The Guide

by Trudie Collins

  Selene lost track of time while she was with Tallon. She did not know if it was weeks or months later that she had her first encounter with some local thieves. She was walking past an alleyway when she felt herself being dragged into it and her purse snatched off her wrist. She was wearing a shawl, as the weather was getting a little colder. It fell from her shoulder and one of the thieves noticed, letting out a yell when he saw her brand. Her purse was returned to her immediately and all of the would-be thieves expressed their apologies, begging her not to tell the Prince about their mistake. The Prince had been right about the branding and for the first time since receiving it, she decided it was worth the pain she had gone through.

  A few days later, however, the brand did not save her. She was walking through the palace, her head in a book as usual, when she walked, literally, into a man she had never met before. Looking up, she started to apologise, but the words never left her mouth. This was by far the most handsome man she had ever laid her eyes on. His pale skin perfectly complimented the blackness of his hair, which was neatly trimmed short, except for a thin plait that ran down his back to his waist. Though only of average height, his body was slim with the perfect amount of muscle. She imagined seeing his naked torso and it was all she could do not to shiver. When she looked into his eyes, however, she almost screamed. They were the exact match of Tallon’s, but where his had been dull but now radiated warmth, these were ice cold. When he smiled, it was more like an evil leer.

  He grabbed her arm roughly, turning it around to see her brand. “So,” he sneered. “You are my brother’s new little pet are you? I was expecting something prettier. Did he tell you we share everything?” He started dragging her down the corridor, toward his own suite of rooms. Selene screamed in protest, then in pain as he increased his grip on her arm. If his father had not left his study to see what all of the noise was about just then, Selene did not dare to think what would have happened. The King soon spotted the brand on Selene’s arm, indicating she was Tallon’s property and he unceremoniously dragged his son into his study to yell at him in private, leaving Selene free to run to her room and lock herself in.

  As soon as she heard Tallon’s voice calling her name, she unlocked the door and ran into his arms. It took a while before she could stop herself shaking. He had already been informed as to what had taken place and had a bottle of strong alcohol with him, just in case she needed it. His comforting arms and soothing voice, assuring her that his brother had been dealt with and would not lay so much as a finger on her ever again, was all she needed. The bottle was put aside for later, in case either of them felt like a nightcap.

  Then Tallon broke the news that she had been longing to hear. Mia had been found. After a quick bite to eat, he would be taking a squad of soldiers to a local inn where Baron Fendling kept a room, to launch a rescue. When he could no longer bear to hear her pleading, he reluctantly agreed to let her join them.

  Chapter 13

  Sam was horrified. “You were branded?” she exclaimed.

  Selene nodded. “That is how my father knew who had owned me.”

  “I had been wondering what your scar was. Does it still hurt?”

  Selene shook her head. Before she could continue, there was a knock at the door and Kally walked, in carrying a lunch tray for the Princess. Sam left her in peace and made her way to the dining room, where she was pleasantly surprised to see only Prince Rupert. He enquired about her morning and she explained that Selene was ill in bed, but neglected to mention what they had been talking about. She was a little worried that she would be bombarded with questions and did not want to betray Selene’s confidence.

  Once the meal was finished, before departing, Rupert apologised for not being able to join her that evening. He had to attend a dinner party for a visiting Duke and his two daughters and was not looking forward to it. The sole purpose of the visit was to try to get the Prince interested in one of them, but he had met them before and found them complete bores. Feeling sorry for him, Sam agreed to join him for a picnic lunch the next day, providing the weather improved, then made her way back to Selene. She found her out of bed and sitting in a comfortable chair by her table.

  “Why is your brother being so nice to me?” Sam asked, taking a seat next to Selene, who looked up from her coffee cup.

  “Rupert?” she asked, then shrugged her shoulders. “I heard a rumour that the maid he was bedding got engaged last week. Maybe he is looking for his next conquest.” She smiled sweetly, leaving Sam uncertain as to whether she was joking or not.

  “Are you up to continuing your story? Did you go to rescue your maid? What happened next?”

  The little colour Selene had drained out of her face, making her appear anaemic. “Yes, I went,” she said quietly. “And it is something I will never ever forget.”

  Selene had been quite excited to be accompanying Tallon and the soldiers to the inn. She was looking forward to seeing Mia again and hoped that she would be happy to join her at the palace. Maybe she was being treated well and would not want to be rescued. However, such thoughts fled her mind the moment the soldiers forced open the door of Baron Fendling’s room.

  As she took in the scene, time seemed to stand still. Mia was naked on the floor, on her hands and knees, being raped simultaneously by three men. Her entire body was covered in bruises and her back looked like she had been recently whipped. A large, fat man, the Baron, was sitting in a chair watching, while forcing a boy, who looked no more than eight, to perform oral sex on him.

  Looking up and seeing only the soldiers, the Baron merely told them to come back tomorrow as the girl was booked for the rest of the evening. Tallon, usually a calm man, lost his temper and grabbed the Baron by the throat, pushing him against the wall. Meanwhile, the soldiers arrested the three rapists and Selene ran to Mia, wrapping a cloak around her and gently taking her in her arms. It took a moment for Mia to recognise her, but when she did she broke down in tears, listening to the soothing words Selene was saying. She was safe now and nobody was ever going to hurt her again.

  The four men were escorted back to the palace and thrown in the dungeon for the night. Throughout the entire journey Baron Fendling protested that he had done nothing wrong and demanded his property be returned. The boy turned out to be the inn keeper’s son who had delivered wine to the Baron’s room, then had not been allowed to leave. Thankfully the Prince had arrived before the Baron had chance to do anything worse to him. The boy was given a sleeping drought before being tucked into his bed. His mother refused to leave his side and spent the night asleep in a chair by the bed. The inn keeper agreed to press charges and would not stop thanking the Prince for rescuing his son.

  Tallon and Selene made their own way back to the palace, Mia securely in Tallon’s arms. Though she was asleep, she was still whimpering and tears continuously flowed down her cheeks, wetting the Prince’s jacket.

  One of the soldiers had been despatched to the palace so a warm bath was ready for Mia the moment they entered the Prince’s rooms. Gently placing the trembling woman in the warm soothing water, Tallon left the women in peace, making sure Selene locked the door behind him, and went to fill his father in on the situation. Though owning a slave, even a pleasure slave, was legal in Kinfen, abusing them in such a fashion was not and an attack on a child was punishable by death.

  Much to Tallon’s disgust, as the Baron was wealthy and influential, the King would only agree to banish him. He left the country before the King had any chance to speak to Mia and find out that the ‘party’ that Tallon had broken up was an almost nightly occurrence and that Mia had been gang raped nearly every day since being sold to the Baron. She was passed around between his friends and associates, sometimes she was even thrown into his guards’ barracks for them to do whatever they wished to her, while he watched, enjoying the scene.

  The Baron himself never touched her, except with the whip, as he preferred young boys. A raid of his town house found a number of youngsters being held
prisoner, as well as a couple of dead bodies. The families of the boys were quickly traced and their sons were returned to them, along with large purses of gold and the sympathy of the crown. A death warrant was issued for Baron Fendling, but he never returned to Kinfen and nobody admitted knowing where he was in hiding, so the warrant was never executed.

  The three men who attacked Mia were sentenced to life in prison. They avoided the hang man’s noose by providing details of other ‘parties’ the Baron had organised, including names and places. A large number of the Baron’s known associates ended up in jail, along with all of his guards and even some of his servants. Mia was in no condition to testify at the trials, but a number of other witnesses came forward, some of them other pleasure slaves who had been subjected to the same treatment. All of the Baron’s slaves were given their freedom and enough money to start their own businesses if they wished.

  By the time Mia eventually got out of the bath, a healer had arrived. Mia started to scream the moment she laid eyes on Tallon, causing him to quickly back out of the room. Selene and the healer moved Mia from the bathroom to Selene’s bedroom, shutting the door and leaving Tallon pacing outside. He raced up to the healer as soon as he heard the door opening again, demanding an update. He felt responsible for what had happened to Mia, as though he could have prevented her being hurt if he had found her quicker. Also, she was important to Selene and that made her important to him as well.

  The good news was that there was nothing physically wrong that complete rest would not cure. The wounds on her back would take longer, as would the friction burns on her ankles and wrists where she had been tied to a bed with rope, but there would be no permanent damage. Her emotional and mental states were another matter. There was nothing the healer could do to help in that regard and only time would tell if she would ever fully recover.

  When Mia finally fell into an exhausted sleep, Selene left her alone and joined Tallon and the healer, who were discussing what could be done to aid Mia in her recovery. Tallon had not taken her reaction to seeing him personally, but it did indicate how emotionally traumatised the maid was and it was obvious that she would not be able to cope being around men for a while. Both Selene and Tallon found this understandable and decided the best thing would be to leave her where she was for the time being. Servants were already banned from the Prince’s quarters, unless they had express permission to enter, so there was no risk of anyone accidently wandering in. Also there was already a lock on the bedroom door, giving her the extra privacy she would need.

  Once the healer had departed, it was agreed that they would act the same as they did when Selene first entered the palace. All meals would be eaten in the rooms and Mia would remain hidden until she felt ready to face other people. Selene longed to send her back home, but she knew that Mia would not be able to travel without her and there was still a price on her head.

  There were two other problems they faced. The first, where Selene would sleep, was easily solved. She retrieved her sleepwear from her bedroom and placed them in Tallon’s bed. The look she aimed at him almost dared him to comment, something he wisely declined to do. The second problem was what to do about Tallon. He could not be expected to stay away from his own rooms, but the sight of him might delay Mia’s recovery. Selene pointed out that having a man around treating her with nothing but courtesy and respect may actually help her learn to trust men again so they agreed he would remain living with the two women, but would instantly leave whenever Mia wished him to.

  For the first few days, Mia only left the bedroom to use the bathroom. This meant no chaperone was needed, so Selene used this time to go shopping for some clothes for Mia, purposely buying only items that would be comfortable and loose fitting. After a few weeks, Tallon was able to spend some time in Mia’s presence without her screaming or running to the bedroom and locking the door. He was gentle and patient with her and it was while watching them interact one morning that Selene realised that she was falling in love with him. They spent a lot of time kissing, whenever Mia was not around to see them, and fell asleep in each other’s arms every night. Despite missing her family terribly, Selene began to feel happy and content. Having Mia with her again was wonderful, but did not block out the emptiness she felt whenever Tallon had to be away overnight.

  Eventually Mia agreed to try leaving Tallon’s suite. Her first trip out was to the palace garden. It was rare to see anyone there, except for the gardeners, and the fresh air would do her good. The first time one of the gardeners tried to talk to her, she hid behind Selene, shaking all over, and had to be taken back to her room, but she bravely tried again the next day. Little by little she became more confident and was able to take herself to the garden and spend time talking to the gardeners without Selene being present.

  The next step was to leave the palace. Selene was worried about where to go that would not be too crowded. Tallon came to the rescue by taking both women to dinner at a friend’s house. The Lord had been forewarned about what had happened to Mia and made sure that only his female servants were present for the evening. It went well, boosting Mia’s confidence enough for her to join Selene when she visited the market the next day. Thankfully Tallon’s brother had been sent to visit his Uncle, whose estate was on the other side of the country, so there was no danger of Mia meeting him and all of the progress she was making being undone.

  The market was as busy as usual the next morning and Selene was wary of taking Mia along. She made sure her brand was clearly visible so nobody would approach her unbidden. Mia kept so close to her she could have been physically attached, but she remained calm and did not ask to go back to her room for over an hour. Her courage and bravery made Selene proud and she was beginning to think her maid would, given enough time, make a full recovery. She was still young and deserved the chance of a normal life again.

  One morning Tallon returned from breakfasting with his father to find that Selene was still in bed, curled up in the foetal position, obviously in pain. He ran up to her, throwing himself onto the bed beside her and placing one arm around her. Upon enquiry what was wrong, he was told it was her ‘bleeding time’ but she was in a lot more pain than usual. Mia emerged from her bedroom in time to overhear the conversation and was furious when she saw him smiling. He tried to calm her down by explaining he was only happy because it was nothing serious and that there was something he could do to help. It did not work and she ordered him out of his own suite. She was surprised when he obeyed her.

  Selene’s discomfort turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Mia. All she saw was her mistress in need of her help and, without realising what she was doing, immediately fell into the role of nursemaid. It also helped her to cement a friendship with Tallon, who returned after less than an hour carrying a hot water bottle, made from pig skin, and a herbal drink that the cook made for most of the female slaves when they were suffering as badly as Selene.

  Selene’s birthday arrived. She never did discover how Tallon found out, though she suspected Mia dropped a few hints. He presented her with a horse; a grey stallion, 16 hands tall. He was a magnificent specimen, holding himself tall and proud. Selene thought he was wonderful and named him Dobbin, much to the poor animal’s embarrassment. Mia was given permission to take any of the Prince’s personal horses from the stables, allowing the two women to spend their time riding. Tallon trusted them to return and they did not disappoint him.

  A few days later, just as the two women had finished getting dressed in their riding gear, Tallon entered the room looking distressed. He sat Selene down on a couch and took her hand in his.

  “I do not know how to tell you this,” he began. After a slight pause, he continued. “A rumour is floating around the palace that your father is gravely ill. He may even be dying.” Tears immediately appearing in Selene’s eyes and Tallon pulled her close, holding her tight. “I do not know if these rumours are true, but I am afraid that they may be.” They held each other for a while, Mia discreetly returnin
g to her bedroom to give them some privacy, until Selene felt able to speak.

  “I have to go to him,” she said, stating a fact rather than making a request.

  “I know,” Tallon replied. “I have already spoken to a few people about how to get you out of here safely. Plans should be in place within a few days.” He then pulled away so he could look into her eyes, his face serious. “You know that once you leave, you will never be able to return.”

  The thought had never occurred to Selene and, realising that he was right, she burst into tears again. That day Tallon joined the ladies on their ride; he could not bear to be parted from Selene if it could be avoided.

  The next few days passed quickly. Selene lost her enthusiasm for everything and seemed to be walking around in a daze most of the time. Although overjoyed to be soon returning to her family, the thought of leaving Tallon and never seeing him again brought her more pain than she could possibly have imagined. Every moment they now spent together seemed so much more important, knowing that soon it would be their last. The promise of travelling back to Amenia awakened new life in Mia and she started to take care of Selene, instead of the other way around, once more becoming her maid in more than just name.

  As promised, the plans were soon in place. The Prince’s personal guards were loyal to the Prince and would carry out his commands without question. Only their commander, the elderly soldier who had given Tallon the hair dye for Selene when she first wished to leave the palace, was aware of who Selene was and how important it was to get her back across the border as quickly as possible.