There she was, standing on a balcony with the man that used to take care of her when she was younger. That he was a king was hard to wrap her head around but the fact that he had the power to save her the hard life she had made her hurt.
"Do you know Fyed is...."
"Dead. I know. He died protecting Diqa. We were tasked to deliver her to the Principality of Soden"
"When I asked of both of you, he asked me to run, why?"
"To protect you. We couldn't take you along with us because of the principality, it's unforgiving to people like you. We hoped you would've reached a town and started a new life"
"With my luck?"
"We forgot about that. I'm sorry Alea. You must've been through so much"
"I was caught by bandits, sold and sent to the whorehouse where I was defiled and treated like a disease. Of course I've been through much" she snapped.
Sol sighed and pulled her into his embrace. She sobbed, hit his chest, and swore till her voice cracked. She really missed him.
"So, king hun?"
"Like you, I ran from home. I wandered for a while till I met Fyed who captured Diqa who had also run from home. He was returning her so I stuck around. We joined the caravan so we could get to the principality faster but the delays made us spend more time. Besides, we became friends with Diqa so we didn't want to return her anymore. Our life was perfect till the principality spotted us that night and sent bandits to bring us. Fyed fought bravely but he died. The principality was going to kill me too till they found out I was a runaway prince. They returned me, my father retired and made me king. That cunning bastard"
"Wow. That's rough"
"But not as rough as you have had it. Show me your slave brand"
"Do you really want to see it?"
"Please Alea"
Alea sighs and pulls up her gown. On jer thighs, was a construct that marked her as a slave.
"Who holds your contract?"
"Consort Liyu. If you're going to free me, free my friend too"
He tells a nearby guard to call the consort and Feri. They are both surprised to see both of them standing so close together but they don't question it.
"Your majesty" they both greet with a courtesy.
"Consort Liyu, release both of them from their contracts"
"But your majesty....."
"Do you question the King's decision?"
"No your majesty. I'll do it right away"
She chanted an incantation and two parchments appeared out of thin air. She burns the parchments and the marks disappear. The two of them blinked and pinched themselves to check if they were dreaming. They were not.
Feri got her knees and hit her head on the floor, thanking him.
"Thank you so much your majesty. It's been long, way too long"
"No need to thank me Lady Feriella"
Feri got on her feet quickly and moved back suspiciously. She looks at Alea with guarded eyes and a hint of betrayal was there.
"How'd you know? Did you tell him Alea?"
"No. Your mother has been looking for you for a long time. She has placed a reward for anyone that returns you. There are posters of you almost everywhere. I'm surprised you don't know"
"No! You're lying! My mother doesn't care about me"
"If you don't believe me, here's a signed letter from your mother"
He brings out a letter from his magical pouch and hands it to Feri to read. After reading a few lines, tears begin to drop on the letter. Her hands are shaking and she's distressed. Alea goes to hug her and avoids reading the letter.
Feri sobs into Alea's shoulder for a few minutes. She regains her bearing when she remembers she's in the presence of a king and her former mistress.
"I can take you home. I need a getaway from this place anyways"
"Thank you for your help your majesty. How can I ever repay you?"
"You'd only need to convince your mother to give me something"
"I'll try my best. Thank you, King Sol"
"You're welcome Lady Feriella"
"Can I come?" Alea asks, forming a cute face for them.
"Alea, I want to deliver her home safely"
"You're a king. I'm sure you can handle it. Besides, I heard there's a mage that can help with my bad luck here"
"I don't know anyone like that here. I hear the Principality of Soden have mages like that but not here"
"Can you take me to them then?"
"Absolutely not! They will torture you and treat you less than an animal. I won't let you go through cruel treatments ever again"
"Yes yes, I've heard. You're so naggy" despite her saying that she smiles at him.
"Consort Liyu, take them to the inner palace and get them settled next to my chambers. We'll leave tomorrow"
"Yes your majesty"
"Oh, and consort Liyu....."
"Yes?"
"Any word of this in the court or in your husband's ears, I'll make sure to give you a slow death, along with your family and beloved husband. I wouldn't even spare that child in your womb. The same goes to you guards"
"Yes your majesty" they all said.
"Follow me Ladies" Consort Liyu said to them. She led them to the inner palace.
"Don't think for a second because the king has favored you that you're free from my crutches. To me, both of you are still slaves and whores!" Consort Liyu spat at them.
Feri gives her a maniacal smile and she starts to choke. Her magix was trying to protect her but it was too weak against Feri's attack.
"The moment you removed the slave brand, the restrictions on my magix went away. I'm more powerful than you, your husband, and even your king. Don't for once think I'm weak. I could kill you and not worry about the consequences. Now, hurry back to your husband like the bitch you are" Feri says in a different, more powerful voice. She deactivates her magix and Consort Liyu crashes to the floor, struggling to breathe.
"For the record, you're a bigger whore than all of us combined. You're more than a slave, you're property. A very disposable one" Feri says on a final note and slams the door on her face.