《Blood-Forged Side Stories》
Chapter 1
Tejara sat cross-legged on the floor, her knee bouncing rapidly, shaking her whole body with it. The dark red wine in the cup in her hand sloshed around, spilling onto the floor and even the leg of her nice, white pants but she didn¡¯t notice it, as she was staring intensely at the door. Finally, it slid open.
Her eyes dropped to the floor immediately and she set down her wine, watching the pale and delicate bare feet step over the threshold. The woman wore a single layer skirt that only reached her knees. Tejara gulped when she spun to slide the door shut behind her and her skirt lifted a little, showing some thigh.
Her ridiculously long, wide sleeves and the ends of the thin lace shawl wrapped around her shoulders came into Tejara¡¯s view as she lowered her hands. She moved gracefully across the room to stand in front of Tejara, with each step a clear and beautiful ringing sound could be heard. It was then that Tejara noticed the thin white strings around her ankles, connected to little silver bells at her heels.
The woman stopped in front of Tejara and spoke, her voice soft and almost melodic, ¡°I¡¯m dreadfully sorry to have kept you waiting, my lord. But will you truly not look at me?¡± she coaxed, a tinge of sadness in her tone.
Tejara finally let her eyes travel up. The woman¡¯s waist tie was loose and her top half open, cleavage spilling out, and her long loose black hair further framed her pale chest, emphasizing it even more. Tejara tried not to let her eyes linger and, at last, she looked her in the eye.
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Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°Te-¡±
Tejara stood up quickly and covered Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s mouth with her left hand and brought the pointer finger of her right hand to her lips, silently shushing her. In a quick, low voice Tejara said, ¡°Don¡¯t talk too loud. If the matron finds me here again, she¡¯ll kick me out for good. Just treat me like any other client.¡± Tejara sank back down to the floor, gently tugging Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa down with her.
The second Tejara took her hand from Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s mouth, Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa snaked her arms around Tejara¡¯s left arm and pressed her chest into Tejara¡¯s bicep. A warm blush seemed to creep all the way from where Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa touched her to her ears. Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa leaned in, her lips almost brushing the shell of Tejara¡¯s ear and said, ¡°I couldn¡¯t possibly treat such a strong, handsome hero asany other client.¡±
Tejara¡¯s blush got brighter and she grabbed her wine cup, downing the whole thing in one gulp. When the warm wine settled in her stomach she had the nerve to ask, ¡°Sing me a song?¡±
¡°Of course!¡± Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa squinted as she beamed at Tejara, an unrestrained smile she would never show a client, ¡°what do you want to hear?¡±
Tejara smiled back at her with a look of adoration, longing, and indulgence, ¡°whatever you want to sing.¡±
Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa looked up in thought then stood and began to sway. After a moment of silence she began to croon the opening song from an opera about a star that fell in love with a mortal man and fell from the heavens to be with him.
Tejara¡¯s nervousness dissipated and she happily lost herself in Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s private performance.
Chapter 2
There was a woman, with a square jaw, dead eyes, black hair that snapped off at her shoulders like dry straw, and an empty belly. She looked dreadful, terrifying even, but she didn¡¯t have the capacity to care about her appearance. All she cared about was that empty belly of hers.
This woman fought for scraps with children and dogs alike. She was more vicious than even the most feral of those dogs. She had tasted the blood of others more than once.
Until one day she bit the wrong hand that fed.
A wealthy young master that had tried to feed an orphan child was shoved to the ground and the food stolen. Enraged, the wealthy young master ordered his guards to beat this thief who barely looked human to death. And so, the guards dragged this inhuman beast whose age and gender could no longer be determined at a glance into an alleyways and began to hit her with sticks and clubs.
This barely human woman with an empty belly curled into a small ball and tried to endure. But to lack humanity was to lack willpower. And so the woman let out a sound for the first time since her belly became empty. A hoarse shout tumbled out of her parched, chapped lips.
But to the guards, screaming and crying was to be expected. So they only responded to this momentous voice no one had heard in years with harsher strikes. When the woman let out another shout that melted into broken sobs, the window above opened and a bucket of lukewarms water was dumped on the trio of guards and the woman. ¡°I think the poor thing has had enough, don¡¯t you?¡± A melodious voice drifted down from the window.
Upon hearing the voice the wealthy young master, who had been coldly watching the beating from the entrance of the alley, lit up and called out happily, ¡°Lady MeiMei!¡±
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The building next to the alleyway just so happened to be a brothel. The woman hanging out of the window just so happened to be a courtesan. And the wealthy young master just so happened to be one of this courtesan¡¯s regular customers.
The courtesan leaned further out of the window. Her long, loose hair fluttered out the window, a tad damp. The water she had thrown had actually been from a bath she had just finished. Since she had just bathed her face and hands were clean of cosmetics and the clothes she wore were simple and unadorned. Most courtesans looked plain or even hideous when clean-faced in the light of day. Not this ¡®Lady MeiMei¡¯. She was a flower among weeds. Her sigh tugged at the heartstrings of all who heard it, including the woman with the empty belly who thought that she had long since swallowed, digested, and shit out this thing called a ¡®heart¡¯. ¡°Does he really need to die? Can¡¯t you let him go now?¡±
The wealthy young master stared blankly for a few seconds before finally realizing his goddess had spoken to him. His face twisted with rage. ¡°This... this beast! Stole food from the mouth of a starving child! This kind of shameless immorality cannot be allowed to stand!¡±
¡®Lady MeiMei¡¯s¡¯ face grew dark, ¡°What is shame when you are hungry? What is morality when you are treated as sub-human?¡±
The wealthy young master¡¯s jaw clenched shut as he found himself unable to answer. ¡®Lady MeiMei¡¯ sighed, her face softening, ¡°Val... Why don¡¯t you let him go. As a favor to me?¡± She draped her upper body over the window sill, her breasts almost spilling out of her shirt.
¡®Val¡¯ hesitated, then waved his hand, conceding. ¡°Fine... let¡¯s go!¡± He called to his guards. The trio filed out of the alley with their master each spitting on the woman on the ground in turn.
Once they had left ¡®Lady MeiMei¡¯ called down to the woman, ¡°Please wait there! I¡¯ll send someone down to get you! We¡¯ll tend to your wounds and get you something to eat... alright?¡±
The empty bellied woman returned to her mute state and didn¡¯t say a word. A few minutes later a burly man came into the alley and hoisted her onto his shoulder. He carried her into the brothel, up the stairs, and deposited her at the bare feet of ¡®Lady MeiMei¡¯.
Chapter 3
The woman was sat down rather gently but didn¡¯t move an inch, giving her the appearance of a dumped corpse. With curiosity and some wariness in her eyes, ¡®Lady MeiMei¡¯ reached forward with her foot and poked the ¡®corpse¡¯ with her toe, ¡°Sir, what is your name? Tell me and I will get you food and medical treatment.
Like a corpse, the woman stayed silent. ¡®Lady MeiMei¡¯, true name Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa, sighed, ¡°Fine.¡± She looked back up at the burly man who had not yet left. ¡°Go get a serving girl to bring some water and something easy to digest and then go fetch a physician.¡±
The man looked down at the dirty beggar on the floor with wariness and a trace of disgust but after hesitating for a moment he complied with the courtesan¡¯s orders, leaving her alone with a breathing corpse.
Slowly and gracefully, Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa stood, took a step forward, and crouched in front of the woman. Her skirt was too short to hook over her knees and so it slid down when she crouched, revealing porcelain thighs. As she only wore a single layered skirt, if she were to part her knees she would bare herself to the silent beggar in front of her. The empty-bellied woman moved for the first time, just to avert her eyes.
However, Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa did not appreciate the empty-bellied woman¡¯s rare attempt at respecting propriety. She poked her face with a long, delicate nail, ¡°Men spend a lot of money to be this close to me, you should appreciate it more,¡± she said with a cheeky grin.
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The door opened and a serving girl appeared with water and a bowl of porridge. Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa stood from her crouch and once again sat down in her luxurious-looking chair, directing the serving girl to place the tray in front of the beggar...
She ignored all utensils and gulped the porridge down straight from the bowl. It dribbled out of the corners of her mouth. The serving girl¡¯s nose wrinkled in disgust while Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s eyes merely softened with pity. By the time the woman was done eating the physician had arrived.
Physician Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin immediately moved to cover his nose with his sleeve. Unfortunately his physician¡¯s sleeves were much shorter and tighter to the wrist than he was used to and did little to block the pungent odor of the beggar. He was forced to directly shove his arm under his nostrils. He narrowed his eyes, his long eyelashes quivering. ¡°I will not treat that thing until it¡¯s clean.¡± With that, he turned on his heel and marched right back out of the room.
Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa looked down at her filthy guest before calling for a bath.
A wooden tub was placed before the beggar and filled with steaming water. Before the serving girl who filled the tub could leave, she started to pull off her clothes. The serving girl clapped her hands over her eyes, ¡°You shameless-! I am a pure, unmarried woman, you-!¡±
Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°You¡¯re a woman?¡±
Chapter 4
Before the empty-bellied woman there was an empty-bellied girl. And before the empty-bellied girl there was a plump little girl with intact shoes on her feet, a nice big house, and loving parents to chase away her nightmares and wipe away her tears.
And the plump little girl was named Tejara.
Her family wasn¡¯t noble but they were as big, as rich, as powerful as any noble and they fell all the harder for it.
Tejara¡¯s father was a shrewd businessman. Greedy too. He had money, he commanded respect, but he itched to have his name in the history books. He got what he wanted.
He was a shrewd businessman but a terrible politician. He dipped his fingers into the plots behind the throne and exhausted a lot of his fortune in the hopes that the prince he backed would have one of his younger sons take Tejara as his wife. He dreamed her three syllable name would become a true noble¡¯s name.
But his chosen master threw him out as a scapegoat and labeled him with the red mark of treason.
In the span of only a few hours, Tejara¡¯s big home and happy family disappeared into smoke and ashes. Countless servants gave their lives to ensure she would escape.
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There were many times Tejara thought it would have been better if she died but if she did would those deaths not be in vain? And so she kept living despite the starvation, for food, for love, for respect. She clung to life until, finally, she came to this point....
¡°You¡¯re a woman?!¡± Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s eyes went wide in shock then narrowed again in anger, ¡°That Val¡¯lin¡¯r was beating up a woman! Why I-¡± Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa shoved her sleeves up to her elbows, which looked quite ridiculous with her oversized, decorative sleeves that refused to stay properly.
The maid rushed to Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s side, ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, Lady MeiMei! Young Master Val¡¯lin¡¯r probably didn¡¯t know!¡±
Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa pouted and huffed angrily, ¡°I know but still.¡±
Tejara ignored the two of them and finished stripping off her clothes and got in the tub. Despite the steam rising from the bath, Tejara still braced herself for a chill.
¡°Nai, go get some of my perfumed soaps.¡± Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa said, after calming down abruptly. She picked up the washcloth and knelt down next to the tub. She reached for Tejara¡¯s face. At first, Tejara flinched away but Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa gently and patiently wiped away the sweat, dirt, and blood on Tejara¡¯s face. ¡°Women shouldn¡¯t suffer like this.¡± Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa whispered.
Tejara stared back at her, water dripping into her open eyes. She might have laughed if she remembered how to.
Chapter 5
A few hours later Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin returned, stopping, frozen, in the doorway. ¡°That thing was a woman the entire time?¡±
¡°Yes. And a very beautiful one at that!¡± Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa hummed happily, continuing to comb Tejara¡¯s choppy, long black hair. Tejara sat in front of Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa, her back pressed against Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s knees as Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa sat in her little throne-like chair. Tejara was dressed in some of Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s older clothes. Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s top was far too big on her as she had a much smaller bust, so the top gapped in the chest and slid off her shoulders even more than it did for Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa. Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin didn¡¯t pay any mind to that, however and strode through the room.
After trying and failing a few times to get Tejara to report her own condition, Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin took matters into his own hands and began to feel along her body for injuries, watching her face to see when she winced.
Just when Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin cupped her nose and jerked his hands to force her nose back into alignment, Nai walked in. She let out a loud eep and gagged.
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¡°Do you need something, Nai?¡±
Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa asked, interrupting her mid-gag.
Nai coughed into her closed fist and averted her eyes, ¡°Young Master Val¡¯lin¡¯r has come back to see you.¡±
Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa sniffed loudly and turned her nose up, ¡°He was just here, tell him I don¡¯t want to see him right now.¡±
Nai glanced back at Tejara and Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin who was washing the blood from her nose off his hands in a small basin, ¡°He brought medicines and money to pay for the woman¡¯s treatment.¡±
The warmth was gone from Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s deep brown eyes, ¡°I said, I don¡¯t want to see him right now.¡±
¡°Wait.¡± Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin ordered Nai, who hadn¡¯t yet turned around to leave. He stood up from his crouch and turned to face Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa. ¡°Were you expecting that I treat the woman for free? Why not let him pay, he¡¯s the one who had her beat up.¡±
Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa reached out and caught a tress of Tejara¡¯s drying hair between her fingers. She absentmindedly rubbed the split end between her thumb and forefinger, ¡°You just want to see him.¡±
The permanent scowl on Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin¡¯s face deepened despite the pink rising on his cheeks, ¡°Just because I treat you for free doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll treat any of your pity cases for free.¡±
Chapter 6
¡°Just because I treat you for free, doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll just treat whoever you want me to for free.¡± Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa looked up at Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin with her heart melting, watery eyes. Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin rolled his eyes, ¡°I treat you for free because you¡¯re my cousin.¡± he waved his hand at Tejara, nose slightly crinkled. ¡°That is not my cousin. So either pay up or let Val¡¯lin¡¯r in so he can pay up.¡±
The pair of beautiful cousins stared each other down. Tejara didn¡¯t move, seated between them with her hair still in Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s hands. Blood continued to drip from her nose but she made no effort to wipe it away. She just sat still with a blank expression as if the appearance and pain of the body she inhabited had nothing to do with her in the least.
Finally, Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa sighed and broke eye contact with Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin to look at Nai, ¡°Let him in.¡±
¡°Yes, Lady MeiMei.¡± Nai cursied, before scurrying out the door.
Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa let go of Tejara¡¯s hair and reclined back in her chair, resting her cheek on her hand, ¡°I can¡¯t really let you flirt with one of my most frequent customers in front of me, you know.¡±
Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin scoffed and sputtered, ¡°Flirting? Why would I-? Why would you-? I don¡¯t flirt.¡±
Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa raised her eyebrows and her lips curled up in a slight grin, ¡°Come on, Keh. You clearly like him. Can¡¯t you tell that you¡¯re blushing.¡±
Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin¡¯s hands jumped up to his warm, reddening cheeks but he tried to mask the movement by pushing back his dark, wavy bangs, ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about,¡± he replied curtly.
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Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa giggled, a pure and clear sound that pierced right through Tejara¡¯s frozen heart. ¡°It is true that you don¡¯t actually flirt with him. Do you even know how? Want me to teach you?¡±
¡°Meimei...¡± Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin warned with a glare and ruby red cheeks.
¡°It¡¯s a genuine offer!¡±
Before they could continue, Val¡¯lin¡¯r stepped in. His head was already lowered as he shuffled in and he only bowed lower in Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s direction, ¡°I thought about what you said and I am here to apologize to you and to the poor beggar and pay for any medical treatments.¡± Val¡¯lin¡¯r finally raised his head and saw Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin. ¡°Ah, Physician Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin! You¡¯re already here!¡± With a bright smile, Val¡¯lin¡¯r took a step towards Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin.
Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin crossed his arms over his chest and pursed his lips, ¡°Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa likes to abuse the fact that I always come when she calls.¡±
Still smiling, Val¡¯lin¡¯r asked, ¡°Did you already treat the beggar?¡±
Seeing his smiling face, even Tejara would have to admit he was a handsome youth with soft, full cheeks and deep dimples. His dark brown eyes were clear and bright and there was a high arch to his brows that made him look even brighter and happier.
Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin nodded, the light pink dusting his cheeks only obvious if one knew to look, ¡°I set her broken nose. There are some medicines I¡¯d like to prescribe and I¡¯d like to check the state of her ribs more closely...¡±
¡°Her?¡±
When Val¡¯lin¡¯r glanced over at Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa and Tejara, Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa wrapped her arms around Tejara from behind. Tejara had no choice but to focus on the sensation of ample breasts pressing against her back, of warm arms wrapping around her and covering her bare collarbone, and a soft cheek pressed against her own cheek. Her mouth went dry and she glanced around for something she could drink but at the same time was unwilling to move and break contact.
¡°Look at this beautiful, delicate maiden you beat up! Don¡¯t you feel terrible!¡±
Chapter 7
A man held a little girl in his arms. He smooshed his cheek against hers and rubbed his short, rough beard against her soft cheek, tearing giggles out of her. Once he was satisfied with her shrieking laughter he let her go, wiping away the tears at the corners of her eyes and kissing her skinned elbow. He sighed with a hint of joy as he took both of her hands in his, ¡°I know my Tejara is a beautiful, delicate maiden but please do not cry so loudly. It breaks my poor heart...¡±
...
¡°Look at this beautiful, delicate maiden you beat up! Don¡¯t you feel terrible!¡± Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa rocked back and forth as she spoke, gently dragging Tejara along with her rhythm.
Suddenly, Tejara¡¯s vision blurred, tears streaming down her cheeks. Val¡¯lin¡¯r flinched when he saw her start to cry. Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa stopped rocking and came around to face Tejara. She raised her hands up to wipe away her tears, ¡°Are you in pain?¡± she asked with a frown that didn¡¯t diminish her beauty at all. The second Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s soft hands touched Tejara¡¯s rough cheeks, a choked up sob spilled out. Tejara hunched over, lowering her head towards Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa. With a soft, kind smile, Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa hooked her arms around the back of Tejara¡¯s neck and pulled her down, pressing Tejara¡¯s forehead against her collarbone. Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa combed her fingers through Tejara¡¯s wet and still slightly matted hair.
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With her face buried in Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s chest, Tejara finally spoke her first words in a long time, ¡°No one has treated me this well in a long time.¡±
Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa rested her cheek against the top of Tejara¡¯s head, ¡°This world is truly too cruel, a beautiful girl should never have to suffer as you have.¡±
Chapter 8
Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa held the final note longer than normal and Tejara held her breath until it ended. Despite the melancholic tone of the song, Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa was grinning cheekily, ¡°how was it?¡±
Tejara held her hands out towards Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa. With a soft expression, Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa took Tejara¡¯s hands in both of hers and slowly sank to her knees across from Tejara. Tejara brought Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s hands up to her mouth and reverently kissed her knuckles.
After a light cough to clear her throat, Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa said, ¡°would the young lord be willing to do what this lowly courtesan wants to do next?¡±
Tejara lifted her head, the words ¡®of course¡¯ already on her lips but before she could speak them the words were stolen away by a kiss.
Tejara¡¯s wine cup was fully knocked over as Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa crawled over the short table to deposit herself in Tejara¡¯s lap. Tejara tried to catch the falling cup and only succeeded in knocking it farther away. She tried to reach for it but Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa caught the escaping hand and placed it on her breast. As Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa started to kiss along Tejara¡¯s jaw and down her neck, Tejara finally melted into the floor and went along with Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s flow.
But just as Tejara started to slide Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s top down off her shoulders, the door opened.
The matron stepped inside the room, a sheepish looking Val¡¯lin¡¯r hovering in the hallway behind her. She scowled, ¡°I¡¯ve said it to you two before and I¡¯ll say it again; this relationship cannot continue.¡±
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¡°Madam Minn!¡± Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa stood up from Tejara¡¯s lap and pulled her top back up as she spoke, ¡°I am with a paying customer, I hardly think-¡±
The matron snorted, ¡°your ¡®paying customer¡¯ is right behind me.¡± She pointed over her shoulder at Val¡¯lin¡¯r and he shrunk away. ¡°Now, imagine my surprise when I, knowing that you were supposed to be with the young lord, went to see our physician Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin to get some medicine for a terrible headache only to find Val¡¯lin¡¯r... distracting him.¡± If Val¡¯lin¡¯r wasn¡¯t red before he was red now. Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa scoffed and a rare expression of anger started to twist her features. ¡°Keh doesn¡¯t belong to you, he can do whatever he wants. And Val can spend his money in any way he wants! He paid for TeTe to have this time, you shouldn¡¯t barge in!¡±
Tejara slowly stood up and stood beside Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa with her head bowed in contrition. Sweat poured down her back as she tried not to look anyone in the eye. Madam Minn wouldn¡¯t kick Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa out but Tejara had no such guarantees. She couldn¡¯t back up Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa and risk Madam Minn deciding to get rid of her and leave her once again without food and shelter... and worse still... leave her unable to see Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa at all.
¡°You¡¯re right. I don¡¯t own Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin... but I do own you... And you are not allowed to continue this relationship. Tejara!¡± Tejara flinched as her name was called. She glanced at Madam Minn through her eyelashes, not raising her head, ¡°I¡¯m rejecting your request for a half day of leave. Get back to work.¡±
Tejara responded with a jerky nod and rushed out the door, exchanging apologetic looks with Val¡¯lin¡¯r on her way down the hall.
Chapter 9
Tejara threw herself into her work for the rest of the day, running errands for the various courtesans, fixing things, and kicking out the occasional unruly client. She didn¡¯t see Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa for the rest of the day as Madam Minn made sure not to assign any tasks that would take her by Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s room.
But she was given tasks to help Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin...
¡°You should have had Kyen¡¯s medicine ready before I got here, now the madam is going to think I was slacking off.¡± Tejara whined, sitting on the edge of Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin¡¯s infirmary bed.
Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin didn¡¯t look up as he continued to boil medicine, ¡°I was distracted.¡±
For a brief moment, Tejara forgot her troubles and smirked playfully at him, ¡°distracted by Val¡¯lin¡¯r?¡±
Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin¡¯s ears turned red but he didn¡¯t respond.
Tejara chewed her bottom lip as she waited in silence for Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin to finish the medicine. After about 5 minutes she broke the silence again, ¡°you two could probably meet outside of here. It¡¯s not like you aren¡¯t allowed to come and go as you please.¡±
¡°Why would I want to meet him outside of here? It¡¯s just a fling, Val¡¯lin¡¯r has to get married, have kids, continue his family line... I shouldn¡¯t get too attached.¡±
The bed creaked as Tejara suddenly stood, ¡°did Val¡¯lin¡¯r say that?¡± she asked, then shook her head and answered her own question, ¡°no, he wouldn¡¯t talk like that... you shouldn¡¯t talk like that. You should-¡±
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¡°Should what?¡± Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin turned to her. His face was pale and a bit gaunt and behind his gold-rimmed monocle his eyebags were dark and swollen enough that his dark eyes were permanently narrowed. This was all quite typical for Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin. What wasn¡¯t typical was the sheen of sweat on his brow, his wavy black hair sticking to his temples, ¡°should fight against fate? Fight for my love? How is that working out for you?¡±
Tejara deflated, slowly sinking back down onto the bed and looking away with a sullen pout.
A few minutes later, Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin stood up from his stool and brought a little pouch of medicine to Tejara. Tejara stood and received the pouch. She finally looked Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin in the eyes once more, ¡°you should at least tell Val¡¯lin¡¯r what you think... I don¡¯t think he¡¯s treating it like a fling.¡±
Tejara left Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin¡¯s room. Unseen to her, Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin pressed a hand to his abdomen and doubled over in pain.
*
Late that night, Tejara laid awake in her room. The maids and other female servants laid snoring in their cots around her but Tejara was wide awake staring up at the ceiling, her hands laced behind her head.
The door opened and Tejara closed her eyes, thinking it was likely to be the madam or the night guards checking in. But then she felt a soft, delicate hand on her elbow and breath tickling her ear as a familiar voice whispered, ¡°Tete, are you asleep?¡±
Tejara rolled over onto her side to face Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa and opened her eyes. ¡°What are you doing here, Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa.¡±
Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa pouted, ¡°we got interrupted earlier... now scoot over.¡± Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa lightly pushed on Tejara¡¯s chest.
Tejara shimmied to the edge of the bed and Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa crawled on, laying down next to her. Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s long, beautiful hair spilled over Tejara¡¯s pillow, mingling with her frayed, slightly choppy hair.
¡°I had the worst day after you left.¡± Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa whined, her voice still a whisper, ¡°I got the King¡¯s nephew as a client but he was so stingy.¡±
As Mei¡¯nin¡¯ssa spoke, Tejara ran her hand down her cheek. Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa closed her eyes and leaned into it. Tejara shifted forward until she could gently place a kiss on Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s lips.
Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa wound her arms and legs around Tejara¡¯s body and announced in a voice that was barely a whisper anymore, ¡°I¡¯m not leaving you tonight!¡±
Chapter 10
Tejara woke up alone to a room full of murmured gossip. She heard Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin¡¯s name mentioned and perked her ears up, keeping her eyes closed.
¡°But why did Physician Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin collapse though?¡±
Tejara¡¯s heart seized.
¡°It seems like he was hurt and was hiding his injuries.¡±
¡°But how did he get hurt?¡±
¡°I heard that young lord Val¡¯lin¡¯r¡¯s family had him beat up for distracting their heir from marriage talks.¡±
¡°Well I heard,¡± one woman said, her voice growing quieter, ¡°that Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin-¡±
Unable to stand it any longer, Tejara bolted upright in her bed. Sheepishly, the little circle of gossiping women dispersed. Tejara leapt from her bed and, without changing her clothes, rushed out towards Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s room.
Tejara burst into Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s room, her lover¡¯s name already falling from her mouth but she froze when she saw the inside of the room. It should¡¯ve been too early for Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa to have any clients but there she was on her knees, pouring tea for a reclining man. The man looked like he should have been a young and handsome man but the arrogance and lechery twisting his appearance made him look like an ugly, old bastard.
Tejara¡¯s face twitched as she forced a smile and bowed her head, ¡°my apologies, milord. I did not expect Lady MeiMei to be with a guest at this hour.¡±
The man narrowed his eyes at Tejara, ¡°does this place really allow its male servants to enter courtesans¡¯ rooms without knocking?¡±
Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa giggled cutely into her sleeve, ¡°silly DonDon, Tejara is a woman.¡±
The man slammed his tea cup down and both Tejara and Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa flinched, ¡°don¡¯t call me stupid!¡±
¡°I-¡± Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa started to defend herself then swallowed her words with a smile, ¡°I apologize.¡±
The man then scowled at Tejara, ¡°what are you still doing here?¡±
¡°I have an important personal message to pass on to Lady MeiMei, my apologies.¡±
¡°Can¡¯t it wait?¡±
¡°It¡¯ll only take a moment, DonDon darling.¡± Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa set the teapot down and stood up, brushing off her bare knees before gliding elegantly across the floor to where Tejara waited in the doorway.
Tejara leaned in close and whispered, ¡°what happened to Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin?¡±
Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s easy smile immediately disappeared and her delicate brows furrowed together, ¡°what do you mean ¡®what happened to Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin?¡¯¡±
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¡°This morning the servant girls were gossiping about him, something about him having collapsed...¡±
Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa chewed her bottom lip.
¡°As much as I love looking at your ass, it¡¯s not as good fully clothed and from so far away,¡± the man raised his tea cup to his lips and glared at Tejara and Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa through narrowed eyes.
Tejara couldn¡¯t stop her nose from wrinkling in disgust. Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa turned around to face him with a smile on her face, sliding over a step to hide Tejara¡¯s face from his view. She bowed, ¡°sorry, my lord, but something has come up. Let us continue this another time.¡±
He stood up abruptly, throwing his cup down. ¡°Bullshit!¡± His cup shattered on the floor and rather than the bitter scent of tea the sweet smile of wine filled the room. ¡°I paid for your whole day.¡±
¡°And you will get a whole day... just not today. Something important came up.¡±
The man scoffed, stalking towards the two women standing in the doorway, ¡°what could be more important than me?¡±
¡°A family matter.¡± Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa answered. Behind her back, she waved her hand at Tejara. Taking her cue, Tejara started backing out into the hallway.
The young man laughed, ¡°what kinda family does a whore like you have?¡±
¡°I may not have parents or a husband to take care of me but that doesn¡¯t mean I have no family at all.¡± Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa took a large step back as the man got in her face, one foot fully out of the room.
He grabbed her upper arm and jerked her harshly towards him. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡±
¡°Unhand me!¡± Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa tried to wrest her arm from his grip but was unable to free herself. He grabbed the back of her neck and tried to forcibly pull her in for a kiss... And got Tejara¡¯s fist to his jaw instead.
He let go of Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa, stumbling back and holding his face. ¡°We do not allow violence or force in this house! Leave now or I will drag you out!¡± Tejara growled, glaring at him with her fist raised.
¡°You fucking bastard! Don¡¯t you know who I am? I¡¯m-¡±
¡°Don¡¯t know, don¡¯t care. Get out or maybe I¡¯ll save both of our time and throw you out the window.¡±
The man¡¯s face contorted in rage and went red, ¡°you-!¡±
Tejara took a threatening step forward and the man flinched, ¡°you¡¯ll regret this!¡± he snapped, before fleeing from the room, still clutching his face.
Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa clapped her hands together and grinned, ¡°my hero!¡± she crooned.
Tejara walked back over to her and gently grabbed her arm, pushing up her loose sleeve until she could see the bruises. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Tejara said, her voice cracking, ¡°I should have stopped him from hurting you.¡±
Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa reached up and patted Tejara on the head, ¡°you did good. Let¡¯s forget about him for now and go find Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin.¡±
Strangely enough, they found Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin right where he normally was... his room. However, he was laying on his bed, a sour look on his face, his fists clenched as a nervous Val¡¯lin¡¯r seemed to be desperately trying to hold his hand.
A third man the two women didn¡¯t recognize was in the room. An older gentleman in physician¡¯s clothes. He looked lost in thought and was muttering to himself until he looked up and noticed Tejara and Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s arrival. ¡°Ah, my apologies. If you are here to seek the care of your... physician please talk to me instead. Your physician is indisposed at the moment.¡±
Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa waved her hands in front of her and shook her head with a smile, ¡°no, no, I¡¯m the physician¡¯s cousin. I¡¯m here to check on him.¡±
¡°I¡¯m fine, MeiMei! Now all of you get the fuck out!¡± Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin grouched.
¡°Are you sure you¡¯re fine?¡± Tejara asked, ¡°the servant girls were gossiping about you collapsing...¡± Tejara trailed off as she stepped closer and saw that Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin¡¯s top was opened in such a way that it revealed just his stomach and the distinct bump on it, too round and solid looking to be fat. Tejara¡¯s brow furrowed in worry immediately, ¡°is that a tumor?¡±
Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin moved to cover up his stomach with a scowl but before he could answer, the older physician did, ¡°it¡¯s not a tumor, it¡¯s a baby.¡±
Chapter 11
¡°A... baby...?¡± Tejara frowned in confusion, ¡°since when can a man get pregnant?¡±
¡°Your physician is no man. She is a liar and a hack!¡±
Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa put a gentle hand on the old physician¡¯s elbow and produced a small pouch of money from between the separate layers of her skit and pushed it into his hand. ¡°Thank you for your help. Please accept this as payment and do not speak a word about my cousin or else...¡± she glanced at Tejara out of the corner of her eye.
Tejara, while still quite confused, knew that signal well. She put a hand on the old man¡¯s shoulder, gripping hard and pushing down until he winced. Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa continued talking, ¡°we will be forced to protect our own.¡±
The old physician scoffed and gritted his teeth, forcing the pouch back into Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s hands. ¡°No, I will not be silent about a woman pretending to practice medicine,¡± Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s ever present smile faded into a look of confusion, then into one of cold fury. The old bastard kept talking, ¡°even in the red-light district.¡±
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And then he turned to look at Val¡¯lin¡¯r and Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin. Val¡¯lin¡¯r turned to face the old man, blocking in front of Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin. The old bastard sneered, ¡°And I¡¯ll tell the young lord¡¯s family what kind of cross-dressing pervert their son has impregnated!¡±
¡°They already know...¡± Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin pushed himself up on his elbows. HIs skin was so pale it looked nearly transparent and his eyebags were darker than ever before. Tejara¡¯s heart lurched into her throat when she saw his arms shake with the effort of holding up his upper body.
She grabbed two fistfuls of the physician¡¯s collar and slammed him against the wall. She had a million threats on the tip of her tongue but she held back on them, Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa and Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin were better with words.
Gripping onto the pouch until her knuckles turned white, Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa said, ¡°as Val¡¯s family already knows... there will be no profit to you if you spread the secrets of a brothel¡¯s physician and if you aren¡¯t careful with your words you may accrue the wrath of Val¡¯s family.¡±
The man laughed, which turned into a cough as Tejara pressed him into the wall, her fists digging into his chest. ¡°You don¡¯t think a noble house would have enemies that would pay for a scandal like this?¡±
At that moment, the door to Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin¡¯s office opened and Madam Minn glided in. She looked at Tejara and her hands on the old physician, then at the furious Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa, then the glaring Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin and panicked Val¡¯lin¡¯r, then, finally, back to Tejara, ¡°I¡¯ll handle this from here.¡±
Chapter 12
Tejara hesitated but when Madam Minn¡¯s eyes narrowed ever so slightly she let the man go and stepped back. Still, she crossed her arms, squared her shoulders, and glared.
¡°I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be sticking around any longer,¡± the old man sniffed and started to shoulder his way past Madam Minn, who stopped him by sliding into the doorway.
¡°Our physician isn¡¯t the only one with secrets... And a man like you can¡¯t hide yours in a town like this.¡±
*
Tejara spent that evening pouting in the darkness. After Madam Minn had shown up, she spoke privately with the man and eventually let him go after his half-hearted promise of silence and kicked Tejara out of Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin¡¯s room and office, telling her she had work to do. And she did. She spent all day with questions and protective instincts swirling around in her head.
Tonight her eyes were open and she saw when the door opened and Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa crept in. She sat up and climbed down from her bed as quietly as she could, scurrying over to meet Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa at the door, ¡°how¡¯s Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin? Has anything else happened?¡± she whispered frantically, taking Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s hands in hers. A lit hallway lamp behind her cast a soft glow on Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa as she stood in the doorway. She squeezed Tejara¡¯s hands, ¡°let¡¯s go to my room.¡±
In the low light of Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s room the two women curled against each other. Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s hands idly played with Tejara¡¯s shirt collar as the two spoke.
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¡°Keh¡¯s fine... so is the baby... Keh and Val are probably still fighting about whether that is a good thing... I don¡¯t think that physician will cause trouble, at least not yet.¡±
Tejara was quiet for a minute, then asked in a soft voice, ¡°is Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin really a woman?¡±
Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s hands stopped moving, ¡°no, not really... He may have come out of the womb looking the same way you or I did on the days of our births but his heart has always been that of a man.¡±
¡°Why did he collapse? Something to do with the pregnancy?¡±
Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s forehead was pressed against Tejara¡¯s collarbone and Tejara could feel her shaking her head, ¡°Val¡¯s family.... Tried to beat the baby out of him.¡±
White-hot anger instantly filled Tejara¡¯s heart and she almost stood up. But Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s cool hand on her cheek doused her flames. ¡°Let¡¯s just sit here together. Please. No revenge, not tonight.¡±
Tejara closed her eyes and put her hand over Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s, ¡°alright.¡±
For a short time the two of them sat in comfortable silence.
Eventually, Tejara asked, ¡°Is Val¡¯lin¡¯r the one that is glad the baby is okay and Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin the one that wishes it wasn¡¯t?¡±
¡°Kinda... on the surface, at least. I think both of their feelings are a bit more complicated than that though.¡±
¡°Are they talking it out?¡±
¡°In fits and bursts.¡±
Two lapsed into silence once more and that was how the rest of the night went, comfortable silence occasionally broken by just a few words as they held each other until finally... they slept.
Chapter 13
Tejara woke up with her neck aching. She slowly sat up straight and rolled her neck. Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa, who was sleeping while leaning against her, woke up when Tejara moved. She patted the drool stain she left on Tejara¡¯s clothes and stretched.
After a brief pause, Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa wailed dramatically, ¡°Ahh! I can¡¯t believe we fell asleep like that! I didn¡¯t even wash my face last night and my hair is a mess!¡±
Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa turned towards Tejara, smooshing her cheeks into a goofy expression. Tejara smiled at Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa and reached out to comb her fingers through her hair, smoothing it out, ¡°you look just fine.¡±
Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa rolled her eyes, ¡°perhaps... but you know how skewed these men¡¯s expectations are.¡±
¡°Nai will get you looking to their standards in minutes.¡±
Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa pouted, ¡°no, no. You¡¯re supposed to say that my face is utterly unsalvageable today so I can spend all day in bed recovering.¡±
Tejara beamed brightly, ¡°you¡¯re right, how could I not see. Your beauty is far too much today, if anyone saw your face today they would go mad so you should just stay here with me.¡±
Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s eyes shined and her nose crinkled cutely as she smiled up at Tejara, ¡°oh? But you¡¯re looking at me and you haven¡¯t gone mad.¡±
Tejara leaned in closer, staring at Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s lips, ¡°but I am mad, mad for you.¡± Tejara tilted her head and was just about to close the distance to kiss Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa.
Then Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa snorted. Tejara stopped moving closer and frowned. Throwing her head back, Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa started laughing loudly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± she tried to apologize through her guffaws, ¡°I¡¯m sorry but that line! That line is just too much!¡±
Soon Tejara¡¯s cheeks were burning hot. She covered her reddening face with her hands and turned away slightly, ¡°I¡¯m never gonna speak again.¡±
Still laughing, Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa grabbed Tejara¡¯s wrists, trying and failing to pull her hands away from her face, ¡°no, wait, I¡¯m sorry. It was -haha- it was cute!¡±
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¡°You¡¯re lying.¡± Tejara pouted, her voice a bit muffled.
¡°Tete, come on...¡± Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa whined and Tejara finally let her move her hands out of the way. Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa started peppering Tejara¡¯s blushing face with kisses. Tejara caught hold of her cheeks and stopped her movements, finally pulling Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s face in for a deep kiss.
Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa put her arms around Tejara¡¯s shoulders and tilted her head to deepen it further. Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa moved and shifted, somehow not really breaking the kiss for more than half-seconds at a time as she climbed into Tejara¡¯s lap. She straddled Tejara¡¯s legs, threaded her fingers through her hair, and grinded against Tejara¡¯s thigh.
...Then a knock came at her door. ¡°¡®I¡¯m here to wake you up, Lady MeiMei.¡± Nai¡¯s voice drifted through the door.
Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa broke off the kiss, panting, and glanced at the window. The light streaming in was that of early morning. While this was a normal time for Tejara to wake up and begin her work, Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa was usually allowed to sleep until noon or later unless she had a client with her from the night before. She put on her best half-asleep voice and said, ¡°why? It¡¯s far too early...¡± Her brow was furrowed in worry, likely concerned something happened with Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin.
¡°You have a client.¡±
Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s worry turned to exasperation and she rolled her eyes. She kept the half-asleep tone as well as she could while answering, ¡°tell them to come back at a proper time.¡±
¡°My Lord, please-¡± Nai¡¯s muffled voice was cut off by the crisp sound of a slap. Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa immediately stood up, glaring at the door.
It slid open and in stepped the client from the day before.
He smirked at Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa... And then he saw Tejara sitting on the floor. He looked at her with hatred and disdain. Then he tilted his chin up and his expression turned haughty, ¡°I will forgive you for your slights yesterday if you get out of here now.¡±
Tejara stood up and cracked her knuckles, ¡°bold words for a man who can¡¯t stop breaking house rules.¡±
Nai came in through the doorway, her cheek red and swelling, and hurriedly said, ¡°Madam Minn gave him special permission.¡± She glanced at Tejara then down at the floor. ¡°And she would like you to hurry up and get to your duties today.¡±
¡°But...¡±
Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa grabbed Tejara¡¯s arm and whispered, ¡°he¡¯s not someone we can snub twice, especially without Madam Minn backing us. Don¡¯t worry, let me handle him.¡±
Tejara made a face but relented, walking out the door. Nai scurried out after her and with a final, reassuring smile, Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa closed the door behind Tejara.
Chapter 14
Nai and Tejara were shut out of Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s room together, standing side by side and staring at a closed door. Eventually, Nai cleared her throat, as if she was going to say something, then simply walked away. Tejara waited another minute or two, then sighed and walked away as well.
Tejara went about her morning chores, distracted by a million thoughts. She purposefully passed by Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s door a few times but it remained firmly shut. She decided to check on Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin...
As she approached his room, she could hear raised voices arguing. Val¡¯lin¡¯r and some other man she had never heard before. As she got closer she could make out some of the words.
¡°I will not entertain this immature rebellion of yours any longer, come home, Val¡¯lin¡¯r.¡±
¡°You cannot attempt to murder my lover and unborn child and call my righteous anger immaturity. I¡¯m staying with my family.¡±
¡°Family? What? You want to abandon, to fight, your real family for this... this... perverted, gold-digging, slut?¡±
Val¡¯lin¡¯r¡¯s voice was even and deeper and angrier than Tejara had ever heard it before when he answered, ¡°yes.¡±
Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin finally spoke, ¡°Val... no... just... go home.¡±
¡°See? The gold-digger doesn¡¯t even want you if our money isn¡¯t backing you.¡±
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Tejara was fully pressed against the door as she listened, her hands curling into fists. She wanted to rush in and start swinging but her last shred of sense held her back from opening the door.
¡°Why can¡¯t all of you just let me make my own decisions!¡± Val¡¯lin¡¯r snapped, ¡°just get out and leave me alone!¡±
¡°Fine!¡±
Tejara barely had time to jump out of the way before the door opened. She turned away and hid her face from Val¡¯lin¡¯r¡¯s family, trying to make herself small and unnoticeable in the hallway. A man and woman left, thankfully without a single glance Tejara¡¯s way.
Tejara let out a sigh of relief when they were gone and was about to slip into the room when Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin¡¯s voice stopped her, ¡°you get out too.¡±
For a second, Tejara though he was talking to her despite the fact that she wasn¡¯t fully in the room and he likely couldn¡¯t see her.
¡°But we agreed-¡± Val started to argue only to be cut off.
¡°I changed my mind... I want to be alone.¡±
¡°Keh, you can¡¯t keep shutting me out, we need to talk about things-¡±
¡°No, we don¡¯t. This relationship is over and it was never that serious to begin with.¡±
There was a pause... A long enough pause that Tejara started to feel guilty for eavesdropping. She slowly started backing away from the door, barely hearing Val¡¯s weak response, ¡°I don¡¯t believe for a second that you mean that...¡±
Tejara left Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin¡¯s little attic corner of the building, her heart uncomfortable. She wanted nothing more than to run to Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa and ask her what to do, but it seemed like that asshole was planning to spend all day with her-
¡°There you are!¡± Nai called out, running up to Tejara in the hall and grabbing her arm. Tejara¡¯s eyes widened. Normally, Nai avoided her, refused to touch her, and even turned her nose up at her when she was forced to interact with her.
¡°Huh? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Tejar asked.
¡°It¡¯s Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa. She¡¯s-¡±
Tejara didn¡¯t wait to hear the rest, already running towards Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s room.
Chapter 15
Tejara did not hesitate when she reached the door to Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s room, she immediately hooked her fingers into the door handle and tried to yank it open, but something had been placed in the tracks blocking it from opening.
In the brief pause that followed her futile first attempt to get in, Tejara could hear the sounds within. Grunting, the slap of skin against skin, and muffled sobbing. Tejara took in a deep breath and with all the strength in her body and soul she forced the door open. There was a snap and a crack as the piece of wood blocking the sliding door broke in half.
Right in front of Tejara¡¯s eyes was that slimy man, kneeling on the ground with his pants around his thighs. He pinned Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa down by her wrists. Her face was splotchy and red and streaked with tears when she turned it to the side and locked eyes with Tejara.
He turned to face Tejara too a snarl on his lips, ¡°get out-¡±
Tejara stormed into the room. She grabbed him by the throat, dragging him away. He futilely tried to pry her fingers off his neck. His legs kicked uselessly as his pants were pulled further down as they were caught on the floor. She slammed him against the wall. ¡°You-!¡± He barely managed to choke out before Tejara cocked her fist back and punched him in the nose. Two streams of blood instantly poured from his nostrils. He gasped. Tejara pulled her fist back again. She hit him a second time; this time in his left eye. His head snapped to the side. She readied her fist one more time, but it was grabbed by two small but rough hands, ¡°stop!¡± Nai shouted in Tejara¡¯s ear.
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Without moving her eyes from him, Tejara snapped, ¡°why?¡±
Nai stood on her tiptoes to bring her mouth closer to Tejara¡¯s ear and said in a low but clear and sharp voice, ¡°he¡¯s the nephew of the King... if you don¡¯t stop now, no one will be able to save you...¡±
Tejara took a deep breath... then lowered her fist slowly to her side. She shouldered past Nai, dragging the oh so important piece of shit out the door and down the stairs. He kicked and screamed insults and obscenities, attracting the attention of clients and courtesans alike. They peeked out of rooms, whispering and pointing and laughing but Tejara kept dragging him until finally she reached the front door where she threw him out onto the main road with his pants around his ankles. Passerbys stopped to stare and his whole head and neck turned bright crimson. Tejara didn¡¯t wait to see what he would do, she turned around and walked right back in.
Courtesans and clients still stood around whispering but none made a move to ask her any questions or block her path back to Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s room.
Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa was still on the floor of her room, sitting up. Nai knelt next to her, fussing over her bruises and disheveled clothes in whispered tones while Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa stared ahead with a blank face. Nai looked back when she heard Tejara come into the room. She stood and walked over with small, quick steps. ¡°I need to tell Madam Minn what happened, stay with her,¡± she whispered Tejara didn¡¯t stop, nod, or acknowledge Nai in any way, she just kept walking towards Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa.
She crouched in front of Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa but hesitated to touch her. Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa collapsed into her chest. Startled, Tejara called out her name, ¡°MeiMei!¡± thinking she had fainted. But Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s hands grasped onto the back of Tejara¡¯s clothes and her shoulders began to shake with sobs. Tejara enveloped her in her embrace, squeezing gently, her own tears falling.
Chapter 16
Eventually, Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa cried herself to sleep. Tejara waited for her breathing to even out and be calm then scooped her up in her arms. She quietly and gently placed her in her large armchair, trying to not wake her. Tejara crouched in front of the chair and arranged Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s limbs until she felt certain she was comfortable and wouldn¡¯t fall and rocked back on her heels, just staring at her. Somehow, she looked a little paler than normal, with tear stains on her cheeks. Tejara lightly brushed errant strands of hair out of Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s face.
Then Tejara got up and started moving through the room. She got out fresh bedding and laid it out before rolling up the soiled bedding. She cleaned up tea and snacks that had been overturned and straightened out the furniture, making sure it all looked perfectly normal.
She hoisted the rolled up bedding over her shoulder and left Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s room. It was quite deep into the night and as Tejara made her way through the halls she could hear the low murmur of conversations and the gasps and squeals of fake orgasms by the courtesans filtered through closed doors. She quickly moved from the glamorous halls used by the clients and courtesans to the simpler back hallways used by the servants. She descended the stairs and entered the furnace room for the bathhouse and threw the bedding into the fire.
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As she waited for it to burn up, she felt a presence in the doorway. She glanced back and bowed her head, ¡°Madam Minn.¡±
¡°I¡¯m unsure how to reprimand you. You embarrassed a high profile client and beat his face bloody. This will absolutely cost the brothel far too much to smooth over... I¡¯m not even sure it can be smoothed over...¡±
¡°I will submit to whatever punishment you think is fit...¡± Tejara answered with a strong, convicted voice, looking up at Madam Minn through her bangs.
Madam Minn leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed and face cold. For a long moment there was only the sound of cloth burning and then the Madam¡¯s gaze softened. She whispered, just loud enough to be heard over the fire crackling, ¡°thank you for protecting her.¡±
Tejara shook her head, finally fully looking at Madam Minn with tears pricking at her eyes, ¡°but I didn¡¯t. I failed.¡±
Madam Minn straightened up and smiled, ¡°who knows. Maybe how much you rearranged that man¡¯s face with just a few punches will deter anyone else from doing this again.¡±
Chapter 17
Unfortunately Tejara needed to be punished for ¡°assault¡± against a customer. Her punishment found her out alone in the afternoon heat, chopping firewood to warm the building in a few months when winter came. Every so often she lingered on the downswing of her ax and glanced up at the closed windows of the brothel.
Today, Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa would have to act like nothing happened. Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin would likely get out of that bed even if he shouldn¡¯t and work til he collapsed or lost the baby (making his argument with Val¡¯lin¡¯r moot.)
A swing and a thunk and another log was split in two. The two people Tejara loved most in this world were hurting and she had nothing she could do...
Madam Minn did not make it clear if she was allowed to stop for dinner, so she didn¡¯t. She just kept chopping as the sun set. Lost in thought and not even noticing the men sneaking up on her.
On the upswing of her ax, two arms hooked under her arms, keeping her in place. Instantly, she bucked, trying to knock him off. But the man holding her was bigger and stronger than she anticipated and she wasn¡¯t able to throw him over her shoulder. Instead, she took one hand off the ax and twisted her arm to the point of it nearly popping out of the socket to strike the man wherever she could.
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The blade of the ax sunk shallowly into the man¡¯s thigh. It shouldn¡¯t have been enough but apparently the man was a wimp; he screamed out and let her go. She spun around and backed up against the wall of the woodshed, holding up the ax with mildly shaking hands.
The man wasn¡¯t alone. There were at least two others, one of which was snickering about his friend¡¯s wound. All three of them had the look and demeanor of the sons of minor lords. Just rich and powerful enough to bully servants. The worst kind of customer to frequent the brothel.
Willing her voice not to shake like her hand was, Tejara called out, ¡°if you¡¯re looking for someone to hump you¡¯ll have to head inside,¡± Tejara stiffly jerked her head towards the brothel, ¡°and pay like good little boys.¡±
Unfortunately, the three young men she was facing weren¡¯t the only one¡¯s there. Distantly to the side, she heard the thwip of a crossbow bolt being released and pain exploded in her shoulder. She stumbled to the side with the force of the impact and nearly dropped her ax. She looked over at that piece of shit that was sitting on the low wall surrounding the courtyard. He glared at her while struggling to notch another bolt.
¡°Just go to sleep.¡±
Chapter 18
Tejara woke up...
She wasn¡¯t actually sure how she managed that. Her limbs felt heavy and her head felt heavier but even through the haze of disconnection from her body she could feel dull, throbbing pain. She tried desperately to move and only managed to rock her head slightly to the side. Her eyelids, heavy as her head, slid open just enough to let in a sliver of light.
A voice drifted to her through ears that felt full of cotton, ¡°good, you¡¯re alive. I have no interest in fucking a corpse.¡±
The words sent a cold bolt of adrenaline-laced ear through her. Her eyes snapped fully open and she forced herself to move through the strong current of whatever drug that crossbow bolt had been dipped in. And still she only managed to raise her head halfway up before the dull pain felt throughout her body sharpened, her eyesight growing dark in the corners. It seemed on top of the drugged bolts she had taken a physical beating she couldn¡¯t remember. Her jaw tensed as she felt a trickle of warm blood slide down the side of her face.
Still, despite the pain, she managed to take in the appearance of the man who spoke. He was one of the three sniveling bastards that had cornered her. The most pathetic looking one of the bunch, scrawny and barely an adult, the light dusting of a mustache on his upper lip confirming his immaturity.
He reached for her... For the waistband of her loose pants. For the drawstring that held them on.
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Tejara felt her eyes grow wider. Then she closed them, willing herself to just fucking move. ¡°I waited for you to wake up so you better scream pretty for me. It¡¯d be the only thing pretty about you.¡±
Knuckles grazed her stomach as he slipped his hand around her waistband and tugged. Suddenly and violently the adrenaline overpowered the leaden weight on her limbs and she kicked, likely hitting him square in the chest from the sound of the breath leaving his lungs. She opened her eyes and aimed her second kick. Right at his nuts. He doubled over in pain. She let the adrenaline carry her forward. She hooked her hands around the back of his neck, pulling him down as she pulled herself up. Her forehead collided with his nose. She instantly felt his blood trickle down her face.
She shoved him off to the side and he rolled around on the ground whimpering in pain. She sat up and saw she was still where she was when she passed out and her ax was only a few feet away. She stood unsteadily and stumbled over to grab it. Before stomping back to the whining and writhing man.
She put her foot down on his crotch, putting just enough weight onto it. With a string of curses falling from his lips, he jack-knifed up into a sitting position. He grabbed her calf with both hands and tied, ineffectually, to move her. She aimed for the top of his head as if it was just another log of wood. He froze. ¡°Where are you friends?¡± she asked, shaking. With rage or fear or just adrenaline she couldn¡¯t tell. And she hoped he couldn¡¯t tell either.
¡°They went to play with that whore-¡±
MeiMei...
Tejara¡¯s heart stopped. She stumbled back a few steps then turned to run. Back to her.
Chapter 19
Tejara laid with her head on Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s thighs. Her cheek was pressed against fine silks and she couldn¡¯t help but rub against the material. Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s hand idly brushed through Tejara¡¯s hair, which was just starting to come back to life and grow out. Tejara felt a slight tug as Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s slender, deft fingers found a tangle. Despite the mild pain, Tejara only relaxed more as Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa absentmindedly pulled the tangless apart. Tejara¡¯s eyes slid closed and she slowly began to drift away into unconsciousness.
Until Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa shook her awake, curled around her head so she could whisper directly to her, ¡°you shouldn¡¯t sleep here. Go to bed.¡±
Tejara turned her head until her neck hurt a little from the strain and looked up at Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa.
In the dim moonlight streaming through the open window, Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s pale skin practically glowed. Like a pearl held in the shell of her dark hair. Her lips were quirked up in a bemused smile and her dark eyes seemed to absorb the light, absorb Tejara.
Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa tilted her head to the side, ¡°what is it, Tete?¡±
¡°Let¡¯s run away together.¡±
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Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s smile turned sad, ¡°this world is too unkind to women with pasts like yours and mine. This is the safest place for us.¡±
Tejara smiled sadly but raised her hand to cup Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s cheek, ¡°alright... I¡¯ll stay with you then.¡±
¡°Forever?¡±
¡°Until you tire of looking at my face.¡±
¡°I could never tire of such a beautiful face.¡±
Tejara snorted in disbelief.
Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa took Tejara¡¯s face in both her hands and squished her cheeks. ¡°You have the handsomest, most beautiful face in all the land.¡±
¡°One of us has men and women composing poems and singing songs of her beauty and the other is mistaken for a man frequently.¡± Tejara said, her voice warped by the squeezing of her cheeks.
¡°All those people are blind. I will never tire of your face for it is perfect.¡± Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa bent over and dropped a kiss on Tejara¡¯s forcibly pursed lips.
As she pulled away, Tejara ran her fingers through Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s hair and said, ¡°for now, I¡¯ll believe you.¡±
¡°Believe me forever!¡±
¡°Fine, I¡¯ll believe you forever and stay with you just as long.¡±
Chapter 20
It was still early evening and the halls were just starting to come to life. Servants bustled around, helping the courtesans get ready to entertain guests. Singing and music filtered through the doors as regular customers listened to their favorites. But as Tejara approached Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s room the halls grew eerily quiet, as if everyone was avoiding her hallway.
Nai was by Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s door, slumped against the wall, eyes closed, head down, a crossbow bolt buried in her thigh. The sight of the serious young girl pale and unconscious made Tejara¡¯s blood roar in her ears.
She tried the door handle and found it was locked. Without hesitating, she swung the ax in her hand and the door knob. Wood splintered under the strike and after two more swings the door broke up.
A whistling sound broke through the blood rushing in her ears as a crossbow bolt whizzed by her head and imbedded itself in the opposite wall. Tejara¡¯s step stuttered as she took in the room.
Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa was laying flat on her back, limbs splayed and unmoving. One of the young lords who had attacked Tejara was between Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s legs, his penis inside her. The other young lord was straddling her chest, lifting up her head and fucking her mouth. And beyond them was the one. Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa had called DonDon, struggling to load another crossbow bolt.
Tejara¡¯s steps only stuttered, they did not stop.
There was red at the edges of Tejara¡¯s vision and her blood was roaring even louder in her ears. She grabbed the one sitting on Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa chest by the hair and yanked him up. He let go of Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s and it hit the floor with a dull sound. Tejara took a second to look down into Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s face and saw glassy, unfocused eyes and blood seeping into the woven reed and straw floors.
Her vision narrowed. Overtaken by red. She swung her ax into the young man¡¯s chest. Ribs crunched and a wet wheeze escaped his lips. Tejara tossed him aside and reached for the other man, already raising her ax. The man scrambled backwards, flipping onto his hands and knees to crawl away from her. His thigh was bleeding from her ax already. She buried the head of her ax in the back of his skull. Black hair, flesh, skull, and brain matter all clung to the blade as she pulled the ax out. It dripped onto the woven reed floor as she turned to face him.
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A crossbow bolt grazed Tejara¡¯s shoulder. She grabbed the crossbow and flung it as hard as she could into the wall.
And that¡¯s when the bastard began to spew his bullshit. To threaten, bargain, and beg...
¡°If you harm me, you¡¯ll be hanged!¡± he tried to back away but Tejara grabbed his shoulder before he could get far. She raised the ax. ¡°I-If you let me go I¡¯ll get you a pardon for those two!¡± She lowered the ax. He sighed, his fearful, wide eyes relaxing a bit. And then.
Tejara swung the ax up, between his legs, into his scrotum.
He screamed and cursed and tried to wriggle out of her grasp.
¡°You bitch! You fucking bitch! You¡¯ll hang for-¡± she planted her ax in the center of his face and pushed him away, letting him fall to the floor.
Tejara stumbled a step back and turned around, crying out softly, ¡°MeiMei?¡±
Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa did not respond.
Tejara dropped to her knees and shuffled over to where Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa still lay prone. ¡°MeiMei, are you asleep?¡± Tejara reached for her and saw the blood on her hands. She hurriedly pulled them back and wiped the blood off. She reached for her again, one hand on her hip, brushing her skirts back into place, the other hand sliding under her shoulder to scoop Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa into her lap.
Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa¡¯s head flopped against Tejara¡¯s chest, skin pale and bruised, blood trailing from her nose and ears. ¡°MeiMei, you''re safe now.¡± Tejara whispered, hugging her closer and combing out the bloody mats in her hair with her fingers.
Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa didn¡¯t stir.
Tejara could not even feel her breathing.
Tejara held her face gently and turned it.
Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa looked up at her, eyes unseeing and unblinking, and mouth agape to never tease or sing or smirk or kiss or smile like the soft dawn sun again.
Epilogue
Tejara sat slumped against the wall in her cell; dead except that her heart was still beating. The hangman¡¯s noose awaited her and she was ready for it, ready to die and either join Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa or enter oblivion.
¡°Tejara!¡± Val¡¯lin¡¯r called out from the other side of the bars. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I have a meeting with Swordmaster Eun. He owes Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin a favor and he has the ear of both princes so we might be able to lessen your sentence!¡±
Tejara slowly moved her eyes to look at Val¡¯lin¡¯r¡¯s pale, desperate face through the bars. His handsome face was marred by dark circles under his eyes, his long black hair was down and messy, his clothes were rumpled and looked as if he¡¯d worn them everyday since she had been arrested. Even his cheeks were starting to get sunken in.
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She swallowed the small amount of spit in her mouth and said in a hoarse voice, ¡°don¡¯t bother. I¡¯m a murderer and should be punished as such...¡±
Val¡¯lin¡¯r gripped the bars so tightly that his pale fingers went white, ¡°but you were avenging Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa, defending yourself. We can-¡±
¡°I was trying to save Mei¡¯nin¡¯sa and I failed.¡±
Silence fell.
Until Tejara croaked out a question, ¡°how is Keh¡¯dor¡¯rin holding up?¡±
Val¡¯lin¡¯r looked away, ¡°worse than he¡¯ll admit... He decided to keep the baby though... Which is another reason you should try to live! That baby is gonna need an auntie like you.¡±
Tejara closed her eyes and turned her head away, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Val.¡±
Chapter 1
Two men circled each other.
No... one of them was not a man. He was a boy barely in his teens, with long limbs he hadn¡¯t grown into yet, shaggy black hair, and thick straight brows. It was the way he stood that made him look like a man at first glance. Defiant, not like a rebellious teenager but like a beaten man refusing to die.
The man was a head taller and a few inches wider than the boy. And in his hands was a blade, old and nicked but still sharp enough to cut.
The boy¡¯s hands were empty. And still he held himself confidently as he circled the man and the man circled him. Finally, the man lunged for him, with a swing of the sword. The boy ducked low and tackled the man, arms around his midsection. He wasn¡¯t strong or heavy enough to topple the man but he did throw him off balance long enough to kick him in the balls. Doubling over in pain, his grip on the blade loosened.
The fight was over once the boy got ahold of the sword. The man¡¯s body slumped lifelessly to the ground as the bystanders stared in shock.
The boy stood completely unharmed, covered in blood, holding on to the shitty sword... shaking uncontrollably, clutching the sword so closely it cut into the skin over his collarbone - the boy snapped out of his memory, bending down to steal the handkerchief out of the man¡¯s sleeve. He wiped the blood from his face as he turned and walked away.
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A man much older but not any bigger than the boy blocked his exit from the hollowed out, abandoned building the fight took place in, while a voice from behind the boy called out, ¡°Eun! Wait!¡±
The boy, Eun, raised the blade and pointed the tip at the throat of the guy standing in his way. If this is about the kick to the balls being ¡®dishonorable¡¯ then you can fuck off, he came at me with a sword while I was unarmed.¡±
The man put his hands up and swallowed. Eun was holding the blade so close that when the man¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple bobbed it was pierced, a single drop of blood trailing down the man¡¯s neck until it was stopped by the collar of his shirt. The man said, ¡°you don¡¯t understand. He was our leader and so-¡±
¡°And so what?¡± Eun leaned forward, pressing his blade into the man¡¯s throat. The man stumbled back lest he get ran through. He stuttered, shook, and was unable to say anything else.
A man Eun didn¡¯t hear approach dropped an arm around his shoulders and spoke directly into his ear, ¡° and so... we need a new one.¡±