Crystal Blood

Night Approaches

In a world ruled by the sword, where kings and lords are self proclaimed almost on a monthly basis, treachery and violence runs amok. Magickers are by turns either very blessed or very cursed, in either case they would be the pet of some self proclaimed king, or perhaps said king is their pet and they would be living it grand in some tall tower somewhere or perhaps afeared as the crazy hermit who lives in the middle of a swamp. The law of the land: the strong rule, and the weak are trampled and used.

Me? I am the stuff that bards sing about. They make terrible untrue lyrics for off tune songs that everybody seems to love and love to sing in rowdy drunken stupors. I would know; I swerve and skip and dodge in time, between them serving them ale and stew, while they sing and stumble about and pinch my bottom. If you still don't know then I will tell you. I am a tavern wench.

I've seen all the heroes the bards sing about. They usually come in sober, looking for adventure if they are young, a fight if they are not, they all leave drunk with slobber on their faces and vomit on their tunics. Next time you hear of them, they are dead with their head on a pike adorning somebody's wall or as a self proclaimed lordling who put the previous tyrant's head on the wall and is looking to be the next tyrant in a month or two and then to be replaced by the next "hero" that comes along.

I have heard many of the hopes and dreams of these heroes. Some want the fame and glory, some riches and wealth. Then you have the young and naive who dream of changing the world. I know you will read the scorn and disdain laced in my words, and they are there and they are true to my feelings but I also kind of like them the most. They seem so optimistic and positive in this violent chaotic world. I know their dreams would at most last a week, and then fall to pieces, but for that brief time it feels like there is hope. Also doesn't hurt that they tip well and are usually a pleasure in bed, simply because they leave when done, not lingering and being difficult to get rid of.

So yes I've bedded a few of them heroes, ok more than a few. Don't look at me like that. A girl has gotta live. Being female and designated as the weak you do whatever you have to do to be useful. If you are no longer useful you are dead.

"Get down here you wenches! It's an hour till dinner time. I don't feed you for you to sleep in all day! Those beds better be made, and your bodies be washed. If I get another dissatisfied customer or one of you dim witted whores breaks another plate, I'll leave you on the street!", yells a gruff voice from below.

"Yes, Innkeeper," the other girls and I respond. We all get up and begin getting ready for the night ahead. There are seven of us, including myself. We all stay in the attic. We work nights, and sleep during the day. If you didn't attend a customer then you served the breakfast crowd too.

The Innkeeper, isn't that bad. He is strict, and a little heavy handed with punishments, but at least he feeds and clothes us and gives us decent protection from rough customers. He also pays actual healers for charms against disease and pregnancy, not some quack charlatan. If you catch something with the heavy amount of disease ward charms in the place, you are already dead. Some girls still get pregnant usually because the customer had some kind of trinket that interfered with the pregnancy charm. The usual case is like two wards cancel each other out.

As I finish putting on some lip colour, Shelly taps me on the shoulder. "Hey Lidel can you help me tighten my corset?"

I turn around and look at her. "Shelly any tighter and your breast are going to be all out there."

"But that's the point, Li. Not all of us have got melons like you, bitch, and if you always dress so chaste nobody is gonna buy you. And isn't that what we all hope for," she teased.

"Who you calling a bitch, bitch!" I said as I leaped at her. I know all her sensitive spots and Shelly is very ticklish.

"Stop. Stop. I give. I give." She cries. Laughing and breathing hard as we both roll around on the floor. The other girls pause in their preparations laughing at our nightly antics.

Shelly and I are as close as one can get. Friend in this world is a very big word and not slung around lightly. It means that you trust one another. With treachery and violence everywhere, trust is a very big deal. Friend means more than than family or even husband and wife, king and vassal. It certainly means more to me than my family.

I never knew my family. All I was ever told was that my mother was probably some whore who got pregnant and sold me. As for my father well no man would ever claim me. Why, because I am of the feminine sex. Women are looked upon as weak and dependant, a drain to a man's wealth and resources. Simply put a waste of flesh. Only establishments such as this one buys girl children. For some ridiculous reason of this world, men can't be bothered with claiming and raising their girl children but spend nearly all their lives chasing skirts and demanding to be waited on by said females.

Now if I was a son, I'd be wanted, precious. At 20 years of age I'd be a master with a sword and be setting out for my own adventure. But no as a 20 year old female, as Shelly said the best we could hope for is for a man to come along be so smitten with you that he buys you and claims you as his wife. Mind you not all girls are abandoned and sold, some are kept and loved by their families, just I wasn't one of those. Despite how I sound, I am really not that bitter about it because you can't really miss what you never had, and I would never have met Shelly otherwise.

"Oi! What's all that ruckus up there. If I have to come up there you are all getting a flogging!" Booms the Innkeeper from the main room.

Brought back into the moment, Shelly and I stop our silliness and the other girls get back to getting ready.

With a sigh I get up straighten Shelly's dress and get to tightening her corset. "Fine I guess since you want them to fall out so badly, I have no choice but to watch you and catch them when they do." I said with a laugh.

"Ooh good idea, Li, we will definitely catch some gazes that way" she squeals excitedly. I try very hard not to roll my eyes.

The bell over the door rings, signalling it is time to go to work. Shelly gives me a final look over, and fixes a tie on my hip. With a smile she grabs my arm and all seven of us head downstairs to see what the night had brought us.

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I don't like to leave a lot of side comments and all that stuff, a story is a story is a story. This is all property of my imagination so I will be rather upset if somebody stole it. It is all fiction and fantasy, if it sounds like real life or a real person I didn't know and I apologize. Lastly I was never one to use much in the way of vulgarity and coarse language, so some made up curses may not make sense and there is some mature content. If you are not old enough or don't like that stuff, you should stop here, say thank you and go look for something else.

Villain out.