forum A Thing You Won't Remember

Started September 18, 2022 by @ElderGod-yellowqueen

tune

Romulus grinned, and gave Elia a clear once over. His eyes lingered on her face for a moment, noting the expression.
"Maybe I do prefer clumsy children to stuck-up whores." He turned from her, like she wasn't there, and looked back at Madame Rosette. "If you're worried, Madame, give me the 14 year old girl and your youngest boy as well." He tossed her another pouch. "My guards will entertain the rest, and you'll be paid for a full house." He smiled and snagged a bottle of the hard liquor off the table. "Have the youngsters I've asked for show me to my room." He glanced at Lear, before turning and heading towards the stairs.
Lear waited as Madame Rosette shuffled the two shocked faces towards the towering prince. When they were out of line, the 30 guards politely and gently picked their dates for the evening.
Not a single person looked in Elia's direction.
The guards led the coquettes to the table, and sat them down, proceeding to wait on the brothel workers hand and foot. It was a reversal of the usual roles, and the workers took full advantage.
Lear just smiled as he watched the goings on. He turned to Madame Rosette, who understandably looked surprised by the whole ordeal. "Now. Let's discuss how much you would make in an average evening, and go from there. The Prince would also like for you not to close the doors each day. He feels it robs you of profits, and you'll benefit from the people hanging about here to be around him." He glanced at Elia.
"When we've ended our discussion, I'll be claiming Elia, at top price." Lear smiled. No point in leaving such a charming young lady with no company for the evening.

Elia did roll her eyes then and picked up her wine glass. She wasn't going to waste her energy on someone who didn't want her. She pulled a soft blanket over her chilled legs and curled up on the couch, perhaps she would get a peaceful night after all. One glass at the Madame told her that the woman was barely keeping it together. It was rare for someone to deny Elia.
She tilted her head as she listened to the conversation between the Madame and Lear. She didn't even try to cover the fact she was listening.
"We average about 100 gold pieces a night, though, with the economy, it's been a little harder to keep up. I've got a lot of girls and boys to feed and dress and care for." The Madame nodded her head. "All doors will be kept open unless one of mine feels more comfortable with it closed. That's non-negotiable. It can be vulnerable, showing yourself the way we do, some are a little shyer and prefer a bit more privacy."
Elia sighed softly as she heard her name. There went her quiet evening. She tapped a nail on her glass. "I'm ten gold pieces a night, love. Though perhaps I can convince my Madame to lower the price for you, if you do something for me, of course." She was expensive, but she was also the best.

Lear continued smiling. "By open doors, I mean we wish you to stay open for business. The doors to the rooms will be at the guards discretion, though I can assure you, they will also guard your delightful workers' privacy."
He pointedly ignored Elia's contribution to the conversation. "I assume, at 100 gold a night, 150 will easily cover the food and effort you've gone to." He handed her a much heavier bag than the pouches of ten Romulus had been tossing around. "This should do it. Now."
Lear finally turned in Elia's direction, and gave her a very clear once over, raising an eyebrow at the end. "Does Sassy have a preferred room?"

~~~~
Romulus let the children lead him into the 'King's Suite', a set of lavish rooms that were much too opulent for a brothel, in his opinion. The 14 year old girl and the boy, who looked about 16, both looked slightly terrified. They got to the rooms, and he closed the door behind them.
"So." He tossed himself onto a couch and pulled his boots off. "Obviously I'm not going to plough the fields of two children, though you're both very pretty." He smiled at them, and popped the cork on the bottle. "So here's your job for the evening. Go and get some food, as much as you like, then come back up here and eat. Enjoy each other, whatever that means to you. I only ask that you keep me supplied with the liquor. Sound fair?"
The girl immediately nodded, her eyes wide. The boy seemed skeptical.
"That's all you want… Uh, sir!?" He had started to ask, and then realized who he was talking to.
Romulus laughed. "Yes, that's all. What are your names? And don't call me sir." He grinned, a brilliant expression that warmed the room. "My name is Prince, if you must."
The girl stepped forward shyly. "Lily." Her voice was very soft.
The boy stayed where he was, clearly still not believing this could be real. "Calvin."
Romulus swigged the bottle. "I'll do my best to remember, but I'm bad with names." He waved then back out the door. "Go get some food, you look hungry."
They both skittered off, Calvin giving him a last confused look before he went.
Romulus just smiled to himself and kept drinking.

Madame Rosette nodded her head. "Of course. Though we will only let in our most trusted patrons." She took the money happily, winking at Elia.
"Keep him happy, darling."
Elia stood up from her seat, bringing her book with me. She gave Lear a beautiful smile. "We can go to my rooms. A little bit quieter than all of this."
She grabbed herself a plate, ignoring the Madame's gawking at her. She filled it with chicken and fruits and bread. More than enough to feed her belly. She grabbed a bottle of wine as well. All of this would be coming put of their wages so she might as well enjoy herself. As long as she brought in money, what did it matter.
She opened the door to her room. It was quite different than the other rooms and lounging of brothel. There were plenty of blanket on the bed, yes. And it was a big bed, fit for several people to lay on. But there bookshelves filled with books. Most had been given to her by patrons or stolen throughout the years. But she had spent some of the few coins she had made on these books. And she loved them.
She plopped down on the bed, facing Lear. "Make sure you close the door, love. Can't have anyone getting a free show."

Lear smiled. "I'm sure you'll have plenty of business, so please don't restrict yourselves at all. The guards will make sure the Prince is safe." He turned and followed Elia.
Her rooms did surprise him a bit, but it was a pleasant surprise. He looked around, before smiling at her.
"Oh, I think leaving the door open will be fine for the evening." He walked around, studying her shelves, before picking a history book off the shelf. He plopped on the other side of the bed, kicked his boots off, and laid back, clearly settling in to read. "You're quite well read, it would seem." He glanced over at her. "Lie and read with me, it's peaceful in here."
He proceeded to dive into the book.

~~~~
The next few hours passed uneventfully. The guards, despite being Haradrim, rumored to be rough, feral men, were perfect gentlemen. They treated the coquettes with respect. The only ones who went back to the rooms were the ones whose date's made it clear they would enjoy it. Otherwise, the guards fed their dates, chatted for a while, and said goodnight, before heading back out to surround the house.
Romulus came walking out of the King's Suite towards 10 in the evening, shirtless, his step a bit unsteady. Calvin had been sent down a few times to get more alcohol, and the big prince had put it all down. The two youngsters watched him go, before rolling back into the bed where they'd been enjoying each other, like he'd told them to. The night had started with eating, then conversation, then a friendly wrestling match between Romulus and Calvin, where the boy had learned much. Romulus had overheated and had taken his shirt off, and Lily reacted like any shy teenage girl reacts to a good-looking, kind young man revealing he's carved from rock. She'd gotten flustered, and Calvin had gotten flustered, and Rom, a bit drunk by that point, had coached them on working out their shyness. At some point he'd stopped talking and just watched the fire, a faint smile on his face as the two relaxed with each other behind him. He'd bid them a fond farewell, before leaving for the evening.

Lear heard him thumping down the steps and stood up, returning his book to the shelf. "Thank you for a quiet evening. I enjoyed it." He smiled at Elia, before heading out to meet Romulus at the stairs.
"Madame Rosette, your coquettes do not disappoint. I shall return tomorrow." The Prince bowed low, somehow managing to keep his balance despite putting down 3 whole bottles of hard liquor. "Lear, my good man, point me to our camp." Romulus smiled at him, and they headed out.

Ah, her favorite kind of evening. One where a man didn't require anything from Elia but her presence. She picked up of her favorite history reads and began reading with him, taking small bite of food and taking sips straight from the wine bottle. She had no intention to get drunk, just relax a bit.
She wiggled her fingers, saying goodbye. "I'll see you tomorrow, love. Though do let some of the others have a turn should they want it." Ever a tease.
She didn't bothereavung her room. She only got up to shut the door and change into more comfortable clothes for bed. She curled up under the covers and stick her nose back into her book until she fell asleep.
Madame Rosette gave a small curtsy to the prince. "We will happily await your arrival. Thank you for joining us, My Prince."

Romulus and Lear made it back to camp, and made their plans for the next day. Romulus smiled as he fell asleep that night.
Lakeside was proving fun.

~~~~
Over the course of the next week, Romulus was at the brothel twice daily. He always came once around lunch time, with a few guards, and once in the evening. He was always there for a couple of hours, except on 2 nights when he fell asleep in the room, and Lear had to retrieve him.
He repeated the same thing every time, asking for the cheapest people and overpaying for them. After Lily and Calvin, it was another 2 teens, then two more experienced individuals every time after that. Some he treated to an evening of conversation. Some he wore out. Some he drank and played poker with. Some he asked to help him treat the wounds he would come in with. All of them he engaged in long conversations.
His schedule became well known to the town and the workers. He would go to the various establishments in the morning for breakfast, before heading to the fight pit. He would fight any and all challengers for the next 4 hours, before heading to the brothel before lunch. He always spent the first few minutes in the King's Suite showering and making sure he was presentable, and if he had wounds, he would ask one of the coquettes to help him handle them, if the person was comfortable with that. After a couple of hours, he would head down to the bars and buy drinks and gamble with the townsfolk for several hours, till he would head back to the brothel around supper time, sometimes drunk, but usually only buzzed. Lear wasn't always with him, but he was always there anytime anybody needed something from Romulus.
The Prince slowly built a reputation in the town. He was a rollicking, friendly young man. The ladies talked about how good looking he was, all that muscle, and those scars too! The men talked about how free he was with his money. He was singlehandedly boosting the town economy. The workers talked about how friendly he was, for a royal, and the low-lives talked about how hard he hit in the fights, and the fact that nobody had knocked him flat on his back all week.
The brothel workers seemed quite taken with him. The ones he'd just spent the time with in conversation had a good opinion of him, and the ones he'd actually screwed were even more impressed. The brothel had seen a huge increase in their business as soon as folks had realized where he was spending his time, and any person the Prince spent a few hours with saw an uptick in their sales, even the ones who usually didn't garner much attention.

Prince Romulus pointedly ignored Elia the entire week.

Lear would come by some nights, and buy her, just to read on her bed. He never made a move, never even bothered to close the door. He was always polite, and always gentlemanly. He always left in a timely manner. But he was the only one.
It had been a full week, and Romulus was leaving the next morning. This was his last night in Lakeside.
He was heading towards the brothel about sundown, as usual.

Over the week, Elia traveled out during the day, visiting the vendors, talking to the locals. She only really spoke and gave her attention to true Venians. Her people understood that women could work and make money and were their own persons. They didn't shun her for what she did, but sympathized with her. She bought a couple pieces of a clothing, fruit. Not much, but she wanted to give her people what she could. They didn't deserve what had happened to them.
But every evening, Elia was in the brothel, dressed in her finest, and reading a book or sipping wine. She enjoyed reading more than the others. Perhaps it was because she was so literate. Some of then other could barely bread or write, or they couldn't at all. It wasn't their fault. She had offered to teach but didn't pursue when they turned her down.
She enjoyed her nights with Lear. It was calm and peaceful, and it kept her away from being with everyone else. She enjoyed reading with him and eating and drinking. And in another life, she thought they could be good friends. Unfortunately, they were stuck in this one. She entertained the other few that bought some of her time. They were spent tangled up in the sheets until their time was up.
This night, she decided she was tired of her routine. She was tired of the red wine. She was tired of reading. She had spent her mind on books. She needed something else to do. Something that didn't take much thinking and came to her naturally.
So she sat at the grande piano.
It had been a decoration until she had come to be a resident in the brothel. Now, she tried to make use of it a couple of times a week. She played an easy warm up song, letting her fingers warm up and remember the glide of the keys. She had no music sheet displayed in front of her. She had no need for them tonight. Tonight, she was only playing she had memorized.

Romulus came rocking up to Madame Rosette's Coquettes with his usual energy. He stepped in, the guards finding their dates for the night from amongst the workers. They, too, had repeated this nightly, and had made for a week of gentle evenings for the brothel, a break from the norm.
The Prince listened to the music for a moment, before catching the Madame's eye. "Is she the last?" he asked, rather more quietly than usual. He was considering buying the two young teens again, to say goodbye and give them some gold to stuff their pockets, but Lear had sworn up and down that she was well read and not as mouthy as she tried to convince them of their first night. Between that and the music, maybe there was a brain in there somewhere.
He smiled at Lily across the room, just in case.

Madame Rosette curtsied. She nodded her. "Yes, My Prince, she is the last." The Madame was watching Elia with admiration and pride. She had found a girl on the cusps of death and was now her highest paying girl. The only way she could keep her in her service was to continue to buy lavish clothing and jewels to up her debt. Elia could have likely bought her way out a long time ago but never chose too. She wanted to keep it that way.
Elia immediately began to play an easy song once she finished her warm up. Something soft and feminine. Melodic. If she had a voice, she would sing the words, but alas, she was cursed with a harpy singing voice. No one should ever have to hear her sing.
Tonight she wore a deep blue gown. It fell to the floor. There was a slit that traveled to mid thigh. The dress was tight around her chest and waist to show off her curves. Her hair fell down in gentle waves. She had decided not to do anything for the night. There were blue studs in her ears to match the gown and a simple pendant hung around her neck. She wore nothing else.

Romulus watched her for a moment, before setting the usual 150 in gold on the table. "Send her up when she's done playing." He smiled at Calvin and flipped the boy a coin. "Split that with Lily and get some sweets or something." He headed up the stairs the the Suite.
Lear watched him, a soft smile on his face. The Prince was a jock, a jackass jock, but he didn't do anything halfway.

Romulus undressed and got in the shower, cleaning up the sweat and bar stink. He carefully washed a wound that had crusted over blood on it, and was drying off when he heard the door open.

Madame Rosette waited until Elia finished her song before she walked over to her. The Madame gently closed the cover over the keys and bent down to whisper in her ear. "The prince has summoned you. I swear to the gods, you better make him happy. Our success depends on it."
Elia understood the threat that was laced there. She stood up from the bench, making sure not to step on her skirts. She gave Lear a finger wave and a sly smile. "Maybe another time, love. You should visit me sometime after you lot leave."
Then she ascended the stairs to the King's Suite. She opened the door, revealing the lavish room. There was a circular bed pushed up against the wall that could several large men. A chandelier hung from the ceiling. There were drapes and blankets and dressers full of fun toys to use, should a patron decide to want one.
She perched on to the bed, sitting right on the edge, and waiting for the prince to come out.

6'6" of muscle and blonde energy stepped out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist.
"You play well. I'm guessing you learned that in the same place you learned to read?"
He walked over to where he'd laid out some clean clothes across a couch near the fire, and began pulling on his pants.

Elia leaned back, bracing on her hands. Her eyes drifted over him, taking his size, his scars. He was definitely a man. Maybe more so. He was the biggest person she had ever seen before. "You'd be correct." She said softly.
She didn't care to elaborate. He didn't need to know. If he asked, she would the same response to all her other patrons. It's in the past now, why worry about it when we could focus on us? She had a backstory prepared, should anyone try to question her, but their attentions never seemed to be focused on her past for very long.

Romulus nodded, noting the short answer. Either she, like most women, was rather taken with him, and was a bit focused on one thing…. or she was hiding something. Something she didn't want pried at.
He dropped the towel, fastening his pants and moving to pull on a clean shirt. Despite wearing the royal colors, he didn't bother with fancy silks and soft materials, preferring cloth that wore well and was easy to wash.
"So how did a lovely girl who can read and play end up working for the Madame?"

Elia had a feeling he wouldn't accept anything but an answer. "A house fire. I had no other relatives and they tried to put me in an orphanage. I ran away. The Madame found me half dead in the woods and brought me in. I've been here ever since."
It was short, simple, and tragic enough that hopefully, he wouldn't ask any follow-up questions. She really didn't want to talk about her past. Why should they when they were supposed to be experiencing one another?
"What is a prince doing here in our little town for so long? Not that we're not grateful."

Romulus nodded slowly. That was such a safe answer, but he wasn't going to press her about it.
He finished clothing himself and plopped down on the couch, facing her across the room.
"Well, if I'm going to rule one day, I ought to know my subjects. Travel the kingdom, meet the people, see the towns, maybe change some minds." He smiled, brightening his corner of the room. "Some of the people who hated me last week think I'm not so bad now, and that's a change I'm happy with."

Elia tilted her head just slightly to the side as she watched him. "Perhaps. Until the next unlucky soul is burned for witchcraft or your father passes another unreasonable law." She made eye contact with him. "These people are never going to truly love you. Maybe in a few generation, Venians will grow to love their new monarch. But as long as we remember, we will always hold a grudge."
It was no secret with her coloring that she was clearly Venian, from her dark hair to her tan skin. Most Venians had her coloring. "You're going to have be smart if you want to keep the throne. Your people may hold all the titles, but my people are the masses. You're going to have to please them somehow to dim their rage."

Romulus snickered. "Strong words from a whore. I'll keep that in mind if I ever decide to start taking opinions from the dregs of society."
He stood and walked back into the bathroom, cleaning up the used towels and soap, as he did every day at some point. "What else do you do for fun, besides reading and attempting moral lectures from a prostitutes bed?"
He knew full well that people could be paid and bought off easily enough. This girl had some strong bitterness, but her vitriol was not shared by the people at large, and Romulus knew better than to let an angry woman get under his skin. Such things had killed men greater than himself.

Elia only gave him a small smile. "You'd be wise to listen to me, prince. You'd be surprised what lonely men confess to me, the secrets I hold could topple this kingdom. Luck for you, I have no interest in politics."
She watched him curiously as he cleaned up after himself. Normally, patrons left a mess for the residents to clean up. It was unusual for someone to pick up after themselves, especially one of royal blood. She wasn't insulted by his words. What he spoke was true. "There isn't much for me to do outside these walls. There's nowhere to go while a debt is still owed. I wander through the market at times, but I'm normally here, wasting away my talents."

This assertion of her own power drew a full laugh from him. He managed to keep it small. "I'll have to pull on my boots so I can shake in fear in them, fear of your kingdom toppling power." He grinned at her. "I'm sure you've got plenty of secrets, like all the times Bandy the bartender has come through here looking for some young blood to finish what his wife can't, but if you're trying to prove your worth, Elia, don't bother."
He stepped back out of the bathroom, leaving it neat, and set the few used things in a pile by the door.
"Unless there's more to you than you're willing to tell. Not everyone who ends up in a whorehouse winds up there by accident." He looked her in the eyes this time, his own friendly baby blues glinting in the firelight.
There it was. That spark of something other than big, stupid and strong. He knew full well he wasn't talking to some peasant, and if she was smart, she'd know he knew.

Her eyes went to the neat bathroom before to the prince's. She shrugged her shoulders, indifferent. When men started listening to women, perhaps they would start learning. If he wouldn't listen, she wouldn't tell. "I don't say anything for free, love. The first one was a freebe. If you want a secret out of me, first you will have to pay with a secret of your own."
She straightened her back, trying to appear bigger, not that it mattered against his size. That spark in his eyes told her he knew something, something about her. She should have been more careful around him, should have hid her disdain better. She did have a problem controlling her smart tongue at times.

He watched her for a moment, noting the moment it clicked. He held her gaze for just a second after that, before his smile changed, more loose, more relaxed. "I didn't say I wanted your secrets. I have no need to know what you think you know, lovely lady."
He stepped around the couch, arranging his dirty clothes in a neat pile by the fire, before turning to look at her.
"Now, after all that, do you want to sleep with me, or shall we continue our conversation on less charged topics, if you can manage such a thing?"
The question was genuine. He highly doubted she wanted to screw, as much hatred as she'd had in her voice, and he wasn't going to push the issue, certainly. If that was the case, he wanted to at least give her this, to let her be at ease that she was in no physical danger of him just taking what she thought he wanted.

Elia picked at her nails, as if pretending to contemplate her decision. She knew how he treated the others. She heard from Lily and Calvin personally how they were treated and taken care of. She was happy they had been taken care of and weren't forced into acts they hadn't wanted to participate in. It didn't make the prince a good person for doing the bare minimum, but he was better than some patrons that came in especially for the little ones. Perhaps one day she would get revenge on the Madame for taking her childhood away along with all the others. In another life, she supposed.
"And what would you like to talk about, My Prince?" She was curious to see where he would take the conversation. She had no interest in being with him physically. Even if she had forsaken her family name, this was one line she would not cross.

(Or would she? duhn duhn duhn)

Romulus smiled and raised his hands, as if to say Alright, have it your way. He'd known it was a foregone conclusion, but she'd at least had the temerity to pretend to think about it.
"We can talk about anything you're willing to talk about, lovely lady. I fear any topic I would broach, you would shoot down with that sizzling venom of yours." He grinned. "Let's start small. Favorite food? Or perhaps what you've been reading lately? I've not noticed, but Lear says the various books have been quite riveting."
He sat back down on the couch, reclining back. "Or, perhaps, there's something you'd like to know about me, or the Haradrim? I can't imagine what, given that you know all the secrets the world has to know, but maybe there's some snippet I can offer you?"