14
"Your mother must be very precious to you. Will she be coming to the ball?"Jza asked after an eternity of silence.
Lord Tarquin gave her a look that was pure stone. He lips did not move and her question was left unanswered as she had expected. He instead continued to rummage through her wardrobe. He pulled a gown out of her meagre collection and placed it on her bed, next to her. It was some sparkly number she had never gotten the opportunity to wear.
"You must wear this to the Ball," He finally spoke, irritating Jza to the core. He was more persistent than her governess at bettering herlooks.
"Will I be attending? The brown haired girl asked pulling her feet towards her in an effort to sit with more dignity. She took great pains to keep her legs covered under her morning frock.
"You believe I would ask you to organise the entire Ball and keep you away from it."
"I am just your lowly acquisition. Why would you keep me at your side at the Ball. Surely the Ball attendees will be mortified to be in my company." Her words caused a frown on his face. His nose wrinkled as if he smelt something unpleasant but he lost the animation in his face as soon as he caught her gaze.
"I do not care what they think."
"But you do. The Ball would not be happening if you did not. Don't deny your very human feelings."
The man pursed his mouth with another frown dancing on his forehead. It was a small victory but Jza basked in the win of rendering him speechless.
She went back to manoeuvring her gown modestly and tried to carefully set her feet on the floor.
"I can walk," Jza uttered stubbornly knowing the man would tell her off but her still weak knees buckled under pressure and his arms were around her before she could blink. He took hold of her limbs and picked her up before she could protest.
"You should look after yourself," The man's pale face loomed near hers, "Is that your intent, to slowly let yourself die?"
"Why should I? I may never see my family ever again. I may just lose my will to live eventually," She spat out more furious at herself than him at how fragile she felt. Lord Tarquin it seemed had decided to take her back. He opened the door with his elbow and cautiously eased her out through the doorway. There was no doorman guarding the door to watch their awkward movements.
"I won't let you die on my watch," He words breathed through her loose locks of brown hair. She continued holding her gaze up ahead trying to ignore his presence. Their current path also seemed empty which she was grateful for.
"But you shan't set me free either. I am merely your captive, your slave,"Jza exhaled.
"Don't sully the protections I offer you in this time of war. Your luck has been most gracious to let you fall in my hands. You would be lost without me. You are nothing in the grand scheme of things,"Tarquin stated blandly.
"You don't believe that. I would not be under your protection if that were the case," Jza argued finally locking her gaze with her captor.Her face tinged pink noticing how closely he was following her words.
"I am not in the habit of capturing young women. I would have kept you even if your were more worthless than a scullery maid," The Lord said in his own defence.
"But the Harem?"
"The Harem is an ugly leftover from my forefather's time. They killed the men and stole their woman even those they should have been honour bound to protect after treaties and so forth," Tarquin looked away for once looking disgusted by his ancestors.
Here he was talking about honour all over again. Jza wondered why where it had suddenly come from. Where was the brute she was so well acquainted with.
"Then why not be rid of it once and for all," She asked catching his eye once again.
"Where will they go? The level of fear they command is only afforded to them because I allow it. The society has no place from them."
Jza accepted his answer. It made sense. They were fallen women. It would be hard for them to find employment in her own kingdom much less her enemy's.
Tarquin stopped at the doorway of their shared quarters. The guard outside their door was startled to see the way they made their appearance. He swiftly opened the door not letting himself linger on the spectacle in front of him.
Jza sighed having gotten used to the humiliation of being considered a fallen woman herself. She wondered if her household would accept her back after sharing a room with her captor. No one would believe her loyalty to her country or her claim to virtue. It abruptly hit her that there may be no place for her back. Things would never go back to normal. Oh, what a mighty price she had paid for being her father's daughter. She felt a kinship with the woman of the Harem she had never felt before, knowing their choices were just as limited as hers.
"If you're truly trying to kill yourself should I stop wasting my time?"The man uttered breaking her reverie.
"You have your own burdens and I have mine. I cannot afford to lose, not even my life," Jza replied as he walked them into their bed chambers. It was dark with only a single burning on the mantle.
"I am already carrying the burden of your weight maybe that is why you strain my limbs," The princess' captor barked a laugh at his own joke, "Maybe you should share since I already support all your burdens."
"You are my foe. You are the last person I shall share it with. I may falter with my own self but I will stay true to my cause until I can since I am only made from human flesh."
"Oh, I know." He gripped her harder. He smiled at her with intentions as plain as day. His clean breath washed over her face.
"Beast," Jza dug her nails in his neck's flesh, letting him know she was onto his games," I promise you the day I break, it will be the hardest day of your life."
They stared at each other as he laid her down on the bed. She was steadying herself and arranging her gown down her bare ankles with his gaze still on her. She faintly wondered if he meant to join her.
His amber eyes glowed in the candle light with intent, lingering on her face as if he could not decide which part of her face he should focus on. His slanted eyes narrowed even further on her lips but he moved away to fiddle with the matches in a stilted fashion unlike his usual self.
He had been tempted, she knew. There was nothing she could have done to stop him, not now when she weaker than a newborn kitten but he did not lunge for her as she had expected. Was he honouring her request to let her be in exchange for saving his life?
"I believe you," Tarquin answered softly.
She barely heard him above the beating of her heart. It raced faster than a war horse. Her captor was maintaining the distance between them as he looked on from the shadows. He lit the match and his face shone brilliantly. Their eyes were still locked. Nothing it seems could break their connection which made Jza more frantic.
The Lord took pity on her and with a sigh looked away. His fingers curled up into fists as he denied himself the temptation to join his captive in bed.
"I was not allowed to talk to anyone when I was young. Only the servants and the Harem girls. It is not easy to be the outsider. It is also why my address is unacceptable to you."
"I know the feeling of being an uncouth outsider," Jza gave a bitter laugh, "I grew up in a farm. Transitioning into the palace was painful."
"Did your father pay his penance for abandoning you too? He after all abandoned you to a barn until he could not longer afford to ignore your existence."
"No, he just did not know I lived. My grandmother made sure of that. My father was my saviour. He came looking for my mother but only found an offspring he never knew existed. He cleaned the muck off my fingers and handed me gold and silver instead."
"I am sorry I undo his good work," Tarquin said abruptly and walked out of the room without ceremony.
