When I walked out of the queen's waiting room, Kezira stood outside waiting for me. I did not have to tell her what had happened, she could read me as easily as I could read her. Kezira is my ladies maid, I wouldn't go as far as saying she is my best friend. I don't t keep friends but Kezira comes close enough."None of this makes sense. Her majesty just wants me to run away, what of my soldiers, who's going to lead them?" I asked Kezira in annoyance as I walked away from the door and stalked down the hallway.The ladies of the court knew better than to test me, they all walked briskly like scared kittens, eager to get away from the warrior princess before they experienced my wrath. Wouldn't be the first time. "Azura calm down, I think it's mostly for your protection" Kezira said as she walked briskly in an attempt to keep up with me. Kez is the only person person apart from my parents who calls me by that name."It was a rhetorical question, if you're not going back me up, then plea
BEAMS OF SUN RAYS STREAMED ACROSS my bedroom unto my face waking me up. I yawned, sat up and looked at the curtains where kezira stood. She was already fully dressed in a brown simple gown made in Revillonian style which is our disguise. Presto, the palace designer came last night after dinner with boxes full of clothing, underthings, jewellery, and the head scarves worn by the Revillon women .The people of Revillon are very superstitious and it is believed that some piece of magic still dwells there. They tell the story of the gods quite differently, while we in Gaham remember the gods for the wicked, selfish, powerful ancients they are. The Revillionians worship them, they paint pictures of the war as a sacred thing, they believe in the gifts bestowed by the gods. Fools, the lot of them, their gods have abandoned them but they don't know it yet."We leave today, so I would like to sleep in, if I'm going to give a stellar performance then I need all the rest I can get." I mumbled
I FELT THE HARD GRAVEL PRICKING MY SKIN before I heard the noises. The gruff voices of strange men laughing and jeering, the injured horses whining helplessly, A girl screaming with a voice so loud, it pierced my muddled brain. But I couldn't command her to stop, I couldn't even move to look at her, every cell in my body hurt but it was strangely peaceful. I mean If I died, then I would be free of all responsibilities and unspoken pressure. Maybe the queen would even miss me, I know she'll definitely not cry at my funeral --that's a major sign of weakness. Okay, lets see what I can feel. I think I'm laying down on the ground, maybe under the carriage because I can feel a heavy weight on my hips but I can't feel anything in my legs. My Sarfar(Revillionain scarf) had been ripped away, but the wind couldnt move my hair. My long tresses were stuck to my face in the places where there was blood. The screaming stopped abruptly and I opened my eyes. Okay, I was right, I'm on the floor
I COULD FEEL A number of things. I could feel the pain in my bad leg and the ache in my slightly better leg, I could feel the cool midday breeze on my bare chest where my clothes had been ripped off, I could feel the rough hand palming my right breast. I opened my eyes quickly and tried to push the offending hand away, but I could only muster a weak pat. Loud laughter followed my measly attempt at attacking the hand, and I looked around. I was outside the tent now, in something like a mainsquare. Several men surrounded me, and they bickered over whether or not I was worth much. "I reckon she'll do alright. She's got a lil spirit that's for sure" A man whose name I later learnt was Tim said. He was the one who was feeling my breasts. I tried to push him away again but that just ignited more laughter. Another man dressed in Revillionian attire stepped towards me and started caressing my bad leg. "But I doubt she can do much with that leg. I don't buy damaged goods." "Nonsense! We g
THE NEXT MORNING, I wish I could say I was awoken by beams of sunlight or maybe even the chirping of birds. Those would have been pleasant.But no.When I woke up, I couldn't even identify, if it was night or noon. The tent was that thick. With no windows and just a door flap, its a wonder we didn't suffocate.Somehow, during the course of the night, Kezira had moved and now layed curved in on herself. I don't know how she was so comfortable sleeping there. Hell even I, don't know how I slept through the night. Must be some of the magic left in my system.When the flaps were thrown open for the first time that day, I knew we had arrived somewhere critical.I could feel the difference in the air. The men whispering excitedly among themselves. The new spring they had in their steps. Even the horses seemed brighter somehow. Like they knew something good was up.The braavasi are normads, they move, they capture, they trade.But its only natural that throughout the years, some of them had
I DIDN'T HAVE TO WAIT LONG to find out, cause the next hallucination that came was indistinguishable from reality. One minute I was trudging along the line and the next, I was swamped by a dead ringing in my skull that made me scream and fall to the ground. For the next few minutes, I wavered in and out of consiousness.I vaguely remember them putting me in a crate filled with other items that were to be sold.I remember the musty smell of the crate and how cramped my limbs were. The crate stopped once- I thinkCause I remember the smell of Missy's poultice applied on my leg.When I eventually regained full conciousness, we had arrived. My leg was healed and I was a mess.The crate was opened by the goons and when I was let out, I stood on my feet.I smelt as bad as the stable hand we had in the palace and I'm sure I looked way worse.The other captives were no better.As we had already been sold, our masters were waiting at the port of entry to collect us.We had arrived Mistlyn, th
THE BATHING ROOM was tiny, dingy and smelled like piss.It was dimly lit with a torch that did little to provide light. It was lined with tiny cubicle-like bathroom stalls about ten of them. The stalls each had no doors, one small shower head fixed above and green algae growing on the walls.The room was filled with the sound of some of the girls crying. Some of the women working at the brothel were just leaving the bathroom when we entered. Madam Claire stood at a corner of the bathroom quietly inspecting us with the help of two of her goons. Some of the girls who were branded before me, were already naked and being pushed into the stalls by the two goons who worked for madam Claire. Kezira and I hung back, unprepared to take off our clothes in front of the men.A small meek looking woman who was introduced as Merra pushed small cut pieces of cheap soap into the hands of all the girls present including us. When the goons were moving their inspection closer to Kez and I, I unconc
THE DOOR TO that dark room opened the next day, at least I think it was the next day, I wouldn't know. Since Madam Claire has decided I was a bad investment, her soldiers didn't bother wasting her food on me.It was so cold, alone in my thin strip of a dress, I was freezing and my teeth were chattering by the time they came to take me away. I wasn't taken through the brothel, lest my dirt and smell irritate the important clients. No, I was taken through the rear of the brothel. I only saw Kezira once, and it was enough to break my spirit and stop me from fighting.She had taken a bath and looked considerably cleaner. She had makeup on, the rosy blush bringing life to her cheeks. She stood beside a client and when he whispered in her ear, she laughed. I was struggling against the guards hauling me towards the rear exit when I heard the sound of Kez's laughter. The moment I saw her laughing, all the fight went out of me, and I just fell limp and allowed them to carry me away.I was