Maeve

Maeve sat on the edge of the bed, squeezing her thighs out of fear. The brave girl who was comforting Elvina a moment ago was nowhere to be found, she was replaced by a scared sacrificial lamb.

After five minutes of waiting in fearful anticipation, the moment she dreaded arrived.

The door was opened and a man walked in. He stared at her like she was his meal, scanning her body from head to toe like she was a decoration.

"Stand." He commanded with a harsh tone.

From the smell of booze that filled the room the moment he walked in, Maeve could tell the man was drunk, heavily drunk.

She slowly stood up and faced him, trying to avoid looking directly into his eyes.

"Oh my, looks like they brought me an even prettier one this time." He licked his lips lustfully at her. "Turn around for me."

With no choice, Maeve did as she was told and was met with whistling sounds as the man checked out her body proportions.

For the first time in her life, Maeve hated her body. She had always been a self-confident girl but right then, there was no confidence in her. She felt small and insignificant as the man checked her out like she was nothing but a display item.

The words of Esley and Mikah kept on playing in her mind. "Consider yourself lucky if any man offers to marry you... The only type of people you'll ever end up with are the kinds of Lord Damien; men who frequent brothels to buy prostitutes. In other words, you'll end up as the wife of a prostitute-loving man which means that makes you... a prostitute."

Even in another kingdom, Maeve could hear the laughter of her stepsiblings as they mocked her. She felt like they were right all along, after all, there she was, in a brothel, working as a prostitute.

She knew if they ever found out about what happened to her, they would laugh it off in her face and say, "Told you so, little rat."

It felt like no matter how far she was from them, she would never escape the hold they had on her, the control they had over her for years now.

At that moment, she remembered her mother's words. "Maeve, I want you to live a good life, marry a man who loves you, enjoy your marriage, and have great kids. Don't end up like me, a woman suffering in her marriage. Do better and make me proud."

She felt like crying, her mother's hopes for her would be no more. She wanted her to marry a man who loves her but after that night, no one would want to marry a prostitute and raise a family with her, not even someone like Lord Damien.

'I'm sorry, mother. I've failed you.' 

Just then the man walked closer to her and caressed her cheeks. "Mmm, your face is so soft and smooth... just what I like."

Maeve felt like peeling off the places the man laid his dirty hands on her, it disgusted her.

"Take off your clothes- No... I'll take it off for you." The man smirked at her and trailed his rough hands down her neck until he was touching the tip of her blossom. "Such a curvy body you have."

He removed the straps of her dress from behind until it was just hanging loosely on her body.

Maeve shut her eyes tightly as the man brought his smelly mouth to her neck and started kissing it. It felt like a wet fish was being rubbed on her neck.

He trailed his kisses down her chest until he was now caressing her molds through the hem of her dress. "You have the body of a goddess." He murmured against her skin.

Maeve shut her eyes open and quickly pushed him away from her body, she realized she'd rather die than lose her dignity in such a way.

"You mad girl!" The man yelled, angry at Maeve's response to his touch, "A mere prostitute like you has no right to-"

Maeve planted a hot slap on his scared face. "I AM NOT A PROSTITUTE!"

The man rubbed his burning cheek and burst out laughing. "You're here, in a brothel, in this room with me because I paid to have you for the night and you tell me you're not a prostitute?" He angrily walked toward her and pushed her on the bed, unfastening his belt in the process. "I wanted to go easy on a delicate girl like you but you leave me no choice."

Maeve knew she was in danger and he wouldn't stop until he had his way with her so without thinking she grabbed a vase from the bedside and smashed it on his head while trying to crawl away but the man grabbed her by the ankle and pulled her back.

"You're not leaving this room until I have a taste of you." His eyes were red with anger and blood was dripping from his forehead on the spot where the vase hit him.

He started kissing Maeve's legs despite the kicks and protests she threw at him. "You're a woman and no sane woman can resist the pleasure of the body."

"Let me go!"

"Let me go!"

Suddenly Maeve was ten years old again, staring at the burning building her mother was in while the guard gripped her tightly and dragged her away. It felt the same, like she was losing something important to her but this time she wouldn't let someone else drag her away.

She kicked the man in his nose and jumped off the bed trying to reach the door but unfortunately for her, her grabbed her by the hair and threw her back onto the bed.

With no other option, Maeve decided to scream for help.

"HELP!"

The man laughed at her. "This is a brothel... Do you really think anyone will come to save you?"

She ignored his words and yelled once more. "HELP!"

Feeling annoyed, the man pulled her hair and slapped her face but Maeve didn't give up. She kicked him with all her strength despite the beatings she was receiving from him.

"I'm going to teach you a lesson." The man ripped off the dress from her now bruised body and started sucking her body viciously, biting her with no remorse.

Maeve cried and tried to resist but he grabbed her hand and pinned it above her head in a way that she was sure would leave bruises on it.

Just as she was about to give up on anyone ever coming to her rescue, someone kicked the door open and a tall man barged in.

"Let her go." His voice sounded angry as he stared at the man who was about to molest Maeve with bloodlust in his eyes.

Maeve looked up to find her savior standing there. His sapphire blue eyes glowed brightly in the dimly lit room.

There was still hope for her after all.