Young Writers Society

Ky sprawled unceremoniously across the bench seat, tiredly answering the questions that Aleth launched at her about her township, and capture, and the logistics of how she’d kept from being discovered in the stables for so many years. The little energy she had was long since spent, and the minutes crept by in a pain-filled haze that made it hard to think clearly.

After what felt like an eternity, the carriage finally came to a stop. Ky carefully pushed herself up to a sitting position, just as Tadaaki came around to open the door. Aleth climbed out first and cracked his back as Tadaaki reached in to help Ky down. She hesitated, taking in as much as possible as she could in a moment.

They were stopped in front of a mansion. It wasn’t nearly as large as Makata’s castle, but it seemed bigger than her entire township had been back home. It was made of a sand-colored stone with intricately carved statues interspersed with thick hedges. Behind her a lush green lawn stretched down to a massive stone wall that separated the estate from the bustling city life.

“This way,” Aleth said, grabbing her arm. His grasp was firm, but not unkind, as he moved her towards the stairs leading up to the house.

She lifted her foot to the first step and whimpered with the exertion it took to lift herself onto it. Aleth impatiently sighed and waited for her to catch up before ascending to the next step. They made it up the half dozen stairs to the house just as the door opened and a young woman stepped out onto the uncovered porch.

“Yuane,” Aleth said. “This is Ky, my new assistant. Take him up to the spare room and dress his wounds.”

“Yes, sir,” the girl murmured, instantly stepping forward to obey.

Aleth pulled Ky slightly closer to himself, fingers tightening around her arm. Ky looked up to find his threatening glare boring into her eyes. “I swear if you so much as look at Yuane the wrong way, I will thrash you within an inch of your life. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, sir,” Ky answered gruffly.

“Good.” He pushed her back towards Yuane and locked eyes on his servant. “If Ky is anything but respectful and accommodating, tell me immediately.”

“Yes, sir,” Yuane answered.

Yuane reached out to wrap her arm around Ky and pull her into the house. Ky tensed, but followed. Yuane was substantially taller than she was – taller even than Aleth, maybe. Ky hadn’t noticed until she was standing side by side with her just how tall Yuane was.

She had long ink-black hair that was tied into a braid that rested between her shoulder blades, and dark, monolid eyes that looked down at Ky sharply as they walked. Ky wrapped her arms around her own abdomen, appreciative of the support that Yuane’s arm brought to her back as she led her up a flight of stairs to the second story of the mansion.

Ky stared straight at the floor in front of them, trying desperately to keep from stumbling. The exertion was making her light headed, and her body felt weak, as if it would collapse right there in the middle of the hallway. Yuane led her into a small room off to the left.

It was larger than the room she stayed in at the stables – maybe about as big as Zivyn’s stall had been. On the wall that overlooked the courtyard they’d just come from were a row of windows, under which a dresser with a wash basin. A bed was pressed along the left wall; a changing screen sitting next to the wall to the right.

“Sit,” Yuane said, gesturing towards the bed.

Ky stumbled towards the bed and gratefully plopped down on the quilt. The give of the mattress surprised her. She hadn’t properly sat on a bed in years, barring the brief time she’d laid on Aleth’s bed. It felt nice – this time.

Yuane dumped water into the basin sitting on the dresser and dipped a cloth into it, then turned back towards Ky. “Arms up.”

Ky hesitated a moment, then did as she was told – slowly, carefully, lifting her arms over her head. She didn’t know who Yuane was to Aleth, but it was clear that whoever she was, Ky had better obey her. She couldn’t risk another “training” session when she was in this state.

Yuane bent and carefully removed Ky’s blood-crusted tunic. She stopped short as she looked at Ky’s naked body, eyebrows shooting up in surprise. Ky awkwardly laid one arm across her chest. “Yeah, I’m, uh…”

“You’re hurt,” Yuane said, bringing a damp cloth towards her. “Lay back.”

Ky carefully laid back onto the mattress, whimpering as the motion strained her abdomen. Yuane removed the makeshift bandage Tadaaki had made for her and began dabbing away the blood and dirt that clung to Ky’s abdomen. She worked in silence for many long minutes; Ky screwed her eyes shut tightly, clenching her jaw in an attempt to remain motionless, despite Yuane’s cloth making her wounds burn like fire.

“Has Ky given you any trouble?”

Ky tensed even more as she heard Aleth’s voice, breath catching in her chest. She instinctively jerked her hand to her side and started to bolt upright, eyes snapping open. Aleth’s hand was on her bare shoulder in an instant, pushing her back towards the mattress. “Stay.”

The pain that sitting up had brought was nearly unbearable; the added force of Aleth’s hand made it impossible for her to accomplish it. She fell back to the mattress, breathing shallowly as she looked up at Aleth fearfully. He kept his hand on her shoulder – his fingertips barely pressing against the junction of her collarbone and arm, and yet conveying everything it possibly could have needed to: he was powerful, and she was to obey.

Aleth looked down the length of his nose at her for a long moment, gaze cold and calculating, waiting to see if she would obey. She felt her insides flop. She felt so weak; so powerless, as she laid flat on her back next to this monster. Aleth turned his gaze on Yuane and raised his eyebrows.

“No trouble at all, sir,” Yuane answered.

“Good.” Aleth took his hand off Ky’s shoulder, and gestured at her vaguely. "We’re going to maintain this little charade – refer to Ky with masculine pronouns, the whole gambit to keep up appearances and convince everyone that our farce is genuine. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir,” Yuane answered.

“Good.” Aleth turned a cold gaze on Ky. “You’d best heal quickly. I’ve got big plans for the two of us, Ky.”

Ky swallowed hard.

“Sire.”

Ky heard Tadaaki’s voice from the doorway, over her shoulder, and saw Aleth’s attention turn towards it.

“Yes?” Aleth asked.

“I’ve got your carriage unpacked. I’m about to begin unpacking your chest, but I started with your communications, and they’re all in your office.”

“Thank you. You’re dismissed.” Aleth’s gaze snapped back towards Ky, and the same cruel, mirthless smirk spread across his face once more. “Don’t go anywhere, dear.”

Aleth patted her cheek condescendingly, then took his leave.

Ky closed her eyes tightly, clenching her jaw and refusing to grimace as Yuane’s cloth brought a stab of pain to her abdomen. Time was hazy. It could have been mere moments, or possibly many minutes, before Yuane finally rubbed a thick salve on her wounds and bandaged them up. She gently helped Ky into a night shirt, then left, leaving Ky alone in the room.

Ky gradually drifted off, but where she ended up was anyone’s guess. She passed from consciousness to unconsciousness without much of a distinction between the two, thoughts feeling heavy and hot, like a damp towel held over her face on a summer afternoon.

Her mental clarity finally returned as she woke to the world outside her window being nearly entirely darkened, with just enough fading sunlight to cast soft bluish hues over the distant skyline. Her abdomen hurt too badly to dare movement. She lay passively, flat on her back, and stared at the cracking plaster of the ceiling overhead.

How had she managed to get herself into such a predicament? What was so wrong about her to have resulted in her life going as horribly wrong as it had so far? All she wanted to be back home, in her township, on her little farm, tending to the animals and to Father. She took a deep breath, wishing something in her life would make sense again.

She never had understood what mistake she’d made to end up in Makata’s castle to begin with. It was obvious she’d drawn Aleth’s attention by not mastering her curiosity carefully enough – but was that really bad enough to warrant this? Was learning how to read what landed her here? Was it learning Lytiasian in the first place that ended with her imprisoned by this parasite of a man?

Suddenly a thought struck her.

What if I didn’t know Lytiasian?

Most of Aleth’s gloating was lost in the painfilled haze, but that stuck in her memory prominently – he wanted her for her language skills. Makata had outlawed Traditional Lytiasian nearly two decades ago, stating it made the commoners seem less intelligent to the surrounding countries, and insisted everyone learn and speak the Trade Language instead.

When an official would come to her township, the people who only knew Traditional Lytiasian would busy themselves in the far away fields, and the few people who spoke the Trade Language well, like Father, and the blacksmith Mr. Drakan, and the baker Mr. Lian, would interact with the official. But not everyone knew that her township had refused to comply with the new language requirements.

Aleth was surely guessing that she could speak Traditional Lytiasian. She was young when she was taken from her home. She easily could have been bilingual when she left, but now only remembered the Trade Language, since that’s the only language she was allowed to speak in the castle. In all honesty, she had felt some of her vocabulary skills in Traditional Lytiasian slipping with year that the ability sat dormant.

If I can’t speak Lytiasian, he won’t have any use for me. The conclusion was as clear as day. Aleth was a man driven by results. If she couldn’t provide what he wanted, then she was useless to him, and he’d have no choice but to let her go. Lutalya was closer to home than Makata’s palace had been, anyway. All she needed was to heal up and secure enough food for a few days and then she’d be home before anyone knew it.

It was clear what she needed to do.

She’d simply pretend not to understand Lytiasian until Aleth got frustrated enough to turn her loose. And then she’d go home to Father and her farm, and all would be right in life again. She took a deep breath and let out a short sigh, closing her eyes as she settled back into her mattress, resolved to convince Aleth of her new plan, no matter what it took to do so.