Chapter 4

Dinner was a light meal of greens and fruits. I was left feeling very hungry, considering I was used to denser foods such as: porridge, chicken, potatoes, and bread.

We were all led back to our rooms by the same female attendants. I sat down on one of the beds, the other girls did the same. I was still wearing the silk robe that I had been given. There was a blanket on the bed and I pulled it over me. And tried to get some sleep.

I was awoken by the sound of weeping. I turned and saw that some of the girls were crying. I got up and my sisterly instincts came in. I sat down next to one ofthem and began to stroke the girl's head and sing.

I loved singing. I always sang to my siblings when they were upset or just for fun. I had been trying to teach some of them the songs, but they hadn't really stuck.

I looked up and saw that a bunch of the girls had gathered around me and were listening intently. I smiled sadly and continued singing.

"The moonlit flowers wave hello

The sun has said goodbye

I hear the deepening bellow

Of the dismal wind.

"Goodnight, goodnight

You'll sleep safe tonight

Goodnight, goodnight

I wish you safe tonight

"The stars shining down on you

The clouds have faded 'way

The night's silent world remains

Save that single coo.

"Goodnight, goodnight

I wish you safe tonight

Goodnight, goodnight

I hoped you safe tonight

"Goodnight, goodnight

I'd hoped you safe tonight

Goodnight, goodnight

I'll say goodbye tonight."

The song ended and the girls returned to bed.

~~~~~~~~

I woke feeling sunlight on my face. I stirred and saw the sunlight streaming though the arches of our room. The other girls were already up. 'I haven't slept that well in a really long time.' I thought as I sat on one of the cushions.

Since no one was talking I decided to start, "So. How was everyone's sleep?" I asked with a smile.

A chorus of voices responded with replies of a good sleep.

"Good, good." I said.

After sitting in silence for awhile longer, the door was opened and one of the men stepped through and stood and told us to follow him.

We all got up clutching our slippery robes to our bodies. We followed him and I saw that there were no other girls around us. The other girls seemed to notice this because they began to whisper to each other of the peculiarity of our situation.

We were showed into a small room that had a platform in the back and cushions on the ground, the same as everywhere else.

We sat down as ordered and waited. Not long after the eunuchs left, a woman, different from the female attendants, entered. She wore her shiny, black hair up in a French braided bun, and wore a yellow sari with red and gold embroidery. Her skin looked slightly tarnished from age but she still held a youthful vigour.

She spoke in an authoritative voice, "Stand." We stood, "Do you know why you are here?"

We nodded.

The lady walked forward, "You, tell me why you are here." She pointed to one of the richer girls, you could tell by the way she held herself and the arrogant look in her eyes.

She was happy to be here.

"We are the Sovereign's Chosen." She said with a proud voice, as though she was the Sovereign's Chosen, "One of us will become his new queen."

"Yes." The lady drawled out. She returned to the platform and announced, "You will call me Mistress Daksha, I will teach you what is expected of you if you were to be chosen by our Sovereign."

She pulled out a scroll and began reading, "As the Sovereign's queen you are expected to:

"Keep the castle staff in order, the head eunuchs and maids will come to you with their problems. You are never to tell the Sovereign of these problems.

"You are expected to keep the Sovereign happy."

She paused and looked at each of us, then continued.

"Whenever he calls on you, you are expected to prepare yourself to please him."

I stilled, my mother had told me enough stories to know what Mistress Daksha meant. To please him in bed. I swallowed hard and listened to the rest of what she had to say.

"You are never to lay extra stress on the Sovereign. Never to meddle in his affairs. Never to disturb him. And most of all, never call on him if he has not called on you."

The Mistress rolled the scroll back up and said, "Remember, the Sovereign can easily cast you aside as though you never existed." She slammed the scroll on the table and we all jumped on our cushions.

"So follow these rules to the letter." She turned and pulled out another scroll, "First, we will cover the hierarchy of the Sovereign's palace, including the harems, then the hierarchy of his private dwelling, and lastly the military. You will not deal with this area, but it is important you know so that you can help your Sovereign in dealing with it and such."

The Mistress then went through the palace's hierarchy, starting with the Lords and Ladies that we would be dealing with if chosen, then into the head handmaidens and eunuchs, after we moved onto the servants and what each was responsible for.

"We will cover the Sovereign's private dwelling tomorrow, and we will continue to study what we have learned today. Until you know it by heart." She said as she slammed the scroll down on the table again. Some of the girls jumped, but I didn't.

We were escorted out by four eunuchs and I saw another group of girls being ushered in.

We were lead to the dining room that we had eaten in last evening. We were served a very light meal again then, once we'd finished, we were led to that room where I had had all of my hair ripped off.

We all were treated to having a perfumed paste rubbed all over our bodies by the female attendants.

After the paste had dried they scraped it off carefully with a piece of pottery.

I winced, it felt like they were removing ten layers of my skin.

Once they were done I was a bright red, tingling person again, they put the same silk robe back on my shoulders and led me to the bathing room and ordered me to sit and have my hair washed.