Dutchess of the End

Sitting in dusty rooms filled with bookshelves of old scrolls, worn-down books, and scraps of parchment holding ancient recountings of events was how I spent most of my days, but it wasn’t always like this. I was the daughter of the Duke, I was all but royalty. I rode atop the finest horses on Sire’s annual parades, I dined with the finest china and silverware, and heard my bedtime stories from the wisest scholars in the Duchy. Now, I’m sitting in an uncomfortable wooden chair, the leather gloves on my hands felt much the same, as did the flowing robes I wore. My body yearned to be free of the hot, stuffy room filled with my predecessor’s work material. Most of it I hadn’t had the chance to go through, having only been appointed as head of the Royal Archives but two days ago.

 

Before me sat a young woman, the markings on the back of her hands shone in a bright shade of blue as she scribbled on her parchment with a quill, writing in messy handwriting about the story I’d just assigned her. Despite my instructions, I saw her casting glances up at me, biting her lower lip. It was obvious what she was doing, though it wouldn’t help her escape from her work.

 

“Stephanie, focus.” I told the girl. Even though she was the Princess and I a mere prominent member of the Royal workforce, I still had some sway over her.

 

“I am focused.” She told me, shooting a wink in my direction before going back to looking down at her writing. 

 

“Your marks are glowing.” I said, nodding my head at the backs of both her hands. On them were distinct designs. Both were dominated by a circle that covered about half the area of the back of her hands. One had a pair of rectangles at the top left and bottom right of her hand, the other had a swooping line arcing down and across it. 

 

“You can’t tell me you can just sit there and not get at least a little excited.” Stephanie said, tucking her hair behind her ear with the free left hand that had been holding her parchment flat and in place, leaving it to curl up slightly as she did. On its way down, I saw the Giving Mark- the one on her left hand, that when glowing gave her the ability to give others the gift of childbirth. The Birthing Mark on her right hand- the one with the swooping line through it- was aglow with that bright blue light as well, meaning she’d be capable of receiving the gift of childbirth from another.

 

I sighed, shaking my head at my situation. This wasn’t how my life was supposed to go. I was supposed to be the Duke one day, not a castaway sent to teach the Princess a shred of literacy amongst the increasingly complacent line of royalty.

 

“Look.” I grunted, pulling up my right glove to reveal my own Birthing Mark. Yes, it was glowing, but the light emitting from my hand was faint compared to the veritable moonlight shining from Stephanie’s hands.

 

“So you do want me.” She said, putting the quill back into her ink pot.  She stood up, letting me get the first good look at her since she sat down in my new study.

 

She was a beautiful young woman of barely twenty, long flowing blonde hair that curved and curled every which way on its way down her back, stopping just past her shoulders. Her shining, smooth alabaster skin and thin lips had been the object of much desire amongst the Royal Court. She was of marrying age, though she seemed disinterested in the matter, rather choosing to have a whole host of women with which to enjoy the pleasures of the flesh. The blue dress she wore was a symbol of her royalty, in Wicsey- the Capitol City of Telbud- blue was only permitted to be used by the Royal Family. Stephanie, being the oldest daughter to the King, took full advantage of the privilege.

 

“My point in showing you my Mark, Stephanie, is for you to understand that if you want someone, you don’t throw yourself at her, tossing aside personal responsibilities for that goal.” I said, sternly glancing up at her as my gloves found my hands again. It was typical for people to wear gloves over their hands, lest they betray their desires to the world around them. Stephanie wanted everybody to know when and how she wanted them, while I… generally preferred to keep that knowledge hidden until I chose to reveal it.

 

“Isn’t your job to keep me happy?” She asked, a smirk on her face as she leaned forward a bit, her leg pressed against mine where it was propped up on a stool in front of my chair.

 

“My job is to keep you smart, which clearly you aren’t so interested in right now.”

 

“Oh come on, Carla, it’s always so dreadfully boring up here, even in your new study.” Stephanie said with a bit of a whine in her voice, keeping as close to me as she had been. “Why can’t we spice it up a bit?”

 

“Because my oils are in my personal quarters and I’m not bringing you there until you finish this essay.” I stood up, planting my aloft boot down on the ground to bring myself to my feet. My own robes fluttered around me in red and gold, bits of my dark-colored hair swayed in front of my eyeline, but with a wave of my re-gloved hand, sent it sailing behind my shoulders. 

 

I looked down at Stephanie, almost a full head taller than her, quickly moving my hand down to her chin to pull it up, forcing her to look into my eyes. Her shining blues stared into my soul, as though begging me to drop the facade.

 

Truth was, I wanted this, too, but I wanted it for very different reasons than Stephanie did. The Princess only wanted a bit of thrill, the excitement of seduction. I wanted something far more serious out of her. I wanted two rings and a grand ceremony. Five years her senior and her personal tutor for the last three would make that difficult, but I would find a way. I had to.

 

“Who says we need oil?” Stephanie asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

 

“Your Gift Mark is glowing, I’m not ready to be a mother yet. And you certainly aren’t ready to Sire a child.” I whispered as she leaned even closer, wrapping her hands around my neck.

 

“How do you know?” She asked, leaning closer, closing her eyes. Our lips were an inch apart, the temptation to close the gap, to abandon teaching history in favor of a more physical lesson were tempting. My ambitions with Stephanie aside, she was a beautiful young woman, many desired her… many had her in the past with those perpetually shining hands of hers.

 

“Don’t ask me that question.” I said. I ended the embrace without kissing her, pushing on her shoulder with one hand, stepping away from it to the side. The circular walls of the study gave us much more space than my old offices had prior to this assignment, but even the personal study of the Head of the Royal Archives was only so large. I nearly bumped into an ancient bookcase behind me in my attempt to not be taken under by the seductive efforts of the Princess. “If you truly desire me, you’ll finish that essay and meet me in my quarters tonight. Nine o’clock.”

 

“Nine it is.” Stephanie winked at me and sat down in her plush chair once more. I looked at her hands as she picked up the quill- the light of her Giving Mark was still aglow, but much dimmer than it had been moments ago. 

 

Before I could return to my seat next to her at the large round table, there was a knock on the door.

 

“Marie?” I called loudly, striding over to the door and opening it quickly. Air rushed past my face as I proved my guess to be right. A tall middle-aged woman wearing the robes of a Sister of the Stars greeted me. The cloth was brown, thin, though long enough to cover every inch of her skin save for the neck and head, hands cleverly disguised by the sleeves.

 

“Miss Clarke, word from the expedition team.” She said in a meek, quiet voice, bowing quickly after addressing me. I took a quick look behind me to see Stephanie still writing diligently. Good.

 

“Princess, finish the essay then you may retire. I’ve some business to attend to.” I called out behind me. One look back at the Princess- who gave me a quick nod before returning to her work- I strode out of my study, boots thumping on the stone floor as I walked side by side with the good Sister. “What news?”

 

“Sister Henla informs me the expedition into the Hinterwaste was a resounding success. Your team has uncovered over a hundred artifacts from Site 3-F, including weapons, cooking utensils, and stone tablets with a primitive form of writing on them.” Maria spoke a tad more excitedly than she had a moment ago. I could see her eyes light up, the Castle Telbud’s echoes as we walked down a winding staircase not so loud as to drown out her words.

 

“Excellent. Have the artifacts sent to the Archive. When will the team be arriving?” I asked. Sister Maria was a fellow enjoyer of historical treasures much like myself, the conversations we had about the team’s ongoing dig at Site 3-F were always a treat.

 

“They estimate by midnight tonight, Your Grace.” She said, bowing again. I nodded.

 

“Midnight.” I said. My rendezvous with Stephanie should be well and over by then. With any luck, I can begin discussions about an engagement. Our nights together have grown more frequent as of late. “I shall be waiting for their arrival, then.”

 

“And I shall direct them as such upon it, Your Grace.” Another bow as we walked.

 

“This is the first news of a form of writing among the First Women. It could be a huge breakthrough in my career!”

 

“It very well could be. Shall I have your Notrian translation texts pulled from the Archive?”

 

“No. Notrian is too recent, if Site 3-F is as ancient as we think it is, it predates even the earliest Notrian by a thousand years.”

 

“Very well, Your Grace.”

 

“And Maria?” I asked, looking at her as we left the staircase, a wooden door opened by the Sister into a courtyard of apple trees and stone benches populated with women singing, drawing, and playing music.

 

“Yes, Your Grace?” She asked, her voice a pitch higher than before.

 

“Have four meals prepared for my arrival. I suspect I won’t have much time to leave the Archives in the coming days.”

 

“Of course, Your Grace.” She says, bowing deeply before taking her leave. I walked off in the opposite direction, towards the Dining Hall. I would eat a quick meal before my preparations for tonight. It was going to be a long one.