Mira laid on top of the prison’s rooftop until the sun peaked over the horizon. She scanned the flyer advertising a tournament in the capital in a few weeks. The exhausted guards that searched the city nearly gave up last night, but still walked the streets with tired eyes. When she heard the new duke’s voice berate the men that were in charge of watching her, she decided to slink back into the cell. She watched the vein on his forehead bulge as he screamed profanities at the three men. They didn’t notice her until Thesson entered the room and she smiled politely at him.
“You said she escaped?” Thesson huffed.
“Yes! Clearly, she –” The duke pointed to what was once an empty cell.
“Hello, Duke Wenston,” She said softly, “Sorry. I was needed elsewhere last night. I promised to return once my business concluded.”
He gripped his beard in frustration, “How did you get out?”
Mira pointed to the window casually with bars pried apart. The duke yelled in frustration at her until Thesson stepped in.
“Duke Wenston,” He placed a hand on the dwarf’s chest, “Perhaps we should be grateful that she decided to come back here. After all, the queen won’t hear of how she escaped from Berkshire. Again.”
“Are you threatening me?” He narrowed his eyes.
“No. I’m merely stating that if she wanted to be free,” He pointed to the window, “She would not have returned.”
“Thesson, I promised I would accompany you,” She nodded, “Did you worry I wouldn’t keep my word?”
“Your word?” The duke’s word shook the paintings on the wall, “You expect me to believe the word of a criminal?”
“No,” She stood and held her arms through the bars to be cuffed again, “But Thesson does.”
“And why would that be?” He sneered at the man, “What nonsense has happened here?”
“If she truly wanted to be free,” Thesson lowered his voice, “Then all my men, and yours, would be dead. Let’s not forget what happened to Sterling.”
He scoffed, “Get her out of my city and never come back.”
“Gladly,” He nodded and waited for Mira to step from the cell, “I’ve secured us passage to Hangral. Are you ready to leave?”
“Yes. My things should be aboard the ship by now,” She nodded.
“I didn’t even tell you what –”
“You did not need to tell me. My things will be there.”
The angry mob from the night before was nowhere to be seen. Stragglers from the night’s bar crawl wobbled through the streets and slurred curses at the sun. Guards surrounded Mira as they walked the few blocks to the docks. Ameythst and Val stood together to greet her.
“Val, send three to Vimgraunt with half of the loot,” Mira commanded, “Have them find their way to Hangral after taking care of things there.”
She pulled a neatly folded letter from her pocket and handed it to the woman. Val looked over it curiously.
“This is for High Priestess Nara,” She nodded, “Along with half of the supplies.”
“Yes, Leader,” Val bowed and rushed from sight.
“And this should be mailed to Hangral,” Mira handed another neatly folded letter to Amethyst, “See that it arrives before we do.”
“Yes, my lady,” She grinned, “To your friend?”
Mira’s stoic expression didn’t change, “Yes.”
“Why are you allowing her to send letters? What if they contain orders?” Duke Wenston growled.
“Would you care to read them, Duke Wenston?” Mira offered, “They do not contain orders.”
“Yes, I would!” He snatched the letter from Amethyst’s hands and skimmed over it.
The very plain letter for Jonen Lafayette de Sfagroth only had a few lines of text.
Dear Jonen,
You may have heard I will be at Hangral soon. I hope to see you when I am there. I recently arrived in Berkshire and I’m sure word of my travels will make it there before I do. I hope to see you when I arrive.
Your friend, Mira
Mira waited for him to finish the letter, “The other is a private letter between myself and the High Priestess of the Vimgraunt temple. I assume you know that any messages between a person and their chosen temple is confidential.”
“And how do I know it is actually going to the High Priestess?” He grumbled and handed the letter back to Amethyst.
“Write your own letter and see if she replies,” Mira said coldly, “Or do you think the estimated High Priestess Nara Voltain, chosen by Prophetess Renda herself, would lie about such a thing?”
Duke Wenston huffed, “Get out of my city and my duchy. I hope to never see you again.”
“The next time you see me, Duke Wenston,” Mira’s honey-yellow eyes narrowed as she looked at him, “I will remember this.”
He rolled his eyes and waved his guards away. Amethyst tucked the letter into her pocket and bowed to Mira. The small woman sighed and looked to Thesson.
“What boat are we traveling on?”
A caw from the boat next to them caused her ears to perk and she noticed the morningfire bird gripped onto the ship’s railings. Bobabano soon followed and glared at her from the ship’s deck. The name displayed on the boat read Dragonflame.
“The only one willing to take us was –”
“Yes. I understand,” Mira closed her eyes and listened to Encante’s affirming words to her frustration, “Fitting. Let’s get on with it.”
She climbed up the rope ladder and set foot on the deck. Bobabano looked down at her with fury in his eyes and the two stared at each other for a long moment before he spoke.
“Ravenna is on this ship. If you cause her any harm –”
“I will not harm her unless she attempts to harm me first.”
He scowled, “You will be sharing quarters with the other women. I expect that my aunt will keep an eye on you. That is the only reason I allowed this.”
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“You must be Lady Mira,” A yellow orc approached her.
Her skin crawled as the man approached her. He was a powerful mage, but not as much as Amethyst. She examined him carefully as he knelt at her side and reached for her hand. Tiero’s braided locks fell on his shoulder as he pressed his lips against her hand.
“It is an honor to meet you, Lady Mira,” He smiled, “Elder Amethyst has told me that you are her liege. She is a lucky woman to hold that honor.”
She eyed him suspiciously, “And who might you be?”
“I am Shaman Tiero of Cauldronbone,” He stood and looked to Bobabano, “First mate and best friend of Captain Bo.”
“Tiero, you do not need to act so formally,” She gave him a practiced smile as she looked into his muddy red eyes, “You can just call me Mira.”
“Allow me to show you to your quarters,” He nodded, “Unless Captain Bo would like to.”
“I would not,” Bo turned and looked to the men readying the boat for departure, “I have other things to do.”
Mira followed the orc as he approached the captain’s quarters on the main deck. When he opened the door, Ravenna sat up from one of the beds. She smiled softly as she examined Mira.
“Princess Ravenna,” Tiero announced, “This is Lady Mira. Please, allow her to share these quarters with you for our trip to Hangral.”
“Of course,” Ravenna smiled and stood, “They brought in a second bed for you to use. It will be a bit cramped, but there is enough room for both of us. Feel free to make yourself comfortable.”
Mira fisted a hand over her heart in a traditionally orc salute, “Greetings. Please, just call me Mira. I will not take up much space.”
“Amethyst told us about you,” Ravenna pushed her glasses up her nose, “She left a gift in the trunk there.”
Mira frowned then opened the truck. Besides her few personal items, a sparkling blue fabric caught her attention. She picked it up to examine the dress. Ravenna slyly removed her glasses to see the woman’s near future. Her mind filled with images of darkness and blurry motions. She tried to look through the obscuring mist but felt something wrong. When she blinked to clear her vision, Mira’s amber eyes burrowed into her.
“Oh, sorry,” Ravenna blushed, “I’m a Seer. I wanted to know if anything would happen to you on our trip to prepare you.”
“I have not met a Seer in some time,” She folded the dress and placed it back into the trunk, “What did you see?”
“Oddly, nothing,” Ravenna furrowed her brow, “That hasn’t happened before.”
“Interesting,” Tiero grinned, “Have you met your match, Princess Ravenna?”
“Shaman Tiero, I’m not a princess,” She pushed her glasses up her nose, “And, can we drop the formalities?”
“I would not shame you like that,” He bowed, “I will fetch your meal when it is prepared. Would you like it in your cabin, or with the others on the deck?”
“I will take it in the cabin,” Ravenna picked her book back up to read, “Thank you, Shaman Tiero.”
“I will see when it comes,” Mira looked between them.
“Very well.”
“Tiero –” Ravenna paused and switched to orcan, “Should I be worried?”
“No, Lady Ravenna,” Mira switched to their tongue, “As long as you do not attack me, then there is no need to worry.”
The embarrassed orc held the book above her face as Tiero closed the door behind him. Mira studied the small room and gained nothing notable. It wasn’t decorated beyond maps pinned to the wall. The two beds on opposing walls had trunks at the end. A small table with two chairs was crammed into the space between the beds as well with a pile of books between them. Mira walked over to view some titles.
“I did not know you knew orcan,” Ravenna whispered shamefully, “I’m sorry for insulting you.”
Mira said, “I am not insulted. You do not know me. I’m guessing that like other mages, you can sense me as well.”
“No,” She shook her head, “That’s why I wanted to see your future. I wonder why it didn’t work.”
“Interesting,” Encante hummed in her mind, “I wondered if I could block her.”
Mira ran a finger along the stack of books that littered the small table. She read many of them previously, besides the romance novels that her master would have never allowed her to touch. She heard that women liked them if they weren’t satisfied or wanted to reminisce over romantic gestures. She picked one up about a knight and princess and viewed it.
“Have you read that one?” Ravenna asked softly, “It’s a silly trope, but it’s a cute story.”
“No, I wasn’t allowed to read these novels,” She shook her head.
“Do you want to borrow it?” She lifted an eyebrow and adjusted her bun, “It’s going to be over a week until we reach Hangral. It could help kill the time.”
Mira thought of a certain knight she knew, and she put the book back on the table, “No. May I borrow this one about the historical trade routes between Agrowl and Zrud?”
“It’s dry,” She sighed, “But yes. Mother already had me test on those.”
“It must be daunting with the thought of the throne looming over your head.”
Ravenna held the book above her face, “I wished Mother would let my oldest brother and his paramour take the throne. She won’t let any of my brothers go until I have a suitable partner.”
“And how do they feel about it?”
“They understand why I’m… hesitant,” She placed the book on her lap, “Many women want a strong warrior brute. I do not. And Mother would never allow me to claim someone I actually like. What about you, Lady Mira?”
“I haven’t explored suitors,” She drummed her fingers on the table, “In fact, I wasn’t allowed to until… very recently. I’m sure Bobabano has told you of my past.”
“Yes,” She pushed her glasses up her nose, “But you are a freed woman, so that shouldn’t matter. At least not in my eyes.”
“If more of your kind had your ideals, Agrowl may not be suffering from famine,” Mira smiled softly, “You will make a wonderful queen one day, if you stay kind.”
“Queen Quillia was my role model,” She looked away from Mira, “Agrowl thrived under her. Her kindness is well known.”
“To orcs,” She held up a finger, “Not many others.”
“I remember how she treated some thralls,” Ravenna pursed her lips, “I try my hardest to be better. I hope that my family’s history won’t cloud your judgements of me.”
“I hope my past will not cloud your judgements of me,” She nodded.
The door flew open, and a proud Amethyst stepped into the room. As it swung shut behind her, she pointed to Mira’s trunk.
“Did you see the dress?” Amethyst grinned, “Ravenna foresaw me buying it for you.”
“How do you know it fits?”
“You are not much smaller than my wife,” She shrugged, “We can have it taken in once we arrive in Hangral.”
“I do not wear dresses,” She narrowed her eyes, “And stop calling me your lady.”
“You don’t want to be called a lady?” Ravenna opened her book again, “That is curious.”
“Isn’t it?” Amethyst grinned, “She’s too hardheaded, I think. Lady Mira, try the dress on.”
Mira sighed and picked up the sparkling fabric. As she untucked her shirt, Ravenna held a book over her face in embarrassment.
“Lady Mira! I can leave if that would –”
“I do not care,” She threw her shirt onto the bed and unlaced her boots.
After she undressed, she pulled the dress over her head and frowned at it. A plunging neckline showed most of her small breasts and left little guarded. It did, however, frame Encante’s stone nicely. The long sleeves accented her slender arms, and a high slit of the dress’s skirt went to her waist on her left side.
“You look wonderful,” Amethyst grinned, “It’s only a little long on you. When you take off your bindings, and wear heeled shoes, it will be perfect.”
“This does not have enough fabric,” She looked down and frowned.
“It is a traditional Agrowlian style,” Ravenna lowered the book, “It looks fantastic on you. You may even be able to take it in at the waist. You could wear your hair up, too.”
She stood and walked towards Mira. When she didn’t flinch, the orc held out a ribbon to tie the auburn curls on top of her head. Amethyst handed a mirror to the pair and Mira looked at herself.
“You look almost dainty,” Amethyst chuckled, “I forget how small of a human you are sometimes.”
Her emotionless glance reflected back at her and she touched the stone that rested against her chest. She turned to view herself from different angles.
“Your mother would have loved this dress,” Encante whispered to her, “Especially the front. Wear it proudly, Little One.”
She tightened her lips and thought about how others may view her in this dress. Would they treat her differently? She wasn’t used to the attention. Would they have treated her differently if she wore this as a thrall? Then, she thought of her knight and wondered what Jonen would say.
“Where would I wear this?” Mira looked at Amethyst.
“When you exit the ship, of course.”
“Thesson will have me in handcuffs,” She frowned, “Why would I wear this while in handcuffs?”
“Because by then, you will be an honored guest of the Cauldronbone tribe,” She chuckled and turned to the pink orc, “I can already see it happening. Grand announcements as you depart on Bo’s arm.”
Ravenna bit her lip then sat back on the bed, “I do not think Mother would approve.”
“Yteva isn’t here,” She waved the thought away, “Besides, I have a bet with Bobabano. If I win, then Mira will at least be his guest.”
“What, exactly, have you been scheming?” She crossed her arms.
“Nothing you can’t handle,” The woman’s mischievous wink caused Mira to roll her eyes, “You won’t even have to do anything you don’t want to.”
“Auntie,” Ravenna pushed her glasses up her nose, “What makes you so sure?”
“Because Tiero is already working with me,” She winked to Mira, “After all, we have very similar goals.”
“Oh, do you now?” She raised an eyebrow.
Amethyst placed her hand over her heart. Mira knew that’s where the mark that bound her services were.
“Lady Mira, whenever you are ready,” She bowed lightly, “I would like to introduce you to Shaman Tiero, formally.”
A call from outside of their door caused the boat to lurch. Mira grabbed the bedframe next to her to stop herself from toppling over.
“Let me change out of this,” She motioned to the dress, “Then I will be ready.”