Chapter 5

If I agree to this, promise me you will spare the lives of my people.”

“I give you my word.”

The priest of the temple of Dion is dragged by soldiers into the prison where Kiara is held and tossed to the ground. He quakes with fear in the presence of the Emperor.

Nothing is said by either Kiara or the Emperor, she isn’t even given the courtesy of being let out of her cell, or given new clothes to change into, none of the rites of marriage are observed, no vows are exchange, there is only a proclamation by the stuttering priest who can barely get the words out. And just like that, they become man and wife.

In a daze she is let out of the cell, into a hallway and out of a building she soon discovers is Dion’s jail house. The sky is fiery red and orange outside the jailhouse, Dion is still on fire, soldiers supervise the remaining inhabitants who are in chains, whipping anyone who as much as breathes the wrong way. None of the events in the last few hours feel like reality, everything feels like a dream, like she observed the events while her head was held under water.

A group of soldiers surround her and one of the Generals grabs her roughly by her hands, which is bound in thick ropes. Kiara is led out of the city bare foot to the place where the Emperor’s, army sets up camp, which is just a few feet from the city gates.

She is dumped inside a large exquisite tent. Where she discovers the bolt of fabric she had spent every last dime purchasing, is the same one used as the carpet for the tent.

A girl walks into the tent, wearing a loose purple dress and a shawl over her head. She smiles at Kiara and offers her a hand to help her off the ground. Her skin is the colour of almonds and when Kiara gets to her feet, she discovers that the girl is extremely tall and thin. She smiles at Kiara but the smile falters when she notices Kiara’s clothes and the rug.

 She blinks and smiles again turning to Kiara, “Don’t worry, we’ll fix that.”

We?

Three women walk into the tent carrying the biggest tub Kiara had ever seen, three more come in with jars on their shoulders and begin filling the tub with steaming water. One comes into the room with a giant mirror and places it strategically on a table, two come in with a large box, open it and bring out clothes which they lay on the bed. One drags in another big box, which Kiara soon discovers is filled with jewelry.

“I’m Nia, your assigned handmaiden.”

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The women gather in a straight line, Kiara realizes that they are not all the same age, there are older women in there midst. One of them comes up to nia and whispers something in her ear.

Nia turns to Kiara and smiles. “Your bath water is ready now, if you will please take your clothes off and step this way.” Nia motions to the tub.

Kiara grabs her arm with her bound wrists. “I can’t take my clothes off in front of all these people.”

Nia takes a blade out of her sleeve and cuts the ropes, Kiara rubs her sore wrists gratefully. “I can send them away if you like but it is going to take longer to get you ready if I am just by myself. Let me keep two. I promise, they won’t even look at you.”

Kiara nods and the women file out of the room, leaving Nia and two young girls no older than 15. Kiara takes off her clothes, biting her lip at the stinging pain in her side. She hears a disapproving tut from Nia and looks down to see her body is covered in bruises.

She is led to the tub filled with rose petals. Nia empties an entire alabaster flask into the water filling the entire room with the smell of lavender, when Kiara gets in the tub, Nia presses a small flask to her lips which Kiara eyes wearily.

“Drink, it’ll help with the pain.”

The bitter tasting liquid has a tingling sensation on Kiara’s tongue and numbs the organ. Whatever was in the flask did more than help with the pain, it relaxes Kiara to the point where she doesn’t complain when Nia begins the intrusive bath, scrubbing every inch of skin, every hole, every crevice.

One of the girls washes her hair with liquid from another alabaster flask, Kiara doesn’t know what it was but it smells wonderful. The other girl scrubs at her hands and feet, getting rid of all the dirt under her nails. When they are done, they wrap her up in fine linen and lead her to the table with the mirror on it.

The second phase begins, her skin is doused with essential oils and gently massaged until it becomes as smooth as a baby’s bottom. She notices that Nia keeps staring out the slit that served as a window. The sun had set a long time ago and Kiara could see the stars in the sky, warm breeze filtered into the room, riffling the curtains, billowing the flames of the candle.

“What is it?”

Nia turns her golden-brown eyes on her. “I fear we may not have you ready in time.”

“Ready in time for what?”

A look is passed between the servants, then it dawns on her, the wedding night.

Kiara’s lips tremble without conscious effort. Nia brings out an ivory stick with a small blade at the end, she gives Kiara a knowing look before getting on her knees, before saying. 

“This might be uncomfortable.”

She goes through another regiment of beauty treatments, this time for down below.

She doesn’t even flinch, as the full weight of her decision to accept the Emperor’s proposal falls on her shoulders.

‘The face mothers attribute to the death of their sons, name widows spit on when they remember their dead husbands’ She thinks of Latana and her mother, the look of hatred thrown her way by the grieving mother.

‘…You will be cursed, shamed, harassed because of the mark you will bear…’

She finally understands the meaning of his words, finally understand the mark he speaks of, it is not a physical mark, it was the title of being his wife, the woman on whose bosom he would rest his weary head after drenching himself in the blood of the innocent.

Kiara often regarded women who coddled evil men as witches, now she was one of them, she would be one of them soon. He was right, this is by far the worst punishment she will ever be made to endure, it is a fate worse than death in so many ways than she can describe.

She breaks down in tears, sobs wracking her body and she can barely breathe.

 “What have I done?”

Nia gives a sign to the servants to leave the room, giving Kiara the privacy she needs to air out her feelings. She places a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“I can give you something that will numb you from the waist down, you won’t feel anything till morning. The only catch is that if he finds out, it’ll be the end of my life.”

Kiara understands the implication of the decision she is being asked to make. She shakes her head in a firm no. she will not have the blood of another individual on her hands.

“I don’t think you are in the mood to pick out a dress for tonight, so I will do it for you.”

Nia riffles through the box and brings out a dress. She comes back and helps Kiara slip it over her head. It is a white silk gown with lace trimmings and long sleeves, simple and innocent, not meant to be provocating in any way. Nia finishes the looks by putting her hair up in a bun held with various hair pins. Simple stones are put in her ears.

“I’ll give you a few minutes to collect yourself before I tell him you are ready. Sit on the bed and wait for him.”

When Nia leaves, waterworks begin in full.

Kiara catches her reflection in the mirror and is sickened by the pathetic tear stained face that looks back at her, she wipes the tears away, using the back of her sleeve to wipe her runny nostrils. She remembers the story of Persephone Corgan narrated to her while they laid on his tiny bed after one of their trysts. Kiara makes up her mind that unlike Persephone, she will not sit weak, be meek and take whatever is given to her, she intends to take control of the situation and make this prison a living hell for her captor by whatever means possible.

In that moment, her eyes land on a long jade hair pin with the head of a dragon, sitting on a velvet pillow in a box. A plan formulates in Kiara’s head, she might actually be rid of this burden faster than she expects. She takes the jade pin and hides it in her sleeve.

It is ceremonial for blood to stain the sheets on the night of consummation, Kiara intends for that to happen tonight but it wouldn’t be her blood, it would be the blood of the Emperor.

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