I. Betrayal

"Jex!" My slavekeeper, Chike, a young man in his mid thirties called me over. He stroked his stubbly blonde beard and then spoke: "The Emperor requires a slave to play with his Highness. As the last time an untrained slave played with the Prince it did not end well I have decided you shall do. Do not disappoint."

Chike was kind but often stern. I nodded and bowed my head slightly.

"His Highness shall await you in the Orchid Garden."

"Yes, sir."

The Orchid Garden was one of the most beautiful places in the palace. It was there to represent the entire power of the Xolan Empire. The Orchid was the Imperial Flower, so it was only natural there would be a garden filled entirely with the flower.

I was taken to the garden by one of the Imperial Guard and pushed into a somewhat uncomfortable position on my knees. The scent of orchids filled my nose and I was kicked in the side. "Stand," ordered a rough voice.

The more superior slavekeepers were less kind than Chike and often took advantage of slaves like myself. It was something I'd gotten used to a while ago.

I followed this command quickly with a bow and kept looking at the floor.

"Is this my new toy? Does it play properly?”

“Yes, your Highness. You shall not be disappointed.”

“Very good,” answered the Prince gleefully, clapping his hands. “Then you may go. I can play with him on my own.”

There was silence for a few minutes and I wondered what was going on before I was asked to look up. The Imperial Crown Prince Raxikolys of Xola was staring at me, as if he recognized me from somewhere but could still not place where. He was ten years old and would, one day, inherit the throne of the entire empire. His hair was raven coloured and cut to just above the length of his ears, as was customary for boys of his age. After a minute he grinned at me.

“I named you. I named you for a panther. Didn’t I?”

“Yes. You Highness named me when I was ten years old and was due to finish my slave training,” I replied.

He looked pleased. “Your name is Jex. It means ‘darkness’ in Old Artecreagan. Did you know that?”

I had to admit I didn’t. My education had not consisted of much more than learning to read and write a little and memorising the names of every member of the Xolan royal family. A Qumian slave is trained in little more than serving and perhaps a slight history of the country he is to work in.

“I want to go and walk in the city. Come with me.”

“Then I should call a litter, your Highness.”

“No. We shall walk.”

The Prince strode away from me purposefully and I had no choice but to follow him. Whilst he had more freedom than most his age, there was one thing the Prince had always been forbidden to do, and this was what he longed to do the most.

Many years ago, there had been another Prince Raxikolys of Xola. He was sickly and did not survive to see his first birthday. This worried the Emperor and Empress very much and as a result, when their second son was born, he was not permitted to walk alone in the city, lest he be injured, killed or harmed in any way.

I was in no position to stop him from doing as he pleased and was therefore forced to allow him to attempt to leave the palace.

“Aren’t you going to come?” he asked me. “Mother said that the Qumian slave market is in town, and it would be so exciting to visit. I have never been.”

He gave me a grin and slipped behind some guards. I was thankful for my low status as they paid me no heed and let me pass.

We were now in the gardens around the front of the palace. The gates were open at the bottom of the slope and a few guards lingered near them. Despite my complaints, the Prince ran for this freedom and was, inevitably, stopped.

I caught up to him a few moments later as he was talking with a guard.

“Now, your Highness knows full well that you are not permitted to walk in the city. At least, not without a full armed escort,” the guard told him. “If so desired I could call a litter for your Highness.”

Raxikolys scowled at him, screwed his face up and started bawling. He let tears fall down his face as he fell to the ground. This usually worked to earn him whatever it was he desired.

The crying subsided after a few minutes. “I want to go to town!” he screamed. “I want to go walking in the town right now!” He kicked the guard and ran past.

I stood to one side until one of the guards grabbed me. “Find his Highness. Find him and protect him in the city and bring him back as fast as you are able.” He released me, pushing me out the gate into the city.

The Prince was sitting in front of the palace at the bottom of a marble column engraved with blossoms. He looked quite proud of himself. “Are you going to come into town with me?”

“Yes, your Highness.”

He jumped up and pulled at my arm. “Follow me.” Raxikolys hurried down the stairs and into the bustling crowd. I went after him.

In any town in Xola, a rich little noble boy wandering around with his slave was not an uncommon sight. People would have paid little to no attention to us had there not been a shining golden circlet inlaid with diamonds nestled in his hair. There was whispering and a few of the smaller children pointed until their parents moved them along.

“Your Highness?” I asked quietly.

“Yes?” He was looking over a market stall. The merchant in charge looked somewhat confused and frightened.

“Perhaps we should return to the palace? Before your lord father discovers that you have run out into the town despite knowing you are not to.”

“No,” he replied, and pointed at something in the stall. “I want that. Did you bring any gold?”

“Uh...no, your Highness…”

“Oh.” He pouted a little. “I really want that.”

I felt a small touch of guilt. Obviously the merchant did too, or perhaps he just didn’t want an upset prince at his stall because he quickly offered him a free doll. He took this happily and handed it to me.

“This is fun,” Raxikolys told me.

“I’m glad you are enjoying yourself, your Highness.”

He nodded and prodded a passing citizen. “Tell me where the Qumian slave market is,” he ordered.

Perhaps it was because he wore the circlet, but the man fell to one knee. “In the market square at the end of this street...your Highness.”

Raxikolys walked in the direction he’d been told. “Give him silver and thank him for his service!” he shouted at me.

I did as I was bid. “Apologies for his Highness’ behavior. He is not used to the town,” I told him, handing the man several silver coins. I gave the man a quick nod and then hurried to follow the Prince.

“Do you want to see the slave market?” he asked me when I caught up with him.

I wondered about this before answering. I had been born into the slave trade, and this was the very market that had sold me. Did I really wish to see the people who had doomed me into this life once again?

“Only if you wish me to, your Highness.”

“I do,” he answered, moving ahead.

The slave market was large and filled with wealthy buyers. They were shouting out prices at the auctions for each slave. The Prince looked excited by this crowd and squeezed his way through. His size enabled him to pass without much notice.

“Jex! Hurry!”

“Yes, your Highness. May I suggest calming down or you may attract some unwanted attention?” It was harder for me to follow him in the crowd. Nobles do not appreciate slaves pushing past them.

One of them stopped me. “Who do you think you are to touch me like that, slave?” she asked angrily.

I bowed my head, not permitted to respond without word from my master. The noblewoman pushed me to the floor with a harsh kick and turned her head away. “Impertinent,” she muttered, sniffing disdainfully.

“How dare you speak to my slave like that! How dare you treat him like that! He has done nothing but attempt to obey his master. I’ll have you apologise to him,” Raxikolys exclaimed, bursting through the crowd to see what had been taking me so long. “No one is to treat my slaves like that!”

She looked surprised and scowled a little. “I am Lady Seress of Trors and I shall not tolerate such behaviour! Especially not from a little boy such as yourself. You may be the son of some other high lord but I shall not accept this from anyone!” She snorted a little. “Not even yourself!”

The rest of the slave market had halted momentarily to watch this discussion taking place. Arguments in the market were not unusual, but never between a grown woman and a child. Even the children of the highest lords knew when to speak and when to remain silent.

“I’ll have Father execute you if necessary. Apologise to my slave!”

“I don’t care who your father is. Despite whichever position he may hold I am one of the most powerful women in Xola.”

There was a sudden bustle and one of the Royal Guard patrolling the streets stormed through. “What’s going on here?” he demanded.

The Prince looked more relieved to see a familiar face. Or at least one that would acknowledge him as the heir to the throne.

Lady Seress was giving the guard her own side of the story. Raxikolys looked bored as he waited for his own turn impatiently. Waiting for things was not something he ever needed to do. He grew tired after a couple of minutes and starting talking to the guard, interrupting the lady.

“Have this woman apologise to my slave,” he ordered. “I want to go home. I want the litter this time. Please.” His voice was full of fear although he was trying his hardest to act like he was comfortable with the situation.

The guard turned to him now and recognised the Prince. He bowed low and sent commands to other guards quickly. “Of course, your Highness. Lady Seress of Trors shall apologise to the slave immediately.”

Raxikolys looked quite pleased by this but Lady Seress did not. A lady of her standing would never have had to apologise to a slave before in her life. In fact, she would probably not to do it ever again.

“My most sincere apologies, slave. I was not aware you were attending to someone as prominent as his Highness. He is surely lucky to have a slave as obedient as yourself. My apologies again.”

I was, for the first time in my life, curtsied to and given a formal apology. Lady Seress gave another quick curtsy to the Prince and stormed away angrily with her own slave beside her.

He sat down on the floor and waited until the litter arrived. It soon did and he climbed on happily. “I want Jex up here,” he added.

The guards looked at each other, then one of them pushed me forwards onto the litter. I did as I was bid and sat opposite the Prince. He grinned at me. “This was fun. I did enjoy it. Perhaps we shall come out again sometime.”

“I also enjoyed my time with your Highness. Shall I return this doll?” I offered him the doll from the market stall and he took it.

“Thank you. I may never be allowed to go out like that again, so I will keep this doll for always to remember what fun this day was. Thank you, Jex.” He seemed happier than I had ever seen him before.

We were returned to the palace. The Emperor had called for his son and daughter to come to dinner, so the Prince left me with another exclamation of thanks and I was sent back to my quarters where Chike praised me for my work and returned me to work.

I was content that night for the first night in years. Prince Raxikolys was kind and spoke to me as if I were of his own status. I liked him a lot, more than I usually liked people, because he showed me respect and he was the first friend I had ever had.

 

* * * 

 

The next few years of my life passed in a blur. I was sent to clean rooms or cook food or to take care of children born to other slaves. But I never forgot that day with the Prince, and longed to be called to play with him once more.

It was four years before my chance came.

Chike called me over again. “I need you to go and occupy the Prince for a while. The Emperor asked for someone to play with him. Go, be respectful and whatever you did last time to please him so much, do that.”

I myself was excited for the moment, recalling my last meeting with his Highness. Upon reaching him I bowed and then spoke. “Your Highness, what would you like to do this day? We may walk to town if you so wish.”

“Who are you to speak to me like that? You will kneel in my presence and you will keep your head down until I say so,” he answered in a somewhat contemptuous manner. “No, I do not wish to walk to town. I don’t understand why my father insists on sending me playmates. I am fourteen after all. Look at me when you respond. It is much ruder than anything you have done so far not to look at someone of a higher status, such as myself, when you speak with them.”

I raised my head. Prince Raxikolys was sitting down on a bench opposite me with a slave girl on his lap. His hair had grown longer and was now cut below his ears in a messy shock of thick black hair. The circlet remained but it was a new one, larger, with more gems decorating it and patterns etched in the metal. He had a lazy smile on his face and looked contented. “I don’t need you to ‘play’ with me. Father bought me slave girls. They can entertain me as I much as I desire.”

As if in response to this the one on his lap planted a kiss on his neck. He smirked a little. “I believe ‘yes, your Highness’ would be an appropriate response now.”

“Yes, your Highness,” I answered. He was more frightening now, and certainly seemed much more threatening. Something had happened to him between last time and now and I did not like it much. People change, but I had never imagined it would be this much or this soon.

“What’s your name, slave?” he asked me.

“Jex. Your Highness named me. When I was eleven. It means ‘darkness’. I-”

“Yes, I am aware of what it means. Or do you think I haven’t been educated? And of course I named you. My sister doesn’t have the honor of naming slaves yet. I am the Imperial Crown Prince, not her.” He shifted slightly in his seat to adjust the slave girl’s position on his lap.

He didn’t remember me anymore. Not even from four years ago. I bowed my head in respect and hoped he would leave me alone. He didn’t.

“You have been trained well. I’d almost recommend you to Father for my cortège. But I think twenty nine is large enough for the moment. Father says I should tell him which slaves I would like.” He considered it. “Leiye, should I keep him?”

She did not respond. Obviously she was not intended to do so because he put his hand over her mouth. “I think I might keep you. But not now. Not yet. Maybe in a few years. I believe you would rather go visit my sister. She may need someone to play with, considering her age.”

“Yes, your Highness.”

“Mmm. Undoubtably she still plays with dolls. I don’t know. I do not go see her very often. She is somewhat vexing. Anyway, go play with her now.”

This curt dismissal was unexpected, but I did as I was told and left to find Princess Cherina. She was, at this time, eleven years old and still retained a sense of childish happiness that enabled her to imagine being away from everything that was going on around her.

They called her the Princess of Flowers.

“My lady?”

She smiled when she saw me. “You’re here to play with me, aren’t you? Come, sit and you can have whatever doll you’d like.”

I sat beside her, which I would never have been allowed to do ordinarily. “My lady, are you sure? What sort of game would you like to play?”

“I play with dolls. What is your name?”

“Jex, my lady.”

“My brother named you, with a name like that. Did Father send you?”

“No, my lady. Your lord brother sent me.”

Cherina nodded at this. “He has been doing so a lot lately. Now, you may play with this doll.” She handed me a doll which I recognised. “Do you like it?”

I did like the doll very much. It reminded me of all that time I had spent with the Prince in the city. After all, it was the same doll that street merchant had given his Highness when the two of us had gone out. “I do,” I answered, starting to feel unhappy.

“Oh, well you can have it then. My brother wanted to throw it out because he said he’d grown too old for it. He said he didn’t want it anymore and so I could have it. Raxikolys gives me everything he doesn’t want anymore and everything he’s broken, like that doll. Or whenever ‘his Imperial Highness’ is not pleased by what his loving subjects sent him.”

This statement made me shiver a little. To think that someone had promised something as beautiful as eternal friendship and then break that oath so easily hurt me. It hurt a lot and was not something I had ever experienced before.

“For example,” she continued. “On his birthday the people of Xola honored the day with great celebration. They sent him many gifts, such as this ball game set. He did not like it. My brother dislikes most things that are not exorbitant. He therefore gave me the gifts he did not like and had the slaves write letters of appreciation to the few citizens whose gifts he had actually enjoyed.”

We played dolls for hours and she did not mind once that I was too old to play or that I was simply not good enough. She only offered me words of praise regarding my lack of skill in the subject.

In fact, we were only stopped by the Emperor himself appearing in the Princess’ bedroom. I was taken by surprise and had to bow quickly. It caused the Emperor some amusement and he laughed. “Come, rise now, boy. If my daughter likes you then so do I. She has excellent judgement.”

I looked up and smiled. Emperor Keysil was not cruel either, especially not when it came to his children and I had almost forgotten this.

Raxikolys followed him in and sat sprawled on a sofa uninvited. He snapped his long, neatly manicured fingers at a slave girl and ordered her to fan him. “Father desires to speak with you, Cherina, so leave your stupid slave alone. Besides, I want him.”

“Then why did you send him away?”

“I do not need a slave to play with. I am much too old for one. And I’m the Imperial Crown Prince, so I can have him by default.”

“You are so monotonous, Raxikolys.”

“Silence or I’ll have Fa-” He stopped himself mid-sentence, scowled and looked angry with himself. “Slave girl! Faster!” he ordered to detract attention from himself. “I had my personal slaves spend three hours making my hair this perfect and it needs airing. Faster.”

Keysil laughed again. “Settle down. And you,” he turned back to me. “You’re welcome to stay whilst I talk with my daughter.”

I nodded, moving away from them and standing to a corner of the room.

“Cherina. You are eleven years old.”

“Yes.”

“Father’s going to marry you off,” Raxikolys sneered at her. “I’m not being married off because-”

“Because you’re the Imperial Crown Prince. Yes, I know,” Cherina finished for him. “I don’t want to be married off, Father. Not yet.”

“No, Cherina. I shan’t have you married off until you’re older. I only wished to inform you that the King of Raemi expressed an interest in marrying you to his son, Prince Lorraine. He is thirteen at the moment, so age wise it is an excellent match. But no, I shall not betroth you until you’re older.”

He gave Cherina a smile and started on his way out. “Raxikolys, you have a lesson to attend now. Regarding how to deal with petitions. The slaves will bring you food for your Low Sun meal in the Throne Hall, where you shall take this lesson.”

“I am not in the mood for lessons at the moment,” answered Raxikolys. “Have Cherina take them whilst I spend my day with my slave girls and their newer skills.  I had to have them retrained. How dare you buy me untrained slave girls! In future all my slave girls shall be fully trained to please me and only me before they are given to me. Is that understood?”

“Yes, Raxikolys. And all your lessons shall be taken by you and only you because your sister may not take your lesson as she is not due to become the Emperor of Xola. You, on the other hand, are the Imperial Crown Prince, as you love to say so much. You shall inherit the throne one day so you have to take lessons in ruling. And I shall buy you a new slave girl.”

He frowned a bit. “Very well, Father. Risel said slave girls from the South of Qumi are the best. I want one of those,” he was saying as he followed the Emperor out. “Why don’t I have one of those yet?”

“You should go…” Cherina muttered. “I probably have lessons too. Keep the doll.” She smiled and let me leave. I did as she bid me and started on my way back to the slave chambers.

I passed the Throne Hall on my way. Prince Raxikolys was sitting on the Throne like he would when he was Emperor and was picking at the pheasant he’d been brought with an annoyed look on his face even though they’d allowed him to keep his slave girl with him. He noticed my passing and gave me a quick glance decorated with a condescending smirk.

Chike sent me straight to bed as there was a lot of work I had to do the following day. My bed was little more than a mat on the ground but it was better than some slaves had. At least the Emperor was kind to us.

I lay awake for hours thinking about my day. I felt betrayed. I had been betrayed. I looked at the doll in my hands. It was covered in rips and gashes. It was like an aged warrior covered in battle wounds.

This had been a sign of friendship between us. Now it was nothing. There was no friendship left.