STARLIGHT AND LACE, ch.3 - Gift from the Sea

Author's Notes: Things start heating up with a soft scene, the first actual erotica so far that I've posted on this. Hopefully it was worth the wait, but it's gonna keep rolling from here!

Have fun in Southworld, and to like/favorite it on Hentai-Foundry, it can finally be found here!

[f/f] [light] [story]

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Sina's eyes snapped open when she heard a sound coming from within her room, the sun just beginning to rise to beat fruitlessly at the thick curtains that protected her from it. Clutching her sheet to her chest, the Vay girl sat up in bed, waiting for the blurriness of her vision to fade, eyelids sticky from spending far too long in bed.

What she saw was fairly unthreatening, but nonetheless unexpected. A human – a woman – was already inside of her room, sorting through the closet that Sina herself had not yet had a decent opportunity to sort through. She was tall, amazingly so, perhaps even taller than her new husband. In fact, she appeared to be everything that Sina was not. Tall, dark of hair and skin, and while the Vay bride couldn't yet see her from every angle, the newcomer appeared to have hips that put Sina's boyish ones to shame.

“What are you doing in my room?” she whispered, her voice unsteady as she scooted backwards to the wall, clutching her sheet to her bare chest and far more vulnerable than she had any desire whatsoever to be.

The woman paused, tilting her head around to catch Sina out of the corner of her eye, then finally turning to face her. Her uniform was strange, not at all matching the servants of Castle Drathwyn, less frilly and feminine. The traditional white, black, and green that she'd seen gave way to shades of tan, blue, and red, her long, slimming skirt divided at one side to grant her better ease of movement – and showing off an impressively long, shapely expanse of dusky-skinned leg. Her loose, pale blouse was covered by a simple leather vest, laced in the front and revealing a narrow stripe of flesh in the center, where the leather did not quite meet. Perhaps the most distinct feature was the blood red bandana she wore around her scalp, cresting her oval-shaped and admittedly beautiful face. Whatever she was, she didn't fit the bill for a servant... or even one of the Kaldric people.

“I'm your maid, lady of mine,” she said simply, her accent plenty noticeable, though unknown to Sina's lightly-pointed ears. “Did Lord Endon not tell you of my coming?”

Sina blinked, thinking back to the day before yesterday, when she had first met with Tharis, before their... disaster of a wedding. “I've hired a personal maid for you, as well – she has yet to arrive.” He had mentioned it, Sina had simply neglected to listen. Her fault, then, for not being prepared for the maid's arrival – even if it was still a bit odd that she'd arrived unannounced into her room while Sina had still been sleeping.

“He... did. I'm sorry, I forgot.” She sighed softly, relaxing a bit and slumping back down onto her pillows, keeping the sheets pulled up tight to her shoulders. “My name's Sina. Sina... uhm... Endon.”

“Lady Sina Endon,” the woman – apparently, her maid – firmly corrected with a small bow of her head, folding up one of the dresses she'd been sorting from Sina's wardrobe and tossing it onto her deskside chair. “It is a pleasure to finally meet you, lady of mine. I arrived yesterday morning, sadly I did not have time to make my presence known. My name is Issalana.”

“You have no surname, Issalana?”

“Not as many do,” she admitted, popping one hip out to the side as she looked down at Sina, towering imposingly above her. Goddess, she was large – in addition to her height and her hips, this new viewing angle also showed off a pair of breasts that made Sina want to weep with envy, snugly packed into that overstuffed leather jerkin of hers. “But I go by Issa Southwinds.”

Sina swallowed hard, resisting the urge to clear her throat despite wanting to, and extended one hand to the dusky human woman. “Can you hand me a shirt? And... what are you doing in there, anyway?”

“My first instruction was to make sure that you have a selection of clothes that properly fit you,” the woman said, sifting through the closet and finally withdrawing a shirt that appeared to be small enough to actually fit Sina. Tossing it to the newlywed imported monarch, who scooted under the covers to wiggle into it, she continued. “Apparently Lord Endon did not anticipate how... slight, you are. Before you cloth yourself, I should warn you that I had a bath drawn for you – it should have properly cooled by now, if you'd like to refresh yourself before dressing.”

Maybe having a personal maid wouldn't be such a bad thing, after all. A bath sounded admittedly very nice, and while Vay didn't tend to... ferment, quite as quickly as humans did, Sina still found herself looking forward to immersing herself in warm water. “That... would be lovely, I think,” the small girl said, offering a very small nod and laying the shirt flat at the foot of her bed, still considered the foot despite Sina being so short that her feet never actually touched it. Looking up to Issalana, she swiveled one finger in a circle in a motion for the Estyan servant to turn around.

Issa blinked, arching one brow silently, visibly confused by the gesture.

“...Turn around, please?” Sina muttered awkwardly.

“Why?” the maid said flatly.

“I'm not wearing anything under here!”

“Are you embarrassed of your body, lady of mine? I assure you, many young women would be grateful for it. Petite thanas, as yourself, are often sought after by the wealthy among my people, wed and pampered as royalty.”

Sina opened her mouth to reply, then paused, furrowing her brow and echoing. “Thanas?”

“...Eh... my apologies, lady of mine,” Issa offered a short bow of her head, something of an apology. “A thana is a lean, virginal maiden, one who blurs the appeal between woman and girl. There is no word for it in the tongue of the Kaldrics.”

“You mean the universal tongue?”

“Not universal among the Estyans.”

Sina paused for a long moment, finding no further avenue for that conversation. The dusky sailor woman seemed strangely resolute and unflinching, a curious trait for any maid or servant and leading Sina to somewhat wonder how she'd gotten a job like this in the first place, and why. Seeing that Issalana was just as resolute about not turning around, the Vay girl sighed quietly, folding her arms across her chest and pulling the sheet down, clad in only her soft blue stockings, which she began to squirm free of. “Make sure the bath is still warm, please?”

Issa nodded her head once more, her eyes lingering on Sina's exposed skin for just a moment before backing out of the room and towards the washroom that had been installed near the back side of Sina's quarters. Taking a towel from the narrow metal rack above and beside her bed, Sina wrapped herself lightly and made her way to where the bath lay prepared for her.

More and more, she did find herself amazed at the technological advances that the Kaldric humans had managed to integrate into every day life. While the Vay had their marvels of natural construction and incredible arsenals of advanced weaponry, the Kaldrics seemed to force the world around them to cooperate when it ordinarily would choose not to. The washroom alone, like the dumbwaiter that brought her food, was an incredible matrix of pipes and nozzles, powered by self-perpetuating clockwork pulleys or bursts of steam drawn from the central furnace at Castle Drathwyn's core. As Issalana had said, a massive, steaming tub of water lay waiting to be enjoyed, with Issa herself standing patiently just behind and beside it.

“Are you... going to step out?” Sina murmured shyly, glancing from the maid to the bath, then back.

Again, the tall woman's brow arched, perplexed by the question. “Should I?”

“It would be nice.”

“Who shall assist you, if I leave?”

“I don't need assistance!”

“Of course you do not, Lady Sina. But not needing it, and making use of it, are different things.” A small nod of her head, as if to excuse her bold statement. Sina had the sinking feeling it wouldn't be the last such statement she could suspect from Issalana. Why couldn't Tharis have mail-ordered a Vay maid?

Sighing, Sina finally shrugged. “Okay, fine,” she conceded to the servant's firmness, taking a deep breath before letting the towel spill into a pool of cloth around her feet, showing off her slight, waifish figure. She could feel Issa's eyes on her once more, sweeping down her lean frame, examining her barely-noteworthy breasts and even sweeping lower when Sina extended her leg to slip into the bath. She could feel her cheeks burning from shyness and embarrassment, feeling ashamed of her frail, tiny body despite the mutely approving gaze she received from Issalana.

Trying to ignore the maid's gaze, Sina's worries were dulled immediately by the warm water encompassing her. It was strange how humans made their baths so hot, rather than basking in the cool water of natural springs, but the Vay girl found herself eating her words as she was immersed in the relaxing liquid, almost womb-like in how it engulfed and soothed her.

That tension came back when she suddenly felt Issalana's hands toying with the long, silk-like tresses of her pale, shimmering hair, wetting it lightly before starting to gently run a comb through it. The comb itself was strange to Sina; completely unlike the clunky wooden brushes that had been used on her at her wedding day, this was slim and fine, resembling the spine and ribcage of a large fish. Perhaps, Sina thought, it was. Issalana seemed as foreign to this place as she was, and from what she had seen, the new maid had brought her own tools with her.

She blinked, then let her eyes slowly drift shut, laying her neck against the rim of the bathtub to let Issa brush her hair, the strokes firm, yet gentle, not pulling her hair or attempting to forcefully style it. It was soothing, in a way, letting her relax away the brief fright she'd experienced when she'd first noticed Issalana in her room that morning.

It didn't take long, however, before the combing was finished and Issalana moved onward, lower, remaining mostly silent until she began to softly hum. The song was unfamiliar, as was everything Sina had encountered in Crannith, but this had a different... “flavor,” from even that which she had seen here. The notes were soft and lilting, carrying on a hint of Issa's exotic island accent. The woman's dusky hands slid down from her hair, draping that over the rim of the tub to let it hang and dry, and brought her fingers to Sina's shoulders, rubbing them gently at first, only using her fingertips as she lighty hummed to the nearly-sleeping Vay girl.

Soft caressing turned into firmer rubbing, eventually growing to a deep, strong massage that worked through Sina's muscles, her neck and shoulders tense from the last few days and the stress that had been heaped on her as a direct result. The journey, her arrival, the wedding... not to mention the recent realization that her new husband may have no interest in her, politically damning her to a life of loneliness in a tower in a foreign land. Despite that, and despite those facts not being any less valid, for the moment Sina was able to focus only on the feeling of soothing attention to her neck, her shoulders, her upper arms, the sides of her small breasts....

Her mind stirred a bit from relaxation when she felt an intense tingle run along her chest, Issalana's hands now exploring more boldly, lightly massaging the tissue of her breasts, warm water cascading over her pale, stiffening nipples, only to be perked further when Issa's fingertips caressed along them. A shiver ran through Sina's frail figure, her back arching just a little as sparks of pleasure began to tease through her body.

“W-what are you... doing...?” Sina murmured sleepily, the little jolts of exciting sensation rousing her from her restful, meditative state, big green eyes flickering open fitfully as she looked down, seeing the new maid's hands firmly stroking and massaging along her nearly-flat chest, her soft skin getting rubbed in slow circles, shifts of Issa's hands along her chest causing her nipples to stiffen as they were brushed back and forth.

“I am relieving you, my Lady Sina,” the Estyan servant said matter-of-factly, teasing one fingertip very softly against Sina's nipple before dragging her hand back up to the tiny bride's shoulder, giving it a soft, soothing squeeze. “You seemed to be appreciating it.”

“Not there!” Sina protested weakly, sitting up from the bathtub and catching her breath, finding her heart racing in her chest the way it had been yesterday, but this time, for entirely different... more... reactive... reasons. “It's not... proper.”

“Proper?” Issalana tilted her head curiously, sliding her other hand back down a little, closing her thumb and forefinger around one white, beaded nipple and giving it a very gentle pinch. “You do not seem to me, like a woman who is concerned with being proper.”

Sina sat up quickly, pulling her arms around her to guard her small, sensitive chest from the onslaught of light touches and caresses. “That is quite enough!” she protested, folding her legs against her. “Perhaps you do not know me as well as you think.”

“I am sorry, Lady Sina,” came the soft apology, though it did not come close to meeting Issa's ocean-blue eyes. “Perhaps our... cultures...” she lied, “...are more different than I first suspected. I shall wait for your request, in the future, to soothe you.”

“Perhaps I do not need soothing,” Sina sulked, looking away from the beautiful woman in front of her, her gaze piercing through the poor Vay girl as if she were more naked than she already was, making her wilt against the opposite end of the bathtub.

“Perhaps you are correct.” The maid nodded her head firmly, standing up in front of the bathtub and offering her hand to Sina with a neutral expression – though not one that could fully diffuse the violating intensity of her gaze. “Come, lady of mine. It is time you were dressed. You are expected at court today.”

Court? It had been but a single day since she was wed, and she was expected to participate in the “kingdom's” affairs? She exhaled, but nodded, revealing one nipple once more as she reached out to take Issa's hand, her tall, buxom new servant helping her patiently from the slippery bathtub. “My towel,” she whispered, Issa quickly leaning down to fetch it and offering it to the nude, wet, and now rather chilly, Sina. Wrapping herself with a mumbled “thank you,” she headed back to her quarters proper, moving towards the wardrobe where she kept what clothing she had – only to be quickly intercepted.

“I've been through your clothing and done my best to remove that which I believe will be too big for you,” Issalana stated firmly, moving ahead of Sina and sorting through the new content of her wardrobe. “As well as that which will clash with your skin and eyes, which... was most of it. While the shipment of replacements I have requested this morning has yet to arrive, there were a few pieces I was able to salvage.” Sifting through the newly “remastered” wardrobe, Issa withdrew a somewhat skimpy-seeming dress and handed it to the towel-clad Sina. “Try this on, lady of mine.”

“But the... I mean, it's so short.” Sina fidgeted, chewing her soft lower lip as she eyed the dress. It was green, about a shade or two darker than the forest green of her eyes to compliment them. And while it looked like it would fit even to Sina's tiny frame, there was... quite a lot of dress missing where the Vay girl wished there was a bit more dress. “Among other things.”

“This will be your first official sighting as basileia,” Issalana explained patiently, looking down to let her eyes bore into Sina's. “Those of the court are expecting something majestic, delicate, exotic.”

“Wait – my first sighting as what?”

The maid placed one hand to her lips to stifle a soft laugh. “You are now wed into the Kaldric government and do not even know your own title?”

“I guess not. What's a basileia?”

“Something like a queen. Lord Endon was given the title of basileus by his family, though rarely invokes it officially. Nonetheless, trade negotiations will be taking place later today – having the strength of the Vay people beside him will be something he'll want to show off.”

“I didn't think my cleavage would be necessary for that,” Sina grumbled, folding her arms across her chest shyly, pressing her thighs together a little more as well to hide as much of her slim, slowly-drying figure as she could from Issalana.

“We want to draw their attention. This will succeed, lady of mine,” the insistent edge in Issa's voice increased in those last three words, her tone saying she was finished arguing. Without thinking, and against any better judgment Sina might have found in a few moments, the Vay “basileia” obeyed. Turning, she unfolded the dress and stepped into the tiny skirt at the tail end, Issalana sliding behind her to take the shoulders and lace them up, fitting them in place. Sina did her best to ignore the feeling of the Estyan servant girl's breasts pressing against her neck, more specifically the sensation of exciting warmth that rippled through her.

“What about, um... something to go underneath?” the girl blushed softly, glancing down now that the emerald dress was in place, noting once more how short the skirt was, and how steep the neckline, showing off an expanse of smooth, slim chest, her nipples barely out of sight.

“I'm afraid your undergarments had to be discarded, Lady Sina,” Issalana admitted, pausing and turning the Vay girl around slightly to see how the dress fit, smoothing out the sides and stroking those invasive hands of hers along Sina's body once again. “Many of those that were prepared for you would not fit, and those you brought will not be appreciated in a Kaldric court should they be seen.”

“Better for me to have none at all?” Sina retorted incredulously.

“Yes.”

Sina narrowed her eyes, looking up at the woman to give her a stern look, though the pointed height difference made it impossible to look in any way imposing. “For someone who acts so innocent, you sure do know a great deal about Kaldric culture.”

“Only that which I must know to take care of you, lady of mine,” Issa said firmly, before abandoning the conversation altogether – turning back to the wardrobe and kneeling, that long, divided skirt of hers giving Sina an unwanted glimpse at the woman's long, dark legs, including a greater expanse of thigh than she was entirely comfortable appreciating as much as she was. After a moment of searching, she withdrew a pair of shoes that resembled a curious cross between slippers and boots, the heels lifted only slightly and several winding straps wrapping their way up along where Sina's foreleg should belong. “These should fit. No jewelry for your first day – nothing to distract them from your own majesty.”

“My majesty?” Sina scoffed, sitting at the edge of the bed and crossing her legs awkwardly so as not to give Issalana any better a view than she'd already enjoyed in the washroom. “Yeah, we'll... we'll go with that,” she sighed, taking the shoe-like foot-somethings from Issa and figuring out how to put them on, slipping them onto her delicate feet with a quiet sigh. “You know, you'd think that they'd give me a second to relax and catch my breath. The day after I got here was the wedding, and now the next morning it's court. Can't they give me a second to catch my breath?”

“Apparently not, Lady Sina,” Issa said, folding her hands in front of her waist as she watched her new mistress finish dressing. “Perhaps tomorrow, we may take some more time to get to know each other.” The soft smile she offered seemed innocent, and Sina likely would have accepted it as such had she not already been dealing with the woman all morning. She'd figure out a system of dealing with her, eventually, and as... unusual as Issalana was, she had been helpful so far. At least, Sina assumed she'd been helpful.

Letting out a soft breath and standing, Sina glanced at the tall mirror at the side of her room and posed a little. The dress was, admittedly, cute, if... immodest, accenting her slim figure rather than overbearing it as many “womanly” dresses tended to. Glancing sidelong at Issalana, she hesitated, then asked; “Well, how do I look?”

Issalana smiled, offering a little bow of her head, though her eyes remained focused on Sina's waifish, mostly-exposed body. “You'll be the star in the eye of every man and woman of the court, Lady Sina,” she purred, her gaze as adoring as it was... strangely possessive, admiring her own handiwork as she did Sina's scantily-clad frame. Gooseflesh rippled along the Vay girl's skin at the way Issa looked at her, spoke to her, stood above her to crowd her just enough to make her uncomfortable. Ever since the new maid arrive she had been unable to escape the lofty shadow that swept around the room with the movements of her tall, curvaceous figure, and... yes, she'd enjoy getting out of her quarters for a little while.

Even if it meant going to be seen at a political court in which she had no true place.

Without underwear.

“I'm... going, then,” Sina murmured, tugging down the edges of her skirt a little bit in an awkward attempt to protect herself from the feeling of “freedom” she was feeling... down below. The dress barely covered her backside, and was snug enough that taking a few steps would cause it to crumple slightly, undoubtedly offering a glimpse of the underside of the Vay bride's rear. But as she no longer had a choice in what she wore, it would be something that she'd simply have to endure.

Issalana took one long step to the smaller girl's side, laying one hand on the small of Sina's back and bringing the other to her chin, tilting Sina's face up a little as she began to lean in towards it. By the time the pale basileia realized what was happening, it was too late to stop it, and Issa had pressed those soft, dark, plush lips of hers against those of her mistress, holding the sudden kiss for a long moment while Sina wilted and went limp in the maid's arms. The kiss was long and warm but not as invasive as she'd expected, just soft and seemingly endless.

When it finally broke, Sina stumbled back on her feet, catching her breath awkwardly and blushing hard as Issa grinned down at her. “For luck, lady of mine,” the Estyan woman purred, before politely opening the door leading from Sina's quarters. “Stay confident. I'm certain the court will adore you.”

Blinking a few more times, too confused and flustered to protest, Sina nodded slowly and inhaled, lightly licking her own lips, tasting Issalana on them. “Th-thank you,” she murmured, turning and making her way out of her quarters, to the royal court where she was being awaited.