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Chapter Sixteen - Re-training
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The Conqueror's Royal Slave Chapter Seventeen - Danger
Eithne didn’t know what to think any more. Xander was confusing. The hate she had felt was buried in a dark chamber of her heart while she assessed the few positives she knew about. The mercy killing had been a necessary evil and he didn’t have to honour them with his cloak in lieu of a shroud. He’d defended her to Clara and even permitted her to spend the night alone in her chamber when she knew his preference would have been to use her as his plaything.This latest charade of training under the guise of keeping her safe from whatever else her mother might have planned was close to unbelievable. And yet, she could just about find it credible. He’d even hired a lady of the night, presumably to throw Clara off the scent. Fortunately, she hadn’t had to witness her pleasuring the men or hear her wanton cries.None of this mattered now when their very lives hung in the balance.“If we get separated in the confusion, find Flavius. He’ll protect you. If all else fails, go to Jocasta. She wi
The Conqueror's Royal Slave Chapter Eighteen - Reflection
Though it was a wrench to leave the area, Eithne knew it was for the best. Seated on the donkey, it was easy to pretend she had been born to poverty. Flavius had taken his leave of them some leagues back and the two women made their way to a distant village largely in quiet companionship.Jocasta often whispered to her own beast of burden but she had no inclination to do the same.“I hate him,” she said, on one occasion as they stopped to top up their water flasks.“Who? Your brother?”“Xander,” she replied, not meeting the older woman’s eyes.“Did he beat you, pass you to other men? Was he a vicious and brutal lover?”“I – ” She could not frame the words now, knowing she had probably gotten off lightly, though not by the standards of royalty.King Stephen had talked often of a code which meant that invaders with breeding would afford their peers respect. As a princess she had not expected to be treated like a common slave. Well, now she knew how the other half lived. Maybe she could
The Conqueror's Royal Slave Chapter Nineteen - Ginny
Over a hearty meal of vegetable soup and some of Jocasta’s fresh bread, the girl eventually opened up about her older sister.“Don’t think you’ve been abandoned, Princess,” she said, placing her elbows on the table. “Someone will come for you when the time is right. I do what I can nowadays to make up for not being able to do anything to help my kin.”She had to ask. “How old are you?”“Seventeen. Got a birthday coming up in a few weeks.”“You look so young,” she said, taking in the round face and rosy lips, the fair hair and occasional glimpse of dimples.Becca snorted. “Have you looked in a mirror lately, my lady?”“Call me Eithne,” she said. “I insist.”After several attempts, the girl mastered the pronunciation. She poured them both some hot cider before starting to put flesh on the bones of her tale.“In Arcadia, the gambling city, they say it is possible to overcome poverty in many ways, not all of them legal. You just need something to sell. Women with no protector are fair gam
The Conqueror's Royal Slave Chapter Twenty - Seized
The village wasn’t all that stable. Becca had told her that much as they went for what was probably an ill-advised walk along the cliff top a few days later. Eithne just had to get out in the fresh air for a while. She knew she was probably tempting Fate and possibly endangering her companion, but she hadn’t obliged her to come along. Unless … had Jocasta charged her with keeping her safe? When she asked what had changed, the girl volunteered there were more cutpurses about and, she had heard, slavers. Eithne’s heart began to beat faster. “We should go back,” she said, pulling the borrowed shawl more tightly around her shoulders. The gannets were especially noisy now, though she didn’t mind that. Plucking wildflowers, once a no-no, was a delight since she knew they wouldn’t wilt on the way back. So often as a child her daisy chain had withered, her miserable face leading Clara to impose a ban. Whether that had ever been for her own good she couldn’t be sure. Maybe she was jinxed,
The Conqueror's Royal Slave Chapter Twenty-One - Gladiators
The first person she saw was Marcus, the one who had bound Xander to a chair. Wanting to turn and run, she forced herself to look at their faces in turn. The guard beside her cracked a joke, though some of them were slow to smile. No Flavius, which was worrying. “Do you know why I am here?” she asked, vexed because her voice sounded so small. One of her hands was trembling and she grasped it with the other one before clasping them in front of her to disguise the fact. “Yes, Princess,” one of them said. He looked older than the others, and at least he had afforded her some respect. “My name is Eithne,” she told them. “It would please me if – if … ” There was no easy way of completing that sentence without implying shame. “You are still the daughter of a Queen, my lady. No matter what.” It was the same man who spoke up, coming to her rescue as easily as if it were second nature. Had he had his own family in another life? “What’s your name, gladiator?” she asked. “Carl,” he said
The Conqueror's Royal Slave Chapter Twenty-Two - Carl
The woman they sent to his quarters was unusual in that her face was wet with tears. Carl came close to hammering on the by now locked door and insisting on a replacement, but he was intrigued. No other female had ever presented as reluctant, and especially not after a victory. She must be new.“Sit,” he ordered, simply, as he unwound the bindings around his trousers.Some fighters preferred leather as it made a statement; he let his prowess do the talking.“Where?” she asked.He looked up in surprise. It was a strange question given that there was little other than a bed in the small room. Carl patted the opposite side to where he was perched and she moved forward reluctantly. She reminded him of a deer prepared to bolt at any moment.“What’s your name?”“My real one, or the one they told me to use?”His head snapped up, concentration suspended for the time being.“Whichever you prefer to disclose.”“Ginny,” she said, perching herself on the mattress. She held herself stiffly, as if
The Conqueror's Royal Slave Chapter Twenty-Three - Worries
He told himself it was only a fallback position. In reality, Xander saw no way back to Ormond unless he waged war. Curse Ephron for not warning him about the old witch. The heir apparent had been so wrong about Eithne, too. If he had one regret, it was that he hadn’t treated her like the lady she clearly had been raised to be. Though not by Clara, obviously. Even if he had considered cutting his losses and moving on, there was the Princess to think about. He couldn’t just leave her there. This whole gladiator idea meant that people were bound to be exploited. He sought out Drago, so often the voice of reason, and found him rocking his newborn son to sleep. There had been an initial panic because of his premature arrival but all was well now. “Have you come up with a plan yet, Commander?” “I’m still working on it, Will,” he said, through gritted teeth. “It’s a tricky one. Still, at least we have two men on the inside.” “They’d better not harm a single hair on her head.” A smile p
The Conqueror's Royal Slave Chapter Twenty-Four - Missions
The practice sessions were endless. All the maidens were required to attend, some even wearing a favour bestowed by their gladiator. Eithne fumed and it wasn’t because she had missed out on that, being branded a harlot by her own mother. That was a jousting tradition, though her own knight was long gone.Because Clara was absent, probably receiving yet another massage in the royal chambers, she made it her business to speak to each of the girls. It wouldn’t harm to let them know the latest and hopefully receive their take on each combatant.Not wanting to single out the other high-born ones, and since she knew and trusted Flavius – Jocasta’s words of caution causing her to doubt suddenly – Eithne started with Hermione. If Marcus were to emerge victorious, they needed a plan in case he reneged on his vow.The miller’s daughter was plump and rather nervous, twisting her hands endlessly until she reached out to stop her.“I’m on your side. Truly,” she said. “How was he when you had that
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