Go down by himself

Stewart considers Norbier’s words and responds. “Thank you, Norbier, but I believe I shall go down by myself. If I am going to be the bearer of bad news, it will come across better, I believe, if I speak with the ladies somewhat informally, without my staff. You may return to your duties. I shall summon you when I am done here.”

Norbier bows at the shoulders and backs away from the opening. The king takes a step onto the iron staircase and takes a deep breath as he considers what he is going to say to the women who are gathering to meet him.

While walking with Norbier to the Records Repository, he tried to prepare himself by imagining what he would find. Twenty or so women who were kept by his father as concubines.... The only way he could wrap his mind around that was to picture 20 clones of his mother. Although Stewart was no stranger to sexual relationships with older women, he harbored no such fantasies about his mother. It was that thought, alone, that kept him from envisioning doing anything other than having a conversation with these matronly ladies about their future.

He also tried to picture what harem quarters would look like. It wasn’t until he realized the quarters were in a hidden basement that he started to think of it as anything other than a cramped, unimpressive place. He knew the palace so well that he knew there couldn’t be a room of any significant size above ground that could have escaped his notice. Once I realized it was in a basement, however, that changed everything. As he descended the steps, he was not disappointed.

The dreariness of the Records Repository immediately gave way to a colorful, comfortable decor. Stewart began to take in the colorful surroundings and the pleasant perfumed scent that rose up to meet him. Before he could take too many steps, he could also hear the sound of voices and people scurrying around beneath him. Realizing the moment was upon him, Stewart took a deep breath and tried to look confident and kingly as he descended the stairs.

The room in which he finds himself is rather large. It appears to be furnished to be a large, comfortable den, with many couches, cushions, and comfortable furnishings for sitting and reclining. Several doors along the four walls hide whatever lies on the other side.

The most impressive sight in the room, without doubt, is the occupants.

Quite a few women have gathered near the center of the room, and as Stewart steps off the stairs, they all drop to both knees and bow their heads. Stewart begins to count, but stops when he abruptly realizes these are not the women he had pictured in his imagination. He had prepared himself for a group of women old enough to be his mother. From what he can see, there are only a couple who might be older than him, and even in those cases, he would be shocked if there is anyone over 25 years of age.

With their heads bowed, Stewart cannot see their faces, but his eyes take in the sight, and he can tell that his father’s tastes not only extended to much-younger women, but he also liked variety. Stewart sees a nice assortment of blondes, brunettes, redheads, and every combination of shade. The complexion of the ladies’ skin also tells Stewart that his father must have liked to try some cross-cultural tasting. Skin colors ranging from almost-albino white to ebony black graced his eyes.

As Stewart is taking this all in, one of the doors opens, and two women hastily rush into the room. They both appear to be naked, but for the towel that each one has wrapped around her body. Their attire, wet hair, and pink skin suggest they were caught in a bathtub or sauna when the bell sounded, and they rushed to the room without taking the time to get dressed. Like the others, they appear to be no older than Stewart.

The two women join the others and kneel. As they do, one of the women’s towel comes unwrapped and falls to the floor beside her. Apparently unconcerned about being naked in front of her new king, the woman leaves the towel untouched and remains on her knees, head bowed. Stewart feels a stirring between his legs as he takes in the sight of her medium-sized, round, firm breasts and her nipples that are beginning to pebble in the chill of the room.

He abruptly realizes the women will all remain kneeling like this unless and until he says something.