The Prince's Mate

Hallway of Concubines

“Mom, what does Con-cu-pine mean?” Dylan asked staring innocently up at his mother, because it was common knowledge to even a child in Atla what a slave and a concubine was, everyone present looked at the boy as if he had grown a third head on his hind, Cecelia caught on to it and cleared her throat drawing Adel and the guard’s attention to herself.

“There are laws and general rules on earth that protect children from certain adult conversations and content to preserve their mental innocence until a later age, there are things like consensual laws that citizens have to abide by or face the court.” She explained and then looked at them for their response, and while Adel had no noteworthy reaction other than her stoic self, the guard had a look of concern behind his mask, as if he was thinking what kind of world earth was. “Dylan, as the Prince’s concubine, I will be required to take care of and keep him company, whenever he needs me,” She looked at her son, trying her hardest to keep a brave face while saying something that in her mind felt so old fashioned and humiliating.

“Like a babysitter?” The boy asked, and the guard for the first time so far let out a scoff as he almost burst out laughing, while Adel smiled at the blinding innocence Dylan possessed. “Right?” He demanded a response as even his mother smiled at his innocence.

“That’s right kiddo, like a babysitter, you’ll know more eventually, but right now let’s just go with that.” She looked ahead as the guard knocked on the golden door with the back of his hand and the creases lit up with white light, it was a double door, but only one side opened up, and as she was led through she found herself gawking at a massive hallway strung with doors stretching so far it seemed endless as it slowly went higher until another door was visible all the way on the other side, the hallway was bright as well from the many torches that lit it, and everything reflected golden, aside from the floor that had a red carpet and wooden doors, as soon as they took the first step two more maids approached from the sides bowing to them and smiling with their eyes closed.

“Welcome,” Both of the maids spoke simultaneously and in perfect unison to the point that they sounded creepy, causing Cecelia to shake at their presence and attitude. "Welcome from beyond the stars,"

“How did you know-“

“They do not know,” Adel looked over at Cecelia who was about to spill what she didn’t know was a secret yet. “And I would advise you to not repeat anything that happened previously to anyone else either, your origins and that thing you did specifically, even Brute here before you knows nothing of what happened in the court,” She gestured to the guard, and Cecelia felt a lump fall in her throat, it would be a while before she understood exactly what it meant to cry golden tears.

Adel turned to the other maids who also gave her a small bow with instructions, “This woman is a foreigner of another country formerly nobility, she has been given to our prince Lucas by them as a concubine in return for democratic favours," Adel lied through her teeth, making that story up on the spot. "The boy is her younger brother, they are to be treated with the most care and respect as the prince has yet to take her maidenhood, she speaks a very close and rather informal variant of our language and is well educated with a glib tongue to prove it, so do not be surprised if she curses, even though she was sold she is still quite strong-willed and unfazed by intimidation outside of death, which I need not tell you is never on the table of consideration,” She made up a believable story and then lied the rest. “She requires cleaning, and a fresh set of garments, and make sure the entire castle knows of her existence, if anything happens to her I will personally send the guards to your chambers first."

The two Maids looked at each other in disbelief and then at Cecelia who seemed like she had been through hell, and then bowed to them again. “There will be someone waiting to heal you of any hidden wounds.” They said in unison again, sounding even creepier this time. Obviously, they heard Adel tell Cecelia to stay quiet about her true origins, but they valued their lives over gossip, and as such, they would obediently spread the lies they were told.

“I will see you in the morn, until then... please do nothing too foolish,” Adel gave Cecelia a small bow before she turned with Brute and retreated through the door with Dylan silently accompanying them.

"Please, follow us," The maids made their presence known again.

“Okay...” Cecelia looked at them awkwardly as they both gestured to walk, and so she followed them down the hall.

“We are the nameless doorkeepers.” The first maid smiled at Cecelia as they reached the first pair of parallel doors which two other maids were guarding and stopped as the two guarding those doors bowed and gestured they pass. “Instead of memorising the doors, you memorise our faces and uniform instead, there are a hundred and ten doors in this hall, but every pair of us appear completely different than the others making memorising our places far easier." The two they were walking with before continued as they passed the other doors in the same manner as the first.

“What exactly is this place?” Cecelia asked out of curiosity, getting comfortable now that she was no longer being suppressed by the presence of Brute, the guard.

“This is the hall where the king and princes concubines reside, each door holds a single lady and you too will have your own quarters milady, only us two are allowed to pass the doors, and those guarding doors are not allowed to pass the door of their charge, you will be assigned two Maids, one for the door and another who will be your shadow, she will sleep in the same room as you and wherever you go she too will be there to ensure your comfort at all times your shadows are allowed wherever you go, you need not worry about sudden visits from the Prince, no man is allowed passed the first door, nor is any who is not assigned to this wing of the castle, not even our lady Adel is allowed here without special permission,” She answered.

“There are probably over a hundred doors in here,” Cecelia looked at the shorter maid beside her and the woman smiled as she stared ahead, not caring to look her in her eyes.

“Correct, and each member of the royal family is allowed a maximum of twenty concubines, while the king will have forty.” The maid replied.

“How many concubines does prince Lucas have?” Cecelia asked rather sceptically, thinking she would probably be the last one in a full roster of women superior to her in beauty, but the maids looked at each other and smiled before one of them looked back at her.

“Prince Lucas is Twenty-seven years of age, and has no concubine to date, you are his first, lady Cecelia,” The maid smiled at her. “He has lived a virtuous life and has likely never bedded a woman, strange enough considering both his younger and older brothers have had their roster of concubines filled and constantly changing since their sixteenth birthdays, and yet he...”

“Is it wise to repeat this secret?” The maid opposite the one speaking asked, and the other smiled and shrugged informally.

“The other ladies residing in this hall already know, and as she is his first it is prudent we do not keep this kind of secret from her.” She smiled at the other and then looked back at Cecelia again. “Prince Lucas is a twin, and was inseparable from his sister until their nineteenth birthday when she was announced betrothed by the king before the kingdom, having grown his entire life alongside a woman practically joint at the hips, naturally Lucas has a deeper understanding of the way we think and behave, he is also respectively kinder than his brothers, as his woman, you will eventually find yourself in the princesses presence, at that point you will understand him more,”

Amidst talking the maids had been getting more and more quiet, and Cecelia soon realised that the doors of the rooms stretching down were all slightly cracked allowing those inside to peek through them, at first it was not noticeable, but by the time she reached the twentieth pair of doors, they were all wide open and varying shapes and sizes women were standing at the front, of their doors, they were mostly well presented, though a few of them were completely nude, but the majority wore small transparent corset-like gowns that held their breasts firmly and frilled out at the waits and covered their ankles, their makeup was well done, and she felt questioning gazes as they watched, she didn’t realize but the maids posted at the doors all gave small bows as they passed, what she did realize though, was there was not even a single woman with black hair like herself, she had a strong Latina heritage and had inherited straight black hair from her mother’s side of the family, and she was realising right off the bat that she looked very different from everyone else.

Finally, they stopped at a door where nobody was looking from the entrance.

“Grant us passage inside.” The maid on Cecelia’s right softly knocked on the door, and just like the main door the creases on this one also glowed a white glow before it opened up like an automatic magnetic lock was inside of it, at the entrance was a woman a foot shorter than Cecelia with tall blonde hair and light green eyes, she seemed very young, rather than an adult woman she looked like a girl no older than sixteen, and unlike the concubines, Cecelia had seen on her way there this girl was dressed in fitted gowns that made her look like a flower maiden, but what stood out the most; what had Cecelia hold her chest was the fact that this girl had tall ears, at least four inches taller than normal and sticking out at the tips.

“Your name?” A maid asked for introductory purposes.

“I am Lifa.” The girl replied and held her head low in a small curtsey. “Rest assured lady doorkeepers, milady Is in good hands.”

“Good, a door maiden will arrive within the next hour, until then take good care of her, and tend to any wounds she might have hiding beneath her clothes” The other doorkeeper smiled as they both bowed to Cecelia and then began shimmying away back down the hall full of stares.

“I will immediately warm the waters so my lady can cleanse herself.” The girl bowed again to Cecelia as she stepped into the massive room gaping, it looked like the grand suite of an overpriced and fancy hotel, and Cecelia immediately forgot that she was in another world as she gazed into every detail of the massive room, the chandelier itself was as big as a tow truck and the room was more massive than the house she had grown up in, she didn’t have the words to express herself and instead just let out a whispered “Holy s**t,” Causing the girl standing at her side to bite her lip.

“May I have your name my lady,” Lifa asked Cecelia a direct question gathering her attention once more, and Cecelia responded with a frown.

“Don’t call me that, it makes me feel old.”