Talia's Tale (EvelynWillows x Collector of Rarities)

[Collector of Rarities]

Talia sat silently, sipping her tea as she watched the two interact. Her eyes were still wide, though it was obvious she was interested in watching the two interact. She was doing her best to figure out what the double had done to take on her Master's appearance. Was it makeup and hours of training to match Armond's voice? The former seemed possible, though time-consuming, and the latter also seemed like it would take a lot of one-on-one time with Armond, which he might not have or be willing to give. An illusion was more likely, though possibly easier to detect if someone knew what they were looking for. A simple Detect Magic spell would reveal that there was something magic going on across the entirety of the double's body, even if the caster couldn't discern the spell's effect. Unless, of course, there was a secondary illusion masking the disguise.

When the double left, Talia turned to her Master. "I did a little thinking while you were out, Master," she said. "If you'd like me to be as inconspicuous as possible, then it would probably be best for me to focus on learning magic and unarmed fighting. At the very least, I should know how to disarm an attacker of their weapon so that I can use it myself." She blushed as she realized that she was taking on a bit of an authoritative tone. "It seemed like a good idea, at least," she mumbled.

 

[EvelynWillows]

Armond sat back in his chair and sipped at the tea. He considered her idea and then nodded. "It is a good idea, Talia. I quite agree with you. By learning magic and unarmed fighting you will serve me better as my guard, and if this morning is an indicator of how well you can serve me in the future then I can say with confidence that I am a very lucky man."

He leaned forward and put a hand on her wrist while looking earnestly into her eyes. "Talia, I know that you are my slave and that is what you need to be at this time, and I also know that you can't stand me as much as you pretend to. It will take a long time, perhaps even years, before you truly trust me. I want you to understand that my hopes for you extend beyond your years of slavery. I hope that you will chose to stay with me after the years are up, but if that is not the case then you will be allowed to leave. I like the Talia I'm seeing today, my pet. I adore her, and I think that one day she may make a fine queen of Gorea."

 

[Collector of Rarities]

Talia blushed and looked down at her mug as Armond praised her. It was nice to be told that she was doing well and that her ideas were appreciated, but she also didn't want to cross any boundaries. She looked up when Armond grabbed her wrist and her eyes went wide once more when he said that he wanted to make her his queen.

"I don't despise you," she said. "I was... angry, scared, hurting when you first found me and you didn't do the best job of making me feel welcome at first. I think it just took a while for us to find something that worked. I don't think that I'm a good slave; I think that you were right when you said that I was selfish. I like having someone I trust dominating me, but I'm really not a good fit if there isn't that trust between my owned and I. I... probably would have been killed or worse if someone less patient had gotten me instead." She took a long sip of her tea, emptying the mug before setting it down. "I have a lot more trust in you than you think. Especially after this morning: you didn't cum inside me and you even told me that I don't have to worry about getting pregnant in the future, even though you could have just done whatever you pleased and lied to me to keep me in line. I like this openness, I like not having to be afraid of you and..." her blush deepened and spread to her ears. "And... I think all that'll be left for me to get used to is the fact that you have a penis if things keep going this way."

She took a deep breath and looked Armond straight in the eye. "It's because I trust you that I'm going to tell you this," she said, her expression serious. "I would not make a good queen. I'm not rejecting you: I'm trying to keep you from making a mistake. I don't want to rule over people, even on a bad day, but if I was given political power, I would make a mess of it. I'm an idealist, I'm even a bit naive at times, I've got a temper and I refuse to let injustice lie. If you made me queen, we'd have a civil war in the first month because I'd try to abolish slavery altogether and we'd be at war with Frietia within a year because everything I've learned about them tells me they're a blight on the face of the Earth. I am not the kind of person who should be sitting on a throne."

 

[EvelynWillows]

Armond caressed her wrist with his fingertips as she explained herself to him. "I'm glad you can see both sides of this. I do want to work on your selfish tendencies, and it seems like you are doing that. In turn, I'm trying to consider your feelings and the way you look at things. It's a little bit like learning a new language for both of us." He smiled, his hand moving to caress her ear briefly in a gesture of affection.

"Well, if you do not think that you will make a good queen, then you can help me find one. The kingdom needs an heir, Talia. It's imperative, and I know that we have some unique challenges that other nations do not have. Although slavery seems distasteful from the outside there are some really important reasons that our kingdoms have implemented it here, and many things would fall apart if we simply abolished that. Thank you for recognizing that there are difficulties that would arise if we simply tried to change the way things have been for generations."

"You have been pretty good at knowing the heart of those who you interact with. Hopefully you'll continue to be as open with me and you'll find your trust rewarded as the days pass and we grow closer to each other."

 

[Collector of Rarities]

"Well, wouldn't Mika also be able to produce an heir to the throne?" asked Talia. "I'm sorry, I don't know why I asked that. It's just... I don't know too much about political marriages. I mean, royalty hardly ever gets to marry out of love: usually it's because marrying that particular woman would be good for the country. If that's what you want, I guess I could start looking into which country you'd most benefit from a marital alliance with. Otherwise... I don't know, I could just pick out a bunch of pretty redheads and let you have your pick? Alternately, if your heart's set on me... I guess you could always acknowledge a bastard child as your heir, but I don't think that'd go over well, and..." she lowered her head so that her bangs hid her eyes. "And I don't want my children to be slaves. Not if I can help it. I mean... a mother's supposed to make sure her children are safe, but how can I do that if I have to sell them off to someone for seven years?"

 

[EvelynWillows]

"Of course Mika could produce an heir for the throne, but do you see him marrying anytime soon? Your mother really screwed with his heart." He frowned. "I'm sorry, that wasn't your doing."

He stood up and walked to his closet to pick out an outfit for the day. "I don't want a pretty face, Talia. I want someone who is intelligent, thoughtful, and interesting to be with. I don't want a bastard child as the king; it would create an unstable situation. I want legitimate children with a full claim to the throne." He glanced over his shoulder at Talia when she spoke about mothers and slavery.

"Sometimes, my dear, you learn that you cannot keep a nobleman safe by sheltering them beyond what their people have to go through. If the nobles are exempt from learning through slavery then the people have a right to revolt; we've asked them to suffer through something that we are not willing to deal with ourselves, and that is the epitome of selfish, entitled rulership. It's not the trait of a good leader in any situation."

 

[Collector of Rarities]

"I know," said Talia, a little louder than she had intended to, "and that makes a sense of a kind, but if everyone needs to suffer, then why not do away with the system altogether?" She took a deep breath and looked up at Armond, her ears drooping slightly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you." She took another deep breath, but that didn't banish the melancholy look from her face. "This is why I shouldn't be queen." She was silent for a while longer, unsure of what to say next.

"I... where would I fit in?" she asked. "If you married someone else, what would I do? Would I just leave? Would you still have a job for me? Would you still want me to love you? I just... I'm not trying to be selfish, but I'd like to know."