I awoke as the clock struck eight, and found myself lying just as I had fallen asleep. The Princess lay cold and still in front of me, her dim red lips drooped open and her eyes lay closed in her white eyelids, black lashes sealing the door. I felt an overwhelming desire to touch her, and so thinking her asleep I reached out and placed my hand lightly on her neck, stroking the chilled smooth surface. It's cool quality felt good on my warm hand, and I let my hand fall further on the skin, my palm caving around the side of her chin. I reached up a thumb and brushed her lips carelessly with it, restoring some of her deep red color there.
As I caressed her lips I could see her whole face regain a little color but I thought nothing of it, caught in the debilitating and heavy grasp of sleep. I knew it wasn't good to touch her, like she was a museum exhibit and I was about to get yelled at for crossing the sacred red rope, but none of that seemed prevalent, and none of it bent my movements. It seemed to dissipate any sense of danger around me, and even when I saw her mismatched eyes open slowly and stare back at me with their penetrating gaze I, for a moment, neither realized or stopped. When I did I see I pulled my hand back slowly and had opened my mouth to apologize and give some unknown excuse when I felt the metal on the back of my neck.
I was being pulled forward slowly, as a caught fish is reeled in. The chain shortened, the smirk on her plump lips appeared, and my head slid forward under the pull of the collar. There was no stopping, no waiting, and no yielding quality to the matter. A collision would occur, and I could see Illy's satisfaction as she saw me realize it. In my bout of sleepy energy, I resolved to steal her powers from her, and instead of scrumming slowly, I did something I though I'de never do. I leaned forward, and pressed her lips to mine.
I knew nothing of kissing, and nothing of whatever reason Master might have for doing this, and no reason to take it upon myself to resist, but I did. I kissed her. After a moment of still shock she pulled me in fully, sucking in my bottom lips and catching me in a soft and supple kiss. I may have started it, but by no means was it in my control. She lead like she danced, and I was swung along for the ride, released gently when she had had her fill. The sweet and bewildering taste of her on my lips awoken me as she pulled back, her eyes content and a face adorn with a smug smile. She threw the covers aside and climbed atop me, sitting straight up so her slender torso curved and seemed to stretch before me.
Her tied back black hair now lay on her shoulder. I was trapped again, and my heart pounded like racing footsteps on pavement, erratic and hurried, as the heel of the shoe slapped the concrete. She guided my face towards her with a finger on my chin, raising it to meet her eyes, and almost sneered. "I've caught much prey in my time," She said softly, her voice tickled my back, though it was soft enough I could hardly hear, "But never have a met one that confronted with no escape, ran forth into my trap as though it was their savior." And with these word she slid off of me, and the bed altogether, and started up towards the dresser. She was occupied, and I felt almost fearful now that the dim sleepy feeling had left me, and slipped out of bed unannounced.
I let my feet fall silently on the carpeted floor and with only the creak of the door to announce my escape, I left. No one called out to me. I met no one on the stairs, or in the hall, and returned to my room quite shaken and still lacking the courage to button my white collared shirt. I discarded it, and slipped on a long white dress in it's place. The dress had no shoulders and buttoned with black buttons all the way down the front. It puffed out on the long sleeves and cinched around the waist. I wore it for the sake of hiding, not for the sake of pretty.
* * *
It was still the very same night when I was reading and hear a knock at my door. I turned just in time to see a white crisp envelope slip in through the letter slot and flutter to the floor. It flipped and I picked it up to examine on it the gorgeous black ink cursive that displayed the address and sender. Low and behold it was from Heather Morbum and sent directly to me, reading on it my title, Sapphire, first slave of the Princess Ilustra Caedis. The idea I was the first puzzled me and I resolved to ask Ebony or the golden twins about it next time I saw them, but for now I ripped open the thick pattered white envelope with a letter opener I found on my desk and set to work reading it. It said:
Dear Sapphire,
I write to you to ask of whether you might be willing to meet with me, or arrange a visit of some sort. I wish not to appear pushy and if you see any discrepancy in it or even a shadow of dread about the matter I truly wish you shall reject me, and if I receive no letter in return to this one, I shall assume you have no intent to meet with me. If you write to me to accept or even to refuse, I shall be very grateful.
All week I have little scheduled that may not be moved, and so if you wish it we may visit as late or early as you like. Since I'm sure you are more compromised than I in these matters, I am fully willing to meet you in your chambers at your Master's castle, if that is what she or you wishes, and urge you to disclose all you deem fit to her, as I know her opinions matters to both of us much.
I trust you have gotten on well since the ball a few nights ago, and hope we may become great friend in the future.
Sincerely, your friend,
Heather Morbum
I hastened out a reply stating that it was in my greatest wishes to do so, though my handwriting was not as kind on the eyes as her's, I did my best to print it elegantly, as my cursive was rusty and unpolished. The only issued was the matter of getting approval from Illy, when I still dreaded to see her. I was so embarrassed by my sleepy actions, and then the searing look on her face as she sat atop my hips, pinning me down, was enough to trigger some hereditary instinct to run in me, and I was happy to run into the Golden twins in the hall and by myself time.
"How are you guys?" I asked, and they looked at me puzzled. It occurred to me that no one had asked that question ever since I had been here, and perhaps it was not a custom in Caedis. They neglected even to answer me. "I've been meaning to ask why the Princess rings that bell in the parlor." I said, following up before they could dash into their room. The left smiled as though he understood and spoke.
"Each number calls a different slave. One is Sapphire, Two is Emerald, then it's ebony, diamond, gold, and silver at six."
"I was addressed as the first slave of the Princess," I said, implying my desire to speak further.
"Yes," He responded, "Your number is the same as your calling number, and simply helps distinguish us."
"What's wrong?" The girl finally spoke. She had been scrutinizing me this whole time and now squeezed up her eyes as though focus alone might reveal my secrets.
"Nothing," I said quickly, but not wanting to go out yet and seeing they had no intension of leaving I sighed and explained. "Master kissed me this morning, and pinned me down as well, and lately I feel like she's stiff around me and don't know what's happening."
"Relax," Gold said, now in unison, "She does it with all new slaves."
"She'll kiss and toy with you to her heart's content until there's not a scrap of interest in her for you, and then she'll pretend to drain your blood and secretly set you free with a new name and an altered appearance to slowly rise to the top of society under a fake company and marry whom ever you choose." The girl replied, as though it was obvious.
"As long as you comply with her on everything she desires, she'll never lay any serious harm upon you."
"But what about Ebony and Diamond and everyone," I asked. It seemed to me they had all been her a long time.
"They only get to remain slaves because they wish to, or else she would have set them free long ago. They don't want kids and Ebony is a dear friend of the Princess so she doesn't want to be free and forbidden to interact with her again." They said, "We are the golden twins don't exist, so we will never be freed, and wish only for it in the return of death, but Silver will once they've got their wits about them, and they choose it so." The boy said, "The last Sapphire and Emerald were let go, the Diamond before this one, the previous golds and silvers, all reside now in society, oblivious of their origins there."
"Brainwashed?" I exclaimed.
"Exactly," They smiled, "The Princess is kind, she is godly in her benevolence."
"Then I?" I asked.
"If you wish it," the twins said in unison, and added after exchanging glances, "And she tires of you." I felt a strange mix of relief and sadness with these words. I was just a toy after all, and just like the other slaves in every way, but it did make me sad to know. She was a big part of my life after all, but I was destined to be a fling, and would never amount to much. I thanked the twins with all the gladness I could muster and went out to the parlor, to find the Princess alone. She was stretched out with a glass of blood in an armchair, her feet lay together on the arm of the chair, and held out her hand for the letters as soon as I entered, tearing them open and running her eyes over them quickly.
"I permit it on three conditions," She said coldly, handing them back without even looking at me. "One, it will be held here in my drawing room, two, it must be tomorrow, and three, by sunrise tomorrow you will be free and in my room awaiting my retire."
"I shall add these to the letter," I replied, and was about to return to my room when she grabbed my wrist.
"Arn't you forgetting something?" She asked, pulling me over by her iron grip, that seemed wholly infinite in strength. "Prey give their predators kisses, do they not?" She snickered. I wasn't sure why the words seemed to both anger and exhilarate me, but they did, and summoning all my power, I ripped my arm from the clamp of her black nails.
"No," I replied, "I don't believe they do." She seemed to jump up from the couch like a lion and pinned me to the wall before I had a chance to walk more than a step, as though it was an instinct with her.
"And who are you to tell me no?" She almost snarled.
"No one," I replied, trying my best to keep my voice from shaking. I was unsure why I was doing this. I had never been a dominant or combative person, and always felt safest in the submissive position, but something about what the golden twins had said seemed to spark a pug in me, and now a fuze was broken, and no one had a spare to fix it with. It was stupid, but I could bear the thought of her getting bored of me.
"What's up with you?" She asked, leaning in to blow cold air on my neck, making my spine tingle. I held my breath, but in a moment I watched her lean back from the wall, and release me just before grabbing one of my hand. She pulled on it so gently it caught me off guard and I followed fully, and with our hands out in front she lead me across the room with a gracious stride like an escort, and pulled me in softly with her tender touch.
She leaned down over me and took my chin in her hand, and I was so bewildered I didn't even resist, allowing her to bend down and place a kiss on my lips, before she seemed to spin and release me towards the servant's door. She strode back to her seat and took up her position with so much grace I couldn't help but see her as some handsome lady and blushed. Almost the moment I did she turned and smirked, "You are petty, and shall never win against me. I own you, and can do what I please with you. Never forget that."
As I returned to my room almost with covering my mouth with my hands to hold in whatever might escape my shocked lips, I thought of her words. We were both petty now, I had achieved that, and something in that deep purple eye of her's told me she did too. I might have resisted my owners biddings, but my owner had stooped down to devise a plan to get me to obey, and we were equally guilty, though I was sure I as the only one blushing profusely. I shook it off and scolded myself. It's impossibly so don't waste your time, it's just what she wants. She's not actually that pretty and smart and attractive and perfect for me, she can't be.
I posted the letters and got a reply saying Heather would come tomorrow for breakfast and stay as long as I wished.