[Tiki Time]

Just a Consort - Continued

When Amalia opened her eyes, she was just a child again, sleeping in her tiny cot with a matted up blanket. She was being shaken awake, "Get up you miserable child! The day is nearly gone and you haven't done any of your chores!" She felt the sting of a slap across her face.

Grimacing, she nodded, "Y-yes father! I'm up! I'm up!" She practically sprung out of the bed and ran out of the room in nothing but her sleepwear. She fled outside of the house quickly, without bothering so stop to put her shoes on. The light from the sun nearly blinded her and the heat of the cobblestones burned her bare feet.

She took a glance to the farmhouse, and then another glance out towards the street. I could just keep running...he probably wouldn't notice I was gone for at least an hour and by then...maybe he couldn't find me. She stared longingly in the distance and then shook her head and fled to do her chores. Quickly, quickly~.

Before she knew it the daylight was nearly gone. She took a moment to glance up to the sky which was beautiful with its multiple colors. It was orange, blue, purple, and pink...that perfect time in the evening when the sun was in just~ the right spot to light up the sky in such a magnificent way. She paused and smiled, I could stare at you for hours...

"Are you done yet?!" Her thoughts were interrupted by a shout. She cringed a bit and finished up the last bit of her chores, "Yes! I'm done!"

She came running inside to see her father sitting at the dining table. His plate was empty and the servants were no where to be seen. She frowned a bit, knowing this meant everyone had already eaten.

"Fetch yourself some food, Amalia." His voice was firm and commanding, but not quite as angry as it had been previously. He was always kinder when his tummy was full. She nodded obediently and went to fetch herself a bowl of stew.

As she grabbed a stool and stood over the pot, she saw that it was nearly all gone. There was less than half an inch of liquid left, and only a handful of vegetables...no meat. Chewing at the bottom of her lip, she scooped what little was left into her bowl and went to sit by her father at the dining table. I can't wait until I'm out of here...until I'm grown up all big and strong. He treats me like a slave but I'm not one...I can still have a life after this. I just have to be good so he doesn't sell me, I just have to do what he says and -

"You're lucky, you know." His voice interrupted her thoughts.

Lucky...I don't feel lucky. But she simply smiled and nodded, keeping her head down as she gobbled up the last of the stew. It was thicker than it should be, and it tasted like it had been terribly burnt...but it was better than nothing at all.

"You're a very beautiful little girl, Amalia. You know what that means, don't you?"

She shook her head a bit, not sure where he was going with this, but she didn't want to say the wrong thing.

He gave her one of his disgusting smiles, "It means you have one of two fates before you, my dear girl. You will be married off to the wealthiest prospect, or you will be sold off to the highest bidder. You will be a free, married woman with a purpose...or a very famous and desired courtesan." He laughed loudly, his beer belly shaking as he did so.

He's been drinking again... She simply nodded again, "Yes father. I'll be good, I promise. You don't have to sell me."

The man scoffed a bit, "Be good, eh? Like you were this morning? Sleeping the daylight away?"

She simply looked down at the table, don't say anything to antagonize him, just nod and smile and say 'yes father', "Yes, father...I was bad, father..."

"You weren't bad, you were useless. What man would want you for a wife if you cannot even do your chores reliably? If you don't want me to sell you, you need to make yourself useful. It's your choice, Amalia. You will be useful or used."

"I will be useful, I promise." I don't want to be a courtesan...I won't be a courtesan. I'll be good and he won't sell me. He'll see how useful I am, I'll make him proud. Now...get up slowly...and go to bed.

Her knees were weak as she rose from the table. She knew he'd been drinking, and when he'd been drinking, anything could set him off. "G-good night, father...I won't sleep late again."

As she walked past him, she felt a heavy hand upon her back. It was so forceful that she stumbled forward onto her knees. Her large, stocky father stood up and loomed over her. "You will sleep outside tonight so the sun wakes you! Sleep in again and you'll be shipped off to the nearest whore-house!"

She closed her eyes tightly to hold back the tears, scrambled to her feet and fled outside. She curled up on the ground, shivering and crying. Her fathers words rang in her ears as she went to sleep, "You will be useful or used. ...You will make a famous and desirable courtesan...You'll be shipped off to the nearest whore-house".

When she finally awoke and opened her eyes, she was covered in sweat, sprawled out upon the floor of her meditation room.