Ruhya sat in the dark. It had been a few hours since Judar left and she was still getting herself together.
His words were not new, she had heard them before. She wasn't sure why, but they seemed to hurt more when she remembered them in Judar's voice.
She was such an idiot. Why did she ever think that Judar would actually accept her? It didn't matter that he rescued her, he didn't do it because he cared, he did it to retrieve his belonging.
Fresh tears stung Ruhya's eyes, not from sadness but rather anger.
"Damn him! I was so close to getting my freedom! Damn you Ravoi for betraying me! Screw everyone!" Ruhya raged. She grabbed her pillow and forcefully threw it to the ground. Taking a deep breath she screamed in frustration. Her sudden movements aggravated her injuries and she quickly stopped her tantrum.
"Ow, that was a bad idea. My ribs hurt so much." Ruhya said to herself as she tenderly held her side and winced in pain.
There was a knock at the door which startled Ruhya. Quickly she smoothed down her ruffled hair and fixed the bedsheets. The door opened and Ruhya turned to them, though she could not see who it was.
"Hello, it's Ruhya, correct? Can I come in?" A feminine voice asked.
"Yes, of course. Come in."
The sound of ruffling clothes and jingling jewelry filled Ruhya's ears as her visitor made their way over to the chair beside the bed. Sweet fragrance filled the air, the floral smells calmed Ruhya down and seemed to make her forget her anger.
"My name is Sindri, I am Kouta's mother."
Ruhya straightened her posture and nervously interlocked her fingers. If her visitor was Kouta's mom, then that meant she was royalty.
"Thank you."
"I'm sorry, what?" Ruhya asked, still processing that she was in the presence of a princess.
"Thank you for protecting my son. I don't know what I would have done if-" Sindri choked out, unable to finish her sentence. Ruhya could sense the emotions overwhelming Sindri as she imagined a future without her son.
"There's no need to thank me." Ruhya said as she laid her hand on Sindri's leg in a comforting manner. Two warm hands covered Ruhya's and squeezed in gratitude.
"How are you feeling? You didn't look very good when Judar first brought you in."
"I admit I'm still in pain. The doctor gave me some soothing ointments and herbs, but it'll take some time for me to get better." Ruhya said.
"Only ointments and herbs? Has no one performed recovery magic on you?" Sindri asked, her voice taking on a defensive tone.
Ruhya shook her head. She hadn't thought of the possibility of magic being used on her. When she was younger, Ruhya often bruised and sprained herself while dancing. Hiring a Green Magician to heal her every time was impossible, it would have bankrupted the circus.
"I'm going to fix this immediately." Sindri stated as she rung the bell to summon Doctor Hamori. The small bell's ring was high and clear, sounding like a whistling canary.
A few moments later there was a soft knock at the door.
"You rang? Ah, Princess Sindri, forgive me. I didn't know you were here." Doctor Hamori said with surprise.
"Doctor Hamori, I find it very hard to believe that this woman risked her life for my son and yet she is not receiving the best treatments we can offer." Sindri said with an irritated tone.
"As much as I would like to apply healing magic, I have direct orders not to." Doctor Hamori sighed.
"Well I'm ordering you to use the best magic treatments on her immediately. Do it on my authority as Crown Princess." Sindri commanded.
"Forgive me Princess, but those orders come directly from High Priest Judar. It would be unwise to try and oppose his commands. Especially since he is that girl's master, she is his personal slave."
Ruhya's insides twisted at Doctor Hamori's words. She had been exposed as a slave, even worse, she had been called Judar's personal slave. The implication those words had made her feel sick. It didn't matter that all she did was dance, there would always be those who though she provided other services as well.
Ruhya retracted her hand from Sindri's and clutched her bed sheets. It was better to remove herself before Sindri could recoil in disgust. Ruhya's eyes stung and she bit her lip to keep it from quivering.
"I understand, you may leave now."
Doctor Hamori hesitated for a few seconds before his soft footsteps lead out the door. Ruhya dreaded being alone with Sindri. She dreaded the disgusted sighs and biting words that were sure to come.
"Ruhya, I must apologize."
"W-what?"
"Even though you protected my son, I can't do anything to help you. Though I am Crown Princess, Judar has more authority than me, so I can't- I can't do anything!" Sindri exclaimed, her voice rising with anger and frustration. She quickly rose from her seat, causing it to fall over. Her jewelry jingled violently as she furiously paced around the room.
"I don't understand. You're upset for me, and not at me?" Ruhya questioned in disbelief. She had expected a very different reaction.
"Why would I be upset at you? You've done nothing wrong. It's all that moron's-" Sindri suddenly cut herself off and cleared her throat, "Forgive me, I shouldn't say too much. Anyways, if you ever need anything, don't be afraid to ask me."
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why are you so nice to me? Why do you want to help me? Didn't you hear Doctor Hamori, I'm just a slave." Ruhya asked, her voice filled with doubt. She gasped as Sindri suddenly grabbed both of her hands.
"I don't care about your background, I only care about who you are now. And right now, you are a kind person who helped keep my son from getting hurt. Anyone who helps my family is a friend of mine." Sindri said gently.
"You really care about your family, huh?" Ruhya sniffled. The warmth coming from Sindri's hands brought comfort to Ruhya. Tears came to Ruhya's eyes and she wanted to cry, but she held them back.
"Yes, my family means everything to me. I would do anything for them."
Ruhya couldn't speak, her throat seemingly closed up. What would her life be like if she had had a normal family? No unknown father, no abusive mother, but a normal family that lived normal lives. Would she still dance? Would her eyes still be this way?
"I'm sorry, but I have to go now. I have to finish some arrangements for the banquet tomorrow. You will be there, yes?"
Ruhya nodded. Judar had already agreed to let her go, and she would give him hell if he tried to go back on his word. Sindri patted Ruhya's hands once more before getting up and leaving.
Once Sindri left, Ruhya was all alone again. Boredom settled in her bones and Ruhya grew antsy. The hardest part of healing was the long hours spent in bed doing nothing. There wasn't much Ruhya could do. Usually, Ravoi would read her books or Peli would practice his drumming while she rested, but there was no way that could happen now.
Boredom weighed down Ruhya's eyelids, but she fought to keep them open. Falling asleep would pass the time, but it would also invite unpleasant memories to surface.
Ruhya lost the fight as her eyes closed and refused to open. Sleep soon took over her, and so did the dreams.
"What is this?! This is nowhere near what you owe me! After everything I've done for you, you turn out to be an incompetent tramp! I should just kick you out right now!" Madam Sosa shouted. Big Sister flinched as Madam Sosa raised her hand.
"Please no! I promise I can get you the rest of the money!" Big Sister pleaded. The incoming slap stopped a few inches from Big Sister's face.
"How? You have nothing to give. A worn out face and defective daughter, I have no use for you. No one wants to buy you anymore, you're washed up and old. That daughter of yours is just as useless. Her dancing is mediocre at best, and her defect scares the customers away."
Big Sister fell to the floor and grabbed onto Madam Sosa's feet. Her eyes stung with tears and her voice shook.
"I'm begging you, please don't kick me out! I wouldn't survive a day out there!"
Madam Sosa scoffed and kicked Big Sister away. It really was a pity, in her younger days the tramp was one of her best girls. Her wide hips and this waist brought in many customers, the blue dresses complemented her tan complexion, and her dancing was incredible. Now, after many years of struggling to stay at the top, she had finally fallen. Madam Sosa no longer wanted her, nobody did. Her time of usefulness had ended long ago.
"The slave market! If I sell her then I'll have enough to pay you! After that, I can be a maid here. Please, I can't leave this place." Big Sister cried out in desperation as tears flowed down her cheeks.
Madam Sosa tilted her head in interest. She smiled coldly as she quickly did the math and figured how much she would profit from this one-sided deal.
"Alright, give me all the money from her sale then work here a maid for minimal pay, and I'll let you stay here. Though you'll have to move down to the smaller basement rooms." Madam Sosa said.
Big Sister nodded fervently as she spewed out words of thanks. She waited until Madam Sosa walked away to get up from her kneeling position. Calmly she wiped her face and fixed her hair before entering her room.
Ruhya rushed away from the door and quickly sat back on the bed where she was when Big Sister left to talk to Madam Sosa. The door had been left open just a bit, allowing Ruhya to overhear their conversation.
"What were you doing?" Big Sister asked accusingly.
"N-nothing. I was just playing with my doll." Ruhya said as she held up a ratty cloth doll.
"Get your stuff together, you're going to be leaving this place."
"Where am I going?"
"I don't know, soon I won't have to care for you anymore. I'll be saving a lot of money with you gone." Big Sister snarked, her mood quite foul.
"I know Madam Sosa wants money, or else we can't stay here. Why don't we leave together? I'm sure we can find somewhere else to stay, and I can maybe get a job." Ruhya said hopefully. As mean as Big Sister was sometimes, she was the only person Ruhya had. It would be scary to be separated.
"You don't get it, do you? Who in their right mind would hire a 9-year-old? Besides, I have to stay here. He said he'd come back for me. The handsome trader from Riem that fell head over heels for me. He was on an important business tour, so he couldn't take me with him yet. But he said he would come back and take me away from here, all I had to do was wait for him."
Ruhya clutched her ragdoll. Big Sister continued to talk about the trader from Riem. Anytime he came up she seemed to go into a world of her own, imagining what her life will be like when he comes back.
As much as Ruhya hoped her father would come back for the both of them, she knew it wasn't going to happen. Nearly 10 years have passed since his supposed promise of return. It was most likely that he had forgotten all about the pregnant brothel girl he left behind the moment his ship left the ports of Balbadd.
Big Sister didn't even know his name. The only clue to his identity being an ornamental dagger with an L engraved on the blade. He hadn't even given it to her, he forgot it in the room as he left in a drunken stupor.
"Anyways, I can't leave here, but you can. Madam Sosa is going to take you to the plaza by the port tomorrow. There you'll find a new home, with new people. You have to listen and do whatever they say. Understand me?" Big Sister said once she came out of her fantasy. Ruhya could do nothing but nod.
The next morning was a typical Balbadd day, but for Ruhya it was the end of her world. Madam Sosa refused to talk to her except to give her instructions, like to line up with a rough bunch of people, to wear a tag with a number on it, and to hold on tightly to her small bag of possessions.
A long time passed until it was finally Ruhya's turn to stand on the platform. Her small body shook with fear as-
Ruhya suddenly woke up. Something was wrong.
Ruhya strained her ears to pick up any sounds and carefully made sure she didn't make any sounds or movements that would give away the fact that she was awake.
The bedsheets near her feet shifted despite her not moving.
The Fear sprang up and quickly wrapped its vices around Ruhya.
Someone was in her room.