Mercy & Fire

6. A Cruel Consideration

Roselena

Maybe I was a dead fish in the river already, but even fish strive to survive.

The moment I saw the Commander's mercy trickle down to a peasant like me, I gripped onto it like a child desperate to cling to their mother. He said I would be his maidservant, and though I'd never done that before, I would work hard to become indispensable to him.

I bit my lip as I entered the simple inn room. It was well kept with the smell of fresh linen hanging in the air, and I longed to sleep on the bed lying to the left of the small room. Here alone, it felt like there was no catastrophic invasion of Dhernon soldiers all around me. Just for a moment, I could stand there in the silence and pretend I was on an excursion with my brother or my father.

However, the fantasy didn't last long. It was cut short by the sound of shattering glass down below, reminding me of my harsh reality. I couldn't be picky though. Many have lost their lives, but I was still standing.

I avoided looking out the glass window as I limped toward the small door to my right. Knowing I would see dried blood and ashes on the ground through the glass, I turned my face away.

This village didn't seem to have a drainage system, so what was prepared was room temperature water in a large bathing pool carved out of wood. It was large enough to comfortably fit a man, so I could easily submerge myself. I'd never used a tub before so the thought of using one thrilled me. Only wealthy people could afford this kind of wood work, and most towns and villages in the land of Thelodia were centered around rivers, lakes, and oceans.

The ultra-wealthy had bathtubs carved out of more expensive materials that I could only touch in my imagination...

We were lucky to have a sewage system in DuPont since it was well developed, and it made hygiene a lot easier to maintain. We could get water from the river in our backyards and use that to wash up as the water drained into the sewage. Understandably, this was a luxury for me.

My eyes moved to the right of the tub where a wood table with many dried water stains sat. A ceramic plate with fresh soap and towels sat on its left while a large, fat candle sat on the right. I moved to grab the towel and soap, pausing to look in the oddly shaped mirror hanging on the wall by the edge of its trousers.

I was unharmed, but any beauty I had felt the evening before was long gone. Instead, I looked pale and tired. I caught sight of dirt marks on the white fabric of my dress and quickly looked down in dismay.

Evidence of my flight and fall through the forest was plastered all over the dress.

I couldn't help the twinge of disappointment. This was the only thing I owned now, and it was ruined. All because of that bastard. The feelings of resentment toward my captor resurfaced as it had the night before when I woke up to find him sound asleep across from me without a care in the world. I hated that I had fallen asleep in front of him, and I hated that I was at his mercy. I especially hated that he was the only person I could cling to at the moment.

I tried to squash my emotions down, knowing that he was the one who would decided whether I lived or died for as long as I was under his ownership. It was a helpless, hopeless feeling.

I set the soap and towel on the small flat lip of the tub and proceeded to unbraid my hair. The wilting flowers shook out onto the floor and into the water as I stripped and dipped into the water.

I submerged myself before rising again to massage soap into my scalp.

You will cross into enemy territory, and you will see many things. Do not be afraid, you will not die.