“But not now, certainly,” said Beauty. “When we have so very much to discuss. We were speaking of a new spirit.”

“In time, sire, I’ll tell you all I know of what happened,” said Tristan, “of all that was written by Nicholas in the Queen’s chronicles. And I can write to Lexius if that is your wish.”

“I have already written,” said Alexi. “I wrote to him before we left Bellavalten.”

“That’s good, very good,” I said. “I want to know all about what happened with Lexius. Is there any chance Lexius might return?”

“There’s a possibility,” said Alexi. “But Lexius is far away, in the land of his birth, and it will take some time for our letters to reach him.”

I could see that Lady Eva and Lady Elvera were both fascinated. So was the Captain, as the matter of Alexi writing to Lexius had surprised him. I had to know more of all of this.

“But come now,” said Beauty, “to the discussion of the new spirit.”

“Any good mistress or master,” said Lady Eva, “can play a good slave like a harp.”

“Yes, and it my wish,” said Beauty, “that there be slaves of different ages. In the past most were very young, and with reason, but now and then the kingdom might receive older slaves whose gifts rival those of the young ones, and whose stamina is undiminished, and whose will to serve burns bright.”

“Ah, yes,” said Prince Alexi with a long sigh.

Captain Gordon nodded approvingly. “There are some male ponies in the village now who are older,” he said. “There are some so accustomed to that life that they don’t welcome any other.”

“This doesn’t surprise me,” I said, though I had to confess I didn’t remember any older ponies. On the other hand, there had been some very rough ponies in those days indeed, and I never really saw all of the others, only those who were in our teams, or near us in the stalls, or took their recreation when we did.

I caught Lady Eva gazing at me with girlish admiration.

I smiled so broadly I forced her to smile against her will. She gave me a mock-reproving look as if to say, You’re a bad boy.

“And, Your Majesties,” she said, quickly recovering her usual remarkable composure, “may I present you with many innovations of my own which I have developed since I came to the kingdom? Why, I have developed many potions, potions that can aid the most shy slaves to express their passion, and other potions to force sleep and rest at the appropriate times, and of course there are pastes and plasters for decorating slaves that I’ve developed that might well enhance female ponies, and the old tantalizing potions used to punish. Why, I have a great alchemist, Matthieu, working with me in the kingdom, and much can be done now that couldn’t be done in the past because our late queen had no interest, but only if you would allow.”

“We would allow,” said Beauty. “Indeed this sounds most interesting, and precisely the kind of initiative we wish to encourage.” She glanced at me brightly. “Now one thing further,” she said turning to the group again, “that I should make clear. If many applicants come to us and are found worthy, we can greatly expand the use of slaves for different kinds of labor throughout the realm, with great incentives offered to slaves to work their way up the ladder of servitude from the most menial to the finer forms.”

“Yes, this makes perfect sense,” said Tristan. “As of now, after so many years of gradual decline, the kingdom contains only one very large village, and that is the Queen’s Village. The small hamlets scattered throughout the forest and the few manor houses, except for mine, have had no slaves in years.”

“There was a time when they did,” said Alexi. “I remember noble slaves coming to Court to serve in those manor houses when I came. They were sons and daughters of lesser families.”

“I remember talk of that,” said Tristan. “I never saw them. But Nicholas told me years ago that there were no more noble slaves, only royal slaves. The kingdom had declined. It was declining up to the day we left it to come here. But surely with a new birth, many will return to the kingdom, and the manor houses and the little hamlets will take on a new life.”

“But all citizens of the realm will treat all slaves with great care,” I said firmly. “In my time there, slaves were well cared for, massaged, oiled, pampered, and well fed. And it did seem as if the roughest louts in the village knew the rules. No burning, no cutting, no breaking of the skin.”

“Oh, most certainly,” said Captain Gordon. “It is the same now. All slaves protected. All slaves are bathed, oiled, and massaged carefully, regardless of however lowly they might be. And we would be very vigilant with new citizens as to the rules. Slaves are costly. Slaves are precious.” He was working himself up into a lather. I had apparently offended him. “Even of late, slaves are pampered and protected from neglect.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” I said. “And great care will be taken of course that all guests know the rules.”

“Oh, most certainly, sire,” said Tristan. “I never really knew when I was a slave how many guests did visit the kingdom simply to enjoy the slaves.”

“There have always been hundreds in residence,” said Lady Elvera. She regarded me with her usual cold stare, but her voice had an easy warmth to it, and her words came slowly and evenly. “And at times long ago, there were even thousands of guests for special festivals. But then the Queen grew weary, as we all know.”

“And with a new and vital era beginning,” said Tristan, “we will need our beautifully trained grooms and squires everywhere, always, keeping watch upon the kingdom’s treasure: its slaves.”

“We will need more grooms and squires,” said Beauty. “And I am sure they will come.”

“There are rooms in the castle in the north and east towers,” said Lady Eva, “that have never been used. There is an entire wing of the castle that has been neglected. There must be fifty different rooms there, all waiting to be restored. And then Lord Gregory has the east tower all to himself. There are many rooms above his.”

“Indeed there are manor houses that are now deserted,” said Lady Elvera. “I have always lived at Court, but there are lords and ladies who would pay handsomely for an abandoned manor house which they might lovingly restore to the grandeur of the past—if they could keep their own slaves.”

“And why not?” asked Beauty. “Oh, this is splendid. There is so much to be done, proclamations to be written, lists of rules to be drawn up, new buildings that must be designed.”

“Yes, Your Majesty, it is all too astonishing,” cried Lady Eva. “I will do anything and everything that I might to see your dreams realized.”

“Well, then,” I said. “You have our acceptance of your offer, and you have the main thrust of the changes we would make.”

Prince Alexi rose to his feet. “Your Majesties, I salute you both.” He appeared on the verge of tears. It didn’t seem to me he’d been half so beautiful when he was younger, or perhaps my tastes had changed. He was a man of stunning face and form now, delicate, yes, like something made of dark glass that might break, but I liked him.

Of course I did not think of him now as I’d found him last night in my wife’s bed, in my bed, and naked and childlike as he had hurried to get clear of me, to dress himself and leave the chamber. And I, I had so wickedly detained him, reaching inside his pants to feel his cock and balls before I let him go, and then kissing him myself as if to claim him. What a piquant and tasty man he was. Hmmm. Such lips, such kisses. But this was a new epoch for us all, wasn’t it, including my precious queen who had not even waked last night to welcome me until I’d used my belt gently on her curvaceous little bottom. Well, suffice it to say that I understood why she’d chosen Alexi for her pleasure.

Tristan and Captain Gordon rose quickly, and Lady Eva rose and made a deep bow. “This is the happiest day of my recent life,” she proclaimed.

“There is much to do,” said Beauty. “And I am most interested in these pastes and plasters and potions you describe, Lady Eva, and some other ideas are coming to me, memories of things I have from the Sultan’s realm.”

“Yes, we are ready and willing with our whole hearts,” said Tristan.

“You have fulfilled our dreams,” said Lady Elvera as she rose slowly. “And I suspect this is as the old queen wished it to be. Bellavalten will be reborn.”

“And in that matter of Lexius,” I added. “You will write to him and invite him to return?” I looked at Lady Eva as if she were my personal scribe now.

“As you wish, Your Majesty,” she answered. “I will do anything you command.”

So it was decided.

So it was done.

I bid them all to be seated again, giddy and relieved as they were, and called for more wine for the entire company.

We had confided to no one the strange dreams we’d had of Titania of Mataquin, but then why should we? There was no necessity for that. Our past was ours, and not the possession of anyone but us. But this happiness belonged to all of us. Yet these moments would not have been so sweet to me had I not seen with my own eyes the splendid Titania of Mataquin, had I not heard it from her lips that I had always been the prince destined for my beloved Beauty.