The 14th Concubine of a Harem King

"Never Let Your Hair Down"

Sayra

Some ugly muggers pull Lorora into an ally. I took my carriage to Umbeg and sent a few of my servants to follow up with the seamstress and the doctor as to what she was doing there. This town has a lot of riffraff from the city come in and mug visitors as the crackdown isn't as strict. A new woman in town who has money is an obvious target for them since nobody in town will stand up for her.
I follow them closely as she's dragged into the ally and pulled down a built-in-the-ground staircase. It's a side door to a grouty bar. They start talking to her in low voices. My stomach churns. Why did I send my servants away to that useless seamstress and doctor? I pull the hood over my face and slip behind a large barrel leaning up against the building on the opposite side of the ally. I peek around the side of it, praying to whatever might be listening to get my servants back now so they can deal with this situation!

"No need to be scared, we are just jobless folks who need a little extra help," one of them says. I bite my lip and kick myself for forgetting my knife. One man is sitting on the stairs blocking the way up, another is holding her down by her shoulders and another is facing her talking. I can see their shoulders while they 'hide' in the stairway. Passersby stare for a minute and then go back to their business in true peasant fashion.

"My money is back at home. I spent it all at the seamstress," says Lorora.
You idiot! Just give them what they want!
"I find that hard to believe, we might need to search you, little lady," says the man. His hair is unkempt and greasy. His clothes are dirty and he has one fingerless glove on.
Lorora breathes deeply. "Give me one moment, I might have something."
Her long slender fingers reach behind her head and wrap around her hairpin. It's a simple pin with only a black jewel at the top. She pulls it out in one swift motion and shakes it. I watch to my astonishment as the pin extends to about a foot and reveals a sharp point. She stabs the man immediately in his eye and he howls in pain. The other two men jump up to restrain her but she hops over the ledge to higher ground. One man grabs her ankle and the other runs up the stairs with a knife in hand. She stabs the fingers of the man holding her ankle and assumes a sparring stance towards the armed ruffian. So that's why she always keeps her hair up in a pin. Now most of it has fallen down as the main hairpin has become a weapon. Her nose is upturned to them and her eyes are wild and flashing.
"You disgusting fiends laying your hands on a helpless woman!" She snaps.
"Stupid bitch!" Says the man who's hand got stabbed. He comes around to her other side drawing a knife as well. My heart pounds and I try to think. It's two against one and she's only got a footlong sharpened hairpin. The first man lunges and she dodges it then stomps on his foot and stabs his gut. Blood gushes out.
"You...you skank!" He roars and staggers back in pain and confusion. People are gathering at the end of the ally to watch the scene.

Finally, a guard shows up and grabs the other man before he tries to attack her too. He probably only came because of the commotion.
"Are you alright, young lady?" He asks politely.
Lorora stops, flicks her hairpin and turns to him. "Thank you, kind sir. I appreciate you doing your duty here," she says, huffing a little.
I roll my eyes, like she needed him anyways. She already took two of the three thieves down. The mugger shakes off the guards hand and stumbles away. The other two follow him.
The guard takes Lorora's hand.
"Please rest assured everything will be alright now," he says. The crowd starts to disperse since the show is over.
"Thank you...um," she pauses. "Shouldn't you go after those three theives? They should be easy to catch."
"Ah, I have two comrades who are after them as we speak," he says.
She watches them stumble out of the ally, and cocks her head puzzled.
"Please accompany me to make a statement at our district's office," he says. "We would also like to analyze your weapon." He puts his hand out for her hairpin.
Lorora sighs, hands him her weapon and let's him lead her down the ally, the opposite direction from the maid street. The district's office is the other way. I follow them quietly as he leads her further and further out of the busy town streets.

"Why do you have a district office so far out from the downtown?" Asks Lorora skeptically. "It will lend to poor efficiency during emergencies."
"Ah, I thought you could make the statement at my house, you see the district office will have those unsightly men there so I thought it best you shouldn't have to see it," he says.
She pauses. "I don't care about seeing blood," she replies. "I was the one who stabbed them."
"So you inflicted serious bodily harm on those passersby?" He says. Suddenly from behind the house, two other guards come out, both of them grinning.
"They attacked me," she says. "Why would a girl randomly fight three men in an ally?"
"Well, you aren't very pretty so they obviously didn't want you for your body," says one of the new guard.
I'm hiding behind a bush as we are in the outskirts of town by the soldiers baracks. I had heard rumors of this behavior in Umbeg. Guards working with the ruffians to exploit visitors. I thought it was just a rumor though. The sun has reached the midday sky and Lorora's eyes reflect its sharp light.
"We need you to give us a better explanation that that," says a third guard. "You see, if you don't have any money, and you aren't beautiful, we have no other choice but to assume you had a vendetta against those poor men and cost a man his eye!"
The first guard pins her against the wall with his one hand.
"There's two ways you can clear your name..." he chuckles. "Either show us whatever money you got and if it's enough to warrant a mugging, your story checks out. Or you can take your clothes off and prove you're more than meets the eye."

Where the devil are my servants?!

"You are truly disgusting. No wonder the citizens of this town don't meddle when someone is getting mugged. How utterly deplorable. I will see to it the moment I get home to have every one of you removed from your post," says Lorora.
"Oh ho ho! A tough one are you? You aren't pretty enough to have the ear of anyone of importance, all you got is your ugly hair pin and arrogance. We aren't here to play pretend with you so hurry up! What will it be?" The second guard laughs.

There are 4 in total.

I notice some small stones, by my feet. Some are an inch to two inches around. I bite my lip. Back at the gambling house my dexterity and aim was unmatched in darts. My father would also get me to secretly wip gambling chips at people who were cheating or winning too often. This would start a fight and the game would end, giving the house the proceeds. These rocks are just about the size of gambling chips. I pick one up and wip it right at the first guards head.

"Ow! Why did you hit me?" He turns around, away from Lorora. She glances at the bushes where I am and meets my eyes saying nothing.

I wip another at the fourth guard and hide back behind the bush.
"Hey! What's the idea?" He exclaims.
"I didn't do anything!" The first one says. "It must have been this crazy bitch."
"We were watching her the whole time! You just want to get everything again, like last time!" The third guard says.

Lorora meets my eyes again and nods. I wip another, at the first guard again. She lifts her knee and kicks him in the crotch. I wip another at the second guard.
"Ow!"
"Hey!"
"Little bitch!"
I pick up a handful and aim for all four, one, two, three, four! They spot me. Lorora dashes out from them towards me, grabs my arm and we rush back towards town.
I spot my giant carriage moving towards the outskirts of town. Finally! I take the lead and charge up towards it. They slow down when they see me and I pull us both up into the carriage as the door opens. We both huff for a moment inside then I poke my head out the window.
"You're all screwed, you imbeciles! I'm Sayra, the kings favored concubine and I saw everything!" I yell out at them. "Have fun with your last days on earth!"
Their eyes widen and they tremble in fear. The carriage charges down the dusty road past them and I laugh. I stop when I look over at Lorora. She is sitting on the bench across from me, her hands are trembling and her face is white.
"Lorora...?"