“I’m doing you a favor with this one. Remember that when we are making the deal.”

Daya’s voice pulled my eyes from an ornate, golden teapot that sits on the table before us. Daya was poised beside me, her head high, hands crossed atop her lap. I tried to keep my mind from racing by taking in the room around me. We were in a living area of some sort, with plush chairs and ornate rugs covering the floor. There were windows along two of the walls, but all of them had sheer green curtains pulled shut, filtering the light as it pierced through. The light bounced off of Daya’s rings, reflecting small rainbows on the heavy wooden door to the room. In front of the door stood a doorman, who paid no attention to Daya and I.

I began to look away but as I did so the doorman stepped aside just in time to avoid the doors being flung wide open, revealing a tall and broad shouldered man. “Ah, perfect. My bride to be,” he laughed heartily. His eyes landed on me and I forced a smile. He was handsome, I would give him that, with curly black hair down to his shoulders and a clean-shaven jawline. I couldn’t help it as my eyes swept down across his body. He was definitely younger than I had expected of a Councilman.

“After we have signed our contract, Councilman Ere,” Daya reminded him, her playful tone hiding the edge in her voice.

“Of course.” The man, the Councilman, sat down across from us and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. “I would hope I couldn’t be blamed for my excitement. You really do have the best of the best, in every sense of the word.”

Daya smiled, but I had to hide my desire to scoff. He was pandering to her ego. What more should I have expected from a council member? They’re notorious for having honey tongues that can sweet talk anyone into anything. Not that Daya wasn’t any different. “I understand completely. Aumee is my prized possession.”

“I hope you don’t mind that I sent scouts in place of myself for the first few visits. I had quite a busy week…”

“Of course, of course. You must have a terribly busy schedule.”

I looked back and forth between the two of them as they spoke with one another, attempting to forgive and apologize with every breath. The longer it went on, the more naive I realized I was. I really was just pretty coin to her. Darling Aumee and the daughter I never knew I had and my prickly pear. Her wannfota. How naive was I to not have realized those were all temporary?

“Aumee, dear, introduce yourself.”

I bowed my head to Councilman Ere. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Councilman Ere. As I’m sure you already know, my name is Aumee. I look forward to getting to know you more.” There wasn’t much for me to say. I couldn’t be sure if he knew of my duties under Daya, and I didn’t have much history other than Daya to share with him.

He smiled anyway. “It’s lovely to finally speak with you, Aumee. I’ve only heard of you so far, as Daya explained that you were out of Arden this past week when I was finally able to visit the sanctuary. Do you mind me asking what you were doing?” He looked between Daya and I, and I waited for Daya to give me the clearance I felt I needed. When she hesitated, he held up his hands. “If not, that’s alright, as well.”

“As you know, Aumee is the first I go to when I need something done. In this instance, I just asked her to... collect a few items for me from some of the Waystations that often aren’t in our paths.” Daya explained the assignment, leaving out what exactly I was collecting. It seems even though they were in the process of making a deal, she didn’t want to share with him all of the maps of the Waystland that I had ‘collected’ from various Waymen.

He chuckled. “Some things are best left unsaid, I suppose. No matter, I imagine Aumee and I will have our own secrets to share soon enough.”

Daya chuckled half-heartedly. “I imagine. Now, shall we get down to business?”

“Yes, of course.”

The two of them pulled out a sheet of paper to write upon, and discussed the terms of their deal.

“She’ll need an alternate background written up for her.”

“Does she have remaining family?”

“No. Not that we know of.”

“What weapons are she trained in?”

“Dual-blades and combat. Archery. Darts. Sash.”

“Sash?”

“Yes. You use the sash of your rope to restrict or defend yourself against the attacker. It comes in handy for special occasions.”

“I see.”

They went on like this, determining who I would be, what protection I could offer, and that once I was sold off, I was not to be conscripted by Daya under any circumstances. Daya tried to sweet talk her way out of the agreement, but Councilman Ere wasn’t letting up. Eventually, Daya acquiesced, and declared that she would return home and write up a version of the contract that could be approved or disapproved at the next, and likely final, meeting.

I never touched the paper. They never even asked me a question. Not a glance, not an offer. I watched as they had countered with one another on how my life would look, only dropping the pen when they themselves were satisfied. The other girls had always told me that this is what they had to deal with, but some part of me didn’t believe that Daya would put me out.

There she was, though, standing and presenting her hand for a kiss. Councilman Ere bent down to kiss the back of her hand before turning to me for the first time since the meeting had began. Daya turned to me. “Alright, darling Aumee.” Daya smiled down at me and brushed one of my curls from my eyes. She was beautiful, but the longer I stared, the more distorted her face became. “I’ll see you this evening.”

“Yes,” Councilman Ere said excitedly, “are you ready for our trip?”

“Trip?” I looked to Daya, who shrugged her shoulders.

“I figured it would be best if I allowed the two of you time to get to know one another. Normally I would supervise a meet such as this, but I trust you, little bird. I’ll be heading out now, and I won’t be expecting you home at any particular hour.”

“That’s very generous of you,” I said with a smile, which Councilman Ere enjoyed. He said something about how excited he was and how thankful he was for such a generous offer, but Daya looked at me with pursed lips. How generous of her to give me a few hours with the man I would be forced to marry after being told just yesterday. After watching them decide my life before my eyes. What a generous human.

“I’m sure the two of you will get along quite well. Clever tongues, the both of you. Now, I have other business to attend to. Councilman Ere, it has been a pleasure, truly. I will be out of town for a few days, but after I have returned, we can have our final meeting and sign the contract. After that, your bride-to-be is all yours.” Daya lightly touched my shoulder, before spinning towards the doorway. The patterned fabric of her dress slid along the tiled floor, and in a matter of seconds it was gone.

“Well, Aumee, since we’ll be going out for the first time together, I wanted to gift you a few things. Starting with some new clothes,” Councilman Ere sat beside me, but snapped at the doorman. The doorman moved to a corner of the room with a small chest and retrieved a few items. He placed them in my lap, a beautiful cream dress with gold detailing along the edges. I went to hold it up in front of me when Councilman Ere made a small bouquet of flowers appear before me, a collection of fiery marigolds held together with a ribbon. “I understand that this is all arranged, and may not be exactly what you want in life, but I hope to show you that I’ll put forth an effort to make this feel natural. After all, a marriage with no romance is fun for no one.”

I felt my heart sink. How kind. How terrible. I couldn’t decide. He wanted to buy me, to use me as a form of protection, but expected me to soften up at the sight of a bouquet? “Thank you, Councilman Ere. That’s very sweet of you.”

“Call me Sander, please.” He sighed and looked to the dress. “I thought it would be nice to go to the Ring tonight. Have you ever been?”

“Not yet. Though, I’ve always heard grand things.” It wasn’t a lie. The things I heard were grand, but never something I wanted to be a part of, or a witness to. They sounded bloody. Animalistic. Neither of which was appealing for a primary meeting. Not only that, but I wasn’t sure of what enemies Daya had that were lurking within.

He laughed. “It definitely is grand.”

“I would love to go,” I lied easily.

He smiled and waved to the doorman. “I’ll step out so you can change. Come out into the hallway once you’ve finished. I must go fetch something from my quarters, but feel free to admire the view.” He bowed his head to me before exiting the room. The doorman followed suit, pulling the doors shut behind him.

I held up the dress with a sigh. Via would be upset when she learned that all her hard work in ensuring my makeup coordinated with my outfit had gone to waste. I slid out of my sage clothes, folding them and placing them neatly on the couch. As I slid into the new outfit, I found that it fit nearly perfectly. I found a mirror to check my reflection in. The curl that Daya had tucked behind my ear had shifted in all of the changing, so I put it back in its place.

When I came out into the hallway, I found that it was still empty. Windows were carved into the walls, and I moved to the nearest one. He was right about the view. Councilman Ere’s wing of the council's outer manor had a stunning view of Arden. One benefit of being in the upper crust was the safety of being physically higher up. Arden was split in two: the lower part of the city that was on the ground and the upper part of the city that had been carved into the orange canyon rock. In the back of the cave, a waterfall flowed out, creating a river that eventually poured out of the mouth of the cave and down into the oasis of lower Arden. The waters of Kafali had worn a path into the staircase that tied the two parts of the city together, and the council’s manor was just near the edge of it. From here, the oasis down below was surrounded by lush plants, with aqueducts branching away from it. The aqueducts twisted and turned throughout the city, rushing only a handful of water towards the outer edges where the trees and buildings met nothingness. From here, I thought I could see the sanctuary.

Someone rested their hand on my shoulder. I looked back to find it was Councilman Ere. Sander. He wore the same tan clothes, but I watched as he flashed and attached a small golden pin to his chest. It was the skull of a desert orc, with horns arching outward and upward. “This gives us better access to the Ring. Here,” he reached forward to attach an identical pin to my own chest, but I reflexively pulled away as his hands neared me. A blush crept up his neck. “My apologies, I didn’t mean to give you the wrong impression.”

I held my hand out for the pin. “No, I’m sorry. I’m not familiar with other people making such motions. Do you mind if I do it myself?” I looked up at him, managing a small smile. He seemed to take pity, and sat it gently in my hand.

“I would hope eventually we could build that trust.”

I nodded, but needed to change the topic. “So, you and Daya decided on a name for me?”

“Yes. Leda Galahad. Soon to be Leda Galahad Ere. We shouldn’t meet too many people tonight who will be asking questions, but you can never be sure.” He sighed as we made our way outside of the manor. “Rather than head down the stairs, we’ll be taking another exit. A lift will bring us down to the bottom, where we can ride in a palanquin to the Ring.”

I nodded again. We did as he said, and I did my best to seem interested in his light conversation on the view from the mouth of the cave. By the time we had made it to the lift, I think he understood that I preferred the silence. Sander stepped on the platform first and offered me his hand. I hesitantly accepted it. As I stepped onto the shaky wood, the whole platform wavered just slightly. I used Sander’s hand to stabilize myself, and immediately felt a blush creep up my neck. The ride down I could hear every creak and crack of the lift as it edged its way along the side of the canyon. We reached the bottom, and I quickly jumped off.

“I wasn’t a fan my first time, either,” Sander joked lightly as he whistled for the people holding the palanquin. I watched as they scrambled towards us, before setting the ride down so we could climb in. I stepped in first, and Sander followed. I wasn’t sure how, but the four men lifted us up with ease.

In the shade of the palanquin, we were hidden from the harsh sunlight that pounded down on the men who carried us through Arden. One of them was already looking red from the light. I turned to look at Sander, who lay back calmly in his seat. “How much further? Or longer?”

“Just a few minutes. I managed to pull a few strings so we could attend tonight. I heard they had a few promising fighters.” He looked at my expectedly, so I raised my eyebrows.

“How did you hear that? I thought the Council of Arden was strictly against the Ring.” I pretended to adjust the strap of my sandal as he spoke. Talking wasn’t optimal, but in the silence I could feel him staring at me as if he were waiting for something to happen. I needed a distraction.

“Well, they are officially. My younger brother happens to be the Ringmaster of Arden, though, so I have--”

“Pulled a few strings?” I finished.

“Exactly. I would have gladly sent Fallon out to the Waystland to be a Ringmaster, but I would prefer it if he stayed here where I can keep an eye on him. He’s junior by only a few years. He had a bad habit of hanging around the Ring back when we were younger. So I wasn’t surprised that this was the path he settled on. The Council understands these concerns, so they’ve agreed to condone it until his time as a Ringmaster concludes. It’s not a terrible deal. It keeps him out of trouble.”

“Or, too much of it,” I add on with a smile. “Your little brother sounds like your opposite.”

“What? Risk taking? Daring?” He laughed. “I wouldn’t like to know what it is that you think of me, Miss Aumee.” I couldn’t help but smile at him.

“Only the most bland of things, I assure you. Nothing too horrible.”

We eventually arrived to the entrance, but it looked like no entrance to the Ring that I had ever seen. The Ring was at the edge of the city, buried in the ground. The main entrance that most were familiar with was a spire of rock with an archway at the base. This was just some old and seemingly abandoned home. Sander knocked on the door of the home, and a frail old man appeared. They shared a few words with one another, until eventually I saw the man reach for and feel the pin on Sander’s clothing. The man directed us around the back without saying a word.

In the back of the house, a staircase led us down a dimly lit corridor before it opened up to reveal a large hallway. The stone was roughly carved, with no grand design etched in. The hallway curved for some time, with ramps leading down into the center of it all. There, I could see a band of people playing instruments, the raucous music echoing throughout the whole of the Ring. Sander clapped. “Yes! We’re just in time. The band starts the whole thing off. Fallon always said the music was his favorite, but I personally think it’s a bit much.”

Sander led us through the halls, with people passing by in all sorts of states. Some people seemed to be attendees, carrying skewers of food as they walked, while others seemed to be arguing with one another on bets and fighters. Some looked rich, some looked poor, but all of them looked excited to be there.

We eventually made it to a room with open doors. Inside, several people milled about, shuffling papers and counting money. Upon our entrance, one of them looked up to us and spread his arms out wide. “Brother! I was wondering when you would come. Come in, come in. Sorry for the mess…” the man, who I imagined was Fallon himself, began shoving people out of the room. His hair was shorter, his brows wilder, and his smile just as genuine if not childlike. “Clear out, everyone. My guest has arrived. Go to Favo if you have any other questions.”

By the time the room was cleared, Sander and Fallon were sharing a hug. Then, Sander turned and gestured to me. “Fallon, I’d like you to meet Leda Galahad. We’ve just recently become engaged.”

I bowed my head. “A pleasure.”

“And a pleasure to you, Miss Leda. Sandy, what made you think you should keep your bride from me? I’d like to think I have a say on if she can join the family or not.” Fallon joked, but walked over to me and narrowed his eyes at me. “You managed to find a beautiful lady, though. That’s for sure. Let me know if there’s anything I can help with, Miss Leda.” Fallon scooped up me hand and planted a kiss on it, winking up at me.

“A beautiful lady is your weakness,” Sander said. I watched his smile fall and his eyes roll. “Now,” he clapped and headed towards the windows of the room that gave nearly a birds eye view of the dusty arena, “who would be the best bet for tonight?”

Fallon sprung to his feet and moved to be with his brother. For the rest of the night, I felt myself slipping away from them as they cheered on the champions of the game. Fallon tried to learn more about me, but Sander would distract him. I hadn’t been taught my history yet, so it was best to say nothing at all. I was beginning to fidget in my seat towards the end of the match. I had been playing sweet and submissive for too long. I wanted to be back at the sanctuary with the other girls, or back out in the desert where I was free to say and do as I pleased-- as long as it pleased Daya.

When it was over, Sander’s palanquin men hoisted us into the air once more and started off to the sanctuary. Since the match, the sun had come out full force. It was late afternoon, and the heat was unbearable. The dress that he had bought me was beginning to become irritating, the fabric scratching at my neck, soaking up my sweat. I could feel myself slipping. I needed to be away from it all. Sander kept bringing up details from the match, and while I would feign excitement and interest, I had to fight the urge to completely ignore him.

Councilman Sander Ere was by no means a terrible human being. It was a shame that some other girl in the sanctuary wouldn’t be married off to him. He seemed like he could definitely provide, and could definitely make them fall in love with him. If not, I was sure they could find some secret ways to see his younger brother. No matter the case, they would be happier than I would ever be if I was stuck living this life.

That was why, when I was finally dropped off at home, I didn’t take a second to explain to the girls how my day was. I was close to stomping off towards the bathhouse like a child, tearing off my clothes as if they were burning at my skin. The girls offered me warm water, which was my usual request after a particularly trying assignment. Today, though, I dunked my body into the cold tub. I stayed underwater for a few minutes, just to watch the skylight above dance on the water.

If I didn’t find a way to change Daya’s mind, or even Councilman Ere’s, I would be trapped forever. I would be Leda Galahad Ere. Wife of a rich Councilman. Chained down to a man who would own me by contract. My identity would be taken, my body not my own. If there was any upside to it all, I couldn’t find one. I knew it could be worse. I knew I could be trapped with some drunkard or some poor man looking for someone to control. I could have died years ago if it weren’t for Daya taking me in. I owed my life to her. But this felt like asking too much. This put everything I had ever wanted out of reach.

If I didn’t find a way out of this, I would never be free.