A Familiar Face - If Astra Could See It
The Never Ending Quest - Episode 97339
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A ray of sunlight entering the dungeon through a small, barred window high on one wall told Astra that it must be morning. Once she had become accustomed to the extra weight, her modified chastity belt wasn't much more uncomfortable than it had been originally, but that wasn't saying much. She tried to avoid moving her legs so that they wouldn't get chafed, but she found that standing stock-still for any length of time meant that they became achey and stiff, and that it was better to move the minimal amount that her chains allowed from time to time. She had had to urinate, but luckily had felt no need to defaecate, since the chastity belt would have made that either impossible or at best very messy. Perhaps Fred had thought of the problem and had magicked her so that she would not need to.
Then she heard a key in the lock and the door swung open. Was it Belboz, or perhaps even Fred? But it was a tall, slim woman wearing filthy rags who entered. Long, dishevelled dark hair obscured much of her face. She was carrying a tray on which stood a plate of thickly-sliced bread, some slices of cheese and an earthenware mug of water. "I've brought your breakfast," the woman said. "I'm afraid that I'm going to have to feed you. Please try not to bite my fingers." "Your voice sounds familiar. Have I met you before somewhere?" "Yes you have, Astra. We've both come down in the world a bit since that state visit to Aqualaria where I accompanied my father. Until a few days ago I was Princess Exotica. Now I am Exotica, the scullery maid." "Exotica! I'm sorry for not having recognised you, but your hair is covering much of your face. I'm happy to see you, though I wish that the circumstances had been different. But I thought that Fred had banished all the courtiers for fear that they might be plotting against him? Surely that would apply even more strongly to the daughter of the rightful king?" "I don't think that he sees me as a threat in the same way as he does the lords and knights. After all, I'm 'only' a woman. (You're a special case.) I try to encourage that view of me by acting submissively and keeping out of his sight as much as possible." "Wouldn't you be better off if you were banished? You'd have more freedom." "The trouble is that he's totally unpredictable. If I defied him or brought myself to his attention, he might well decide to execute me rather than banish me." "So why not just leave?" "You don't understand. Nobody can leave Caemlyn without Fred's permission. It's impossible to get through any of the gates leading outside. They are blocked as if by an invisible force field. Besides, this is my home. I've never lived anywhere else." "I see... What's happened to your father?"
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JH
12/2/2011 1:58:00 PM
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