Monarch’s Requiem

”Strip. ”

The strong light stung Neeras eyes. It was the first time she had seen the sun in more than two years. She had been dragged here so suddenly, through hallways, stairs and doors, that she hadn even been able to take in her changing surroundings. Stone walls and floors had turned into brightly lit corridors with soft carpets and large windows, and cramped cells had now become large rooms with finely carved furniture.

A stern looking old woman glared fiercely at Neera. Her hands were clasped at her waist, with elegantly bent elbows. Her hair, pulled back in a sleek bun, showed her age with its silver streaks.

”Do not make the Viscountess wait, child. Take off your clothes. ”

To the side, another woman, dressed in what Neera had once heard were maids clothes, also urged her. She came closer and pulled her arm towards a large tub filled with water, whispering softly in her ear after seeing her flinch.

”Don worry its just a bath. ”

Under the Viscountess scrutiny, Neera was made to stand next to the bath tub. She was staring at the white porcelain and the steam rising from the water when the maid softly pulled the hem of the grimy dress she had been wearing.

It had tears and dry blood from that days lashing along with the wear of the past ”play-sessions ”. Every time her clothing had become too unpresentable after the Duke had finished his fun, a guard or an attendant threw a replacement into her cell. These clothes had been clearly worn before and, more often than not, were stained with someone elses blood. She avoided thinking about their previous owner and just wore them silently.

With her bare skin now exposed to the air, she made a small attempt at keeping her dignity by covering herself with her arms. She didn dare to refuse, but she still didn want to be watched like that if she could help it. Specially by the Viscountess gaze, that stung like a knife.

The maid inhaled sharply at the sight of her torn skin and exposed flesh, but stayed silent.

”Bathe her, add some ointment to those wounds and make her presentable by tonight. ”

”Yes, Viscountess. ”

The maid bowed as the Viscountess made her exit, closing the door behind her.

Neera had started shivering, instinctively edging closer to the steam from the water.

”Oh, poor child. ”

It was no more than a barely audible murmur. Her tone was genuinely sad while her eyes shone with pity.

With the help of the maid, Neera sat into the hot water. Pain burned in all her limbs, but she had never felt this warm before. Silent sobs shook her shoulders as she was overcome with an indescribable emotion.

The woman didn say anything and simply scrubbed her scalp until the water turned murky. She then proceeded to gently clean her body. She thoroughly coated every cut in foam before rinsing it away, earning small whimpers from the girl in the process.

She was baffled once more. This was the first time in years anyone had looked at her or touched her so caringly.

The water had turned into a darker shade from all the dirt and blood, so the maid stood up and quickly wiped her wet hands on her skirt.

”All right, lets get you out now. ”

Neera regretted not being able to soak in the warm water any longer, but got out of the tub relying on the maids outstretched hand. Her frail body was gently patted with a towel after which the woman applied ointment to every cut she could see. Bandages covered any evidence of abuse.

The pain subsided a little bit by the time the woman had finished fitting a dress over her torso. She also handed her a pair of woolen socks, linen underwear, a knitted shawl and leather shoes that were big on her feet. Her damp hair was then let loose and untangled. It was a lengthy process as she had never cut it or combed it in her life, but eventually the maid got the comb through the last knots.

She finally guided Neera in front of a mirror in the corner of the room, presenting her to her clear reflection for the first time. She had seen herself before on ponds or windows during sunny days, but the dirt always made her unrecognizable.

The grimy child had now turned into a little girl with worn out shoes, a faded blue dress and a warm shawl. Her face was smaller than she had imagined, with big eyes and sunken-in cheeks. Her hair was brittle, reaching all the way down to her waist. Still, her lashes were long and her features were pretty.

Lifeless grey eyes and dull brown hair.

Is this what my mother looks like?, was the only thought that crossed her mind.

—-

”This will be your room from now on. ”

After walking through rows of doors down a hallway, the maid finally announced the end of the journey, opening the door and stepping inside.

The room was small, located in a far corner of the castle. It only had one window, an old bed and a nightstand with a used candle on it. Opposing the bed, a small fireplace had been erected, but no firewood was burning in it.

”My room? ”

”Yes, every woman in the harem has a room in this wing of the castle. This is your key. You will be expected to stay inside your room at night. If you are ever needed you will be called. Don wander around outside, dinner will be served in a couple of hours. ”

The maid left a rusty key on top of the bed and turned to leave.

As if it were an afterthought she added:

”Be careful. The Duke has a duplicate of the keys of every single room of this castle. ”

She then disappeared behind the closing door.

Neera sat on the bed carefully to avoid stressing her wounds and looked around herself.

The walls were bare and a dusty smell clung to the air, but this still was way more than she had ever been able to call her own until now. She hated the fact that all this; the clothes, the bath and the room, had been provided by that wretched man, but she still couldn keep the smile out of her face.

My shoes. My dress. My room.

She slowly laid on the cushioned mattress, making sure to rest on her side as it would be too painful to do so on her back, and closed her eyes.

A knock on the door startled her up a few hours later. The sun was setting through the window, and the temperature in the room was significantly lower.

Shivering, Neera walked to answer the door where a new maid was waiting.

”Dinner is served in the dining hall. I have been instructed to guide you there. ”

Without another word she started walking down the hallway with the little girl struggling to follow her stride in her bandages.

The other maid had been kinder, waiting for her to catch up with her tumbling steps, but this one didn even look back as she strode in a brisk pace with her hands firmly clasped in front of her waist.

After a while, they finally reached a large set of double doors, which the maid opened to enter the dining hall.

It was a large open space, larger than Neera thought possible to construct while still being encased in four walls and a ceiling, and it was lit by dozens of chandeliers on each side of the room. In the middle, large wooden tables were lined in a single file one next to the other with no space between them, and tens of chairs flanking them. Behind the head of this long table a large fireplace was strongly burning, warming up the air.

Above the dimensions or furniture of the room, what surprised her the most were its occupants. More than fifty women of all ages sat on the chairs in dresses of all colors. Some, who were closer to the fireplace, wore jewelry while the ones farther from it had a worse quality of clothing similar to hers.

”You can take a seat. ”

With that simple direction the maid turned and left.

Neera was anxious in this new environment, standing still by the door without a clue about how to proceed.

”Um, excuse me? ”

A soft voice sounded behind her.

”Could you please move aside? ”

A young lady stood there, holding the door ajar without being able to walk inside due to her standing in the way.

Neera scrambled to the side to let her through, keeping her head low and her eyes on the floor.

”S-sorry. I didn mean to- ”

”Oh, its alright. Don worry. ”

The girl was about to walk past her when she suddenly stopped, showed her a cheerful smile and extended her hand.

”You must be new here. Im Alea Fierster. What is your name? ”

”Im Ne-neera. ”

Soft skin brushed against hers when their fingers met, as a subtle smell of lavender tickled her nose.

”Well, Neera, welcome to the harem. ”