Dark Lord's Concubine Quest, #2

>>1122330

> Flustered and panting, you apologized to your husband, who demanded to know why you were two hours late. You showed him your notes, and explained that you were receiving your education from Old Man Nicket. He seemed impressed that you spent your first day educating yourself, and he briefly reminisced about how Old Man Nicket's Gnome ancestor taught him to read over three centuries earlier, a few decades before he died in a, (presumably failed) alchemical experiment. He then remarked that you'd kept him waiting two hours, and you'd be wise not to keep him a third. Without a word, you began to undress yourself, and almost an hour later, both of you fell asleep naked, and you dreamed of letters, words, and books.

You awaken, and feel a familiar ache between your legs. You realize you're naked, and take a minute to think about these last few days. Today would be your second day to be married to Venkalth Zorandir, and he said that today, you'd be taking on your Queenly duties, which seem to be important, but he never elaborated. Your husband is nowhere to be found, though there's an unfamiliar parchment note on the dresser that you think might be his handiwork, it's written in a strange script, you're not able to read it, and you're slightly worried.

> It is early morning, Nub is nowhere to be seen, your bed is a mess, you're nowhere near ready for the day, and you've got no idea what you need to be doing... What, what should you be doing?!?

>>1122335
Dress, grab notes. Head to library, study, and make sure a servant knows to get us when our husband is returning.

>>1122335
Do we know where the bath is ?
Considering we are probably meeting officials today, we should probably try not to smell too much after tonight's affairs.

>>1122330
Get a very quick wash up in so we stop smelling of sex, then find someone to read the notes, since we're probably expected in the uhh...royal halls, wherever that was where all the nobles and whatnot should be. Just use context clues, y'know?

>>1122335
Get washed and find servent guy, he can't read but he may know where our husband is, if not he can take us to someone who can read the note.

>>1122532
>>1122505
This.
>Letting the queen smell of sex
Hardly proper manners, especially on our first day.

On a more general note what sort of staff do we need? I'm thinking a valet/maid type, someone who can advise us politically and handle paperwork, our tutors would mostly be temporary and our husband has guards handled.

>>1122696
Spies would be nice

>>1122721
now just calm down,
it's our seccond day and we haven't even made contact with more then 3 people beside our husband. Not to mention that we can't trust anyone right now.

Uh, um, maybe, maybe you should go to the library and study, but... You're not sure where your husband went, and if you went, you couldn't leave a note behind. If you just up and left like that, he might be frustrated with you, and you can't have that. He said you'd be taking on your Queenly duties, and, besides, well, what you've been doing, that probably means you're going to be meeting officials, and first impressions are everything.

It's probably a good idea to get yourself cleaned up, after all, you can't be smelling raunchy if you're going to be meeting important people. Despite yourself, you take the time to make your bed and fold your clothes, (old habits die hard,) and open the door to the washroom. You grab a sweet-smelling bar of soft black soap, and notice the writing carved in the side. It doesn't look like the Common you've been learning from Old Man Nicket, the writing seems to be one long letter, made up of elegant swirls and twists, it's quite pretty, but you think it must be very difficult to write.

Little over fifteen minutes of frantic scrubbing later, you've nearly worn the soap to a, heh, a nub, and have cleaned yourself of any leftover carnal residue. You look at yourself in the mirror and briefly think you could use some nightclothes beside your bed's blankets, before remembering you've got places to be and people to meet. A few minutes later, you've dressed yourself in some nice, warm furs, and soft clothes, and not even the ones you wore yesterday! Completely new clothes, what you're wearing might be enough to bankrupt an entire hamlet on its own, but two sets, three? A dozen, two dozen? You can't imagine the cost, and the decadence of it all embarrasses you, to be honest.

When you've dressed, you reenter your bedchambers and find a young, and plain-faced girl straightening your bed-sheets. She's wearing some sort of maid outfit, and when she sees you, she seems almost terrified. You stop for a moment, before speaking,

> "Uh, h-hello, my name is Nialla, I'm the bride of Venkalth Zorandir... Um, who, who are you, and where's Nub? I'm sorry, I'm not very good with social situations, it's all so, so, new to me I just,"

She replies, her voice stammers for a moment before becoming almost monotone, and her face as serious as the grave.

> "M-my Q-queen, m-m, muh name is Bnut, I'm one of the, uh, the cleaning ladies. Nub is needed in the, in the kitchen, and I've been assigned to clean your room, but I... See you already have. I am no longer needed here, and I'll take my leave."

> Cont.

>>1122926

She gives you a curtsy and turns to the door. You speak,

> "Um, th-thank you Bnut... Uh, c-could you read th-this letter my hu-husband left me? I've got no idea where I should be, and I'd be thankful for the help."

She almost freezes, before nodding,

> "O-of course, my Queen,"

And picking up the letter. She takes one look at it, and all of the color seems to drain from her face. Curious, you ask her,

> "Well, what does it say?"

She lowers the letter, blushing furiously.

> "It is quite... Explicit, my Queen, and not fit to read aloud..."

You realize the possible contents of the letter, and blush yourself.

> "O-oh, oh! W-well then, I, I suppose... Uh, th-thank you, for... for, uh... reading it..."

She nods and gingerly places the letter on the corner of your bed.

> "Y-yes, my Queen..."

You still don't know where you should be.

> "N-never-mind the bawdy letter, where do I need to go?"

> "You, you are expected in the Royal Court, to meet with His Noble Majesty and His Royal Advisers, my Queen. I don't know anything beyond that, and I'm needed elsewhere. Assuming you don't require further services, I'll be taking my leave... Good day."

With that, she respectfully curtsies and leaves at a brisk pace. You pick up the letter, and stare at it, wondering what it says. Of course, you could read it, if you had a few hours to decipher the writing and cross-reference it with your notes, but, you don't have a few hours. You need to get going, and soon! You walk the royal court as quickly as possible, and as much as you'd like to, you don't run, as the last thing you need is to be covered in sweat when you arrive, wherever it is you're going.

> Cont.

>>1122926
>>1122928

Despite your lack of experience in navigating the Claw of Aztun, you make record time in finding the royal court. It turns out, the royal court is an entire wing of the castle centered around the Dread Knight's throne room, where the castle servants, important advisers, and important visitors live. The castle seems sparsely populated, and the few people you see are on urgent business with no time to talk. You suppose it has to be the time of day, all of the castle servants have likely left to do their duties throughout the castle, and the few here are probably either late, forgot something, or are delivering messages, and can't spare a minute.

You don't blame them, and after asking a few more servants, a friendly courtier explains that you're needed in the castle's meeting room, where the Dread Knight, his Advisers, and any important guests meet to discuss matters of importance... You suppose that includes you, now that you think of it. You thank the courtier and get moving, and almost fifteen minutes later you think you've found the meeting room. A smooth, polished, dark wooden door, made of wood unlike anything you've ever seen, is at the the end of a long corridor in the upper floors. You gulp, and knock,

The door opens of its own accord, revealing a well-lit room with a large, round table made of the same wood. A large map of some kind is displayed on the wall, and you notice a dozen men in Knight's armor stand guard. Several men, and one woman sit at the table, not all of them Human. They all turn to stare at you, and you feel distinctly uncomfortable. You husband sits at the table, in full-plate armor, wearing his shadowy helm and his demonic sword sheathed at his side. He speaks, and his voice powerfully echoes throughout the room,

> "You've arrived, and much sooner than I'd expected. I commend you for your haste. Take a seat and meet my Court."

You feel nervous, and you get goosebumps up and down your skin. Everyone is watching you, everyone but the guards who stand stock still...
You think they expect you to say or do something, but you have no idea what...

> What do you do and what do you say?

> Nialla Zorandir, (formerly Virden)

> Traits:
> Legendary Beauty
> Married to Venkalth Zorandir

> Skills:
> Dabbling Reader

> Inventory:
> Extravagant white fur coat, (worn)
> Thick, soft garments, (worn)
> Small, hide boots, (worn)

>>1122929
>> What do you do and what do you say?

Incline your head gently so as to acknowledge them, basically something that's not quite a bow. If you have duties, then that means you have SOME pull/are in some position of power (probably) which means you likely shouldn't show TOO much deference- basically, admit via body language that you don't know much, but are willing to learn, and that you recognize that you are in a position of power.

tl;dr: Nod your head and smile. Say nothing aside from basic introductions. "I am Nialla Zorandir, a pleasure to meet you all. I hope we'll learn to understand each other in the coming events." Should about be the extent of your words.

>>1123020
>>1122929
+1

>>1123020
take a deep breath
assume a posture that radiates both peace and confidence.
Probably introduce ourself to the broad oddiance, with a focus on our new last name.

>>1123020
Good choice.

>>1123020
This sounds good.

>>1122929
Please don't let me hold things up, carry on.

Wonder how long it'll take to update...

>>1124843
>>1125143

Don't worry, I was busy helping my neighbor with some impromptu carpentry. I'll be able to update tomorrow, but it probably won't be as frequent as either us would like.

>>1125957
LIES

>>1123020
i vote for this

>>1123020
SUPPORTING

>>1122929
>qstarchive.html?tags=Dark%20Lord%27s%20Concubine%20Quest

In all things try to stand stall and move with the grace befitting a queen that deserves respect.

Respond to the King with a quick "Of course dear Husband." before moving to the seat that he indicates. This immediately establishes your relationship with the King and is a demonstration of your unique relationship with him, something that the others at the table do not share in.

Once seated look directly at each of the other gentlemen (and lady) at the table and politely ask for their names. Examine each individual as they introduce themselves and try your best to read their body language and decipher what you can of it. Be gracious and try to project an aura of competence while remaining reserved for now. Stifle any contrary feelings if at all possible but do not outright lie or try to hide what you are.