"Let's try that one more time."

They had been at it for a few hours now but neither of the girls saw any notable improvements. Rosaline was to meet with the King for the first time the same night and had been practicing bowing to him. Back in her home village, simply tilting her head forward seemed to be enough to plead the masses, but Gertrude insisted she must try to go lower than that. Rosaline nodded at Ruby, who sat before her, her hand hovering close to her empty shoulders. Tensing her abs as hard as she could, she slowly leaned forward, trying not to topple herself over. Satisfied with the angle she had achieved, she tilted her head down to complete her gesture, only to lose her balance again and fall into the waiting arm of her new friend.

"Ugh, I'll never manage to do this." Rosaline muttered, her face buried halfway through Ruby's clothes.

"Come on sweety, you have to keep trying." She groaned slightly as she pushed her upwards again. "Let's do it again."

"Can't you see I can't? It just doesn't work!" She said, moving her shoulders around in frustration. "I'm out of here."  She scowled and, alternatively swinging her hips forward, started walking away from Ruby.

"I just want to help you, Rose. Let me be useful."

"You're being very nice but I'm done, thank you."

From the other side of the room, Maya snickered. Sitting on an enormous embroidered cushion with her legs crossed, she was busy getting her hair brushed by one of their new servants, observing and judging all the while. She dismissed the latter and approached the two girls. Rosaline, hard at work leaving the premises, was still merely a few feet away from Ruby, moving along at a painfully slower pace than any of the other girls.

"You call that walking away? Pathetic." She spat those words with as much hate as she possibly could. 

Ruby's hands closed into fists and she raised her complete arm, pointing one of her three fingers to Maya. "HEY! There's no place for limb shaming in this room. Do I make myself clear?"

"Whatever you say, claw hands." 

Her strides were long and elegant. Whenever she walked, Rosaline's stomach knotted, as if taken over by vertigo when she looked up at her towering body. Maya reached a dresser embedded into the wall and hailed another servant, who promptly came over to contour her eyes, expertly extending the line works towards her temples. 

"Why do you have to be so bitchy?" Rage and sadness fought for control in Ruby's voice. "Can't we all be in this together?"

"Because nobody here seems to care about the fact that our lives have basically come down to being freaks on display for the king."

She frowned. "And how does that have to do with anything? You're not making any sense. You've been here for years now, but you've acted worse everyday that passed since Rose came in."

Maya clicked her tongue and the servant took a step back. "Are you blind as well as crippled? She's going to ruin everything." She pointed her chin towards Rosaline. "She's going to snag our spots one by one and we'll all end back on the streets where we started, begging for money and mercy."

"Don't be ridiculous! You said that when I first came in too and look at us today."

"Exactly. Things were better before you came along. Since then, it reeks of seafood everytime you hobble into a room."

"Well fuck you too." 

She flashed a second finger towards Maya, who shrugged it off and walked away, making sure to loop around Ruby to kick her walking stick out of her reach. She stopped in front of the great doors and turned around. 

"A little trick for you, Miss Rose. Try extending a leg forward to support yourself when you bow. Like this." 

And so she did, putting all her weight on her back leg, pointing the other forward while lowering her torso and her head in a gracious bow, her hair touching the floor as they slid past her smooth shoulders. Rosaline simply ignored her. Maya reached for a rope hanging on the wall near her heels and pulled it firmly using the toes of her right foot. The clear sound it emitted summoned a guard from the other side of the doors, ready to escort her out of the room.

"I'm off to the Shrine. See you losers later."

"She reminds you of Serenade, doesn't she?"

Her voice only came out as a whisper, but Maya heard it loud and clear. She stopped dead in her tracks, halfway through the door. She thought about shouting something back to Ruby, but decided against it. Instead, she rushed out of the room, leaning her head forward to hide her tears behind the curtain of her hair.

Ruby slammed the floor with the palm of her left hand and hit her side with the clenched fist of her right.

"I just can't believe it. She can be so thick sometimes."

"Fuck her." Rosaline said between two waddles. "And fuck the King."

Ruby's voice lowered cautiously and her eyes darted around them. "Careful there, sweetie. You don't want to be saying such things, even here. Even the walls have ears. It could be dangerous for us. For you."

She had a harder time speaking as she swung her hips to and fro. "Oh yeah? Then maybe... I'll get his attention. You keep saying... I'll be his... new.. crown jewel.. but I still didn't.. see him... yet." She wheezed as she approached the thick long hair carpet, her favorite spot in the common room. "Who cares.. about a stupid bow anywayYY!"

Caught up in her own rage, she had fallen on her side trying to get on the carpet. Laying on her stomach and breathing heavily, she rested her forehead against the wooden floor. Viewed from this angle, Ruby had a hard time not feeling any pity for her. She was delicate yet strong willed, but at the same time terribly vulnerable.

"I think Maya made a good point." Opal said, as she exited from the steaming bathroom, her short hair still wet.

"Want me to do like her?" She craned her neck towards Opal. "Alright, sure, I'll do just that, I'll extend my leg forward. See that?" From where she laid, her hips rocked to one side, then to the other. "That's the left leg, and now the right. Left, right, left, right. And the left again, and now both together! Wow, this is really helpful!"

For a while, she squirmed where she had fallen, her body twisting around in her own helplessness, her hips twitching senselessly. Then, through calculated movements and writhing, she rotated her body to anchor her rump on the carpet, still within her reach. Ruby could barely stand looking at her new friend, saddened by the feeble grasp Rosaline's anatomy offered her in the world that surrounded her. She joined her hands to fiddle with her short arm in a worthless attempt to comfort herself in her own situation. With every grunt, Rosaline inched her chin closer and closer to her pelvis before finally managing to push herself back up, but only on the third try.

"I was kidding, this was all abs. I'll show you what really happens when I use my legs now." She stopped moving as she focused on the muscles below her waistline. For the thousandth time in her life, she scanned her entire body, but could find nothing more than what she already knew. Beyond the bones of her hips, there was nothing for her to use. She remained perfectly immobile. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

Tired of her little performance, Opal spoke again. "You did not see? Stop thinking about leg, think about your position." She quickly moved over to Rosaline and put a guiding hand on her shoulder. "Do not bow in front like you just did." She pushed herself to the side and stood in an angle next to Rosaline. "Bow on the side."

"I don't think it's much use, Opal. I've tried so many ti..."

She interrupted her. "Just try it and see." 

Rosaline sighed, then shook her head to clear the stray locks of hair that had escaped her braid and ran across her face. Looking at Opal to her left, her head slightly over her shoulder, she tensed her abs and gradually lowered herself. The lower she bowed, the more weight she could put on her left hip without actually toppling over. By twisting her back, she managed to keep her balance as well as her shoulders straight, while her hips faced a completely different direction. Now almost folded in two, she lowered her head in one final motion and held the pose.

"That's my girl." Ruby said. She applauded her, her hands only making muffled claps, before turning to a servant which had brought back her cane. She mouthed her thanks and joined the other girls again. "I told you you could do it."

Rosaline straightened herself and sighed yet again. "Woo. I guess I'm ready now."

"You're getting there, don't worry." She winked and reached down to kiss her on the cheek. "You still have a few hours ahead of you to repeat that if you want. It should do the trick."

"I think I'd rather rest for now. I'm exhausted."

She arched her back and let herself roll backwards on the thick carpet, staring at the ceiling as she caught her breath. 

"You should keep your energy for the king." Opal said. "Me, I'll go use my own on these so-called soldiers."

She rang the bell and the doors opened again. As she walked passed them, the guards seemed to insist that she use the royal litters provided by the king. But she never did. From what Rosaline had seen, Maya was the one of the three that preferred them the most, something about reinforcing the look of divinity people already said she had.

After a few minutes, Rosaline craned her neck to look as Ruby.

"You know what? Maybe I could use some fresh air. Wanna have a stroll around the castle with me?"

She smirked. "Why not?"

-------------------------

She wasn't sure how long it had been since the guards had dropped her here. Ten, fifteen minutes? Without any windows, there was no way to tell. She would've thought the King's chambers were to be in a high tower with an exceptional view, but instead they had been buried deep within the side of the hill next to the castle. The air was moist and the room dark. The floor, made out of polished wood, felt warm under her rump.

She could feel her guts knot tighter with every passing minute. While she was curious and wanted to look around the soberly furnished room, she didn't want to be at the wrong spot when he finally made his grand entrance... Or at least that's what she thought he'd do. Around her, on the walls, the columns and the ceiling, there were no hanging banners, no weapons, no broken war horns, there weren't actually anything. The entire room consisted of the door leading out of it, as well as a gigantic bed.

Then, suddenly, she began to hear the sound of footsteps coming from the other side of the door. Her heart started racing and she felt like her head had dropped through her abdomen and into her gut. Nervous, but mostly scared, she straightened her head, but couldn't manage to keep her eyes open and shut them both. Instead, she tried to focus on stopping her frail body from shaking.

Creaking as it opened, the doors let a single person through, according to her ears, before being grunted shut again. As the steps came closer and closer, she finally decided to take a peek and, much against her will, her jaw dropped.

"Perhaps it is not I who you were expecting?"

She had seen her from afar during ceremonies, but nothing more. Barely older than her, the King's second wife, the Queen that is, stood before her.

"My Lady, please excuse my insolence, never have I..." She lowered her head in shame, softly mumbling a flurry of ceremonial excuses while attempting her near-impossible bow.

"Now, now, now. Don't tangle yourself in such unnecessary nonsense." She kneeled and caught her as she plummeted towards the ground, lifted her head with her hand, softer even than Rosaline's tunic. "Now let me bask into your sensational beauty, Rosaline."

"How do you know my..." The Queen shushed her and sat in front of her, meticulously running her eyes across the entirety of her existence. 

After a minute or two, she spoke again: "It was I who acquired you. I own you, never forget that. I know a lot more about your life than you ever will." She paused again, but only for a brief moment. "Your head is burning with questions, it is obvious. Let your mind speak freely. What is it that you want to know?"

"I... I..."

She looked around one more time, like trying to decipher the meaning of this rendezvous. As instinctively as she's always done, she wound her shoulders to one side before quickly pivoting them the opposite direction, transferring the energy of her rotation through her torso and into her hips, pivoting herself slightly to the left. Rosaline almost thought she heard the Queen moan... 

"I thought... the King was the one... Hum..." The Queen's inquisitive yet soft stare enticed her to speak her mind. "...collecting... us."

She giggled. "The Soulcrusher may be a terrible warrior in battle, but he's much softer with his lover than anyone would believe. Even so that he lets the whole world think he's a deranged madman in search of living trophies rather than tarnishing the honor of his own wife."

"But..." A million thoughts raced through her mind. "Ruby told me the King sometimes used… did... rather.. hum... had…” Again, she let the words hang in hope she wouldn’t have to complete her sentence. “...private sessions with her..."

"Yet she was talking about me, dear." Her grin grew wider and she laid her chin in her open hand.

"Then why would they lie to me? Of all people, why would Ruby lie to me?"

"See, you're still new here. How long has it been since you've arrived at the castle?"

"Sixteen days, My Lady." Rosaline added, suddenly remembering who she was talking to.

"Then consider this your official briefing." The Queen stood up and started pacing before Rosaline. "Rule number one: Always smile and be kind to the public eye. You are to be examples of how great the rule of the SoulCrusher is and of the exemplary way you are being cared for. Rule number two: Never speak against our God on Earth, the King, or of his unimpeachable life companion, myself."

The Queen paused. Her feet brushing softly against the polished wood, she continued to walk up and down the room, her long jet black hair cascading down her back. She was pretty, of course, but not as much as Ruby, Rosaline thought, or even Maya, and maybe even herself. But there was something else emanating from her. Royalty, obviously, from the myriad of jewels, rings, bangles, armlets and the most exquisitely decorated circlet that jangled with her every move. But also power. The most terrifying kind of it. Rosaline knew that if one day she happened to fall away from her grace, it would only take a snap of her fingers for her to be thrown out of a window, or simply set on the ground in the middle of the marketplace. She swallowed with difficulty.

"Third and final rule: Never mention my name as the one orchestrating this new life of yours. Not to the other girls, not to a shimmering bird in one of the inner gardens, not even to your own bedsheets at night."

"Yes, My Lady."

"The other girls know these rules as well, you have not to even mention them. The walls do have ears, my sweet sweet Rosaline."

She flinched, recalling Ruby’s exact words earlier that day. "Is that why not one of them told me about you?"

"Precisely so." She nodded. "Even Maya, who you probably know by now is the most prone to silly rebellions and loves questionning orders, knows of her place in this kingdom. Even with them, you shall talk of me as the King, and under no circumstances should you derogate from this rule."

"Yes, My Lady."

"I'm not as old as the King, but I'm younger than you probably think I am. Even so, our places in this world cannot be compared. The Gods may have been cruel against you, but if you behave well like the others, I'll make sure, at the very least, that you get to enjoy part of the voyage. At least until my days come to an end."

She stopped pacing. In front of Rosaline, only a few feet further down the room, the Queen joined her feet and kneeled down, sitting back against her heels. A naughty grin appeared at the corner of her mouth. She leaned her head backwards slightly and closed her eyes halfway, like someone about to take a second bite of the most delicious cake they've ever tasted. In a melody of rattling bangles, she softly raised her hand and motionned Rosaline to come forward.

I don't have much of a choice, she thought to herself. Breathing in deeply, she started making her way to her new proprietress. Just like she had done her entire life, she chained the motions that allowed her to move, one meagre step after the other, under the watchful eye of the Queen. Through her royal robe, which was as translucent as Rosaline's, she could see the muscles of her abdomen spasm, as well as the vigor she put into her breathing. Everytime Rosaline rotated another hip and plumped it before her, the Queen would exhale sharply, hardly able to contain her own anticipation, or making very few efforts to hide it. When she pushed back a strand of hair that had fallen from her braid, the friction of her armless shoulder against her cheek caused the Queen to yelp. Her hands, joined on her lap, started shaking.

Rosaline stopped within an arm's reach of the Queen, breathing rapidly and feeling herself warmed up by her physical efforts. Raising her trembling hands, the Queen nestled her rounded shoulder with her palms and shivered. She started massaging them, softly at first, then more rapidly, grunting and moaning with every few breaths. Locked in her grasp, Rosaline endured. Her helplessness tormented her mind like a snake constricts a mouse. She would have sacrificed anything to be able to fend her off. Her voice, or even her eyes... She would throw them in a fire if only it could give her a limb to help protect herself. It reminded her when, even for a minute, Charlotte left her alone in the inn, or when she heard a peculiar sound outside her ajar window on a hot summer night. Her incompetence weighed down on her chest, made her eyes dart around the room, almost panicking, looking for an escape... As if she could ever outrun anyone or slip through the net of an aggressor. She cursed the Gods under her breath and straightened her back, pulling back against the Queen ever so slightly.

"You are.." The Queen sat on the floor and folded her legs around Rosaline. "..the most beautiful.." She slowly drew her in, caressing her shoulders still but then her sides, her thumbs skimming the edge of her breasts. "..exquisite.." Down to her hips, her hands slipped under her cheeks and lifted her onto her lap. "... vulnerable, defenseless and weak little fragment of human flesh I could have ever dreamed of." She embraced her completely, pressing her entire body against her own, going as far as to lay her forehead against Rosaline's, their eyes locked in a seemingly unbreakable gaze. "Do not be afraid. You and your pathetically chiseled prison of a body belong to me. You are home."

Confused, terribly insulted, yet somewhat infatuated, Rosaline stared. In her stomach, the knot was loosening. Away from everything she ever knew, she should be agonizing in fear and apprehension, yet she found herself trusting the Queen a tad more with each passing second. In her short life, nobody, boy or girl, had ever looked at her the way the leader in front of her was doing. She felt wanted, desired, purposeful even. Encased in the other's limbs, it's as if her own absence mattered a little less than it did before. 

"I know what you must be thinking. How horrible of a person I am, to extract you from your hometown, away from the people you cherish, to make you one of my human trophies." She raised Rosaline's head with her two hands. "If that can make you feel better, I would choose you over the other three in a heartbeat. You're already my favorite."