A Drifter’s Story — CH2, Sol Victorious

If there’s anything you need to know about Sol Victorious, it’s that it’s very, very big.

I’ve actually seen it myself, you know? The place is absolutely colossal: A golden, gilded pyramid dolled up with paisley and stories of the thing’s previous owner. Saw a bird get blinded by the glint off of it’s tip once. Flew right into some guy’s garden. It wasn’t all that impressive, though, since--you know, the place is a desert?

Anyways, our brave, talented, semi-comatose hero Yours Truly is dragged neck-first into the halls of the most expensive place in Ilyri. Eesmerelda is real excited about having her very own husband, and Esmerelda is less-than-stellar about having to drag some sweaty, sandy-footed slave boy across her pristine carpets.

Can’t really blame her, either. Have you ever tried to clean sand out of a carpet? It is an absolute nightmare! You gotta hang the thing up, beat it with a stick--Kikimora friend of mine told me about this--you hang it up with something sturdy, and just whack. Just whack away until your arms give out because believe me when I tell you--

Oh, that’s right; telling a story. Sorry about that…

So, Yours Truly gets himself in gear to take in all of the majestic sights and sounds of Ilyri’s crown jewel. Doesn’t actually get to see much of it, though, as little Eesmerelda has plans for breaking in her new slave boy...


***


The walk from the market all the way to the palace was absolute murder on the soles of my feet. I never thought we would be done walking, but by the grace of the Lord, the palace kept getting larger and larger on the horizon. Benezia, in all her glory, couldn’t have felt a thing on her flawless toes, and this Anubis was probably smiling too hard to feel anything anywhere besides her face. This agony is a burden I bear alone.

Not so long after we arrived at the steps of Sol Victorious, our party of three was flanked by four new lamian guards. I was almost going to make some joke about a snake infestation in the barracks, but decided not to after spotting identical silver batons on all of their hips. Must be standard issue nowadays. They gave their mandatory bows to their queen and her servant and they gave what may very well be their mandatory scowl to the servant’s slave.

“Grandiose” is the only word I can use to describe Sol Victorious. I had always seen the walls of this place from the outside, just like everybody living in the city did, but there is an entirely different aura on the inside: The palace is regal and expensive, from the golden, engraved tip of the pyramid all the way down to the bedazzled stone tiles coating the floor. Each wall included the stern and regal chiseled faces of previous owners and stories of their conquests. From torch sconces affixed to the walls hung royal red banners emblazoned with an eagle clutching the sun--the insignia of our beloved queen Benezia. It was almost entirely empty though, save for the ranks of patrolling guards and the occasional hooded monster kneeling in front of an idol or bust. The place seemed more like a place of worship than the living quarters of our greatest.

Directly in the center of Sol Victorious is a throne fit for a queen, made from furnished sandstone with a back carved into the head of an angry eagle. I could feel its lifeless eyes prying me open and gutting me of every secret I have. Queen Benezia strode her way to her gloriously intimidating throne, waved her guards away, and sat down before me and my giddy new master.

“So.” I will never get tired of hearing this woman’s voice. “I see that you are rather excited to be in possession of a servant of your own, Saadia, so I will make this very quick.” Saadia? That’s an awfully pretty name for somebody so… bland.

“I’m sorry,” Saadia wheezed. “I’m sorry Bene, but I have been looking forward to this for SO long! Every hour spent pouring over paperwork, every paycheck, every-- every THING that I’ve done for the past, what, seven years? It’s all led up to this and-- Ooh! Here he is!” This girl’s going to pass out before she can enjoy her prize if she keeps talking for that long.

“Yes, well, you’ve certainly earned it. I hope you’ve saved at least some of your earnings for yourself. He was very expensive.”

“What? Oh, yeah, yeah; sure, I did that. I mean, you’re talking to the Royal Planner after all! Who could even possibly do something as reckless as spend everything they had on some cute boy they found at the market? Not me, that’s… that’s for sure…”

Benezia didn’t look like she bought that. “Hmm.” She turned in her seat to face me. “You. ‘Aloand Sothim’. You will do everything this woman says, or you will be put to death. Am I understood?”

I don’t think it gets clearer than that. Almost reflexively, I fall to a knee and give her a “Yes ma’am.”

“Good. Saadia, you are excused.”

“Yes! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!” Saadia stood still and jerked around for a second, trying to make her mind up on whether she should give Benezia a hug for the ages or drag me off to her chambers. Eventually she grabbed me by the hand and ran off to her corner of the pyramid, tripping over herself the whole way there.

Saadia’s room was pretty nice. In the center was a tall, incredibly comfortable-looking bed sitting in the center of the little study, lined with translucent linens for privacy. All across the walls were an assortment of scrolls, scribbled notes, blueprints, and books, all without a spot of dust. The room was filled with a faint aroma of jasmine that made my head feel tingly.

What caught my eye the most was an ornate wooden plate, upon which sat an assortment of alchemical tools: racks for test tubes, a crate of empty potion bottles, and a mortar and pestle for grinding. It was all in pretty good quality, much like my own equipment back home.

My own equipment… Right. That’s what I was: an alchemist! I run--ran--a neat little shop in “Fat Head’s” slice of the city called “Small Science.” Fat Head was my boss; runs his own bazaar that competes with Zhuri’s. My shop was a big revenue magnet for him. It could be because I was actually good at what I did, it could be because there was a cute boy singing a pretty little shanty behind the counter; who knows?

I had my friends play courier for my orders all throughout Ilyri. I never got to run around much myself, but from what I’ve heard, my boys set up a rather intricate series of clubhouses they’d stock up at for those long hauls. Whatever they did, I’m just glad I could keep them from running into places that would get them in trouble. I know for a fact I wouldn’t have been as big as I was if not for them.

And the fact that Small Science was so big must be why my friends got hit off one-by-one. Poor little Zhuri couldn’t possibly tolerate some decent competition, the witch.

“Hey!” Saadia’s voice filled my ear. “Are you listening to me?” I was not. I guess my uncanny interest in glass tubes and bottles blocked out the world around me for who knows how long. I turn to place my focus on my new master, only to have my forehead collide with hers. She winces for a moment and mutters something under her breath, and I wonder why she had her face so close to me in the first place?

Saadia recovered from her brief noggin knock and came back with a vengeance in the form of a stuttered command: “Put these on.” She stretched out her hands to show me the clothes she was holding: They were just a plain, long-sleeved shirt and burlap pants. Not too flashy or warm, but certainly a step above the loincloth I was still in. Without hesitation, I accept and slip the slave garments over my exposed body. Also without hesitation, Saadia slips her paws over her face to hide me from her sight.

After about a minute of me slipping into my new clothes, she lowers her hands ever so slightly down her face to see me in all of my clothed glory. She starts to speak, but stops herself before anything audible is said. Then, she goes wide-eyed in realization of the fact that she truly has no idea what she’s doing. I actually end up standing in place for a long time waiting for my next set of orders.

“Now... C-Clothes off. Now.” She’s barely audible, just like she was back in the market. It’s kind of cute, and the exact opposite of commanding. It also doesn’t help that she has a blush redder than the banners outside plastered across her paw-hidden face. To spare her the embarrassment she was no doubt going through, and out of fear for my life, I comply and strip back out of the clothes she just told me to get into. I didn’t dare point out how redundant that was.

Saadia twiddled her massive fingers for a while as I got undressed. After I had returned to my original state of undress, Saadia pointed to the bed and covered her eyes again with her other paw. I took that as my queue to get ready for the loving and reluctantly waddled my way over to the bed.

I mean, Saadia seems like a nice girl and all, but she’s just really not my type. She’s just too thin and lacking in… certain places of interest. Sure, I could see myself being just friends with her, but to go all the way like this? It does not interest me at all. Although, I suppose I don’t quite have the choice anymore, do I? Yeah, no; this is my life now: Just the living meatstick to--

“No, wait!” Saadia shrieked suddenly. “I… I want to be on the b-bottom…” She motioned for me to come off the bed, still sure to cover her eyes, and I obliged. It took her a second to realize that I had actually gotten off the bed since her eyes are still covered, but she spared no time climbing into my original position once she did. I followed behind her soon after, making sure not to step on or press into any part of her delicate frame as I positioned myself above her.

Saadia was actually really, really pretty. I have absolutely no idea what I was talking about! Her skin was like a flawless, smooth stream of caramel, glistening with natural lubricant. Both her hair and fur were like rich, black oil. Her eyes shone with an angry, passionate emerald hue. Her canine teeth glistened white and lined up perfectly. Every part of her is just indescribably stunning. And it was all for me. I could look her up and down for the rest of my life and never be satisfied. As I hunched over her, I could feel something hot and arousing welling up in my body. Judging from the looks of the squirming Anubis beneath me, I wasn’t the only one feeling this.

Saadia spoke up after a long minute of staring into my eyes. “Aloand…” Just hearing her voice shot round after round of ecstacy through my brain. “Ever since I had seen you, I have been madly in love with you. I have sacrificed so, so much to be here now. You are mine…” She closed her eyes, and I could feel the pads of her hands closing around my neck, drawing me towards this unrivaled goddess of beauty. My body had completely lost all self-control and shifted ever-so-slightly to feel the heated breath of my new lover.

“And I am yours.”

With those final words, my new purpose in life became clear: I will serve this woman. I will protect this woman. I will love and cherish this woman. She is all that matters, and every single demand that she makes must be carried out to the fullest. I am in love with Saadia, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Just before I could taste the forbidden fruit of Saadia’s lips, her eyes shot open, and her face contorted with fear. No! This cannot continue! It is my duty to quell any discomfort that may be caused to my wife and gods dammit if that isn’t what I’m going to do! I just wish my body got with the program, though, because none of this is coming out of my mouth. All I can do is stay suspended over my love with a mouth open and puffing like a fish.

Saadia started to shiver harshly, pushing me off of her and climbing back off of the bed. “Benezia’s calling me! I-I can’t be late!” Her feet rushed frantically around her quarters as she attempted to make herself presentable for our most benevolent Queen, whose name I couldn’t help but silently curse for denying me the embrace of my bride. Saadia didn’t look back me laying dumbfounded on the bed until she was fully dressed and halfway through the door. She says something, but the blood in my head is pounding so hard that I can only read her lips.

I can’t read lips too well.

I laid on Saadia’s super comfortable bed for what seemed like an hour. My heart was still pounding from our near-sexual encounter, and I could still feel her warmth on my chest. I had forgotten all about the myriad of questions I had about how I even managed to get here. But now that my body is cooling down and the scent of jasmine is leaving my nostrils, my sanity is returning to me. What the hell is going on?

I lazily roll myself off of the bed and onto the sandstone floor. Thankfully, my nerves are still numb enough for my body to ignore most of the pain falling directly onto a solid surface from such a height would inflict. I gather up the clothes I had thrown off of myself and decide to do a little sightseeing around Sol Victorious to clear my mind. At least, as much sightseeing as a slave is allowed.

So, to give a little recap of my shenanigans for today: I wake up in a silver box remembering absolutely nothing about the how, where, or why of my situation, I get marched through the streets of Ilyri to a slave auction hosted by my least favorite person in the entire world and possibly beyond, I get bought at said auction by actual royalty, I get dragged through the streets from the auction to Ilyri’s central palace behind the Queen and her most loyal servant, and I’m promptly thrown into a bed with said servant for what was supposed to be a fun time. Sounds to me like something out of a storybook. Besides the whole “fun time” part. I’ve been awfully accepting of all of this, too. Should I? It’s not like I can do anything about it. I have no clue how I should even be feeling about this...

My meandering around Sol Victorious brought me to a quaint little garden surrounded by more lamian guardswomen. They spot me before I spot them, and hiss at me on queue. In any other situation, I think they would have ripped my throat out, but since I’ve got this damned collar on, as well as the fact that I am absolutely drenched in the smell of royalty, they backed off and let me gaze around like a lost puppy.

The garden is very well-groomed, even for something growing in the middle of the desert. It consists of flowers in every color of the rainbow all circling around a central fountain carved into an eagle vomiting water. It’s regal, I guess? No clue why anyone thought that was cool to make that though. Admittedly, it is very relaxing to be around, hearing the therapeutic trickling of water and rustling of bushes in light wind. Maybe for the first time since this morning, I could actually close my eyes and feel safe, feel in control.

Of course, it’d be a lot easier to feel safe without a pound of gold weighing on my neck.

I stayed by the garden long enough for the sun to finally go down. No clue exactly how long, though. I certainly wasn’t going to ruin this moment of solace by counting the minutes. It seems like I waited around long enough for the guards to leave, too. Once I had opened my eyes again I couldn’t see tails covered in armor. What I could see, though, was something unnerving:

Down in the garden, creeping along the wall, was a slim, leather-clad silhouette.