Part Four (Sigrid Visits The Seraglio)

[sigridharem]

This is intended to be at least a few days, possibly a full week after Part Three.


When Sigrid entered the seraglio, Mikael was waiting to greet her with a warm smile.

"I take it from your expression things have improved since my last visit?" Sigrid said wryly.

He laughed. "I should hope so, Lady Sigrid. But no, there haven't been any further difficulties."

She offered him her hand and Mikael took it, lifting it to press a quick kiss to her palm, which made her smile.

Out of all her men, Mikael had been with her the longest, very nearly since the beginning, in fact. Sigrid didn't consider herself a particularly sentimental person, but even as her tastes had refined she could never bring herself to discard gentle, respectful Mikael and his tall, muscular body.

"Who knows I'm here?" she inquired.

"Wolfgang, of course, so probably Sebastian too. I'm not certain about the others."

Sigrid raised her eyebrows. "Not Klaus?"

To her surprise, a subdued look of sadness crossed Mikael's face. "I'm not sure. We haven't really had a chance to talk lately."

She squeezed his hand, feeling absurdly guilty for something beyond her control. "I'm sorry. Should I-"

"No, no," Mikael said hastily. "It's nothing serious, Lady. I promise."

"If you say so." Sigrid was skeptical, but she trusted Mikael would tell her if her involvement would be of any use. And ultimately if it had nothing to do with her she was hardly known for her skills in mediation. "And what of Sasha?"

"What of him?"

She frowned. "Usually by this time some resentments or behavioral issues have cropped up."

"I would say generally speaking he is well liked or tolerated. Sebastian perhaps dislikes him, but you know Sebastian. He'll keep it to himself." Mikael smiled, walking to the double doors.

He doesn't have to take physical action to make Sasha feel unwelcome. But she kept the thought to herself, as Mikael was hardly the person to express that anxiety to.

"Good. I'll see to the rest myself then." Mikael bowed and she opened the doors.

"Princess! Y-you're here!" Leifr nearly stumbled over his own feet in his eagerness to rise from the divan and greet her. He was always like that, ungainly as a colt though he'd already had his long limbs when he pledged himself to Sigrid last year. But that was part of his charm, along with his unflagging devotion and the fact that she'd yet to find a limit to his pain tolerance. Besides, he often achieved a kind of elegance of his own in restraints.

"Leifr." She stroked his cheek, brushing back his long black hair, then glanced back at the divan.

Klaus grinned and waved cheerfully at her. "It's good to see you, Princess!"

Sigrid smiled, crossing to him. "Have you missed me, Klaus?"

He pulled a dramatic face and threw himself backward onto the divan. "Terribly."

Behind him at the chess table, Wolfgang rolled his eyes and Sebastian snorted.

With a laugh, Klaus sprang up again and shook his head, red curls bouncing. "I'm a big boy, I can wait like everybody else."

"That's what I thought." Sigrid held out her hand and Klaus kissed it with a laugh. It was impossible not to have fun with Klaus, who was always creative as well as enthusiastic. He had been one of her favorites before Leifr, and she still adored him.

"Princess?"

Klaus' head whipped back and Sigrid followed his gaze to Sasha, who had just entered the common area. The moment their eyes met Sasha offered her a shy smile.

"Sasha!" Klaus beamed, patting the arm of the divan. "Get over here!"

Sasha glanced at Sigrid and she inclined her head, indicating she was in agreement with Klaus.

Now she saw them together, Sigrid noticed that Sasha and Klaus had rather similar builds, around her height and tending towards slim rather than muscular (although Klaus's thighs were nothing to sneeze at). Throw in Wolfgang and it starts to look like I have a type.

"Now, now," Sebastian drawled, sprawling out and waving a tanned hand. "Surely you've had your fill of him for now, Princess."

"I didn't get tired of you so easily when you first arrived, did I, Sebastian?" Sigrid smiled.

"Get your boots off the game, you filthy clod. Do you think think is a tavern?" Wolfgang slapped one of Sebastian's feet with a gloved hand and Sigrid barely stifled a laugh. Despite appearances, Sebastian and Wolfgang had known each other longer than they'd known her, back when Sebastian was a mercenary for hire and Wolfgang, then a lord, had paid for his services. She couldn't pretend to understand their relationship, but underneath it all they seemed to quite respect each other.

"True enough." Sebastian smirked at Wolfgang and adjusted his position so his feet were back on the floor. "There, I've compromised with Lord Prissypants. See how accommodating I am?"

"Lady Sigrid, I would apologize for this boor's display, but he seems to delight in making himself more irritating in your presence, so I can only assume you enjoy his tomfoolery," Wolfgang said sharply.

"Perhaps I do, a little." Sigrid flashed a smile at Sebastian, who leered back at her. "But I've no wish to aggravate you, Wolfgang."

Wolfgang's ears reddened and he crossed his arms. "I meant to imply nothing of the sort, of course. And naturally I'm pleased to see you, as always."

"I understand." Sigrid resisted the urge to put her hand on his shoulder, knowing he would shake off such a gesture before the others. "It's been rather longer than it should have been, hasn't it?"

A genuine smile tugged at the corner of Wolfgang's shapely mouth. "It has."

Sasha was still hovering rather hesitantly near the divan, despite Klaus's increasingly wild gestures for him to sit. Sigrid was turning to address him (and to pretend not to notice Wolfgang quickly smoothing back his own fair hair with one hand) when Nikolaj strode in.

His clothes were rumpled and his close cropped hair mussed, almost as though he'd just gotten out of bed. And his eyes widened slightly at the sight of her, suggesting he'd had no idea she was coming. Interesting.

"Princess." Nikolaj lifted his chin slightly, leaning against the wall. "To what do we all owe the pleasure?"

Sigrid noted that Leifr gave Nikolaj a quick nervous glance while Wolfgang and Sebastian ignored him completely. Sasha and Klaus had turned when Nikolaj spoke but were now looking at her again, and Mikael was watching who the rest were watching just as she was. There was tension in the air, but more uncertainty than animosity. Which was very good.

"Besides the obvious interest in confirming no murders have secretly been committed while I was otherwise occupied," Sigrid said mildly, "I will be requiring companionship during a few upcoming holidays, as well as this evening. And so, Nikolaj, I thought this might be as good a time as any to make a decision on whether to fully reinstate your privileges with regard to my person."

Nikolaj stared at her. "You're going to let them have a say?"

Sigrid raised her eyebrows. "To be clear, I have already decided to let you stay-"

"I know that!"

"And the final decision, as always, rests with me. But it seems to me eminently fitting to take into consideration the opinions of the very men you are being punished for disregarding." Sigrid took a seat across from the divan and crossed her arms. "Let's do this in order of seniority, shall we? Sasha, you may abstain."

Sasha flinched, then gave her a nervous smile. "Thank you, Princess."

"If this is a vote, Lady Sigrid…" Mikael hesitated. "I will go with the majority. To me it seems that Nikolaj has made necessary amends and is no longer destructive in his intent. But if the others feel he has not been sufficiently punished, then I suppose…"

"Coward!" Nikolaj spat.

"I wouldn't be so quick to judge, Nikolaj." Wolfgang leaned back in his chair, not looking away from Nikolaj's barely contained fury. "As you know, I have rarely had patience for you and your childish jealousy. If this were a question of liking you, I would vote against your reinstatement without hesitation. However," his gaze flicked to Sigrid, "it strikes me that my liking you is besides the point. Allow me to suggest to those of you who are as yet undecided that we'll be living with this bastard regardless, and he's far more tolerable when not in disgrace. I say reinstate him."

Klaus laughed, and Nikolaj glared at him. "That's a good point, Wolf. I'm voting to reinstate him too, but my reasons are pettier. I bet after all this he won't even be able to get it up!"

"Try me."

"Moving on," Sigrid said dryly. "If Sebastian and Leifr vote against then Mikael must choose. Sebastian, if you vote for reinstatement then that settles it.

"We're stuck with him, are we, Princess?" Sebastian stretched his arms over his head. "Sure, might as well let him get his dick wet and stop trying to suck everyone else's."

"Don't be so vulgar, Sebastian," Wolfgang said sharply.

"Nevertheless, the motion carries." Sigrid smiled and held out her hand. "Nikolaj?"

At first she thought he hadn't fully processed it. Then, slowly, he straightened up and walked past the others without a second glance, eyes intent on her.

He was angry, but he'd learned to contain it in public now. Sigrid liked that.

He caught her hand and kissed it quickly. "I won't kneel."

Sigrid raised her eyebrows. "I wasn't asking you to." Yet.

Nikolaj turned away and stalked off, giving Sigrid a chance to take in the others' reactions as Mikael quickly moved out of his way. Leifr looked anxious, Klaus bored, and Wolfgang and Sebastian had returned to their game.

Only Sasha was watching Nikolaj, his lips slightly pursed.

"So I won't be asking for him tonight, then," Sigrid remarked, and immediately she had their attention again.

Aside from perhaps Sasha, Sigrid knew her harem well enough to tell at a glance who really craved tonight's invitation and who would be content with waiting. Sebastian's leer was more playful than lustful, Mikael's smile one of polite interest and not yearning. And at the moment she did want someone who yearned.

Leifr was all but quivering, but waiting for gratification often improved his performance, and she didn't want to wear herself out on him again. Klaus leaned forward, and she smiled at him, noting the way Wolfgang pretended not to notice.

"Lady Sigrid," Sasha murmured, just over Klaus' shoulder. "What sort of evening do you have in mind?"

She was not surprised Sasha wanted to pick up where they left off so recently, but it did please Sigrid.

"At the moment, I'm considering you, Wolfgang and Klaus for the rest of the week."

"Together?" Klaus winked.

"Not just yet." Interestingly, this did not make Sasha blush.

"You're too cruel, Princess," Leifr said mournfully. "But I will wait…"

Wolfgang smiled, ever so slightly. "So you wish to play games. That's fine by me."

"What kind of games?" Klaus leaned forward, one leg bouncing in the way that meant he was doing some quick thinking. "Board games? Strip backgammon? Strip chess? Strip piquet?”

"How would you even- never mind, I've just realized I'm happier for not knowing." Wolfgang wrinkled his nose, and Sigrid laughed.

"Forgive me, but by the rest of the week," Sasha said, "do you mean three nights evenly spaced apart?"

"Nothing so exact. Depending on how satisfied I feel, I could do something as extravagant as three nights for one and two each for the other. What I can say for a certainty is that I want one of you tonight and one of you for after my sister's birthday banquet on Friday."

"It's Princess Charlotte's birthday already?" Klaus clapped his hands. "Pick me for then! I can be festive!"

"You're not invited to the banquet, you know," Wolfgang muttered.

"So? Our princess doesn't even like those kinds of banquets. I'd throw her a party she'd really enjoy." Klaus waggled his eyebrows. "What do you say, Princess? Can I be your gift?"

"To myself." Sigrid smiled. "I'd never dream of sharing you with Lotte."

Klaus punched the air. "Thank you, Princess! You won't regret this!"

"So that brings tonight's offerings down to Sasha and I." Wolfgang looked mildly pleased by this turn of events.

“Indeed.” She glanced between the two of them, seeing how Sasha’s hand trembled ever so slightly on the arm of the couch and how intently Wolfgang was watching her. “But I do think… it has been too long, Wolfgang.”

Ever so slightly, Wolfgang smiled and Sasha’s shoulders dropped.

“I’ll be seeing you by the end of the week, sweet Sasha, never fear,” Sigrid said gently. “Wolf… my chambers at eight o’clock sharp.”

She’d have to remember to ask Karl to set out the chess board.