Delivered by the Defender (Kindred Tales)

The bed was the best thing—it was like a vast, round marshmallow with a light, lacy canopy overhead that sparkled with tiny, twinkling lights. As she looked at the mattress, Selena realized it was rippling slightly, in the same way the grass-carpet was rustling. What was that about?

There was expensive looking artwork on the walls—lots of mosaics, which the Ma’shorkans seemed to really like—as well as some abstract art in shades of blue and green. She also saw a deep bay window with a cushioned window seat, but she was surprised to see that the view outside didn’t show the stately house next door. Instead, she saw a high mountain peak, covered in snow.

“Why is the window showing a mountain instead of the house next door?” she asked, stepping into the room.

“Oh, that’s just a privacy screen—you can set it for any scene you like, little Mistress, and nobody can see in,” Pashmeena said cheerfully. “Please, if you wouldn’t mind, would you take off your shoes, though? I fear you’ll bruise the tickle-grass—it’s quite sensitive, you know.”

“Oh—sorry!” Selena hastily slipped off her little slippers and handed them to Pashmeena, who was holding out her hands for them. The housemaid put the slippers on a rack behind the door, which seemed to be made for shoes, and smiled.

“There now—better for the tickle-grass and for you as well, my lady! Just take a step and see.”

Experimentally, Selena took another step into the room and gave a little gasp when she felt something cool and ticklish massaging her bare feet.

“Oh, it’s like a million little fingers!” she exclaimed, looking down at the thick turquoise grass. “You’re right—it feels really good!”

Pashmeena nodded approvingly.

“Of course! It’s excellent for tired feet. That’s the value of tickle grass and the reason it comes so dear. I have to water it special every morning and you must be careful how you step on it, but as long as you take care of it, it’ll take care of you.”

“It feels lovely,” Selena said truthfully. “Um, is there a restroom up here, anywhere?” she asked, looking around the beautifully appointed room. It had been a long time since her attempt to “go” at the spaceport and the need had receded for a while, but now she was really feeling the urge.

“A rest room?” Pashmeena shook her head, looking confused. “Do you mean someplace to rest?”

“No, I mean someplace to, uh, relieve myself,” Selena said, hoping the Ma’shorkan woman would understand. Since she hadn’t been able to eat any of the vending machine dinner at the palace, she’d drunk quite a bit of water instead, and now she really had to pee!

“Oh, of course, little Mistress! It’s in the little alcove here, in the bathing room. This way, if you please.”

Pashmeena opened an ornately carved, white wooden door, revealing a bathroom fit for a princess. The tan, cream, and aqua theme was continued here, making the room feel both beachy and exotic.

“Wow…” Selena looked around, taking in the large, rectangular shower area which had tan stone walls, as well as an enormous round tub, that looked more like a hot tub than a bathtub. It had a ring of green vines growing all around its outer edge with honeysuckle-like flowers.

The flowers perfumed the air beautifully with a light, floral scent. Like the tickle grass and the surface of the bed, they seemed to be moving slightly—nodding in a breeze that only they could sense.

“Oh, it’s like a garden tub!” she exclaimed, stepping up to get a closer look at the flowers. The tickle grass continued on into the bathroom so her feet were still beautifully cushioned as she walked.

“A garden tub?” Pashmeena laughed. “Well, I s’pose you might say so, my lady. Though the cleansing blooms hardly count as a whole garden. If you have to pass some water, the facilities are in there,” she added, nodding at a small alcove at one end of the luxurious bathroom. “I’ll get your bath ready while you take care of business.”

“Thank you!” Selena ducked gratefully into the small alcove and pulled the privacy curtain closed behind her. She looked around, feeling rather apprehensive and hoping that this bathroom wouldn’t be like the weird one at the spaceport.

To her relief, rather than just a drain in the floor, there was actually a place to sit. It looked more like a broad, padded bench than a toilet back home, but there was a hole in the middle of it, which was good enough for Selena.

Actually, there were two holes. She stared at them in consternation. Did the Ma’shorkans take bathroom trips together and was this a his-and-hers toilet? Or was one hole for number one and the other for number two? She had no idea and there was no indication either way.

Well, she only had to go number one, so hopefully either hole would do, she decided at last. Before she went, though, she wanted to take off the platinum and crystal harness. It had been sexy when Valen was parading her around in it at the palace—now it was just awkward and intrusive.