forum A Thing You Won't Remember

Started September 18, 2022 by @ElderGod-yellowqueen

tune

Elia brought over a whiskey neat to Madame Rosette, her favorite, and she swallowed it all in one gulp. She looked at the door where the man had just disappeared through and gave a light chuckle. "At least tonight will be interesting."
Madame Rosette narrowed her eyes at her but there was a small smile on her lips. "Gather all of our boys and girls to present them to the prince and his entourage. We are closed for the night for any outsiders, we wouldn't want anything bad to happen."
Elia nodded and left to gather everyone that was owned by the brothel, while the Madame got rid of all of the patrons and made it known that they were not welcome tonight. She took a look around. It was empty, other than the residents. It had never been like this in the twelve years she had been there. It was nice. The quiet.
Until some of the girls and boys were giggling amongst themselves with the possibility of being with royalty. If only they truly knew they already were. Elia technically was queen, should she decide to vie for the throne. But she had no supporters, no army, and debt to pay. There was no point. She had made her grave a long time ago and she was ready to lie in it.
She resumed her spot on the couch, ignoring the occasional whispers judging her for preferring a book than gossiping about their newest patron.

Lear reported back, and found Romulus in the midst of challenging a particularly large farmer to an arm-wrestling match. He waited till the prince had handily defeated the man, with both arms, and with the farmer using both hands, before he said anything.
Romulus smiled and clapped the winded man on the shoulder. "Not bad, friend! Glad you're working for us and not fighting us." The Harad Prince knew full well the mixed emotions of the townsfolk. He looked up, and beamed at Lear.
"Ah, my trusty compatriot! What have you found?" He stood and walked over to where Lear was still on his horse. His red Wulf, Ruir, had been lying on the ground, but he stood up to his full 8' height when Romulus stood. He was a massive beast, matching his master's proportions, and was fiercely loyal.
Lear bowed from the waist, briefly, and grinned at the overly formal greeting. "3 bars, a fight pit and a brothel, Romulus. I think you'll like them all."
Romulus clapped his hands together and rubbed them in anticipation. "Well. Sounds good to me!" He turned and leapt into the saddle, Ruir bowing slightly to help him make the jump. "Let's check that first bar!"
The entire entourage rode into town, whooping and laughing.

~~~~
It would be several hours before Romulus would make his way to the brothel. Lear noted the lack of traffic as they walked up, and wondered if Madame Rosette had ended business for the night.
Romulus glanced around, checking that his guards were in place, but relaxed, before stepping up onto the porch. Lear knocked on the door.

Madame Rosette sprung into action at the knock at the door. She hushed the giggling girls and boy, her eyes held the threat in them what would happen if they misbehaved. Then there was Elia ignoring them all on the velvet green sofa, reading a new book. The madame swung the door open, dropping in a deep curtsy, before moving aside to let him and his entourage inside.
"My prince, we are deeply honored that you have graced us with your presence. The King's suite has been prepared for you and a feast and wine have been laid out for you and your men."
Indeed, a marvelous feat was displayed on tables through the main lounge, food far nicer than most of them have ever eaten. Unopened bottles of wine and a few bottles of hard liquor had been placed out. Madame Rosette fully planned for their earnings to pay for the food and then some.
While most of the others wore little to no clothing, with the finest laces and jewels, Elia wore satin. A man wanted what he couldn't see. And she preferred to have them panting for her before she gave them anything. Her red lips had been freshened up and there were curls now in her hair. She had a half full wine glass in her hand that she took a sip out of. She was invested in her romance novel. It was just getting to the good part and she wouldn't let anything interrupt it.

Romulus nodded slowly, taking in the scene. He smiled, before whistling over his shoulder.
"Fellas, the good woman has set out food. Pick a partner and feed them."
His guards moved to obey, grinning. Romulus had an interesting sense of justice sometimes. Having the 'clients' play servant to the brothel workers was nothing new to them. The came in, and paused for a moment as they noted Romulus hadn't picked a bedmate yet.
He grinned, and looked over the smiling coquettes. "Madame Rosette, who usually gets sold cheapest?" He tossed her a bag of at least 10 gold coins.
In an economy that had crashed so terribly, and no ran on copper, that was enough money to fund the brothel for an entire week.

Elia glanced over the pages of her book as she watched everyone spring into action. It was sickening, really, how they tripped over their feet to attend them. She wanted to roll her eyes. Better yet, she wanted to go to her room and get a good night's sleep. But that never happened in a brothel.
She couldn't, however, contain the laugh when the prince asked for their cheapest. Had he been someone else, she would have made a poor joke. She took a small sip of her wine and lowered the book from her face. "Our cheapest is a fourteen-year-old girl who doesn't have a clue to what she's doing. You'd be better off with a dog than her. Unless you prefer clumsy children."
She set her wine glass on a side table and placed the bookmark in her book before snapping it close. She was thankful she had reached the end of her chapter. She ignored the look Madame was giving her as well.
Madame Rosette had a forced smile on her face. "I assure you, our cheapest would not satisfy you, My Prince. Despite her manners Elia here is one of a kind. She is our most sought-after. Though I do promise only a few get to enjoy her."
Elia bristled at that, being made to sound like an object. She was not. She was a woman.

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."