by Lisa Daniels
Her mother snarled at her, “Don’t think that I’m giving you a dime. We are in this situation because you gave up the life that made us rich. If not for your stupidity, I would be living up in one of the manors. Since you like living in filth, you can pay for everything.” Her mother tried to get up to intimidate her daughter, but she only managed to fall off of the couch. By the time the woman hit the floor, she was already asleep.
Taja looked down at her mother, her heart full of shame. It was her fault they lived like this because she hadn’t wanted to continue to be a toy. Because of that, they had been forced out of a chateau and into this hovel. Taja picked her mother up as gently as possible and set her on the couch. Her mother’s stringy grey hair fell over a face that was too skinny. Once the woman had been beautiful, but alcohol and life had taken that away from her. It was the reason Taja had gotten out when Braylon had offered her a position in the stables. But that selfish decision for something better had forced her mother into poverty during the last years of her life.
Knowing that she was a terrible daughter, Taja went and cleaned up the blood and cuts. Strategically fixing her hair to hide the worst of it, Taja turned to leave the home.
“Goodbye, mother. I will be home soon,” she murmured from the door.
The majority of her errands consisted of paying bills and debt, but a few of the errands were actually pleasant. Taja smiled sweetly as she and the sales girl at the candle and soap shop talked. Taja had known Ione for a couple of years, ever since Braylon had brought her in to have the young woman learn how to live independently from the men who used her. Ione had never judged her. While they weren’t exactly friends, they did chat and giggle whenever Taja stopped by to shop. Too afraid of making friends, Taja had turned Ione down several times to go out together. Ione had taken the hint and stopped asking after the third try. Several years older than Taja, Ione had felt a bit like an older sister, but with no real connection, she thought it best to help whenever Taja allowed it. They rarely talked seriously, but the young woman always left with a sincere smile, and that was enough.
The two were talking, when a handsome man passed by the window. Ione giggled and tapped Taja’s shoulder. “I know you should never judge them by the way they look, but that is one beautiful specimen right there.” Her long fingers covered her cherry red lips as she giggled. Taja smiled at the way her friend giggled, her brown curls bouncing beside her face. Ione was beautiful, just not in the classic sense. Her hair was very thick, which was why the woman kept it short. She had been able to teach Taja all kinds of tricks for making soap without all of the fancy ingredients, as well as things that could be used as makeup without harming her skin. When she giggled, there was definitely a schoolgirlish quality to her, but it rarely happened over men – it was almost always because of the wild stories Taja told. Excited to see a man who could get Ione’s attention, Taja turned. She didn’t get a good look at the man’s face, but she certainly recognized the clothes. He was looking around the street, clearly searching for something.
Or someone. Taja immediately hid her face, her eyes wide as she prayed he didn’t look in the shop.
Ione was tapping her shoulder repeatedly. “Oh, he’s looking this way! He’s definitely looking for something. Let’s go see if we can help him!” She was moving toward the door when Taja’s hand shot out and grabbed Ione’s wrist.
“No. I-I need to hurry. My mother will be waiting for me, and I didn’t realize the time. I’m sorry, Ione, but could you help me finish up so I can get through with my list of chores?” Taja held up the list her mother had pointed out, one that Taja herself had written just the night before.
“Of course,” Ione’s head turned back to look at the young man. “Too bad. I don’t usually feel so...” With a shake of her head, her gaze returned to Taja. “Let’s get you back on the road.”
Taja gave a sigh of relief as she left the shop. The young man had stood there looking around for a while, but by the time she had everything, he was gone. There were only a few things left on the list. Thinking that the rest of her day would be quite easy, Taja headed to the last couple of shops.
Taja took a deep breath as she looked at the sign over the tavern door – The King’s Bloody Jester. She hadn’t been here in a while because her mother usually insisted on buying her own alcohol after Taja had failed to bring the right brand a couple of times. It made her uncomfortable going into the tavern because Stanglen had been trying to persuade her to sleep with him ever since she was 15 years old. It was why she had chosen to go to other establishments and angered her mother. There was no way around it this time, though.
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