Unyielding

"H-how did you get here?" Moremi asked quietly.

Watching the ceiling with a blank and unreadable expression, Amara didn't answer at first. She only stared at the rooftop where the sun dipped below the horizon, indicating it was already evening.

Moremi didn't press for answers immediately. It appeared that it was a sour topic for the girl. Instead, she turned the question over in her mind, trying to decipher its answer.

Knowing Azura, where the slave trade was their main source of income and power, it wouldn't be surprising if Amara had been taken or snatched like the others. The slavers didn't need a reason. Azura already gave them one.

But Amara mentioned growing up with her mother, who served in the palace kitchens. That made Moremi curious.

Surely, there was more to it, right?

"Was it a raid?" she leaned in again.

Still, no answer. Just that same blank stare at the rooftop.

Then, Amara finally blinked, glanced at the plate by her feet, and muttered, "Trust me. You don't want to know."

"I do." Moremi didn't hesitate.

"Why? So you can compare our miseries?" She let out a dry, short laugh.

"Fine." Waving her hand off dramatically, Amara sighed when the young princess didn't react. "Once upon a time, a prince saw a kitchen girl and decided she'd look better in his bed."

Her words had Moremi pinching her brows while she went on, sarcastically sweet, "He offered me royal sheets, fancy treatments and whatever it was out there he thought would entice women like me..." her voice trailed before she shook her head, "It's a pity i had no interest spreading my legs for a snake."

As if she'd just digested her words, Moremi's eyes widened.

Seeing that she said nothing, Amara opened her mouth to speak when Moremi beat her to it, "A prince..." Her face was painted in confusion. "The Azuran prince?"

"Oh, yes. That bloody coward." She spat his name like it burned her tongue, her face hardening. "Couldn't take no for an answer. Hurt his pride, I guess. So he tossed me in with the slaves to be sold when the white men came. Said I'd be better off there."

She laughed again but it was hollow as she continued, "Well, I don't regret it. I'd rather be a slave than give him any bit of satis—"

"Prince Yovana sold you." Moremi interrupted, her face was one of disbelief.

Amara raised a brow, "What? You know him?" She asked even though she already guessed the answer to that question.

Of course, the royals knew each other, only she didn't know what rate of communication they had.

"I was to marry him. My father wanted an alliance with Azura." Moremi replied and saw the girl's eyes narrow slightly in surprise.

Marriage...

She hadn't heard of Yovana's betrothal to any princess before she was sold. How come?

Already knowing what she was thinking, Moremi added, "It was just a few days ago. He had come along with his father for my coronation." She explained.

"But it was dissolved..." She continued and waited to see Amara's reaction.

"Why?" Amara asked, expecting a response that proved Yovana was the cause, and she was right.

Moremi explained what happened, from the beginning to the end and could see how Amara scrunched her face every now and then.

Now, she was going to hate this self-absorbed prince even more.

"If I ever get out of this mess, alive and back to Azura, I'd kill that animal first." Amara's voice resonated in the room, following a deafening silence as every eye turned towards her, startled. Her statement wasn't sarcastic like every other time. It carried a sense of promise with no emotion in it.

She was dead serious.

Moremi didn't comment on that, though the idea of getting out of this place seemed impossible, talkless of going back home and getting anyone killed. Even if she indeed freed herself from this bondage, she wasn't sure she could cross this sea and make it alive to her people.

The question of who had really knocked her out at the riverbank that day still remained, throbbing her mind. As much as she wanted to believe it was the white men, she was certain they had left already and even more so in a different direction from where she had sat down by the river's edge. A lot of things did not seem to add up but she brushed it off and released a yawn, her eyelids turning heavy.

The remaining part of the night was still and quiet. There were no more murmurs or small talk among the slaves. All of them knew what journey awaited them and wanted to save their strength for the next day.

The silence in the room was broken only by the breathless snores of the slaves along with the distant echo of water dripping through the stone walls.

The night passed slowly.

---------

By morning, the cell doors burst open with a bang.

"EVERYONE OUT!"

The harsh light of dawn made Moremi squint, stirring her awake. Rubbing her eyes, she woke up to the cell doors crashing open.

A white man stood at the threshold, shouting, "C'mon! Everybody move out!" he held a whip which he slashed on the wooden door, jolting the slaves awake.

The room stirred with people rising groggily, while others rose faster. They stood up begrudgingly, their eyes still sleepy.

"Out! I said out!" The warden barked louder, not liking their sluggishness.

Moremi and Amara followed the crowd. The air was cooler, but heavy.

They stepped out to be greeted by more unfamiliar faces now, people whom they hadn't even seen yesterday, some dressed regally while others dressed shabbily.

This place, wherever they were, seemed to be a holding camp for something larger.

There were still torches, lit from last night, parched along the dark pathways, making it easier for them to find their way.

The warden continued to yell and whip anyone who slowed down. "We've got no time to waste. Move your ass!" He kicked a boy harshly, making him stumble into others.

They stopped abruptly when they came to an open courtyard, causing all of them to crash into one another. The space was wide and filled with many other slaves like them, their clothes were dirty and they look unkempt.

Moremi was still trying to decipher her surroundings when she heard the warden give a command, "Strip!"

What?!

His voice pulled everyone's attention to him as subtle gasps and murmurs escaped the crowd.

Glancing around, Moremi strained her ears, wondering if she had heard right.

"I said strip! Everyone! Take off your clothes now!" He barked, pulling out his whip almost immediately and to Moremi's surprise, everybody obeyed, instantly ripping off any piece of clothes they had left.

Her eyes bulged as she turned to Amara who didn't waste any time as well, removing her clothes.

They locked eyes with each other and Moremi gave her a questioning look.

Yes, she had promised to keep a low profile and forget all that princess thing she knew before now but STRIP??

Up til now, Moremi had never bared herself to another, not even her maids. She took her dignity very seriously and now this?

"Don't be stupid, girl. Do as you're told!" Amara whispered with urgency, seeing how every other person had almost finished shedding their clothes.

Stubborn, Moremi stood still with no indication of removing her clothes when the warden, who had earlier given the order, noticed she was still dressed.

He headed towards her with his whip still intact, "Didn't you hear what I said, girl?" The man's pale skin suddenly flushed red in anger.

"Remove your clothes, slave." His taller figure came to stand right in front of her and others shifted backwards, giving him space. He glared daggers at the disobedient Moremi, taking in her appearance.

However, even after hearing his gruff demand directed at her, Moremi was unyielding.

She was not going naked in front of anyone!