“First I think we will have him bring me and our guest some refreshments from the kitchens.”
The servant holding your chain gives a simple nod and leads you out of the entrance hall as Marius opens the scroll. After passing through an open courtyard with a shallow square pool at its centre your path then turns right and heads down a set of shallow steps, the scent of spices and meats cooking winding around you as you descend.
You emerge into a wide but low basement, rough brick walls flickering orange from the flames of a vast fireplace against the far well. Between you and the fire is a tall crocodilian man, leaning over the slowly turning spit to drizzle something onto the rotating meat it skewers. His tail is held back to balance his posture, protruding from under a short tunic appropriate to the heat that fills the room, as he remains engrossed in his craft.
Your guide clears his throat with a gentle cough.
“Max, this is the prize for the lottery tomorrow.”
You note the change in demeanour, down here the servant radiates a bubbly enthusiasm.
“The master wants him to bring him refreshments upstairs as a first test, and you know who he’s meeting with today.”
“Ahh.”
It’s more a hiss than an utterance, air passing between the pointed and interlocking teeth of the crocodile’s long snout.
“Yes, when I saw the prince had arrived I prepared some items, you’ll find them in the back, Axel.” He gestures to an arch besides the fireplace and the servant, Axel apparently, heads through out of sight, you can hear him humming as he goes. Only now does the reptile-man turn round, setting the pot of viscous sauce he was using down on a nearby table. He blinks slowly, taking you in.
“I had better take the chain off, don’t imagine Marius will want you tripping over it when we have an important guest.”
He picks up some heavy tool that was resting by the fire, it looks like a set of primitive pliers with a cutting blade, cast in black iron.
“You’re releasing me?” You ask, pulling back reflexively as he draws near and raises the device up to your neck, clamping around the chain.
“Only the chain, the collar stays on since you’re not likely to be with us long.” He mutters the last part you notice, but you close your eyes as he pushes the arms of the tool together.
SNAP
The chain link nearest the collar is severed, dropping the rest to the floor with a clatter. “The master prefers servants he can trust, so there’s only a small permanent staff here, we don’t need such things.” He gestures to your collar. "But you have not yet earned any more than this."
As Maxwell goes to replace the tool by the fire, the servant you now know as Axel returns, balancing a copper platter on a splayed hand. Piled on it you can see what look like an assortment of pastries, slices of meat shiny with a spiced glaze and two carved wooden goblets.
Axel is about to hand it over to you when looks suddenly shocked
“Oh gosh, I forgot to get you a change of robe!” He places the platter down on the side and pulls his plain tunic over his head “You’ll have to take mine, I can get another from the servant quarters later.”
He stands, holding the garment out in one hand. Naked. There’s a naked man, with a taught stomach and smooth chest you note, offering you his clothes. You gingerly reach out to take it, trying to avoid looking at his grin, he’s enjoying this too much you feel. You discard what was left of your shirt and pants, too torn from your capture to be worth keeping, and quickly pull the tunic on.
As Axel turns around to pick the tray up again, his motion reveals his round scale covered behind. Wait, scales?!
“Your... you’ve got… errr” You stammer out, pointing.
“Oh, you mean these?” Axel arches his back to present his cheeks, giving them a single wiggle and smiling as he turns to look over his shoulder at you. “Max here and I have, well, grown close recently.”
“However, given what we’ve been doing it’s not where I expected the process to start…” Max says bending down to inspect the green patterning spread over Axel’s behind, jaws open just enough to let his tongue slide around his teeth.
“So, you’re turning into… like him, a crocodile… anthro?”
“Yup!” Axel grins, giving his hips another shake.
“But… how?”
“Oh don’t worry, you’ll find out! Now, take this” he says handing you the platter “can’t keep the master waiting.”
Axel rushes you back up out of the kitchens all the while passing instructions to you until you quickly find yourself back upstairs outside the door to what you’d been told was Marius’ study. You breath in deeply, trying to recall what Axel had told you about manners in front of the ‘master’ whilst simultaneously trying to forget about how the person who told you all this was apparently becoming a reptile.
Okay, you could do this, it’s just serving food and drink.
Open door. Close door. Keep back straight. Tray on fingertips.
The room was white plaster, at its centre two figures on recliners, a blue and white ocean mosaic floor, heat soaking up through it into your bare feet.
“So, you understand the need to keep things moving along?”
Bend down, eyes away, place the drink by his side. Oh gosh why is the wolf only wearing a loincloth, tight one too. Stand back up. Move around to the other side.
“I can assure you I do Your Highness, and I shall do my utmost to aid you after the election.”
Bend and drink down again. Marius smells surprisingly good this close, maybe floral? Like he bathed not long ago, just starting to mingle with a more natural masculine odour again. Breath out. Now to the table in the middle.
“If you win…”
“Your Highness you need not worry, we’re being served by our centrepiece right now.”
Just as you straighten up again the wolf’s eyes swivel to lock onto you. There’s an agonising moment as his amber eyes drill into you.
Ohh, okay. Axel didn’t mention this. Keep calm, he’s a prince, right? Gosh those are some sharp teeth. Show respect. No eye contact, look down, look down.
You tilt your head down quickly. Your eyes now fixed on the floor, the wolf gives out a soft growl that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up in reflexive terror.
“Yes, this one knows it’s place, and I see you still know to how to choose them well, a fine specimen.”
With your eyes to the floor you see the wolf’s paws turn as he rises from the recliner and picks up a slice of meat from the tray, gulping it down in one.
“Well, I’m sorry I can’t stay longer, a shame. Your hospitality has always been generous.”
You see Marius stand to hold the door for his guest “Well…