Been thinking about this for a while. Got bored and then all of a sudden inspired to write a little bit so I’m sharing.

Tap… ta-tap tap.

 

She strummed her fingers impatiently on the clawed end of an elaborately carved armrest. A sigh came forth as she pressed herself against the high back of her throne. “Stop dawdling,” she thought, glancing over to the small doorway hidden amongst tapestries of black and gold. Another collection of taps was interrupted by the creak of a door and the soft footsteps of a lithe creature.

 

He knelt quickly beside her throne and kissed the base of her silver chalice before bowing hid head and raising it to her in offering. She shifted, taking the glass with the hand opposite his position and put her other upon his head. As she took a sip her fingers got lost in his tangles of ebony hair. He knew that she was satisfied with his choice.

 

Every morning he would serve her in this manner as she prepared to deal with the duties of ruling her realm. Throughout the day he would rest there, sitting heels to pelvis on a plush golden pillow beside her throne. It was the closest any person would be to her for more than a few fleeting moments and for that he felt honored.

 

Although his attire might change from day to day, one adornment remained constant. A shining collar of platinum, lined with the pelt of a young black rabbit, hugged his neck. It was only removed when he bathed his mistress. Stamped into the face of the thick band was the house name accompanied by a lynx with golden eyes. It had taken him many months to get accustomed to the weight of his collar and years to keep his hands from it. Many nights spent polishing it back to its original state had taught him well.

 

The first year of serving in the castle he had rarely seen his mistress. It wasn’t until he had endured the initial training, broken and rebuilt like a horse, that he was presented to her in the throne room. He had been a gift from Lord Ayala for the Queen’s twenty-first birthday and on the morning of her twenty-second she had chosen him from a cluster of slaves to undergo special training with her. It was an honor that he didn’t yet appreciate.