"How is the water, my lady?" Malia asked curiously as she drizzled in some natural oils and fragrance into the warm water, Khalilah moved in the water, as if she was floating above the water. She nodded at her newly found companion and her lady of honor. "Do you feel good your grace?"
"Yes, I do." She answered with a small smile as she flapped her feet in the water, she was enjoying herself, and that was the only thing that was good about this place; the bath, the food, and the bedding.
It is almost like she was on a vacation, apart from the fact that she was supposed to get married, it would have been a lovely vacation, with her friend Malia.
"The water is just right." She moaned from the pleasure, and Malia knelt at the other side of the pavement and then shampooed Khalilah's hair, the soap lathered pretty well Khalilah leaned her hair backwards, enjoying as Malia's hands worked inside her scalp. "Do you know you have the same name as my eldest sister?"
"Really?" Malia seemed very surprised, her name wasn't that common, even in her small village, she was the only one with the name. "I am glad to know someone related to her grace shares my name, what's your sister like?"
"Um… she is very pretty, she is the prettiest in our family, her black hair resembles the shiny feathers of a crow and her eyes are just like yours, blue like the sea." Malia noticed the sadness in Khalilah's voice as she described her sister, but even though she was curious, she didn't want to push her.
"Your hair is very pretty, your grace." Malia complimented as she massaged Khalilah's hair, loving the texture in her hands.
"That's a first, I hope you're not just saying this because it's me." Khalilah thought to tease, and Malia's face turned beet red. "I remembered the other ladies saying my hair was so dry and frizzy."
"N-no, I will never deceive you, my lady," Malia argued as she fetched out some lukewarm water and rinsed her hair, tapping it with a small cloth. "Your hair is really pretty, it's black and shiny and it is also silky in between my fingers. I feel you were sculpted by the goddess of the moon, on her day off."
Khalilah burst into laughter, this was the first time someone complimented her hair, the part that got the most compliments was her eyes, it was very rare and her mother once thought she was probably blind which was why she had gold eyes.
The doctors confirmed she was healthy and her eyes were functioning fine, they said it could be a genetic mutation, which is probably why her mom was weary of her.
"What the hell is the goddess of the moon?" She asked curiously and Malia's blue eyes widened almost immediately, she recalled Khalilah was still new and she didn't know that much detail about the Nosferatia Empire and the neighboring states.
"I am a follower of the moon goddess, we keep her mandates and observe her festivals," Malia explained with a warm smile on her face. "But His Royal Majesty doesn't follow the observes of the moon goddess."
"Why?" She asked from pure curiosity, he seemed like a pagan, it was logical to think he doesn't have a religion, evil people like that don't believe in the existence of a deity, they are too busy drunk in their physical power and authority.
"The people of the Nosferatia Empire in general, worship in the temple of Cyra, the goddess of the sun, According to the rumors I have heard, His Majesty hasn't visited the temple since the death of his father, and no one knows the exact reason as he used to be an avid worshiper." She whispered the last part of the statement, and Khalilah's ears perched up in curiosity.
"Why?" She asked but then Malia remained silent.
"There are things I am not allowed to talk about, but I think news about the internal palace isn't that much of a secret."
"You are not from around here?" Khalilah noticed, it explains why she was so different from the rest of the other maids that were prowling the area.
"Yes, how did you know?" Malia seemed a bit surprised, she poured the rest of the unused warm water into the bath and filled it with bath bubbles for her comfort.
"I mean it's obvious," Khalilah answered and they both share a small smile. "Will you please join me?"
"Oh no!" Malia shrieked as though she was accused of murder, Khalilah stifled a laugh, her new lady was a goofy one, and it was as though she was looking at herself in a mirror. "Why would a woman like me join you in your bath, I am not worthy of your grace."
"What do you mean?" Khalilah was surprised.
"Your grace, you might not know this but before I was brought here to be your lady of honor, I was a slave." She started in a small voice. "I was a slave and I was meant to be taken away to be a courtesan, but his majesty, found me and he thought I could be a good companion to you, this is why I am grateful to you."
"How did you end up being a slave, and you mean they were going to make you a courtesan against your will?" Khalilah's eyebrows were crossed and she had never heard something so cruel, she had read about them in books and seen them in TV shows, but right now she was speaking to a real life victim; sounds like the trend around here.
"Yes, Your grace." Malia was a bit hesitant but she continued anyway, since her queen was asking. "I am a prisoner of war, these kinds of things happen to women who are captured in war, I think I am lucky to be here, so I don't complain."
Khalilah fell silent, Malia was in the same position as she was, but now she wondered how she was still able to laugh even after all these things that were happening to her.
"What about your parents?" Khalilah asked curiously but Malia kept quiet, unable to answer, she was unable to even form words, Khalilah understood what that silence meant. "Don't you hate Olive? How can you actively be taking care of me without feeling any grudges?"
"There is nothing I can do, and I can't hate you as well, because it's not your fault." She said with a faint smile on her face. "You are a victim just as I am, it's just our positions that are different."
"Then you should hate Olive, if I were in your position, I don't think I would ever try to be as optimistic as you are." Khalilah started swimming to the other end of the bath. "I will try my best to get my revenge on him."
"Your grace, there is nothing I could do to King Olive of Nosferatia, even if there were a thousand me." She paused looking into Khalilah's eyes with helplessness. "I would never succeed, so it is okay to give up, and also I know just how you feel, I might not have met you for a long time, but I can give you some advice, don't try to fight him, you can't win."
"Do you know what you are asking me?" Khalilah sounded betrayed, she felt that Malia was supposed to understand how she felt since they were both victims of this fucking psychopath. "You want me to throw away my freedom and get married to that type of man, apart from the fact that I don't love him, I keep hearing about how terrible of a person he is and I don't even want to think about all the things he is going to do to me when we are married."
"Your grace, I know it is hard, but sometimes, giving up is a solution, fighting would only hurt you even more." Malia stepped closer to the mouth of the bath. "I have seen my people get murdered, even the strongest of our warriors, I saw them being torn apart into shreds, those who fought back, all died pointless deaths, I am only alive today because I accepted my fate."
"What if you are later killed what would you do then?" Khalilah asked in all curiosity.
"I will also accept my fate, the strong will always prey on the weak, that's the law of nature." Khalilah became speechless, she didn't know why someone would accept such a tragic fate without even fighting, and she didn't understand why they feared this Olive man so much.
He is human like them, not a god, they shouldn't fear him this much.
Even though she wasn't satisfied with what was happening, she didn't like the look of sadness that was reflected in Malia's eyes.
"Malia," She called her once more. "I am sorry about what happened to your parents, but on your behalf I am not going to give up, I am going to escape from this place one day and if I am unable to, I am going to kill him."