WARHAVEN

Nine

I awoke to a dimly lit room. It seemed to be similar to the one I had been in before. It looked very different here though.

They were heavy burgundy drapes covering the walls surrounding paintings, as if they were windows. The scent of burning incense filled my nose, and it was oddly calming.

The only light was from candle light in a single golden scones on the wall.  It was a very relaxing environment.

I looked around and saw shelves with different glass bottles and labels on them. It was in a language that was foreign to me. I was confused as to why I was in this room. Everything came back to me all at once. I felt sick. Once again my eyelids felt so heavy that I could barely keep them open.

A familiar woman approached the table I was laying on, there were thick blankets underneath me that gave it some cushion, as well as a small pillow underneath my head. I moved around in the scent of oat and lavender hit my nose.

I looked at my hands and I realized how clean they were. I felt my long brown hair and realized that it was wet, someone had bathed me?

I looked down at my body and saw that I was wearing a thin cream colored nightgown. It barely covered the parts of me I wanted to keep hidden. She was hovering over me now, her long gray hair was pulled back on the top, half letting the rest cascade down her back. She was slightly hunched over. She wore large, oval glasses, and they sat low on her nose. I cannot place where I had seen her before.

"Drink up. I've got work to do." She brought a small glass chalice to my lips, and I drank without hesitation. The concoction was slightly better, although it tasted water down.

When I was done, she pulled it back and set it on the counter. I studied her even longer, trying to find the place where I had seen this frail woman. " What was that?" she turned at the sound of my weak, scratchy voice.

She smiled weekly, and I could not tell if it was genuine or not. "Oh, not to worry, girl. That was a tonic I mixed up. Should help with the pain while I complete the procedure."

She turned around once again and grabbed a wooden bowl and a cream cheese cloth. She moved over to the wall of glass labeled tonics and picked out a green one, a pink one, a clear one, and an orange one. She mixed them all in the bowl and soaked the cheese cloth.

"Procedure?" I asked inquisitively. I was very confused. I'm not sure what was going on. I thought I was being sold, I don't know what a procedure would have to do with that. Then I remembered.

"Lord Simon requested our premium clean up package. I will be removing all of your scars and smoothing out your skin. I will also be mending your hymen." She pressed the cheesecloth deeper into the liquid. She allowed me to watch very closely.

I was very curious, as the liquid she mixed stayed separated in the bowl. The colors swirled together, never mixing into one. She grabbed a small tea bag, it was full of rocks and powder. She placed it there and let it sit.

She moved to a smaller counter in the corner, where I had noticed several candles bunched together, and a teapot rested above it. She grabbed another clear chalice, and filled it up with a dark black liquid. She brought it over to me and asked me to drink again.

"What's this now?" her side, only slightly irritated.

"Girl, do as you're told. And mind your tongue. I've heard you've got quite the mouth on you, and you won't survive long enough in these parts acting that way" I had never been one to hold my tongue, as they say. What was the point in having one if not to use it, and have a little fun with it.

I did as she told and drank the mixture, the other one didn't seem to hurt, right?

I finished off the liquid and handed her back the glass. "This tonic will help your virginity to be mended. The first tonic was in preparation for the pain you will experience. The procedure only takes about an hour in total, we are almost done."

An hour? How long had I been unconscious? I was very anxious about the pain that she mentioned, I'm not sure what kind of pain, would it be burning? Stabbing? And ache? Where would it be located?

"Girl, I can see the questions swirling deep in your mind. This will be over quickly, and with the things you've endured, you will survive." How did she know anything about what I'd endured? Why did she care? I know she saw my scars but most of those could've been a result of a clumsy childhood.

She grabbed several tools wrapped in a cloth and brought them to the end of the table. She pulled her chair close by in preparation. she walked back to the wooden bowl, inspecting it carefully. She grabbed a pair of tongs and set them in the bowl, walking back over to me. "Remove your dress, it's just us."

I did as she told me, and I'm not sure why. I guess I knew that there was no way out, and doing this was much more comfortable than what had just happened in the other room.
I laid back down flat, and she approached me with the ball in hand.

She picked up the tongs, cheese cloth in the grass. She's soaking up more liquid and bringing it to my skin, dabbing it on every single one of my scars. she felt my skin for rough patches and went over those as well. The concoction was rather freezing, considering the tonics had been sitting out in the open. There was a very intense cooling sensation over every scar that she dabbed.

"This...isn't so bad.." I whispered. I closed my eyes and just let the tonic work. It felt rather nice.

She moved and set the tonic down, grabbed her tools and moved about the room. I let myself close my eyes and savor the stillness in the room.