One Last Time: One More Time

Fantasy

Elise (Year 845)

"You will be training with the young girls now, but if you pick up the pace, you can debut as a tavern dancer in as little as six months."

It's been only a couple of weeks but Elise was already thinking of ways to escape. Although she legally now belonged to the tavern, she very much preferred to die than to show any part of her body to any of the men that came to the tavern.

"My name is Sofia Altergott, and I am mother's right hand, I train all tavern dancers and pretty much run this place after her," Sofia took a look at Elise. She was indeed beautiful and there was no doubt she could become very popular if she played her cards well.

"Mother?" Elise asks, her hands were tied down with a rope and she made a conversation to distract the woman in front of her as she tried to free herself.

"Yes, Mother takes all final decisions on the taverns. Well, technically her husband is the tavern owner but he lets his wife run this place," Sofia walks in front of the beautiful woman. Unaware that she was trying to escape. They were outside the tavern and she was giving her a talk before letting her in, just so she knew what she was getting herself into.

"Mother is not nice, so just do what she and I say and you will be fine," the tavern dancer bends down to look at Elise at an eye level. "Unless of course, you want to become a low-status prostitute, which is fine by me ... But you should strive to become a tavern dancer, we get paid more."

Finally, the blond woman freed herself and without much thought, she impacted Sofia's head with her fist. Making the woman fall to the ground and giving Elise enough time to run away.

She kept running, not knowing where exactly to go. But anything was better than this place.

"Guards!"

.

.

.

She was stupid enough to believe that she knew the area well enough to be able to escape. If anything, she knew more about Wall Rose than her hometown in Wall Sina. After all, she was mostly constrained in her family's mansion. Elise thought that strength enough could be able to save her. But it wasn't the case this time.

"You really thought you could escape?" Her mother kept hitting Elise with a wooden stick. Although it wasn't the most painful thing she had experienced, the pain was terrible enough to make her bite her own lips till the point of bleeding.

"Not only that but you hit Sofia in the face! You could have left a bruise on her face!" Another hit. Elise felt humiliated, not only was Mother hitting her but also the guards and Sofia were there to witness it. "She's my best tavern dancer, she's worth more than you!"

"If it was for me, you would already be sent into the business for pleasure," Mother tried to get back some composure. She was getting old and didn't have the same strength but she was still determined to make the young woman scream. "But Sofia is right ... I paid too much for you ... it will take years for you to even give me back half of what you were worth if you were to become a prostitute."

Another hit and this time Elise screams, her cries resonate across the room. It was normal for tavern dancers to be hit like this when they misbehaved. Sofia used to have her fair share of discipline implemented by her former Madame.

"Sofia, I am tired ... give her 50 more hits," Mother passed her wooden stick to Sofia and the tavern dancer accepted reluctantly. "And remember our agreement ... She better be ready in six months to debut ... If not, you will be charged all of her debt and she is going to become a prostitute."