“I have never had sex that good before,” Boris commented. Janessa slowly got up. Her mind was reeling from what she had just done. “I think I might need to keep her.” Janessa stared at him in horror. Boris laughed. “You must be thick in the head as well as in the ass, girl. Why would we let someone like you get away?”
“He is right in that we are not allowing you to leave,” Francis said. He glared at Boris. “However, he is very wrong in who gets to have you. I will claim her as my wife!”
“No, I will!” Boris thundered. Janessa moved back from the two men. Shortly, the men came to blows. With the men distracted, Janessa jumped up and ran. She couldn’t find the secret passages that led to the stable, but could find one that led to the servants’ exit.
The servants’ exit opened onto the street that ran through the middle of the city just outside the palace. Janessa sprinted through the streets. She could hear strangers shouting at her, but she didn’t care. She had to get to the gates before they closed! Her feet, shoeless, burned from the rough street. Her breath was ragged in her throat. And she could feel the cool night air rushing past her new female body.
But despite her best attempts, Janessa arrived at the gates too late. They were closed. She stared at them hopelessly, at a complete loss as to what she should do. Some grabbed her arm and pulled her into a nearby building. Janessa let out a scream of shock.
“Silence, girl!” hissed the person who had grabbed her, a portly middle-aged woman. Janessa stared. She was in an inn of some sort, and every patron it seemed was looking directly at her naked body. Janessa quickly attempted to cover herself with her hands. “Disperse, men,” spat the woman. The men in the group hurriedly left the room. “What is your name?”
“Janessa.”
“Janessa.”
“That’s a whore’s name if I ever heard one,” someone said. The woman glared in the direction of the voice. “Sorry, ma’am.”
“I am no whore,” Janessa said firmly. “The- the rebels, they- they tore my clothes and took advantage of me.”
“I had a suspicion. You are very comely, Janessa,” said the woman. “You may call me Mrs. Howard. I run this inn.”
“Why did you grab me?”
“Are you slow?” asked the voice from before.
“All right, everyone else clear out, too,” snapped Mrs. Howard. The room slowly emptied. Mrs. Howard turned her attention back to Janessa. “When the gates closed, all the buildings closed, too. I could not leave a naked young woman out on the streets. Not with so many men out and about.”
“Thank you,” Janessa mumbled.
“Are you a royalist?” Mrs. Howard asked. Janessa shook her head. “Are you sure? With hair like that, you look to be one of the former king’s illegitimate whelps.”
“No, ma’am,” Janessa said, thinking quickly. “Just pure, dumb luck gave me red locks.”
“I have seen some peasant girls with red hair,” Mrs. Howard mumbled. She sighed. “If you are no royalist, I will gladly provide you room and board.” Janessa’s heart pounded in her chest. Mrs. Howard was on the side of the rebels. But she couldn’t really turn down any offer of help.
“Thank you, ma’am. I only need it until the gates reopen. Then I can return to my family.”
“You do not live here?”
“I was visiting with relatives. But they turned out to be royalists,” Janessa said, thinking quickly. “I cannot stay with them any longer.”
“Likely, they were killed in the mess anyways,” Mrs. Howard said. Janessa’s blood ran cold. “Now, you will have to earn your way, of course.”
“Of course.”
“Good girl.” Mrs. Howard pinched Janessa’s cheeks. “Come with me and I will take you to your quarters.”
Janessa quickly settled in at Mrs. Howard’s inn. The clothes Mrs. Howard provided were coarse but sturdy, though the cot and food were both quite excellent. She constantly felt on edge, surrounded by rebels and having to pretend she was one as well. This anxiety frequently made her feel sick, so when she found herself vomiting over the latrine daily, she didn’t question it.
Mrs. Howard, however, did. When she caught wind of Janessa becoming sick every morning, she promptly moved the former prince to a better room and provided her with more food. Janessa asked why, and Mrs. Howard looked at her like she was a moron, an expression Janessa received frequently.
“Girl, when you were taken advantage of, you were impregnated!”
Janessa’s strict but fair boss was right. The former prince felt her breasts grow even larger as they filled with milk, and her stomach bulged as time passed. She still earned excellent tips from the men, thankfully.
About six months into her pregnancy, Janessa took a walk outside to look at the gates. She sent a silent prayer to the gods, begging them to open the gates soon. With that, she returned to the inn. All she could do was wait until the gates opened.