The 14th Concubine of a Harem King

Sayra, the King's Favorite

"You're highness! Oh you're so beautiful. It's such an honor for you to join us!" A clear, low voice cuts through the room full of giggling girls. I survey the room I've entered. Red and purple decorations. Any chance for gold to adorn anything it does. There's an ugly golden horse with an oddly human face sitting on a small table to the side. The walls are decorated with murals of bloody wars and scantily clad women crying with their clothes torn off and others standing over them holding sceptors. Purple drapings cascade down with no true purpose other than being a nuisance. A large wooden table sits in the center of it all with gold, red and purple cushions scattered around and 13 expensively dressed women draped over the couches. They have already started drinking and the poignant smell flares my nostrils. Am I in a brothel? The women lean on each other comfortably and giggle with one another.

At the front of the table sits a beautiful woman, long red hair and striking brown eyes. Blood red lips and flawless skin. Her dress is purple, just like her surroundings and her ample breasts creep out of her expensive dress seductively. If she stood still long enough she would blend in with the wall murals.
"Welcome to King Garnam's harem! We are all friends here! Please, join us for a game!" She smiles widely. Her eyes sparkle and I sense keen awareness in them.
"Yes, yes! You're highness, we are so excited to have you!" The other concubines echo. They shift over to make room for me. I take a seat at the opposite side of the table from my adversary. I know immediately who is on charge in this room.
"This is Sayra, she is the head concubine. Isn't she beautiful?" The girl beside me says. She is quite a pretty thing herself, probably a year younger than me with big brown eyes and brown hair. Her dress is blue and soft with silver decorations. She takes a swig from her cup and pours me one.
"I'm Rundale, that's Porshelle, Syriana, Katy, Fyria, Lilette, Yewell, Drasia, Hylenna, Chrystelle, Vahalia, and Maran," she motions to each of them and they smile and wave. This harem is not what I expected.
"We thought it would be best if we all met in an unformal setting so you'd feel the most comfortable with us. We are all sisters here!" Says Sayra. Everyone listens when she speaks.
"This is Sayra's house, isn't it lovely?" Says Rundale to me. "It's no wonder the king favors her so highly. She's absolutely perfect!"
"Oh Rudy, you're too kind to me. I'm just a common girl who was accepted with open arms by you beautiful, remarkable noble ladies!" Says Sayra. I take a long glance at her face and feel disgust immediately. Sayra smiles widely at me her intelligent eyes trying to pierce my defenses but the greedy glint gives her away. I smirk at her with disdain and glance down at my cup. Somehow, I have to pretend to drink this.

Rule number 2, do not drink any alcohol unless in the kings presence. I'm currently in a den of lions so I have no intention of drinking one drop.
"This is our favorite game to play when there lots of us, it's a betting game but since we all have everything we want here, at the kings palace we play for different stakes!" Says Sayra.
"Hehe, what stakes should we play today?" Fyria giggles.
"What about strip Qawell?" Says Vahalia, who is sitting next to Sayra, she glances at Sayra who gives her an approving smile.
"How about secrets?" Says Sayra softly.
"Oooh, secrets!" They all giggle. I sigh inwardly, what a ridiculous farce.
"How about strip and secrets?" Says Porshelle. "If you can't tell a secret none of us have heard yet you have to take off a piece of clothing."
"And jewelry doesn't count!" Pipes up Rundale.
"Let's do it!" Says Sayra. Her eyes settle on me. "Oh, sorry your highness, hopefully, our silliness isn't distasteful to you. I think this will help you feel most at ease with us if we get rid of all the formalities at once!"
"Yes yes!!" They all agree.
I try not to cringe. Playing with my pretty Qawell token. Ugh, I'm accustomed to bullying but this nonsense is beyond me.

The game begins and Sayra establishes herself as an excellent player. Any bet the others make, she raises, any play the others make, she's better. They take large swigs in frustration whenever she bests them and slowly their clothes come off as their faces redden. I watch her fingers move and slip around the tokens with ease, she swiped a token from Vahalia while she was taking off her dress. I spill my drink onto my dress pretending to be intoxicated. It's my turn.
"Ah hahaha, you lose! Tell us a secret! Tell us a secret!" They all chime in. 3 of them are in nothing but their underwear, 5 of them are down to their corsets, and all of them are heavily intoxicated.
I mimic their movements and slur my speech. "When I was 10... my dad accidently killed my favorite fish, Ivil..." I say. "I never said anything... because he'd feel sooooo guilty..." I pout.
All the girls titter. "Oh you poor thing! What kind of fish was it? The poor little creature!"
Sayra frowns but swipes another token this time from Porshelle. Vahalia and Porshelle are both nearly completely naked with their breasts hanging out but smiles big enough to cover their entire bodies. This is a mess. Do none of them realize Sayra is cheating? I can't mention it because I'm the new girl and everyone adores Sayra who has tight control over all 13 of them.
"Porshelle! Get naked! Get naked!"
She bites her lip, apparently she still has a cent of decency not to expose her private parts in a room of tittering women.
She leans forward. "Secret," she says.
The whole room hushes.
"My father...had a son with a mistress before his firstborn with his wife..." she pauses. A couple girls squeal at the story. "He paid her off for years but after she died, that stupid woman's son.... he's demanding the title..." she giggles.
"Why can't he... just claim... it's not his son?" Mutters Rundale.
"He can't haha!" She laughs . "I saw him! He's the spitting image of my brother Kalis!"
Everyone laughs.
"You can't tell anybody though... if it comes out he had a bastard with a prostitute... he'll lose his position as chancellor."
"Of course, what happens in this room stays in this room," says Sayra who's smiling and glances over her table of intoxicated, silly women with hungry, greedy eyes. I feel sick. I know now how she got her position of head concubine despite being a commoner. She's extorting information from these poor girls and then selling it to the king for his favor. What a disgusting woman. I take a big swig of my drink and then clench my stomach to regurgitate it loudly into my cup.
"Oh no! Lorora, are you feeling okay?" Ask Sayra, feigning concern.
"I... I feel sick..." I stand up and teeter to complete my act. "I... I have to go..." I stumble out and the moment I'm out of sight of that horribly decorated house I stand up straight again and allow the honest nausea to set in on me. What a deplorable sight. What a disgusting woman that Sayra girl. I make my way quickly to my house and the moment I enter the door Yalise comes to greet me. I fall into her arms and allow the comfort of familiarity strengthen my nerves.
"What happened, your highness? You smell like alcohol! Oh my dear, did you break rule number 2?" Her voice is shaky. My dress is soaked in spilled wine because that's where the majority of the wine I pretended to drink went as Sayra's eyes watched my cup.
I shake my head. "No, I just spilled it there to hide it," I reply my face still buried. "Yalise, I met the most horrible woman."
"Sit down, your highness, sit down," she leads me to a simply decorated couch and sits down across from me.
I pour out my tale to her and her frowns deepens more and more.
"You must have as little to do with this girl as possible," she says. "If she approaches you deal with her with a firm hand and make it clear you have no intention of participating in her disgusting orgies."
I nod. "I expected bullying and petty fights among women to gain the kings favor, but this is beyond me!"
"She will likely target you since you are a princess of a neighboring country. You must never let your guard down around her. If she gets the upper hand over you, she will use it to compromise your father."
I click my tongue. "Conniving head concubine with a power complex. She's still just a common girl who can't see past her own greed. I have no intention of letting a foul hearted girl like that get anything on me, or my father." I stand to my feet. "Help me get changed, Yalise, and bathe. I feel utterly disgusting in this soaked dress. I spilled 5 cups of wine on the dress and the petticoat and corset underneath. It was one of my wedding gifts from a stranger I've never met. If I ever do I'll tell them to take comfort that their gift was useful.