Other Lover

She had another lover, a lover like the wind and the rain and the earth. The one who made her smile. The one who made her her. The one who made her everything. She was her everything and it was the other way around too.

Queen Ryheza met her after Crisa had stopped sitting in the corner of the bed chambers and permitted the King to return to the harem when he wished. 

At first Good King Razz went only during the day, when the harem was quieter. Some of the women helped Queen Ryheza with her duties, while Crisa had many of the others managing various palace affairs. 

Her name was Zejja, too young to be assigned for anything useful with the Queen or the Governess, but only a few years younger than the King. 

She was to make sure there were always enough towels everywhere. 

Through a childhood accident she was unable to produce children, and was taken into the harem as a gift from one of the villages King Razzasbel had vanquished. His victory consisted of building walls at the routes into the village and preventing any supplies from coming in. 

They relented after two seasons and submitted. Zejja arrived in a group of captives, the women of whom except for Zejja being married off and the men of whom were assigned to different menial labor, in the mines, on the farms and so on. 

Zejja was the only one there in the harem when King Razzasbel first entered it as a married man that late morning. She was refreshing the towels. He was inconsolable. His new Queen, he thought, was demanding. And Crisa, in the corner all those days. He confided in Zejja.

She had not spoken to the King before, but tried to ingratiate herself with him. The folks from her village who were brought with her to the capital city would sometimes inquire about it through various minor palace workers. 

Zejja never knew who they might be, but never had anything to tell them when they appeared with their messages and question from the outside. 

Until the King walked into the harem that late morning. 

They spent the day together and she was whatever he wanted her to be. 

That evening he didn't want to let go. Zejja was interested in the Queen, and suggested she join the King and accompany him back to the royal bed chamber.

-The Queen would like me, Zejja reassured him. By then he would've trusted anything from her. 

The Queen did like her, and more, and Zejja stayed for a few more nights, before Good King Razz got the feeling the two of them were more interested in each other than her. 

Zejja and Ryheza kept getting more interested in each other despite the King separating them in the royal chamber. 

There were many places in the palace for two lovers to meet. 

Eventually Zejja introduced the Queen to her other lover, knowing that she would love him too. 

It was in that way the Queen came to be with her second child, the prince Razzasbel.