Auriel was led to a small, dark room by a tall, old woman. The woman told her to remove her clothes so Auriel did so and the old lady took them and left, motioning at a bucket of water. Auriel was left standing completely nude. She decided the bucket must be for washing, Auriel's skin was red with streaks of brown dirt. She carefully ran a cloth over her burned skin, the cool water helping to dull the sting. 

The old lady returned and handed Auriel a square piece of fabric. Auriel wasn't sure what to do so she shrugged. The woman let out a sigh and showed Auriel how to wrap it so it covered her chest and groin area, however, it didn't cover her legs, shoulders, or arms at all. Small, leather sandals were placed on her feet. 

Rough fingers dug into her scalp as the old woman pulled Auriel's hair into braids that kept it up and away from her face. 

The woman motioned for Auriel to follow her through the carved stone halls to a large banquet area full of people enjoying a feast. The tables were short and people sat in pillows on the ground. The room fell quiet as she entered. The woman who had purchased her sat at the head of a large table, surrounded by the most plush pillows. 

"Hello, child." The woman had a deep and sultry voice. Her skin was the darkest Auriel had ever seen, but in contrast, her hair was long and white. 

"Do you know why you are here?" the woman asked.

Auriel tried to speak, but her voice wouldn't come. Instead, she shivered. 

"Come here child, kneel by me."

Auriel walked to the woman on shaky legs. She practically collapsed on the ground beside the mound of pillows. The woman reached down and with a soft touch on Auriel's chin, tilted Auriel's head to look up at her. 

"My name is Lady Cassia, I am the cousin to the ruler of Priya. And to some extent, it is my fault that you are here."

Auriel kept her features flat, unsure of how to respond. Lady Cassia continued.

"You see, a few years ago my brother went to Tora on what was supposed to be a diplomatic trip. But he never returned. We have sent endless peace convoys to try and find out the truth, but the King turned us away each time and refused to provide any information. I had begun to give up hope of ever knowing the truth. Then I received a letter from one of the Queen's ladies stating that my brother had been held in the castle dungeon this whole time and that they could help him break free. That lady was your sister."

A knot began to form in Auriel's throat. So her family had been caught in treachery. How could her sister have done this? How could she have been so stupid? Auriel felt a pang of anger at her sister. Auriel had done nothing wrong, but she was here because her sister had made a mistake. It wasn't her sister's place to meddle in political affairs with Priya, that was for the King to make decisions on and no one else. 

"When I had heard that house Rosa was sentenced for treason, I knew our letters had been discovered. I could do nothing to help your parents or your sister, but when I heard a Toran girl was with the slavers, I knew it was you. The last living heir of Rosa."

The last? But what of her brothers? The king hadn't mentioned them in his sentencing.

Auriel tried to stifle it, but a tear ran down her face. 

"Did you not know?" Lady Cassia's voice was gentle and sympathetic, "Your parents and all your siblings were put to death. You were the only one spared."

Auriel couldn't breathe. The king said her parents would be hanged, but their children were supposed to be spared. He had lied. 

"Slavery is illegal here. Did you know?" Auriel met Lady Cassia's gaze. How could that be? She had just been bought by Lady Cassia through slavers. Growing up, children in Tora would be told about criminals being sold to Priya as slaves. 

"I can see you don't believe me, but it is true. My cousin has been fighting to stop the illegal slavers, but they have a very powerful and wealthy backer- we believe it is the King of Tora himself. We haven't been able to prove it, so my brother went there to see if he could garner help and sympathy from the Toran court, but he never even made it to the castle before his convoy was attacked."

Auriel felt as if her head would burst. So much terrible information had just been given to her. Her chest was tight, tears ran down her face, and she was trembling. Lady Cassia placed a hand on Auriel's shoulder, a comforting touch, but Auriel couldn't help but flinch.

"I was able to take ample evidence to my cousin from the slave auction where you were. Those slavers have been arrested and will likely be put to death. All the slaves who were sold with you were freed. Including you."

Auriel didn't respond. She couldn't.

"You are free to do as you wish. You can leave here and find work in the city. I can place you with a tradesman as an apprentice. Or you can stay here and work as a servant in my palace. The choice is yours. You don't need to decide right away. Take a few days to recuperate from your journey."

Auriel nodded. The old woman who had led her here, helped her stand and walk out of the banquet hall. She led her to a kitchen where other people wearing similar robes as her were bustling about. 

The woman grabbed a pitcher and poured milk into a cup and handed it to Auriel.

"You are dehydrated and probably haven't eaten in a while. Too much food and water at once will make you sick. Start with this milk, then we can work up to soup and solid foods." 

The woman's accent was thick, but she spoke Toran well. 

"I am Gia, the head servant. I am in charge of all the servants and coordinate their daily tasks. You will follow me for the next few days and see what it's like to be a servant in the house of Cassia. If you decide it is a life you could live, you will be brought on. You will be given housing and food, as well as a generous salary. And you..." Gia looked down at her sympathetically, "You will be safe here. No one from Tora can harm you under House Cassia's protection."

Auriel nodded again and took a gulp of milk. She understood Gia's meaning. If Torans traveled here and recognized her, she could become a target. As a traitor, her assassination could be used to curry favor in the Toran court. But to kill someone under Lady Cassia's name would be considered an act of war.

"Follow me to your room," Gia motioned handing her a small bottle as they walked, "Here is a salve made from local plants. It will help with the burns on your skin."

"Thank you," Auriel took the salve and slathered some on her arms. The cooling worked instantly and her arms stopped stinging. She wondered idly if anything like it existed in Tora. Nobility was never in the sun long enough to burn, but perhaps farmers would have use of something like this. She shook the thought from her head. It was silly to think of Tora, she would never see Tora again and to think of it would only bring sorrow.

The servants' quarters were next to the kitchen. Auriel's room was simple, plainer than any room she had ever stayed in, as expected for a mere servant. 

Staring at the small bed and desk, she realized though that she was lucky. She had heard stories of slaves who slept on stone floors, who were beaten till their backs bled, who starved to death and then were replaced with no thought like a broken wagon wheel. She had been saved from a fate worse than death. 

At that moment she decided, she would not leave House Cassia. She had no desire to find a new way in a trade or other occupation. She would stay, and work hard, and perhaps in time, she could pay back Lady Cassia for both the literal and figurative price she had paid to rescue Auriel.