The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty Page 0,46

her ears must be hung with heavy jewels on tight gold clamps that stroked her neck when she moved, and her pubic lips of course could not be spared but must wear the same adornment. There were snake bracelets for her upper arms, and jeweled cuffs for her wrists, the effect to make her feel all the more exposed. Adorned and yet exposed. It was mystifying. About her neck finally a choker of jewels, and then on her left cheek a little jewel in paste like a beauty mark.

It caused her such annoyance. She wanted to wipe it away and could imagine it glittering. It seemed she could even see it out of the corner of her eye. But then she had been quite frightened when Leon tipped her head back, and put a delicate little gold ring on the side of her nostril. Its prongs pierced her though not deeply, only enough to hold it in place, but she almost cried because she wanted so to wipe it away like the jewel, indeed, to pull all these adornments loose, though Leon was complimenting her.

"Ah, when they give me something truly beautiful to work with, then I can show my skill," he sighed. He gave her hair a brisk brushing and then said she was ready.

Now she entered this vast shadowy parlor on her hands and knees and hurried to the Prince's side, kissing his boots immediately.

The Prince did not look up from his chessboard, and to Beauty's scalding shame, it was the Lady Juliana who greeted her:

"Ah, but if it isn't the darling one, and how lovely she looks. Kneel up, my precious," she said in that gay, carefree voice, tossing one of her braids back over her shoulder. She laid her hand on Beauty's throat, examining the jewel necklace. It seemed her fingers caused a tingling through Beauty's flesh, but she did not even try to steal a glance at the young woman's face.

"Why am I not sitting there as she is sitting, exquisitely dressed and free and proud," Beauty thought. "What has become of me, that I must kneel here before her and be handled as something less than human? I am a Princess!" And then she thought of all the other Princes and Princesses and felt foolish. "Do they think these thoughts?" This woman, more than any other, tormented her.

But Lady Juliana was not satisfied. "Stand up my dear so that I can have a look at you and don't make me tell you to put your hands behind your neck and spread your legs."

Beauty heard laughter from behind her and someone remarking to someone else that yes, the Prince's slave was well named. And realizing suddenly that there were no other slaves in this room, Beauty felt all the more bereft.

She shut her eyes as she had before when Lady Juliana had inspected her. And she felt the Lady's hands on her thighs and then pinching her buttocks. "O, why can she not leave me alone, doesn't she know what I suffer?" Beauty thought, and through her narrowed eyelids she looked down to see the Lady beaming at her.

"And what does her Highness think of her?" Lady Juliana asked with genuine curiosity, glancing at the Prince who was still deep in contemplation.

"She does not approve," the Prince murmured. "She accuses me of passion."

Beauty tried to remain composed, standing as she was in attendance. She heard laughter and conversation about her. She heard the rumbling of the old man's voice, and a woman say that the Prince's girl should serve the wine, should she not, so they might all see her?

"And haven't they seen me," Beauty thought. Could it be worse than the Great Hall, and what if she spilled the wine?

"Beauty, go to the sideboard and take the pitcher. Serve carefully and well, and come back to me," said the Prince, again without looking at her.

Beauty moved through the shadows to find the gold pitcher on the sideboard. She could smell the fruity aroma of the wine, and she turned, feeling awkward and graceless, and approached the first table. "A common serving girl, slave," she thought, more keenly than she had thought anything when she had been displayed.

With trembling hands she poured the wine slowly into goblet after goblet, and through her glazed vision saw smiles and heard whispered compliments. Now and then some haughty man or woman was quite indifferent to her. She was shocked once by a pinch on her rear and gasped