Chapter 7 – For my sisterI will endure...
Kara's Chambers. The Royal Castle of J'onzz – Kingdom of Mars.
"You promised her what! Have you gone mad?" Alexandra shouts at her sister. Un-phased Kara smiles, "Oh hush, I'll play her servant for an evening and the treaty will be saved - where is the harm?" "How are you so brilliant and so naïve?!" Alexandra says bewildered. "In every kingdom but ours servants are conscripted into the sexual service of their masters!" "But the Lunar kingdom is now a republic so... the same rules may still apply!" Kara looks at her sister aghast. She begins to pace, "What do I do if she wants me to - not that she isn't pretty but... I don't think I'm capable of playing the whore for an evening - or am I?" Alexandra gives her a pained look. "If you do this, all your love experiences going forward will be tainted by this event. Can you bear that? Can you reduce your desire to a transaction for the sake of your people – for the sake of your king?"
Kara looks at her sister with tears shimmering in her eyes. "By Rao I can not! What in the name of Rao am I to do?" Alexandra looks at her solemnly, "You will allow me to take your place..."
Present day. Lena Luthor's Secret Lab – National City.
Lena puts yet another batch of samples in the sequencer. She removes the elastic from her hair and shakes it out, she then walks toward her guitar. Breathing deeply she picks up her Gothic black Epiphone Les Paul. She plays a loud and scrappy version of David Bowie's Little Wonder.
Lena doesn't notice when Alex comes in, but she does catch the tail end of Alex's ecstatic air guitar routine. She giggles and so does Alex. "That was awesome!" Alex says. "I love David Bowie's Little Wonder, it's one of my favorite songs off the Earthling album!" Lena smiles. "That's your nickname then – Wonder, Little Wonder." Lena pulls out her phone and changes Alex's name to LW with emojis of a stethoscope, judo girl and a motorcycle. She shows Alex. Alex smiles and pulls out her phone, and under the name P.A.L are the emojis of a microscope, motorcycle and a rose.
Lena blushes slightly at the sight of the rose next to her name. "What does P.A.L stand for?" Lena asks as she adds a heart next to Alex's contact information. Alex blushes and answers with a question: "Do you know your playing style sounds a lot like Desert Moon?" Alex says, smiling broadly. "You're not the first one to tell me that – are you a hardcore Moonie?" Lena asks. "I don't know about hardcore, but I would definitely fly to Rome right now if I had tickets!" Alex laughs, and Lena makes a mental note.
The Chancellor's chambers. The Royal Castle of J'onzz – Kingdom of Mars.
The Chancellor, in a black and gold silk dressing gown, waits for Kara. The Chancellor swims in a sea of confusion and curiosity. Her thoughts drift to the strange princess. What will a princess playing my servant for an evening prove? How will it mend an un-mendable injury? The Chancellor muses.
A soft knock at the door rouses her from her thoughts. "Enter." The door opens quietly and a woman dressed in a navy blue, floor length shapeless dress with a thick lace veil, walks in. She is bare foot and accompanied by two large men carrying a bath tub. The woman motions for the men to set the tub by the balcony. As the men leave three maids come in. Each has a large pail of water in either hand. One by one they empty the buckets into the tub. The three maids leave and a forth one comes in with a basket of gardenia petals. The veiled woman takes the basket and dismisses the maid.
"So the princess turned counselor, turned servant, seeks to bathe me according to the book of Virtues?" The woman nods and bows elaborately. She then sprinkles the warm water with the gardenia petals and turquoise salt.
"If memory serves me" the Chancellor says. "According to the 6th book of Virtuous Acts, volume I in the chronicles of The Blessed Lady of Virtue:
If one bathest ones enemy in the soup of kindness and love, and drinketh of that soup, one frees said enemy of all malice, and grants salvation to both souls. The drinker and the bather are made One, and are forever bound in the pursuit of virtue.
Golden edict: It is strictly forbidden to attempt to harm or seduce a participant during this ritual. Both participants must be unstained in their intention and participation. A period of two setting suns must pass, then a festival of thanks is to be given in praise to our Blessed Lady of Virtue. Disobedience of this edict is punishable with the public flogging of beloved family members, and the permanent maiming of limbs for the offending participant," The Chancellor states as she sinks into the deliciously warm water.
The princess bathes the Chancellor's body carefully and reverently. As the Chancellor allows the princess to bathe her, she observes the hands that move expertly over her skin. There are faint scars on the princess's leanly muscled forearms, and a gold ring on her right hand bearing the seal of the house of J'onzz. The seal that only the eldest heir to the throne is allowed to wear...
The Chancellor slowly removes the woman's veil to find the ravenous dark eyes of princess Alexandra. Scooping up a palm full of bath water, Alexandra drinks it slowly, her eyes staring boldly at the Chancellor. "It is done," she says in a raspy voice that sends a shiver down the Chancellor's spine. "Know that I will bear any indignity for my sister's sake - whatever debt she owes you I will pay it!" The General's now black eyes roam liberally over the Chancellor's naked body. A blush stings her cheeks - the General smiles. "I had no idea you were a follower of Our Lady of Virtue," the Chancellor says regaining her composure, and exiting the bathtub. As she wraps herself in a towel - princess Alexandra averts her eyes.
Pacing back and forth the princess tells the Chancellor a story. "There was a time when I was not a princess, not of the house of J'onzz, a time when I was a Danvers..." Alexandra stops and faces the Chancellor. The Chancellor's eyes widen at the revelation. "The house of Danvers was thought to be dead, and their knowledge along with them! The house records - do you have them?" she asks. Alexandra smiles proudly, "Every last one. I procured the last of them a fortnight ago." The Chancellor gives her a giddy smile. "Do you know what this could mean for the lands far and wide? Do you have any idea?" she says gently taking both of Alexandra's hands in hers.
The General, momentarily distracted by the Chancellor's touch and the delicious contrast of her pale skin against the dark bathing towel, averts her eyes again and nods. "Then why are you here instead of assuming your rightful place?" Alexandra sighs heavily and releases the Chancellor's hands.
Walking towards the door Alexandra says, "Because no one can handle that much power, and stay sane." She leaves shutting the door softly behind her.
