Sinking Ships

Finding Freedom

As I walk into the room, I see shining crystal, glistening in the light, and beautiful women with all body types and skin colors wearing fine silks and satins, saying gracefully along to the music. Long tables of lavish gifts and food for the kings celebration layer the floor around us- there was hardly any room to walk- There were around 50 concubines in all, and .. it seems we we are all in the room together.

Luckily, this room is the biggest in the palace.

I'm hoping that no one notices me or the knife I have hidden under my sleeve it'll most likely be mistaken for a shiny bauble- it did have that shape anyway. On the surface, it looked like a regular bracelet, but there was a small button underneath the band that when pressed, collapsed the whole thing into a strange silver blade.

I had to pay a high price to convince a tall guard to sell it to me, and it had taken me forever to earn enough money for it. It was a weird exchange- I don't know where he got it, I didn't need to.

It is past time for me to have this freedom- long past time. And I will have it because this is the only night that the guard regime inside the palace where King Mathialaes ruled with an iron fist was lessened, to an almost dithering amount.

Tonight was the king's birthday celebration and he wanted to enjoy his harem of women under no waiting or watchful eyes.

You'd think he would be smarter than that, but no. What would happen if God forbid- I don't know- a concubine snuck out of the palace? Blinded by what makes him feel good- typical.

I was born here, and if there was any other place before that, I have no memory of it. After learning that I'm the only one who's ever tried to escape before, I had tried to make my way out- but I had been caught by the king and was given a heavy collar to have put around my neck. Whenever I was in the company of King Mathialaes, he had a leash for me hanging around the arm of his throne, and I already had the custom chains that all of us had attached to both of my ankles too.

I'm better at this now, surely.

Freedom is costly here, and if you break the rules.... However many trees, and beautiful flowers there are surrounding me, its still a cage. The only thing I would be missing is the kings menagerie- beautiful beasts of all species, and my favorites were an adorable yellow canary I named Kaja, and a sweet little jungle cat with eyes of onyx, just like his name. They made the days here a little less lonely for me, which I appreciated very much.

Life here is uncomfortable, especially with the ever present clinking following my every move, thats how the king always knows where I am. Even though I'm still considered a concubine, I haven't been asked or made to do anything for him, and I'm pretty sure he only keeps me here because of the pleasure of buying another high priced item to enjoy... I'm glad he overlooks me, I don't know how I would be able to bear servicing him the way the others had to.. I can't say we haven't gotten good treatment here either, because there's food whenever we want, clean water, and we have clothes on our backs. But I can't help but want more out of life than sitting pretty in captivity for lavish food and parlour games- and I know it shouldn't be wrong to want it either.

I'm so sick of being stuck in the same routine every day with nothing good coming out of it...

But onto other matters.

Looking at myself in the passing reflections of the hall mirrors, I analyzed the fancy chemise I was wearing underneath my black culottes and smiled in appreciation, it has to work- being under full cover in the night is what I need most of all.

Plus it doesn't hurt to look good while doing it- obviously.

Tying my dark hair up behind my shoulders, I kept walking as I waited for the right time.