Anastasia Thaniscant the 1... Queen of Azlan groaned softly to herself as she pulled her hips and legs from the sea-water that filled the deck below. "So much for the vaunted Aznanti fleet." she muttered softly to herself and grabbed the hilt of the weapon to yank it from the deck. At least she wasn't unarmed and the weapon in and of itself was reassuring as much because it had been a gift from her lover as it's mere presense in her hand... Not that she knew more than the basic use of it from some hap-hazard training years ago... but she wouldn't jab herself in the foot at least.<br/><br/>As she looked down at the tatters of her gown, she mused to herself about the journey that had brought her to this point... a girl of 15, with unusual beauty to be sure, literally taken off of the streets and wisked away to a palace on the hill... Nevermind that the street had been a rat infested slum and she had been a child of a long line of slaves to the hi-born azlanti people... and had ultimately still been a slave to the king whom's eye she had caught for the next 10 years of her life.<br/><br/>She had been pure when she had gone to the bed of her new master; the pain of the tattoo in the small of her back still fresh as more than her maiden's blood had stained the sheets that night... the blood from her back had as well. But, the king had made sure that everyone would know that she was his property... his play-pet and bed-warmer... throne warmer... lap dancer... some called her a slut for that matter. But, Anastasia had enjoyed no choices and had worn little inside the king's chamber for 5 of those 10 years... hadn't even been outside of those rooms during her first 5 years.<br/><br/>Then, she had become pregnant with the king's hier! Oh, how things had changed then... the heir couldn't be a bastard and she had found herself married and Queen to his king. Aside from the "Your Majesties," little had changed... she was still taken every night and several times a day... the king, if not his seed, his body had been viril. But by that time, she had learned to take what pleasure that she culd and in time, her son was born.<br/><br/>She had loved her son with all of her heart... and more... for 6 wonderful years. She had fed him... changed and played with him and raised him in spite o her husbands desire to have someone else do it.<br/><br/>Then... when she was just 26, horror struck in the form of a band of slave raiders on the island kingdom. It had been so unexpected that they had made off with her son, the Prince, and ripped her heart out. She had spent months in morning but the king had turned to drink and vice... by the time she was 30, the king was dead and she sat the throne herself. For sure, it was with the sufferance of the nobles, but she had been a slave and the low-people loved her. Removing her would of caused much worse than a civil war and so... she sat and was a figure head for another 12 years... taking a lover in the form of Baron Estibon and finding the first hints of love in her life...<br/><br/>Then, just short months ago, a trader had remarked on the symbol of Azlan being raised on the mainlands and how much the man looked like the Queen... She couldn't not investigate and with arrangements for her lover to sit as regent, she arranged for transportation to the mainland aboard a fast ship.<br/><br/>The Queen could not be risked though and a single ship became a fleet of a dozen! She might go ashore with a couple of guardians... the question had always been if they were to protect her or kill her... but the fleet would see her there.<br/><br/>Well, she thought as she looked again at the gown that showed more of her bronzed skin than it hid, so much for the fleet...<br/><br/>It had been decided that she would go by Anna Price here, both to protect her and to allow her to move more freely among the barbarians of the mainland, but it was impossible to hide the exotic beauty that, even at 38, still captured the eyes and imagination of men. Of course, her people were long lived and she looked little past her late 20's in the face and would be able to bear children for another 30... or 40 years yet. Not that she had any intention of doing so! Part of this expedition was to delay the efforts of one of the dukes from trapping her into marriage and slavery again... to force her into pregnancy with an heir of his own for the thrown; something she had vowed to not allow. Her son would sit the Azlanti throne or no one would!<br/><br/>She pushed her pale blond hair from her face; tauny eyes scanned the compartment and with a shiver running through her body, she stepped deeper into the wreck; she needed clothes and she needed supplies. Just because she was ship wrecked on hostile shores did not mean that her quest was over by any means. The man who flew that flag knew where her son was!<br/><br/>It took her time... far too much time in the rapidly chilling wreck, to find something to cover her near nudity and provide her with at least the basics for a trip ashore. She was not happy with the results, but she was not rich in options as her wardrobe sat at the bottom of the sea now... The tunic fit her well enough; she was use to the outline of her 34DD breasts being visible; the fashions of the court were for fitted gowns about the torso and the necklines could be quite revealing... but the tunic showed off even more cleavage and the fact that she was cold would not be missed by a blind man 10 feet away! No, what made her less than comfortable were the trousers that clad her nicely turned legs... and hips... and oh Gods! her ass was all but ripping it's way out of the material. The fact that her hips and legs were so well outlined would of been far worse than scandalous... it might of gotten her thrown in prison for being a prostitute... but she had no choice and atleast the boots that reached her knees helped some... She wasn't looking forward to the swim ashore though...<br/><br/>With the rapier carefully strapped about her waist and pack even more carefully secured to a piece of decking, she settled into the cold water and began to paddle toward shore... her skin quickly gaining goosebumps before she could stagger from the surf and fall to her knees in the wet sand. She looked at the swamp ahead and sighed. "Not here girl... too exposed." and she forced herself back to her feet and hoped that the little clean water she had found had been safe in the canteen that had held it... it was all she had.