Romana's Freedom (Soul Merge Saga Book 1)

by M. P. A. Hanson

  The prince motioned for one of his attendants to approach, whispered something in his ear, and the attendant ran off again, returning with a wooden chest, carried by two guards.

  “Here is your payment, I wish to leave now.”

  “Of course, I shall send them to collect their things.” The Slave Master turned to face the assembled slaves, and yelled at them. “Romana, Oliver, Katelyn, please go and collect your things, you are to be servants of the royal palace of Morendor, the rest of you, away!”

  Katelyn rushed over to her and hugged around her waist, with a happy smile on her face. Romana smiled back for a minute, before turning back to her new owner. The word was imbued with annoyance in her mind. He simply looked at her coolly, then at Katelyn.

  Why had he chosen to buy Katelyn in addition to his planned purchase? Was she leverage for Romana if she wouldn’t do as she was told? At least, Romana thought, she wouldn’t have to worry about the girl as much as she would have if they were separated.

  “We’re going to a real palace,” the girl in question squealed with excitement, “to work for an actual prince!”

  “Katelyn, calm down.” Romana ordered “There’s a lot to do first, we need to pack, and I wouldn’t get too excited, we’re probably going to be washer women or something.”

  “Not even close.” A voice informed her from behind.

  She turned lightning fast, trying to figure out why she hadn’t heard the intruder.

  “I didn’t hear you.” An accusation, hidden under her boundless curiosity.

  “We all have our little gifts.” The prince replied mysteriously.

  “Your highness?” Katelyn asked boldly.

  “Yes little one?”

  “What are we going to do in your palace, if we’re really not going to be kitchen servants?”

  “Well, you’ll be helping your friend here.” He replied “But as to what she’ll be doing, that will be a surprise for you.”

  “She’s not just my friend, she’s my best friend, and is it a nice surprise?” Katelyn asked, forgetting all manners in her excitement.

  “Katelyn,” Romana warned, kindly.

  “Oops! Sorry. Is it a nice surprise, your highness?”

  “Uh-uh, no clues,” he replied, smiling. “Now do you mind going to pack your things, I want to talk to your best friend.”

  “Okay.” Katelyn agreed. “Shall I pack your stuff too, Romana?”

  “If you don’t mind,” she replied.

  The little girl ran off in the direction of their room, and Romana watched her until she was out of sight.

  “I bought her as a favour for you.” The prince informed her.

  “And what would you require as payment for this favour?” Romana asked, not about to let her guard down.

  “I would require a favour in return.” He replied “But I would not use it yet.”

  “And if I were to ask the nature of this favour?” She enquired; her tone arctic in its coldness.

  “I would not tell you yet.” He paused. “The girl, it is more than friendship, isn’t it.”

  “She thinks of me as an older sister, and as her protector. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  “And if anyone tried to hurt her?”

  “I think you know the answer to that.”

  “I think you’d skin them alive.”

  She gave him a steady stare. “Was that all?”

  “Yes. But, you haven’t asked me what you’ll be doing in the palace yet.”

  “You already told Katelyn it was a surprise.” She knew suspicion edged her tone, but refused to hide it. The man had nearly threatened Katelyn; she was allowed to be suspicious.

  “It’s a surprise for her.”

  Clever, she thought. “So?” She asked “What am I going to be doing?”

  “Cleaning mostly,” He replied “however, you are also assigned to occasional scribe duties. During your time as scribe, Katelyn will have lessons in literacy, among other subjects.”

  “I appreciate what you’re doing for her.” She replied, “Are there many other children in the palace?”

  “Plenty, she’ll fit right in.” He seemed to know what she was thinking even when she only hinted at it.

  “Do you have siblings?”

  “A half-sister.” He replied, “She’s a little younger that Katelyn, and a little less mature, but you deal with them the same way.”

  “You’re good with children.”

  “So I’m told.”

  “Romana! Romana!” Katelyn’s voice drifted to them as she struggled over with two canvas bags full of their things.

  “So little.” The prince mused, as she ran over to help, slinging one bag over her shoulder, and helping Katelyn reposition the other so it was more comfortably situated over her back.

  Oliver came up next to them in that moment; the man was taller than most in the slave shop and bowed awkwardly in front of the prince, his chocolate skin glinting in the sunlight.

  “Your highness.” He greeted them “May I ask how we’ll be travelling?”

  “On horseback.” The prince replied curtly. “Katelyn, you’ll have to share with Romana, I didn’t think I would be bringing more than two servants back with me.”

  They nodded, and headed off towards the gatehouse, the Slave Master catching up with them half way there.

  “May I quickly borrow Romana, highness?” He asked “It will only take a minute.”

  The prince nodded; he seemed to have exhausted all his ability to communicate for the day.

  The Slave Master pulled her to a stop while the others carried on.

  “Romana, I know we’ve always had our differences, but promise me you’ll make sure that this place stays in his highnesses good graces. Promise me you’ll behave.” She stood impassively. The man had never done anything to deserve her loyalty. “Answer me.” The Slave Master commanded. “Damn it girl, answer me.” She didn’t move. He raised his hand threateningly “Romana, you’d better promise me this, girl.” She still wouldn’t talk.

  His hand swooped through the air to slap her face hard enough to shake her sideways. He raised his hand again as she looked up, hatred and defiance in her eyes. But as it came towards her this time, another hand caught the Slave Master’s wrist.

  “I did not pay for this girl to have her become damaged mere minutes after my payment was made.” The prince informed the Slave Master. “We will be leaving now.”

  The Slave Master shook his hand free and glared at Romana for a minute before looking up at the prince.

  “Of course, your highness.”

  “Come.” The prince said to Romana, leading her over to a procession of horses, and showing her over to a grey mare where Katelyn already sat, directly behind the prince’s stallion, and next to Oliver’s bay mare. “Were you hurt?”

  “No, I’ll be fine.” She replied, knowing the bruise would heal by sundown “Thank-you.”

  He nodded, and mounted his own horse, as Romana swung up behind Katelyn.

  The prince gave the signal to move onwards, and the procession moved out of the gates at a relatively fast pace. Katelyn twisted backwards in front of her, and hugged her slightly.

  “Don’t be sad Romana, we’re going to be happy now; his highness said so.” A statement so full of innocent childish belief it made her smile.

  Chapter Three

  BITTER RIDING

  After three days hard riding, they began to see trees and shrubs appear where before there had only been constant sand dunes. Romana and Katelyn looked on in awe as Oliver explained the different types of trees and names of plants and animals. Having only become a slave three years ago, when his parents had been broke with twelve other children, they had decided to sell Oliver, the oldest, to gain back some of the money they’d lost to gambling. So he knew more than either of them about what to expect.

  Soon they came to the small town of Terber, where they stayed in the house of the town official, and ate the finest food that Romana
had ever tasted. The prince’s entire party were considered important, and waited on hand and foot. On the second day of their stay the blacksmith came to break off their slave bands, but instead of replacing them with steel ones marking an owned slave, they were left off, leaving a small line of white on both of their arms. The only difference was that while Romana’s elven abilities healed the tan a few minutes later, leaving her skin the same pale shade all over, Katelyn’s white mark would remain for years.

  Before they left, the prince gave both Romana and Katelyn servant uniforms of the royal house, plain brown dresses, with a small black belt that gathered it around the waist. Katelyn’s had to be taken in by some of the town official’s other servants due to the rarity of child servants.

  The next place they came to was a city named Trenum, where the prince invited Romana, Oliver and Katelyn to dinner for an ‘explanation’. Though none of them knew what he wanted to explain to them.

  So when the time came, they waited outside the doors to the dining hall of the house the prince had rented for that evening.

  Romana was the one to knock, and the first to enter at the command “Come in.”

  The prince was sitting at the head of a table, with three other places set. He gestured for them to sit down, and Oliver slowly walked over to take the seat on his right, leaving Romana and Katelyn both sitting on the prince’s left.

  The moment they were all seated, other servants came in with plates of steaming hot food. Katelyn’s was already cut up for her, Romana noticed with approval, as she began to eat.

  “I know I was rather unclear when I said I wanted you all to share a meal with me.” The prince began, “I want to explain to you what to expect when we reach Morendor. I thought it would be easier to explain it to all of you together rather than separately.” He paused to eat some of whatever new food was on the plate in front of him. “In Morendor the palace is probably the place that you’ll spend most of your time. But directly outside the palace’s great wall is the market place which is open every second-day and fourth-day. Palace servants are given monthly wages to buy themselves whatever they will need for the month. I think that you will find them sufficient. You’re also entitled to a half day off each week; Oliver, you will be given second-day morning as your free time and Romana and Katelyn, you will be given every fourth-day afternoon off.”

  “Is there anything that is required for us to buy with our wages?” Romana asked.

  “You must be reading my mind.” He said, with another ambiguous look at her. “You each need to buy a horse, preferably with your first month’s wages, from the Horsemaster, along with the supplies to take care of it. You’ll all be given stalls in the palace stables where you can keep the horses. Romana, you’ll be given Katelyn’s wages until she’s old enough to take care of herself, you’ll be her legal carer until then as well. I take it you don’t object?”

  “No.” She replied, she already considered Katelyn hers to care for, hers to protect.

  “There are two separate wings to the servants’ quarters, the northeast and the northwest wings of the ground floor. Oliver, the men’s wing is in the northeast, just so you don’t get confused, you’ll serve under the head servant James. Romana, Katelyn you’re serving under head maid Hana. Any questions?” He glanced up at them and noted their empty plates. “Then you’re dismissed.”

  In two weeks time they reached Port Sulice on the edge of the Cantus Sea where they took a week long windy voyage by ship to Cantilia before riding hard for several weeks to reach Morendor. There were no more dinner invitations to talk to the prince, and for most of the time Romana kept busy by reading and talking to Katelyn and Oliver. They worked around camp, and helped out in the town officials’ houses that they crossed on their way; although stays at these grand homes were always short, before they returned to bitter riding.

  But when they finally arrived on fourth-day, they brought the horses to a slow walk along the Main Street, where people cheered at the prince’s return, throwing flowers and ribbons from windows, and applause echoed all around. Morendor turned out to be the largest city that they had come across in their travels. The city began as small farming cottages and stables, grouped on the outskirts, and then morphed into streets and houses, which gave way in places to internal gardens, markets and shops.

  The streets were neatly cobbled, and the front of each and every house was impeccable, almost as if the owners were paid money to keep them that way. Probably were, she thought. They couldn’t have the mainland’s human capital looking shabby. People watched from shop fronts and market stalls that were set up directly outside the palace wall. A few people extended their hands towards the riders, and Katelyn tried to high-five everyone she could before they reached the already open palace gate.

  The walls of the palace were huge, five men tall, with the gates made of a thick oak. As they rode through, Katelyn clapped with happiness at the sight of the palace.

  Perfectly manicured gardens preceded it, with flowers blooming in a multitude of different colours. They rode up the long drive, dismounting at the sight of the magnificent front doors. Romana reached up to help Katelyn down, and the girl jumped into her arms, just as a stable boy ran over to take the reins of the horse they’d been riding, stroking the muzzle and cooing to it as he led it back to the stables.

  She watched as the guards that had accompanied them marched off to the armoury, to replace weapons, just as new guards began to ascend the stairs on one side of the wall.

  Soon though, a short portly woman with long brown hair, a wide welcoming smile and brown eyes rushed over to them, with a starched white apron stretched over her servant’s uniform.

  “Hello dears, you must be the ones that the prince went to the Slave Shop for.” The woman greeted them, glancing over to the prince as he walked from the courtyard and into the palace. “My name’s Hana and I am the head maid.” She spoke softly, which was a relief to Romana’s enhanced hearing after the sharp babble of the guards on their journey and the loud cheering of the crowd that still lingered outside the gates.

  “I’m Romana.” She replied “And this is Katelyn. We’re honoured to make your acquaintance.”

  “Well aren’t you well spoken for a desert dweller?” Hana replied, ushering them both into the palace. “The prince sent a letter ahead by hawk to mention that there would be two of you, and both would be boarding here. So I’ve had you some rooms readied up. Follow me.”

  They did as they were told, Katelyn clinging to Romana’s hand everywhere they went, even as Hana stopped by in the kitchen to give some orders. Then finally they went through a small, discreet door along one of the corridors.

  “These are the boarding rooms.” Hana explained “In each one there’s a kitchen, a bathroom and a bedroom, or two in some cases. The smaller boarding rooms are at the beginning of this corridor, follow it round and you’ll eventually pass the bigger rooms and end up at a door to outside in the palace grounds. It’s easier to get the shopping in through that door than the main one, trust me. Your room is one of the largest here; I took into consideration the little one when deciding. It’s on the outside, so you get windows out into the fresh air and it’s the closest to the back door that you can get.”

  “Thank-you.” Romana replied, as Hana led them along a winding corridor with doors spaced along it, lit by the soft glow of oil lamps along the walls.

  “Here we are.” Hana said as she came to two doors opposite each other before a dead end. “The door on the left leads to the gardens and eventually the forest, all ten thousand acres of it, and more if you go through the huge gaps in the castle wall. This door,” she turned to the right “Is your room. If you need to find me, I’m just down there.” She pointed back the way they’d come to a door on a corner. “I’ll be easier to find at night, the rest of the time I’m rushed off my feet trying to keep this place in order. The copies of a map of the castle are by my door – you’ll need one – don’t think you won’t, that’s the mi
stake everyone who doesn’t listen to me makes. Here’s the key, both of your wages are already in there on the kitchen table, and I really need to go catch up on someone, if you don’t mind…?” She trailed off.

  Romana smiled “I’m sure we’ll find you if we need anything.”

  Hana was already speed walking to the other end of the corridor, “Bye!” She called.

  “Katelyn, will you run down there and get us two maps?” She asked.

  “Okay.” The girl let go of her hand and skipped down the corridor, while Romana tried to juggle their bags and get the key in the lock.

  By the time the door was open Katelyn was already back. Romana put the bags down just inside the door and carefully reclosed it, taking the bits of parchment from Katelyn as the girl rushed about excitedly. Folding the pieces of paper neatly, she looked around.

  The main room was fairly large and square shaped. Directly in front of her were two comfortable armchairs, facing a dancing fire in a stone fireplace. But most of the right hand side of the room was devoted to a large kitchen that spread across the right wall and most of the wall in front of her. A table big enough to seat four was between the armchairs and the kitchen. The floor was plain wood, with a rug over the hearth and under the table. She went through the door on her immediate left, and found a bedroom with a double bed, already made with the covers folded back.

  “I think this is supposed to be your room.” Katelyn said, curiously, looking at the double bed. “Look! You get a dressing table. Why doesn’t my room have one?”

  “If we save up I’m sure we can buy one for you later.” Romana replied, absentmindedly, taking in the muted earth tones of the room and the stained wood furniture.

  Katelyn tugged her forwards, through another door to the right of her bed and into a white and blue tiled bathroom, with wave patterns on the walls. Then she was yanked impatiently through a second door in the bathroom before she could take in anymore of the detail and into a second bedroom.

  “What’s wrong with this room?” Romana asked “There are two beds in case you want to have a friend over to stay later. And you’ve got a chest for any toys you want to get.”