Queensmen

Chapter 32

~Queen Mother~

The room, if it could be called that, could hold a small street, three thatched houses and their accompanying backyard farms. Personally, Oris felt that it was a waste of useful space, no matter how elegantly designed it happened to be but since she had no say in it she tried not to let it bother her.

The walls were gold, either made mostly of the metal or painted very convincingly, and the floor was one huge slab of white marble that gleamed and reflected the gold more clearly than a top-rank bronze mirror. Red cloth, ribbons and streamers decorated every beam, pillar and pedestal, leaving Oris with the impression that she had stepped into a sort of paradise furnished with running blood that had been fastened into fashionable bows.

When Faeradaigh strode forward without a care as though he didn't notice the absurd decor of the room, Oris was forced to follow as he led her deeper than she would have been willing to go had she been alone.

To spare her vision, she turned her eyes away and focused on something else.

Lining the walls were more guards and in front of the guards were cushions behind low tables. Not every table was occupied by a candidate but there were two objects on each one, covered entirely by a thick red cloth.

No matter how many tables she passed, Oris couldn't make out what the mystery objects were so she used the opportunity to scout out her competition, taking note of who whispered as she walked past and who remained silent.

She wondered if the tables were arranged according to status or influence, and if they were where she would end up sitting. Every woman she passed was beautiful, enchanting enough to call for a second look. None of them wore a veil, their faces coated in layers of powder and rouge, and their eyes lined with Kohl and glitter of various colors. No part of them was spared or bare, ears pierced with precious stones, wrists caged in bracelets and bangles of silver and gold while slender fingers were decorated with gemstone rings.

For a moment Oris felt inferior, dressed in a simple white dress with no ornaments but she had no time to dwell on the emotion. Faeradaigh had stopped walking and was now on his knees bowing. Keziah and Mayree tugged hard on her hands, prompting her to follow suit.

Oris fell to her knees and hurriedly bowed as Faeradaigh began to rise, cursing her clumsiness in her mind. She had no doubt half the room now saw her as little more that a country bumkin but she had been lost in thought and hadn't noticed the throne up ahead on time.

Silently, she thanked Mayree and Keziah for holding her weight as she made her hurried descent, or resulting thud would have been mortifying. At least now, she could say she had bowed gracefully as possible and managed to keep her head in the process.

Already, she had been suspected of rebelling, not bowing immediately on seeing the current mother of the nation would get her thrown into the dungeons and not even the gods could save her then.

"Subject Faeradaigh Zaree at your service, Your Majesty," he said and held a closed fist over his heart. "All the candidates for the Emperor's harem are now present."

"You may rise," the Empress Dowager said with a voice filled with imperial power and he got to his feet.

Oris remained bowing, knowing not to tempt the devil that resided in the heart of the harem's ruler. It was better to stay on her knees and get scolded than get punished for getting up without permission.

"This is the Lady of Inqa," Faeradaigh added with a small dip of his head.

"Faithful servant greets the Empress Dowager, wishing a long life and longer reign," Oris said, keeping her voice steady and her words short. Though her maids had yet to brief her on conduct in Hermes' harem, she had enough experience being queen to know that the treatment royals across the states expected was nearly identical.