Freeing Azalea

Chapter 3

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"Now,' he whispered. 'Where were we?"

I gasped shallowly trying not to give away my fear. "Please, don't hurt me." My voice was my betrayer as it shook. I shut my eyes and prepared for a blow. I waited for what seemed like hours until I heard a deep and hearty laugh reverberate through the hand on my shoulder. I turned around puzzled, sure that he wouldn't toy with me before dealing pain. He as doubled over now, laughing so hard his face was almost the same shade of red as his hair. Eventually he took a respite to breathe and looked at me with his  startlingly blue eyes.

"Love, I didn't bring you here to hurt you! I 'ave a reputation to uphold up on the wall, but I'm harmless. Swear on me life. I'm Talisyn by the way, but call me Tal; Captain of the third guard. Pleasure to make your 'quaintance." He bowed sarcastically, holding out his hand to me with a lopsided grin. 

"Oh thank heavens!" I took his hand gratefully, shaking it just like my father had taught me to. "I'm A-' I paused, thinking better of using my real name.'Marian. My name is Marian." I smiled, but it felt more like a grimace. If he had noticed my odd behaviour, Talisyn didn't show it. "Alrighty then, Marian. SO,' He stretched out on one of the nearby bunks 'What brings you to Liswick then? Money? Adventure? Hmmm, you're a pretty little thing perhaps a husband is what brought ye? I can see it now, ye have the look of a blushing bride about ye anyhow. But why are ye so dirty? The rotten bastard didn't hurt ye now did he?"

I looked sadly at the ground.

"No, none of those things actually. My village it burned to the ground some days ago. I've been wandering the forest for days and finally happened upon this place.I-I- didn't know this was Liswick." Fresh tears rolled down my haggard face as I looked down at my filthy feet. I had no idea I had traveled so far last night. Liswick was usually half a day's ride from the village. "It all happened so quickly I haven't-I just couldn't- I- and -" Tali wrapped his arms around my shoulders silencing my story with a bone crushing hug.

"Shhhh its all right, love. Look, I'm not one to take on charity cases, but gods ye look terrible.' He studied her closely for a moment. 'Come with me, I'm sending yeh to Lissandre to get changed and washed. Normally we send the homeless out, but I'm feeling magnanimous today. No wee lass is going to starve on these damned streets if I have anything to say about it."

He marched out of the room determined. I stood shock still in the doorway dumbfounded by the kindness that was bestowed on me. I had heard tales of evil, filthy people of the nation's capital, but this man had just spared my life. Tal's head popped around the corner. "Well?" He fixed me with an impatient look. "Are ye coming or what?'

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After an endless labyrinth of doors and hallways, we reached a room lined with small cots. Unlike the soldier's quarters which reeked of sweat and man, this room smelled faintly of lilacs and soap. Girls of about six to twenty were conversing about in groups; some in various sates of undress. A petite redhead with bouncing, sunlit curls came up to us. I could scarcely believe she was real. Her skin was a flawless milky white with blush kissed cheeks and her eyes sparkled like freshly cut sapphires. She was dressed in a sack of a dress tied with a dingy apron. Somehow her shabby clothes only accentuated her beauty. She shamelessly pulled me in to a hug almost tighter than Tal's had been and squealed  merrily as if I was an old friend. 

"Oh Tali who've you brought to me now? 'ave you finally caught yourself a wife?" She quickly released me and began to poke and prod at Tal. Looking at them together it was easy to see that the two of them were siblings; he was docile as a sheep under the fiery gaze of his baby sister and was beginning to blush a dark red at her accusations. I had stopped paying attention and started looking around a the room at all the girls in the room. Most looked nice enough and I hoped whatever Tali had planned for me involved staying for a while. The redhead must have given Tali  more than he bargained for because all of a sudden I heard a sharp gasp and then Tal's outlandish cry.

"ANNABELLE WILL YOU QUIT?!?! Goodness,woman! I bring one girl around you ask me-ask me- that?!?!"

He looked my way and grimaced as his sister slung her arm around my shoulders. 

"Ah come off it, Tally-cakes! I'm just messin wif ya! Besides, she looks a bit too good for you, brother dearest. Aaaanyhow, I'm Annabelle but you can call me Belle. Now, from what I can see you need a bath, a hot meal and a job, yeah? I'm not one for charity cases but seeing as this big lug over here thinks you're alright, so do I. Come on now time for washing." She led toward a set of swinging doors that I assumed were covering the bathing area. "Oh and Tal? Step outside.' She said over her shoulder 'I don't want another incident between you and one of my girls again!"

She threw me a wink and opened one of the doors. Expecting a set of large metal tubs and maybe buckets of water to be the bulk of the bathing area, I was shocked to see large steaming pools of turquoise water and cool marble tiles surrounding the floors. The warm steam from the water was calling to me like a siren song and I found myself unconsciously stepping closer to the pools. Belle's hand stopped me. "Oi take off your clothes first, you git. Then we gotta rinse you off. S'like you've never been to a bath house before."

I didn't have the ability to speak, losing myself in the smells and sights around me. Somewhere in the back of my mind I felt Belle stripping me of my rags and dumping some warm water over me. When she was satisfied she led me to the edge of one of the pools and left, probably to see to grill her brother for more information. I stood for a long time staring at my reflection in the pool. Here I looked like a woman. My tanned curves glowing in the sun streaming through the stained glass windows, my raven hair swirling around my waist, freed of its usual braid. I didn't look like a lost girl scared and alone in the world. I looked like alien and completely foreign to myself. 

I stepped into the pools and felt the warm water swirl up my body. I had never felt more secure or more  at peace with myself than in that moment. I was suspended in a warm envelope of lilacs and rosemary. I picked up the bar of soap that Belle must have left for me and began the laborious task of washing the soot and grime of my journey