I'm Your Little Harlot

Relief flooded Levana at her sympathetic words. “Back to Abdera.” The red head responded softly, noticing the other girl’s eyes flick towards the clock and Levana realised she was probably intruding. “I’m sorry- you don’t have to help me if you’re busy.”

Yvaine nodded, relieved to hear that. From the sounds of it the conversations had just been innocent little talks about things they had in common. Nothing of importance. Nothing of politics and what Tristan’s plans were. “An orphan boy? How do you know for sure that he will keep this quiet? Did you pay him off?” That seemed like the type of thing Tristan would do. Killing him would be a better plan. He was an orphan. No one would miss him or even notice he was gone for that matter. Their secret would remain a secret forever that way. No risk of loose lips spreading the news about their relationship. She rose a brow at her question. Months? The coronation had not been that long ago and yet it had been months since the two had last spoken? Maybe the two were not as close as Yvaine thought they were. “He was seriously injured in the attack but he will make a full recovery.” Hopefully. “We are hopefully going to be married very soon actually. As soon as he is well enough.”

Roderik looked directly at her as she began to examine his face. He winced occasionally as she touched the tender areas around his bruises and cuts. “Do you have medical training? ” he smiled softly. It had been ages since he practiced his medical training and yet he knew every herb and remedy still. He sat up slowly and shrugged his shirt loose. He was injured and the movement pained him. He groaned, ceasing all movement. “Will you please undress me?” He had to chuckle softly at the circumstances he could get himself in. “I think I got stabbed but I’m not sure. I do know for certain that it wasn’t iron….faerie.” He added in case she had any doubts. His body ached with every breath but the sting and burn of iron was nowhere to be felt.

“I assure you that I would not mind if you slept with my fiancé or not. As long as you did not conceive a child. What he does to express his manly needs is not my business.” Yvaine looked around the room, not sure what she had been expecting. This of course was the first time she had ever set foot into a prostitute’s room. “I think there is much to tell about this friendship of yours. For one what did you two discuss?” What exactly did she know about her fiancé? “Secondly who else knows about this friendship besides Tristan, you, and I?”

Lilli was surprised at the noble womans response to her assurance that she hadn’t slept with Tristan, she had expected relief not the nonchalance that the other woman had about it. It suddenly dawned on Lilli that in all the time Tristan and her had spent together he hadn’t really talked about his fiance, she didn’t even know her name. “We don’t really discuss anything of consequence, we just talk about shared hobbies or interests” Lilli was uncomfortable with going in detail, the whole point of their encounters was that there was trust there. Trust that the other wouldn’t run around blabbing about the details of what they had spoken about. “No one else except an orphan boy in one of the towns though he knows to keep it a secret, that was a deal that Tristan and I had from the beginning. I’m aware of the damage that could be done to him should knowledge of our friendship spread and I have no interest in hurting him” she replied truthfully. Actually speaking of Tristan being hurt... “Is Tristan alright? it seems I haven’t spoken to him in months and at first I wasn’t all that worried but then the attack happened and well...I just haven’t heard any news regarding him and I’ve become quite worried.”

The injured fae shuddered as she helped him. He stumbled further into the room, struggling to keep himself upright. “It’s best you don’t know what happened.” He groaned as he sat on the bed. “I shouldn’t be here. My room it’s next door” Roderik was breathing heavily as he struggled to remain seated. “I deserved it.” He winced and tried to stand up. Once upright his eyes widened as the room began to spin.

Lilli shook her head as she watched him stand in an attempt to return to his room, the man looked as if he’d been beaten almost to death...he was stubborn that was for sure. She quickly walked over to where her bag was situated in the corner and grabbed the small case of healing potions and poultices that she possessed, she moved over to where the man was now laying on his back on the bed “No one deserves to be beaten this badly” she replied to his assurance that he had earned the beating. She nearly missed when the man mentioned that he was a pirate as she was caught up in setting the things to heal him on the bedside table but it caused her to pause a moment, she had nothing against pirates but one who had gotten into trouble wasn’t exactly the ideal kind of person to have in your room. He was here now, she had to help him. After she set everything out she turned to really look at him as he lay strewn across her bed, well he could remember his name that was a good sign. “My name’s Lilli” she replied simply. Without warning the girl reached out and began to gently examine his face, her fingers softly brushing over every cut and bruise as she counted them. It was bad but he would survive, the real problems probably lay around his chest. "I realize we’ve only just met but in order for me to properly take care of you I need to see the full extent of damage...meaning I need for you to remove your shirt or if you are unable to, let me remove it” The whore doubted that, being a pirate, he had a problem with removing his shirt but she at least wanted to let him know what was happening rather than just ripping the shirt off of him.

“Well, everyone has to start somewhere.” Elara said kindly. “It wasn’t too long ago that I didn’t even know how to throw a punch. Why don’t you get into your starting position, and we can branch off from what your old teacher showed you.”

Lilli nodded, grateful that this woman seemed to have patience. She did as the other woman instructed and got into her starting position “Thank you for this, I really appreciate it. I’m Lilli by the way, what’s your name?”

Yvaine looked the woman over, taking in her appearance. She was pretty. That was obvious. Maybe that was what attracted her fiancé to the woman. Prettiness was something people were attracted to. It was also something that could get someone to go far in life if only they played their cards right. Obviously this girl had played hers perfectly if she was able to befriend a king. “The same Lilli Auvray that befriended my fiancé King Tristan of Orilion? I was wondering if you could tell me more about this friendship of yours. It is not every day that a king befriends a whore.”

Lilli shifted uncomfortably as the womans stare put her somewhat on edge, she knew that Tristan had a fiance but with him not being a client and her not having slept with him she had just assumed, obviously wrongly, that she would never have to worry about the other woman. “Tristan and I are friends yes, there isn’t much to tell. We met one day and for whatever reason we discovered we got along” Lilli paused a moment before adding “We’re not sleeping together if you’re worried about that, he has never been and has never expressed an interest in becoming a client of mine.”

In your life, you meet people. Some you never think about again. Some, you wonder what happened to them. There are some that you wonder if they ever think about you. And then there are some you wish you never had to think about again. But you do.

Don’t touch me, I said, because I can’t handle someone being good to me.

Some old wounds never truly heal, and bleed again at the slightest word.

Lilli’s eyes widened and her hand flew to cover her mouth as she took in the mans state, it looked to her as though he had been beaten within an inch of his life. It was lucky for him, she supposed, that it had been her door he had stumbled into it, having had similar experiences herself she knew at least the basics of how to help and had all the tools to do so in her bag.

“Oh, no need to be forgiven.” Elara smiled, blowing some loose hair out of her eyes. “I’d love to, I myself was looking for a partner. What skill level would you classify yourself as?”

Lilli was put at ease by the warmth of the other womans greeting “Not very high I’m afraid, I’d say I’m just above beginner in what I know though I believe my technique lacks a certain finesse. I used to train with someone but she has yet to show up for months now, because of that my training has come to a kind of stand still”

Yvaine vaguely remembered her fiancé Tristen mentioning a woman that he had been close to. A quite unusual friendship from her understanding. How else would you describe the friendship that her fiancé told her about? A friendship between a king and a lady of the night? It was improper and she could just imagine the gossip if it had gotten around. From what she knew it hadn’t and she would prefer to keep it that way. It took a bit of persuading before he finally told her the woman’s name and where she worked. Of course that had been before the coronation and what had occurred there. At first she wasn’t going to go see her but the curiosity got the better of her. What exactly did this woman know? What exactly had Tristan said to her? Making sure that her cloak covered her face, she entered the inn. After finding out what room she was in, she headed upstairs and entered. “No. I do not have an appointment. Are you Lilli Auvray?”

Lilli felt curiosity and caution in equal measure, a woman, a high born woman by the looks of her cloak, seeking her out by name was rarely ever a good thing. If the woman had been a guard the whore would have been put more at ease due to the simple fact that she would have known why that guard was there, this womans intentions were unclear and that unnerved Lilli slightly. On more than one occasion the girl had received visits from angry wives or fiances, this time she didn’t have a man outside the door just in case jealousy or anger boiled over and she was struck “Yes I am, is there something I can help you with?” 

That morning, Levana had thought an adventure was a good idea, after many anxious weeks hiding inside the castle with very little company outside the sick rooms she’d been working at she felt guilty about leaving but she hadn’t had a break in a long time and the physicians insisted they would be fine. But wandering around in a foreign city appeared to be more difficult than she thought and the werewolf quickly lost her way. “An appointment?” Levana asked, searching her surroundings trying to figure out where she was. “Uh no, I was just looking for some help… I need to get back to the portal but I have no idea where I am.”

If Lilli was honest with herself she was somewhat glad that it had not been the client she had been expecting, she was in a rather strange mood today and it always took more effort to act with her clients when she was like this. Listening to the girls words her eyes flicked to the clock, she still had some time at least before her patron was due to show up. “I found myself in the same situation many a time when I first started travelling, now I feel as though I know where every portal is by heart. I could help you, where is it that you wish to go?”

Elara was spending some of her free time keeping up her fighting skills, practicing in the courtyard when she heard someone coming up behind her.

“Forgive me, I didn’t mean to startle you. The person I usually train with has decided not to show up today it seems, I was just wondering if perhaps you could help me out and train with me today?”

I’m doing badly, I’m doing well; whichever you prefer.