Roselena
Maybe I was a dead fish in the river already, but even fish strive to survive.
The moment I saw the Commander's mercy trickle down to a peasant like me, I gripped onto it like a child desperate to cling to their mother. He said I would be his maidservant, and though I'd never done that before, I would work hard to become indispensable to him.
I bit my lip as I entered the simple inn room. It was well kept with the smell of fresh linen hanging in the air, and I longed to sleep on the bed lying to the left of the small room. Here alone, it felt like there was no catastrophic invasion of Dhernon soldiers all around me. Just for a moment, I could stand there in the silence and pretend I was on an excursion with my brother or my father.
However, the fantasy didn't last long. It was cut short by the sound of shattering glass down below, reminding me of my harsh reality. I couldn't be picky though. Many have lost their lives, but I was still standing.
I avoided looking out the glass window as I limped toward the small door to my right. Knowing I would see dried blood and ashes on the ground through the glass, I turned my face away.
This village didn't seem to have a drainage system, so what was prepared was room temperature water in a large bathing pool carved out of wood. It was large enough to comfortably fit a man, so I could easily submerge myself. I'd never used a tub before so the thought of using one thrilled me. Only wealthy people could afford this kind of wood work, and most towns and villages in the land of Thelodia were centered around rivers, lakes, and oceans.
The ultra-wealthy had bathtubs carved out of more expensive materials that I could only touch in my imagination...
We were lucky to have a sewage system in DuPont since it was well developed, and it made hygiene a lot easier to maintain. We could get water from the river in our backyards and use that to wash up as the water drained into the sewage. Understandably, this was a luxury for me.
My eyes moved to the right of the tub where a wood table with many dried water stains sat. A ceramic plate with fresh soap and towels sat on its left while a large, fat candle sat on the right. I moved to grab the towel and soap, pausing to look in the oddly shaped mirror hanging on the wall by the edge of its trousers.
I was unharmed, but any beauty I had felt the evening before was long gone. Instead, I looked pale and tired. I caught sight of dirt marks on the white fabric of my dress and quickly looked down in dismay.
Evidence of my flight and fall through the forest was plastered all over the dress.
I couldn't help the twinge of disappointment. This was the only thing I owned now, and it was ruined. All because of that bastard. The feelings of resentment toward my captor resurfaced as it had the night before when I woke up to find him sound asleep across from me without a care in the world. I hated that I had fallen asleep in front of him, and I hated that I was at his mercy. I especially hated that he was the only person I could cling to at the moment.
I tried to squash my emotions down, knowing that he was the one who would decided whether I lived or died for as long as I was under his ownership. It was a helpless, hopeless feeling.
I set the soap and towel on the small flat lip of the tub and proceeded to unbraid my hair. The wilting flowers shook out onto the floor and into the water as I stripped and dipped into the water.
I submerged myself before rising again to massage soap into my scalp.
You will cross into enemy territory, and you will see many things. Do not be afraid, you will not die.
I wasn't sure I believed those words as much as I feared the words of the homeless man. But now... any doubt I had was swallowed by force. I never expected the land I grew up on to become the enemy territory that white-cloaked person was speaking of, and I had the unsettling feeling that I needed to get used to the feeling now.
The sound of a door opening sent my heart into a frenzy, and I defensively sunk lower into the water, leaving only my nose and eyes exposed. My back dug into the edge of the wood, and my bottom burned a bit from my skin dragging across the wet wood.
My arms crossed over my chest as I heard footsteps near the open entrance of the bathroom.
I thought whoever it was would cross into the bathroom, but they stopped at the edge of the doorway, their back turned toward the entrance.
"I had one of the women downstairs give me some fresh clothing for you. It's on the bed." It was the Commander again, and he sounded uncomfortable. I rose from the water, exposing my mouth.
"O-okay." My voice was as stiff as his back in the doorway.
"Hurry along, I don't plan on staying here any longer than I have to."
I nodded, which made the water stir a bit.
Before he could go, I decided to test the waters between us.
"Why are you being so considerate toward me?" I asked curiously.
There was silence for a moment before he cleared his throat, "Don't mistake my behavior for consideration, little rabbit. Even pets have basic needs."
That response was not comforting at all. I've seen three extremes with pet owners. Those who dote and love their pets, those who only care to feed them, and those who abuse and neglect them. I could only hope he wasn't the latter, but I suppose the greatest mercy a man like that could have was not to kill me... I could truly only hope that death wouldn't become his greatest mercy.
After he left and shut the door, I submerged my head again and quickly finished washing up before standing, letting the water drip back into the tub for a second, as I dried off. I washed my under clothes quickly and winced as I slid it back on against my skin, hoping I wouldn't chafe.
I wrapped the towel around me and walked to the bed where, as promised, a change of clothes lay on the bed. It was a plain green dress with a brown cloak. I quickly changed into it, finding it difficult to tighten the corset style of it.
Stepping in front of the mirror, I felt relief that the corset strings weren't on the back. I fixed it and made a face when I realized how the dress pushed my breasts up, exposing the skin that hadn't seen much sun. This style of neckline wasn't considered proper for the average young unmarried girl. Mostly married women wore things like this... Or women in prostitution.
I had an inkling of where he had gotten this dress from.
I sighed, deciding I couldn't be picky. I quickly grabbed the light weight cloak and tied it around my neck, satisfied with how it covered most everything.
Gathering my white dress and slipping on my shoes, I opened the door to see Commander Rovan had removed his armor, leaving him in bloodstained clothing.
The horsemen stood to the side with his arms crossed. He seemed to perk up when he saw me, which made me uneasy. I didn't miss the way he watched me before, and it made my skin crawl.
The Commander glanced at the horsemen, "Take her to get some food while I wash up."
He moved to walk toward the room, and I jumped.
"Sir, that water is dirty." I informed him.
He looked me over and raised an eyebrow, "Not as filthy as I am."
I flushed at the thought of him bathing in the same bath water I had vigorously scrubbed myself in.
"Sir, please, just -" the horsemen interrupted me by nudging my shoulder forward.
"Let it be, lass." I was forced to walk forward, glancing back over my shoulder to see the commander shutting the door.
Revulsion and embarrassment at sharing bathwater with someone filled me from within. It was quite unclean. I suppose Sir Henry saw my expression and felt pity for me, because he tried to comfort me.
"He'll clean the water with magic, so don't worry." He offered some peace of mind as he led me down the stairs into the crowd of men. Some had left to my relief, but there were still quite a few loitering around.
Sir Henry looked at my discomfort and smiled, "How about you step out for some fresh air while I get us some food? Everyone here knows you're property of the Commander, so they won't bug you."
I looked around and saw that they indeed didn't glance my way, so I took his offer. It was rather insulting in some aspects though... Even though I knew I would be an idiot to run away from the Commanding Officer of such an army, it would've saved whatever pride I had left had he at least shown concern about my running away.
I limped out onto the porch-like area and leaned against the wooden structure as I looked out onto the scene. Soldiers and citizens alike were busy cleaning up the aftermath of the invasion. Some soldiers merely stood and ordered people around, but... the scene was quite cruel.
Citizens cried for their fellow townspeople even as they cleaned up their blood and flesh. I shielded my eyes away and chose to look at the sky instead.
The sun was barely exposed as heavy clouds rolled in. They didn't look waterlogged, but it seemed like the sky was in dry mourning for the land below.
The images of the captive and dead Templemen in DuPont flashed through my mind.
"What kind of god would let this happen to his faithful people?"
Some things just weren't for me to understand.