Try to put them at ease

It is exciting — yet awkward — to be standing there as the women kneel in front of him. The young king says, “Please, we need not be so formal, ladies. Please be at ease with me.”

The women exchange looks of uncertainty. One or two begin to rise, but looking around and seeing the rest remaining in a kneeling position, they awkwardly return to their knees. At last, one of the women rises and approaches Stewart. Her eyes remain averted toward the floor, and her head is bowed as she approaches. She is clearly one of the oldest — if not the oldest of the group. Of course, that’s not saying much. That would put her at, perhaps, 35 years of age. Her black hair is pulled up in a bun with a couple of ornate chopstick-like objects holding the bun in place. Her eyes look at him with an expression that Stewart finds difficult to interpret. It is as if she knows him. More than that — there is a strange combination of conflicting emotions that seem to be fighting her for control.

“Your Majesty, I am Jini. I am — or was — the head concubine under your esteemed father.”

Stewart can’t help but observe the double meaning of “under.” Despite being older than the others, Jini clearly retained all of her sensuality. “If she were my head concubine, she’d be under me quite a bit,” he said to himself.

Outwardly, Stewart retains his appropriateness and welcomes the woman. “Why is everyone still kneeling, Jini?”

“They are uncertain, Your Majesty. Uncertain about what your wishes are, and, of course, uncertain about their future.”

Stewart is intent on putting the women at ease. He looks at them and says, “Ladies, please. It is my wish that you would be comfortable and not obligated to kneel in front of me. Please, be at ease.”

The women again exchange looks of uncertainty and look to Jini. She nods at them, and they rise and stand awkwardly. As they stand, Stewart is able to get a better look at them. Without exception, they are all flawlessly beautiful. His father apparently liked younger women, but he had a varied appetite when it came to hair color, skin color, and breast size.

As Stewart looks from woman to woman, he abruptly stops and stares with surprise at two who are standing near each other. They each have the shape of a human female, but one has ice-blue skin and dark blue hair. The other has pale yellow skin and dark yellow hair. Each of them are dressed alike, with a strip of cloth around the chest, barely wide enough to conceal their breasts. Around their waists are scanty loincloths that do little to hide the physical perfection of their bodies. Perhaps most astonishing, however, is what Stewart can see just behind them. Each one appears to be sporting a long, tendril tail that rises up behind them, swaying back and forth like an enchanted cobra. The tip of each tail comes together in an arrowhead point.

“Magical creatures? Here?” The thought races through his brain before he can fully consider the implications. The thought that his father was cavorting with magical creatures was scandalous! It was so scandalous, that Stewart momentarily forgot that he had been doing the same thing ever since he met Chantelle.