"Elayne, come on. At least have something to eat. You've been like this for four days."
It wasn't like I couldn't feel the urgency in Amelia's voice. But all I could hear was the sound of jeering laughter over my pride being crushed.
"Leave me alone. Let me die."
"You just went to one sex party and you want to die! Come on Elayne! Be real!"
"I can't be like you, Amelia! I can't forget! I can't joke it off! I can't just plan to be someone's pawn for the rest of my life! I can't do it!"
"You think It's easy for me?! You think I'm happy? You think any of us wants to do this?! You're always acting like you're better than any of us but we've been here together for so many years, we both knew this was what we were going to end up like this! This is no happy place!"
She poked me in the chest, getting increasingly pissed.
"I don't know whatever fantasy you had but not one prince is going to come in here and sweep you off your feet. This is not a fairytale, Elayne! Reality is bitter! Wake up and embrace it!"
"I know. Hell, I know how horrible it can get! Can't I be afforded the luxury of keeping my sanity?! Do I have to revel like the rest of you, looking forward to only gloomy days? Can't I at least hope?!"
"If you want to pray, go ahead and pray. Go ahead and grovel in front of the gods you so believe in to save you and give you such a happy ending. For us, there is no happy ending. At least we accept it. The sooner you do, the better it is for us!"
It seemed like the whole building shook when she slammed the door behind her. The food she came to deliver was left unattended on the table when I decided not to eat it. It was selfish of me, yes but everything entering my stomach would eventually come out the same way it went in.
I hate this. I want to go home.
Mother…...Father.....Carrion…..Celia…...Why? Why does this have to happen to me? Why am I still alive? Why?
Eventually Andrella forced her way into my room and watched me like a hawk, making sure I ate. She fed me medicine and forced Amelia to nurse me back to health. Amelia kept up her silent treatment the whole time and I understood, I was too guilty to say anything to her.
Two weeks passed in that manner. Eventually Amelia got tired and started throwing rocks at my window at midnight when she arrived back in the house. It was like our own secret communication. I waved a lamp twice and she climbed up to the second floor where I stayed.
"For someone who seems to want a good life, you're awfully bent on annoying the mistress."
"I told her I was going out. She doesn't have to know I left early," she replied with a wink. I laughed and distanced myself from her. She reeked of expensive perfume and spices that was definitely covering something else.
"You look like hell gave you a job."
"You look like a house reject."
"Aw, you compliment me so." She put her hand to her chest, making her expressions as exaggerated as possible. I laughed until my chest hurt. That was sooner than I expected.
"I'm sorry for being so mean. I shouldn't have said that. I guess I was just jealous of you."
"It's fine. I'm sorry too. It was selfish of me to speak like that. Let's eat dinner together?"
"Mmhm, lets."
The mistress was out so she didn't know Amelia had returned through the window, again, after several warnings. We had dinner together and I made sure she didn't notice I was trying not to retch as I took each bite. There was no need to burden her further.
We fell back to our normal routine. I didn't have any patrons for my 'disgraceful' conduct at my debut party and the sex party. Courtesans who couldn't satisfy their clients were useless after all.
Cleaning the cellar while humming my mother's song, the door swung open, hitting the wall. I flinched, ready to cuss out the one who caused such a frightening noise.
"Hagrid! What in god's name is wrong with you?!"
"No time Elayne! The king…..The King is coming here!"
"What?!"
"The mistress has assembled us to prepare for a party she would be hosting to receive the king."
"R-Really?"
Hagrid must've thought I was trembling from excitement. The other girls already found me weird and disagreeable so there wasn't much thought put into understanding my actions.
"Come now! The mistress is waiting."
"Yes."
She dashed out, her skirts flying behind her. I took shaky breaths to calm myself. It had been five years, after all, since I last saw the king. He looked nothing like his current image, a powerful and diplomatic king. To me, he looked like a monster risen from hell to reap innocent souls.
I placed the cloth I was using to clean on a pillar and closed the cellar door behind me. The other girls were already assembled and it looked like Amelia reserved a spot for me beside me. It wasn't like anyone else was going to associate with her or me for that matter.
Andrella raked her steel gaze over all of us, causing a hush to fall on the crowd of girls that assembled. Her gaze lingered on our intertwined hands for a few seconds before she cleared her throat.
"The King will be passing here in a few days and we've been ordered by the court to entertain his majesty to the best of our abilities. He is going to visit the border with the crown prince so our performance must reflect that."
So Prince Kron would be with him. How fortunate. It was my chance to capture his attention again. Hopefully he hadn't heard of what went on in the sex party. If he did, then there was little hope for me.
"Make sure you're on your best behavior or if you are found disagreeable, your head would roll and I wouldn't be held responsible."
Her gaze found its way back to me and this time, the intensity was higher.
"We'll start practice when you're done with your chores. Hagrid, go into town and get the tailor. The rest of you, hurry back to your chores."
"Yes mistress!" We chorused.
"You're thinking of seducing the prince again, aren't you?" Amelia poked me, following me back into the cellar. I only assumed she was done with her chores, I never asked.
"Of course." I said it like it was a fact.
"You say I'm the one bent on enraging the mistress but you, aren't you a wildcard, huh, Elayne?"
"I already got his attention once. If it means being the most dramatic woman in the kingdom, I'll grab it again."
"You and many other women in the kingdom. I'm not part of them. He smells like nothing but trouble."
She was right. Absolutely right. Yet, I couldn't give up there.
"Don't worry, I'll help you get his attention."
"Sure, sure. Don't just pull what you did at the last performance. You might die you know."
"Meh, you win some, you lose some." She was careless and I loved that most about her.