Four years later...
Nymeria was on the cold stone floor of the palace tavern as she scrubbed hard with her brush. She wore a short maid skirt that barely covered her thighs and a thin robe that just covered her chest. Sweat were dripping down her back from the morning heat. She finished the spot she was scrubbing and tossed the brush into her bucket, and stood up to move to the next area.
Before she could take a step, the overseer, a mean guy with a scar on his cheek, cracked his whip across her ass. The sting if the whip made Nymeria flinch.
"You are too slow, dragon whore!" he barked. "Get moving or I will make sure you scrub till midnight."
Nymeria gritted her teeth, her face hot with anger that she wanted to snap back, but she knew better. Four years of this crap had taught her to hold it in. "Yes, sir," she muttered under her breath, just loud enough for him to hear but not enough to challenge him.
The overseer let out a nasty sound. "That's right, keep that mouth shut. You're lucky we even let Drakon trash like you still live." He watched her for a second longer, like he was waiting for her to talk back, then turned away to yell at another slave.
Ignoring his glare, she picked up the bucket and walked to the next spot. Once she was out of his sight, she slapped the brush down on the floor and scrubbed like she was venting all her frustration on the dirt. "One day," she murmured to herself, "one day I'll make them all pay." But the words felt empty, like they had been every morning for four years.
She was deep into scrubbing when a boot stepped right onto the wet patch she had just cleaned. Nymeria looked up. Her face showed that she was annoyed. The man, a customer with a beard stared down at her.
"What?" he snapped rudely. "Stop glaring like a creep, cunt. Go tell the barmaid to bring me something strong. Now!"
Nymeria held her tongue, but inside she was boiling. "What kind?" she managed to keep her voice flat.
The man rolled his eyes. "The strongest you've got. And make it quick, i ain't got all day for slave trash like you." He kicked at the bucket lightly, spilling some water. "Oops. Clean that up too while you're at it."
She stood slowly, biting back a curse, and headed inside. But when she got to the back room, she saw the barmaid, a curvy girl with blonde hair named Mira, making out in the corner with some guy. Their hands were all over each other, Mira giggling softly.
Nymeria cleared her throat loudly to get their attention. They jumped apart, their faces red. The guy smirked as he smacked Mira's ass, and walked out like nothing happened. "See you later, babe," he called over his shoulder.
Mira straightened her skirt, blushing. "Uh, hi, Nymeria. Didn't see you there."
"Customer wants a strong drink," Nymeria said. "The bearded one out front. Make it quick, he's in a mood."
Mira nodded, wiping her lips. "Got it. Thanks for telling me. You okay? You look pissed."
"I'm fine," Nymeria lied. "Just another day." She didn't wait for more chat..Mira was nice enough, but getting too friendly with anyone here could backfire.
Mira hesitated. "Hey, if you need a break or something... I could cover for you sometime."
Nymeria shook her head. "Don't. They'll whip us both." She turned and left. She grabbed her bucket and headed out the tavern. The overseer yelled after her: "Hey! Get back here or I'll report you and there will be no dinner for you tonight!"
Nymeria snorted and flipped him the middle finger without looking back. "Report this," she muttered to herself. She dumped the bucket in a corner outside, then headed straight into her tiny room.
It had just a thin mat on the floor, no bed or anything nice. She quickly changed into a longer dress that covered her more, then wrapped rough cloth around her feet like makeshift shoes. No one gave slaves real boots.
This was her life now. Every day was the same. Scrub the tavern floors in the morning, then head to the small mine behind the palace. No breaks and the overseer barely show any kindness.
She is only entitled to one meal a day, at night, if she was lucky. And the overseers loved reminding her of her place. "Dragon whore," "Drakon trash." These names were slowly replacing her name.
Nymeria sighed, glancing at herself in the cracked mirror in the room. Her skin was pale and rough from the sun and hard work. There was no fancy baths or creams like before in Drakon. She looked tired and older than her years.
"Who are you now?" she murmured to her reflection. Shaking her head, she shut the door and walked to the mine.
On the way, she passed a group of guards laughing by the gate. One spotted her and catcalled. "Hey, slave girl! Come over here, I'll give you something better to scrub." The others burst out laughing.
Nymeria kept walking with her head down. "Ignore them," she told herself. "Just keep going." But she was burning with anger inside.
At the mine, another overseer was there.. He is a big brute with a club named Garr. He pointed to a huge pile of rocks. "Dig that out today. Finish it or no food." He walked off without another word.
Nymeria stared at the work, fighting back tears. It was too much for one person, but what choice did she have?
Hopefully, one day all this would end. She told herself, like always. But right now, it did not feel like it. Her face went blank as she thought it over. It was hard to tell what was in her head. After a minute, she bent down and started digging.
A while later, a whip sounded nearby, followed by yelling. "Faster, you lazy dog!" Garr shouted. Nymeria glanced up. It was a slave from her old clan, the Drakon survivors. He was skinny and he was getting lashed for working too slow.
"Please, sir—I can't go faster," the man begged, his voice weak.
Garr whipped him again. "Then d!e"
Most of the few Drakons that survived were slaves here, no food or water all day, just like her. One meal at night if they were lucky.
Nymeria looked away quick, focusing on her pile. Seeing them hurt too much also hurt her and she couldn't save then.
She push the thoughts to the back of her head as she dug harder.
The mine suddenly was full of murmurs. They started talking when the overseers were not close. One guy nearby muttered to another, "Heard they are shipping more slaves in tomorrow. Harlan's working us to death."
The other grunted. "Yeah, but what can we do? We're nothing now."
Nymeria just listened without saying a world.
...
By 7 PM, Nymeria was done and her feet were aching badly. Her hands were blistered and ready to drop.
Her arms were shaking from the pickaxe. But she dragged herself to the slave pack house, where they doled out food. Some slaves who had finished early were already eating at the long tables, chatting in low voices.
She grabbed a plate and went to the serving line. Same as always: watery porridge with no taste, no nutrition.
"Move it," the server grumbled, slopping it into her bowl. "Next!"
She took her bowl to her usual corner spot and sat down to eat.
Around her, the murmurs started. "Heard about Princess Lirien?" one woman said, leaning in. She was older and was from some village Harlan had crushed. "Big news in the palace."
"Yeah," a guy replied, slurping his porridge. "She is marrying that prince from the House of Shadows. Prince Thorne, I think. It's to make a big alliance..Flames and Shadows teaming up. Harlan wants more power after wiping out the Drakons."
Nymeria paused mid-air. Lirien marrying someone? Her mind quickly flashed back to their last conversation, two days ago in the palace stables. And to Lirien bandaging her injury.
Nymeria's chest tightened at the memory.
The kid next to them piped up. "Lady Lirien is a strong fire mage, right? Bet she's pissed about being sold off like that. But Harlan is forcing it, says it'll make them unbeatable. The wedding's in a few months, I heard."
The woman chuckled softly. "Unbeatable? Shadows are always sneaky and hiding and wavering spells. What if the prince is just using her? Wedding feast is gonna be full of drama, all those lords drinking and plotting. Harlan's probably worried about rivals like the Terra House stirring trouble."
The guy nodded. "And there is this rumors, saying Lirien's got a wild streak too. Likes fun with anyone who catches her eye, guys or girls. Harlan probably wants her locked down before she starts trouble. She's been seen sneaking around the palace at night, you know?"
Nymeria froze, she has been sneaking around the palace... Her mind jumped to their their first kiss in a secret alcove behind the gardens.
If Lirien get married to the prince, what did that mean for them? For the secret moments they'd risked everything for?
Just then, she looked up. A slave guy, tall, with a smirk named Jax was staring at her. "Hey, Nym," he said quietly, nodding toward a dark corner. "You look like you need a break."
Nymeria forced a smile and stood up, following him. "Yeah, maybe," she replied.
She needed maybe a distraction to shake off the thoughts.
In the corner, he pushed her against the wall and kissed her hard. "Been waiting for this all day," he murmured, his hands sliding under her dress. Nymeria kissed him back, grabbing his shirt, matching the roughness. "Me too," she lied, her voice breathy.
She only needed him for the distraction but as his lips moved down to her neck and he murmured, "You feel good... let's make this quick before they notice," her mind drifted to Lirien whispering in her ear.
She could not hear any single thing Jax was saying right now. All she could think was Lirien.
"Jax, wait," she said suddenly, pulling back a bit.
He paused, breathing heavy. "What? You okay?"
"Yeah... i am fine." she said, forcing another kiss to distract him or perhaps herself.