Lora

Maeve woke up feeling refreshed for the first time in a long time. She had no nightmares throughout the night and despite being in an unknown place, she felt comfortable.

The sun's rays were peaking through the gaps in the velvet curtains hanging delicately above the window.

Elvina was still sleeping soundly beside Maeve. She spent so much time tending to Maeve while she was unconscious that her energy was completely depleted by the time they went to bed.

"May I come in?" Someone called out from the door.

"Yes."

A middle-aged woman dressed as a maid walked into the room dragging a clothing rack behind her.

"Good morning, miss." She curtsied lightly.

"Uh, good morning to you too," Maeve said confusedly.

Noticing the confusion imprinted on Maeve's face, the woman spoke up again. "The king asked me to bring you two changes of clothes." She pointed to the rack beside her. "Your bath has already been prepared in the room next door."

"Th- thank you." Maeve stuttered. Her chest tightened at the thought of becoming a mistress to the King of Azar. Despite wanting to give him the benefit of the doubt, rumors about how ruthless he is planted seeds of fear in her.

"And what about her?" The woman pointed to the sleeping Elvina.

"Is it alright if we let her rest some more?" Maeve asked.

"Of course."

The warm smile the woman gave Maeve made her feel more relaxed and less tense about the whole mistress' situation.

Maeve followed the woman to the bathroom and immediately took off her clothes to get into the bath. The water was hot rather than warm, and the burning sensation relaxed her and loosened her stiff joints.

The woman sat on a stool next to the bath and began combing Maeve's hair. The way she handled her hair was so soft and delicate that Maeve couldn't help but lean back and close her eyes.

"Your hair... I've never seen anything like it." The woman started a conversation.

"I know. My hair color isn't normal after all- it's freaky." Maeve whispered the last part. Her insecurities about her hair were already coming out.

"Oh dear, who told you such a thing? Your hair is unique, yes, but also very lovely. You should be proud of it."

Tears streamed down Maeve's face after hearing the woman's words. The last time she felt good about her hair was when her mother was still alive but the woman's words struck a chord within her.

"Now now, bend your head for me."

The woman washed Maeve's hair without saying anything about her crying. She silently understood what Maeve was going through so her silence alone was comforting.

"What is your name?" She asked once Maeve had calmed down.

"Maeve."

"What a lovely name you have."

"Thank you," Maeve shyly said, "And you? What's your name?"

"You can call me Lora."

Their light chatter made Maeve completely forget all her troubles. She felt safe in Lora's presence.

"Why are you being kind to me?" Maeve finally asked.

Lora paused what she was doing and zoned out a bit before replying. "For some reason, you remind me of my twin sister... besides, who wouldn't want to be nice to a sweetheart like you."

Even though she tried to hide it, Maeve could hear the sadness in Lora's voice so she decided to divert the topic away from her sister. "Can you bake? I've always wanted to learn how to but I was restricted to only my chambers."

"Chambers? Are you from a noble family Maeve? I heard you were taken in the gathering and if that's the case we need to alert your family somehow."

"There's no need to alert them, I'm sure they're happy I'm gone."

Lora was speechless after that, she didn't want to say anything that would upset Maeve. The two were fond of each other but not to the extent where they wanted to open up old wounds and speak up. They both avoided topics of their past.

Lora finished up with Maeve's bath in silence and they both went to the dressing room.

Nearly every wall in the room was made of mirror, there were large yellow curtains by the window, a large dresser with all sorts of ointments and creams, and wardrobes that were empty.

"By this evening, the wardrobes will have clothes in them," Lora said once she saw Maeve staring at them.

"Okay." 

"Which of these dresses would you like to wear?" 

Maeve was hit with deja vu, Lora's words reminded her of the woman and the brothel and the unholy dresses they made her wear. She braced herself to see even worse dresses but ended up stunned. "They're... normal?" 

Lora laughed out loud at Maeve's reaction and confusion. "Only women at the brothel wear revealing clothes, the rest of us dress normally so don't be surprised."

"I'm glad." Maeve heaved a sigh of relief.

The dresses before her were similar to the ones at Meltem, the only difference was that the arms, chest, and shoulder areas were slightly exposed.

'I'm glad they have more coverage.' She said to herself.

Much like last time, there were no black dresses so she had to settle for a white one, the least colorful dress on the rack.

The dress she chose was long and slim with a golden belt by the waist, the arms had a long slit cut on it while her neck was bare due to the off-shoulder design. She loved how it looked on her and how the color suited her.

"Is it alright if I ask for white dresses only?" Maeve asked without taking her eyes off the mirror.

"Why would you want only white dresses?"

"For the last nine years, I've worn only black dresses and I guess that isn't really allowed here for young girls so white is the next best option."

Despite wanting to ask why Maeve wore only black dresses for years, Lora controlled her inquisitive nature. "I'll arrange for the white dresses but we'll throw some colored ones in the mix in case a need arises."

"That's fine by me, thank you." Maeve smiled.

"You don't have to say thank you all the time."

Lora stared down at Maeve as she dried her hair, even though they only knew each other for a few hours, she felt a deep connection with her, and the conversation they had made her realize she had suffered greatly in her life.

'This poor girl.'