauding for the king’s coach.”

“Seems a silly reason for applause.”

“They’d rather be seen applauding than to be ignoring the king’s power. A few minutes of applause is easier than a beating for denigrating the king’s authority.”

Helana shivered.

 

 

Chapter Two

 

Upon arriving at the palace there was no formal greeting ceremony. Helana supposed that was for the best. It was easier as well. She was escorted by Lady Ada and two guards to her new quarters, or her temporary quarters until she could be married to the prince.

Helana marveled at the gaslights that filled the corridors of the palace with light. They had arrived as the sun was going down.

“Yes,” Ada agreed. “The king, or the crown prince really, has always been eager to push the newest technology into the palace. We even have running hot water. Unlimited. It’s luxurious.”

“I can imagine,” Helana agreed.

“Of you don’t have to imagine. We’re taking you right to the baths. Four days on the road and we’re all stinking like a pauper begging for his meals.”

A bath followed by a meal would be wonderful, Helana silently agreed. Travel was exhausting and a hot bath was perfect before bed.

 

The baths amazed her. In Jadwig they had a deliberately tiled room that held a tub large enough for two people to bathe at the same time. It had to be filled with buckets of hot water brought in by servants.

The baths in Uralia was a suite of rooms that seemed enormous enough to house a small army. The central room was elaborately tiled with rich ceramic inlays. A huge tub the size of a small pond sank into the floor of the room.

Ada ordered everyone else out of the room and turned on a pair of taps. Steaming water rushed out of the pipes to fill the tub.

“Strip,” ordered Ada.

It was an easy order to follow. Helana had an unusual relationship with her body. She was the person within her corpse and her body wasn’t herself, but merely a minor part of herself. She knew when to distance herself from her body and when it was important to remind herself that she was more than just her corporeal state. That being said she took off her clothing without hesitation. She was used to being intimately examined by others, strangers and friends and relatives alike; she wasn’t just a person, she was a princess of the Jadwigian line and through her, the line would continue on in the Uralian empire.

The difficult part of taking off her clothes was the difference between Uralian and Jadwigian fashion. Dresses were still common in Jadwig, but women in Uralia had shifted over to jackets and skirts. It was easy to remove the silk waist jacket and lay it on the table just inside the bathing room. Under it was the white blouse with ruffles and buttons that seemed more in line with something a Jadwigian minor noble would wear to court. This she unlaced and unbuttoned herself which was strange because she was so used to others dressing and undressing her.

Underneath she had on a corset that was no different from Uralian style. This she left on as she loosened the belt around her trim waist and let the skirt drop to the floor. She knelt down to pick it up and place it on top of the jacket and blouse.

She was down to her underclothing and boots. How did the Uralian women know the size of her feet? That was a minor marvel. Stepping out of the low, soft boots was done without a thought. This left her in stockings, corset, and knickers. The stockings came off next, with her awkwardly pulling each down the length of her legs. When she reached to remove the corset, she realized that Lady Ada had helped her put it on that morning. The hooks were in the back and without a good deal of struggling she wouldn’t be able to escape the hugging embrace of the boned and reinforced garment.

“Let me help you,” Lady Ada said, all but sneaking up behind her.

“Thank you,” said Helana as she faced away from Ada.

Ada expertly slipped loose the metal clasps on the corset’s back. It was a piece designed for someone other than the wearer to take on and off. Reaching around Helana’s body, Ada took the stiff fabric and placed it on top of the increasingly tall pile of clothing. Helana’s small breasts stood out proudly from her chest; she didn’t need the extra help of lingerie to enhance her body.

She didn’t give the young princess an opportunity to take of her knickers herself. Perhaps Helana hesitated because she was used to being undressed by someone else and had slipped back into that mindset with Ada’s assistance. Or perhaps Helana hesitated because she suddenly found herself all but stripped naked again and didn’t want to relive what it felt like to be humiliated in front of the ambassador who wanted to take literally everything from her.

Helana actually enjoyed it when Ada pulled the soft garment from her hips and down her legs.

“Thank you,” she murmured, turning around, remembering to keep her hands down from her chest and away from her groin. She had nothing to be ashamed of.

It was only with the mildest of surprise that she noted in the time it had taken to get undressed with Lady Ada’s assistance, Lady Ada was already naked.

Helana couldn’t help but let her eyes go up and down the older woman’s body. It was an automatic reaction born of curiosity. Ada was older that Ada, but certainly not yet very old. Her body was full and womanly. Her skin was honey-kissed and flawless. Her glossy black hair was still piled high atop her head, in a simple but elegant style that Ada had done to Helana’s own tresses early that morning. Showing her bold nature, Ada had large earrings hanging from her lobes in contrast to Helana’s very modest studs.

Ada let Helana examine her body; Helana realized that after the fact because the dark-haired woman stood back a step and rested her balled fists on her hips. Ada’s breasts were larger and fuller than Helana’s, but that was no surprise. Her nipples were pieced, as was the style for all noblewomen, but Helana couldn’t take her eyes from the elaborate jewelry Ada wore on her nipples.

“It’s called a petal shield,” said Ada, noting Helana’s staring. “It’s the current fashion here in the palace.”

Helana was able to see the traditional piercing that went through Ada’s nipple. Through the holes in her nipples Ada wore bars instead of rings. The bars were wide enough that they held in place circular shields that were designed to imitate the look of a flower petal. The shield was made of silver and hid all of Ada’s areola. Helana could see that the bar was designed to lock into the shield so it didn’t slip free.

“It’s very pretty,” said Helana.

“Thank you. We’ll get a set for you as well. You should start wearing them right away to get used to the feel. It’s not the same as just wearing rings. And we don’t want your holes closing, do we?”

“No, of course not.” Even as she spoke Helana let her eyes travel the rest of the way down Ada’s body. Her quim was no less surprising to Helana’s almost-innocent eyes than her nipples were.

Her nether regions were as bare as that of a child. Ada didn’t have a single hair between her legs. This disappointed Helana somewhat because she had thought that the striking woman would have a glossy patch of hair. Instead, she was perfectly naked.

Or almost perfectly naked. Helana could make out Ada’s pouting lower lips and just peaking between them were her inner lips. There was no way for Helana to determine if that was the lady-in-waiting’s natural state or if she was aroused. But even the state of her labia wasn’t the most remarkable thing about Ada’s sex. It was the chain that dangled between her thighs.

Ada was letting the younger woman study her body. There was no reason not to because it was going to all be revealed sooner rather than later. She opened up her stance a bit to give Helana a better view. Upon realizing what Ada was doing, Helana felt a thrill of embarrassment, but quickly reasoned that if the other woman didn’t want to show off her body, she wouldn’t have put herself in this position.

“You’re pierced down there,” Helana marveled.

“All Uralian women are. Well, all Uralian noblewomen are. It’s a way we show our status.”

Helana continued to stare, fascinated. A thick ring tunneled into the flesh of her left lip, right next to the opening of her sex. There was no indication as to how it was removed, but Helana figured that was because the ring was partially obscured by Ada’s flesh and the decorative chain that dangled down a good six inches. There were gems mounted in the chain, almost like an elaborate necklace.

It was pretty and Helana was a little bit jealous of the unique ornament.

A question occurred to her while she stared. “How does it show off your status?” she blurted out without thinking. “Only your husband will see it.”

Ada gave a little chuckle. “Yes, husbands. And lovers. And other women in the public baths. A woman’s love chain is highly regulated. Showing one off is gauche, but everyone looks and everyone knows.”

She held her hand out to Helana and led the younger woman into the large bath. They settled into the hot water, soaking and enjoying the heat. Helana tried to relax, but she had a hundred questions.

“I suppose I’ll have to get one done as well.”

Before answering Ada turned off the taps. The room was suddenly quiet. The rush of the water into the tub was surprisingly loud and the silence was welcome. “Of course, but don’t worry about that just yet. There are more pressing concerns for you.”

“Such as?” Helana imitated Ada in leaning back against the side of the tub. Ada’s larger breasts floated on top of the water while Helana could feel her small ones just bobbing underneath the surface. There was nothing like this tub and room in her family’s small palace.

“We need to remove your quim hair,” said Ada.

“How.”

“Most women have their servants shave it. Some pluck, but that is…excruciating. You don’t look very hirsute so that might be an option for you.”

“I’ll shave.” Helana knew what was expected of her.

“Excellent. Let’s do it now.”

Helana was taken aback at the sudden suggestion, but she recognized that Ada knew better than she did when it came to this sort of thing in the new kingdom. “But…how?” she asked.

From a hidden shelf under the lip of the massive tub Ada produced the necessary implements. It was obvious to Helana this sort of thing was done here all the time.

“Sit on the edge of the tub,” Ada instructed her. “Open your legs and I’ll take care of you.”

“Isn’t this something more appropriate for a servant?” asked Helana as she moved out of the water and to the place Ada had indicated. The air in the room was humid and warm but that didn’t stop her nipples from contracting boldly. It felt strangely sad to not feel her nipples tightening around her rings. She still missed them.

“I am your servant for such services as this,” Lady Ada replied. “Open your legs for me.”

Helana complied. It was supposed to be a humiliating pose, but Helana could easily put her mind outside her body. She exposed herself to the lady in waiting. Almost immediately Ada moved in and smeared slippery soap across Helana’s bright curls and sex.

“Seems almost a shame. You have such lovely colored hair. To remove it seems a crime.”

There was no answering that statement. Helana saw the straight razor flashing in Ada’s hand and her body trembled when the cool metal was applied to her sex, neatly cutting away the tiny curls.

“Don’t tremble,” Ada cautioned her. “I’ll slip. I’ve done this hundreds of times before, but if you flinch…”

“You’ve done this before?” It was easier for Helana to endure the ordeal if she wasn’t thinking of herself.

“Many times for many women.”

Ada worked quickly. It was good that Helana wasn’t particularly hairy, but even she could see the tragedy in losing the beautiful red-gold hair to the razor and drain. It was a unique feeling having another woman manipulate her sex to remove all the hair. Helana remembered when it had started growing because it was one of the indicators that she was woman with a destiny for her family.

“There,” said Ada after a short time of Helana staring at the ceiling telling herself she was more than just her body and her life wasn’t confined to her fleshy form. “All done.” She poured water over Helana’s quim, washing away the last of the hair and suds.

Automatically Helana put her hand down between her legs and felt the smoothness that was sensual and out of place at the same time. She was disappointed by the familiar lack of hair, but she knew she needed to fit into her new station.

Ada put the tools away and dipped her body down into the water. “Wash and rinse off,” she said. Helana hadn’t noticed it at first, but the water had been flowing steadily, draining away while being replaced with new hot water. “We have much still to do.”

“Like what?” Helana was glad to be back in the water even if it was only momentarily.

Standing up, showing that she had no shame about her body, Ada smiled and went to one of the bell pulls along the side of the room. A few seconds later a servant appears and didn’t seem the least bit surprised to confront the naked lady-in-waiting. “A selection of petal shields,” she said curtly. The servant disappeared.

“I’m to get my own shields right now?”

“Of course. We have no time to waste. I’m doing this in a very deliberate order, Princess,” she said, an edge of disdain in her voice. “I’m making it easy on you. We’ll do all the necessary steps tonight because time presses us and you’ll need time to recover before the betrothal ceremony.”

The servant appeared a minute later, which gave Ada time to find a green silk robe. The servant left the tray of petal shields on the table and quickly exited. Looking down at Helana, Ada ordered her out of the water.

“The air is chilly,” said Helana, hinting that she wanted a robe as well, but none was offered and none seemed ready to be provided.

“In a minute. How will we put on your shields if your breasts are hidden?”

It was a rhetorical question and Helana remained silent. She looked over the shields the servant maid had brought. There appeared to be a hundred of them of all designs and colors and sizes.

“Gold, I think. More ornamental than plain, as befits your station. And small. You barely have nipples and your areolas are tiny as well.” She clucked her tongue. “You’re more girl than woman.”

“I have eighteen summers,” Helana spat out angrily.

“Barely makes you a woman,” Ada judged. She picked up one of the smaller pair of shields and held one again Helana’s nipple. Ada had a good eye; the petals of the shield just covered the bright pink of her areola and the center hole was sized perfectly to let the nipple through.

The bar to hold the shield in place was rather plain, but was gold like the shield. Ada forced the thick bar through Helana’s nipple, making her gasp as the hole, which had been slowly closing up, was forced to reopen. It held the shield neatly in place and Helana looked down at her breast and was delighted with the results.

The gold quickly warmed to her body temperature and became comfortable to wear. The artist’s dedication in making the ornament showed; there were no sharp edges and it seemed like it was custom made just for her. After the initial prick of pain, there was just some soreness as her body adapted to the larger bar going through her nipple. It wasn’t any worse than when she had them done upon become a woman.

The second one went into place just as easily as the first. Helana savored the little bit of pain and soreness. This was what she was born for, if she had to suffer a bit it was a small sacrifice and she willingly took on the punishment if it meant glory for her family.

When she was done Ada stepped back and judged her handiwork and Helana’s breasts with a critical eye. “Extend your hands above your head,” she ordered.

It wasn’t a lady-in-waiting’s place to order a princess around, but Helana knew it was for her benefit and Ada wasn’t the type of woman to waste time unnecessarily Putting her hands straight up into the air changed the way her breasts hung from her chest, but that change was minor since her tits were so small.

Ada nodded once. “I like it. Very pretty. Put your hands down. I wish your tits were a little bigger. Gossip has it that the prince likes his lovers who are generously endowed.”

Helana put her hands down to her sides with some disappointment. “You think he won’t want me,” she said and then her thoughts fell upon what Ada implied. “How many lovers has he had?”

“More than a handful, I can assure you of that. Of course, every slut, chambermaid, merchant’s daughter, and scheming noblewoman all but throws themselves at him, so he had his choice of women. Of lovers. Maybe he’s just taking the ones that fall within the traditional Uralian standards of beauty.” Ada lowered her eyes meaningfully to her chest and then looked back Helana. “Maybe he’ll see you and decide to expand his variety of lovers.”

“I’m to marry him, am I not?” Helana insisted. “There has been a contract written and signed.”

“You are…but that doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily be his wife.”

It was all Helana could do not to slap the other woman across the face. Helana knew that would be a poor decision. She had no allies here. She was an object to be possessed and used, but she wasn’t going to let that just happen. Instead she carefully lifted her hand and made the threat implicit, if subtle. Helana was still a princess and didn’t need to listen to rude words from a simple noblewoman. “What do you mean? Speak plainly.”

“Have you read the contract?”

Helana had not.

“Betrothal first, of course, because that is how things are done. But your betrothal can last a year. At the end of that year a decision will be made on the marriage.”

“A marriage based on what?” asked Helana.

“Not just your ability to breed, but whether or not you’ll provide the prince with an heir.”

“That’s ridiculous. How can I provide him with an heir if we are not…” she trailed off.

“Not married?” asked Ada. “Not husband and wife? Not lovers?” A smile pulled at her lips. “You’ll be lovers, for sure. But unless you fall pregnant, there will be no marriage.”

“And I’m sure that there will be plenty of actors who will do their all to prevent the marriage from occurring.”

“A few, to be sure. Prince Arpad is fifth in line for the throne behind his father, the crown prince. A marriage to him is important, to be sure, but hardly a major concern for those at the top of the machinations that go on behind the scenes in the politics of the royal family. You and I are unimportant in the grand scheme of things.”

Helana waved her hands at everything around them, indicating her frustration and her annoyance. “What’s the point of all this then?”

“What’s the point of anything?” Ada replied. “You are nothing more than a link to keep a minor kingdom under the thumb of the Uralian Empire.”

Helana looked down at her newly decorated tits. The nipples were still sore and the gold somehow seemed less lustrous than before.

There was a silence in the room that Ada let hang there a long time while Helana was lost in her thoughts.

“But I’m sure you’ll fall pregnant with the prince’s child before long,” Ada said. It was supposed to be a reassuring statement, but her tone conveyed the opposite. “And don’t worry, if he doesn’t prove up to the task, there’s always lovers you can take on your own. I’m sure someone will do the deed.”

Helana had never considered herself innocent, but now she found herself cast into a game she wasn’t fully prepared for. Marriage and childbearing she had expected, but having to do it on a timeline and possibly illicitly caused a new wrinkle in her life.

“Come,” said Ada, not offering a word of comfort. “Let me show you to your rooms. They are very comfortable; I can assure you of that.”

For just a moment Helana thought that Ada was going to make her walk through the palace naked but for her new petal shields, but from nowhere the lady-in-waiting produced a filmy white silk robe. It hid her body. Barely.

 

They walked side by side through the corridors. It would have been more modest to have the baths immediately adjacent to her new rooms, but modesty wasn’t a large concern of the women in the palace. Public modesty at least. And the baths were a huge facility; Helana was sure that they were shared among many. They weren’t for her private use.

In the tile and painted hallways they encountered a few guards who took no note of them. Or at least that’s that Helana thought as they passed by, but eventually she noticed their eyes gave them away. They took in every little hint of semi-hidden body of the two women.

They passed by servants who stepped aside and downcast their eyes. The servants took no true notice of them at all.

The courtiers they passed were obvious in their examination of the two women. Eyes traveled over semi-concealed skin. Helana knew her nipples were prominently on display through the thin silk. She managed to straighten her back and meet the gaze of the passersby. After a couple of barely hidden examinations, Helana took a little more pride in her stride and appearance. She carried herself with assurance and beauty. Acting the part gave her the right to demand respect.

By the time they arrived at Helana’s new apartments she was confident she had passed another secret test.

“The hallways were busy today,” Ada commented off-handedly.

“They were?” Helana asked. She took in the space she had been given. The bedroom was huge. It had a wall of windows that opened onto a large garden. She could see windows of other apartments sharing the same view, but that was to be expected; a view with no privacy.

The bed was huge, as was the wardrobe against the wall. Luxurious furniture filled the room: a couch, a desk and chair, a small dining table with overstuffed chairs. Thick rugs covered the marble floor. Helana didn’t know if it was designed to show her how poor her country was compared to Uralia or if this was just a common apartment for her status, or if she was being honored for her upcoming betrothal.

Ada drew her away from view at the window where she had been looking across the garden and into the other windows. There didn’t seem to be anyone currently enjoying the view or strolling the garden. There were gaslights illuminating the garden, but all the windows had their curtains drawn, presumably for privacy. “Take off your robe and lay down on the bed,” she ordered. “We have much work to do.”

Helana dropped her robe to the floor and walked confidently to the bed. She perched on the edge of the mattress and noted how soft and comfortable it was. It made her wish to crawl between the sheets and fall to sleep. She was exhausted.

There was no time for rest. Ada brought over a large wooden case to the table next to the bed and opened it. Inside were velvet-lined compartments each containing a glass tube of differing sizes. Upon closer inspection Helana realized they weren’t tubes but solid objects. Phallus-shaped objects.

“Did you enjoy it when the stable boy fucked you?” Ada asked.

The question seemed out of nowhere and made no sense to Helana. This time she did lose control of herself. Of its own accord he hand flew up and slapped Ada across the face. “What? Why would you ask such a crude question!” She was truly offended.

Ada’s head and turned with the slap. She turned it back slowly with a little laugh. “There’s the princess we need. Finally found your backbone.” There were finger marks on her face where Helana had slapped her. For just a second Helana felt a thrill of regret. “You need to know when to take offense and when to act on it. Very good.” She pulled a stray lock of her curly black hair from between her lips. “Are you truly a virgin?”

“Of course I’m a virgin. That was part of the contract. That part I do know.”

“All women lie about their virginity,” Ada declared. “And perhaps we have a different definition of virginity here than in your country. Have you ever had a man’s prick inside your quim?”

“No, of course not!” Unconsciously Helana pressed her knees tightly together. This was supposed to be humiliating and she wasn’t going to allow the other women to get the better of her.

“One of my many duties is to determine the truth of that statement.”

“I’m sure.” The venom dripped from Helana’s lips.

“Lay back and open your legs. These phalluses are to probe you. Not only am I going to determine if you are a virgin, but if your quim is appropriate for the prince.”

The two women locked eyes for a long moment. Helana was determined not to let the other woman get the upper hand. She could outright refuse and fight back, but to what end? There was something more going on and she knew it.

Instead of fighting with the lady-in-waiting, Helana chose to make her an ally. Dropping her voice to a whisper she asked softly, “Are we being watched?”

“Always, my lady,” answered Ada. Her lips barely moved.

Helana’s eyes darted around the room. She pretended she was looking for a means to escape. There were no obvious spy holes, but a good spy hole would be well-concealed. Bringing a fist to her mouth she feigned hiding mortification. “What happens if I refuse?”

“You can…but then the exam will be done by a doctor…in public.” Her voice was soft and Ada hid her face with her hair and keeping her head down.

“Fine,” Helana said loudly, flopping back on the bed. It was soft. “Do it and get it over with. I already hate this place.”

Never before had Helana said such a boldfaced lie. She was rather liking her new home.

“Raise your knees and part your thighs,” said Ada as if going through a routine she had done a hundred times before. It occurred to Helana that the other woman probably had done this before, maybe not a hundred times, but more than once. Helana lifted her legs exactly as ordered, exposing her sex to Ada and perhaps other secret eyes.

That caused her to shiver with anticipation and excitement.

“Cold, my dear?”

“Just…waiting.”

Ada was not unkind in her examination. She took the first glass phallus and smeared a sticky ointment on the tip. “We have the finest glassblowers and workers in the world in Uralia,” she said as she worked. “This will be smooth and easy.” She pressed the greased tip at the entrance to Helana’s quim. “Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

The phallus wasn’t very thick; it was barely bigger than a workingman’s thumb, though a bit longer. It easily went into Helana’s quim.

“Explored yourself before, have you?” Ada asked softly, a knowing smile on her lips.

Helana put her hand to her face to cover her mouth. “Once or twice,” she allowed.

The phallus was hardly noticeable in her quim and Ada quickly removed it. She then chose the second larger phallus, added some grease to the tip and pressed it into Helana’s body.

“Mmm,” Helana moaned despite herself. This one she could feel. It was nice. Perhaps a bit cool, but pleasant.

“Very good,” complimented Ada as she withdrew the second phallus.

Helana was disappointed it went away. The blood was now flowing to her quim and she could feel her lust rising.

The third phallus slipped inside her. This one stretched her walls, but not at all unpleasantly. This was much more to Helana’s satisfaction. The liked the way it filled her up. It was much better than her fingers.

“How’s that?” asked Ada.

“Very nice,” said Helana keeping her voice neutral.

She was almost sad when Ada pulled it out of her quim. It was fine because a second later it was replaced by the next bigger phallus. This time Helana had to grab the bedclothes with her fists. It wasn’t too much but it was bigger than the previous one and Helana felt she was fuller than was possible. It stretched her further than she thought was possible, but she quickly decided that the stretching was exactly what she needed.

“Do you like that?” Ada asked coolly.

“Yessss…” This time Helana couldn’t keep the tremble out of her voice. “Very much.”

It was both a relief and a disappointment when Ada pulled it out of her. “And how about this one?”

The fifth glass phallus had difficulty going into Helana’s quim. She squirmed away and called out in pain. She was struggling to keep it from her body, but Ada was insistent. While Helana knew that a woman’s sex would stretch to allow a baby to be born, this was something else entirely. It was the wrong direction and she hadn’t been in labor for hours.

“No, no, no,” she begged even as Ada forced the device into her. “Stop! Please!” She felt violated, but not in a good way.

Keeping one hand on Helana’s stomach to keep the young woman in place, Ada firmly gripped the penultimate phallus and eased it between her resistant lips. Between all the warmup and the generous amount of salve she had added to the toy’s tip, eventually the glass cylinder went up into Helana’s quim. The brilliant-haired beauty was reduced to whimpering from what she had to endure. It took all of Helana’s will to keep from crying, even so it was impossible to stop a few tears from leaking out of the corners of her eyes.

“Too much?” asked Ada. She was faintly amused at the girl’s suffering. It was both arousing and charming to see her charge having to undergo such unnecessary pain. It didn’t matter to her that Helana didn’t know that this wasn’t necessary.

Helana had no idea she would be subjected to such torture but she was determined not to break. She was stronger than that. “Yes,” she hissed out. “Too much. Take it out.”