Tom's brow was pinched with remorse as he silently slipped from the room, leaving her alone with Hu Lian and the prisoners.
“Oh god, Josiah!” Carol practically flung herself against the cell door when she saw the abuse on his face. She tried to reach through the bars, to touch him, but he was too far away. “Your Highness, please! I know I made a big, large, huge mistake and I know I don't deserve any mercy whatsoever... but if you could drop off Josiah in my cell, I'd be eternally grateful.”
Isabella paused beside Carol and asked, “You care about this man?”
Carol nodded without hesitation. “Uh huh.”
“Very well. Open the door, Lian.” When the cell door opened, the princess and the bounty hunter delivered Josiah into Carol's outstretched arms.
“Ohhhh no. No no noooo... what did they do to you?” Carol laid both of her hands on Josiah's bruised, bloody face, which she caressed with all the tenderness in the world. “Poor Jo!”
“I'm sorry.” Isabella's cheeks were flushed by her apology. “If I knew what was happening to him, I wouldn't have allowed this kind of abuse. It... disgusts me.”
“Poor Joey!” Carol dragged Josiah to the floor and cradled his head against her chest. “My poor poor poor poor Baby Joey! This makes me sooo sad!”
“God, Carol, you don't have to baby me like that!” Josiah tried to sit up, to pull away, but Carol's grip on him was strong. She reeled him back in, stroked his hair, and crushed his cheek against her bosom. As humiliating as it was, her excessive affection was only somewhat unpleasant. “I'm alright, I swear!”
“You are not alright, Mister!” Carol lovingly chastised him. “If you could see your face right now, I'm pretty sure you'd agree! Your cheeks are swollen, your lip's cracked, you have a black eye, you look like hell, there's blood all over...”
“Gee...” Josiah chuckled. “You really know how to make a man feel better.”
“I've got to agree with the girl, Jo. You do look like shit,” said Patrick, who was standing in the cell across from them, leaning against the bars as he studied the princess. Specifically, his gaze lingered on her chest. “That man's your fiance... right, Princess? The man in the mask?”
Isabella only admitted the truth after indulging in a tremendous sigh. “Unfortunately... yes.”
“It sounds like you're not very happy with him. And I don't blame you. He seems like an ass.” Patrick licked his lips as he watched Isabella. “It sounds like you need a new man in your life. A new man like me... maybe? I bet we'd have a lot of fun together.”
Lian drew her sword and poked through the bars, getting Patrick to back away. “Don't talk to Her Highness like that!” she roared.
“Aww... are you jealous, sweetheart?” Patrick's lips wore a smirk as he swaggered away from Lian's sword. “Would you like it better if I was your new man?”
“Ha!” Lian tossed back her head and cackled at the thought. “Sorry, honey. I don't do men.”
As Patrick flirted with the ladies, Carol continued to fuss over Josiah. He wanted to protest against her coddling, but he couldn't deny how he felt. He liked it. Carol's fingers gliding through his hair had a soothing effect on him.
“Once again, I'm truly sorry,” Isabella apologized again. “I feel terrible about what happened. Perhaps, um... perhaps you'd like to join me for tea later on? All three of you?”
“Perhaps...” Lian interrupted with a chuckle, “Perhaps that's a crazy idea, Your Highness? These people did try to steal your airship!”
“And perhaps I don't need your opinion, Lian.” Isabella haughtily raised her chin as she turned away from the prisoners' cells. “I'm the princess, and I'll do what pleases me.”
Twenty Three
When Gwen saw Nicky Gunn standing on her porch, she nearly slammed the door in his face. Even when he presented with her a flower, she was tempted to do it. At that moment, his face was the last face on earth she cared to see.
“Good morning, Miss Montgomery!” Nicky forced his slightly wilted daisy into Gwen's freckled hand. “I was wondering... would you like to spend some time with me today? I know your dad just died, and you're probably upset, so we can do whatever you want. We can take a walk, have a picnic, go on a--”
Gwen interrupted with a question. “Are you trying to court me, Nicky?”
“Uh... yea.” Nicky removed his gray newsboy cap—which he took from Julian—and twisted it between his hands. “I guess you could call it that.”
“Are you serious?”
The disbelief in Gwen's voice made him frown. “Uh... sure.”
“Ohhhh, you have a lot of nerve!” Gwen stamped her foot in frustration. “I just saw you with another girl!”
“Oh, b-b-but that didn't mean anything, that was just--”
“It doesn't matter!” Gwen interrupted again. “If you were really interested in courting me, you wouldn't have tried to get into bed with the first woman you saw!”
“W-well, to be fair, she was more like the second woman I saw...” When she started to close the door on him, Nicky stopped her with his shoulder and pushed his way into the house. “Gwen... wait! Gwen, don't be mad!”
“I'm not mad. Why would I be mad?” Gwen spun on her heel and stomped away from him. “I have no reason to be mad. It's not like you were my boyfriend or anything, right?”
“Y-yeah...” Nicky wasn't sure if it was a trick question, but he reluctantly agreed.
“It's not like we made a connection out in the desert,” Gwen said. “It's not like you led me to believe you were interested in dating me.”
“Nah. I guess I didn't.”
“Nicholas Amberley!” Gwen spun toward him as she roared his name. “If I didn't know any better, I'd think there was nothing between those ears of yours! You really are a selfish, thoughtless, no good, rotten--”
Her rant was cut short by the sound of a blasting cannon. Nicky and Gwen ran to the window at the same time.
“What do you think that was?” asked Nicky.
“An airship.” Gwen directed his attention to the sky, where three of Emperor Ju-long's massive vessels drifted eerily overhead. The ships' immense shadows spilled across Gravestone's main street, putting an immediate end to the busy city's usual hustle and bustle.
“Three airships,” Nicky corrected her. “You think they're planning on taking the city?”
His question was answered a moment later, when another blast of their cannons blew apart the Mayor's Office.
“When the emperor came to Santo Feo, everyone was running around, desperately trying to escape,” Gwen told him. “Do you think we should try to get out of the city?”
“We can't. There aren't any airships running in or out of Gravestone, and the train station's shut down.” A tremor shook Nicky's spine when he saw the emperor's soldiers rappelling from one of the ships. “Do you think I should go out there? I should probably find out what's going on...”
“No!” Gwen seized his arm, holding him in place. “That seems dangerous! Don't go anywhere. We should probably just... wait it out.”
“What if someone out there is fighting back? Shouldn't I be part of that?”
“No!” Gwen was adamant. “I don't want you to get hurt. There's no shame in hiding.”
“There isn't?”
“I don't think so.”
The death of Gwen's father left the city defenseless. Without a sheriff and deputies, the city was left without an organized resistance. Anyone who tried to fight back was cut down in an instant. Within an hour, Gravestone was in Emperor Ju-long's hands, and his soldiers swarmed its streets.
In the middle of the chaos, Gwen made herself a sandwich. She didn't care what happened to her hometown. After her father's death, her reasons to live were difficult to remember.
While Gwen enjoyed her lunch, Nicky stayed by the window. Every now and then, he peeled back the curtains to check the situation, and he occasionally murmured an update. “There are a lot more soldiers on the road now.”
&n
bsp; Gwen licked a bit of mustard from her finger and said, as calmly as ever, “As long as they don't come in here, I don't care.”
“How can you not care? We might die today, you know.”
“You're being a little overdramatic.”
“Am I?” Nicky snorted at her reply. “I don't know what this emperor is like, do you? He might be a tyrant or something. ...Oh shit!”
Nicky was peering outside, so she assumed he saw something of interest. “What is it?”
“The soldiers just broke into your neighbor's house,” Nicky reported. “She looked like a nice old lady too... but they just shoved her aside like a piece of trash.”
“Poor Mrs. Crichley!” Gwen frowned. “You don't think they'll come over here, do you?”
“They might.”
Gwen shook her half-eaten sandwich at him. “You were supposed to say no!”
“So basically... you want me to lie to you?” A few seconds later, Nicky was pulling out his pistol. “Oh damn, they are coming over here!”
Gwen dropped her sandwich, ran to Nicky's side and pulled him away from the window. “Do you think we should hide?”
Before he could answer, the door burst open, and a trio of Emperor Ju-long's soldiers swept into Gwen's house. As soon as Nicky raised his gun, one of the soldiers slapped it from his hand, while a second shoulder threw him against the wall.
“Nicky!” Gwen squealed. “Oh god... don't hurt him!” But it was already too late. Nicky's face was squashed against the wall so hard, she could barely see his nose.
One of the three soldiers paused in front of Gwen. After several seconds of silent scrutiny, he barked an unexpected question. “How old are you, girl?”
“Uh...” She was momentarily taken aback. “Eighteen.”
“Perfect.” The soldier grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the house.
Suddenly, she was less concerned about Nicky and more concerned for herself. “Wait! Where am I going? What are you doing?”
“The emperor still wants a wife,” the soldier said. “You're suitable.”
“B-b-b-but wait! Marry the emperor? Me?” Gwen was desperate to find a way out of it. “But that man in there is my fiance!”
“Do you think I give a damn?” Gwen wasn't coming quickly enough, so the man lifted her off her feet and tossed her over his shoulder. “Besides... don't flatter yourself. His Venerable Lordship hasn't chosen you yet.”
The soldier hauled her to the town square, where he dumped her with at least a dozen other candidates. Gwen recognized most of them, because they were all from Gravestone, and they were all close in age. “I guess the emperor likes them young...” she whispered under her breath.
After Gwen arrived, two more candidates were escorted to the square, where the girls were instructed to wait in silence. Panicked thoughts marched through Gwen's mind as she studied the faces of her peers. All fifteen of them looked absolutely terrified.
“When you're in the company of the emperor or empress, never refer to yourself in the first person!” A small, balding man instructed them as they awaited the arrival of the emperor. “For example, if you wanted to say I'm hungry, you would say something like this one is hungry or your humble servant is hungry.”
Gwen's palms profusely perspired as she listened to his speech. It was such an unusual turn of events. When she woke up that morning, she was furious at Nicky Gunn for being a terrible suitor. Now she was one of fifteen girls who could potentially become the emperor's next bride. Nicky Gunn was the furthest thing from her mind.
“It is highly disrespectful to look him in the eye,” the man continued. “You're Westerners, so we expect you to have the manners of mongrels. Nevertheless... if possible, you should avoid meeting the emperor's gaze.”
First, they were evaluated by Empress Lin, the emperor's first wife. Her usual grace was absent. Today, she looked old, tired, and reluctant to participate. To her, Westerners were a different breed of women, and she loathed the idea of sharing her husband's bed with one of them. Even so, she tried to observe the new candidates with an appraising eye and a relatively open mind.
“If I tell you to step forward, step forward,” Lin coached them. “If I tell you to step back, you must leave the square immediately. Do you understand?”
The girls didn't respond, so the soldiers raised their rifles.
“Do you understand?” The empress repeated her question in a shrill voice. This time, because they were held at gunpoint, the women murmured variations of “yes, ma'am” and “your servant understands.”
With a wrinkled nose, Empress Lin said to the first girl, “Step back.”
Even if it meant her beauty was inadequate, the young brunette was relieved by the empress' decision. She ran from the square as quickly as she could.
“Step back... step back... step back...” When Lin reached Gwen, she paused to check her feet. She even raised a monocle and squatted to get a better look at them. After a few seconds of deliberation, she said, “Step forward.”
Gwen's stomach tumbled as she stepped out of the line. She was the first girl who passed the empress' preliminary elimination, but she wasn't the last.
“Step back... step forward... step forward... step back... step back... step forward... step forward... step forward... step back... step back... step back.”
When she reached the end of the line, Empress Lin gave an approving nod to the remaining candidates. Only six were left.
A curious cluster of Gravestone's citizens had amassed to watch the spectacle. In the corner of her eye, Gwen spotted Nicky, who was trying to get her attention with an obnoxious wave. She turned her head and tried to ignore him.
“The emperor will be arriving shortly,” the balding man informed them. “If any of you fail to treat him with the utmost respect and courtesy, you will not only be dismissed, you'll be flogged.”
He said it so casually, a gaggle of goose pimples erupted on Gwen's arms.
Several minutes later, when Emperor Ju-long finally appeared, he was flanked on all sides by a few dozen soldiers. Gwen's expression soured at the sight of him. He was old enough to be her grandfather and round enough that he waddled when he walked.
He studied the ladies for all of three seconds before his lips were tugged by a delighted smile. Normally, he would have taken the time to observe them more thoroughly. He would have walked back and forth, up and down the line, searching for flaws. But as soon as he saw Gwen, he knew he was looking at his future bride.
“Her!” Emperor Ju-long's eyes lit up as he stood in front of Gwen. “I want this one.” He didn't even bother to look at her feet. Even if she had duck feet and hairy toes, he didn't care. Her impossibly perfect face and slender, shapely figure would help him overlook any minor flaw.
“Umm.. are you sure?” Gwen murmured. “M-maybe you want to look again? Maybe you should get a good look at all the girls first? Maybe you should--”
Empress Lin prodded Gwen with the tip of a parasol, silencing her questions.
“Oh yessss.... yeeeees...” The emperor caressed Gwen's cheek as he cooed over her beauty. “You look like a goddess, young lady. This face flutters my heart and my loins. Forget Shuchun Jun! She pales in comparison. I've never seen a more beautiful woman in all my life!”
“Um... thank you?” When Gwen glanced in Nicky's direction, she thought he looked disappointed.
“What is your name, beauty?” the emperor asked. “I must know your name.”
“G-Gwen,” she hesitantly replied. “Gwen Montgomery.”
“Good. Brilliant! Wonderful! As of tomorrow, you shall be Empress Gwen. You'll be my seventh and final wife.” He leaned forward to catch a whiff of her hair. “After I've had you, I'm absolutely certain I'll never want anyone else.”
Twenty Four
As ChangChang stripped Gwen out of her clothes, she asked a question that shocked the emperor's intended bride. “You are a virgin, right? Please tell me you're a virgin.”
“Huh? What?”
“Are you a virgin?” As soon as Gwen was naked, ChangChang shoved her in the direction of a steaming bathtub.
“Um... not exactly.”
“Not exactly? What does that mean?” ChangChang pinned back Gwen's reddish brown hair before pushing her into the water. “This should be a simple yes or no question, dear. Has a man's intimate organ made contact with your intimate organs?”
The heat that rushed into Gwen's cheeks rivaled the scalding water into which she was submerged. “Yes...”
“Oh dear. Ohhh dear dear dear...” ChangChang dragged her hands through her hair in despair. “This is meant to be a purifying bath, but there's no purification in the world that can save you if you're already soiled. Are you soiled?”
“I'm too offended by that word to answer that question!”
“Western girls...” ChangChang groaned as she brought her sponge to Gwen's shoulders. “You have no morals, I swear. You're so lewd. Well... if you don't want to die tomorrow, you might want to think of a way to trick the emperor. It might be traitorous for me to suggest such a thing, but I'd rather not hear about a young girl dying.”
“Would he really kill me for not being a virgin?”
“Oh, sweetheart...” ChangChang shook her head and clicked her tongue. “He'll kill you and then some. Two years ago, his last bride lied about being a virgin... well... let's just say, it didn't end well for her.”
As ChangChang bathed her, Gwen's body jolted at the sound of a tolling clock. It was eleven o'clock at night. Her hours of freedom were waning, as was her hope. Hearing horrid stories about her future husband did little to lift the darkness that shrouded her heart.
ChangChang scrubbed and scrubbed, and when Gwen's skin was sufficiently red and raw, she ordered her to stand and dry herself. Gwen was given a robe and led to a bed, which was the same bed Shuchun Jun slept in several days ago.
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