Forced Into Tyranny

18: Duty and Penance

Thevalon Castle,
The Great Hall.

Anxious, Hecuba hurriedly scurried about, desperately seeking her lady. The moment had arrived. The wedding needed to be consummated immediately. The entire peerage had been gossiping about it for the past few moments, eagerly anticipating the sight of crimson sheets come morning. However, Hecuba had taken a perilous action, all in the name of safeguarding her lady. If caught, she would face a swift and brutal punishment. Perhaps a knife to her heart, but the risk was what taking, so long as Lyra would not have to endure what she had overheard King Hagnon bragging about with his Idle Left Hand.

At last, she saw Lyra enter the hall, her cheeks ablaze like a passing flame. Hecuba swiftly approached and guided her to a secluded pillar. "It is time." Time for what?—thought Lyra, and her face did well to convey the message. "Your duty as wife. You have carried out your duty as queen, and so you must proceed to the next."

"What in the gods' name are you talking about? And why are you so frantic?"

There was no one watching, Hecuba discerned this when she looked around carefully. All were busy murmuring, drinking, smiling. All but the queen mother and the king. The king had an unswerving victorious smile on his face as he paraded a small circle over there — drinking a great deal, while Morgana looked half as terrible as her maiden, Madame Freya, as they shared in a gossip, just like the one Hecuba was doing with her own lady here.

"Where were you?" Hecuba asked, and a smile from a distant memory found its treacherous way to her lady's lips.

"I was in the keep with-"

"You'll never see Hektor again!" Her voice was a whisper, yet the weight of her words was clear. "You're the queen now, my queen. Such forbidden encounters could cost you your life, and his as well." Hecuba tightened her grip on Lyra's delicate wrists. "If you value your friendship or whatever it is you have with him, do not risk your life to explore it, and put him in danger too. Do you understand?"

Lyra's hesitant nod was enough for Hecuba.

"In a few moments, the council will expect you to enter the king's chambers, prepared for your duties. We need to have you clean and ready."

"Another ritual?" Lyra groaned, clearly exhausted by the never-ending ceremonies. "Please, I need rest. I'm tired of these lengthy rituals."

"You would have been relieved if it were just a ritual," Hecuba sighed, guiding Lyra towards the staircase to her chambers. "No matter what happens, do not resist him."

"Enough of your coded words and whispered tones," Lyra snapped, coming to a halt. She refused to take another step until everything was clarified. "What am I supposed to do in the king's chambers, Hecuba? Don't try to delude me with unnecessary explanations or vague statements."

Hecuba took a deep breath before answering. "You will lie with the king," she eventually admitted, her own complexion turning paler than Lyra's. "He will engage in intimate acts with you, and all you have to do is submit. That's it. You mustn't resist."

Hecuba's explanation may not have been crystal clear, but at least it was less mysterious than before. Lyra could leave it at that. "Follow me, I only trust you."

After Lyra's coronation, she had been assigned six new maidens. Two for each task: bathing, hairstyling, and dressing. As for Hecuba and Monima, they were promoted to the role of accompanying the Queen, taking care of her casual and inessential needs and relaying instructions to the other six ladies.

Apologies for the confusion. Let me rephrase it in a historical fiction style:

In the opulent chamber, Lyra was attended to by two unfamiliar faces who assisted her in the bath. Following that, another pair of ladies skillfully styled her hair before a grand mirror, reflecting the regal ambiance of her so-called queen chambers, and a carefully selected sheer nightgown was worn over her. She felt like a pretty doll who was being attended to by its owner. Only that, at least the doll had a better chance of being forgotten after all that preparation. She, on the other hand, had to see to the completion of the vague task.