Bound and Broken

- 7 -

Myla’s P.O.V.

At the end of a hard day, I had found some solace in lounging in the spacious living quarters that I had come to share with my newfound companions. Being the first one back from the day’s work meant that I was able to sit in complete silence and let my mind and body unwind. 

I’d made calls to His Majesty’s quarter four additional times since my acquisition at the start of the week, and each time left me feeling as though I needed to scrape myself clean with a deep bristled brush. The King was not fond of leaving marks on me, nor was he a fan of striking me. His tastes were rather simple. But he was fierce with his desires and his emotion. 

The ire towards my father was shown in every movement that the old King made against my body and the pace that he set for our encounters. But now, as I sat on one of the plush cushions in the guarded room I shared with the three other pleasure slaves, I was quick to understand that I was fortunate in at least one way. I was kept clear of the same servants who hated me simply for my blood and what they perceived about my status. My eyes closed slowly as I reclined, and I hoped that tonight would be an easier night for sleep.

It had to have been nearly a half-hour since I let my eyes close, but it only felt as if seconds had passed when Ari gently shook me awake with a touch of my shoulder. “Myla,” her soft voice called. I awoke to her tired eyes looking down on me and her full lips turned up in a gentle smile. “What are you wearing?” she asked me. 

“Hm?” My mind was groggy with the dregs of sleep still clinging to my mood and movements. Sluggish weight dragged my limbs down even as I sat up properly to better address the woman. It was only then that I truly understood her question and heaved a sigh. “Ah, I’ve been given my collar today,” I sighed and reached up to nudge at the metal ring that hung from the front of the metal band.

Her eyes dropped, and her brow furrowed as she seemed to fret over the band around my neck. I watched as her hand rose to touch the spot where hers sat for the day, and the broken smile that faded from her lips nearly broke my heart when she realized the true implications. “Oh, Myla,” she said before wrapping me in a tight embrace. “Just wait here, alright?” Ari suggested, tucking one of my braids back over my shoulder and tilting my chin up with her thumb. “I’ll have some tea made and be back after my bath. We can talk to Miri and Devra about this when they return.”

Ari truly was a blessing in this hellscape of a prison. Her kindness knew no bounds when we were behind closed doors, and her grace and beauty were beacons of inspiration for the everyday. I nodded, barely turning my head to kiss her open palm as she cupped my face. “Go,” I said to her, reaching up to return the soft touches. “I’ll be here when you return.”

The woman rose with a smile, turning to walk off quickly towards the private tub that we had access to. I would take my turn after tea before the men were set to return.

Not even an hour later, the both of us were freshly washed and curled together on the floor of our main chamber. Ari had many questions about my permanent collar, but I continued to stall for as long as possible. Miri had returned during my bath, and I was only interested in explaining the markings once. 

So to fill the time, I’d decided to tell Ari about how Prince Aelon had come upon me this evening on my way back here and had called off the guard that had me cornered. I still struggled to think of why he would stop the man. It made no sense to me. 

And I suppose that on some level, it had made even less sense to Ari. For she called my name again, tilting her head to ask for clarification. My eyes raised when Ari addressed me, calling my attention back to the conversation and out of my intrusive thoughts. “You said who stopped that guard, Myla?” she asked, stretching her toned legs out in front of her and reclining fully on her cushion. 

“His Highness, the Prince,” I replied with a confused grumble. “It didn’t feel wholly genuine from him. But I did feel something.” I continued, taking the time to undo the many ornamental braids in my hair rather than continue to fidget with my collar. “It’s hard to describe….” 

“It’s also unlike him,” Miri said, joining us with a low pair of trousers hanging loose on his hips. My attention darted up to him and I caught myself nearly blushing at the sight of him freshly washed and toned as he was. He had a much paler coloration to his skin than Devra did. I believe he had come from up north near the cavernous maw of the Lion’s Pass. His chocolate brown eyes were warm with flecks of green and gold in them, only set off by his striking golden hair. Apparently, he was favored among the eldest two Princesses; both of whom I had yet to meet.

“So you could hear us from the other room,” I said, much to his amusement. “What do you mean?” I asked, shaking my hair loose and shifting to cross my legs underneath me. “He was vaguely threatening, but I didn’t feel like I was in danger near him.”

Miri let out a low and dark laugh, shaking some of the excess water from his hair with a flourish. “Aelon is a power-hungry beast,” he said with a darkened look in his eyes. “He’s been groomed to take his father’s place from the day he could walk,” the man continued. “Do you really think he would concern himself with the well-being of any one of us unless there was something in it for him to gain?”

“Miri,” Ari said with a hushed whisper, nudging her arm against his. “Don’t make this worse than it needs to be for her.” The two of them were incredibly close, according to everything that Devra had been telling me. And I could see that now in the way that Miri reached over and held Ari’s hand tenderly. Seeing the tender show of affection brought a faint smile to my face. It was like being amongst family again. Well, not my family. But perhaps a family that genuinely cared for one another.

Those words seemed to strike a chord within the pale man, who did look genuinely remorseful at his emotional rant. When Miri regained his thoughts, he looked back at me with a subtle shake of his head. “I’m sorry,” the man said finally, looking over to me with a much softer expression. “I’ve been here five years now, and I recall how he was when Ari was brought in not long after me.” His chest swelled with a deep breath in, and he held it there for a moment, almost as if he were suppressing something unspoken. “Please be careful with Aelon, Myla,” Miri said with a sigh.

My eyes softened on the somberness of his expression, and I reached out to take his other hand for but a moment. It was the depth of his ‘please’ that struck me. I don’t think I’d ever heard anyone sound so concerned for my safety or well-being after my Mother passed. So seeing this capable man slump and shrink at the mention of a noble’s attention brought a pang of worry to my chest. 

“I promise I’ll do my best,” I said, forcing a smile. “I only wish I didn’t have to wear this damned thing all the time.” Tears burned at the corners of my eyes when I felt the collar shift on my neck again. Both of their eyes fell back to the topic at hand, and I pulled my fingers away from Miri’s touch. “The King put it on me this morning, and It only opens with a specific tool.” My hand reached up to nudge at the band, and I turned my head enough for them to see the locking mechanism at the nape of my neck. 

“When I was alone, I had considered forcing it off with some sort of pry bar or pin,” I continued, tucking my finger underneath the band to show them that I had plenty of room to move and breathe. The weight was inconsequential, and the metal felt thin enough to break, but there was something deeper woven into the core of it that prevented me from damaging it. “But it seems to be an old magic that forms the bond.” I watched as their faces fell for me, and I had to look away.

Miri’s face scrunched up in concern, and Ari looked over at him, fearful of his reaction. “I simply do not understand,” the man said with a huff. Apparently, it wasn’t common knowledge that I was to remain collared night and day, unlike the others. “Why the hell do you have to stay collared all day?” He pushed a faint protective growl to his undertone that made my cheeks hot and my breath catch.

One of my fingers raised to tap on the carved decorations that rimmed the steel band. “They’re Sigils,” I said with a sigh. I hadn’t kept my history a secret from the other pleasure slaves. It would serve me no purpose to keep my only allies in the dark. So both of them knew very well that I was a mage by blood. The realization struck him all at once, and his eyes clenched tight with despair. 

I knew I had to continue, though. If I could tell these two before Devra returned, then I might have the strength to tell him too. And honestly, the idea of talking about this to him was what terrified me the most. “I’d seen the sigils on it when the King and his guards were fastening it around my neck. I know wards, and I know how to break them. So I had initially thought that I could simply undo them on my own,” I gasped, a lump catching in my throat as I spoke.

“Wards? For what?” Miri asked, his hand still laced tight with Ari’s as his concern only grew. 

“They are protective wards,” I continued, slow and careful about my words. “A painful brand that keeps my magic at bay.” My hands clenched tight into fists in my lap, opening and closing on the light cotton dress I wore when I was relaxing and hidden away from the world. The tremor of energy was there still, just below my skin. “I can still feel my magic,” I whispered after a moment’s silence. “But it’s like a suffocating case has been put around it. I can tell it’s there, like a bird in a cage made only of glass.”

Ari cleared her throat and shifted to let her head rest on Miri’s broad shoulder. “If you can feel it,” she started. “Can’t you remove it some other way?”

“I... don’t think so, dear,” Miri answered for me. He was brighter than he appeared, to have caught on that quickly. “Look at how she’s shaking now.” His free hand gestured to mine, and I looked down to see my hands trembling. 

As we sat there in contemplative silence, the door to our shared quarters creaked open, and in came Devra. It was late into the night, and it was clear that he’d just come from a session with Mistress. He paused when he entered, looking between the others and me with deep concern in his eyes. No doubt talk and gossip had flowed through the halls, and it would only have been too easy of a target for Her Majesty to take advantage of such an emotional opportunity.

Devra paled as he saw the redness of my face and the band around my neck. “Gods, it was true,” he whispered, dropping his bundle of mussed clothing and freshly removed collar to the floor. The man who had been my first taste of kindness in this palace came to me and knelt before me, cupping my cheeks in his hands as he laid a soft kiss on my forehead.  

“If I had known it was today,” he said as he pulled back, reaching up to gently touch the symbols that matched the scars still fading on my skin. “I would have waited for you,” he finished. I shook my head and looked over to Ari and Miri. The same expression was plain as day on their faces too, and I truly felt cared for at this moment. Devra’s warm voice sounded again, and I looked up into those piercing blue eyes that reminded me of the ocean. “Did they hurt you, Myla?” he asked softly.

A light tremor in his touch startled me, and I looked down to see his arms tensed and tight. “No, Devra,” I said through a broken breath. “It was nothing compared to the carvings.” The way his jaw tensed concerned me, but I did my best to push on regardless. “Can we talk about this tomorrow?” I pleaded, reaching up to rest my hand atop his. “Please.”

I was so fatigued, and all I wanted was to try and force myself to sleep. Gods only knew what bacchanalian depravities lay in store for me the next day, and I needed all of the rest I could manage. His trembling stare and tight-lipped frown concerned me, but so too did the idea of being ill-prepared for the session that I knew would be called for in the morning. 

“After supper,” he said, pulling me close in his arms and holding me tight once more. “You can tell me everything then. And I will do whatever it is that you need me to do.”

“Thank you, Devra,” I said, quite relieved that he hadn’t gotten too distressed by all of this. If he heard about the collar, he had likely heard about the guard. “I promise I’ll tell you everything.” His smile softened, and I felt my heart flutter at the sight. I did not like that I was so concerned about how this man would react to that, but I couldn’t deny it for long. I knew that there was a strong bond forming between us, even now. And there was no doubt in my mind that Queen Olivette would use that to her advantage if she ever found out about it.