Amaryllis wobbled slightly on her legs, trying to keep herself and her drink upright as she stood behind Queen Leana. They were standing just below the dais in the great hall which was now teeming with guests and music. The Queen was speaking to a small crowd of guests and Amaryllis was, mercifully, being ignored as she stood behind the older woman. 

She tried to pull down the skirt of her sheer dress. Pulling the nearly-transparent fabric over her thighs did nothing to protect her modesty, nor did it help her feel less powerless and vulnerable. The wide bruises that were beginning to bloom into purple along her thigh did not help either. 

In another futile attempt to distract herself, Amaryllis looked down at the wine in the narrow tulip glass in her hand. The slender little thing had been deceptive. She had had only one glass of the cloyingly sweet, syrupy nectar, and her vision was already spinning

Despite the drink’s overwhelming effect, Amaryllis had meekly allowed Queen Leana to refill her glass when it had emptied. 

Amaryllis glanced past Queen Leana’s interlocutors to the whirling crowd of partygoers spinning to the drums and bells. The sight was so overwhelming, she was worried she might slip and fall. She closed her eyes and shook her head. She needed to get a hold of herself. 

Guests had been gradually arriving in twos and fours all night long. The event was apparently a masque, even though Amaryllis had not been told, nor given a mask to wear. Moreover, there had apparently been a very strict code of dress. Every guest had arrived in the same fashion, wearing a black mask and dressed in sparkling black garments that clung close to their skin. 

The guests’ garb was every bit as strange as the otherworldly palace itself. The fabric looked to her most like velvet, soft and sparkling, but the texture was rougher. The surface was puckered with hundreds of uneven dimples. Regardless of what each partygoer wore–gowns, uniforms, tunics and pants–it was made entirely of the same black material. The masks came in a variety of shapes and sizes, sometimes mimicking animal faces or exaggerated expressions. Most were decorated with sequins and feathers. Strangest of all, the masks and garb of each guest covered every part of their bodies. Amaryllis had not seen an inch of skin on any of the guests. 

When the guests were first arriving, Amaryllis had tried to behave like a princess, offering introductions and small talk to each group of guests as they entered. Her attempts had been universally ignored or mocked. The guests had instead made comments about her body. To her chagrin, many had also used the opportunity to grope her body–squeezing, slapping, and pinching, speculating at her arousal and reactions while ignoring her words. 

She had loudly protested when one guest had flicked her nipple before commenting on her swelling womanhood, only to be scolded by Queen Leana. The Queen had made a show of it too, loudly chiding her as the room looked on, staring and giggling at her all the while. 

After that, Amaryllis had given up speaking and had stayed close at Queen Leana’s heel. That had not stopped the commenting and groping, but at least the guests had asked the Queen for permission to violate her before doing so. Even that pretense of safety was preferable. It was every bit as humiliating and mortifying, but at least she did not need to worry about giving a response. She could simply meekly ascent and nod, knowing that Her Majesty willed it. 

If she were completely honest with herself, it was gratifying to consign her dignity and autonomy to The Queen. She felt her pulse quicken at the thought. 

Before Amaryllis could distract herself, Queen Leana reached back, extending a long arm behind her, and ran her hooked fingers through Amaryllis’ hair. She felt herself shiver and melt at the touch. Fighting the haze collecting in her head, she looked up at The Queen eager to know why Her Majesty was seeking her attention, but The Queen was still looking at her guests, talking easily. 

Amaryllis waited for a moment, and then it passed without Queen Leana ever glancing back at her. Still staring up dumbly at the older woman, Amaryllis realized Her Majesty had not wanted her attention at all. She had only wanted to stroke Amaryllis idly. She was being pet, she realized, like an animal. Another shiver of arousal flowed through her. 

A blush was creeping across her cheeks again and she could feel her womanhood swelling. Fighting back embarrassment and panic, Amaryllis tried to concentrate on the conversation in front of her, but her head was too thick with wine to make any sense of it.  

In an attempt to distract herself, Amaryllis glanced over the banquet arranged across the hall. A line of tables running most of the hall’s length were covered in trays, bowls, platters and arrangements of flowers, honey, and berries. Earlier in the night, before she had started drinking, she had tried to discern which were garnishes and which were meant for eating, but if such a distinction existed, she could not work it out. 

She had tried to eat her fill in those early hours, before the festivities had begun in earnest, even though she had not felt hungry. She had been worried–rightly it seemed–that an empty stomach would be her undoing when the wine started flowing. She had done her best to fill her stomach with berries and flowers. They had quickly become unbearably sweet, but she had persevered as best she could, eating as many as her stomach would allow. It had not been many in retrospect.

The berries, especially, had reminded her of the queen’s own blood. Amaryllis blushed deeply at the thought and felt herself twitch between her legs. Even now the thought of Her Majesty’s syrup caused her mouth to water and her blood to run hot. 

She glanced up at Queen Leana again, towering in front of her. She wore a mask, but was otherwise dressed as normal. Her angular epaulettes and the narrow line of her military dress’ waist and skirt highlighted the slender angles of her body. She found herself staring at the ridge of The Queen’s hip bone just above her thigh and imagined Cliona grabbing her by the hair again and forcing her face between The Queen’s legs. 

Eyes widening, Amaryllis glanced between her own legs, realizing that she was already half-swollen. She needed to distract herself; she had been thinking about food.

Amaryllis’ brow furrowed. When she had been fighting to fill her stomach, she had assumed that her nerves were keeping her from eating much, or that the food of The Otherworld was naturally more fulfilling. Now it occurred to her that she had not eaten much at all since arriving at the palace. Nothing in fact, apart from the gold that flowed through Queen Leana’s veins. 

Amaryllis’ heart sank. She remembered again the fairytales of her youth. If consuming enchanted food in The Otherworld was dangerous, being sustained by the blood of a powerful sidhe must be far worse. She wondered at what that might do to a mortal’s body and mind. To her body and mind, she realized. She blushed deeply again, feeling herself twitch. 

Amaryllis placed her left hand between her legs, desperately trying to hide her arousal. It was a futile gesture, more likely to attract attention than avoid it, she knew. The urge to deny her vulnerability, though, was persistent. Yet the urge seemed increasingly absurd to her. 

“Don’t you think, Amaryllis?” Queen Leana asked pointedly. Her Majesty’s voice slipped into the clipped, biting tone that caught Amaryllis’ attention reflexively, like a dog being called to heel.    

Amaryllis jumped, blushing even more deeply. The younger woman wracked her memory for any hint of the conversation that she had failed to follow. She looked up into Queen Leana’s glowing golden eyes. Any attempt to collect her thoughts was obliterated in the glow. 

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty?” Amaryllis offered meekly. Her own voice sounded slow and stupid in her ears. Her womanhood was pressing slightly into her hand now. 

The Queen’s smile curved cruelly as her too-large almond eyes narrowed. “Not overly quick-witted. Bless the stars for that.” She chuckled and the guests around her immediately joined in. 

Amaryllis’ cheeks burned. Distantly, she pictured another Amaryllis who would have balked at the Queen’s thinly-veiled insult. That princess would have responded with some venomous bar and stamped her heel. That Princess Amaryllis seemed so distant and alien to her now. Pretending to be that princess seemed so much less compelling than allowing herself to be what everyone here seemed to want and expect. She took another swig of her wine. If she was to be denied her royal authority, perhaps she could try a different kind of gambit. 

“I am glad to please My Majesty.” She responded looking up into Queen Leana’s eyes. Amaryllis felt her nipples harden. She let her left hand fall to her side and felt herself pop up and bounce slightly.

There was a smattering of gasps and even an appreciative hum from the guests, but Queen Leana remained statuesque. Only her smile changed, deepening ever so slightly. 

Amaryllis tracked The Queen’s eyes as they trailed up her body from her sex to her face. She could see the ruddy gold blush collecting in the older woman’s face. Amaryllis’ own head spun and her pulse quicked in response. 

“We will excuse The Princess for failing to follow the conversation. It is hard to fault her for being a dull conversationalist when she is so diverting in other ways,” The Queen responded finally, staring into Amaryllis’ eyes all the while. 

Amaryllis felt no sting at the words, only a warm buzz of The Queen’s approval. Amaryllis was so used to her words carrying weight and import. In many ways it was a relief to be pliant and soft instead. 

Gazing up, she saw that The Queen’s eyes were still on her. Amaryllis ran a finger through her hair, coyly tucking a few strands behind her ear. Tilting her face to look up into the monarch’s above her she said, “If Her Majesty’s conversations are failing to entertain her, I would be more than happy to divert her attention.” Amaryllis let her hand drop from her hair and idly trail down her body, just barely grazing the curve of her breast and hip. 

The Queen raised an eyebrow in response. She appeared undaunted, but Amaryllis could see the deepening color on her cheeks. “Is that so? Are you offering yourself up as entertainment for me? In front of all these people?” Queen Leana gestured at the undulating crowd around them, the edge of her smile sharpening all the while. 

Amaryllis glanced around and felt her heart drop. She took another long draw from her glass. Perhaps if her vision were spinning fast enough, she would be unable to see the crowd around her. 

She looked up into Queen Leana’s eyes and smiled. She had Her Majesty’s full attention, she could leverage that. She could embarrass her in front of her guests. “I am helpless to obey My Majesty’s will. Does My Queen want me so badly that she would use me in front of her entire court?” Amaryllis smiled wickedly, beginning to enjoy herself. “If Her Majesty is so overtaken with ravenous desire, I would certainly be unable to resist her.” 

One of the nearby guests chuckled at Amaryllis’ jape. 

The Queen’s eyes narrowed. “I am not sure that it is I who am overtaken by desire, little princess.” The Queen’s long arms reached down to gently flick the tip of Amaryllis’ womanhood. 

Amaryllis flinched in pain and surprise. She had softened slightly, but not enough to avoid bouncing obscenely at the older woman’s touch. She blushed as the crowd around them chuckled. Her mind raced for a reply. “Is it this, then, that you find so diverting?” Amaryllis shifted her hips and pulled her skirt against her womanhood, feeling the slick material rub against her head. “I have never had a preference myself, but I have known a few who seem deeply enamoured with my,” Amaryllis pulled more of her skirt into her hand, bending her stiffening length toward her leg, “distinctive anatomy,” she finished as she released the skirt, allowing herself to spring back slightly. “It is not an uncommon fascination. My Majesty would be in excellent company.” 

Amaryllis knew she was embellishing her knowledge by more than a little, but the wine made the falsehood easy enough.

The Queen narrowed her eyes further as her smile settled into something longer and more predatory. “My, Princess, I did not know you were such a worldly and experienced woman,” Queen Leana’s voice was higher and more playful than it had been, and she drew out the last word in mocking emphasis. 

There were more laughs from the crowd, and Amaryllis blushed again. She was beginning to feel that she had overplayed her hand. She was making a fool of herself. Perhaps she was a jester after all. Another wave of dizziness hit her, and Amaryllis stumbled. 

The Queen’s finger shot out toward Amaryllis, catching the side of Amaryllis’ glass and shattering the younger woman’s train of thought. 

“Careful, little one,” The Queen cooed, “you nearly spilled your wine. How much have you had now?” 

Amaryllis blushed as she straightened her glass. She glanced down at the tulip’s bulb dumbly. “Perhaps a glass and a half?”

The Queen shifted her finger below the glass’ base. “Well you had better finish this, before…” she cooed, guiding the glass to Amaryllis’ lips with her finger. 

Amaryllis allowed her hand to be guided and tilted to her lips. She started to take a small sip, but The Queen’s finger continued to travel upward. Amaryllis’ eyes went wide as she was forced to finish the remaining half of the glass in a series of desperate gulps. The room really was spinning now.

“...you make a fool of yourself,” The Queen finished brushing the younger woman’s cheek lightly with her finger.  

Amaryllis tried to shake the cotton from her head and stumbled into Queen Leana. 

The older woman caught her easily with one arm and kept her steady. Turning to her guests, she said, “You will need to excuse The Princess again. She is an exceptionally young creature, and little prone to boasting beyond what is credible.” As she spoke, The Queen pulled Amaryllis, guiding her to lean against the older woman’s hip. As Amaryllis relaxed into her, Queen Leana casually stroked her hair. “Pay her no mind a while. She will need time to collect herself before she is capable of entertaining company.” 

Amaryllis, vision still reeling, pushed away from Queen Leana and stumbled a pace or so before regaining her balance, “I serve at your please, Your Majesty, but I do know myself. I am more than capable of entertaining.”

Amaryllis’ heart leapt into her mouth. She was terrified that she had overstepped The Queen’s patience. She had promised to prove herself tame and pliant, and here she was gainsaying Her Majesty in front of guests. She was an intolerable brat. Surely, Queen Leana would be done with her after this. She would be thrown out of the palace, and any chance she had of reclaiming her throne would be gone. 

For a long moment, Queen Leana stared The Princess down, unflinching. Finally, the older woman allowed herself a small smile, “If I have so underestimated you, perhaps you should have your introduction before the court.” Her smile grew almost imperceptibly. “You are ready, are you not?”    

“Yes, Your Majesty?” Amaryllis asked, her confidence long since wilted away. The prospect of being introduced to the room while too inebriated to stand caused her stomach to drop. 

“Very well,” Queen Leana replied, her smile thin and blade-like. She walked toward the center of the room through the teeming crowd of partygoers. Despite the tumult, Leana did not even have to gesture to make a path. As she moved forward, bodies parted to make way, like a bead of golden oil flowing through water.

Amaryllis was left standing awkwardly next to the guests Queen Leana had been talking to. Although it was difficult to tell through their masks, she was certain that they were staring at her. Her cheeks burned under the strangers’ attention, and she tried to shift her arms to cover her breasts and sex. 

As she shifted her arms and hips, she nearly lost her balance. She hopped and threw out an arm, flailing it desperately to keep herself upright. Lacking any support from her dress, she felt her body sway and jiggle obscenely. She managed to regain her footing, but felt she might have looked less absurd if she had fallen. Amaryllis tried to pretend the guests around her simply did not exist, she was certain she would not be able to survive the embarrassment of being perceived in this moment. 

She tried to focus on the throng of people Queen Leana was passing through, but that quickly became overwhelming. Glancing down, she raised her glass reflexively to her lips. She had it tilled half to her mouth before noticing that it was empty. 

Perhaps her cheeks would become hot enough to evaporate her off the face of the earth, she prayed. 

By that point Queen Leana had reached the center of the room and was raising a wine glass and narrow fork over her head. Striking the glass like a chime several times, she quickly silenced the room. Even the drums and bells stopped. Blessedly, every eye in the room turned to The Queen. 

Amaryllis let out a sigh of relief. 

“Tonight is Litha, when we celebrate the summer at the apex of its power. Now is the time of the Sonnebume Court and all the bounty the sun brings.” Queen Leana’s voice had a melodic quality, and she spoke with a practiced tempo that Amaryllis guessed must have been familiar to the rest of the crowd. There were murmurs of approval from the guests around the room. 

“Your Queen thanks you all for attending this night and hopes you will enjoy all the delights she has prepared for you to enjoy,” Queen Leana swept a blade-like arm to indicate the long tables heavy with berries and flowers. There was more happy murmuring from the crowd. 

“Yet, your monarch has another delight in store for you all.” Queen Leana was smiling now, scanning the room slowly, taking in the buzz of curiosity and interest that grew at her words. 

Amaryllis had just managed to relax when the implications of Queen Leana’s words turned over in her mind. Her stomach knotted. 

Queen Leana’s gaze met Amaryllis’ from across the hall, and the older woman’s smile deepened. “Ward, step forward,” she said, extending a long, thin arm toward Amaryllis. 

Amaryllis’ head spun and her heart pounded in her ears. Swallowing heavily she forced herself to walk forward. Everyone in the room was looking at her now. This was her only chance at a first impression. 

She forced her back to be straight, pulled her shoulders back, and held her chin up. Walking as evenly as she could manage, she kept her vision straight ahead, trying to ignore the room full of eyes following her. Queen Leana’s glowing golden eyes made the task easier. She could simply focus on them and let everything else melt away. 

Amaryllis continued to close the distance between herself and Her Queen. Waves of warm prickles were beginning to flow from her scalp down her spine as she stared into Leana’s golden glowing eyes. She felt light and the edges of her vision were already wavering. The tension in her shoulders and the marble against her feet split from her awareness. Her head felt warm, thick with wine, and weightless in The Queen’s glowing gaze. 

Suddenly, she stumbled. The blanket of euphoria that had settled over her was suddenly ripped away, and the room of people staring at her came hurtling back. She heard a smattering of comments and laughter as she jiggled and flailed back onto her feet. Her cheeks burned with the heat of her shame. 

After several agonizing moments, Amaryllis managed to shuffle across the remaining distance and stand next to Queen Leana. She knew she needed to carry herself like a princess and look out imperiously at the crowd, but all she could manage to do was stand close to Queen Leana’s hip and stare at the floor. 

“This little one is a daughter of Elatha, Banished Queen of the Twilight Throne,” Queen Leana announced, placing a hand on Amaryllis’ back. 

There were gasps of shock and murmurs from the crowd. 

Amaryllis’ heart continued to pound in her ears. The meaning of Queen Leana’s words were lost on Amaryllis. The throb of blood in the smaller woman’s ears drowned out all else as she stood wobbling slowly by The Queen’s side. 

“Her name is Princess Amaryllis. She has requested to be taken under my protection as my ward, and entreated The Sonnenbume Court to support her as she reclaims her rightful place on the throne.”

The buzz of excitement and curiosity grew across the room. As The Queen announced the boon Amaryllis had, apparently, requested, the noise crescendoed. Loud enough that it would have been impossible for The Queen to continue. 

Amaryllis was beginning to recover from the worst of her shame. Looking up at Queen Leana, she caught the older woman’s gaze and growing smile. The little princess realized then the meaning of The Queen’s words. Amaryllis was, it seemed, seeking aid from a foreign crown to support her and seize her father’s empire. That would mean violence, perhaps war. 

Amaryllis had only ever wanted things to return to how they had been. She had merely wanted to be given what was owed to her. Murkily, through her wine-thick head, she was beginning to picture what the reality of that desire entailed. Her head was spinning faster and the blood was draining from her face. 

The Queen turned back to the crowd, took the fork and glass back in hand, and let out another pair of sharp chimes. The crowd stilled instantly. “In return, she has agreed that I shall be her warden and rule as regent until such a time as I deem her ready to take the crown herself.”

Amaryllis was floating above herself now looking down at the foolish little girl standing next to the towering fey queen. She wondered how anyone could be so foolish as to sell themselves and their kingdom to such a creature.  

“As The Queen of The Sonnenbume Court, I have agreed, upon condition.” The Queen looked down at Amaryllis and smiled again as she met the younger woman’s gaze. “She must recognize and obey her betters at all times. Tonight, she’s going to show us all how deeply she has committed herself to that goal.”

Amaryllis’ eyes widened. She searched The Queen’s face for some explanation, but the older woman was no longer looking down at Amaryllis. Heart pounding she scanned the room, desperate to know what would happen next. She was met only with hordes of eyes staring at her–leering at her body, and studying her curves. As her gaze whirled across the crowd, she saw guests leaning to one another whispering and giggling as they stared at her. 

“Lady Cliona of The Stechbaum Court and Knight of the Realm, Your Queen offers you first right.” Queen Leana extended an arm and the crowd to her left parted around a towering figure. 

Lady Cliona had shed her ceremonial armor. Over her shoulders hung a heavy, white-fur mantle and cloak, below which she wore a tunic and trousers of dark blue silk. Her lips were pursed smugly in the center of her round, heavy face. 

As the knight began to close on Amaryllis and The Queen, The Princess noted with a jolt of terror that Cliona’s baton was hanging from her belt.

The crowd’s eyes were now on the knight, but Amaryllis felt little relief. 

As she neared, Lady Cliona pulled the cord at her neck and the mantle and cloak fell from her shoulders. Amaryllis swallowed hard. The knight was wearing high leather boots, and the silk of her clothing, loose as it was, strained around the outside curve of her muscular shoulders, breasts, and hips. 

Amaryllis glanced up into the knight’s eyes as the towering woman closed on her. She swallowed hard as she saw Lady Cliona’s smug smile expand as their eyes met. The knight was walking directly toward The Princess, staring her down. Amaryllis’ blood continued to pound in her ears. 

The towering woman took her time closing the gap. As the knight closed the final paces between herself and Amaryllis, the smaller woman glanced down at the knight’s arms and noted bristling, black hair emerging from the edge of the knight’s silk sleeve. The same hair Amaryllis had previously assumed to be decoration on the knight’s armor. 

Amaryllis swallowed hard, bracing for Cliona to grab her or bark out some order. She could still feel the dull ache of the bruises on her thigh and bicep. 

At the last moment, Lady Cliona turned to face Queen Leana, took Her Majesty’s hand, and fell into a low bow, holding The Queen’s hand above her head. “Your Majesty is too kind.” The knight looked up into Her Queen’s eyes. 

Even on her knees, Cliona was almost as tall as Queen Leana was standing. Where The Queen was all sharp angles and edges, Cliona was all curves, but no less threatening. The Queen towered above Amaryllis like a raised blade ready to fall, but Lady Cliona–even kneeling–was like a mass of muscles coiled and ready to lash out. The knight was a beast ready to pounce. 

The knight grinned widely up at Leana. “I would do anything for My Queen.” 

Queen Leana nodded slowly. “Be sure to impress upon our little princess the reality of her position.” The Queen placed a finger on her knight’s nose and flicked it gently. Without waiting for a response, she strode past Cliona toward the dais. 

Lady Cliona turned to Amaryllis and studied her hungrily for a long moment before standing back to her full height. 

Princess Amaryllis tried not to flinch and cower in fear. She could already smell the knight’s familiar smell, sweet but edged with sharp notes of mint. She felt her mouth water as she remembered having her face forced between the knight’s legs earlier that day. She tried to hold her shoulders back as she met the knight’s gaze. Amaryllis had to crane her entire head up to meet the other woman’s eyes as the knight towered above her. 

As The Princess tilted her head back further, she felt another wave of dizziness hit her. She began to stumble, but before she could respond, Cliona’s massive hand shot out and gripped her arm hard. The knight’s hand was able to cover most of her bicep. She winced in surprise and pain, staring up wide-eyed at the knight. 

“You’re drunk, Princess,” Cliona laughed hoarsely at her. 

“Yes, syr,” Amaryllis managed in response, her wine-drunk head still spinning. 

Lady Cliona’s laugh boomed across the hall and there was a smattering of giggles from the crowd. The towering woman looked down at Amaryllis’ body, scanning her breasts and the curve between her legs. “All of that wine seems to have softened your excitement.” 

Amaryllis nodded, too dizzy and freighted to make sense of the knight’s words. “Syr,” she whispered, slurring the single word slightly. 

Lady Cliona’s smile widened into a toothy snarl. She ran her thumb along Amaryllis’ jaw, down her shoulder, and over her breast pressing the pad of her thumb against the smaller woman’s nipple. “Well you need not worry about it, little monster. No one here is going to be terribly concerned about your enjoyment.” 

“What?” Amaryllis managed dumbly as she began to turn over Lady Cliona’s words in her mind. The Princess became acutely aware, again, that everyone in the room was staring at her. Realizing her mistake, she corrected herself, “What’s happening, syr?” 

Lady Cliona’s mirth boomed across the hallway. The laughter was deep and genuine; her whole body shook and rolled. Amaryllis, bicep still locked in Lady Cliona’s grip, was pulled to and fro as Cliona’s body shook and moved. The smaller woman could feel the knight’s laughter vibrate through the hand around her bicep and down her arm.

When her laughter subsided, the knight smiled smugly and reached with her free hand toward Amaryllis’ shoulder. Without pausing or even glancing at Amaryllis, Lady Cliona wrapped her fingers around the collar of The Princess’ dress and pulled hard. 

For a moment the band of her collar pulled painfully against her neck before snapping. The thin material of the dress gave no such resistance, it ripped loudly peeling away from her. 

Amaryllis screamed in surprise as she felt the warm air hit her skin. The sleeve of her dress was pulled away, and half of her dress quickly followed after. “Please!” she screamed in panic. “Please, Lady Cliona!” 

Lady Cliona blinked in mock confusion. “Please, what? I want you naked. Are you refusing me?” The knight stared down at her, hunger in her eyes and menace in her smile. 

Amaryllis was not listening any more. One arm had reflexively flown to cover her breasts, and she had scrambled to pull herself away from the knight in front of her. All she had managed to do, though, was kick her legs out from under her. She was not able to fall in the knight’s grip, but her entire body weight did crash onto her shoulder. The explosion of pain between her arm and shoulder cleared the wine-induced haze.  

Panic overtook her then. 

She began to kick back against the marble floor beneath her, knocking her heels painfully against the cold stone and wrenching her shoulder again, sending more shocks of pain through her. Her heart was pounding painfully in her chest. Forgetting the urge to cover herself, her free hand flew to the knight’s grip and tried to pry away her thumb with no effect. 

“Princess Amaryllis,” Queen Leana’s voice rang out across the hall. 

Amaryllis forced herself to stop moving, even as her heart continued to pound in her chest. She managed to get her feet underneath her again and stood, her legs continuing to shake. 

“I will remind you once of your promise.”

Amaryllis glanced up to see that The Queen had settled onto her throne. She was sitting, back straight, looking down at The Princess. One of her eyebrows was raised high in expectation. Amaryllis fought to keep her body under control, as the fear of disappointing Her Majesty clashed with the lingering panic in her body. 

“You do remember what you are expected to be here? Do you not?” The Queen intoned, menace creeping into her voice. 

Tame and pliant, Amaryllis remembered. She did not want to spoil her one chance. She did not want to lose Queen Leana’s protection and approval. She wanted to be pleasing. 

Whatever it cost, she wanted her old life back. 

She nodded vigorously, desperate for The Queen to see that she was good. 

“That’s a good treasure,” Queen Leana cooed warmly. “You may continue, Lady Cliona,” Queen Leana offered, gesturing casually, her voice turning cool and relaxed.

Lady Cliona growled in appreciation. Pulling Amaryllis closer, she ran her free hand along The Princess’ ribs and down to her hip. “Did you hear My Lady?” the towering woman asked. 

Amaryllis looked up at Lady Cliona and nodded vigorously again, not trusting herself to speak while her heart was still fighting its way out of her chest. 

“Good,” Cliona growled. The knight’s arm descended down to the smaller woman’s ass and gave it a tight squeeze. 

Amaryllis choked down a sharp yelp just as it began to leave her mouth. Fighting the returning wave of panic, she forced the thenar of her free hand into her mouth and bit down. 

Lady Cliona laughed once again. Releasing The Princess’ rear, she turned and walked to one of the long banquet tables. Amaryllis, still held in the knight’s enormous grip, was forced after her, stumbling all the while. Reaching the table, Lady Cliona grabbed a fist-full of table cloth with her free and yanked, up and out. With a cacophonous clatter, trays and bowls and platters went flying behind her. 

Pulling her hand from her mouth and holding it to shield her face, Amaryllis yelped and shrunk behind the knight as the banquet flew past her. She watched in awe as Cliona grabbed the heavy, oak table in one hand and lifted one end. Dragging it back, she set the table so it was perpendicular to the rest of the line, creating a pair of paths connecting either side of the room. 

Cliona turned to Amaryllis with a wide wolfish grin. She released The Princess’ arm.

Amaryllis’ hand flew to her right bicep to massage the muscle. There was already a series of deep red marks where the knight’s fingers had gripped her. Before she could do anything else, she felt Lady Cliona’s hand encircle her waist. 

With ease, the towering woman lifted Amaryllis off the ground and set her on the table. Reaching up she tugged on the remains of The Princess’ right shoulder and sleeve. The smaller woman acquiesced, allowing the knight to pull away the last broken remains, leaving The Princess to sit naked on the oak table top. 

Amaryllis glanced around the room in terror. Eyes were staring at her from every direction. She pulled her knees to her chest and raised an arm over her breasts. Leaning back on one hand, she felt something wet and sticky. Looking back she noticed that the table top was still strewn with berries and a slurry of wine and honey. 

Lady Cliona raised her hands and turned slowly scanning over the crowd. “Well? What are you all waiting for? Dessert is served!” 

There were shouts of glee and laughter from the crowd as the teeming walls of guests descended upon Amaryllis. 

It took everything in her to keep herself from shouting out in terror as bodies approached her from every side, hands outstretched.

Within moments she was surrounded. The press of bodies was a glittering and overwhelming sight. The shimmering black cloth that covered every body was now an uninterrupted mass all around here. From the mass came arms, and eyes, flowing sleeves, and feathers–none of it distinct–all of it moving. 

The silence that had taken the hall at Leana and Cliona’s demand was now broken by a roaring sea of giggles and hissed murmurs. Amaryllis could not make out any words in the sea of sound, but the volume was overwhelming, drowning out her own thoughts. Even the air pressed in against her. Previously, it had been warm but flowing, circulating calmly around the enormous hall and its vaulted ceiling. Now it was warm and still, trapped–as she was–by the wall of bodies around her. 

The first partygoers to arrive extended fingers to caress her flesh. One flicked her nipple, another pinched at her ass, a third ran their fingers through her hair. She tried to pull her body away and crawl backward, but that only exposed her to more hands in another direction. She wanted to slap the fingers away, to cry out, and fume in anger, but she remembered her promise and bit back the impulse. 

Her heart thundered in her chest. She continued to twist and shift futilely, trying to create some distance between herself and the grasping hands around her, but it seemed only to encourage the crowd, eliciting more mocking giggles and grasping hands. In the end, the only rewards of her effort were smears of honey and wine along her elbows, hands, and backside. 

As more and more guests joined the press, the hands on her body became adventurous, grabbing at her breasts and throwing in slaps against her raised thighs. One reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling it away from her chest. Another tickled the bottom of her foot.

Amaryllis cried out, her head snapping back and forth as she was grabbed and groped. Everything in her screamed for her to flee, to push and kick and find some place to hide. It took everything she had to fight down the urge and keep herself from bolting. She closed her eyes, but even that provided little reprieve as now the pinches and slaps came without any warning at all. A hot tear ran down The Princess’ cheek. 

“Timid rabble,” Cliona boomed. Pushing aside several partygoers, the knight forced her way to the edge of the table nearest Amaryllis’ feet. 

Amaryllis opened her eyes to see the towering woman above her. The Princess was once again impressed with the knight’s bulk. Her shoulders tensed against the thin material of her tunic. Amaryllis’ eyes followed the knight’s shoulders down to her biceps and hands. In addition to the backs of the knight’s hands, The Princess saw the same bristling black hair she had previously seen between the plates of the knight’s armor beneath the semi-sheer material of the knight’s tunic.

Amaryllis’ eyes grew wide. 

Cliona smirked down at the smaller woman predatorially. Without speaking she grabbed Amaryllis’ ankles–one in each hand–and dragged The Princess toward her, tilting her legs up as she did so.

Amaryllis was left with her ass against the edge of the table nearest Cliona and her legs held up in the air. She had let out a yelp reflexively as Cliona dragged her, but the knight had not responded except to widen her smirk. 

Deftly, the knight placed one of Amaryllis’ feet on her own shoulder, freeing one hand. Taking the free hand, she ran one finger along the inside of Amaryllis’ leg. 

Princess Amaryllis shivered in fear or anticipation, she was no longer sure. The knight’s pale, blue finger was cold to the touch and easily twice as wide as her own. Icy prickles ran along her flesh as Cliona touched her–a tingle on her calf quickly became a gasp-inducing shock of cold on her inner thigh, and then intolerable flares of freezing pain as Cliona’s touch moved between her legs. Amaryllis swallowed hard, fighting down a shriek of surprise. 

Finally, the knight’s finger reached her womanhood and flicked it gently, eliciting a flinch from Amaryllis. “Where’s all that excitement gone, little monster?” she growled. “You were practically dripping for My Queen not long ago.”

“I am scared, Syr,” Amaryllis managed, voicing the first thought that came to her mind. And she was, she realized. She was scared of Cliona, of the crowd around her, of what was about to be done to her. Most of all she was scared of what it would mean. This was not how a princess was treated. And a person who is not treated like a princess, is no princess at all. 

Lady Cliona smiled softly at The Princess’ response. She leaned in until her mouth was inches from Amaryllis’ ear. “Good,” she whispered.

Amaryllis’ heart thundered in her chest and she stared into the eyes of the woman towering above her as Cliona leaned back to her full height. 

“You ought to have a little fear in you. You have lived your whole life pampered–deluded into the belief that you are terribly special and important.” Cliona placed her entire icy hand on Amaryllis’ thigh as she spoke and gripped down hard, eliciting a half-stifled hiss from The Princess. “From now on, monster, you are only as important as My Lady allows.” Cliona’s icy-blue eyes bored into Amaryllis’ as the knight continued to squeeze harder. 

Amaryllis gritted her teeth and attempted to maintain the other woman’s gaze. 

She could feel the knight’s fingers sinking painfully into the flesh of her leg. The shock of her icy fingers against the blood coursing through The Princess’ thigh quickly receded into the background, replaced by the rapidly growing dull pain of the knight’s vice-like grip. At first, the pressure was an ache, almost refreshing, but it quickly escalated to a throbbing pain. As Cliona continued to tighten her grip, Amaryllis felt a deep pain in her thigh–down to the bone. For a moment Amaryllis was worried the huge warrior would snap her leg into two. 

Amaryllis’ lips slipped open around her gritting teeth. Waves of panic battered her–the urge to writhe and shirk back–but she refused to look away. Eyes squinting, she stared into the knight’s blazing blue eyes. Something in her was still holding on to her pride. Even naked, sitting on a banquet table, presented for a crowd of guests to enjoy, she wanted to be seen as a princess–as important and valuable. She did not want to crumble and lose all of that. 

Finally, though, Amaryllis was overtaken by the pain. The Princess let out an involuntary yelp and closed her eyes, pulling her arms and her free leg to her chest. Her cheeks burned in shame and excitement. 

Lady Cliona laughed and released her grip on Amaryllis’ thigh. “No slipping away just yet, monster,” she chided, yanking Amaryllis’ leg back out, away from her body. As the knight pulled, she shifted the smaller woman further onto her back, exposing more of her ass.

Distantly Amaryllis felt her body move, her back being dragged along the sticky surface of the table.  

Still holding The Princess’ right leg, Lady Cliona ensured that Amaryllis’ left ankle was firmly perched on her shoulder, before leaning forward and spitting on her pinkie. She moved the digit to Amaryllis’ exposed hole and began to gently massage. 

Feeling a shock of cold, Amaryllis shrieked loudly and writhed on the table top, her eyes flying open again. 

Cliona, prepared for the resistance, held Amaryllis’ right leg down and pinned her left ankle between her shoulder and head. When The Princess’ protests subsided, Cliona released Amaryllis’ right leg and slapped the smaller girl’s thigh hard, landing the blow directly on the deep red welts that were already forming there. 

Amaryllis’ body tensed involuntarily again, and she was about to pull away her leg when she noticed the knight’s predatory glare and sadistic smile. Fighting her shallow breaths, she kept her legs in place. Despite herself, she felt her womanhood stir between her legs. 

Cliona’s smile softened, “That’s better. You will take what you are given, and if you are honest, I think we both know you will enjoy it,” she growled, glancing down between Amaryllis’ legs.

The Princess blushed and turned her face away, feeling herself twitch again. Instantly, she realized her mistake as she was greeted with the sight of a crowd of masked partygoers leering down at her as the knight above her continued to massage her between her cheeks. The crowd had stepped back a little, but there was still a continuous ring of bodies around her whispering to one another. Amaryllis could not make out any words, but she could hear rippling waves of murmured curiosity rip through the crowd every time she moaned or twitched. Amaryllis turned back to the knight, desperate to ignore the sea of eyes assaulting her naked body. 

Lady Cliona had extended another two fingers and was making tight circles, moving her hand between The Princess’ opening and upward between her legs before descending again. The pressure was firm, but pleasant. Despite herself, The Princess felt her ass relax and had to fight the urge to lean into the pressure when the knight’s fingers moved above her hole. When they pressed there, she could feel the slightest pressure against the sweet spot deep inside her. Her body wanted more, even as the thought of writhing in pleasure on the table and the public indignity it would bring terrified her. 

Lady Cliona’s hands circled downward again, and this time as the knight’s fingers passed over her opening, the towering woman slipped her pinkie inside. 

Amaryllis gasped as a shock of cold entered her. She felt herself tense around the digit. For a moment she was terrified that Cliona would press or yank against her and braced for the pain that would follow, but the knight held her pinkie still as The Princess puckered around it. Instead, she pressed her knuckles between the smaller woman’s legs, pinching, ever so slightly, that spot deep inside Amaryllis. 

The Princess gasped, this time in pleasure. Embarrassment surged through her, and she felt her own hand fly to her mouth, the pads of her fingers landing on her burning cheeks. Lady Cliona did not stop her massaging her knuckles against her, and Amaryllis felt her hips shudder and spasm, bouncing hard enough to make a dull slap against the sticky table, loud enough to be heard over the murmuring crowd. She whined in arousal and embarrassment. 

Trying desperately not to see or acknowledge the crowd around her, Amaryllis rolled her head backward, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. It was then that The Princess saw her. Waves of relief and joy washed over her as she saw The Queen gliding through the crowd toward her. The black, masked figures parted around her without Queen Leana needing to lift a finger. She did not gesture, or even make eye contact. The crowd did not look back at her, or seem to notice her approach. They simply parted like an unthinking sea rolling away, as if The Queen raised the topography of the floor as she walked along it. 

Princess Amaryllis felt her body respond automatically to Queen Leana’s approach. Her cheeks flushed and her mouth began to salivate. Her eyes wandered from The Queen’s narrow skirt, up to the golden details against her black bodice, and to her pale face. The younger woman was again taken with The Queen’s otherworldly grace. She floated across the room effortlessly, exuding warmth and power. Even before Amaryllis’ eyes found The Queen’s, she could already feel her radiance flowing over her. When their eyes did meet, she was overtaken by The Queen’s golden glow.  

Heat crashed over Amaryllis, filling her cheeks and radiating down her body. As the heat passed through her, she felt her body alight, burning with need. Her skin tingled, then the tips of her nipples ached, tension flowed into her belly, and heat poured between her legs. 

“There is that excitement again,” Cliona growled through half-gritted teeth. She began to slowly pump her hand against The Princess, only rocking back and forth gently, not enough to even pull in and out of the small girl on the table. Even so, it was enough to elicit a long moan of pleasure from Amaryllis. Cliona laughed, a single harsh bark. “It seems all those pretensions of being soft and demure have fled.” Cliona leaned forward to hiss down at Amaryllis, “Is the sight of Her Majesty all it takes now to bring you to attention?” 

Her cheeks burning painfully, Amaryllis glanced up at Cliona, seeing her leering down between her legs. The smaller woman felt herself twitch in response. Instantly, her chest tensed, and she felt dizzy with embarrassment. She attempted to find words in the warm pool of her thoughts–to construct some dignified response. She opened her mouth and felt Cliona increase her pace, pushing deep inside her and sending shocks of pleasure across her body. Her hips bucked and a long moan escaped her lips. 

Amaryllis could not even bring her hands to her mouth to stifle the moan. Both arms had been forced behind her to support her weight while her legs were held suspended in the air. The crowd around her could see and hear everything, she realized. Looking behind Cliona, she saw dozens of sparkling eyes, hiding behind masks, pouring over her body, and looking between her legs. 

“Seems The Princess wants this after all!” Cliona announced loudly with satisfaction. As she continued to work between Amaryllis’ legs, Cliona began to rotate her arm, pressing her finger against Amaryllis’ tightness and massaging her knuckles gently between the smaller woman’s legs. Amaryllis twitched beneath her and began to relax. “She is clearly enjoying it!” 

Amaryllis tried to protest again, but when she opened her lips, she felt Cliona slip another finger inside her. Her thoughts fled from her, and her vision blurred as another obscene moan escaped from her lips. Amaryllis rolled her head backward and searched from Her Queen, but saw only a wall of sparkling black. The crowd was drawing in around her again. 

Lady Cliona looked around at the crowd, “You see! No need to be so timid.” She sneered down at Amaryllis continuing to increase her pace. “Well, what are you all waiting for? Dig in!”

There was a buzz of excitement and laughter and the crowd descended again on Amaryllis. A sea of black formed around her, as arms and hands extended. There were fingers rubbing and pinching her aching nipples, caressing her soft flesh, pinching her folds, and even stroking her womanhood.

Amaryllis writhed and moaned, high and anxious and desperate. She turned and flexed, but even as her body withdrew from one touch, it collided with another. She felt herself ache and pulse between her legs. Fear and reluctance began to grow in her again, slowly pushing away the waves of needy heat that had filled her. 

Then the crowd near her head parted, and Queen Leana was standing there. She felt the heat spill off the older woman–felt it radiate on her skin, melting her fear and hesitancy. In her periphery, she saw The Queen’s glowing eyes. 

Amaryllis tried to look away, but everywhere else was another body reaching out and assaulting her. She closed her eyes. 

She felt The Queen settle against the edge of the table nearest her head. She did not hear her elbows settle against the wood or hear her breathing as The Queen leaned toward her ear. With her eyes closed and her senses overwhelmed, it was impossible to mistake The Queen’s presence. With her eyes closed, Amaryllis could feel a faint blue aura between her legs which she knew must be Cliona, but above her to her right was the radiant roar of Her Queen. Closing her eyes did as little to shut out Queen Leana’s radiance as it would to shut out the summer sun at noon. Amaryllis shivered in the heat. 

Cliona pressed into Amaryllis again and she moaned. Her body alighting at Her Majesty’s warmth was sensitive and desperate again. She felt herself twitch and ache against the fingers running along her length. She was dripping now and could feel the rising crests of ecstasy beginning to build and subside in her belly and between her legs. She tried to fight them away. 

“You do not want to look into my eyes, treasure?” Came the honeyed buzz of The Queen’s word in Amaryllis’ ear. 

Waves of warmth poured through her and she shivered. Her thoughts felt as thick and sticky as the wine and honey now coating her back. 

“You seemed so set upon my attention earlier this evening,” she mused in mock curiosity. “Do you not want to take pride in your Queen’s attention any longer?” 

Amaryllis’ cheeks burned. She did want that more than she could say. Vaguely she knew that if she opened herself up to The Queen all of her inhibitions and restraint would leave her. She would be bucking and moaning at every touch. Amaryllis tried to bring to mind why that was important. It was because she was a princess, but that seemed so distant to her now.

“Just yesterday you were begging me to embrace you and drive away all your fears,” The Queen hummed inches from Amaryllis’ ears now, sending shivers down the younger woman’s spine. “You can have that again.” 

Amaryllis’ mind spun slowly. Collecting her thoughts felt like pulling ephemera through thick gold syrup. By the time she was able to examine a thought, it had half melted away. 

“See,” The Queen buzzed approvingly. “You are already doing so well for me. Why fight it?” 

Amaryllis opened her eyes and waves of golden warmth flowed through her as she met Her Majesty’s gaze. The Princess’ hips bucked, and she felt a few minute droplets land on her belly, but the shame of that was distant and muted over the warm buzz that was quickly filling her body. She looked up into The Queen’s sharp angular face–her long almond eyes–and begged. “Please?” 

“She really is desperate for it.” Cliona barked in amusement, increasing her pace between Amaryllis’ legs. “Nothing more than a desperate little monster.”

“Shhh,” Queen Leana cooed down to Amaryllis’ as the younger woman stared up into her eyes. The Queen smiled as she noted Amaryllis’ jaw slowly going slack, revealing her tongue as she panted with pleasure. “Do not mind my knight. You only need to worry about my words. I will keep you safe little treasure.”

Amaryllis, half-understanding the words, nodded and begged again, “Please?” She felt her nipples ache and the muscles between her legs spasm again. The cresting waves of ecstasy were coming more rapidly now. 

The Queen giggled. “Please what?” The Queen smiled cruelly. “Can you not speak, creature?” 

“Ah?” Amaryllis responded in confusion, drawing out the sound stupidly, her brow furrowing. She realized she was not sure. She needed something from her Queen. Her fingers she realized. She wanted–no needed–to taste her again. Without thinking, she opened her mouth wider and stuck out her tongue. 

The Queen laughed, loudly and cruelly, the back of her hand rising to her mouth to cover the rows of neat incisors that her smile revealed. 

Amaryllis’ cheeks burned with embarrassment at her own idiocy, but she did not close her mouth or withdraw her tongue. It bounced slightly as her body bucked again and again. Sometimes from the force of Cliona’s pumping, or the jostling of the crowd, or the spasming of her own body.  

As her laughter finally subsided, the Queen sneered down at her. “That’s right,” she hummed approvingly. “You do need that, don’t you? More and more every time.” She smiled wickedly as she raised a finger to her lips and bit down. 

Something about those words worried Amaryllis distantly, but she could not determine why. The thick honey filling her head and the sea of sensation on her body was too intense. She tried to look around for the answer only to see the murmuring crowd around her and Cliona’s arm pumping between her legs. Her heart pounded and her hips bucked at the sight.

She looked back at The Queen. As long as she had Her Majesty’s approval and attention, not else mattered. 

Queen Leana slipped a pair of fingers into Amaryllis’ mouth and pleasure bloomed through the younger woman. 

Amaryllis felt her eyes roll back as the waves of ecstasy finally crested over her. She heard Lady Cliona laugh, and felt herself buck and twitch. Waves of pleasure and spasms rolled out from her hips, but all that was distant in the presence of Her Majesty in her mouth. 

The Princess craned her neck trying to get more of Her Queen inside her body, sucking greedily at the sweetness that flowed from the older woman. She bobbed her head desperate to produce friction against her tongue. 

She moaned around The Queen’s fingers in joy, enjoying the warmth flowing down her throat and into her body. Distantly, she felt a tingle along her skin and on her ears as she sucked. 

Her awareness of the strange sensation on her ears was quickly banished as the shocks of pleasure continued to pass through her. She was suspended pleasantly in waves of euphoria for a few long moments, able to enjoy the spasms in her thighs and between her legs. Even the stroking and pinching of the crowd only added pleasantly to the euphoria now.

Gradually the waves of pleasure subsided. Amaryllis’ body collapsed on the table beneath her, and The Queen slipped her fingers out of the younger girl's mouth. Shortly after, Cliona slipped out of her as well. Instantly, Amaryllis felt empty. Her body was spent–there would be no more ecstasy to be had from her body for some time–but she wanted them back inside her all the same. 

The pair of fey passed through the crowd and embraced each other, standing just to Amaryllis’ side. As they moved the crowd surged to take their place. Fingers were at Amaryllis’ mouth and the hole between her legs. In moments she was full again, moaning and tensing around new digits. Despite herself, she felt relief. They did not banish the aching need she felt to have Queen Leana and Lady Cliona inside her again, but they did dull the need.

Even as hand began to fill and grab her though, Amaryllis’ eyes remained fixed on Lady Cliona and Queen Leana. The Queen, long, thin, and deadly, was relaxing her angles ever so slightly into her knight’s enormous arms, smiling up into the towering woman’s face all the while. 

Lady Cliona smiled fiercely down at The Queen before leaning in for a kiss. The Queen’s lips parted and their tongues met. 

Amaryllis stared upward, tears flowing down her cheeks. She felt another, deeper, need growing in the pit of her stomach. Staring at the pair embracing above her, she saw, once again, Bridget looking up from the muck where Amaryllis had left her. She could have screamed then, in regret and want. 

And then the pain receded. She felt numb except for the tingle in her ears and along her skin. Her brow furrowed at the strange, persistent sensation. As a finger slipped from her mouth, she pressed her tongue against her hard palate. The Queen’s sweet honey still lingered there–tingling slightly.