REEDITED 3/7/19                     

                                                                ♛

Warmth cocooned Lia as she sleepily opened her eyes at the sound of spilling water. Where was she? Gone was the dark amphitheater of the Midnight Market, and in its place was a large, golden room that looked like a luxurious bathroom. Looking down, Lia saw that she was in a claw foot tub that was also blindingly gold; in fact, everything from the embroidered curtains drawn closed to protect her dignity to the containers holding sweet smelling ointments shined in the same color as the precious metal. She frowned as she gently splashed the still warm water, uncomfortable with the idea of someone undressing her while she lay helpless and naked, even if it was a woman.

Just as Lia began considering getting out of the tub and looking for a potential escape, the sound of synchronized footsteps approaching from behind the curtain sent her diving back into the warm embrace of the bath water. She looking up innocently as six maids marched in, the first one holding the curtain aside for the rest to enter. For a moment both parties quietly looked at each other before Lia decided to break the ice.

"So..." she ventured, "where am I?"

No sound came out of her mouth. Putting a hand frantically to her throat, kept trying to force noises out of her mouth to no avail. Rhiannon's spell was still in place! Paying no mind to Lia's distress, the maids sprung into action. Grabbing handfuls of product, two maids began vigorously scrubbing at her curls and the others each assigned themselves to an appendage and began scouring her flaky nail polish off with pumice-like stones.

"Hey!" Lia mouthed, struggling to free herself. Ignoring her silent yells, the maids just help on tighter and continued removing all the sand and grime that had accumulated ever since she had arrived, no been dragged into Aether. After being washed and scoured within an inch of her life, Lia thought the worst of it was over. Boy was she wrong. While still dripping wet, the maids helped her out of the tub and motioned for her to lie down on a cushioned table that looked a bit like a fully reclined massage chair. Thinking she was about to be toweled dry, Lia warily laid down only for her to sit up quietly yelling a few seconds later. This total silence is getting annoying, she thought to herself as she looked down at her newest predicament.

Five of the maids had positioned themselves around her body and held her down as a maid wielding an object that vaguely resembled a razor began shaving her legs. Who would've thought that women would also be shaving in another world, wondered Lia as she slowly relaxed and let the maid do her job. Perhaps this wasn't so bad after all. Suddenly Lia felt her legs being forced wide apart. Opening her eyes, Lia saw the maid start attacking the hair "down there" and she couldn't hold back the silent expletives bubbling up her throat and out her mouth. Tears welled in her eyes as the frustration of being mute got to her. But behind that frustration was fear, knowing that she had lost her only way to communicate to the strangers surrounding her.

A short while later, Lia was still shaking as she sat in a makeshift dressing room behind the curtain, wrapped in nothing but a towel. Even though after the traumatic experience they had massaged her hair and body with oils that smelled like freshly bloomed flowers, Lia still couldn't get over having every inch of her body shaved. Involuntarily, she remembered holding a high school friend's hand while she was getting a Brazilian wax before prom so she could "pop her cherry" with her boyfriend. Was that Lia's fate? To become a whore or sex slave to the man in the gold cat mask?

When the maids entered again holding clothing, Lia didn't put up a fight. Like a mechanical doll, she obediently held out her arms as they dressed her in a bralette that was silky to touch with matching trousers that made her look like Princess Jasmine's ensemble from the movie Aladdin. As the maids twirled her around for a final inspection, she could only gape at a reflection that was nothing like her usual appearance. The light caught the shimmering gold fabric that made up the entire outfit, revealing the garish embroidery of gemstones all over the top. On her feet, matching gold slippers completed the look.

As a finishing touch, black liner was applied to Lia's eyes, adding an air of mystery. With a satisfied look at the final product, the maids turned around in sync and marched out, leaving Lia in the dressing room alone. Lia looked down at herself despondently. Dressed in her super revealing outfit, there would be no hiding in the shadows. In fact, she was certain that the sparkle on her top alone could serve as a replacement flashlight should the need arise. Smiling sadly to herself after that thought, Lia decided to explore the large bathroom she was in rather than curl up in a corner and cry. Venturing back to the other side of the curtain, Lia avoided the wet spots on the floor as she picked up random containers to sniff.

Just as she was getting to her fifth container, two knocks sounded on the french doors in the dressing room. Startled from her inspection, Lia didn't attempt to respond and just waited silently for whoever was at the door to either make the decision to enter or leave. Besides, even if she had her voice, it would be a little odd to invite people into a room that wasn't technically hers. Please, please go away, she frantically thought as she rushed back to the other side of the curtain just as the door opened. Two more maids waltzed in, identical smiles on their face.

"Hello Mistress!" they sang together.

"I'm Odile-" started the brunette on the left.

"-And I'm Odette!" finished the blonde on the right.

They speak, Lia wryly thought. Lia nodded in greeting. The two maids in front of her seemed different from the previous six who had gotten her ready. For starters, their uniforms consisted of a white dress, apron, and cap all of which had gold embroidery. They also had personality and could actually talk to people.

"Welcome to the Kingdom of the Golden Sun, the Djinn Kingdom! We are currently in its capital city, Ordonn, one of the most beautiful cities in Aether. Odette and I are the personal attendants assigned to you by Lord Xantho, to see to your every need and inform you about everything you need to know in your new job as a royal concubine. If you'll please accompany us to your quarters?" Odile beckoned with her hand to Lia, but all she could do was sit there in shock. A concubine. A royal concubine in a kingdom that sounded made up. How had she gone from looking for a job to this? Lia put a hand on the arm of the chair to steady herself, fervently wishing she had never bothered to leave her dorm that fateful day.

"Oh dear, she's looking a little green," Odette said unhelpfully. "You should be honored! Only true beauties are chosen join the royal court." Well, that was too bad because Lia wasn't feeling that honored as whatever she had eaten last began making a comeback. Rushing to her side, both attendants grabbed an arm and pulled a wobbly Lia up from her chair. Sucking in gulps of air, Lia's nausea began to abate as they slowly walked into the golden hallway that lay behind the door. Lia momentarily paused as she gaped at the fully blinged out interior. Seriously, what kind of gold obsessed maniac was this Lord Xantho? The only way Lia could describe her current location was the Palace of Versailles on crack. The excessive gold decor clearly indicated that a lot of poor taste had gone into the creation of what could only be the golden castle she had seen from the top of the white walls around Ordonn.

Lost in thought, Lia didn't realize they had finally reached her room until they stopped in front of two, large double doors. Thank God, Lia thought. The doors were painted red, a pleasing change from the gold overload the whole castle was turning out to be. In fact, the whole wing Lia was in had red, double doors as far as her eye could see. A curious head peaked out of one, prompting Lia to stare back at a girl who seemed the same age as Lia with short hair and pixie-like features. They held eye contact for a second before the girl's eyes widened and she slammed the door shut. Weird. This must be where all the concubines reside, she realized, promptly forgetting about the encounter altogether. Odette opened the doors to reveal huge, luxurious room with the same garish design as the rest of the castle.

"Beautiful isn't it? All the concubines live here in the Red Hall" said Odette wistfully. Lia nodded in what she hoped looked like agreement. "Well then! I will give you a tour and Odile will finish preparing your things. Right this way!"

Without checking to see if Lia was following, Odette quickly started walking deeper into the room. Jogging to catch up, Lia was shown the bathroom, how to work the fireplace, and the large wardrobe that was already stocked with equally skimpy outfits as the one she had on. Lifting up a shimmering green pant leg, Lia was surprised to see that they seemed to be her size. Don't be so surprised, she mentally berated herself, this whole place is filled with magic. As if to punctuate her point, Odile was further inside of the wardrobe, using air to fold clothes and put them in neat rows on the shelves.

"Wow!", Lia mouthed as she watched shirts whizz by her head with only the movement of Odile's hands. Noticing Lia watching open-mouthed, Odile smiled.

"Impressive huh?"

Lia nodded, smiling for the first time in what felt like forever. Finishing the last of the clothes, Odile exited the wardrobe with Odette promising to bring back food soon. Lia put her hand on her growling stomach, wondering how she had forgotten about how hungry she was. It had to have been at least 2 days since she had last had anything to eat or drink.

Left alone in the large room, Lia jumped onto the huge bed superman style, reveling in the smooth sheets as she jumped up and down like a little kid. This bed is way too big for one person, she thought with a big smile. Not that she was complaining or anything, after all it was an upgrade from her tiny dorm bed. Rolling off on the other side to explore her giant room again, Lia's foot suddenly collided with a soft object. Make that two soft objects. Confused, Lia looked down and saw a pair of red slippers that were way too large to be hers. Picking one up, Lia inspected a slipper while wondering what it was doing in her room. After making clothes that fit perfectly, how could they mess up on a pair of slippers?

Lia gasped, dropping the shoe. Looking from the bed to the slipper, realization dawned on her. Looks like the bed was made for two after all, Lia numbly thought as she fell back onto the bed. How could she forget that her awesome room was nothing more than a gilded prison? Lying in a fetal position in the center of the bed, Lia wondered what other men's items were sitting around the room. Was there a second robe somewhere in the closet? Or perhaps some magical sex toys were lying around in one of the many drawers and cupboards. The shock of the past few days became too much to handle. Like a dam had been opened, Lia began violently sobbing, as all the terror, stress, and pain she had tried to stifle came roaring back to life. It felt like there was a massive weight crushing her chest and as she wept it got tighter and tighter until it was as if Lia was choking on the force of her cries. Odile and Odette rushed in, concern etched on their faces as they took in the sobbing mess Lia was.

"Shh, shh, it's okay", whispered Odette as she pulled Lia into a comforting hug, gently patting her head. A warmth seemed to surge from Odette into Lia, slowly calming down the blazing inferno her emotions had been. This must be magic too, Lia realized as she sniffled against Odette's shoulder. Embarrassment flooded through her as she realized that she had managed to stain Odette's immaculate dress with tears and oh no... snot! Disgusted by herself, Lia began pulling away until Odette wrapped her arms tighter around her.

"I don't mind," she said, probably realizing the cause of Lia's sudden bashfulness. Still a bit embarrassed, Lia settled her head back down on Odette and breathed in the vanilla-like scent of her hair as she felt another blanket of calmness settled over her.  

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