The Contest Ch. 02

The princesses were told that the Emperor wanted to spend time with each of them. Then they were told to inform the messenger what activity they wanted to focus on, and then lots would be drawn to decide which princess would be chosen first, second, and last.

Princess Rellenora's name was picked first. So, she was given the first day. As for what she wanted to do, well ... the Emperor was highly frustrated about that. She hadn't told the messenger anything. She didn't even write anything down. According to what Antonai had been told, Princess Rellenora stared at nothing for a moment. Then she only shrugged and doodled simple shapes on some paper. Mrs. Donner had nervously said to the messenger, "Oh, how about a walk? She'd like a walk."

It was decided. The Emperor would take a walk with Princess Rellenora.

He put on a shorter set of robes with a loose set of trousers. He thought the honey colors in his clothing were very pleasant. His comfortable, black leather shoes were quiet against the brick pathway that winded around the garden he had chosen. He found the princess seated on a stone bench.

Princess Rellenora's gown was simple as usual, a rich madder color, but lacking in any adornment. The sleeves were plain. The skirt was long. The neckline was prudishly high. The white fabric tightly tied about her head exposed her ears, which didn't even have piercings. Her curly hair was free over one shoulder. One delicate hand cradled her writing slate. The other was using chalk to make simple, straight lines, as if she was counting something.

"Good morning, Your Highness."

Her chalk slipped down and clattered onto the brick path. She moved down from her seat and knelt on that unforgiving path, her slate bouncing and dangling from its rope. If she were a vocal person, she would have likely given him a formal greeting.

Calm and graceful, Antonai moved his hand from left to right. "You may rise."

Perhaps six seconds later, the princess rose. She didn't brush anything off of her dress. That was probably fine, though. She stood before him with her fingers laced before herself. Her fingernails were only slightly long and very bare. Her blue eyes were avoiding him.

A nod, and then Antonai said, "There are many beautiful things here." He gestured out towards the flowers. "Come, enjoy them."

He started walking with a confident pace. Princess Rellenora hurried to take a spot roughly beside and behind him, a few steps away from his regal body.

There were many gentle noises, birds singing, bees buzzing, footsteps patting the bricks, clothing swishing, but there wasn't any talking.

Purple and blue passifloras bloomed from vines tangled on occasional tunnels of wooden frames. Shrubs of yellow and white chrysanthemums awaited an appreciative eye. There were occasional decorative ponds with orange and pink water lillies.

Antonai wondered about the quiet woman's thoughts. He turned his head to look at her down cast face. Her eyes seemed to be following the jaunty, swinging movements of his tail. Her teeth were bothering her lower lip, which was slowly becoming rosier.

"I'm not a humble man. The flowers here are perfect. If you wish, you may have any you desire to place in the Eggplant Palace."

There wasn't any visible reaction.

Antonai looked ahead and sighed.

They walked into an area that had various fruits. There were figs, nectarines, honeydew melons, cantaloupes, and raspberries. "The fruits here are used in the kitchens, but if you ever want to take one for yourself, don't hesitate."

No response.

The Emperor gave another sigh to the sweet smelling air.

"I'd like to sit down now." He immediately walked to the nearest bench and put his backside onto the seat. He pulled his arm up so it could rest on the bench's curved back. His chin rose as he watched the little woman follow his lead. She took the seat right beside him. The bench was designed for only two people, after all.

She smelled like chalk, ink, paper, bamboo, and bed sheets. There wasn't anything resembling feminine perfume anywhere around her person.

Trying to find a subject to interest her, the Emperor asked the princess, "Have you ever learned how to preserve fruit?" A moment went by. Then he saw her make a single nod. "If you wish, you may have any fruits from this garden and preserve them for your own use."

Another nod came around eight seconds later. She never looked up at him.

Antonai lost his patience then. He got up and nodded to her. "If you wish to leave, then you may."

Seven seconds passed. Then the princess shot up as if aided by a spring. She bowed and scurried off. Antonai watched her for a few moments, noting how her hips swayed in an apparently unconscious presentation of femininity.

Was the woman even trying to win the contest?!

The Emperor's tail swished about and his fingers flexed.

Princess Chohni's turn was scheduled for the next day. She asked to have a cup of tea with the Emperor. So, Antonai met her on a patio at the Imperial Palace and they sat down to enjoy some tea. There were other treats too, sweet crackers, light sandwiches, and gentle chatting, but the tea was the main attraction, or so Antonai thought.

Eventually, Princess Chohni pulled a small ocarina from a hidden pocket and started playing a tune. It was rather dulcet. Antonai's tail rocked back and forth as he listened and sipped the hot tea. Her fingers were dexterous. Her painted lips were firm against the instrument. Her red gown had a pale yellow jacket with sleeves that fluttered; she looked like a musical goddess. If Princess Chohni had been trying to impress him, then she had succeeded.

When she finished, she bowed in her seat, and Antonai clapped his hands. "That was a divine song, Your Highness. You must have had excellent teachers."

"Of course, Your Majesty. My family saw to it that I'd be well educated."

It was a pleasant little outing.

The day after that was Princess Lagath's turn. The Emperor met her in an arena that wasn't too far away from the several barracks in the complex. She was dressed in a fairly masculine outfit. Trousers, boots, a short tunic that showed a small bit of tanned flesh whenever she raised her arms, the woman had no shame, which was fine with Antonai. He couldn't see anything shameful about her, anyway. He was wearing a similar outfit to hers, but damn she looked so much better.

Uncaring of the gossip that might bubble up, Princess Lagath and Emperor Antonai walked into a fighting ring.

And they wrestled with no mercy.

Grunting and grabbing, pulling and flipping, all in all, it was an opportunity to learn more about the woman's frame. The woman had a fine set of child bearing hips. She also had the ferocity and endurance of a honey badger, and a face every bit as charming as one too. That wasn't an insult. Antonai genuinely thought that honey badgers looked adorable when they weren't out for blood.

In the end, though, The Emperor won because he had a tail that could poke one in the eye. His hard head was useful too. The princess wasn't upset about it at all. She put her palm to the back of her head and laughed.

***

On another gentle spring morning, Princess Chohni was asked to come to a reception room in the Imperial Palace. She sat on a chair and idly looked at hanging paintings while she waited for whatever was meant to greet her.

Her thoughts consumed her. She was lost in daydreaming.

A low, guttural noise suddenly yanked her out of her own mind. She looked down.

A huge, black pig was sniffing at her gown's hem.

Chohni screamed and fell off of her seat.

"Oh! Are you injured?"

Her hair was. She happened to see her reflection in a shiny vase. Her carefully arranged hairstyle had a dent in it thanks to the fall. With a pouting face, she patted her hair and kicked herself into the nearest wall. She wanted as much distance between herself and the animal as possible.

Emperor Antonai stepped to her and bent over, offering his hand to her. In his other hand, there was a loop of a handle, which was attached to a leach, which was attached to a harness, which was on that pig.

Her thin eyebrow rising with suspicion, Chohni pressed her back into the wall behind her body.

With a slanting head and narrowing eyes, the Emperor said, "This is Lady Francheska Darla Nikoletta Varesqu, or rather, Booboo."

The princess' jaw fell, her perfect teeth were far too white.

"This is my pet, the Royal Pig, also called the Royal Sow. She loves people. Would you like to pet her?"

Her head moved side to side, her sparkly hair ornaments chiming.

Antonai straightened his back. His index finger and thumb moved to the space between his eyebrows. "That's fine. You may go."

And she did with much relief.

During the early afternoon, Princess Lagath was summoned to the same reception room. When the Emperor entered the room, she knelt. Then she saw the pig on a leash. After she greeted him, she said, "Is that a gift? The swine's too old to eat. I can't accept it."

Antonai explained very quickly. This was the Royal Pig, and the Royal Pig would like a petting. One of Lagath's shoulders rose. Then she walked over to the big black sow and tapped the top of her head with her fingers. Booboo had a soapy scent in her bristles.

"Well ... hmmm ... I suppose it's not harmful," she said as Booboo put her snout to her boot and sniffed a few times. "I'd have made some bacon long ago, though."

And in the evening, Princess Rellenora was summoned to the reception room.

When the Emperor entered the room, the woman immediately went to her knees, but she didn't seem to be paying her respect to him because she didn't stay on her knees for more than a second. Her eyes were drawn to the sow. She ... she crawled. She literally crawled like a cat. Her writing slate and chalk pouch were dragged against the wooden floor.

Antonai dropped his leash's handle.

Her dress and shift were folding up, showing off her stocking clad ankles. They seemed slim enough to be pretty.

Once Princess Rellenora was close to the Royal Pig, she flopped over onto her back and bent her head back so she could look at the sow's face. Her lips parted. Her teeth ... well ... her front teeth protruded a little more than necessary. It wasn't quite obvious, though. She didn't look anything like a rodent. He didn't think he would have noticed her front teeth if he hadn't been studying her so intently.

The princess' hands moved up, the backs facing the floor. Her fingers wiggled.

Booboo's snout went to the princess' fingers, squirming as it took in her scent. Then the pig chose to take a half circle's worth of a path towards the princess' belly. Then she went around to the other side, oinking, sniffing, and investigating. When she was finished with that, Booboo stood before the princess' face and fingers again.

Princess Rellenora rolled onto her belly. Then she pushed herself to another kneeling position. Her hand reached out to Booboo's back, and she petted the sow with rubs and pats and mild scratching.

Content little oinking ... it warmed Antonai's heart. It normally did. She was a great, charming thing with the most adorable, soft little snout that he often caressed with fatherly love.

"Piiiiiiiggy."

His eyes nearly popped out.

He hadn't said anything.

That was a mellow, hopeful voice, a beautiful voice, and it said a slow, childish version of the word pig.

Princess Rellenora leaned forward and nuzzled the sow's face as a cat might do, and she said again, "Piiiiiiggy. Piiiiggy." She kissed Booboo's head. "Piggy." That last piggy was very satisfied. Did she think she had accomplished something? Had she wanted to accomplish something?

And within three minutes, Princess Rellenora had the Royal Pig chasing her around the reception room. She laughed. She squealed, actually squealed, and she did it louder than the pig.

Emperor Antonai sat down and watched the scene. The leash was dragging around on the floor. He sincerely hoped nobody tripped over it. A few moments went on, and he couldn't stand it anymore. It was worse than an itch. He stood up and said that the leash needed to be removed. The princess sat on the floor and let Booboo "catch" her, which involved putting her head on the princess' lap.

He went to the sow and removed the leash. As he wrapped the cord around his hand and sat back down, he watched Princess Rellenora gently move out from under Booboo and start another chasing game.

It was ... sugary.

Eventually the princess wore the sow and herself out. She panted and laid down on the floor with Booboo, her face resting on her arm, close to the sow's snout.

The Emperor had to call some people to help the princess walk back to her palace.

***

On this morning, the Emperor wanted some free time with his beloved friend, Prince Yban. They decided to go out for a hunt in the nearby forest that was normally reserved for the royalty and the court. The princesses were told to do as they pleased.

Princess Lagath said she also wanted to go on a hunt. Seeing nothing wrong with this, the two men agreed. Princess Chohni had claimed that she was too much of a delicate lady to even ride a horse, let alone hunt. That seemed to be an odd statement to most people in the court, but nobody protested as Princess Chohni mingled and walked around looking pretty.

As for Princess Rellenora, without telling anyone, she marched all the way to the Imperial Palace, approached a guard, and held up her writing slate with two shaking hands. Written in neat characters, there was the question, "May I please play with the Royal Pig?"

The Royal Pig normally slept inside the palace, but at this point, she was outside, relaxing in a little box full of mud. The guards didn't think the Emperor would mind if she spent some time with the sow, but the creature was filthy. What sort of princess would be willing to pet a filthy pig?

Princess Rellenora didn't express any disgust. She tied her skirt up, only just exposing her bare knees and the stockings beneath them. Then she rolled her sleeves past her elbows and quietly held the slate up to the guards again. Shrugging, the guards had a servant escort her to Booboo the Royal Sow.

Located in a fenced area outside, Booboo was enjoying the warm sun and gentle air when her snout detected a recently learned scent. She shook her body and head, flinging mud about. Then she crawled out of the low box that had been designed just for her. When Rellenora ran up to her, Booboo wagged her curled tail and patiently waited for head pats.

When the Emperor and Prince Yban returned to the Imperial Palace, tired but satisfied, the guards informed them of the peculiar situation. So, the two men went to the wooden fence that kept the muddy pig in place. They both folded their arms against the top of the fence and leaned down, their eyes curious as they looked at the princess.

Every bit as filthy as the pig, Princess Rellenora was napping on the ground, her back facing the blue sky, one arm around Booboo's great body. The pig was napping too. It would be time for a bath soon.

A great exhale came from Yban, and he said, "When that woman leaves, Big Black Bacon will be depressed for months. She's nearly ruined the pig."

Antonai poked his elbow with his index finger. "You nearly ruined her when she was a piglet. She thought her name was Bacon for a week."

"At least I didn't try to feed her bacon."

Antonai's tail literally slapped Yban's backside. Instinctively, the prince's waist and belly lurched forward, but he calmed down and listened as the Emperor said, "Do you know how many farmers feed their pigs pork scraps? Some mothers will even eat their own young. The only reason I stopped giving Booboo bacon was because I was worried about giving her too much fat."

"It was still nauseating," Yban said in a breathy tone, watching the princess flinch and smack her lips in her sleep.

Antonai happened to look down, saw the beginnings of a happy little tent under the prince's hunting clothes, and suffocated a laugh. Yban gave him a confused look, and then he looked down too.

"It's because you spanked me," the prince said, putting more of his weight on the fence and not doing much about his condition.

Antonai grinned, but he didn't think his tail had done much of anything.

***

Princess Lagath checked on her garden and did a little maintenance. Then she washed and changed into a more feminine outfit. With two ladies-in-waiting following her, Lagath decided to take a walk around the complex. The buildings were beautifully adorned, a bit garish for her tastes, but still lovely. Reds, greens, blacks, whites, and golds, all around. Some buildings were arranged to be surrounded by ponds with curving bridges. Some buildings had vines crawling around their walls. Some had statues of various colors, white being the most popular, but black and gray were also visible.

She saw Princess Chohni with four ladies-in-waiting admiring fish in a pond as they ate fruit and sat at a porch of the Imperial Palace. Lagath waved her hand at the prissy woman and offered a big smile. Chohni looked right at Lagath's face, but she didn't pay her any more attention than that. Annoyed, Lagath walked on over to the porch and approached the dark haired princess.

The conversation paused. Chohni held a round hand fan over her lips and looked up at the newcomer with distinct eyes.

Lagath spoke first, her stance casual. "Good afternoon, Your Highness. I've been thinking lately, and ... well, you're pretty thin." Chohni's eyelids nearly closed, but Lagath didn't think much of that. "Competing against a thin woman isn't any fun. How about we plan our meals together and then eat in the gardens? I have plenty of experience in keeping a healthy diet. In the meantime, you might be able to teach me how you put colors together. You're like an artist, you know. Do you weave and dye fabric?"

One of Chohni's painted fingernails tapped against her fan's handle. "I must apologize, Your Highness. I'd rather not alter my diet. I need to strictly observe it."

Lagath's throat swelled for a bit as she tried to hold a laugh back. Then she took a few breaths and said, "Do you suppose I'm not strict with mine? Such a hardy body needs more tea, less sugar and spice, green leaf vegetables at least once a week, the leanest meats, and as many eggs and nuts as possible. But you look like you haven't been having enough meats. It very troubling." Her smile turned into an honest frown.

Chohni turned her head to one side, her nose rising. "Please leave me be."

"Well ... alright." Lagath waved at her ladies-in-waiting, signaling to them that she was ready to move on. As she walked, she noticed a very, very filthy looking woman being escorted by servants. Lagath started at her for a moment. Who was that woman?

Then she noticed the writing slate tied to the woman's waist.

Oh. It was the quiet one.

She looked like she just had a very good time.

Lagath wished she could have joined her. In her opinion, a bit of mud every now and then was healthy. Later that evening, she asked a servant to send a message to Princess Rellenora. She wanted to know if she'd be free for a race in the mud. Lagath received the most blunt, the most honest reply in the world. It was a single scrap of paper that had been torn away with the word no written in firm strokes.

It was as if nobody else understood the concept of healthy competition.

However, she couldn't be angry about it, couldn't even try to hold a grudge. If the other princesses wanted to be cold, then that was their right.

***

A picnic with the three princesses, the Emperor, and Prince Yban all attending was scheduled.