Night Of Majesty

Natasha sat in the large indoor pool of hot water, letting the maids wash her body. They cleaned her in pink water full of cherry blossoms. Natasha swam away from the edge of the pool. The cherry blossoms moved as she trod water while moving to the middle of the rose water pool. She turned on the back, floating above the water.

Looking up at the beautifully painted ceiling, Natasha reminisced on the previous time she visited Ewal’s Royal Palace. Every time, she would sleep in the cherry blossom courtyard and bathe in the pool at night. The winds passing by would carry blossoms from the trees to the pool in the open gazebo.

She swam back to the maids to let them finish before she could finish her bath. While one combed her hair, another washed her arms and chest while the last one rinsed her back.

“Your Majesty, your hair is beautiful,” said one of the maids as she combed through Natasha’s white hair.

Once she got out of the water, she laid down beside the pool. The maids dripped lavender-scented oil on her back, letting it run down to the cleft of her gluteus. They kneaded the muscles in her back, her arms and legs, and her hips. They turned her over, preparing to work on her front.

Once again, they tenderly massaged her face, her breasts, her stomach, her navel, and her legs until Natasha glistened with oil. Natasha wore a thin red cotton-silk nightdress with gold birds embroidered on the fabric under a matching silk robe.

“Your Majesty, dinner has been prepared. Will you be dining with the King, or should I have it brought to you chambers?” The maid kept her eyes lowered as she spoke.

“Dining with the King would be nice. Thank you. You may all leave now.”

The maids left Natasha alone in the bathhouse.

Natasha walked through the garden as night fell on the palace. Bright lights from the buildings reflected off the waterfall that seemed to go on forever down the mountain. She walked along the illuminated path between the hanging flower branches of the wisteria trees.

Her own palace in Thaski was mostly carved out of pure white jade and white marble. As if they were alive, the white jade would grow from the waters and the grounds of the palace, among the plants. Although beautiful and majestic in its own right, Natasha found it to be quite boring after a while.

She preferred Ewal’s natural landscape. So rich in color, the royal palace was vibrant with life, like a living painting. She would come to visit the castle on official business with the King of Ewal over the past ten years, but this was the first time she came solely for pleasure.

However, the landscape was not the only reason for the young Queen’s visit to Ewal’s royal palace.

When Natasha arrived at the King’s main quarters, she stopped. She held her breath as she stared at the tall structure. He was shrouded in the darkness of the night. His long hair was tied up in a high ponytail, making him look taller as he stood at the top of the stairs, waiting for her.

As Natasha came to the last step, she raised her hand up to him. He took her smaller hand in his larger one and brought his other hand to rest on her waist. He led her to the dim building that stood behind him.

“Your Majesty, Queen Thaski,” he said. His voice was a sweet deep baritone that reverberated in her ears. She suppressed the rising heat between her legs, building anticipation for what would come later in the night.

“Your Majesty, King Ewal,” she replied. “I hope we won’t need to be so formal with each other tonight, Shoski.” She called him by his given name, making her informal intentions clear. Natasha did not come to his palace as a monarch but as a woman.

Shoski smiled his usual charming grin that made women melt when they saw it. “Why, of course, Natasha.” They both knew why she was here. Had she come officially, she would have come with an entourage of ministers and servants.

With his arm around her waist, the heat from her body traveled through the thin silk robe to stimulate him. Just then, the wind blew, wafting her scent into his nose. The scent of lavender oils and hellebore emanated from her hair, causing a sharp rise in his blood pressure.

The quick rush of blood to his extremities caused his penis to harden. Shoski closed his eyes, willing his heart to calm down and lower his blood pressure. It would be a while before he could get Natasha to bed. They were still talking and walking through the garden and then they would have dinner. If he got aroused now, he would surely get blue balls before he could bury himself in her.

"How was your vacation?" Shoski asked as he tried to focus on their conversation rather than the many thoughts about what he could do to her.

Shoski and Natasha had not been together for a while. Shoski had not had any other woman in years. They desired each other physically. When they were together, they hungered for each other and ravaged one another until they were satiated. Although they were not exclusive, Natasha was Shoski's bed partner more than any other woman.

"It was more of a survey than a vacation, but I had fun. It was restful and insightful," Natasha replied. "Did you know that the Mari province makes rock candy?"

"No. What is it?"

"They take boiled water mixed with sugar and dip a stick in it. They leave it for several days to several weeks and the candy will grow around the stick like a crystal. And you can eat it. It's candy on a stick. It's a treat I think children will love. I suggested that they open stalls in the capital for the next Solstice Festival." She turned to look at Shoski who looked like he had wheels turning around in his head. "You didn't understand a word I just said did you?"

Shoski shook his head. "Not a word."

Natasha sighed. "Do you think we'll ever have anything to talk about other than state affairs? Other than ruling countries, and passing laws, and doing martial training?"

"Like what?"

"Like hobbies. Things we do out of... monarchy."

"I have hobbies."

"Gambling is not a hobby. Once you gamble all your money away, you'll just get an earful from your ministers." Natasha stopped and turned to him. "Come on, you must have something you've always wanted to do outside work, in your free time."

Something to do in his free time? In his previous life, Shoski was a man of war. He grew up in a military family and when his father died, he became the leader of his clan, inheriting the war. He led men on the battlefield and on battleships. When was the last time he was on a ship, in the middle of the sea?

He loved boats. The feeling of the sea, rocking the ship back and forth. He did not mind not being at war. He just wanted to enjoy the calm seas, fishing, alone, in the middle of the ocean.

"I'd love to build my own boat and go sailing sometime," Shoski replied. "Although this country has a large coastline, culturally, we don't eat a lot of fish. Fishing and cooking for myself could be nice."

"See," Natasha said. "Me, I like horses. I like all types of sports too, but I've always wanted to do equestrian. You know, I could start an athletic organization." Natasha suddenly realized. "I should table that for when I get back."

Shoski looked at Natasha before he burst into laughter. Natasha gasped as his deep laugh seemed to echo around them. He laughed for quite some time before grabbing his stomach. He finished, catching his breath as he looked at Natasha.

Shoski raised his hand, taking her chin up to look at his towering figure. "Then, next time, we can talk about our hobbies. But not tonight." He took her hand, pulling her toward the door. "Tonight, let's just enjoy ourselves like we always do."

Natasha clasped his hand. No longer containing her desire, her heart palpitated as she stepped toward the oncoming night.