Thread: The royal harem of Rhodesia (DaveTheHuman x Poppy)

The Kingdom of Rhodesia was well known on the continent for its beautiful, pastoral countryside. It didnt quarrel with the neighbors, the Silvia and Trussaley empire, instead focusing the efforts on serving the people of the Kingdom instead of feeding a never ending war machine. While Silvia was for education and magic, Trussaley was all for war and increasing their territory. Rhodesia produced most of the food for the three countries, as it had the most suitable land. Rhodesia had been blessed by a strong royal family that had ruled the land without interruption ever since the dawn of recorded history. The Rinali royal family was just and fair, never lacking in male heirs to take the throne. The leadership was lauded in songs and stories, but things had been changing for the last hundred years. The royal family had started to shift, becoming corrupt and greedy for money, raising the taxes to unthinkable levels in order to fund their lavish lifestyle. The Kings of Rhodesia had ensured that their lineage survived by forming a harem. In the early days, the harem took a girl from every noble household that offered one, in hopes of securing an alliance with the throne. It was expected of the King to bed and breed these women, in order to ensure a successor to the blood line. After all, it wasnt uncommon for children to take ill and pass. So having a spare for the heir was mandatory. The harem was a place of wonder and beauty, no other place was as beautifully decorated in the lands. The harem palace was just as big as the Kings palace, but full of beautiful women in even lovelier clothing. The children were also allowed to stay with their mothers, and the rooms a woman was given depended on her status as the Kings favorite, or having many children. There were inside gardens beyond compare, a sizeable pond inside to swim in, and gorgeous murals. Not to mention the access to education, books, instruments, and other fine items. In order to remain in the harem, all one had to do was please the King and remain loyal. All of the harem wives wore red, the color of royalty. It marked them as women that were bonded to the crown, and no one else could touch them. From time to time, a woman in the harem might fall in love with a guard or a servant. But, it was a dangerous game. For if they were caught, the man was put to death and the woman was shamed. Her beautiful hair would be shorn, and sent away to a brothel. Such was the fate of female prisoners in the kingdom, in order to work and earn money for the royal family. But, for the last century, the Rinali family was causing friction among the noble houses for how they selected the ladies for the harem. Instead of taking in women who were offered, the royal family began to demand. The selfish Kings only desired the most beautiful, even if they were their familys only child. If a family would dare to defy his wishes, the consequences could be extreme. With the current monarch, he had failed to produce any children with a single member of the harem. And as he was soon to reach his fiftieth winter, there was audible concern in the court. So he extended his search for young and beautiful noble women, requiring them no matter the cost. Such was the fate for Circe Animus, the only beloved daughter of her family. The Animus family was one of the lowest ranked noble families, tasked with breeding and training the fine horses used by the King and the Generals in the military. In addition, the family was known for their trait of white blonde hair and eyes of varying purple shades. Their skin remained fair and white, no matter how much they worked outside. Her father had been the whipping boy for the current King, Georgio Rinali, so he considered him to be a friend. The King had his eye on Circe ever since she had her first bleed, but had to wait until her sixteenth birthday to send summons to inform her of her accomplishment of securing a spot in the harem. Due to having considered himself close friends to the King, the patriarch of the Animus family asked for the King to reconsider. And when Georgio insisted, they tried to smuggle their daughter to another noble family, in order to try to keep her safe. Unfortunately, the guards that had been sent to escort her to the palace were able to stop the plan. Circe was forcibly taken to the harem, while the rest of the Animus family were publicly executed. They were to be a lesson to the other nobles, to teach them to stay in line. In order to try to win her affections, the King allowed Circe access to the stable. She had grown up with the horses, and Georgio hoped that with some time and preferential treatment, her affections would shine upon him. Even if she didnt care for him, in time, he would have his way with her. Only the highest ranking women in the harem were allowed out of the harem palace, so this was seen as quite the privilege. For a decade, she spent any of her time allowed out of the harem palace in the stables, finding comfort with the horses. She had failed to bear the King a child, and he was beginning to turn abusive to his harem wives. But here, in the quiet stable, she could escape her current situation and instead help to take care of the horses that her family had helped to breed. The white haired girl was forbidden to ride, lest she be with child. During the beginning of her stay in the harem palace, there had been a stable boy that she enjoyed conversing with. Of course, if anyone else was around, she would be basically mute around the boy. Dressed in red, she was the property of the King. And Circe didnt wish to have him punished for speaking to her. Some servants, as of late, had been executed for simply meeting the gaze of the King. The women could only be touched or gazed upon by the King and no one else. But, in time, the boy had disappeared. A part of her was afraid that someone had caught them talking, and reported it for their own financial gain. For a time, she was sick with worry, having thought the boy to be her only friend left in the world. And for the past seven years, she felt truly and utterly alone. However, for the last few years, there was a revolt. The peasant and noble classes were tired of the high taxes and barely any food, as their crops had been sold to the surrounding kingdoms versus enough being kept to feed the citizens properly. The Kings head was now on a pike, and there was unrest and uncertainty in the royal harem. The harem was seen by most as an excessive expense, a drain on the coffers. With the Rinali royal family now dead, the very lives of the women were in jeopardy. Were they to remain, and be faithful to the new King? Or, were they to be executed, in order for the peasants to feel some small amount of victory. Some noble families had already came for their daughters that were taken forcibly, the harem slightly emptier than normal. But on this date, after weeks of uncertainty, the women were informed that the new King would be coming to let them know of their fates. They were to gather in the common area and wait, no matter how long it took, for the man to show. Circe was dressed in red, the color she loathed the most, as that was all any woman in the harem had to wear. Her long white hair hanging loose around her face. In order to pass the time, she had selected a book to read, curled up onto one of the ornate and gilded chairs in the area. Some of the women, hoping to attract the attentions of the new King, wore every piece of finery they had and painted their faces accordingly. Circe simply wore the necklace her mother had, a red velvet band with the Animus family coat of arms in green and silver. A small tiara was placed upon her crown, another item that had been her mothers. While some women panicked and gossiped, Circe was the epitome of calm, waiting for her new King to arrive.