forum A Thing You Won't Remember

Started September 18, 2022 by @ElderGod-yellowqueen

tune

Elia let out a small laugh but didn't deny him. She would likely shoot down the more sensitive topic. She didn't enjoy talking about herself so much, as she preferred listening. "I prefer a nice, roasted duck, while garlic seasoned vegetable, served with goat cheese on bread." She hadn't had a meal such as that since her palace life. She was occasionally able to buy her own goat cheese and bread, but it was never the same. "I've got a large amount of history books but lately I've been enjoying some romance books. It's nice to escape into the pages and get away from all of this. I know I have no luxury to experience it in my life, so I might as well devour it in my books."
She studied him for a moment before speaking. "Do you remember the first person you killed?"

He nodded slowly. "That sounds delicious. I can only assume the food Madame normally feeds you all here is nowhere near as rich as she's led us to believe?" That had been obvious, but he couldn't get a read on how well she treated her workers when they weren't under royal scrutiny, and the various coquettes had been nervous to tell him. They had all praised her for her caring and provision, but they likely feared he'd report back to her, or something similar.
Elia would be the only one who would tell him the truth, if she chose to answer.

"Those history books can be a huge help in your learning process. Good to know you're a cultured lady and not just pretty." He softened for a moment at the mention of her lack of real romance. "Let those books be your refuge, real love is never the same as the authors make it sound. You're not missing much."

Elia shrugged her shoulders. "She treats us better than most but she still abuses her power. I'm lucky enough in my position now that I primarily get left alone. Most of the others can't say the same. And while she may be lenient, her punishments are horrendous." She had the scars on her back to prove it. They had faded with time and treatment but would never truly go away. The Madame has a preference for whips as punishments.
"I'm well versed in our history. I enjoy it. And I've found I've started running out of reading material for the past." She brought one leg up on the bed, crossing it under her. The slit in her gown exposed her thigh near her pelvic bone. She made no move to cover up. She wasn't shy about her body. She couldn't be with her profession. "Perhaps you will find a lovely noble girl who proves you wrong, prince, don't give up just yet."

Romulus nodded seriously for a moment, clearly listening carefully to her description of the Madame's actions. "Noted. Thank you for your honesty, most of the rest of them told me she was like a loving mother to them, which is, of course, quite a lot to try to sell a man who has just bought you from her." He chuckled.

Her encouragement made him smile, but more in a sad way. "Don't give up, huh? Interesting choice of words from a woman who told me not 10 minutes ago that no one would ever truly love me." He watched her, not in a lecherous way, just like a curious man, before changing the subject.
"So you're in need of more reading material is what I'm hearing. Shall I have Lear send you more romance? He's got good taste in books, I've found." He lifted his arms, setting them behind his head, which left him reclined but flexed, an impressive look on a man with his build. "What do you think of my Lieutenant, Elia?"

"If you've come to hear the truth, a brothel is not for you. Us prostitutes will say just about anything to get paid." Elia had said many sweet lies in her time, promising love and reassurance, when she really couldn't care less.
"You never know, you might woe the right woman and decide to marry her. Or not. It matters not to me. Just don't deny yourself should the opportunity arise." She flipped her hair over her shoulder and out of her face. "I enjoy his company. It's refreshing from my usual sort. I trust his judgment when it comes to books. If he ever finds one he wants to share, send him my way, prince."

Romulus laughed, a more friendly sound now that sarcasm wasn't mixed with it. "Oh, believe me, I know to believe nothing of what I hear and only half of what I see." He smiled. "But you find out many more things than you bargained for when you spend a week at a brothel." He made eye contact again for a second, that same glint returning. It only faded when he looked away.
"That's very generous of you not to wish me hell in my love life." He chuckled.
"Lear is definitely the type to be enjoyed. He'll be glad to know he was refreshing, and I can assure you he'll send books." Lear had already mentioned options.
"So we've covered favorite food. Favorite color? Perhaps a favorite type of music or instrument, since you're an accomplished musician as well?"

"Purple. And I can really only play the piano. I never had any interest in anything else." Elia returned his smile. Perhaps he wasn't the worst company she has had. She wouldn't go out of her way to be with him but they seemed to be getting along well enough. She only wished she had a glass of wine, the only delicacy she had these days. Just a glass here and there to sip and enjoy. She never wanted to dull her senses. That could lead to problematic situations.
"We've been talking a lot about me. I want to hear about you." She wasn't all that comfortable speaking about herself, even the small things.
"Do you remember the first time you killed a man?" A bit blunt, but she was curious.

Romulus nodded slowly. "You would look good in purple. And the piano is a valuable instrument. I've never known a person who played it who wasn't a snotty noble…till you." That glint again, but only briefly.
He shifted, leaning forward. "What a question. Yes, I remember. In fact, our entire Court remembers." He smiled, but there was steel in it this time. "A duke had been hitting on my mother, attempting to woo her right out from under my father. He came and accosted her at court one day with false accusations. I was 9 and had just gone through a growth spurt. I was already as tall as he was, the short bastard, and he made me so angry, I lost my temper and that was that." He glanced at his feet. "It tends to leave a mark on a Court when the 9 year old prince wins a contest of strength with a full grown man by strangling the jackass with his bare hands for accusing his mother of adultery."

"No, just a snotty whore." Elia said amused. She didn't like the look in his eyes. It said he knew more than he should. If she was smart she would leave, but she didn't.
"Yes, I can see that. I doubt there is much death at court. Besides public executions that is." She got up from her seat. She walked over to the table holding a bottle of wine and two wine glasses. She poured them each a glass. She walked over to the prince, handed him a glass, and sat down next to him. "What's it like? To kill someone?"
She was too curious for her own good but she wanted to know. Not that she had any plans to kill anyone herself. Just curious on his thoughts and feelings. There was nothing else for her to do at the moment, might as well learn some things about him.

He smiled and accepted the wine, but the Prince couldn't contain his laughter at her question.
"I'm sorry, but you must see the irony here. You hand a man you've openly proclaimed to be your hated enemy a glass of wine you poured, and then immediately ask him what it's like to kill someone." He grinned, not unkindly, just legitimately amused at the situation. "I'd have to be an idiot to drink this now."
He proceeded to down the entire glass, before setting it on the coffee table by the couch.
Up close, everything about him was more exaggerated, almost too much. He smelled like leather and the odd tang of a strange metal, that could only be the particular alloy of his armor. It was a strongly masculine smell, and the soap he'd been using didn't help, adding cedar to the misx of smells. His movements were oddly graceful, for a man his size, but everything he did had a solidity to it, like he really was built of rock.
He also felt so much taller up close.
He had over a foot on her, but nothing accented that like sitting next to the man and having him need to look down to make eye contact.
The Prince's grin faded a bit. "To answer your question, it depends on who I'm killing. Specifics?"

Elia smiled and looked down at her glass. "I may not like you, Prince, but I have no interest in violence. Unless it's consensual, of course." She winked at him, playful, but it faded from her eyes. "Getting tortured to death sounds rather dull. You won't lose your life from me."
She took a small sip of her wine. She could smell him, sitting this close. She refused to admit that it was intoxicating. If she could infuse his scent into a blanket and sleep with it every night, she likely would. Her own smell was the opposite of his, feminine, seductive. She smelled of jasmine, freshly plucked. The scent came from her oil she used to leave her skin smooth and shining. The scent was subtle, not overwhelming, but presently there. Her body was opposite his as well. She was soft and had a woman's body. She'd been told more than once she had birthing hips and breasts to match. Every moment she made had a purpose. She was full of grace and sensuality.
Elia tapped her nails on the glass. She had to tilt her head back up to look at him. "Let's say a man on the battlefield, following the orders of his lord or king, likely has a family at home waiting for him to come back."

He believed her, clearly. The wine was already gone. And she was clearly more sensible than to go such an obvious route.
She smelled lovely, which was an interesting change from some of the other coquettes. They usually smelled like they'd put on some perfume, then decided it wasn't enough, and put on 3 others as well. Elia, on the other hand, was more subtle, in this and several other ways, and Romulus could appreciate that.

The Prince nodded as she specified, his face moving from the smile to a more businesslike expression. "Following orders? I try to incapacitate without killing. Disarm, knock out, perhaps non-lethally wound. If I do have to kill, it feels like killing an animal for food. You briefly feel sympathy, maybe even empathy for the person, but ultimately, their loss of life allows you and yours to live, and you're both there to do the same job. There's a balance to it." He wasn't cruel about it, just matter of fact, clearly used to the idea that war was kill or be killed.

Elia hummed, thinking it over. "Have you ever felt regret or guilt over a death?" She was too curious indeed but when would she ever have a conversation like this again? The soldiers she had been with were always more interested in a rut than talking to her. And some of her most loyal patrons wanted to talk about the problems in their lives. Never something as gruesome as this.
She rested her arm on the armrest, letting her body relax on the couch. She had no worries that the prince beside her would harm her, she might as well get comfortable. It wasn't often she got to just be. She might as well let her body relax while she could.
"And what of those deaths you contributed too but weren't the killing blow? Such as finding witches, as you lot call them."

Romulus nodded slowly. "There have been accidental deaths. A result of being too big and too strong and too fast." He had killed a servant once, simply by coming around the corner at a run. He'd been late for a meeting of some sort, and the poor girl had been walking the other direction. He had barreled into her, and the poor dear died quickly of a broken neck. He wasn't fond of that story though.
"I backhanded an unruly Wulf once, trying to tame it. Forgot I had my gauntlets on and crushed its skull like an egg, which was no good at all."
He thought for a moment, before answering the last question. "I feel that everyone contributes to someone else's death at some point in their life, whether by eating food that could save someone else from starvation, or hoarding warmth that could save others from freezing. Yet, we don't blame people for trying to live, even if it costs others." He glanced at her. "How many wives have committed suicide in this town because their husbands preferred you?" Rom knew it had happened at least twice, because one of the other girls had told him in a jealous rant the night before.
"We can only be reasonably responsible for those we put down ourselves. I have too many lives I've ended directly to worry about the indirect ones. They do have my sympathy."

Elia listened to him, not inclined to answer him. There had been more than a few incidents with the wives of her patrons. She couldn't control their actions. It wasn't her doing that made husbands want to cheat on their wives. She had no contribution in that. And no matter what she preferred, she wasn't allowed to deny any patron. She had to take who came for her, unless there were extreme situations. Patrons could get banned. It took a lot for it to happen but it was possible.
"I suppose you are right. No use wasting energy on something you can't change or control. I learned that a long time ago." Elia pulled her legs up on the couch, her toes just brushing against his thigh. It hadn't been her purpose but he took up so much room it was hard to move at all without touching him.
"Let's talk about something more cheerful. It's starting to get depressing now."

Romulus didn't bother scrunching up to make room. If she wanted the room, she could move, but she seemed content, interestingly enough.
"One last category of people you didn't mention: Those who deserve to die." He looked into the fire, but the look of fierce enjoyment on his face was unmistakable. "There are those who deserve death as their only form of justice, and killing them is a feeling unlike anything else. Being the hammer of justice, the hand of the fates in dealing death to those who deserve it… Those are the only times I intentionally smile while killing."
He paused for a long moment, before looking up, his face settling into that familiar easy smile.
"Indeed, something more cheerful, but remember, you asked the question."

Elia dug her feet under his thigh, letting his warmth warm her cold feet. He didn't seem bothered by her touch, she might as well take advantage of it. He was unnaturally warm, it wouldn't take long before her feet were warm and cozy. "Some people deserve death, that I won't deny. I hope you made them suffer." She wasn't unaware of the horrors man committed. She had experienced a few herself and not just the death of her family.
"How have you enjoyed your palace life? If I'm correct, which I am, you weren't meant to succeed a throne. How are you handling the changes?"

Romulus grinned down at her feet, before glancing up at her in surprise. Once again, she'd asked a question he hadn't expected.
"To be honest, Father always swore we'd rule somewhere. He was never content with my uncle's ascension to the throne, but they're much too close for him to ever want to challenge that." Romulus shrugged. "My uncle told him, and myself ever since I was very young, that we would inherit control of some of the smaller territories when Grandfather passed on. So the concept of one day ruling somewhere was not new to me. But." He paused, remembering who he was talking to. "Well. You've said it. I wasn't meant to inherit this crown, and certainly not amongst a people who, as you put it so well, will never love me or want me, really."
The clock chimed, and Romulus nodded. "And that, my venomous beauty, is our evening." He stood and gathered his things. You have the rooms for the night, if you like. I know yours are nice but the bed is very comfortable up here." Most of the others had stayed after he'd left, but he'd left it up to them.
The Prince stepped to the door, before turning and bowing low, as he had to all the rest. It was much easier to do sober and fully awake.
"I bid you goodnight, Elia."

It was interesting, really, to hear his side of the story. Elia had no sympathy for him of course, he wasn't meant to rule her kingdom. But this was the situation they were dealt with. Her head turned to the clock at the chime. She grinned at his endearment, quite liking it. Maybe that would be her new nickname.
She stood, following him to the door. "Leaving so soon, you highness? If the bed is as comfortable as you say, I think you would much prefer it to where ever your camping. Besides, I'm quite enjoying your company. I wouldn't mind sharing the bed. It's large enough I can pretend you're not even in the bed with me."
Dangerous thing she was doing. Dangerous to want to spend the night with her enemy, especially one as attractive as he was. She could control her sexual prowess, but her tongue, she wasn't sure of. There was too much to him that she wanted to know, so much she wanted to ask. When would she get chance like this again.

Romulus chuckled. "I leave at roughly the same time every night, unless I'm otherwise occupied. And that's quite the interesting offer, to share the bed while pretending I'm not there." He grinned at her, his face softening a bit as he opened the door and stepped into the hall.
"I am glad you've enjoyed the company though. Again, good night."
And he was gone.
~~~~

Romulus walked down the stairs, and met Madame Rosette at the bottom as usual. "Elia did not disappoint, Madame Rosette." He smiled and winked over her shoulder at Lear, who was reading on the couch. "Ready to go, bookworm?"
Lear nodded and set the book on the side table, before standing. He bowed to Madame Rosette, and the two tall Haradrim walked out the door.
They got a down the street, the guards following, before Lear said anything.
"Same plan as usual, Romulus?"
The Prince nodded, his smile replaced by a steely grin. "As usual, Lear."

Elia waved him goodbye. "Sleep well, prince."
He'll be back. They always come back for her.
She took his advice and fall back onto the bed. It was one of the most comfortable beds she had ever slept in. She tangled herself under the covers and one too many layers of blankets. They were too soft not to sleep under.
It didn't take her long to fall into a comfortable sleep.

The morning came quickly. Romulus knew how to be endearing and friendly, how to try to make friends with the town's people, how to change hearts and minds with coin and genuine smiles.

He also knew how to make a statement.

The Haradrim had largely camped outside of town, and had walked in and out every day. The guards had worn some armor, but Romulus had not yet, and none of them had carried obvious weapons.

Today was different.

The Prince rode into Lakeside in his full armor, the highly reflective black metal gleaming in the morning sunlight. His Wulf was a sharp contrast at a brilliant blood-red color. The combination of the big man and the huge animal was a statement all its own. Ruir stood 8 feet at the shoulder, and Romulus was standing in the saddle as they came into town, which made him 14 feet tall. He managed to tower over some of the 10 foot houses in town.

The rest of the Haradrim rode either horses or smaller Wulves, their armor and weapons various shades of metallic colors. Lear was wearing a similarly colored blood-red armor, and riding a massive white horse. The most jarring part of the whole presentation was not the armor and weapons, though. It was the silence.
The Haradrim had come into town laughing and joking every day, had made friends and built relationships over the course of the week. They had inside jokes with some of the townsfolk already, and were usually calling names or challenges by this point.
Not today. Today they rode in silence, the only noise the thunder of their hooves and paws on the ground.
They made two stops. One was in front of the magistrate's court, where Romulus and Lear went in and came back out a half hour later.

The other was in front of Madame Rosette's Coquettes, where a crowed had formed. Somebody, maybe even one of the guards, had started a whispered rumor that this is where they would be, and half the town was there, waiting.
The guards circled Romulus as he rode up. He stood tall over them, his feet planted firmly in the stirrups of his saddle. He tugged on the lead line attached to Ruir's bridle, and the Wulf reared on his hind legs. For a moment, Romulus looked like some legend of old, come to life in the street, a warrior in black armor on the back of a roaring Wulf.

He let Ruir down on all fours and removed his helmet, his hair managing to look disheveled but charming at the same time.
"Lakeside, good morning!" His voice thundered out over them, carrying easily in the silence the spectacle had created. "I've come to say my goodbyes to your beautiful town, and I thought, what better place, than one of the finest collections of beauty Lakeside has to offer!" He turned towards the brothel. "Madame Rosette, I would ask one more favor of you." He paused.
"Could you tally the collective debt of all of your workers for me?"

Rumors circulated the brothel. The prince was making an announcement. He would be right outside the brothel. The girls and boy ran about as they readied themselves in their best clothing. They wanted to be there, to hear what he had to say.
I bet he fell in love with me and is coming to take me away.
No way, he wouldn't want you when he could have me!
What if he is going to kill us?
Is he going to give us presents?
Their naivety made Elia roll her eyes. She cared not how she looked. Her hair was undone, no cosmetics were adorned on her face. She wore a modest gown, having had plans to visit the town before the rumors had sparked. She watched as they ran out the door, forming a crowd just outside. Madame Rosette had even joined them. Elia had no such desire. She stood in the entrance of the doorway, leaning against the frame, listening.
She straightened as she heard his words, her heart pounding.
What was he doing?

Madame Rosette was flabbergasted. Why did he want to know their debt? Did he think of taking them from her? She wanted to tell him to shove it and hide her girls and boys inside. But he was the prince. She couldn't do that unless she wanted to face the gallows.
"Roughly 100,00 gold pieces, Your Highness."

The Prince smiled widely. "100,000 gold pieces. Quite a tidy sum." He turned to Lear. "Lear, my good man, did the Magistrate have a license on file for Madame Rosette?"
Lear spoke up from his horse. "No, my Prince, there was no license to be found."

Romulus nodded slowly. "Interesting." He turned back to Madame Rosette. "My good Madame, are you aware that it has been a crime in this Kingdom to run a brothel without a license for many years?"
It was true, and it was a rule that had been on the books for much longer than the Haradrim had been in power
He paused for only a moment, to let his words sink in, before continuing. "That means that you, as the proprietor of this business, owe years of fines to the crown."

He made eye contact with Lily and Calvin and smiled at them. "I will pay the collective debt of all of your workers, the 100,000 gold pieces you asked for. I will deduct from that the fines you owe the crown, which come to roughly 99,000 gold pieces."
His smile widened as two of the guards set a small chest on the porch of the brothel. "There is the remaining 1000 pieces of gold you are owed. This settles our business deal, as well as frees all of your workers from debt servitude."

The Prince waited for the crowds' gasping and murmuring to die down. "That means that all of you who worked here are free to go, if you so wish. If you would like to stay, and continue to work here at will, that is entirely up to you. However, any who wish to come with me will be given education, jobs, and a home, where you will be able to thrive without needing to sacrifice your bodies for others' pleasure."
He smiled at Madame Rosette. "As of today, you are a licensed business owner. I purchased the license for you from the magistrate myself, not half an hour ago. Congratulations!"
Romulus turned to the crowd. "I noticed this week that your beautiful home is without any kind of peacekeeping system. I'm leaving a small squad of guards here, who will be stationed just outside of town. They will provide you with protection, as well as settling disputes, and enforcing the laws that are on the books. They are not here to bully, badger, or break you."
He glanced back at the ex-brothel workers. "On the contrary, they are here to ensure you are treated equitably by your employers." Romulus made pointed eye contact with Madame Rosette at the end of the sentence.
"Now that that is in order, are there any who would wish to come with me?"

There was a moment of stiff silence. Nobody moved.

Until Calvin walked over, took Lily's hand, and marched through the circle of guards up to Romulus.

Elia watched the affair with wide eyes and slight amusement. She could hardly contain the laugh bubbling in her chest from the look at the Madame. She was gaping like a fish out of water. It was entertaining, really.
The six that were underage went to the prince's side. It drew a small smile from Elia, giving her peace that they would be taken care of, though she doubted they would ever truly get over the horrors they faced. Majority of the older ones left as well, but there was a few that stayed behind. Like Elia, they had spent most of their life at the brothel. They knew nothing else and preferred their position.
Elia trained her gaze on the prince. She made no move to accept his proposition but also made no move to join her Madame. For the second time in her life, she was at a loss. She didn't know what to do. She had no control here.

Romulus smiled to himself. He was happy with how this had gone.
The teens had all come with him. Several of the older workers had started to, before they realized who he was leaving behind.
The 20 guards Romulus was stationing here were the kind men who had treated the brothel workers so kindly all week. Several of the older workers had decided to stick around when they learned all the guards were single and would be stationed here indefinitely. Whether those workers would stay at the brothel was highly in doubt. A few had already been asked on proper dates by the guards.
Romulus smiled a bit more. The magistrate had practically fainted in gratitude when Lear had explained they were leaving a police force behind. The townsfolk seemed to at least be happy at the idea of being treated well by their employers.
His smile turned to a grin when he glanced at Lear, who was expertly handling Madame Rosette's protests. His Lieutenant was a master of diplomacy, and one of the original practitioners of the art of tasteful, sarcastic deflection.
His gaze fell on Elia, still standing in the door. He stayed in his saddle, where he needed to be to keep the aura of authority, but he leaned down and said something Calvin.
The teen hurried past the spluttering Madame and up to Elia.
"The Prince wanted me to tell you he would very much like to continue your conversation from last night, if you'll come with us."
Romulus watched her, trying to catch her eye. He was being polite about it, but she was coming with him, one way or another.

Elia turned to Calvin, a soft smile on her lips. She brushed his hair out of his face, caring for him in a maternal manner. She had always tried to care for and be there for the younger ones. They didn't deserve this fate, having their childhood ripped away from them. She tried to buy them gifts every once in a while, to hold on to a part of their inner child.
She leaned in to whisper in his ear. "You can tell the prince that if he would like me to come with him, he'll have to come get me himself."
She was playing fire and she was going to get burned if she was careful.
Ironically, she was fireproof, not that anyone needed to know that.
She patted Calvin's cheek, sending him off the prince. Her smile turned into a mischievous grin as she watched the boy whisper her words back to the prince. She was curious what he do.

Calvin reported back, and Romulus caught the mischievous expression on Elia's face. He watched her for a moment, before he returned her grin and shook his head slowly, laughing.
"Venomous, indeed."
He put his helmet back on. The morning was marching on, and they had a ways to ride before making camp for the night. He called something to Lear, who nodded.
Romulus waved to the people once more, some of whom dared to cheer him on, before he slapped Ruir's lead line. The Wulf took off, and 6 of the guards who weren't staying spurred their mounts after the Prince.
They were out of sight in less than a minute, leaving nothing but footprints and a cloud of dust.

~~~~
Madame Rosette eventually ran out of words. Lear looked amused, but polite, the entire time.
He brought that same expression to his conversation with Elia.
"My Prince has tasked me with helping you pack your things to join us." He smiled, as one of the three guards who weren't staying, but had stayed with Lear and the teens, stepped up behind him. The man was wearing grey armor, and wasn't tall, but he was insanely stocky and looked very strong.
The implication was clear.
Lear indicated her room. "Anything you would like to take with you, we will pack. Clothing, trinkets… All your lovely books, certainly."

Elia gave Lear a warm smile, one reserved for friends. "And where would the prince have me go? I'm too old to be placed in an adopted home. Does he mean to marry me off to some low noble? Or perhaps to be his personal whore?"
She truly had no idea what a prince would want with her. Perhaps if they had spent the night in the sheets, she could understand him wanting to keep her from himself, but they had not. He never touched her once. It was she who initiated contact.
"I'm not sure much of my clothing is proper for society. You should tell your prince that will be part of my price for leaving with him, proper clothes. I'm not cheap." She winked at Lear.
"I wouldn't go anywhere without my books, love, I thought you knew me better than that. I hope your men are strong. I do have a lot."

Lear's smile turned less forced as she indicated she would cooperate. "Oh, come now, being adopted is an option for any age. Ironically, it's the most likely of the 3 you mentioned. A man who can have any woman in the kingdom has no need for a personal whore, and he would not saddle another man with you, upon whom you might unleash your venom." He chuckled. "I cannot say exactly what the Prince has in mind, but you might be surprised by some of the choices he has made for former brothel workers in the past."
He outright laughed when she winked at him. She could be funny when she wasn't angry, and Lear was glad to see she seemed to be taking this well. "If you have any clothing at all you wish to bring, do so, but the Prince has already made sure to provide for you and the rest who came with him. You will all have full budget to be able to purchase enough clothing to last you a week between washings. In fact…" Lear stepped into her room and lowered his voice. "I was personally wondering if you might be willing to help some of the young girls choose their clothing. Many of them have only ever dressed to catch the eye, and may have no idea how to dress carefully or practically." He chuckled again. "They're about to be travelling with a group of men, and while we will all be kind to them, not a one of us knows much about lady's fashion." He looked around, taking stock of the space they would need to transport the books. He turned back to her after a moment.
"I would not expect you to leave your books here, don't worry. They'll come with us." He stepped towards her on his way out the door. "A word of caution: try not to think of yourself as cheap or expensive, even as a joke. You're a person, not an object to be bought or sold any longer." His smile was gentle this time. "I cannot say why the Prince wants you to come with us, exactly, but I can certainly say that he is right in his choice. You dont belong in a place like this." His smile lingered on her a moment longer, before turning and heading out.
"Lay out what you want to take with you, other than the books, on the bed. The men will be in soon to help pack it up." he called over his shoulder.