The Royal Garden Ep. 05

Zinnia's body didn't change, but her mind sprung into full alertness and Orchid yanked her senses back to avoid discovery. Still muffled by the pillow, Zinnia said, "It's not hard to escape; lots of flowers do. Then they're brought back."

"The tattoos," Orchid said.

Zinnia sniffed. "The tattoos are nothing. Hell, I might try to escape just for the spanking. But it's your family and countrymen who will really suffer. As long as I'm here, they're fat and happy. Rich. Safe. It's a small price." Chartreuse and green - submission. "The only way out is to get knocked up, which..." She trailed off.

"Which what?" Orchid prompted her, using a thread of magic to lower the girl's inhibitions.

Zinnia hesitated. "Well, if you want to *avoid* pregnancy, I can help you with that, but the king's the only one who can put a baby in you."

Did Zinnia have enough power to prevent a pregnancy? Maybe. "No one would want to stay here," Orchid said, remembering her decision last night to allow Azalea to get pregnant. She pushed Zinnia lightly with her mind to keep her talking.

Zinnia sighed. "It could be worse, like Rose, if you believe the stories. Talk to Aster if you don't believe me - I've helped her out before."

Orchid rubbed the ointment into Zinnia's skin in silence. The black-haired girl had a miniscule amount of power, and that's all it would take to remove the tattoos if you knew the formula - which Orchid did not. Zinnia must have watched a tattoo being inscribed. In any event, the girl's power was no danger to the king, even if she weren't apparently content with her position in the Garden. As for clues, Orchid would talk to Aster next... but she hadn't met Rose. Maybe this visit hadn't been entirely fruitless.

When Orchid withdrew her hands Zinnia turned over slowly and winced only slightly at the pain. "Thanks for your help, sister. Want to get breakfast?"

*****

Author's note: I'm back to this story after a year away! I had to take a step back to really ponder Orchid's position and motivations, and I hope this latest chapter helps clarify her personality.

It's very important to me that my female protagonists have agency even while subjected to terrible circumstances. In my opinion, agency and choice create a depth to the horror. Not only is Orchid a victim, she is forced to be a perpetrator in order to save herself, and even serve her country - a point I've tried to make by referring to her brother's position as a conscripted soldier. If Orchid's brother can be called upon to fight, kill, and risk his life for his king and country, how can Orchid refuse to play the part chosen for her?

So now she has a few more clues to follow up on. I'm very excited for the next part, which will raise the stakes and drag Orchid even deeper into danger. The reason I enjoy writing stories rather than just sex scenes is because I think the drama intensifies the sex. I'm hoping the next part will be as intense on paper as it is in my mind.