"Your dancing was so nice. I'm surprised since you're...so young. If not for the trouble with your eyes then you'd be perfect." Purred a deep voice close to Ruhya's ear. An unfamiliar hand stroked Ruhya's face, lingering much too long. Ruhya mumbled out a soft thanks as The Fear gripped her heart, prevented her from saying much. She held tightly to her Big Sister's blue skirt.
'Please don't leave me alone with him. Please don't leave me alone with him. Please don't leave me alone with him.' Ruhya chanted in her head. Up till recently she only had to dance for the Uncles, but now she was actually meeting them. It was during the meetings that Ruhya's was glad for the blindfold that kept her in darkness, she might collapse if she had to see the strange men that touched her face and hair.
"Many thanks for your patronage, but I'm afraid the allotted time is up. Please see Madam Sosa if you would like to schedule another visit." Big Sister said, her voice straining to sound youthful. Ruhya barely suppressed a scream as the Uncle mashed his face against her neck and inhaled deeply.
"Sir, please."
"Alright, alright I'm going. Tell me, when will she be available for... other services?"
"Sadly, she is only 9, still too young for our more interactive services. However, I am open if you so wish..." Big Sister purred. Ruhya flinched at the sound of a slap.
"Don't touch me! I'll never understand why this place keeps old crones like you!" The Uncle shouted as he stormed out of the room. Ruhya didn't dare make a sound, at moments like this anything could send Big Sister into a fit.
"Old crone? Old crone!? OLD CRONE!" Big Sister shouted, her breathing becoming shallow and ragged. Ruhya's stomach betrayed her cause to be silent by protesting the lack of lunch. Big Sister quickly turned to Ruhya, her rage increasing with every second. She threw herself on Ruhya with her hands raised.
"Old crone my ass! I'm only 27! 27! I'm only 27!!" Big Sister shouted, slapping at Ruhya with every syllable. Ruhya screamed as she raised her arms to protect her face. The assault ended just as quickly as it started. Big Sister burst into tears, enveloping Ruhya in a tight hug.
"I'm sorry, Ruhya. I didn't mean to, please don't leave me! I need you! You're all I have left."
Ruhya finally let go of the barricade keeping her emotions back. Tears soaked the cotton blindfold over her eyes. The two sobbed in each other's embrace until exhaustion overcame them both. Curled up in the bed reserved for customers, the two fell into a warm sleep.
Tears ran softly down Ruhya's face as she woke up. Her memories often plagued her sleep, but the one she awoke from was one of the most painful.
That was the last time Ruhya and the Woman in Blue interacted as mother and daughter.
Ruhya raked her hands through her hair in frustration before angrily wiping her tears away. Only then did she notice the bandages wrapped around her hands and arms. Confusion quickly turned to alarm as she realized she was in a strange new room. Her thoughts quickly flew to the young boy taken with her.
"Kouta!? Kouta where are you!? Give him back you bastards!!" Ruhya shouted. She tried to get out of the bed but screamed in agony as pain spiked from her ankle. It was not the familiar pain of pulling against a chain, but a deeper sharp pain that burned. Ruhya screamed out in pain again as she tried to move her leg.
"Please, don't move. You are very injured and need to rest." A strange voice said as the door opened.
"Where is Kouta!? What have you done to him!?" Ruhya exclaimed, gritting her teeth to keep her painful screams in.
"Calm down, you are back in the palace. The young prince is fine, he is in no danger."
"Who are you? What happened?" Ruhya asked as she finally calmed down.
"I am Doctor Hamori. You and the young prince were kidnapped by unknown assailants, but our Magi managed to rescue the two of you."
"Wait, Magi? Do you mean Judar?"
Doctor Hamori hummed in confirmation and Ruhya's mouth slightly dropped in surprise. Judar actually rescued her? The thought of Judar even caring enough to find her was completely shocking.
"How are you feeling? You suffered quite a bit of injuries. There are lots of bruises and gashes, and I'm afraid to say that your ankle is broken. Fortunately, that is the only broken bone, though some ribs are heavily bruised. Consider yourself relatively lucky." Doctor Hamori said as he sat next to the bed, "I'm going to remove your blindfold, okay? I imagine it must be quite uncomfortable."
"No! Uh, I mean, I'd rather keep it on. My eyes are very sensitive to light." Ruhya protested.
"No need to fear. The room is quite dark, only a couple of candles are lit." Doctor Hamori reassured. Ruhya hesitated for a few seconds before nodding. Doctor Hamori gently began to untie the knot and removed the blindfold around Ruhya's eyes. Ruhya slowly opened her eyes, unconsciously sighing in relief at the absence of sharp stinging.
Doctor Hamori's soft brown eyes watched Ruhya carefully, trying not to be distracted by her glowing eyes. He had never seen a case like her, a magician hurt by their element of magic just didn't make any sense. Judar had carefully instructed him to keep Ruhya's room dark and Kouta had provided the useful information that candlelight was the least harmful to her eyes. He did a quick check over Ruhya's wounds before pulling up a chair to sit in.
"Do remember what happened?"
"She needed more money. The quota increased and she couldn't get many clients. I was the only thing of value left." Ruhya whispered, the memories rising to the surface with fresh pain and tears.
"I'm sorry, what? Who needed more money?" Doctor Hamori inquired, completely confused.
"Ah, I'm sorry! Please forget about that, I'm not sure what I was saying!" Ruhya exclaimed as she waved her hands. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment, she felt like an idiot for accidentally talking about Big Sister. She made it a point to never talk about that time. There was already the stigma of being a slave over her head, being outed as a former brothel dancer would give others a bigger reason to look down on her.
Doctor Hamori looked concerned for a few moments before shaking his head and turning to a table with various small bottles. Ruhya sighed in relief as he didn't pursue it, he probably dismissed it as trauma from the kidnapping.
"I have to go. Your wounds look to be in good condition as there seem to be no signs of infection, but if you need me then just ring this bell. Here is some water mixed with powdered herbs, it'll help with the pain." Doctor Hamori said as he placed a small brass bell and glass of water on the stand next to the bed.
The gentle doctor exited without much else, leaving Ruhya alone in the dark. The soft candlelight flickered over the walls, creating shadows of nonexistent monsters. Ruhya wrapped her arms around herself, the bare room was eerily similar to the captor's basement.
Ruhya searched for her blindfold among the bed sheets before seeing it on the nearby nightstand. She picked it up and tightly tied it over her eyes. The complete darkness calmed Ruhya down, if she can't see the shadows dancing in the room then she can't fear them. She laughed ruefully at her silly thought. It's the things that are unseen that should be feared.
"Maybe I just wasn't meant for a life in the light. I'll just live in the dark forever." Ruhya mumbled. Her whole life had been a dark void filled with fear and hurt, what was the point of trying to find anything better? Maybe it would be better for her to just curl up in bed and never wake up.
It's not like anyone would miss her.
A sudden burst of sunlight filled the room as the closed window swung open. The thick curtains flapped as someone pushed their way through. There was a soft thud as feet hit the tiled floor below.
Ruhya wanted to scream but her voice was completely frozen in her throat, all that came from her lips was a hoarse gasp. They were back. The kidnappers were back to take her again. They were going to take her back to that cold basement. They were going to hurt her! They were going to pluck her eyes out! They were going to cut her tongue off! They were going to break her legs! They were going to...!
"Ruhya! Calm down, it's just me, Peli."
Ruhya snapped out of the sudden panic attack that overtook her. Sweat trailed down her forehead despite the coolness of the room.
"Peli, is it really you?"
The blond musician went over to embrace the bedridden dancer. Her body flinched at his touch, still shaking from the sudden bout of fear. Peli gently placed his hand over Ruhya's, layers of bandages preventing them from actually touching.
"Yeah, I'm here. It's all going to be okay." Peli confirmed as he gently sat on the edge of the bed. His heart broke at the sight of his beloved Ruhya, she seemed to be a shell of her former cheerful self.
Peli wanted to be angry. He wanted to be angry at those who dared to hurt Ruhya and make her cry, but most of all he wanted to be angry at the Magi that took her from him. He didn't just want to be angry, he wanted them to feel the pain Ruhya felt. He wanted to hurt them...
"Peli, I'm so glad you're here. You seem to have a knack for showing up whenever I need you." Ruhya chuckled.
Ruhya's words brought Peli out of his darkening thoughts. He placed a smile on his face as he forced down his anger. He had already failed Ruhya once and there was no way he would let that happen again. At this moment Ruhya needed a comforter, not a an avenger. His anger would have to wait.
"Wait, how'd you know where to find me?" Ruhya asked.
"Let's just say that the maids around here hear more than they should and they love talking. The news that the prince had been rescued from kidnappers spread like wildfire, so it wasn't hard to find information about the 'strange woman' that was also rescued." Peli chuckled. Gossip was a disease that infected almost every palace servant. All Peli had to do was act friendly and flirt with the right people and he could find out about anything that happened in the palace.
"It's super nice to have you here, it was getting too gloomy in here. You're just like the sun, filling this place with warm happiness." Ruhya joked finally smiling. She laughed but stopped because of the pain in her ribs.
"I have to go, I can't be late for practice. All the musicians are practicing extra for a large banquet tomorrow, it's to celebrate the return of the prince." Peli explained as he let go of Ruhya and reluctantly went to the window.
"Oh wow, an entire banquet organized so soon? You must be really busy then."
"Will you be there?" Peli asked with a hopeful voice. Ruhya saw the real meaning of his innocent question.
"Will you hear me play?"
Ruhya laughed and nodded. Peli grinned and then jumped out the window. The thick curtains fell over the window, filling the room with darkness again almost as if Peli had taken the sunshine with him.
Even with no sunshine to warm her skin, Ruhya felt much better. It was as if she had been pulled from a dark void and back into reality. She felt ridiculous for thinking such dark thoughts earlier. Her life wasn't as bad as she was imagining it to be. Despite being a slave her hands knew no hard labor and she got to dance the way she wanted. Her days in the brothel were long behind her.