Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/7218466.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
  Category:
      F/F
  Fandom:
      Kaylor_-_Fandom, Taylor_Swift_(Musician), Karlie_Kloss_-_Fandom
  Relationship:
      Karlie_Kloss/Taylor_Swift
  Character:
      Taylor_Swift, Karlie_Kloss, Lily_Aldridge, Cara_Delevingne, Gigi_Hadid,
      Lorde/Ella, Original_Characters, brief_mention_of_the_Swift_family
  Additional Tags:
      Sex_Slaves_AU, TW_for_murder_and_torture, Fluff, Angst, potential_smut
  Stats:
      Published: 2016-06-16 Updated: 2017-11-06 Chapters: 10/? Words: 22399
****** Turn Me to Stone ******
by natliswifthoe
Summary
     Sex slaves AU no one asked for.
     She knows she's in trouble - she's been in trouble for god knows how
     many times but this one may be the worst one yet.
     She should've known trouble is either brought by an evil queen or
     green eyes.
Notes
     This is my first work for the Kaylor fandom and I suck at writing
     fluff but I have so many ideas and AUs that I decided to finally jot
     this one down.
     This is not betaed so apologies for typos or grammar errors.
See the end of the work for more notes
***** Chapter 1 *****
Prologue
 
They are here.
Their footsteps echo around the quiet hall and mother clutches me close to her
as we hear the tell-tale click of an opening door.
“Don’t be scared,” mother whispers in my ear but even with her soothing voice,
I cannot stop the whimper that comes out of my mouth when I see their shadows
loom over us like branches swaying to the beat of a storm.
I can see their lips twitch into something similar to a smile. But smiles
aren’t evil looking or conspiring. They should be friendly and welcoming, a
blanket warming you up after a cold day. Their ‘smile’ makes me want to run
headfirst into a blizzard storm.
“We want the child,” one of the men says and mother’s hold on me tightens.
“Take whatever you need,” she says quietly but with venom in her voice. I look
up and see her eyes are glistening but unyielding. She won’t let them hurt me.
“But not my daughter. She’s only eight.”
Behind them, I see a dazzling set of diamonds carefully arranged on a crown
sitting on top of a mop of blond hair and I hide my face on mother’s side.
She’s here, too. Why?
I can hear one of the men sigh in exasperation and annoyance and he pulls out a
whip from somewhere in his utility sack and mother all but shoves me behind
her, using her body to shield me from the assault that the man will surely
deliver.
“Please. She’s the only one I have left. You already took my husband and three
daughters, please spare her. Please.” I feel my eyes burn and a sob escapes.
They will take me away even with mother’s begging. They listen to no one but
The Queen.
“Take the child already,” I hear a melodic voice say somewhere down the hall
and I wonder idly how the devil has the voice of an angel. “I have spent enough
time here in this filthy place to last a lifetime. Get her and let’s go.”
With the order, the men move forward and grab me by the arms despite mother’s
attempt to shove them away from me. I cry and reach for her as one of the men
cages me in his arms to take me away from her while the other pushes her down
on the floor. She tries to get up and run past him but two more men barges in
the room and holds her back.
“Karlie! Please! Your Highness, please! I’ll do anything just don’t take my
daughter from me. Please!” Mother cries and I punch the man holding me up by
the waist but to no avail.
He simply sneers down at me and bats my tiny hands away.
“Your Highness, please! I’m begging you! She’s all I have.” Her tears are
running down her cheeks and I try to wrestle out of the man’s grip. “Let me go!
Mother!”
She looks at me and I feel something break inside of me at the pain I see on
her face. “My Queen, I’m begging you! I will do anything!” She struggles out of
the men’s grip but she’s clearly out powered and outnumbered. More tears escape
and I cry uncontrollably. “Mother!”
I hear rather than see The Queen approach and she appraises me for a moment
before nodding and turning her attention to my mother who has now stopped
struggling.
“Anything?” The Queen asks, tilting her head to the side and hope blooms in my
chest. There’s still a chance.
Mother nods quickly. “Yes, Your Majesty. Anything.”
“And what else do you have that I don’t?” Mother stays silent at the question
and fear creeps back up in the pit of my stomach. “Answer me, peasant. Do you
have anything else to offer me that I don’t already have?”
Mother looks down and my stomach sinks. The Queen is right. We don’t have
anything else to offer her. Father and my three sisters are already serving her
and we don’t have enough money or an antique collection that The Queen may
like. Mother has nothing else to offer.
“Myself.”
My head shoots up at the word and I see determination in Mother’s eyes. She
will never give me up.
The Queen watches her for a moment or two before she chuckles. “And what would
I get from a forty year old something like you? You’re filthy, old, and
disposable. I don’t have a use for you. Even as a servant, you’re useless.”
Mother opens her mouth to speak but The Queen waves her hand, signalling the
end of discussion and stomping on the hope that bloomed earlier in my chest.
“This is a waste of time. Dispose her.”
The men holding her give a curt nod and The Queen snaps her fingers to the man
holding me. “Let’s go.”
I slam my fists down on his chest to stop him but he keeps walking and I hear
mother scream, “Karlie!” as the men holding her back produce whips and knives
from their sacks. She reaches her arm out to me and I extend mine to her. My
name falls upon her lips before the men shove her down and all I can see and
hear is their hands raising with whips and mother’s agonized scream as the
leather kisses her skin. I scream ‘mother’ over and over again even as the door
begins to close and starts to obscure my view of her. The last thing I see is
her bloodied and tear stained face from in between the men’s feet and the pain
in her eyes etches itself in my mind as the door falls shut.
***** Chapter 2 *****
Chapter One
 
She can’t feel her arms and legs as they drag her down the dimly lit hallway.
She hears nothing but her laboured breathing and their heavy boots making
contact with the polished floors. She’s exhausted and parched. The fact that
she screamed at the guards for God knows how long is enough to remind her that
she needs water if she’s going to survive this hell on earth experience.
Hell on earth, how appropriate. The temperature in the castle must be over a
hundred. Sweat is running down her back and she itches to pull her flimsy dress
away from her body, modesty be damned. As if she has any dignity left after
what happened in thatroom. She shudders involuntarily. The images and sounds of
whips, of leather cracking on skin make her want to retch her guts out. She did
just that earlier and more hits and insults followed.
“You filthy little thing. How dare you.”
Bile rises in her throat. The Princess showed her some compassion, knowing she
was taken from home three hours prior but The Queen…A sob escapes her as she
remembers what The Queen has done after she poured all the contents of her
breakfast at her feet.
She’s smiling but there is a dangerous look in her eyes. It’s the same grin the
wolf gave to Red Riding Hood when he saw her alone in the woods. Her face says
something nice but her eyes are anything but.
She grasps her chin with her glove covered fingers and makes her look into her
eyes. “Look at you. Disgusted by what you just witnessed?” The Queen posed it
as a question but she doesn’t have it in her to answer. She’s beyond disgusted.
Disgust is such a mild word.
The grip tightens and she winces. “Answer me.”
“Y-yes.” She stutters and tries to look away but her tantalizingly brown eyes
bores into her blue orbs and a whimper escapes her lips without her permission.
“Well, well, well.” She lets her go and she staggers a few steps back, putting
as much distance as she possibly can. “Brace yourself, darling. Youare about to
experience something worse.”
Tears run down her cheeks and she wants to wipe them away but she can’t. Even
without the guards gripping and dragging her by her arms, she’s not sure if she
can still make her body coordinate. Death would be better right now.Dying means
she can no longer feel pain. It means freedom. She won’t be humiliated and she
can float around wherever the so-called paradise is. They should have just
killed her, like what they did to the others, but The Princess was there to
monitor the execution and when she set eyes on her, she immediately ordered to
have her spared and in the carriage and brought to the castle for her and The
Queen.
“A new toy. Mother will be pleased.”
More tears escape and as she hears the unmistakable sound of an opening door,
she braces herself to witness more women getting tortured for the aristocrats’
pleasure.
She lifts her head and immediately shuts her eyes to shield herself from the
blinding light in the room. She feels herself get thrown down the floor and
hears shuffling sounds as hands grasp her arms and she flinches at the contact.
“You’re safe here.” It was spoken right at her ear with a soft voice and she
wills herself to believe the words but she can’t bring her mind to it. After
what she’s gone through today, she just can’t.
“Clean her up,” one of the guards commands and she curls her arms around
herself and keeps her eyes closed. Maybe if she willed all of them to
disappear, she will eventually wake up from this horrendous nightmare. “The
Princess wants her trained for next week. The Queen is pissed at her attitude
so teach her well. She may not come back whole the next time she disrespects
her.” Probably one of the people in the room gives an affirmative nod because
the next thing she hears is a closing door and women’s voices enveloping her.
They start whispering to each other and she lets out a sob as one of them pulls
her into their arms. She’s too tired to fight them off. She just wants to sleep
but is too scared after everything.
“Go get the bandages.”
“What do you think happened?”
“The lukewarm water, Cara, and the needles and threads, now.”
“She’s been whipped a lot, it seems.”
With all the voices, only one stands out to her. “I won’t let them get to you
again.” She cracks her eyes open and sees a glimpse of green eyes gazing down
at her with so much emotion that makes her want to burst into tears or
laughter. Maybe both.
She opens her mouth to speak but the lady holding her in her arms shushes her.
“Go to sleep. You’ll feel better once you wake up.”
She doesn’t want to listen to her, already fed up with people ordering her
around today but she can’t stop herself from obeying as she lets exhaustion
embrace her and lull her to sleep.
 
===============================================================================
 
 
The smell of brewing coffee and honey butter toast reach her senses and she
struggles to open her eyes. She is beyond starved and she would thank the gods
below and above the earth if she gets to have a taste of the pleasant smelling
food.
Her eyes feel stuck and she can’t feel the other parts of her body. She can now
hear distinct voices having hushed conversations and she wonders where she
could possibly be. Austin and Abigail never keep their voices down even if
she’s sleeping after a long day at work. They also don’t know how to cook much
more brew coffee. That’s her job at home. Austin, Abigail. Home. Her home is
destroyed. After the rally they pulled off the other day to stop The Queen from
getting more taxes from the people, her soldiers came and dragged the
organizers of the rally and their families to the Plaza to execute them and
show the people who truly holds the power.
She shudders, the memories of yesterday coming back to her in a wave of anguish
and broken promises and she sits up, eyes wide, bleary from tears and scanning
the room. The hushed voices stop altogether and sets of eyes watch her
carefully.
“Don’t look at her like that. She’s not an animal ready to pounce on you,”
someone says from behind her and she cranes her neck but her body doesn’t
cooperate and she slumps back down on the bed. She’s on a bed with mattress,
dressed in a carnation colored chiffon dress with sleeves long enough to hide
her upper arms and almost reaches her knees. She wonders who changed her out of
the filthy and bloodied clothes she was wearing when she got here earlier.
A blond girl wearing a similar dress like hers comes to her and offers her a
glass of water. She looks at it warily before slowly sitting up and reaching
her hand out for the glass but before she can take hold of it, the same voice
speaks up. “She can’t even crane her neck to see me. Help her drink the water,
Cara.”
She must be the head maid here or something, she thinks as she gulps down the
water, the liquid soothing her scratched and sore throat. She finishes it in
four gulps.
“More?” the girl who looks five years her junior asks with a smile and she
gives a small nod of her head. She goes to what seems like an adjoining room
and comes back with a pitcher of water in hand and a plate of bread on the
other. The smell of the toast makes her stomach rumble loudly and she sends a
silent thanks to the women who said nothing at the obvious sign of her hunger.
The girl, who she presumes must be Cara, helped her put the bread in her mouth
as the other women in the room go back to their conversations earlier and
promptly ignoring her altogether, which she’s grateful for. After the incident,
she doesn’t want any more prying eyes aimed at her direction. She keeps her
emotion in check as she accepts the glass of water from Cara. She’s cried
enough and she doesn’t trust herself to break down in front of these strangers.
They seem friendly and respectful enough to not ask her questions but she can’t
bring herself to talk to or even come in contact with anyone. The torture she
went through today has already clawed its way in her mind and in the very
depths of her self-being and she doubts it’s going away any time soon.
She feels devoid of any emotion, having witnessed the mass execution- murder,
she reminds herself- of her family and friends with her being able to do
nothing but scream and cry for help.
They stand there, watching with hands on their mouths and eyes half-closed
because of all the shed blood that they’re seeing. They brought this upon
themselves, many of them say, malice clear in their voices. But they know
nothing. They know nothing of the struggle and sacrifices they went through to
stop The Queen from milking more money out of them without using it for the
benefit of the townspeople she should be leading.
She keeps on yelling, asking for someone, anyone to help her, help her family.
The guards are holding her back from running to the executors and stopping them
from inflicting pain and death to her loved ones and she knows there is no hope
for any of them. She hears their agonised screams and their cries echo in her
ears even after she’s been thrown into the carriage to go back to the castle.
Their faces etched themselves in her mind; the gaping wound on Austin’s
forehead, the blood running down the side of Abigail’s face, her father getting
kicked and punched in the face and all over his body, the lacerations on Brit’s
back from all the whipping they gave, the lack of life in her mother’s eyes as
her head rolls away from her neck and she wishes she can be with them, share
their agony and despair. That would have been better. She’d rather suffer with
her siblings and friends and die with them, knowing they died for a good reason
instead of being kept alive but not getting treated as a human being but a mere
object of pleasure.
She knows what’s going to happen when she reaches the castle and she whimpers
until The Queen’s gaze falls upon her and she knows, believes even, that death
is the easiest and only way out of this fucked up reality.
She doesn’t notice the tears running down her face until Cara wraps her arms
around her, cautious of what her reaction might be. She’s grateful that she’s
pulled her into a hug because when she starts crying, the tears don’t stop
until all she can do is hiccup. She’s drained. Empty, even. After witnessing
the execution at the square and the torture done to the sex slaves of The
Queen, she doesn’t know what to feel anymore. Disgust, hatred, and guilt seem
too mild to describe the emotions rioting inside her.
“It’s going to be okay,” Cara soothes in her ear. She wants to believe her but
the day has proven to her that even the kindest people get killed because they
don’t hold the power to yield the whips and swords and are too kind for their
own good to save themselves.
She shakes her head and pulls away. Cara offers her a smile and the corner of
her lips twitch into something she hopes resembles a smile.
“I’m Cara.” She says with the smile still on her face and she wonders how the
girl can keep a happy façade despite everything she’s seen and heard in this
castle.
She opens her mouth to speak and a choked, “Taylor” comes out of her. She
clears her throat and tries again. “I’m Taylor.” There, that sounded more like
herself although her throat still feels raw from all the screaming and crying
she’s done.
A chorus of ‘Hello, Taylor’s and ‘Welcome, Taylor’s emanate from the women
gathered around the room and she sees unfamiliar but friendly, smiling faces
all looking at her. She suddenly feels shy and exposed. Here she was crying to
a girl younger than her in front of these people she doesn’t even know the
names of.
“Hi, Taylor.” She hears someone say from behind her and she angles herself to
look at the speaker. She’s met with familiar green eyes and a careful smile. A
girl, probably two to four years older than her, sits in front of her, wearing
a pale blue satin dress. She’s wearing satin?
“Uhm, hi.” She must be the Head Lady or something.
She probably sees where Taylor’s stare was directed because she then says, “It
was The Princess’ order that I only wear satin.” Pink colors her cheeks and she
wonders if she’s embarrassed that The Princess favours her among the others.
“It’s because you’re her favourite,” Cara says behind her and Satin Girl shoots
her a glare that can probably roast her if she has heat vision. She must have
been teased about it before because some women also chuckle at Cara’s remark.
“Anyway,” she drawls out, gaining Taylor’s attention. “I’m Karlie.” She holds
out her hand and Taylor takes it. They briefly shake hands and Karlie smiles
wider at her. They seem all too happy despite their situation and she wonders
if they’re high on drugs or on some delusion that they’re being treated
properly and as human beings.
“Do you want some more food?” Karlie asks. “Cara has finally learned to cook
today, although it’s just some porridge. I apologize in advance if it tastes
like burnt wood.”
“Hey!” Cara protests. “Porridge is my specialty.” She huffs in frustration and
Taylor has to smile. She reminds her of how Abigail would defend her cooking
despite it tasting really awful. The memories of her, Austin, and Abigail in
their kitchen feel like pouring alcohol to still gaping wounds. The thought of
her siblings brings back fresh tears and she fights to keep her emotions in
check.
Fortunately, Karlie’s retort is enough to bring her back to the present.
“Porridge is the only dish you know how to cook, Cara.”
Cara tackles Karlie then, barely missing Taylor by an inch, and the women in
the room burst out laughing. Taylor realizes then that Cara is the source of
their happiness. Their situation is glum but somehow, she keeps them distracted
from all the bullshit that happens in their lives in the castle. She must be
the youngest of them all and is the life of this place.
Karlie throws Cara off her and laughs at the offended look on the younger
girl’s face. “It’s true!”
Cara crosses her arms over her chest and says, “It’s not like you’re the best
cook here.”
“At least I know how to cook five dishes.”
“Considering you’re twenty-three, I’m surprised you only know five.”
Karlie growls at her and Taylor smiles at their playful banter. This must be
their usual routine. And despite everything that’s happened today, she can’t
help but feel a bit better. Maybe this is not all bad with these people
surrounding her.
“How old are you, Taylor?” Cara asks her suddenly and she blushes as she feels
all eyes on her.
“I-I’m twenty,” she stutters and mentally admonishes herself. At her age, she
still doesn’t know how to interact with fresh faces and she should have learned
by now. Her father always had guests at home and she would always be told to
talk and listen to them as they discussed the town issues and how they should
address them. Years later and she still doesn’t know how to properly interact
with strangers.
“I’m fifteen. And the ages here range from twenty to twenty-six.”
“You’re the youngest.” Nice, she thought. State the obvious.
Cara nods. “I was taken to serve the household when I was twelve. Promoted when
I turned fourteen.” She puts air quotes on promoted and Taylor raises an
eyebrow. “The Queen wanted younger girls to please her. I’m really gorgeous so
it was no brainer, really.”
Karlie smacks the back of her head and Cara yelps. “What the-”
“So full of yourself, ain’t we, hm?” She ruffles Cara’s blond hair and the
younger girl smacks her hand away, glaring at a smirking Karlie.
“That’s your second strike today, Kar. Second. I’m warning you.”
Karlie looks lovingly at Cara and Taylor is struck by the thought that they may
be sisters. She voices out the question and the two look at each other before
they burst out laughing.
“I’m sorry,” Karlie says immediately after registering the look of hurt on
Taylor’s face. “The question was funny, not you.” She wipes tears from her
eyes, still chuckling. “But to answer your question, no, we’re not sisters. The
universe doesn’t hate me thatmuch.”
Taylor waves her hand between the two of them. “But you look like you are.”
“Ew, no,” Cara comments. “I mean, aside from the obvious, we’re so different.
First of which is that I’m pretty and she’s not. I’m-”
“I’m tall and she’s tiny,” Karlie interrupts and Cara glares at her.
The way they argue and tease each other remind her painfully of Abigail and
herself. Austin would just watch as they bicker over the dish that they’d
prepare for dinner and how she would always end up winning because despite
Abigail being cute when favoured, she can’t let her younger sister burn down
their house. The tears come unbidden again and she curses herself for being so
damn weak. If every time her memories triggered tears, she sure won’t get
through a day without shedding some.
“Earth to Taylor?”
She lifts her head up at the mention of her name and sees Karlie and Cara
regarding her with small smiles. These girls helped her today in more ways than
one even without knowing who she really is and she can’t even imagine what
would’ve happened to her if it weren’t for their sympathy and kindness. Having
been through what she’s been through, their small actions meant a whole lot to
her and she blurts out a “Thank you” before she can think about it and she
feels heat rise to her cheeks.
“We help our sisters, new or old,” Cara states, pride in her voice.
Karlie nods and grins at Taylor and she feels light-headed looking into that
smile and those bright green eyes. “You’re one of us now. We might not be in a
good situation but at least we have each other.” She flicks her hand to the
other ladies observing their exchange. “Welcome to our sisterhood, Taylor.”
***** Chapter 3 *****
Chapter Two
 
After applying ointment on the gashes from the whipping on Taylor’s back, with
little complaining coming from the twenty year old girl, Karlie introduces her
to the other women in the room who kept quiet as she and Cara tended to her
earlier. Most of them have been snatched away from their families and homes
when they were sixteen, forced to become part of the ‘service crew’ for the
guests, and were later turned into sex slaves when The Queen thought they were
already trained and tamed enough for a more intimate and repulsive service.
Others were prisoners of war, princesses who were traded for money and power by
their greedy and uncaring fathers, and some were just like her: taken from
wherever they were because they caught The Princess’ eye. How very unfortunate
of them to have been there the same time as The Princess.
They’re all of a mature age when they were captured except for Cara who was
taken when she was twelve and Karlie who chose not to say anything about her
past and how she ended up with them.
“It’s too painful for her,” Ella, one of the younger and friendly girls,
whispers in her ear when she asked about it and Karlie just gave her a sad
smile and turned away. “She said she was only a child when they took her; been
here longer than anyone else.”
“One of the reasons why The Princess favours her,” Gigi pipes up from a corner
where she sits, reading a book with a title Taylor can’t quite decipher. She
detects a bit of envy in the girl’s voice and she wonders why she’d be envious
of Karlie. Gigi is beautiful, too, like Karlie and everyone else in the room
(though Taylor finds Karlie a bit more attractive but that’s just because she’s
always smiling). She’s one of the few princesses who were sold by their fathers
to The Queen and maybe that’s the reason why she sounds so hostile.
“Also the reason why they listen to her when she pleads not to hurt uswhen
we’ve done something wrong in their eyes,” Ella counters, protective of the
girl who’s now busy laughing at something Cara said. They were in the adjoining
room/kitchen, preparing for dinner with several other girls helping them cook.
They have some sort of routine and schedule when it comes to their chores. “Why
you can’t be just grateful to her is beyond me, Gigi.”
Gigi looks up from her book and sets it aside. Oh no. Taylor knows what that
action meant. She’d do the same thing when she’s serious and shit’s about to go
down.
“Why, pray tell, should I be grateful to her,” Gigi starts, voice low but laced
with venom. “when all I get from The Princess is whips and chains because I’m
not as good and as well behaved as Karlie?”
Taylor can see the unshed tears in Gigi’s eyes and feels sympathy towards the
girl. She’s trying to mask the pain and insecurities by being angry but Taylor
knows the anger is directed at the wrong person. She shouldn’t be furious at
Karlie for being the favourite, she probably hates it, too, if the look on her
face earlier from being mocked as the favoured one was anything to go by.
“Well, maybe, you should listen carefully to their instructions next time,
huh?” Ella replies. “Karlie has always been a sister to you. It wasn’t her
fault that you decided to disobey The Queen because you felt like doing it.”
Gigi barks a bitter laugh and Taylor wants to tell them to stop but the mere
fact that she’s new here and doesn’t really know what happened prior makes her
think twice about it. She doesn’t think her interfering will help Gigi to calm
down.
“At least I’m not some pet who can’t even think for herself.”
Ella gives her a dirty look. “You don’t know what Karlie goes through to keep
us safe.”
“Safe?” Gigi scoffs. “Please, even sheisn’t safe from punishments. How can you-
”
“That’s enough.”
They all look at the doorway of the kitchen to see Lily, glaring at Gigi and
Ella with her arms crossed. She is in full mother mode, as Cara called it
earlier when she also broke off a heated argument between two other girls.
She’s one of the few women here to whom the girls actually listen.
Lily gestures at Gigi. “Gi, I know you’re still upset about what happened last
week, but please, don’t take it out on your sister.” Gigi huffs at sister and
Lily frowns at her. “This is the fourth time this week. We have rules here.”
She turns to Ella. “And you, El, we talked about this. I know you adore and
think highly of Karlie but at the expense of offending your sister? Gigi’s been
through a lot, I hope you remember that.”
Ella actually has the decency to look ashamed of what she did but Gigi just
crosses her arms in a clear way of saying that she doesn’t care. Lily regards
them both and sighs in exasperation. This isn’t probably the first fight
between the two girls and it certainly doesn’t seem the last.
“I heard my name.” Karlie pokes her head from behind Lily, eyes wide in
question. “Everything cool?” She looks at the scene in front of her: Ella with
a kicked puppy look on her face, Gigi who is now back to reading – scowling at
– her book, and Taylor who looks caught in the middle of a crossfire. She turns
to ask Lily and the older woman just waves her off.
“It’s been taken care of,” Lily says before going back inside the kitchen to
probably continue what she was doing earlier.
Ella stands up and goes to her bunker on the other side of the room and Karlie
is about to follow her when Taylor grabs her wrist. She shakes her head at her.
“Let her cool down.” She knows from experience that a girl needs a time alone
after an argument, whether she won it or not. She and Abigail always got into
fights and they would go to separate corners to let off steam and come back
later at the dining room to apologize to each other. Though it looks like it’s
not the same for Gigi and Ella.
Taylor pats the space Ella has vacated next to her and gestures for Karlie to
sit down. “They were arguing about you,” she tells the brunette as soon as
she’s settled beside her. She sees the other girl frown and look at the two
girls involved.
“Me being the favourite?” Karlie asks and Taylor nods and swears she sees tears
in those green eyes before she blinks and then they’re gone. She probably feels
guilty about what happened and Taylor is affected by the gloomy look on the
girl’s face. She’s only been here for a few hours but she’s already used to
seeing the girl radiate sunshine with her smile.
Karlie sighs and her shoulders hunch down. “Gigi hates me and I don’t
understand why.” Taylor itches to respond when Karlie remains silent for a few
minutes but knows by the look from the other girl’s face that she just needs to
let her feelings out in the open. “She and Ella would always argue about me
being the favourite and it’s always the same old cycle of things. Gigi will
accuse me of being treated differently from the others and Ella will defend me
by saying that The Princess’ favouritism saves them from landing in hot
waters.” Karlie shakes her head, eyes downcast and Taylor tentatively puts her
hand on the girl’s arm.
“I don’t want my sisters fighting because of me.” Karlie looks at her and
despite Taylor’s reservations with touching other people, she pulls Karlie into
a hug. The brunette wraps her own arms around Taylor and she feels the tension
on the girl’s shoulder and just wants to tell her that it’s going to be okay
but knows better of it. Based on what she just witnessed, Gigi is one stubborn
woman and full of self-loathing and hatred. Taylor knows that she is the kind
of girl who will never surrender to anyone even when she’s wrong. She’ll shut
her mouth but thinks deep inside that her claims are always right. Ella, on the
other hand, may have good intentions but she expresses it in a way that may
offend the one she’s conversing with. A problematic combination.
“Arguments between girls are natural, Karlie,” Taylor says, rubbing soothing
circles on the sniffing girl’s back. My sister and I argues all the time, she
wants to say but holds back. This isn’t about her.
Karlie pulls back and wipes at her eyes with the back of her hand. She must be
so attached to the girls here to look so distressed with a simple argument
between them. “I know but I hate it. I hate it when instead of helping and
supporting each other, girls bring down and claw at the others who are in a
better state.” The brunette quietly laughs to herself. “I must look silly
crying over such a thing. One would probably think that after spending years
here, the torture and depravity would’ve toughened me up already.” She waves a
hand at herself. “But look at me.”
“You seem pretty tough to me,” Taylor says with a smile and blushing cheeks,
noticing the way Karlie’s arm flexes as she moves her hair away from her face.
After she’s witnessed the cruelty inflicted upon the women here by the
monarchs, Taylor feels mortified of herself for even staring at Karlie in a
different way. She’s no different from them if she looks at Karlie like she’s
only an object of desire.
“Well, there are lots of lifting heavy objects here,” Karlie says, bringing
Taylor back to the present.
“You girls do everything around here?”
The brunette nods. “We’ve also set a bunch of rules to keep the harmony. Living
in a small room is a bit difficult and has its pros and cons but we get to at
least have a decent sleep and retain some privacy in here, which is nice.”
“Have you had no privacy before?”
“Not with the old rules of The Queen, no.” Karlie doesn’t elaborate further and
Taylor has to hold herself back from asking too many questions. She doesn’t
want to come off as intrusive or nosy.
“I can feel your curiosity rolling off in waves, Taylor.” Karlie has a shit-
eating grin on her face and she wonders how the girl can easily switch moods.
“Ask away.”
Taylor’s cheeks flame in embarrassment of being so read easily. “Uhm, t-the
rules. What were they?”
“Well, I used to sleep at the foot of The Queen’s bed with nothing but a collar
on.”
“You what?” Taylor practically shrieks. An image of a very tall brunette curled
up in a fetal position at the mercy of The Queen, shivering and with nothing to
protect her from the cold temperature of the room and humiliation comes
unbidden to her mind and she shudders. Poor Karlie. She suffered different
kinds of depravity and yet she still manages to smile.
Karlie shrugs like it’s no big deal. “I was younger, then.”
Taylor opens her mouth to speak but only garbled noises come out. A younger
Karlie, pretending to be asleep due to The Queen’s commands, sobbing quietly to
avoid another whipping. Taylor puts a hand on her mouth to stop a whimper from
escaping.
Karlie notices the change of her demeanour and puts a hand on her arm. “Taylor,
are you okay?”
Taylor tries to nod but a tear slips from her eyes and she curses herself for
being so weak. If that simple image of degradation makes her whine like a baby,
what more if she experiences it first-hand?  Oh, she knows what. She’s going to
retch her guts out and get whipped several times. Just her luck.
Karlie curses under her breath. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have given you such
explicit details. I know you’re still recovering.” She wraps her arms around
Taylor and the blonde lets herself rest against the girl’s shoulder. She lost
her family and was taken here to be humiliated and objectified yet she still
manages to smile like everything is all right. How she does that is beyond
astonishing,Taylor thinks, letting the even breathing of the brunette lull her
into a state of peace and calm.
“I’ve experienced a lot worse, so don’t feel too bad for me. I survived,”
Karlie whispers against Taylor’s hair and she holds on to the brunette tighter.
She can’t imagine Karlie going through worse things. She doesn’t want to. She
knows she only spent a few minutes in Karlie’s company but somehow the always-
beaming girl has already attached herself to Taylor. There is something about
the older girl that Taylor finds captivating and maybe it’s her strength to
carry on after everything or maybe the way she cares for the girls she calls
her sisters or the way she smiles through the pain but Taylor knows for a fact
that she wants to know the other girl better. Hint of attraction set aside.
***** Chapter 4 *****
Chapter Notes
     I'm so sorry for taking so long in uploading. I've already written
     this chapter last month but college is a bitch and I had no decent
     internet connection. :(
     Again, I have no beta so typos and grammatical errors are all mine.
     And now unto the next chapter...
Chapter Three

She’s bored. If Taylor is being honest with herself, having nothing to do
doesn’t sit well with her. Karlie won’t let her go anywhere near the kitchen
insisting that she needs to rest and “let the experts handle this”. Being the
household head of their house, she’s not used to just watching people mill and
fuss around her, all the movement makes her dizzy and feel more isolated and
useless. She doesn’t do useless. Never.
And even if she won’t tell a living soul, she has to admit to herself it isn’t
really the notion of being useless that really bothers her but the fact that
doing nothing brings back memories she desperately wants to forget. Her family
is dead. Some of her friends, too. But she’s here, breathing and just staring
at nothing but air, doing none of the things she’s promised as the guards
hauled her away from the plaza.
Tears and blood run down her face and she should wipe them away, be disgusted
of herself and feel mortified for disgracing the honor and image of their
family by such an ugly look on her, but she feels as though there is nothing
left in her to care about such silly notions. There is nothing but a void of
black and white and red. Red, so much red splattered all over.
Bloody footprints on the floorboards, spattered blood against the windows and
furniture, trails of gore on the stairs and on the books torn in half on the
floor. There was nothing but red all over and she wishes that by wiping it away
from her face, her hand will also clean it from her mind. Her body will be
cleansed from the past, wounds will heal, bruises will fade but her mind and
soul will never be the same. Not until she gets her revenge.
She puts her hand against the window as the carriage sets in motion and she
swears on this day forward until the day she breathes her last breath that she
will give justice to their deaths, to the dreams and lives they ruined with
whips and swords.Theywill pay and they will work hard until every price has
been paid.
She doesn’t stop crying but neither does she stop thinking. She will make The
Queen and The Princess pay for what they’ve done to her family and friends.
It’ll be easy, she thinks, because once inside the room, there will be no
guards and she is nothing if not resourceful.
But fate has never been on her side since day one. No, no, no. Fate has more
trick up its sleeve that will put a seasoned magician to shame and retirement.
Taylor feels anger towards herself. Her grief and plan of revenge have driven
her to stay calm the whole ride to the castle, silently planning and
reminiscing her loved ones to fuel the rage inside her, but once she was thrown
in the room, she cowered in fear and disgust. She should have expected the
scene before her but not even the most explicit and horrifying stories about
the torture done to the slaves she’s heard over the years hit close to home.
No, those stories didn’t even paint the actual torture a decent picture.
Bile rises in her throat as her brain skirts along the line of what she’s
witnessed and Taylor decides to help out in the kitchen despite Karlie’s
reminders. She’d rather face a pissed off girl than go down memory lane and
torment herself even further.
She gathers herself and goes to her feet just as Cara runs up to her, fear in
her eyes. “What’s wrong?” she asks, looking over Cara’s shoulder to see the
other girls mumbling and scrambling around, tidying up their beds, putting away
their laundry, and sweeping the floor. The room looks even messier as they try
to clean it up in a hurry. “What’s going on?”
“T-the Queen is here,” the younger girl answers and Taylor flinches at the
words despite trying hard not to for Cara’s sake; the girl is practically
cowering in fear and Taylor has an idea why. The Queen will pick a girl to
serve her for the night. She was thinking of her sadistic streak mere minutes
ago.
Shit.
“Karlie told me to keep you in the kitchen while The Queen makes a show of
picking up a girl tonight,” Cara explains and tugs at Taylor’s hand, gesturing
to the kitchen. “You’ll stay there to make sure she doesn’t come for you. If
she picks you now that you’re yet to be trained, it’ll cause a bigger problem.”
Taylor starts to protest but hears rather than sees the movements stop at the
same time the hand in hers freeze as the tell-tale click of heels on the floor
sounds in the room.
“Well, well, well, my pets,” The Queen says, her sultry voice floating in the
now silent room. “Good evening.”
“Good evening, Your Majesty,” is the chorused reply. Cara has dropped to her
knees with her head bowed and Taylor feels a moment of panic as she watches The
Queen survey the room. Luckily for her, she isn’t yet spotted but it’s only a
matter of time before The Queen sees her standing there amongst the kneeling
women. She resolves to follow their position when a hand on her arm grabs her
and pulls her away from the royalty’s line of sight and into the safety of the
secluded kitchen.
“What were you doing there?” Karlie hisses at her, nostrils flaring. Before
Taylor has the chance to respond, the brunette continues. “I’ve told Cara to
specifically trap you in here to ensure your safety and then I see you standing
there waiting for what? A basket of goods coming down from the heavens? Are you
crazy or looking for another torture?”
Taylor feels a flare of anger at Karlie’s words and tone tinged with
accusation. How dare she? Unable to hold it in especially after everything
that’s happened to her, she whispers, “I didn’t know what I was supposed to
do!” Her tone was full of supressed anger but knowing full well The Queen can
hear her if she so much raises her voice an octave, she kept it low. “She got
here before Cara can hide me away and I don’t know what to do. Maybe if you
taught me the basics I wouldn’t be looking like a lost puppy in the middle of a
war!”
Karlie appears to be shocked of the other girl’s outburst and is mentally
kicking herself for snapping. She looks way more tired and rigid right now than
she was earlier. “I’m sorry I snapped at you.” She runs a hand through her
hair, exasperated. “I panicked when I didn’t see you under the kitchen table.”
“You were going to hide me under a table?” Taylor asks, incredulous. She did
not just say that.
Karlie gives her a small, wry smile. “No choice. If you kneel like the rest of
us, she will notice you because of your posture. We’re all trained to kneel at
a certain way.”
Well, Taylor thinks, another evidence that The Queen is batshit crazy. Who
trains people to kneel at a certain way? Crazy sadistic bitches with power
that’s who.
Taylor hears The Queen talking to the women in the other room. That gives them
time but right now, that isn’t enough to keep them safe from The Queen’s wrath
when she sees them talking. She’s seen enough to know what the monarch is
capable of doing.
“What do you suggest, then?”
“Hide under the table,” Karlie says the same time The Queen asks, “Where is
Karlie?”
“Shit, shit, shit,” the brunette mutters under her breath as she practically
shoves Taylor down and under the dining table. The blonde glares up at her but
says nothing, just folds into herself. “Stay there.”
“Like I have a choice.”
“We’ll talk about this attitude and temper of yours later.” Karlie smirks
before shuffling away from Taylor and kneeling at the entry of the kitchen that
is out of sight of The Queen.
“Karlie?” The Queen asks and Taylor balls her hands into fists. Something about
the tone of The Queen makes her want to throw up. It’s obvious the brunette is
the favourite and the fact doesn’t sit well with her. Damn it, not now,
feelings.
“There you are, my pet.”
Taylor blanches when she catches The Queen’s murmured words whispered to
Karlie, she’s close enough to hear her but not completely derailed to want to
decipher whatever the evil queen was uttering. She just hoped that whatever god
she hasn’t offered her wishes up to you yet would help her survive this
experience.
She sees the stiff curve of Karlie’s shoulders and knows the brunette is trying
hard to contain her movements. That control must be from all the training she’s
had for years, Taylor thinks and feels her stomach churn. She can’t imagine
Karlie as a child, crying herself to sleep after a day of being subjected to
degradation by the people who certainly kidnapped her from her family and home.
She’s twenty and she can’t even contain her breakfast through the punishment
The Queen gave her earlier, what more a child? And an abducted one at that?
Again, Taylor is in awe and taken aback by how the girl still manages to smile
after everything. She can barely return Cara’s smile earlier after she’s been
tossed inside the slaves’ room but Karlie? The brightness of her grin rivals
the sun’s and it must take a lot of effort to do such thing every day for so
many years.
Taylor is pulled from her thoughts when she feels a pair of eyes subtly
watching her and looks up to see that Karlie is indeed looking at her and… is
trying to tell her something.
That’s when she gets it.
“…. don’t see that new girl anywhere,” The Queen says and Taylor’s blood runs
cold. Fuck. She’s looking for her. Fuck.
Karlie’s eyes snap back down to the floor as Taylor hears the approaching click
of heels. When did she walk away in the first place, anyway? Taylor has been so
caught up in her thoughts that she forgot The Queen hasn’t finished her
business here yet and that she’s under a damn table, hiding and is probably
being hunted by the monarch herself.
“Where is she, Karlie?”
Taylor watches as the kneeling girl gulps and seizes herself to answer the
question. Then she suddenly wants to bang her head against the table when she
realizes that Karlie is probably going to lie. To The Queen. For her sake.
She’s gonna lie, Taylor turns the words in her head over and over again and
feels a stab of guilt in her chest. Karlie is going to deceit The Queen; the
one who probably knows every tone the brunette uses and their corresponding
meanings, and has a built-in lie detector hidden deep inside her evil body.
Karlie opens her mouth to respond when Taylor decides that she’s not going to
keep hidden and safe while watching someone pay the cost of her welfare. She’s
had enough of that to last a lifetime.
“I’m here, Your Majesty,” she says as she crawls out under the furniture and
two pairs of eyes snap at her sudden appearance, one which is slightly amused
and curious and the other which is shocked and glaring daggers at her.
If Karlie has heat vision, Taylor will be roast by now.
The blond kneels by the foot of the table and bows her head the way she’s seen
the other girls did. She tunes in to The Queen as she chuckles under her
breath.
“Hiding under a table?” Taylor can almost hear her sneer as she walks towards
where she’s kneeling. “How cowardly of you."
Taylor bites down a sarcastic reply, she’d put her foot in her mouth before and
she doesn’t want a repeat performance of what happened later. Instead, she
focuses on the feeling of Karlie’s glare at the top of her head and sends her a
silent apology. The older girl must be fuming with anger at the moment.
“What were you doing under the table, hm?” Gloved-fingers tip her chin up and
Taylor looks at anywhere but The Queen’s penetrating gaze. She’s going to keep
silent this time. “Cat got your tongue, dear?”
Taylor bites the inside of her cheek. Don’t reply, don’t speak, she tells
herself. Do nothing. The right time will come.
The grip on her chin tightens and the monarch jerks her head to look her
straight in the eye. “Answer me, slave. Are you scared of what I’m going to do
to you?”
Taylor lets out a silent, “Yes, Your Majesty,” before dropping her gaze again.
The Queen chuckles quietly and lets go of her. “I see you’ve learned your
lesson,” she states, a slightly impressed tone seeping in her voice. “And only
in a few hours. That’s awfully fast, especially for a rebel like you.” The
monarch tilts Taylor’s chin up and smiles at the defiance she sees in her eyes.
They both know why Taylor is biting her tongue and The Queen is enjoying the
façade she’s putting up for the women she barely knows. The young blonde
practically vibrates with anger as The Queen observes her, waiting for her
resolve to crack. 
Not this time, Taylor thinks as she ignores the pins and needles in her knees.
The Queen won’t have the pleasure of seeing her lose her temper again.
Taylor dares to lift her gaze to look at Karlie and the brunette is staring
right back at her, frown clear on her face as she kneels a few feet away from
them, just waiting on how everything will play out. Taylor knows the other girl
wants to do something – strangle her for putting herself in this position,
maybe – but like Taylor, Karlie also doesn’t want to risk anything with the
other women in the room. The Queen is a sadist and she will surely enjoy when
one – or worse, both – of them snaps and gets to be punished in front of
everyone in the room. They don’t need the emotional and mental scars that will
surely bring.
Light caresses on her cheeks bring Taylor back to reality and she barely
supresses the shudder that runs through her. “Tell me,” The Queen whispers as
she bends down, her lips now a mere inch away from Taylor’s ear and this time,
she can’t help the shiver that shots through her body at the contact of the
monarch’s breath against her skin, “you like Karlie, don’t you?”
The question catches Taylor off guard and she whips her head up and opens her
mouth to say something that will certainly put them in danger before regaining
control over her body again.
The Queen laughs quietly at her reaction but remains close to her, waiting for
her reply, eyes glinting with mirth and some knowledge Taylor surely doesn’t
have a clue about. How can The Queen possibly know that the younger girl
already has some kind of connection with the brunette? They haven’t interacted
in front of her and surely she was subtle with giving Karlie looks…right? Shit.
The monarch must have known Taylor’s intentions – and possibly feelings – when
she crawled out the damn table. That was what gave her away. Shit.
“Can’t blame you,” The Queen mutters, as if Taylor already gave her an answer
and throws a glance at Karlie over her shoulder before continuing, “She is one
fine specimen of a lady.” It was said so casually any outsider who might have
heard it may interpret it as a compliment. But Taylor knows better than to fall
for the deceiving voice of The Queen. She’s trying to get a rise out of her.
And by the smug grin on the monarch’s face as she straightens up, she knows the
young girl is near her boiling point. Not that it’s difficult to reach.
Damn it.
Taylor watches her as The Queen winks before sauntering over to Karlie and
kissing her right on the mouth in front of her and she doesn’t know if the
tightening in her chest is because of abhorrence and anger or jealousy and
helplessness. She wishes it is the former. God help her if it’s because of
jealousy. She barely knows the brunette, she has no right to be jealous and
besides, she reasons to herself, Karlie doesn’t like The Queen even one bit.
She closes her eyes and focuses on her breathing. If she reacts poorly, she and
Karlie and the other girls in the room will suffer from god-knows-what.
Why did she ever think crawling out of that table was a good idea? She should
have let Karlie answer for her, yet, the mere thought of surrendering the
brunette to the devil makes Taylor lightheaded. The moment she was thrown in
this room, the girl has been anything but harsh to her and Taylor knows how to
pay her debts although maybe she has it all twisted up in her head because now
the she-devil is looking at her like she’s a pig ready to be butchered.
“Karlie,” The Queen says without breaking her gaze on Taylor, “stand up.”
The brunette quickly obeys and Taylor swallows as she waits the next commands.
She doesn’t know what the monarch is playing at and it unnerves her.
The Queen walks to Taylor and the younger girl tries not to swallow the lump in
her throat. “You, too,” she orders and Taylor rises – as steadily as she can –
to her feet. She has to show she has control of herself. If she displays any
indication of her fear – though she is sure The Queen can undoubtedly smell
that coming off her in waves, but still she needs to try – she can’t even begin
to imagine what the evil queen will have in store for her – them – if she sees
how terrified Taylor is.
Them.
“Karlie told me to keep you in the kitchen while The Queen makes a show of
picking up a girl tonight… You’ll stay there to make sure she doesn’t come for
you. If she picks you now that you’re yet to be trained, it’ll cause a bigger
problem.”
The realization hits Taylor like a carriage that lost its chauffeur and she has
no time to get out of the way before The Queen walks out the kitchen and into
the room with the other women who are still kneeling, waiting.
Taylor runs to Karlie to try and tell her but one look from the brunette and
she skids to a halt.
Don’t make this any worse.
“My lovely pets,” The Queen announces, smile and triumph evident in her tone,
“I have decided that tonight, Karlie and the newcomer, Taylor will see to my
needs accordingly.”
***** Chapter 5 *****
Chapter Notes
     There will be some /torture/ in this chapter. Just so you know. If
     that's not your cup of tea, you can skip this although it's a /bit/
     important for the plot and it's not that explicit.
See the end of the chapter for more notes
Chapter Four
If there is another thing that Taylor hates more than spiders, it’s the way The
Queen’s eyes light up as if she found the cure for cancer. Sure, she is a
sadist and the devil reincarnation pretending to be a ruler of a small,
secluded country but she is also shrewd – she seizes up her prey and calculates
every angle of possible attack before pouncing; she lays out a plan before
taking action and that makes her more dangerous and harder to read. The Queen
plots ahead and Taylor has half a mind to use one of the canes, hanging on the
far side of the wall, to bash her head in. She is quite sure they won’t mind if
they lost one. After all, they will still have eleven left to their collection.
And while Taylor is reluctant to admit it, The Queen is also very creative, if
the props in the room are anything to go by.
Taylor has seen them before, of course, when the guards dragged her in after
The Princess and she was plotting the bloodiest murder that would be recorded
in history but at the time she saw them as a weapon of revenge, a way to put a
halt to whatever the royalties are doing to the people of the country, and not
as something that is used to inflict pain after pain without killing the
victim. Physically, at least.
Kneeling by the door, Taylor regrets her moment of terror and weakness. She had
the chance and she blew it. They didn’t have to be here if only she only kept
her mouth shut and stomach under control; there would have been retribution if
only she grabbed the nearest thing beside her when she had the chance but no,
it’s entirely too late to dwell on what ifs. At this point, she will be glad if
she survives the torture first-hand.
“It’s not torture, you know,” The Queen says suddenly and Taylor thinks for
half a second that the monarch can also read minds. “There is a fine line
between pain and pleasure and if you think that what we do is painful, then it
is.” She saunters her way to Karlie who is kneeling at the middle of the room,
a few feet away from Taylor, and tilts the brunette’s chin up to plant a chaste
kiss on her lips. “But,” she continues as her gaze falls on Taylor, “if you set
your mind to it, the pain can become pleasurable.”
Disagreement is at the tip of Taylor’s tongue but she purses her lips to stop
herself from reacting. Don’t make things worse.
The Queen makes her way to Taylor and the younger woman bites the inside of her
cheek to avoid spitting on the Queen’s bare feet, visible because of the cream
colored dress that only reaches her knees. Apparently, the outfit is made for
and worn inside one particular occasion and room – the torture-sex chamber, as
the townspeople and slaves called it.
“That’s what I always tell them,” the blonde hears The Queen whisper in her
ear. “Yet, every time they come here, they would be cowering in fear,” the
monarch continues as she straightens up and paces around the room again.
Taylor watches warily as The Queen pours herself a drink from a decanter of
what she presumes is scotch. She’s doing it in the most casual manner as if two
women kneeling in a room decorated with torture tools is a picture of normalcy.
And maybe it is, for her.
“I try to reassure them but a woman’s patience can run thin over time.” Her
lips slowly curve into a sneer as she downs her drink and sets the glass on the
table. “And mine has become thinner and thinner especially after what happened
today.”
Today. As if she can blame Taylor’s reaction to the girl’s stomach alone.
“So, Taylor,” The Queen says as she picks up a mahogany painted cane, maybe as
thick as her thumb, from her cane collection hanging on the wall, “Karlie and I
will show you how pain can be pleasurable. I’m tired of reassuring my pets with
words and you are new. I think you deserve to witness the good side of this.”
“Thanks for the consideration but no thanks,” Taylor snaps and clamps a hand
over her mouth.
“I-I’m sorry, Your Majesty,” she sputters when she sees Karlie glaring at her
from her place.
Why does she always have to put herself and other people in danger because of
her foot in mouth syndrome?
Imagine the surprise of both girls when The Queen chuckles. To be honest,
Taylor anticipated a great whiplash from her retort but a chuckle? Definitely
not what she’s expecting.
“My pets are always so obedient,” The Queen declares, “it’s refreshing to have
one so rebellious and hell-bent on proving she can’t be a submissive.” She
turns towards Karlie and runs a hand through the brunette’s tresses, almost
lovingly – if only the cane in her other hand doesn’t paint the opposite
depiction of love.
Taylor swallows as she sees Karlie stiffen at the monarch’s touch and can do no
more than clench her hands into fists. Helpless.
“Forget pain and pleasure, that lesson can wait. I have another one in mind.” A
devilish smile. “Now –are you ready, my pet? Because I’m going to enjoy
breaking you,” The Queen states and before Taylor can gauge the meaning behind
those words, she sees the cane hitting Karlie’s backside with a loud slap and
she gasps in surprise and horror. But Karlie – oh god, how? – remains still,
eyes shut tight as she tries to keep her pain to herself. No sound escaped her
lips at the impact and Taylor is sure the cane hit home and how does she even?
On a scale of 1 to 10, a cane hit is probably a 1 for Karlie. Worse.
“I’m going to hit you ten times and I want you to count with me, Karlie,” The
Queen orders, as she lands another blow on Karlie’s behind, a small smile
forming on her lips as she sees the look of pure horror on Taylor’s face but
the blonde can’t bring herself to care about the devil’s satisfaction. Not when
the brunette’s looking – no, pleading at her to look away, to not watch the
scene in front of her.
“Count, Karlie.”
Smack.
“One.” Karlie’s voice is small and lacks the enthusiasm she usually projects.
Look away.
“Two.” She’s staring at Taylor, eyes half-closed and pleading.
Don’t watch.
“Three.” There are now tears in her eyes and Taylor wants to brush them away.
Please.
“Four.” Karlie’s voice is an octave lower and the next smack comes down harder.
Taylor, don’t.
“Five.” A stray tear escapes her eyes and Taylor’s vision starts getting
blurry.
It hurts but -
“Six.” Karlie blinks rapidly and sets her mouth in a thin line.
I can handle it, just look away.
“Seven.” The Queen is breathing loudly, a small smirk playing on her lips.
All I’m asking is for you to avert your eyes.
“Eigh –"
“Stop.”
The sound of wood hitting flesh ceases and Taylor can barely register the look
on The Queen’s face through her bleary eyes. She belatedly realizes that she’s
crying and Karlie’s looking at her with a mix of confusion, shock, and
gratefulness on her face. But mostly shock. So much for not making things
worse.
The Queen lowers her arm that was holding the cane and the pleased grin on her
face from hitting Karlie morphs into a frown. “What did you just say?”
“I said, stop, Your Majesty.” She stares at her head-on, not backing down
despite the venomous glare the monarch’s sending her way. Taylor knows she
should’ve just let the whole thing play out but she couldn’t – she wouldn’t.
Karlie may have experienced worse but she’s not going to get punished for
Taylor’s inability to think before jumping into action.
“And why, pray tell, would I do that?”
She’s humouring me. Good. “You said you wanted to break me, Your Highness,”
Taylor begins quietly, not wanting to push her any further; she’s done enough
of that today. “Then by all means, do. Do it to me, not to Karlie. Punish me.
Break me.” They all know she’s playing a dangerous game, Taylor especially, but
she couldn’t just kneel and watch someone else take the brunt of her actions.
She let her family and friends suffer without really fighting to help them and
she can’t let it happen again. She may not survive this whole (Who is she
kidding? She’s broken the moment they’d thrown her in the carriage and made her
watch her loved ones’ execution) but at least she knows she tried.
The Queen’s head is titled on one side and she’s regarding Taylor with an
amused expression. “Interesting.”
Taylor gapes at the monarch’s curt response and she is at the brink of
bargaining her life in exchange for Karlie’s when she sees The Queen nodding
her head slowly. “Makes sense.”
It really doesn’t but Taylor isn’t about to stammer out a word anytime soon,
not when The Queen is circling Karlie, holding the cane like a baton. She’s
contemplating her next action and the blonde hopes it’s in her favour – or at
least in her terms. None of the events lately has been in her favour.
“Okay.”
Two sets of wide eyes snap at The Queen’s direction and Taylor is pretty sure
she’s misheard the monarch.
“You asked for it,” The Queen says conversationally as she wipes the cane with
a white cloth on the table and puts it back on the wall. “You asked me to break
you and break you I shall.”
Chapter End Notes
     As always, I have no beta, so sorry for the typos and errors.
     Also who is excited to see Taylor perform again? Because I am!!!!!
***** Chapter 6 *****
Chapter Notes
     I was gonna post this sooner but life got in the way. Anyway, here is
     the next chapter.
     Torture TW
     No betas so apologies for errors!
Chapter Five
Taylor hates being helpless.
She was ten when Austin broke his arm trying to climb up a tree and she just
stood there, in shock after seeing his brother fall from the branches. Their
father was already there, having been shearing the grass on their lawn and he
jumped into action as soon as he heard a loud crash from behind him.
She followed them inside, asking her mother if she could be of help but she
brushed her away saying ‘the adults could handle it.’ So she stood back and
watched them as they put bandages around his brother’s arm, trying to soothe
his crying all the while.
Five years later, she was definitely older and more responsible but when the
rallies began, her mother just ushered them all inside.
“I need you to guard your siblings,” her mother had ordered and despite
Taylor’s claims that she should be out there with her father, her mother was
having none of it.
The most recent one, of course, was her family’s murder.
She hated every second of those three incidents; firstly because her family was
in harm’s way and secondly because she was incapable of doing anything about
it. She was powerless and Taylor swore she would never be again but considering
how much fate has started to hate her, of course she’d be put in a position
where she’s just an onlooker of a terrible situation.
And right now, Taylor wishes she has a time machine to bring her back to the
past and kill The Queen even before she was born, because goddammit, how long
is she planning to subject them to this excruciating torture?
The Queen is circling Taylor with a whip in hand and her arms are going numb
for being chained to the shackles attached to the ceiling for god knows how
long. Sweat, tears, and blood stain and run down her face and her throat is dry
due to crying and screaming. Her hair is a tangled mess and the flimsy dress
she was wearing earlier was now just a scarp of fabric on the floor. Taylor is
quite sure she will die from cold, exhaustion and thirst – that is if blood
loss and infection get to her first.
The Queen hits the floor with her whip, the crack echoing in the spacious room
and it takes Taylor all the energy left in her to open her eyes. She’s been
trying – and failing – to anticipate where The Queen would strike her next to
at least brace herself for the pain but of course, even her blows are
unpredictable. The Queen started out slow, hitting Taylor in different places
with a minute or two intervals in between but as her momentum and excitement
grew, her strikes became relentless and harder. The beating is even worse
because her wounds from earlier haven’t fully healed yet and having them get
hit again causes twice the agony.
The whip kisses the underside of her breast this time and no matter how much
she tries, she cries out in pain, voice cracking. Taylor faintly hears Karlie’s
intake of breath. She’s been an unfortunate audience to her torture and she has
been clutching the sides of her dress so tightly that the fabric is nearly
tearing apart. Taylor knows Karlie wants to do something – anything – but one
wrong move and they will both end up in a worse condition. If there is anything
worse than this, that is.
Taylor believes in reincarnations and life after death and whatever she did in
her past life, it sure is catching up to her now. She can’t help but wonder,
however, what had she done so awful that she’s being tortured and used for the
pleasure of someone else?
The Queen is breathing heavily – maybe from the exertion of her blows but one
look into her eyes and Taylor deduces it’s because of arousal.
How fucked up is she?
“I haven’t done this for so long,” The Queen declares as if what she’s doing is
a recreational activity as simple as horseback riding. “I almost forgot how
good it feels to let out my pent up anger on my pet.”
Taylor had two pet cats before and while she’s a person easily pissed, she sure
as hell never hurt – or worse tortured Olivia and Meredith by chaining them up
and whipping them until they bled. Just the idea of doing that to her cats
makes her sick to the bones. Instead, she tries to remember the times when the
two feline would be able to easily lift her spirits up – Meredith looking like
an old frustrated human and Olivia pawing innocently at flowers in their lawn.
For the hundredth time that day, Taylor wishes for things to be different.
“Tired yet?” The Queen taunts as she lays another blow on Taylor, who stifles
her scream by biting down on her lip, hard enough to draw blood. Great, more
blood loss.
“Don’t supress your screams,” The Queen barks, hitting the blonde again and
Taylor cries out and she’s sure that had nothing to do with the monarch’s
command. “I want to hear you.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Taylor sees Karlie close her eyes and take a deep
breath. She may be suffering physical pain but Karlie, poor Karlie, is getting
mentally scarred for the rest of her life and she doesn’t know what’s worse.
Wounds heal, blood replenishes, but being unable to do anything but watch
someone suffering is forever etched on a person’s heart and mind. Taylor would
know, she’s already experienced it.
“I’m surprised you haven’t said anything yet,” The Queen says, mild amusement
evident in her voice. “At this point I thought you would’ve already begged but
you haven’t.” She circles Taylor, the end of the whip trailing behind her. “I
must say I am quite impressed.”
Pleasing people always brings Taylor joy but after hearing the monarch, she
might as well forget how to be nice to others.
The Queen continues, “For that, this is the last set for you today.”
She hears the crack of the whip before it touches her and a broken sob – mine
or Karlie’s? – is the last thing she recalls hearing before everything fades to
black.
 
===============================================================================
 

When Taylor comes around, her arms are no longer shackled and Karlie is holding
her precariously against her chest, mindful of her wounds – which cover almost
every inch of her skin.
I feel like I’ve been skinned alive and left out under the sun to dry, Taylor
thinks as an image of dried fish comes unbidden to her mind.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Karlie mutters over and over
again, tears streaming down her anguished face. A beautiful angel like her
shouldn’t be crying. Why is she crying?
Taylor opens her mouth to speak – to say none of what happened was her fault –
but Karlie shushes her before she can speak and holds her even closer,
clutching the cloth wrapped around Taylor’s shoulders. When did she get
covered? And why is the fabric white? That’s white, right? She will stain it
with her blood and Taylor knows from experience that blood is a difficult stain
to remove; she wants to chastise Karlie for being careless about such a trivial
thing but her throat feels like sandpaper got stuck in it and a few marbles and
sand are added for insurance that she won’t be using it in a while.
“I did nothing to help you,” Karlie whispers, slightly rocking back and forth
and Taylor wonders if the action is meant to comfort her or Karlie herself.
“I’m so sorry, Taylor, I could’ve done something. I should have. I promised you
I won’t let them hurt you but I –” Her voice cracks and more tears run down her
face.
Karlie, oh Karlie, it wasn’t your fault, Taylor wants to say but she feels like
all her energy is drained up and it’s only sheer will that’s making her awake
and focused on the other girl.
Karlie wipes her eyes with the back of her hand and takes a deep breath before
putting her arm behind Taylor’s knees and the other one on her back and
carrying her bridal style. She closes her eyes at the solid feeling of arms
holding her and revels in the faint scent of lavender and something so uniquely
Karlie. She’s so strong and smells good too, Taylor thinks, unable to stop the
feeling of admiration towards the brunette. If Karlie will carry me to heaven,
I won’t be complaining.
Taylor feels something soft touch her forehead but with her eyes closed and the
sensation of weightlessness, she can’t bring herself to check what it was.
Something gentle won’t hurt her, anything soft is not a whip and that’s what
matters. And surely, Karlie won’t let anyone hurt her.
Taylor faintly hears a door opening and closing and footsteps echoing but
everything else seems dulled by her mother’s soft lullaby in her ears. Her
mother always hums melodies to her to help her fall asleep and Taylor makes up
words as she goes along, content to lay in bed with love and warmth surrounding
her.
There will be no monsters tonight,Mom says,I will chase them away. As long as
I’m here, nothing will harm you, Taylor. Nothing.
She’s safe. She is home.
***** Chapter 7 *****
Chapter Notes
     I'm sorry for the super late update. I had a writer's block and a new
     semester has started and I got busy but here it is. :)
     There will be a slight change in the POV in this chapter and the next
     few ones.
Chapter Six
Karlie can feel some of the blood soaking through her dress but she can’t give
a single damn about anything but the woman in her arms right now.
Taylor has her eyes closed and her breathing is soft albeit a little laboured
sometimes but Karlie will take whatever she can; Taylor is alive, beaten up but
alive and what’s important is to get her back to their room and have her wounds
cleaned up and dressed.
Her hands unconsciously clenches the cloth she’s wrapped around Taylor’s body
and she feels tears prick at her eyes. Now is not the time to get emotional
again, Kloss,she tells herself firmly and walks down the dim corridor with
newfound determination. If Taylor got through all the whipping earlier, Karlie
can carry her to safety with no emotional breakdowns along the way.
She is so immersed in checking if Taylor is still breathing that she doesn’t
notice two armed guards blocking her path until she – or rather Taylor smacks
against them.
“What the fu–,” she fusses over Taylor’s side and arm getting hurt even more
from the small collision before looking up and seeing two sets of dark eyes
assessing her. Of all the goddamned places…
“Where are you taking her?” the taller of the two guards asks, eyeing the
bruised girl in her arms. Karlie can’t see their faces with the helmets
covering their heads – a piece of the armour The Queen has ordered the guards
to wear after an unfortunate incident that involved teeth, hair, and some head
gashes.
“Back to our room,” Karlie answers simply, not wanting to waste any time
standing in the middle of a hallway chatting with men. The armoured guards
usually just let her be, per The Princess’s order that Karlie is allowed to
walk down the halls alone after she’s gone to the monarchs’ room, so she
sidesteps them and thinks she can finally walk at peace again before they call
out to her and orders her to stop. She’s so close to reaching their room, and
pretending not to hear them and continuing is a tempting idea but Karlie knows
that disobeying orders from high ranks and guards lead to nothing but a few
punches strategically placed to neutralize a woman. She can fight them if she
wants to, of course, but having an unconscious girl in her arms minimizes her
chance of success. So, she halts and waits for them to come up to her.
“Isn’t she the new pet?”
It takes everything in Karlie to not slack him in the jaw. Being on the same
height as the guard, she’ll catch his face perfectly because goddamn these men
and their twisted notion that they can call the women petsjust because The
Queen does and they’re in a more decent position than the women.
“She is,” the other guard confirms before Karlie can answer without grinding
her teeth. “She’s the governor’s daughter.”
I know that, idiots. Now step aside and let me tend to her,Karlie thinks,
wanting to smash their heads together and get the hell away from them. She’s
not a violent person but she swears to all the gods –
“Hasn’t The Queen already beaten her up earlier when she arrived?” Tall Guard
asks and Karlie is a second away from kicking him in the balls. They can gossip
about Taylor all they want but she doesn’t really need to be a witness of it.
The guard nods at his companion before dropping his gaze to their topic of
conversation. “Poor thing.” Karlie almost prefers him over Tall Guard because
of the sympathy she hears in his voice.
That is until he opens his mouth again. “She’s really pretty. It’s a shame to
beat up a body like that. Imagine all the things it’s capable of.” Laughter
reaches Karlie’s ears and something just snaps in her.
She sees red and blood is rushing in her ears. She forgets where she is and all
the reasons why she shouldn’t hurt someone, why she should just drop it and let
them be. Suddenly, she was eleven all over again, walking in the garden and
seeing a blonde girl crying and hiding her face on her knees with ugly princes
circling her, laughing, taunting and embarrassing her.
She menatlly thanks Kristine for teaching her how to attack without using her
hands and she swings her leg back and –
“Karlie!”
Her leg stops mid-swing and the hall goes back into focus and the two guards
are looking past and behind her. Karlie is reminded of the woman in her arms
and releases a shaky breath. She was close, so close.
Lily runs up to her, saying something to the guards that makes them glare at
Karlie before nodding and turning their backs on them. Lily watches them go
before grabbing Karlie’s arms and shaking some sense into her.
“Karlie Elizabeth Kloss!”
The exclamation of her full name finally gets through the haze of the past
clouding her.
“Get your shit together,” Lily barks at her, full on mother mode. “Taylor needs
you.”
Karlie looks down at Taylor whose face is getting paler by the second, and
composes herself before giving Lily a nod and walking briskly to the room she
shares with her sisters. Lily opens the door for her and starts assigning who’s
getting and doing what to attend to Taylor.
Cara runs up to Karlie when she sees her carrying an unconscious Taylor and
prepares the mattress on the far side of the room, helping Karlie settle Taylor
down as gently as possible.
“Karlie,” Cara begins but the other girl simply shakes her head as she kneels
down beside the bed and Cara lets her be and retreats to the kitchen to help
the others with whatever they need. She knows Karlie long enough that one
minute shake of the head means she doesn't want to talk about it and Karlie is
glad that Cara understands that; she can’t handle talking to anyone until
Taylor is taken care of.
Someone taps on her shoulder and Karlie moves a little to the side but takes
Taylor’s hands in hers, offering her some kind of warmth and assurance. I’m
here.
The women in the room removes the white cloth – now almost red with blood –
from Taylor’s body and starts cleaning her lacerations as thorough as they can.
They’ve done this more times than they want to count and previous experiences
has taught them that gentleness will only cause infection. The wounds are
always going to cause some sting and no tender cleaning will erase that fact.
Karlie stares at Taylor’s face for any sign of discomfort and every now and
then there will be a twitch of a jaw here and a furrowing of brows there but
aside from those, she remains asleep.
“I’m sorry,” Karlie whispers as she brushes a stray lock from the unconscious
girl’s face. “I should have done something.”
A gentle hand squeezes her arm and she glances at Lily who is offering her a
smile of reassurance. “She’s going to be fine. We’re here for her. For you.
Karlie, it wasn’t your fault. I know you’re blaming yourself but really there
was nothing you could have –”
“No,” she cuts her off. “If only I taught her the basics, if I plead to The
Queen to spare her since she’s just new and freshly beaten up, if I just…”
Karlie trails off, choking on a sob.
“Stop that,” Lily demands, seeing the anguish in the other woman’s eyes. After
learning what Taylor really means to Karlie, she knows why she is being too
hard on herself. “This,” she gestures to the girl lying on the bed, “wasn’t
your fault, okay? None of it was. The Queen would have gotten to her whatever
you try to do but at least you were there for her and –”
“And I did nothing but watch!” Green eyes peek at Taylor to see if she was
startled by the exclamation but she just lays there, unmoving and unaware of
her surroundings.
Sensing Karlie’s hesitation to speak after her outburst, Lily ploughs on. “You
knew disagreeing with The Queen brings nothing but trouble not only to one, but
all of us.” Karlie flinches slightly at that but it’s enough indication that
she’s getting through the girl somehow so Lily continues. “You were only
looking out for your sisters and Taylor will never blame you for that. She may
have known you for a short amount of time but I’m pretty sure she saw how much
you care about the women here. She’ll understand. She will forgive you for not
standing up for her, Karlie.”
“I’ll never forgive myself, though,” Karlie mumbles, her voice rough with
emotion and tears.
Lily has nothing to counter that because no matter what she says, she knows
Karlie is resolute on punishing herself. The only thing she can do now is to be
there for her friend.
They lapse into silence, the only sounds in the room are water splashing and
clothes tearing.
Karlie thinks back on how she failed to keep her promise to Taylor, and to make
it worse, it wasn’t even the first time that she’s done so. She might have
given her first promise to the girl when they were still children and Taylor
might not be able to remember that, but for Karlie, the blonde kid she’d saved
from bullies and had given her a kiss in return is the woman to whom she wants
to make – and keep – promises, no matter what the consequences are.
However, with their situation, Karlie is scared of how many more promises she
will make to the younger woman but be unable to keep.
***** Chapter 8 *****
Chapter Seven
“For heaven’s sake, Kloss, you need to eat.”
Karlie shakes her head, holding onto Taylor’s hand. She’s not leaving the
girl’s side and Lily, Ella, and Cara can fuss over her all they want but the
only thing she needs and wants is to be there for Taylor when she wakes up.
The other women started talking about Karlie and her real connection with
Taylor after her display of emotion and concern over the other woman. She’s
never been so worried about anyone else before and the way she’s been acting
was a sure way of telling them that there is something else but Karlie only
tunes them out. They can make assumptions and theories on as to why she won’t
leave the girl’s side and the Karlie will give no fucks about them. They don’t
know how much Taylor means to her. Hell, even the woman in question is
oblivious herself.
“You have to eat something. It’s been three days, Karlie,” Ella reminds her,
worry etched across her face.
As if Karlie doesn’t know that. She’s been counting and as the days wore on,
she gets more scared that Taylor will never wake up. She tries to remember if
Taylor hit her head to cause a concussion but Karlie was sure she caught her
when The Queen released her from the restraints. She’s just drained, Karlie
keeps telling herself. Her body is trying to get its energy back, she’ll wake
up soon.
“What would Taylor say if she finds out you haven’t been eating?” Lily asks
with an impassive look on her face but Karlie knows better and sends her a
glare instead.
“You play dirty, Lily. It didn’t work but nice try.”
Their collective sigh might have been enough to blow away the mattress if only
Taylor isn’t lying on top of it.
After Lily intervened Karlie from attacking the guards, (thank gods for
insufficient food supply and good timing) the closest women to her kept
worrying about her health due to the lack of sleep and starvation diet.
“Karlie, come on.” Cara nudges her shoulder. “Don’t be such a pain in the ass.”
Both Lily and Ella reprimand her but Karlie only smiles. She appreciates their
concern, she really does, but she can’t quell the fear and guilt gripping her
very soul. They won’t go away and she knows the only tactic that she can do to
at least lessen them is to be by Taylor’s side 24/7.
“I cooked this for you,” Cara mutters, offering her a bowl of hot corn soup.
“Lily helped me so I’m pretty sure it tastes good and is safe to eat.”
Karlie’s lips turn up in a small smile. “That’s good for you, Cara, but really,
I’m fine. You don’t need to worry about me.”
“When someone doesn’t eat for three days, people tend to worry,” Lily states,
all mother-hen mode. “Especially if that someone couldn’t live through the day
without eating her home-baked cookies.”
“I haven’t baked for days.”
“Exactly! And why is that? Because you only leave Taylor’s side if you need to
pee or shower. And that’s like, only seven times in three days.”
“No offense, Kloss, but you kinda stink,” Cara adds, helpful as ever.
“None taken.”
“Seriously?”
Karlie sighs and turns her head to look at them. She ignores the way their
faces crinkle up with concern after seeing her no-sleep-for days face. “Girls,
stop. Nothing you say can make me leave Taylor’s side.”
“We’re not asking you to leave her!” Cara protests, loud as ever. “We already
brought your food so you can still watch her and eat at the same time.”
Karlie shakes her head. “I told you, I don’t want to eat. We’ve been through
this for three days now.”
“Then stop being so goddamn stubborn and fucking eat.”
Both Ella and Cara flinch at Lily’s harsh words and obvious irritation, unused
to hearing her curse and utter words with such displeasure but Karlie merely
exhales. She knows she’s already six feet under the woman’s skin and a part of
her wants to just get this whole thing over with and finally consume something
but a bigger part – the guilty, I’m punishing myself part – pushes her to do
this as a form of sacrifice. Karlie isn’t the only one who hasn’t eaten
anything in three days, anyway.
“Lily –” Karlie begins, apologies dying at the tip of her tongue when Lily’s
face shift into that stop messing around and listen to me very carefully
expression she always gives the girls when they’re being stubborn and
irrational. Like what Karlie is being.
“No. I won’t be hearing any more excuses from you. I know you feel guilty about
what happened but you need to stop punishing yourself by not eating. You not
sleeping is one thing but starving yourself is another and I won’t have you
skin and bones just because you’re guilt is eating you up inside and you feel
like you’re drowning in your sorrows.” Karlie frowns at the dramatic words but
doesn’t say anything so Lily continues, “I understand what you’re feeling and I
know why you feel responsible for what happened but I’ve told you – and god
help me if I haven’t stressed this enough – that Taylor won’t blame you for not
standing up for her. I’m sure she’s heard stories about The Queen so she knows
what she’s capable of doing to us. And trust me when I say that The Queen will
notice your weight loss and if you fall down from one strike, she will ask
questions and it won’t be pretty. You’ve always been a smart girl, Karlie. Do
the logical thing.”
Karlie stares down at her fingers interlaced with Taylor’s and feels more guilt
pile up inside of her. Everything Lily just said is right. She knows she’s
being selfish – she’s ignored her chores and everyone else who’s tried to talk
to her for the past few days, all because she’s guilt-ridden and suffering. She
even snapped at Cara the other day when the girl offered to look after Taylor
because she insisted Karlie needed to rest, too. After all, Taylor wasn’t the
only one who was hit but Karlie, with her lack of sleep and peace of mind,
yelled at Cara and –
God, I was awful to them,Karlie thinks, shivering and flushing in shame.
Lily offers her the corn soup and Karlie looks at her through her lashes.
“Eat.”
So Karlie does. She finally relents and devours the corn soup Cara made and the
bread and fruits Ella brought over, using one hand to eat and holding Taylor
with the other. The girls dare not comment on how Karlie kept her grip on the
unconscious girl and are just content to watch her finally consume something
substantial.
“Golden girl finally decided to drop the act, huh?”
A couple of heads turn at the sudden exclamation from the other side of the
room.
Karlie gulps a huge amount of water and wipes her mouth with a towel before
directing her gaze to Gigi from across the room. “What did you say?”
Gigi puts down the book she was previously reading and glares at Karlie. “You
heard me.”
“Actually I didn’t.”
“I said,” Gigi begins, “you finally decided to drop the act. Huh?”
“Act?”
Gigi scoffs and rolls her eyes. “Please. We all know you’re only starving
yourself to gain sympathy.”
“If I need sympathy I sure as hell won’t want it to come from you.”
Ella reaches out to touch Karlie’s arm and calm her down a little, sensing the
tension between the two, but she shrugs her off, shoulders pulled back, brows
knitted in barely suppressed irritation. Karlie’s geared up for a fight and so
is Gigi if the look on her face is anything to go by.
“I wasn’t offering you any.”
“Good. I don’t need it, anyway.” Karlie turns her back on the other girl and
focuses on re-arranging Taylor’s blanket and thanking Cara and Ella for
bringing her food and Lily for snapping her out of her trance of irrationality
and guilt.
But Gigi is on a roll and she gets up and stalks over to where Karlie is seated
on the floor. “You know, you almost had us all fooled for a second there.”
Karlie takes a deep breath and climbs to her feet, gently retracting her hand
from Taylor’s. Lily attempts to stop her, knowing what will happen next, but
Karlie shakes her head. Gigi clearly has some bad blood with her and she tends
to clear it out here and now. This confrontation – or whatever the hell this is
– is long overdue.
“What do you want, Gigi?” Karlie asks in an even tone and she herself is
surprised of how calm she said the words considering she’s at the brink of
snapping. She’s inclined to think her control over her emotions is because of
Taylor’s presence behind her. “I’m not trying to fool anyone.”
“Oh, really?” Gigi puts a hand over her heart, voice dripping with sarcasm.
“You weren’t trying to fool us into thinking that you too are the victim when
you walked in here carrying an unconscious girl in your arms, had Lily order us
to abandon our chores and tend to the girl we barely know, and cried, muttering
I’m sorry and it’s my fault over and over again like a broken recorder and
punished yourself by refusing to eat because you felt guilty over the fact that
you had no control over what happens to us here? That even you can’t help
blondie over there?” she barks out a laugh and Karlie grits her teeth. “Because
I thought you were The Queen and The Princess’s favourite pet and that oh, I
don’t know, you can protect us when the need arises?” Gigi steps forward and
Karlie has her fists clenched so tight, her knuckles are white. “How well did
that go when The Queen whipped Taylor and you had to watch?”
Karlie opens her mouth to ask what she has done to be at the receiving end of
her anger when Gigi cuts her off. “Not her favourite anymore, huh? It’s a
shame. I thought you were our knight in shining armour who will protect us from
the evil queen. Turns out even youare not untouchable. Or the girl you’re
secretly in love with for years, apparently.”
“That’s enough!” Lily commands, getting to her feet as well, but Gigi just
scoffs at her.
“You think you can control me, Lily, by acting all virtuous and motherly?
Please. The only reason you’re being like this to us is because you have the
need to feel like a mother again after losing your child and the right see
her.”
All the women in the room gapes at the harsh words. Gigi has always been short-
tempered but she has never been like this. Sure, she had her moments when she
just snaps at anyone but she isn’t someone who is insensitive and downright
ruthless.
“How dare you –” Ella stands up to march over Gigi but Lily pulls her back, not
wanting the girl to intervene and add fuel to the already raging fire. They
don’t know what’s gotten to Gigi but she sure knows a lot of things only
exchanged between confidantes and best friends.
“What is wrong with you?” Karlie demands, throwing all the pretense of being
cool and collected. Gigi has crossed a line and she may have done it purposely
to provoke her but damn if she’s letting go of that dig to Lily. “For over a
year, I did my best to ignore all your snarky comments and opinions about me
being the favourite pet, as if being favoured by the people who sexually
humiliate and use you is an honour. I thought you just needed an outlet for
your frustrations about being sold to The Queen by your own fatherso I kept
telling myself that I should put myself in your shoes and be considerate but
this,” Karlie gestures around them, at the women who are watching the exchange
from the sidelines, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire, “is just
calling attention to yourself and trying to lift yourself up by putting others
down and I’m not letting you do that.”
“Calling attention to myself?” Gigi stalks forward until she is a feet away
Karlie who stops herself from provoking the girl further by looking down at
her. “I’m merely stating facts about you and Lily. It’s not my problem if you
can’t handle some dose of truth.”
“You’re not stating facts, you’re accusing us.”
“It’s not an accusation if it’s true.” Gigi smirks at the look on Karlie’s
face. “You’ve met Taylor when you were young, saved her like the knightyou
totally are, fell in love with her when she kissed you and has been dreaming of
building a life with her. Isn’t that true?” Laughter spills out of her crimson
lips.
Karlie stops herself from looking back at Lily and accusing her of telling Gigi
the story of how she first met Taylor, she knows the older woman won’t do that.
Gigi is either fetching – which is not plausible because if she is, how can she
be so damn accurate? – or she’s overheard them. When and how?
“You poor thing, thinking there’s a life outside this shit hole.” Gigi looks
genuinely sad but her words are anything but sincere. “Well now that she’s
here, you can see her every day. Maybe even share her with The Queen and… The
Princess.”
Thatisit.
A hand comes slapping across Gigi’s face and Karlie has no time to regret what
she’s done and apologize before Gigi’s face burns red with rage and she’s
lunging at her.
With the element of surprise on Gigi’s side, she’s able to tackle Karlie to the
ground and pin her down despite her height advantage to the raging woman.
Karlie’s head hits the floor with a thump and she momentarily feels dizzy
before there are nails scratching her face and fingers grabbing at her hair
demanding for her attention. Feeling disoriented, Karlie can barely put her
arms in front of her to block Gigi’s attack.
How she learned to attack people like this, Karlie will never know, but the one
thing she’s sure of is that Gigi is on full blown rage and she can kill her
with bare hands if the other women in the room don’t pull her back and calm her
down.
 “I’m going to fucking kill you, you bitch!” Gigi screams when Karlie gets a
hold of her wrist and tries to stop her.
“Gigi –” Karlie begins but a fist comes down her face and she swears she
fleetingly sees stars with the force the girl punched her with.
Then all weight is lifted off of her and there are gentle hands clasping her
forearms and touching her face…which is throbbing with pain. Ugh.
“Karlie? Karlie, can you hear me?”
The voice is familiar but the rushing in her ears and the incessant screaming
won’t stop and Karlie has to blink her eyes for a few moments to clear the fog
in her vision and focus. Damn it to hell.
“Karlie? Karlie!”
“I’m fine. I’m fine.” Karlie tries to sit up but a hand stops her and gently
pushes her back down to lie on the floor, which is probably a good idea because
the room is spinning and there are stars everywhere.
“You hit your head when you fell and she scratched and punched you in the face.
You might have a blood clot or something. Stay there. We’ll get you some ice
packs.”
Karlie closes her eyes as she hears Cara mutter something about antiseptic and
lesbians being dangerous and even though she wants to argue that Gigi is not
gay, Karlie feels the lack of sleep the last few days catch up to her big time.
Good thing she ate something or she would be knocked out cold already.
“I’m fine. No blood clots, just bruises, I think,” Karlie mutters, touching her
jaw and wincing. Damn, Gigi knows how to punch.
“Stay there.”
“It’s not like I can go anywhere with the room spinning and all.”
“Shut up, Kloss.”
She hears some rustling and footsteps retreating and she takes a deep breath,
keeping her eyes closed and wondering if standing up and arguing with Gigi was
a good idea. In hindsight, probably not, but Karlie thought she’d be able to
finally understand why Gigi hates her so much and maybe come up with a solution
to make the girl soften and open up to them. Instead, she only made things
worse by slapping the other girl.
In Karlie’s defense, Gigi included Taylor in their heated exchange and they
both knew it was a low blow just to provoke Karlie but she couldn’t help it.
Taylor is bruised and battered on the bed behind her and for Gigi to imply
something so nauseating… she bristles at the thought.
Before anger boils inside her chest again, Karlie feels an ice pack being
placed gently against her surely bruising jaw and careful hands turning her
head slightly to the side.
 “How’d you feel?” It’s Lily.
“Like someone punched me in the face.”
“Yep, Gigi did that,” Cara says from somewhere beside Karlie, putting a pillow
under the Karlie’s head.
“She knows how to throw her punches. She’s pretty strong.” Karlie opens her
eyes and is greeted with a curtain of brown tresses.
“I don’t know why you’re complimenting her,” Lily murmurs, wiping Karlie’s face
with a washcloth, effectively cleaning the smeared blood on her cheeks. “She
could have killed you with her bare hands.”
“It’s scary,” Cara adds, holding an ice pack against Karlie’s head where she
hit it when Gigi tackled her.
“It’s admirable when a woman knows what she’s doing,” Karlie argues because if
she’s being completely honest, Gigi is strongand knows a thing about offensive
attacks and that’s something to respect about the woman. When she’s not fuelled
with rage, that is.
“Having sex and fighting with a woman are two different things, Kloss.”
“Cara.”
“It’s true, Lily!” Cara protests, accidentally leaning hard on the ice pack in
the process and making Karlie grimace and smack her on the arm. Cara apologizes
to her with a sheepish smile.
“Where’s Gigi?” Karlie asks eventually after Lily has effectively cleaned her
face of nail shaped traces of blood and Cara has put away the ice pack. There’s
no blood clot, just a bump on the head and a bruise on the side of her jaw
that’ll remind Karlie of their presence by aching once in a while.
“In the kitchen. Martha and the others are calming her down.”
“I should apologize.” She tries to get up again but Lily gently urges her back
down.
“Not now, Karlie. She’s still boiling with rage.”
“I’d be too if you left a handprint on my face.”
Karlie flinches at the image of her hand leaving an imprint on Gigi’s cheek and
Lily sends Cara a glare.
“But it’s fair, you know,” Cara rushes to add, “She bruised your jaw and
scratched you on the face. So you really don’t have to feel guilty.”
“I swear to God, Cara,” Lily grumbles under her breath, putting a hand up to
her forehead, exasperated like she’s never been before.
“I’m sorry!” Cara puts her hands up in the air and Karlie just chuckles. Leave
it to the younger girl to dig a hole and bury herself in it.
“I just have one question, Karlie,” Cara whispers after ten whole seconds of
silence. “Is it… uh…Was Gigi, you know, telling the truth? Uh…about you and uh,
Taylor?”
Lily opens her mouth to reprimand Cara but Karlie grasps her arm and gives her
a small smile, mouthing it’s okay. Karlie knows she should’ve told Cara and
Ella right after they attended to Taylor the first time but she didn’t trust
herself to not break down after seeing the girl who haunted her dreams for
years, in front of her, real at last but curled up in a ball, scared and
broken. She should’ve told them but she was overwhelmed with happiness, shock,
anger, and shame for being happy to see the blonde girl she thought she’d never
see again.
And now, everyone knows.
Fate has never hated anyone as much as it hated Karlie.
“It’s true.”
Cara’s eyes light up like she’s been given an early Christmas gift but before
she can squeal and barrage Karlie with questions, a raspy voice from the bed
stills the three women.
“K-Karlie?”
***** Chapter 9 *****
Chapter Notes
     I'm sorry for the delay of the upload of this chapter. Life catches
     up sometimes.
     Anyway, here it is. This is basically just a filler chapter.
Chapter Eight
 
Karlie scrambles up and is down on her knees by Taylor’s bedside in less than
three seconds.
“Taylor,” Karlie breathes, tears gathering at her eyes. She’s awake, she’s
awake.
“H-hi,” Taylor croaks, the corners of her mouth tilting up and Karlie almost
bursts into tears.
“Hi,” she laugh-cries, shaking her head at how silly she’s acting but she can’t
give a damn. Taylor is finally awake. Thank heavens.
“I –” Taylor starts but her voice breaks and Karlie feels like a moron.
“Water, you need water, shit.” Karlie rushes to get a cup when one is presented
to her by Lily who is smiling faintly at her.
Karlie mumbles a ‘thanks’ before helping Taylor sit up and take small sips of
the much needed liquid. She lies down again and gets comfortable on the
mattress.
“How do you feel?” Karlie asks, forgetting her fight with Gigi and every little
thing that will surely make her life more complicated. “Do you need anything?
More water? Or do you want to eat? Cara made some corn soup and I’m pretty sure
it’s safe because I’m still alive and oh wait! Fruits! You need fruits to help
you gain back the –”
“Karlie,” Lily says behind her and Karlie stops her worried ramble long enough
to see Taylor smiling up at her with her eyes battling sleep and exhaustion.
“Shit.”
“’m okay,” Taylor mumbles quietly, reaching for Karlie’s hand and Karlie
interlaces their fingers without a second thought.
“I just wasted a minute talking your ear off. I’m sorry.”
“Missed…y-your…voice.”
Karlie feels heat rise up to her cheeks and she swallows thickly. She convinces
herself that Taylor is in a state between sleep and consciousness and she’s
just hallucinating. Or sleep talking. Yes, that explains it.
“I thought you’d never wake up,” Karlie whispers, leaning down to place a
gentle kiss on the young woman’s forehead. The hell with accidental confessions
and obvious actions, she’s sure Taylor won’t remember any of this when she
wakes up again, anyway.
“Was…tired…’m f-fine.”
“Shh, go back to sleep now. You need more rest.”
“Want… t-to…see… you.” It’s glaringly obvious how tired Taylor still is and
Karlie feels selfish for wanting her to wake up the days prior. Lily was right,
she needs a lot of rest.
“You’ll see more of me when you get enough rest.” Karlie grins at how adorable
Taylor looks and sounds with her head lolling from side to side and sleepy
words slipping past her lips.
“S-scared…”
Karlie clenches the hand not holding Taylor’s but she manages to tamp down her
guilt and agony. “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. No one will hurt you again,
I promise.” It’s tricky and selfish, Karlie knows, but she wanted to see if
Taylor will recognize the words from years ago despite her awake-not awake
state, because Karlie knows deep within her soul that she won’t be able to go
back to being indifferent and neutral towards the blonde like she initially
planned and she needs to know if the girl she’s loved ever since will remember
her. Even for the shortest moment.
Karlie sees a flicker of recognition and confusion in Taylor’s blue eyes before
the girl loses the battle and falls back into unconsciousness. Still, hope
blooms in Karlie’s chest and she can’t help but chuckle and cry at the same
time. Taylor may be tired and a bit delusional but, it’s there: the
recollection of a faraway memory. She remembers.
“Karls…”
“Yeah?” She wipes at her eyes and turns to look at Lily and Cara whom she
forgot that were there altogether when she heard Taylor mumble her name.
“You’re quite obvious with your crush, you know.” Cara wiggles her brows and
Karlie laughs.
It’s not a crush but she doesn’t dare try to correct her.
 
===============================================================================
 
 
Karlie sighs for the hundredth time in under twelve hours.
“Your sigh can be heard all the way to the North Pole.”
Normally, Karlie will give Cara the finger but she’s too spent to do that
today. She’s exhausted and still anxious and god knows she can sleep for a year
or two with no intervals in between whatsoever.
“Taylor is fine, Karls,” Cara reminds her, leaning back against the wall,
focused on her new cross-stitch project.
Karlie rubs her face with her hands. “I know, I know. I’m just –”
“Worried, yes, we’ve noticed.”
“Give her a break, Cara,” Ella butts in, sitting down beside Karlie on the
floor and offering her a bowl of fruits alongside a bunch of vegan cookies in a
tray. Karlie thanks her and begins munching on the food.
“You okay?” Ella asks and Karlie gives a nod, chewing absentmindedly.
“She woke up just to pass out again.” Her brows knit together. “That’s the
third time today.”
Taylor occasionally wakes up to drink and eat small portions of food before her
body forces her to lay down again and sleep and if not for Lily’s constant
reminder that it’s the natural way of the body to regain its strength, Karlie
surely would’ve lost her mind. Not that she isn’tbut she’s faring better now.
Of course, every time Taylor wakes up, Karlie would be there to attend to her
needs, cradling her hand and smiling at her like nothing is wrong in the world.
It comforts her to see that Taylor is healing faster than she was a few days
prior to Karlie’s decision to take some…measures.
Karlie, despite her barely suppressed rage to The Queen, asked the monarch if
she could get some medicine from the apothecary to help with Taylor’s condition
and after a knowing smirk, a question of what would I get in return?, and a
disgusting hour of service, Karlie came back to their room with herbals,
ointment, and liquids that will make Taylor heal faster.
And she is healing faster, the bruises dusting Taylor’s body are turning an
ugly mix of yellow and green and the gashes are already scabbing. In under a
month, she’ll be as flawless as she was when she first came here. If The Queen
doesn’t command her presence in the chamber again, that is.
“She’ll be okay,” Ella tries to reassure Karlie but she herself is doubtful.
Lily is the only one who firmly believes that Taylor will fully wake up on one
of these days.
“It’s been ten days now.”
“Jesus. Stop counting the days, Kloss. That’s what keeps you on edge.” Cara
looks up from her work to see Karlie take a deep breath and sigh. Again.
“I swear I’ll be the one punching you in the face if you don’t stop sighing,
Karlie,” Cara threatens and Ella whips her head to glare and mouth shut up to
her. The younger girl puts up her hands in defense.
“Sorry, Cara, I just…”
“Need to rest. This banter gets tiring, y’know.”
“Cara!” Ella hisses, unable to contain herself this time.
“Yes, yes, I will,” Karlie says, putting down her food and pulling the mattress
situated under Taylor’s bed. She fluffs up the pillows before plopping down and
closing her eyes. “Night, girls.”
Cara and Ella gape at her. Getting Karlie to eat has proven to be a difficult
task but convincing her to sleep was like asking a rock to move on its own.
Yet, there she is, lying on her side with her breathing even.
“What the hell just happened?”
Ella slaps Cara’s arm before picking up the tray of food and dragging her away
from the sleeping women.
Unbeknownst to them, Karlie is just pretending to sleep for her sake and her
friends’.
So far, Taylor has been lucky that The Queen pays her no attention when she
goes in their room to pick a woman (sometimes women) to serve her or The
Princess for the night. One might say it’s because Karlie hides the blonde
under a mountain of blankets and pillows in the kitchen but Karlie is more
inclined to think that The Queen is just letting Taylor recover so she can
inflict pain upon her again. They all know The Queen notices everything,
especially when it concerns her women.
Karlie doesn’t want to think what will happen once Taylor recovers.
She’s done everything she can to fix the damages: she apologized to Gigi
although the other woman was too stubborn and just glared at her, she also said
sorry to her sisters for being selfish and neglecting her chores, and she made
sure that she has The Princess’ support when Taylor fully pulls through.
“You think Mother will do that?”
Karlie nodded her head, not meeting The Princess’ eyes. “I am, of course, not
accusing Your Highness of such things but –”
“No, no, no, I truly understand what you mean, Karlie.” The Princess tilted her
head up to look her in the eye. “Mother can be too irrational sometimes.”
Karlie bit her tongue to keep herself from disagreeing – The Queen isn’t just
irrational, she’s insane. But Karlie thought that would only anger the monarchs
and she didn’t want that. What she wanted was to simply have The Princess’s
word of protection.
“It is fine, I guess,” The Princess finally said after a few more moments of
deliberation and Karlie had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from
squealing and pumping her hand in the air. “Okay, I will have Taylor under my
protection for a month after she fully recovers. I will ask for her but only to
keep her from Mother’s clutches. Is that it, Karlie?”
Karlie nodded, smiling. “Yes, Princess, it is all I ask of you.” She moved out
of The Princess’ embrace to kneel at the foot of the bed. “What, now, should I
do to repay your kindness, Your Majesty?”
What transpired after would just get filed down on the things Karlie had to do
to survive but this time it wasn’t just for her and her sisters. There is now
someone else she had to protect no matter what the cost – or service – and
Karlie will do everything she can to ensure that Taylor will not go through
what they all went through.
Karlie might’ve thought of sneaking Taylor out of the castle a few times over
the week but with Taylor’s condition and the monarchs’ fondnessof Karlie, it
was proven difficult to even take Taylor out of the room.
Then the idea to ask The Princess popped in her head. Who knew Karlie will be
desperate enough to trust The Princess to protect Taylor from The Queen?
But Karlie already made a mistake once. She won’t let the love of her life
suffer any more than she already had.
Of course, The Queen can still make The Princess bend to her whims but Karlie
knows the heiress inherited her mother’s stubbornness and strong will so that
at least assures Karlie that The Princess will take care of Taylor. Karlie has
no other choice but to trust that the heiress will keep her word.
***** Chapter 10 *****
Chapter Notes
     I'm sorry for the late update! I have been busy for the past few
     months and I kinda forgot that this one was already finished. For
     that, this chapter will contain some fluff. I think we all deserve it
     after all the angst. ;)
Chapter Nine
A few more days after Taylor has been treated with herbals from the apothecary,
she is already up and energized. The bruises on her body has started to fade to
a dull grey, the scabs have fallen away to reveal new skin, and she is smiling
like there is nothing wrong in the world.
And Karlie desperately wishes it can stay that way for Taylor and everyone. But
she’s learned long ago to not wish for something out of reach and just live in
the present.
So Karlie does.
While, Taylor slowly goes back to ‘normal’, the sisters help her settle down in
their tiny home in the castle. Lily tasks Taylor to the cooking of lunch every
Mondays and the washing of the sheets on Thursdays. Ella also – albeit
reluctantly but with Taylor’s persistence – teaches her how to kneel the way
The Queen instructed them.
Karlie, on the other hand, just keeps an eye on Taylor at all times.
She’s holding ice when Taylor got her fingers burnt when she took the cookie
pan from the oven without mittens. Karlie had a handkerchief ready when Taylor
spilled tea on her own clothes. She’s also there when Taylor couldn’t reach a
book in the highest shelf.
Taylor thinks Karlie was just being helpful and protective of her after what
happened but Cara clearly thinks otherwise.
“You’re creepy,” Cara mutters under her breath as she and Karlie walk around
the garden. A privilege they can only savour on Saturday afternoons.
It takes five full seconds for Karlie to look away from the sight of a laughing
Taylor. “What?”
“Exhibit A.”
Karlie scrunches her face in confusion. “What do you mean, Cara?”
“You were there when Taylor got her fingers burnt from being careless. Uh no,
no. I ain’t done, girl.” Cara holds her hand up before Karlie can utter a word.
“You nearly had a panic attack when you didn’t see Taylor on her bed after
curfew. You always ensure she doesn’t go out the room evenwhen Lily or Ella is
with her. And you keep an eye on her like a hawk. All day.”
Karlie tilts her head to the side. “And?”
“And?”Cara nearly shrieks. “You’re being creepy!”
“I’m being cautious. I just don’t want anything to happen to her.” Karlie looks
over at where Taylor sits on the grass with the other women and smiles at the
way Taylor easily interacts with them. It’s been three weeks since her recovery
and Karlie sees Taylor is slowly healing, not just physically but also
emotionally. While Karlie can’t bring back Taylor’s dead loved ones, she can at
least ensure she stays happy with her newfound family.
“Karlie.”
Karlie shifts her focus to Cara. “What?”
“Aren’t you afraid Taylor will notice that you’re too protective of her? That
you act differently when she’s in a five-mile radius?”
Of course, Karlie’s thought of that. She knows the way she acts around Taylor
is too different from the way she interacts with others but she can’t help it.
Karlie can’t help but shower Taylor with affection and always be worried of
what might happen to her when she’s not around. Karlie has lost so many people
she loves she can’t – won’t – lose another.
“I can just say I’m scared because of what happened. You know I still feel
guilty about it.”
“How many times should we tell you it’s not your fault?”
Karlie sighs. “I know but sometimes when I think about it, I could’ve done
something. Instead I cowered in fear.”
“Taylor wouldn’t have liked that.”
“I wouldn’t have liked what?”
Karlie and Cara jump at the sudden voice from behind.
“Taylor!” Karlie exclaims, one hand on her chest, breathing heavily. “You
scared us.”
Taylor flushes pink and Karlie swallows at the sight. “Sorry. I saw you having
a conversation here under the canopy of trees so I thought I’d say hi. Then I
heard my name.”
“I nearly jumped a foot or two there, T,” Cara laughs, slightly slapping
Taylor’s arm. She expects a witty or rude comment from Karlie but all she hears
are the chirping of birds and the gust of wind.
Why Taylor can’t see Karlie’s heart eyes is beyond me,Cara thinks, rolling her
eyes.
“So,” Taylor begins, smiling sheepishly at them. “What was it that I wouldn’t
have liked?”
Karlie rubs the back of her neck, thinking of something to hide the fact that
she’s still not over what happened to Taylor. They talked about it and while
Karlie apologized for what happened, Taylor simply smiled at her and said,
“It’s okay. I’m just glad you didn’t suffer any more than you already
had.”Taylor also made Karlie promise to forget about it and just live as they
should, even with their bizarre lives.
“We were talking about your, uh, duties,” Cara says, her smile overly bright.
“Right, Karlie?”
Karlie nods eagerly, too big of a smile painted on her face as well. “Yep. We
thought that you wouldn’t have liked it if you were tasked to clean the
closets. They’re full of spiders.”
Karlie can’t be sure if Taylor’s face scrunches in fear or disgust. “Oh, god.
Please no. I’m good with kitchen duty.”
“We know!” Cara agrees. “I mean, c’mon, your dishes are amazing.Where’d you
even learn how to cook like that? Karlie can never compare.”
“Hey!” Karlie slaps Cara’s arm but she sidesteps before Karlie’s palm can touch
her. “Taylor’s a cook. And she’s a great cook. I’m more of a baker.”
Taylor laughs at their silliness. “Yeah, Karls is good at baking.”
“Karls?”
“Uh,” Taylor stammers, cheeks flushing with pink and Karlie is really starting
to love that colour on her. “I just thought of giving you a nickname.” Taylor
chuckles awkwardly.
Cara looks between the both of them and wonders why she didn’t immediately
notice the way Karlie’s eyes glaze over whenever she’s talking to or about
Taylor. It should’ve been obvious by the way Karlie threw everything away when
the guards unceremoniously dumped Taylor in their room that fateful day and the
way her voice cracked and her eyes shone with recognition and fear. Yet here
she is, witnessing Karlie interact with Taylor in a different situation and
with renewed perspective.
“I’m gonna go,” Cara announces, surprising Taylor and Karlie who are in deep
conversation already and have forgotten she’s standing next to them. Lovebirds,
she thinks. “I forgot Lily told me to pick flowers for The Princess’ room.”
“Want me to help?” Taylor asks.
Cara shakes her head no. “It’s good. You and Karlie go enjoy each other.”
“What?”
“I mean, enjoy the sun together.” Cara is quick to correct after seeing Karlie
sending her death glares. “Bye! See you later.” She grins at Taylor and
practically sprints away before Karlie can do more than glare at her.
Karlie watches Cara skip across the lawn and sighs internally. That girl is
more obvious than the corruption in the castle.
“Everyone seems happy. It’s a nice view.”
Karlie looks at Taylor and sees her scanning the garden.
The women are given Saturday afternoons to sleep under the sun, stitch clothes
beside guard dogs, pick flowers from the bushes, chat with other women, and
just laze around doing nothing. It’s the one thing The Queen has given them
with no price to pay.
A gift. A privilege. A piece of freedom.
A piece of freedom meaning being surrounded by a 20-feet tall wall and armoured
guards with whips.
Beggars can’t be choosers and the women will get whatever they can.
“It’s once a week so we enjoy it while it lasts,” Karlie responds after a while
of just watching her sisters. “They all deserve a break. We deserve this, at
least.”
“Did you ask for this?” Taylor asks, hesitance obvious in her blue eyes.
Karlie’s response is quick. “No, no, no. The Queen gave this to us as a
‘reward.’ It’s a safe time/zone as we like to call it.”
“Safe time/zone?”
“Yeah. The Queen doesn’t go here so we have five hours of peace and safety from
her in this place.”
Taylor’s eyes darken and Karlie regrets having said anything. Taylor’s hatred
for The Queen has only gotten worse and Karlie is worried she might do
something rash that even Karlie – or The Princess, for that matter – may not
save her from.
 “Penny for your thoughts?” Karlie asks when the silence becomes too much.
“Five hours a week isn’t enough.” Taylor practically spits out the words.
“Hey, relax,” Karlie says, laying a tentative hand on Taylor’s arm. Taylor
looks at her hand but doesn’t pull away. “Five hours is better than nothing. It
is something.”
Karlie holds Taylor’s gaze for a long moment before Taylor speaks quietly, “I
don’t think I can get used to this. I shouldn’t be here. I lost my family,
Karlie. They died in front of me. My siblings and my parents, bloodied and
tortured. And I did nothing but watch and cry and beg for their lives. I was
supposed to be with them, beaten up, dead.I don’t deserve to live. Or maybe
this is already a punishment for surviving. Living in a barricaded castle where
one mistake costs you hours of whipping and humiliation.” Taylor wants to stop
but the dam that’s holding her emotions has already been broken. “Maybe I
deserve this because I did nothing and I -”
“Stop.”
Taylor sucks in a breath at the steely resolution in Karlie’s voice. The only
time she’s heard that was when Karlie ordered the girls to help her when she
was hastily dumped in the slaves’ room.
“Don’t say that,” Karlie says, voice barely above whisper. Her eyes are
downcast and Taylor feels guilt sit heavy in her gut.
“You’re here for a reason, Taylor. And maybe the universe has a fucked up way
of arranging things for us but you’re here, alive.” Karlie meets Taylor’s eyes
and Taylor barely suppresses a gasp at how green and emotional Karlie’s eyes
look. “You’re with me. With us.” Karlie gestures at the women scattered around
the garden. “The pain of losing your family will never go away but you learn
how to cope and deal with it. It will hurt from time to time but you have to
remember you’re not alone. We’re here for you. We have each other’s backs. I’ve
got you and I’m not going anywhere.” Karlie takes Taylor’s hands in hers. “I
promise.”
Tears start escaping Taylor’s eyes and Karlie envelopes her in her arms. “You
have me, Taylor,” Karlie whispers against her hair and Taylor only sobs harder,
all the pain and loss she’s kept bottled up inside of her pouring out. She’s
had no time to properly mourn her family after everything that’s happened the
past few weeks and now here she is, crying her heart out in the middle of the
day in a garden.
Karlie continues cooing soft words in Taylor’s ears until her sobs eventually
die down and Taylor pulls away and wipes her face with her sleeve. She notices
the wet stain she left on Karlie’s dress. “I’m sorry, your dress got wet, I’ll
handle it and –”
“Shh, it’s okay. It won’t stain.” Karlie smiles softly and Taylor tries hard
not to notice how lovely she is with that smile gracing her lips.
Karlie wipes away a tear on Taylor’s cheek before saying, “I have something to
show you.” She takes Taylor’s hand before practically dragging her to a tree
near the wall.
Taylor gasps as she sees what’s under the tree.
Blocks of wood with her family’s names engraved on it are planted on the
ground, surrounded by lilies and lit candles. There are pieces of paper with
rocks atop them to keep the wind from blowing them away and Taylor slowly picks
one and sees a neat scrawl.
No words can express the feeling of losing your family but we are here for you.
You’re part of the family now. We love you, Taylor. – Lily
Tears once more escape her eyes as she folds the paper and picks up another
one.
We may have not known each other long but I already see you as my sister. I’m
sorry for your loss. Just remember my overly beautiful face is here for you. –
Cara
Taylor laughs and behind her, Karlie smiles and makes a move to give Taylor
some semblance of privacy.
A hand grips Karlie’s wrist and she turns around to see Taylor, eyes red from
crying but with a hint of a smile on her lips. “Stay.”
And how can Karlie resist such a request? She nods and they sit side by side in
front of the makeshift memorial.
“Thank you,” Taylor mutters after a while of crying and reading the messages
the women have written for her. “I know you organized this.”
“I wasn’t the only one. Lily helped. Ella, too. Cara tried but you know how she
is. She just broke the wood.”
Taylor laughs and Karlie marvels how a simple sound can give her so much
butterflies in her stomach. “I can only imagine what Cara did to break a wood.”
“You need this, Taylor,” Karlie mutters. “We know you have to mourn their
deaths and this is the closest thing we can come up with.”
Taylor nods, grateful beyond words. The past few weeks have been a blur and
this is the only time that she has to herself. The only time she can pray for
the souls of her family.
Karlie starts a prayer and they eventually lapse into silence afterwards, the
voices of their sisters a dull sound in the background.
 “I wouldn’t have made it if it wasn’t for you,” Taylor declares, softly. The
privacy and the atmosphere of the moment emboldening her. “And I don’t just
mean the time the guards dumped me in our room like a sack of potatoes because
you also saved me when we were still kids.”
The flower in Karlie’s hands drops as her whole body freezes. “W-what?”
“I know it was you. You saved me from those princes but I never got to thank
you or ask for your name before you were called away. But I remember your eyes.
How could I forget when they haunted my dreams for years?” Taylor looks wistful
as she gazes at the flowers in front of them. “At first I thought it was just a
hallucination. I felt like I was at the brink of death when I saw your eyes
again and thought maybe you were, in fact, an angel coming for me. And whenever
I looked at them, I convinced myself that green eyes are just common and
they’re not from the lanky girl who promised me no one was going to hurt me
ever again. I had no time to contemplate if it was really you or not but after
you said those words again… I knew… I just knew it was you, Karlie. You’ve
always been my savior.”
Karlie just stares at Taylor, stunned. She’s not hiding the fact that they’ve
met before but hearing Taylor say those words feels surreal. She remembers.
Taylor leans in to whisper “Thank you,” to Karlie’s ear before kissing her on
the cheek.
Karlie’s brain almost stops functioning.
“I…You’re welcome,” Karlie responds later, after recovering from the shock of
Taylor’s confession. “I thought you forgot about it.”
Taylor shakes her head. “Never. You’re my princess charming, y’know,” she
teases.
“I’m nowhere near being a princess,” Karlie objects.
“You can pass off as one though.”
“What? No, you’re the princess.”
Taylor looks mortified at the mere mention of it. “No way. I look like a
peasant compared to you.”
“You should go take a look at a mirror and see what I see.”
“And what do you see, Karlie?”
Walked right into that one, Kloss.
Karlie tries to splutter a response and Taylor laughs out loud. “I was kidding,
Karlie.”
“But really, though,” Karlie starts after mentally regaining her dignity. “I
see a strong and independent woman when I look at you, Taylor. I am amazed by
how stubborn you are at the worst of times.”
Taylor giggles and really, how can a laugh make Karlie fall deeper?
“You give me too much credit.”
“It’s what you deserve.”
That makes Taylor blush and look away.
Before Karlie can apologize for going too far and being too confessional,
Taylor whispers, “I’m so glad I have you with me.”
Maybe it’s the way Taylor’s eyes shine or the slight tilt of her head to the
side, but Karlie knows she is helpless and beyond saving when she vows,
“Always.”
End Notes
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