by Dahlia Lu
He bolted out of the wagon and chased after her.
“Wait!”
She paused.
“I’m sorry I lashed out on you. I thank you for your kindness, but I can’t stay here anymore. One day, I will find a way to return the favor. I hope you weren’t hurt by what I’ve said.”
She turned around. “I’m not hurt, little one. I’m just a little sad that someone as young as you already has such negative feelings about my profession. I’m a dancing girl- it doesn’t mean I sell my body.” She walked toward him and placed the small brown bag in his hands. “Here is some money that will help you along the way.”
“Why…why are you doing this?”
She was hesitant to answer. “I think it’s because you remind me of myself many years ago. I lost my memories and didn’t know who I was, but luckily the madam took me in and sheltered me. She even taught me the trade. The madam made me believe that there are still good people in the world. Well, take care of yourself.”
“Sayan”
“What?”
“My name is Sayan,” he offered the brown bag back to her, “and I will work very hard to serve you from now on.”
Chapter TwoWestern Kingdom, 946
Morning light seeped through the crack of the windows. Sayan used his hand to block out the light from getting to his eyes. He had wanted to get some thick curtains for the windows, but he knew the light was the only thing that could wake him up. He quietly got off the bed and exited the wagon. Nala needed more sleep in the morning since she performed late into the night. Normally she woke up much earlier than him, but he insisted that she stay in bed.
Morning started with chopping the wood and storing the kindling in the storage wagon. Then after that washing all of the dirty laundry and preparing breakfast.
“Breakfast, Nala.” Sayan nudged her shoulder.
She sat up at his touch then washed her hands and face in the water basin he provided. She only ate a tiny bit of food and expected him to finish the rest. He had asked her to eat more, but she always said that she doesn’t have the appetite. He had given up on persuading her by now.
“The Caravan arrived at the Red City last night,” he informed her. “The madam wants you to perform courting dance of the butterflies tonight.”
“Did she instruct anything else?”
“No, she just asked that you be on time.”
Nala put on a black cloak and pulled the hood over her head.
“Are you going somewhere?”
“Would you escort me through the marketplace?”
“Of course, wait for me to put these away.” Sayan picked up the tray and the water basin and exited the wagon. He returned shortly, strapped the covered heavy blade on his back, and followed her to the marketplace. The thing probably weighed more than he did, but he had gotten used to it over the years.
The nice aroma of spices and perfumes were mixed with putrid smells of dead fish. It smelled like the city, alright. Sayan followed Nala through stalls of luscious silks, beautiful jewelries, and exotic goods from faraway lands. She passed through them without a second glance, but stopped in front of a blacksmith shop. He unwrapped the heavy blade and placed it on the table.
The blacksmith shook his head after examining the weapon. “I have never seen anything like it.” He carefully traced the edge with his fingers. “I can get you a very good price for a fine weapon such as this.”
“I’m sorry, it is not for sale.” Nala signaled him to put the weapon away. He wrapped the heavy blade with the thick grey fabric and strapped it back onto his back.
“Are you sure? I can give your twenty gold coins.”
Nala shook her head and continued to the next blacksmith shop.
He had always been curious as to why Nala wanted to know more about this heavy blade. Every town or city they have traveled through, she always stopped by the blacksmiths first before she went anywhere else.
“Twenty gold coins is a lot. Are you sure you don’t want to sell the blade?”
“If I sell it, I may never be able to find out who I am.”
“This blade is linked to your identity?”
“It has been with me since the day I lost my memory. If I find out who it belongs to, maybe that person will tell me more about myself.”
“Is finding out who you are that important to you?”
She took a moment to think about it. “I may have a family looking for me. Maybe I have parents and siblings waiting for me to come home. I don’t know, I just can’t help being curious. What about you, Sayan? I’ve never asked you about your family.”
He paused for a moment and then picked up his footsteps. “You are my family now.”
“Come to think about it, Sayan, I haven’t bought you new clothes in a while.” She turned around and measured him with her eyes. “You are growing so fast, that outfit looks tight on you. I gave you money, but you never spent any of it on yourself.”
“No, this is fine – Nala!” He reached out and caught her hand when he saw her tripping on an empty bucket. If he hadn’t caught her in time, she would have fallen face first into the mud.
“You saw nothing,” she quickly brushed the embarrassment away.
“Sure,” he chuckled.
“Come.” She took his hand and led him into an outfitter. “White would get dirty so fast and navy doesn’t go well with your complexion.” She smiled at the shopkeeper. “Miss, do you have anything neutral that would look good on my friend here?”
The shopkeeper flustered at the sight of him. “For him, of course I do!” She walked around the counter and then measured him with her hands. He stood still for her to do her work until her touch made him feel uncomfortable.
“Anything will do,” he said to her.
“Yes, yes, come with me.” The shopkeeper led him into the dressing room and handed him a beige outfit.
“Something darker,” Nala said to the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper picked out a black outfit and Nala did not object.
“Would you like me to help-?”
“No, I can dress myself!”
Sayan quickly changed into the new outfit and stepped out of the dressing room. The shopkeeper smiled satisfactory. “I knew that would look good on you!”
He looked to Nala for approval.
“It looks good on you.” Nala said and then paid the shopkeeper the amount asked.
“It feels a little loose,” Sayan commented.
“You are still growing, so that may not be a bad thing.” Nala said as she exited the shop. “Did you notice that the shopkeeper had taken a liking to you?” Nala chuckled. “You are becoming a man after all.”
“The way she looks at me makes me feel…uncomfortable.”
“I don’t blame her. You are becoming a very handsome young man.”
He was a little happy to hear her compliment.
“That reminds me, I will ask madam to buy us a new wagon.”
“Why?” Sayan asked curiously. “What’s wrong with the one we have now?”
“Nothing is wrong with it,” she assured him. “You kept it in good shape, but you are fifteen after all. It was alright to sleep on the same bed when you were little, but it may not be a good idea now.”
“I don’t see what’s wrong with it, plus a new wagon would cost a lot of money.”
“I am a woman, and you are becoming a man. We know there is nothing between us, but our society has a high stigma on relationships outside of marriage, so it would be best if we order a new wagon. Haven’t you noticed the women of the caravan have been looking at us with those suspicious eyes?”
“They are just jealous that you dance far more beautifully than them.”
“Don’t let them here you say that or your days ahead will not be so peaceful.”
He chuckled. “I�
�ll do well to remember that.”
“Have you noticed he has developed muscles?” One dancer whispered to another. “Nala sure is lucky to have him warm her bed every night.”
Sayan shot them a warning glare and they scattered off. He entered the dressing room with the cage of butterflies he was asked to fetch. Nala sat in front of the mirror, struggling to tie the bow on her back. He was quick to help her with the finishing touch.
“Did you put firefly powder on the butterflies?” she asked.
He nodded and then used a goose feather to apply flower nectar on her hair and skin. “Madam said that almost all of the nobles will be attending. She wants a perfect performance.”
“I’m fine in here. Please help me prepare the stage.”
He left the dressing room to make sure everything was in place. Unlike small towns, the Red City had an actual performance stage. That made his work a lot easier, but there were many nobles there who have grown bored with the usual entertainment. Expectations were much higher and they couldn’t afford to make a mistake. The nobles in the Red City were known to execute commoners on a whim.
Sayan blew out all of the candles lighting the room. The audiences were surprised at the sudden darkness. He quickly ran toward the stage and unveiled the black curtains. The blue butterflies were glowing in the dark. They rested on a glowing violet flower until they were surprised by the flower’s movement and flew away. The glowing butterflies were a spectacle on their own. Music began to play and the delicate flower moved with the rhythm. The butterflies returned and scattered away with the flower’s movement.
Sayan lit the lights on the stage.
Nala emerged from the dark, from a glowing violet flower into a beautiful woman. Her long platinum hair reflected the candlelight as she danced with the butterflies. Her graceful and fluid movements gained awe from the audiences. The nobles began to throw jewelry and gold coins at her feet.
When the dance was over, the light returned to the room. The madam came out to introduce the next dancers, but the crowd demanded to see another dance from the platinum haired girl. Sayan’s job was to pick up the gold coins and jewelry on the stage. After he was sure to collect them all, he returned to Nala’s dressing room.
“The people of the Red City sure are rich, even though the rest of the world is in chaos.” He showed her the bag of goods that was thrown on the stage. “I didn’t expect them to have this much to give to dancers.”
“Did I do well?”
Sayan smiled. “The madam may request you do another dance. She is under a lot of pressure to.”
“She won’t do that.” Nala said confidently. “No matter how beautifully I dance, people will get bored eventually. She wants the nobles to return for another show. She is craftier than you think.”
Sayan chuckled.
“Nala…” The madam stood at the door.
Nala smiled at her.
“Nala, you have got to help me.”
“Yes, madam?”
“The prime minister’s son…he…” The madam struggled to convey her sentence. “The prime minister’s son wants you to serve him tonight.”
Sayan shot a glare at her.
“I couldn’t refuse, I even told him that you don’t…he threatens to have us all killed!”
“I was expecting something like this would happen…” Nala said after a moment of silence.
“Nala, you are not going to go, are you?” Sayan asked with concern.
“I have to go or we will all be killed.”
“No!” Sayan grabbed her hand and squeezed it tight.
“Tell him that I will come tonight, but first I need time to prepare myself.”
“Thank you!” The madam hugged Nala. “Thank you so much!”
“Nala…” Sayan looked down at her. “Don’t go.”
Nala smiled at him and patted his hand. “Trust that I know how to take care of myself and wait for me at the wagon.”
He pulled his hand away and then angrily left the room. He needed some air to rethink the situation. Worst case, they would have to run away, but the rest of the caravan may have to face execution. He didn’t want that, but he didn’t want Nala to be hurt even more. Screw it, if he had to choose, it would always be Nala.
When he returned to the dressing room, she was already gone.
Where had she gone? Did she go to that prime minister’s son’s place? It felt like someone was setting a fire beneath him. The only thought that entered his mind was that he must find her.
Nala walked through the forbidden zone of the city – forbidden to women that is. She concealed her body with the cloak so that she could move efficiently through the streets without catching any unwanted attention. There were many men who were seeking pleasure and there were even more women who were more than willing to provide. None of these women would do.
She entered a small shop with two bulky men guarding the door. There was a beautiful woman sitting by the counter.
“How can I help you?” the woman asked.
Nala placed a bag of coins on the table. “I want a job flawlessly executed.”
“You came to the right place.” The woman weighed the bag of coins in her hand. “This is a lot of gold. What do you need done?”
“It is a dangerous job that may get us killed if not done correctly. Are you still interested?”
The woman laughed. “We specialize in jobs that may get us killed. Tell me, what do you need done?”
Nala leaned in closer to whisper to the woman’s ear. A wide grin appeared on the woman’s face.
“This is interesting. I think I have the girl for the job. And do not worry, we are sworn to the oath of secrecy. If the person we sent out does not ‘flawlessly execute’ the job, we will have someone send you back the gold. Her life is courtesy of us.”
“I need the job done tonight. I’ll drug the bastard and you guys will have to take care of the rest.”
“We wouldn’t have it any other way.”
The wagon was empty.
She told him to wait here for her, but where did that kid go? He usually didn’t head off by himself without telling her. Nala removed her cloak and then wiped off the heavy theatric makeup on her face with a white cloth. She should have taken it off in the dressing room, but there wasn’t enough time. She had to find help.
It was a good thing she found them at the Red City. She was afraid there wouldn’t be a branch here. The madam always went to them when she wanted something done. That was how she came to know of their existence. The madam calls them the traders, but they really don’t have a name to go by. They are a guild of ‘traders’ who will do almost anything for a price. Mercenaries, assassins, whatever they were, they were a blessing when you were in a tight squeeze. And the best part was that this guild worked under a strict code. Even under torture, the client’s identity and the objective of the mission would go with them to the grave.
She shivered when she remembered that slob’s eyes on her. He wanted to swallow her whole. His touch was repulsive and his breath was even worse. Was he an aristocrat or a thug on the street? At least he took the bait and drank the drugged wine. The guild should have the job done.
There was a smell of fresh blood in the air – human. She didn’t know how she knew, but she was sure. There was also Sayan’s scent in the air.
The door of the wagon opened, and it was indeed Sayan. His hands were dripping with blood.
“What have you-” Nala quickly pulled him inside and closed the door. “What have you done?”
He wrapped his arms around her. “I’m so glad it wasn’t you! I thought he was hurting you…I couldn’t control myself...”
“Tell me what happened, Sayan,” she demanded.
“I-I killed him.” He admitted. “I stabbed his back with my dagger multiple times until he rolled onto the ground.
I was so glad it wasn’t you, Nala, I was so glad!”
“I told you to wait here for me, why didn’t you listen?”
“How would I know? I did it without thinking, but I didn’t regret it. I would have killed him over and over again if he was hurting you!”
“We don’t have much time until they find him dead.” Nala took the white cloth she used to wipe off her make up to wipe off the blood from his hands. “Go wash yourself quickly!”
Nala ran out of her wagon and ran to the madam’s. The poor woman was terrified when she heard.
“We need to leave the Red City as soon as possible,” Nala said. “We need to split and scatter so they cannot find us. If they find him dead, they will kill us all!”
“You should have never saved that foolish boy!” The madam muttered. “I’ll have everyone leave as soon as possible.”
When Nala returned to her own wagon, Sayan had already washed himself as she instructed.
“Unlatch the horses from the wagon,” she ordered and then went into the wagon to gather the gold and some clothes. She pulled out the heavy blade from under the bed and then strapped it to her back. “We have to split with the caravan from here on.”
“Where will we go?” Sayan asked.
“The Black City in the Northern Kingdom,” Nala said. “That’s the only place where we’ll be safe from the forces of the Western Kingdom.”