The Forgotten Gods

The Forgotten Gods

Chapter 1

Kaila walked through the crowded main streets of Wendorin, the capital of the empire, towards the main holding of the city. She held her sons hand tightly not wanting to lose him in the throngs of people. He was so innocent he wouldn’t know how to get back and she definitely would not trust anyone to safely bring him home. He looked around in amazement even though they lived just outside the city she had never allowed him entrance to this amazing and terrifying place. “Stay close now” she said to him, as she saw a couple of rough looking men eyeing them up. “Yes mama”. He was 14, by the militia’s standards old enough to kill in the name of the king, yet he looked hardly a man. He was beautiful, at the inn they worked at; keptkept a weary eye on him, always afraid the same fate that was hers would be repeated on her naive son. His strawberry blond hair appeared pinkish in the afternoon light, and his innocent face took in all around him. God, she felt her heart clench, here she was rushing to give her son into unknown hands. She had the impulse to take him and run back home, back to safety. No, she told her self, I have to do this. He needed more than the pathetic existence she provided for him. They barley survived they were both so thin. The inn they worked at barley paid for the one room apartment they lived in, and taxes took the rest so that food was whatever scraps were left at the end of the night at sorrow, the inn. If she got him a job in service he would have free housing and monthly wages he could save. She had tried forever to get him an interview and to no avail, but then one night a kitchen supervisor came to sorrow. He had, had a lot to drink and he openly told her for that for one night with him, he could guarantee her son an interview with the head supervisor. Disgusted she had declined but he had lingered till the end of the night, and the stall had given her time to think. What was one night of pain for her son’s future: so she had agreed. She had waited weeks and she had begun to think he had lied to her, until one night a messenger came to give her a letter from the servant’s quarters, he given her a pass that would allow her into the castle holdings. “Mama Look” she looked to wear lotus was pointing the walls to the castle holdings were large and seemed to go on for miles. Kaila sucked in her breath “it’s big isn’t it” her son replied “yes, it looks like it has no boundaries”
“Is that where the prince and king lives” “yes luv all the royal family lives there, you might too in a few hours” his grip tightened on her hand “I’m scared”. “Be brave my angel” she repeated the same words to herself. They reached the entrance and Kaila showed the watchmen her pass they examined the papers. “Alright when you are inside the grounds go to the main holding, ask the guards for the servant’s entrance, for peasants are not allowed in the main entrance. Got it?” “Yes, thank you” Kaila and Lotus did as they were told they were directed to a side entrance and were told to ask for Eric. Eric was a thick man with large hands and beady eyes; he scrutinized them both as they stood before them. “Kinda small isn’t he” Lotus stood behind his mother afraid of the prying eyes, Kaila though moved away forcing him to be seen “I promise you he is a hard worker, as you see I brought recommendations from sorrow, the inn we work at.”
“Yes I see that, unfortunately though we have all the kitchen workers we need and our cleaning staff is required to do more heavy work than his small body can handle and he has no other experience in the other work fields.”
“He is a fast learner, and hardly ever complains isn’t there anything else yould fld find for him?”
He, his hands folded on the desk, looked at her for some moments saying nothing. Then he looked over at Lotus “go wait outside boy” lotus hesitated, not knowing what to do but his mother nodded at him and he did as he was told.

Liel descended the steps quickly, goinoughough the servants working quarters. His father had wanted to talk to him, and Liel liked making things hard for him, so he decided to become lost. This was the best route to not get noticed. He was on his way to the riding stables when he paused in his tracks to look at the beauty, standing outside Eric’s office. The young prince hated Eric, he wondered if this kid worked for the servant’s master, if so he would take him off his hands for him. “Hi there” Lotus averted his eyes from the floor to the tall boy in front of him. “H-Hi” he stammered. “Are you in trouble?”
“Trouble”
“With Eric I mean, would you like me to talk to him for you”
“No, what I mean is I’m trying to get a job, he is taking to my mother”
“Oh,” replied the prince knowingly “that pervert, I bet he told you there were no jobs available and that he needed to talk to her privately”
Lotus pursed his lips in confusion how did he know that. Liel felt his heart rise, as well as something else as he watched the boys face.
“What’s your name?”
“Lotus”
“Unusual name for a boy, you’re named after a flower.” He paused caught by the blonds gaze “How old are you lotus?”
“Just 14, last month” Lotus was becoming nervous, why was this boy looking at him so peculiarly “what… what is your name”
“Liel” he spoke his own name in such a way that the singular word sounded so powerful. As if in an echo Liel’s name was called from down the hall “I’ve got to go, I’ll see you when you start working here, well depending on your mother that is”
Lotus stared after him as he ran down the hall in long strides. What a strange boy he thought.

That night as lotus lie in bed next to his mother he thought he heard her weeping. But when he called out to her she did not respond so he left her alone. He wondered if it had to do with earlier that day. Did something happen in Eric’s office? She had been in therefore some time; and he had heard grunt like noises that sounded very similar to Eric’s voice. In two weeks time he would be living in the castle holding as long as his training went well. His mother would walk with him every morning to make sure he got there safely and to ‘talk’ to Eric of Lotus’ progress. He was very afraid; he didn’t want to be away from his mother. He thought for a moment of Liel. How could one any one person be so beautiful, yet so terrifying at the same time. Lotus felt funny when he thought about him. Whatever this feeling was he didn’t like it. It gave him butterflies in his stomach and made parts of his anatomy act funny when he thought of hie wae wanted it to go away he didn’t want to think of him, but he couldn’t help it, he had thought about him all day. Lotus thought of his long black hair that had been loosely tied back into a tail. That lovely face with high cheek bones and heavily lashed bright blue eyes that had looked at him so curiously. Lotus touched himself confused by the hardness. He wasn’t stupid he knew why it happened, but not to him. Maybe he was just coming of age, but Liel was a boy, and so was he. It was not uncommon for two of the same sex to unite, but he wasn’t sure if he felt that way. He hated this feeling. He was so confused; disgusted with himself he removed his hand from the hardness between his thighs.

Liel sat on the stone bay window looking out into the night. In one hand he held a bottle of wine in another he held a lotus blossom. He thought of the boy. “I’m obsessed” he laughed, talking to himself. “But you are so beautiful”. The wine had colored his pale cheeks a rosy shade of reddish pink, almost matching the color of his lips. So beautiful he thought again, especially those eyes. There startling green had been burned into his memory. And that hair, it was such a pretty color, almost pink. He had been short as well; he liked his lovers shorter than him, which wasn’t hard given that he was 6’3. Liel blew the blossom into the night air and he watched as it floated farther and farther down to the earth below him. “Ah my sweet little lotus blossom when will I see you again.”

Lotus and his mother went in at dawn to the castle grounds. He was shaking horribly on the inside, what if he should see Liel? How would he act? “Are you ok” his mother asked him “fine, I’m fine” he blurted out rather abruptly. They went to Eric\'s office; he smiled at the sight of them. Lotus had never imagined a smile could look so slimy and disgusting. He didn’t like the way he looked at his mother, he had seen men at the inn give her such looks before. It always made him shiver. “Alright child, you’re to be working as a chamber boy. That’s a very high place for a servant to be, but your mother wanted you to have a good job and she is very convincing. Sarah” he yelled, a young girl of eleven or twelve stuck her head in “Yes sir”. “this is the boy you are to help, show’ im the ropes”
“Yes sir, come with me” Lotus took one last look at his mother and followed behind the girl.

Lotus had to run to catch up with the girl even though she was shorter than him. “First things first” she said, without waiting to see if he had caught up. “You must learn your way around the castle, so pay attention to your surroundings at all times. And keep your eyes downcast, it is disrespectful to look into the eyes of noble folk.” Already he was feeling overwhelmed. how was he supposed to be aware of his surroundings if he had to keep his eyes down cast. “After your training you will have your own rooms to attend. You will have to learn the habits of your charges. Know when they wake and such. A good chamber person is never seen. Before they wake a bath should be drawn and in the winter a fresh fire stoked. During there break fast is when you must take there laundry and make there bed. After this you get first meal, but only if you have time. During lunch they often stay out of there rooms until dinner dress. This is when you will do most of the cleaning. It is up to you to then find out, from your charges personal assistants, who have dinner plans. If they do this is known as dinner dress, you will then draw another bath. If not then you are free for a personal break. Then during dinner you must once again remove any laundry, and if the evening is cold you must stoke another fire. As well as clean up whatever else has been messed in your absence, you will ready their bed, and do whatever else their personal assistants tell you should be done. Then after this is second meal. Any questions?” “No”
“If any should arise, ask I am here to help” She had a very stale voice for such a young girl. Would this place turn him into an emotionless creature as well? He knew she meant well, but she was void of any personality.

That night after his mother had got him he collapsed into bed. He was so tired. He hadn’t thought it would be that hard. And Sarah had all of her charges routines down to a t even the ones who didn’t seem to have a routine. He had told her as much and she responded that it was imperative to talk to the assistants; they knew more about there charges than anyone. He didn’t know how he was going to manage when he was on his own. He was so tired soon he had drifted to sleep.

The next morning when he awoke he noticed some bruises on his mother’s throat. “Mama what happened to you?” Kaila tried to cover her neck with the collar of her blouse. “I think it’s a rash nothing to worry about darling” She smiled at him but still did not feel dis-alarmed. “They look like bruises Mama” “Well they’re not, now hurry up and get ready before were late”

Two days quickly turned into two weeks and Lotus found himself walking for the last time with his mother to the castle holdings. His heart was beating like crazy he didn’t want to leave his mother. He was so scarred and not just for himself. Every night his mother had come to him with new bruises. She was being hurt by someone and he had done nothing to prevent it. But what could he do. He was so helpless, he hated himself for it. At the entrance she gave him a hug, it lasted for what seemed like an eternity, lotus clung to his mother; their lives would both be changed forever. From here there was no turning back. He had tears in his eyes when his mother drew away. His mother wiped his tears from his face. “Be brave my beautiful boy” “I’m … trying” He finally managed to stammer out. “I love you so much Mama”
“I know my angel, but you have to leave me, I have given up so much so that you could be here, don’t let me down”
“I won’t mama I promise. I’ll work hard. And I’ll try to visit as often as I can”
“You’ll be very busy so I’ll understand if you can’t make it.” He hugged his mother one last time and ran inside. As soon as lotus was inside it was her turn to cry. What she had done had been worth it, and had to do one last time.

Kaila’s pretty face was turned to the wall as Eric drove himself into her. He sucked nosily on her neck, and his hands roughly scoured her body, sometimes making her yelp out in pain. He grabbed her face and kissed her, his breath reeked of decay and his taste was sour. She tried to move her mouth from his, but he gripped her chin harder, pushing his tongue into the back of her throat. She gagged and he pulled away but only so that the moan of his climax could escape his throat. To Kaila it sounded like a dying animal she hated that sound. It was disgusting. As soon as he removed himself from her, she raised herself off of the floor. She grabbed for her clothes and quickly dressed. Eric as usual look his time, she was fully dressed again by the time he had his trousers on. “I will sign the papers now” “Yes as he is underage you do need to sign the documents, only…”
“Only” she repeated a strained tone in her voice.
“Only without my signature he does not have a job here”
“You promised, you said if I lay with you for the duration of his training, you would give him the job I requested for him”
“Yes well, I am only a man”
“Want do you want” She screamed
“Hush now or everyone will hear”
“What do you want from me” she screamed again not caring if the entire world heard her
“I’m a lonely man; I merely want what we have now.”
Kaila was on the verge of breaking into tears. “I have a job I have suffered lost pay these last two weeks for the sake of my son, but what you ask is intolerable”
“I have thought of this. You work at sorrow, am I correct.” She nodded her head, not wanting to hear what else he had to say
“Well I will come to you there, at closing; it will not be every night as I too am busy. If you consent to this I will sign lotus’ papers”
Eric moved the papers her way his signature yet to be written he held out a quill pen to her. She hesitated. “If you sign the papers then I have your consent, and I shall sign after you; but if you do not then I shall rip up the contract. Kaila gingerly took the quill she held it in her hand. She breathed deeply. For my son she thought, and signed her body away. Eric smiled that oily smile of his and signed the papers as well.

Kaila drug herself home heart feeling heavy; as if made of led. She drug her self into her apartment and there in the safety of her room she broke down into tears, she could not do this. “God help me she cried” she sat on the floor and cradled her knees “how much more much I suffer before you are done with me” she didn’t care about work, screw them. She sat there until the sky turned an orange red. She got up and looked out the window; dusk was turning everything a shade of red. The picture that lay before her looked like one painted in blood… Blood… Death… Peace. She sat down next to a basket where she kept sewing supplies; she went though it until she found what she was looking for. The shears had just been sharpened. She opened them they seemed to shine cruelly in the red light of the evening hue. She placed one of the sharpened blades to her wrist, for a moment she let it sit there feeling the cold touch of metal on her skin. Then with a sharp swipe she drew the blade across the soft flesh of her wrist. Blood poured out of the gash. She did not cry out or move at the pain. No pain could match that which was her life. She held the shears to her other wrist, she had to do it before she felt to weak, her thoughts lingered on her death, who would find her, would they care? Lotus. Her eyes widened and she dropped her death tool. God what would this do to Lotus. With her good hand she searched frantically for something to bind her wound. Nothing. She grabbed her skirts and ripped a shred of material off. The pressure of grasping fabric with her wounded wrist made her dizzy but she quickly and tightly, with the help of her teeth tied the tattered cloth to her wrist to stop the bleeding. She fell over on her side. For Lotus she had to live. For her son she would do anything. How ironic that one she loves so much came from someone she hated so much.