All the Power, Part 11.1 [Str8] [fantasy] [nosex]

*I present the next installment of All the Power. I will post a comment with a link to 11.2 when it’s up. The sexy bits are all in 11.2; this contains some more world-building and character moments.*

*Tags here apply to 11.1 only. Feedback very much encouraged.*

***

Tetenia exited the magneto-road in New Cortium along with Ellessa and Nervid, one of her male servants. They walked through a crowd of people, which almost seemed to part for them as they passed.

New Cortium, the largest city on the Sacred Isle, had been constructed from scratch after His Supremacy razed the old city of Cortium to construct what was now called Cortium Palace, one of His palaces. The city was located where the Delarnum River, which flowed into the lake at the Sacred Estate at its other end, flowed into the sea. Cortium was an old city, one of the Six Great Cities of Empire, and the commercial and cultural center of Pentash – the island that was rechristined the Sacred Isle after the Sacred Declaration. New Cortium was constructed across the river from the site of Cortium.

New Cortium was still the island’s commercial and cultural center, and was also now the headquarters of His Supreamcy’s Sacred Orders, making it a city that rivaled – arguably eclipsed – Meditri, Tras’s capital, in importance. His Supremacy built New Cortium on a grand scale, with wide roads, stately plazas, gleaming buildings, enormous temples to Him (rivalled only by those at the Temple Grounds on the Sacred Estate, and by one in Meditri) and a fully modern sanitation system. Tetenia was shocked by how clean it was and impressed by the elegance and solid construction of even the most commonplace strutures. She had never seen any place like it.

Partly, they were here simply because Tetenia wanted to see it, having heard stories of the city’s impressiveness. It was also a bit of a day trip. Concubines were not allowed to leave the Sacred Isle, and New Cortium was perhaps the only place of note they could easily travel to, as it was on the Isle and linked with the Estate – some fifty miles away – by the world’s fastest magneto-road. Despite this, any trip New Cortium would almost certainly entail a violation of the one-hour summons rule, should a concubine be summoned. This was a real-enough risk to deter frequent visits, but small enough that concubines would make trips to the city from time to time.

The other reason they visited was money. His Supremacy has recently gifted nearly all concubines monetary holdings worth two million gold tracens (and ten million for Queen Priestesses). It was impossible to spend any of this money on the Estate, and a relatively new concubine – fresh from devoting several months to penance – like Tetenia had no relationships with merchants in the city. So she thought it would be a good time make the trip.

***

Despite the spotless streets and often-grand buildings, the city was lively. Tetenia, who, in accordance with her rules as a concubine, was wearing nothing but a bra and panties, felt slightly uncomfortable having so much of her body exposed on city streets. Of course, her clothing (or lack thereof), ensured that everybody knew who she was. People tapped their companions on their shoulders and whispered when she passed, sometimes she caught men glancing at her with lust in their eyes. But nobody gave her any trouble. Indeed, the way they looked at her seemed to convey respect, as though she were some sort of visiting dignitary.

Tetenia, Ellesa and Nervid turned a corner onto a quiet street filled with shops. It was spotlessly clean, like the others.

“We’re here,” Ellessa said to Tetenia.
“So this is where the…concubines’ shops are?”

“Yes. There are a few in some other places, but this is where most of them are. There’s several on this block alone.”

Tetenia walked up to a a shop window. On display there were several sets, bras and panties, generally with plan designs but made of plush-looking fabrics. Tetenia saw her scantily-clad reflection in the mirror and thought, for a moment, about how strange it was that she was here.

“Do other people shop at these places?” she asked Ellesa.

“I’m not sure. Certainly they can but it’s very expensive. But nearly all of the concubines do, at least sometimes. Most girls have a favorite. I’ve heard that the sets you can buy in New Cortium are even finer and more comfortable than the ones you’re issued.”

“Huh,” Tetenia said, turning away from her reflection. It made some sense. She now had two million gold tracens to hold – she hadn’t had that kind of money at her disposal even as a princess. The Nordish crown itself probably did, but not Tetenia personally. She had all this money now, and her needs were mostly met, and she couldn’t even buy clothes outside of underwear. So why not spend as much as she’d like on the most comfortable underwear imaginable? And the other concubines were mostly in similar circumstances.

Tetenia walked to the next shop, whose products caught her eye. The fabrics here looked just as plush, but the patterns were more intricate – swirling flowers, geometric shapes, some even looked like little scenes stitched in the fabric. Tetenia and Ellesa entered the shop. Nervid waited outside, just in case a guardian and term servant showed up, summoning Tetenia to His Supremacy.

As Tetenia browsed, a woman with kind eyes walked up to her.

“Can I help you with anything?” the woman asked. Her tone was remarkably formal.

“Just browsing.”

“OK. Thank you. We’d be delighted to have your business,” the woman said, and smiled.

Tetenia browsed for a bit longer, and pulled out a bra with a tiny, intricate nature scene stitched into the lining: a willowy tree in a field of flowers. It, for a reason she couldn’t quite identify, reminded her of a garden near the Nordish castle that she played in as a girl. The fabric felt like a cloud.

“How much for this one?” Tetenia asked the woman, who was standing nervously in the corner, pretending to be distracted.

“Three thousand,” the woman said. “Three-thousand five hundred if you want it custom made.”

“Three thousand gold tracens?”

“Yes.”
“Is that for the set or just this piece?”

“Just the piece. The set would be four thousand. Forty-five hundred if it’s custom.”

Tetenia was taken aback, slightly. Four thousand gold tracens, or more, for a set of underwear? How many people never saw that much money in a year, she wondered. It couldn’t be many. When she married Daymon, her wedding dress – the entire dress – cost barely one-tenth of that, and her father gave her grief about it.

For a moment, Tetenia considered bargaining with the shopkeeper, but she sensed that it wasn’t done. She felt the bra again, and pressed it against her flesh. It was heavenly.

“We use rare silkworms for all of our products,” the shopkeeper said. “A special breed, imported all the way here from Siem on the new magneto-road. Any silk in anything we sell is spun from these worms, our suppliers raise them themselves.”

From Siem?, Tetenia thought. That was other side of the world. She wondered how much it cost to move silkworms such a tremendous distance. She wondered how it was even done. She felt the bra again, and looked at Ellesa.

“Get it if you like it,” Ellesa said, nonchalantly. Tetenia felt Ellesa’s and the shopkeeper’s eyes looking at her and for a moment she realized something – she was in control here. They were both awaiting her decision, the shopkeeper eagerly.

“OK, I’ll take it. The full set,” Tetenia said, turning to the shopkeeper. “How long for custom?”

“Three days,” the woman replied. “We always try to satisfy our customers, but we want our products to be aboslutley top-notch,” she added, apologetically.

“Three days is fine. I can have one of my servants come and pick it up? Can I pay you then?”

“Yes, whatever you’d like.”

Tetenia gestured to Ellesa, who handed the shopkeeper a note with Tetenia’s size and an IOU. “Thank you, thank you,” the shopkeeper said. “May I ask your name?”

“Tetenia.”

“Thank you, Tetenia. This is great. We’re excited to have your business. Don’t hestiate to come here, or send someone, if you ever need anything else.” She handed Tetenia a slip of paper with her name, the shop’s name, and its location. “We’re always happy to do what we can for our customers, really.” The way she fawned over Tetenia was mildly embarrassing.

“Thanks,” Tetenia said through a smile. “One of my servants will be back in a few days.”

“Wonderful, wonderful,” the shopkeeper replied. “And thank you.”

Exiting the shop, Tetenia, Ellesa and Nervid continued down the street. Tetenia briefly browsed in a couple more shops, but didn’t buy anything. Spending 4,500 gold tracens on one set of underwear still seemed like madness, to some degree. Buying more felt almost insane. Although she could certainly afford it.

At the end of the block, near an intersection with a busier street, Tetenia spotted a cafe with wide-open windows. It was a beautiful day. She turned to Ellesa. “Are you hungry? Feels like it’s lunchtime.”

“I could eat. I am getting hungry, actually.”

The three of them walked towards the cafe. Tetenia and Ellesa entered, with Nervid standing guard outside on the off-chance someone came to summon Tetenia.

The moment Tetenia and Ellesa walked into the cafe, there was a buzz. Tetenia could feel people glancing at them – glancing at her. Off in a corner, she saw a few servers suddenly conregate. A short man came out from a back room, walked up to them and introduced himself as the cafe’s proprieter.

“Welcome, welcome,” the proprieter said to Tetenia. “It’s wonderful to have you here, an honor. If you’ll just give us a moment we’ll prepare you a table. We’re sorry to keep you waiting.” They had just walked in, seconds ago.

“It’s okay,” Tetenia said.

“Thank you so much,” the proprieter said. “Just give us a moment, just a moment, we’re so sorry.”

He scurried off to a table near the window, where a server was talking to four patrons and gesturing towards Tetenia and Ellesa. He made some more gesticulations, although his face was apologetic. The people got up, and the server followed them out. “It’s on us, surely you understand,” Tetenia overheard the server saying.

Another server wiped the table down, while a third placed carafe of wine, two glasses, and some bread on the table. The server poured two glasses of wine. The other patrons were mostly eating, minding their own business, but Tetenia felt them occassionally glancing in her direction.

The proprieter rushed back to Tetenia and Ellesa. “Your table is ready,” he said. “Apologies for the delay.”

“What about them?,” Tetenia said as they walked to the table, gesturing at a few others who were standing near the entrance when she and Ellesa arrived. Presumably they were waiting to be seated.

“Oh, it’s fine, they understand,” the proprieter said. “We brought out a special vintage of wine for you. It’s on the house.” He pulled out a chair for Tetenia. “Please, sit, make yourself comfortable.” Tetenia sat down. “Would you like anything else right now?”

Tetenia looked at Ellesa, who shook her head. “I think we’re good for now, thanks.” A server handed them both menus.

“Well, this is our menu,” the proprieter said. “Please let me know if you have any questions. I’ll be taking care of you personally. If you anything, anything at all, don’t hestiate to ask.”

“Thanks.”

The proprieter walked away, and stood in a corner. Tetenia looked around and furrowed her brow. “Did they just….,” she asked Ellesa, trailing off.

“Make those people leave so that we could have their table? I think so.” Ellesa paused. “And it’s got four seats, too.”

Tetenia hadn’t even realized that, caught up as she was in the commotion. She didn’t recall people fussing over her in this way even when she was a princess. It was a little embarrassing. She took a sip of the wine. “This is good,” she said.

“Yes, it is.”

Tetenia took another sip. “Could I buy a bottle of this, do you think?”

“I’m sure you could, somehow. We can ask him about it.”

For a moment they sat quietly, drinking wine and nibbling on bread. The proprieter came back, with a small plate of cheese. “We just got this in, it’s wonderful,” he said. “We hope you like it.” Tetenia and Ellesa both ordered some food from the menu, and the proprieter scurried away again.

“So a decade ago, this whole city didn’t exist,” Tetenia mused aloud.

Ellesa smiled. “The Sacred Estate didn’t exist, either.”

“Do you ever think about how many people worked to build these places? I mean, the Estate, a whole new city. Cortium Palace. It know it was millions. Tens of millions, maybe.” Tetenia paused. “I can’t even fathom it.”

“I’ve thought about that, kind of,” Ellesa replied. “It is hard to fathom. Then again, how many people are working to build His new palaces now?”

“A lot, I’m sure. Maybe not as many as this but…it has to be a lot.”

“Has to be millions, probably. Didn’t you go to the one in Barria? How was it?”

“Yeah. It was basically like…a mini-Sacred Estate.” Tetenia laughed. “Of course, ‘mini’ is relative. I think if I had seen it before I saw the Estate, it would have blown my mind.”

“Obviously.”

“Is Cortium Palace like that? Have you been there?”

“I’ve never been,” Ellesa said. “The other side of the river is hillier, so I’m told it’s a little unusual. Fantastic views from some of the buildings, I’m sure. It probably is more-or-less a mini-Estate.”

“Does His Supremacy ever even stay there?,” Tetenia asked.

“You know, that’s a good question. I don’t really know. I’ve never heard of Him staying there. I’m not sure He’d have much reason to, really.”

“Yeah, that’s what I figured.” Tetenia took a slice of cheese – it was wonderful – and gazed out at the passersby in the street. She thought about what Ellesa had just said: His Supremacy razed and then rebuilt a city to build a palace for Himself in its place that He doesn’t even use. Somehow, the the thought made her a little wet. It was so unnecessary, yet the fact that He could do it, the fact that He could upend so much to do something that probably didn’t even need to be done, was somehow arousing.

Just then, everyone in the cafe looked up. So did Tetenia. Nervid was walking towards them, accompanied by a term servant and a guardian. It was clear what was about to happen.

“The concubine Tetenia,” the term servant said. “His Supremacy commands your presence.” There was a hush in the cafe the other patrons’ eyes drew towards Tetenia. Tetenia stood, and in the middle of a crowded cafe, removed her bra and panties and handed them to Ellesa. They all walked out, as the patrons gazed at Tetenia’s nude body.

Tetenia felt the weight of those gazes. Everyone knew exactly what she was going to do.

***

Daymon looked out the window of the inn at the morning sun beating on the fields. It was late autumn in Nordland – the harvest had passed – but it was unseasonably warm. He took a bite out of a warm roll and a long sip of tea, wearily eyeing the handful of other travelers eating their breakfasts.

It had been nearly a week since he left Bruck, left the castle in the middle of the night wearing the clothes of a commoner. The first night he slept rough, under a tree in a forest outside the city, hoping that no one would see him. As he got further into the countryside, he relaxed a bit, stopping at inns along the way, but he still felt he had to be careful.

There was nothing more for him in Bruck. He wasn’t really sure where he was going – he had a vague plan to find his way down to the port city of Mersala and get on a ship somewhere, but he wasn’t entirely certain he’d go through with it. But he knew he had to get out. In the weeks since he arrived home from performing the Term of Sacred Service, every day he felt this immense weight on his shoulders, like an invisible pressure following him around. He couldn’t concentrate on his work; he had seen Lady Mergerette just once and could barely muster up enough enthusiasm to kiss her.

The images from the Term replayed themselves in His head. Summoning Tetenia, watching her undress, the first time he had ever seen this woman who was his wife (albeit very briefly) naked and she was going to His Supremacy, to whom she now belonged. The insane, ecsatic, eager, praise he heard the Queen Priestesses give Him curing the Ceremony of Devotion – he hadn’t seen much of it, but hearing was more than enough. And the thing that stood out the most: in Barria, handing His Supremacy that beautiful glass carving, inches away from Tetenia’s face as she choked on His Supremacy’s cock. She degraded herself like a prostitute. The fact that all of His women did that, constantly, eagerly, didn’t make it any easier to see. And then minutes later that same object, one of the most beautiful things Daymon had ever seen, casually rolling out out of His Supremacy’s hand as He came in Tetenia’s mouth.

And that’s not even getting into the enormity of His Sacred Palace, the treasures, the praise, the constant grovelling, the hundreds of other women. He had so much. Just that knowledge, seeing it all firsthand, with Tetenia there, was too much for Daymon to take.

At first, Daymon was relieved to be back home, but issue after issue referred back to His Supremacy: the massive palace under construction in Nordland, the tribute, the magneto-road to supply His new palace, even smaller issues like royal ceremonies and protocol were imapcted because half the Nordish treasury had been given to Him as claims. He was inescapable. So Daymon felt that the only thing left to do was to escape.

Daymon had a vague sense that His Supremacy’s power, even just the fact of His existence, would feel less oppressive amongst the common people. It was mostly true, as much as he could tell so far. The common people still mostly went about their lives – they bowed down in Ceremony once a week, sure, but they weren’t constantly scrambling to satisfy His whims. They did have more benevolent view of His Supremacy, and many seemed to accept Him as God without much question, which irked Daymon. Still, His power didn’t seem to follow them around like a shadow.

Being on the road was even more refreshing. Sure, there were temples and shrines in various places, but mostly things looked the same. Trees were still trees, and fields were still fields. His Supremacy’s forces may have even improved the road without constantly reminding travelers of that fact. Imagine that – although surely the locals were told of His benevolence somehow.

Daymon placidly drank his tea and got out a small map from his rucksack. Charting his course, he realized that he should be crossing the border into the Imperial Province of The Galluc today, probably even this morning. This concerned him slightly. He looked common enough, but there probably would be guards who would ask where he was going and he hoped they wouldn’t ask too much, given the vagueness of his plans. They also might search his belongings, which contained a few dozen gold tracens, the only thing in his possession that might hint of his noble origins. He regretted that he hadn’t only brought full tracens instead.

For a few moments, Daymon cntinued to quietly sip his tea and then he walked over to the desk to pay his bill and leave. He walked up to the unmanned desk, and looked around, noticing a small figure of His Supremacy sitting on top of a wooden box. Common people loved these silly trinkets, they were everywhere, as though they were good-luck charms. Daymon rubbed his temples and tried to focus on something else.

Just then a man not much older than Daymon walked up behind the desk. “I’m so sorry, I was trying to help the cook find the tea and it was just madness,” the man exclaimed. He had the air of someone who frequently found normal events to be ‘madness.’

“I’d like to settle up and check out,” Daymon said, handing the man his room key.

“Sure, sure. That’s one night, plus breakfast?”

“Yes.”

“That’ll be twenty full tracens.”

Daymon reached into his rucksack and grabbed two gold tracens, an equivalent amount, and handed them to the man.

“Oh, gold tracens,” the man said. “Thank you sir, this is great. We don’t see too many gold tracens here, I think that might be the fifth and sixth all year.” The man turned around, very carefully removed the His Supremacy figurine from its perch atop the wooden box, and opened the box. “Oh, OK. Sixth and seventh. Silly me. Good year, by rights, I’d say.”

The man put the figurine back on the box and then turned back towards Daymon. “We like to the gold tracens we get and at the end of the year give them to the Sacred Order of Servants at the local temple,” the man said. “They say it could bring good fortune!” He paused, and smiled. “Anyway, we can’t do much to serve and please His Supremacy. So this is a small thing…but it’s just something we can do.”

“Oh really?” Dayon tried not to sound too skeptical, fearing it might make him seem suspicious.

“Well, yes.” The man chuckled. “It’s not much, I know. It’s nothing, really. But it’s our little contribution.”

Their little contribution to serving and pleasing His Supremacy, Daymon thought. As though He needed it. “Well, it’s not a bad idea,” Daymon said, straining to be friendly and inconspicuous. “We all need to serve and please Him however we can.” Daymon paused, hating himself a little for saying that. “Anyway, it was an excellent stay. Nice place you’ve got here. I need to get going, but thank you.”

“Thank you,” the man behind the desk said. “Safe travels.”

“You bet.”

With that, Daymon turned to leave, wondering if he could really escape His Supremacy after all.

Source: reddit.com/r/sexystories/comments/8h2nt1/all_the_power_part_111_str8_fantasy_nosex