Sold for 30 Days

Chapter : 7. Forced to agree..

Flora's point of view:-

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“She’s going to attend tomorrow’s event.”

This is the worst decision I have ever heard my mother make. She always thought of her child (including me), before anything else. So, what changed now? How can she expect me to do this even after knowing what their plans are? Is she even sane anymore after hearing this shocking news, that she wants me to go there again?

“I’m also thinking the same.”

“What?”

I couldn’t stop myself anymore from speaking up, hearing both of their madness. I know it’s an unpleasant manner to speak between when some elders are talking, but this is about me. They are making decisions about my life. They are expecting me to do something that I will never wish for.

“We want you to go to the palace tomorrow. I hope that you get chosen.” My mother said with shaky voice.

“But mother, I don’t want this. I don’t want to be a slave. Especially when they want you to become a young prince’s slave for only 30 days and return home after that. I’m not a naïve little girl who dosen’t understand what that means. I know it’s really inappropriate to say these things in front of your parents, but I can’t accept this. I can’t let someone use me and throw me away when they are done. This one decision is going to ruin my whole life. Please don’t make me do this.” In the first time of my 17 years, I raised my voice in front of my parents. I feel terrible for behaving so rudely with them, but I’m helpless. I can’t let them decide my life wrongly.

“You’re not understanding Flora. This is not only about only your future. It’s about all of ours. It’s about your siblings. You have to do this for them. We have to at least feed them once a day, which is getting harder with the passing days. We have to give them shelter because ours is almost broken and can can shatter any day now. How do you expect them to live like a homeless beggar? You are their elder sister and you are the only one who can give them a better future.” My mother said as uncontrollable tears were coming out of her eyes.

“I will manage it, mother. I promise. I will work harder and earn money for all of us. I will spend days and nights working if I have to, but I will try to fix everything possible. But it’s my only request that, please don’t make me do this. I don’t want this.” I joined my palms in front of them so that they could feel pity and save me from doing this. My eyes are all swollen up and my cheeks are all red from all the crying I was doing.

“Please don’t make us look like villains in your life. We love you too, as much as we love our other children. But we are bound in the hands of fate. If we don’t do this, we will lose our lives. Maybe everything will not be as bad as it looks now. Maybe you can truly have a better life after this. Just try for once. Probably they are not even going to choose you. Who knows? But even if you get chosen, you are always welcome to your home. We will never forget your sacrifice and accept you with open arms. Please agree for us and your siblings. I beg you.”

My mother also joined her palms in front of me. I have never felt such a low in my life. Because of me, my mother had to beg to her daughter. I’m a disappointment to my parents. Seeing such a state of his wife, my father got angry and burst out on me. He holds my wrist and started dragging me inside the house and into the bedroom where all of my brothers and sisters are sleeping. As soon as we reached there, my father threw me on the foot side of the quilt that was laid on the ground, in which we all sleep.

“At this day, your mother, who is a proud woman no matter how poor we are, had to beg to her daughter for something. If you still want to deny our request after this, then I want you to kill your siblings with your own hand and release them from the pain of this harsh world. It’s up to you now. It’s in your hand whether you want to save them or kill them right now to finish all problems.”

My father screamed at me, from which all of them got awake and sat up straight. They couldn’t understand what’s going on and kept looking at me with their innocent eyes to find some answers. My father expects me to kill my own siblings if I don’t want to become a slave, which is completely impossible for me. I love them way too much to let a single scratch come to them, let alone killing them. So, it leaves me with no other choice except of accepting what they want.

Thinking about this, I broke down crying. Now what should I do? Although I still don’t want to do this, but now there is no way I can deny my mother’s begging and my father’s condition. Am I really going to be sold for 100 gold coins? Am I really have to become a personal slave for 30 days? The answer to it can only be find out tomorrow.

The entire night passed by with no sleep. Not only me, but I can feel that rest of my family members were going through the same problems as me. I stopped crying a long time ago and accepted the fate that was fixed for me. If my parents want me to become a slave, then I will be that. I am not praying to the god anymore, to not let me get selected. But instead, I’m praying to him so that I can get chosen and I can give my family what they need. I just hope one thing that I don’t have to get back to this house anymore, to cause them any problems.

Geeting out of the bed early in the morning, I freshened up by bathing myself. I didn’t talk to any of my parent or my siblings because I lost the will to form any words out of my mouth. I just became a living dead as I walked around like that. When it was almost time to leave for the palace, my mother gave me another dress to wear, which was really special for not only my mother, but for our entire family. It was a velvet white gown with off shoulder neckline and chiffon over sleeve. It was gorgeous and expensive for us peasant to wear in their wedding.

The reason behind this particular dress being special to us, is because it was the gown my grandmother wore on her wedding day. After that, it was my mother who wore it in her marriage. And now it was kept for the next on line daughter to wear in her marriage. That means, my mother was saving it for the day I will get married and leave this house to go to my husband’s. Although I’m not getting married, but this is one type of farewell indeed. They also know that after this, no one will ever agree to marry me. Maybe they are making me wear this gown to fulfill the tradition that their elderly’s started.

My mother helped me wear that dress and it fit on my body perfectly. But instead of being happy, it made my heart cry out more. Is this the farewell they wanted to give me? Am I really going away from my family? Is this what written on my fate? I saw my mother shed a few drops of tears while my eyes are all dried up. This is what they want. Then why is she crying? She tied a silk ribbon around my waist, which made the dress glow out more beautifully, and caressed my cheeks with shaky hands.

“You are the prettiest girl in all lands, my sweet Flora. Please forgive us for making you agree to go there. One day you will be a mother too. That day you will realize how helpless we are right now. Till then, please try to forgive us.” She pulled me in a tight hug and kept caressing the back of my hair, which she had tied in a beautiful side braid. Seeing my unresponsive state after a minute or two, she lets go of me.

As soon as I was out of the warm embrace of my mother, the pain of separation hit me more. It made my tears flow out although I was still silent. I knew that this might be my last day in my own house and around my family. So, I went to my five siblings and hugged them each lovingly.

“Sisy.. Are you going to marry the prince? You are looking a really pretty bride?” My youngest brother, who is just 6 years old, asked me in his childish manner. I looked into his green eyes, which are similar to mine, and nod a yes to him in reply.

'‘Can you please ask him to take me with you, too? Tell him that Filip is really sad without his sister. He wants to go too.”

'‘Yes. He will come to take you with your sister. But first, she needs to go there and convince him for that. If you don’t let her go, then how will she come back to take you?” I heard my father speak up from behind us.

“Okey. Goodbye sisy.. Come back soon..” My little brother waved me goodbye before my father motioned me that it was time to leave. Looking back at my family members for one last time, I finally got out of my house with a wish of never coming back.

Reaching to the palace at the right time, the guard told us to wait for the king and the prince’s arrival in another smaller room than the last time. We followed his direction and reached to that room where already other aspirants were waiting for the royals like us. Surprisingly, the other four girls were also there, and they looked happy to participate in today’s event. Seeing their merry faces, I understood that at least they are not forced to come here like me. To hide my sad face from those happy ones, I put my head down and kept staring at the white marble floor.

After a little while, the king and the prince entered the room and we all bow down to show our respect to them. The only difference I had from others is that, I couldn’t dare to look up at them for some unknown fear. All I could feel at that time was, my body shaking, my head spinning, and my heart beating faster than usual. Am I having a fit right now?

“I’m glad to see that all five chosen girls are here to participate at the selection. I hope all of you had a convincing discussion last night with your family and none of you have any problems with the conditions we gave. By coming here today, I hope everyone agrees to accept all the tasks the selected girl will be given, and give her best to do as we say. So, without wasting any time, let our prince choose the lucky girl.”

I heard our king’s speech with open ears and a heavy heart, which grew heavier with each word that escaped his mouth. Don’t know why but I had a doubt that I am the girl our prince is going to select. Yesterday when our eyes were locked with each other, I saw some interest for me in his blue eyes, which was trying to understand me to the very core. And exactly as I hoped, those very same words came out of his mouth, proving me correct.

“I choose her. FLORA MONRO.”

And with those few words, I was Sold for 30 Days…