"I am Selene," the woman said after briefly stepping away to retrieve a robe for me to cover up. "You may call me Madam Selene, or just Madam will suffice."
I nodded as I quickly draped the robe over my naked body. The soft material felt heavenly atop my bare skin, a stark contrast to the rough tunic that clung to my body the past few weeks.
"And you are?" I heard her ask. I hadn't yet had the opportunity to ponder my new circumstance, but that still would have to wait.
"Rowen, ma'am—" I paused, "Madam."
"The first rule is cleanliness," she continued in a bit of a hurry. "A courtesan of the Velvet Pavilion must remain perfectly clean at all times. Now follow me."
Selene led me back through the halls, which were now mostly empty, not counting a few stray courtesans who were late getting to their positions on the floor. There were many fewer eyes to hide from than there had been earlier, but still, I held the robe tightly to my body.
One of the strays was a young girl dressed in an elaborate velvet robe adorned with intricate patterns. Her hair was styled in an elegant updo and held together by a headpiece that caught the light from the lamps.
"I'm sorry, Madam Selene." She bowed as far as her headpiece would allow.
Selene clicked her teeth disapprovingly. "Hurry along."
The girl didn't say anything else, opting to simply scurry past us and down another path. I'd gotten some detail of her pretty face as she passed. If I had to guess, she was only a few years older than I was.
When Selene continued down our original path, I followed closely.
"Poppy joined us some months ago, and she is still so disorganized," she spoke as we walked. "I expect you to be better."
"Yes, Madam."
She led me to the largest bathhouse I had ever seen in my life, not that I had much experience with bathhouses beyond the meager example we'd had in the orphanage.
It was a spacious, steam-filled, tiled room. The centerpiece was a large, sunken, communal pool, which was surrounded by several smaller pools, all lined with water-worn stone.
The air was warm and humid, with the strong scent of lavender. There was an opening in the ceiling that would let in light during the day, but in this late evening, it offered little, so the oil lamps were doing most of the work of keeping the room visible.
"You can choose any one of the smaller baths," Selene explained. "You will find soap and oils near each pool. You will want to be very thorough to get rid of that smell. You will also find perfumes on the slab in the corner."
"Yes, Madam."
"Pay extra attention to that hair of yours," she continued. "With some work, it could be a highlight that elevates you to the level of your more experienced sisters."
"Yes, Madam," I bowed like I'd seen Poppy do earlier. How could everything have turned out like this?
"Go on then," she gestured impatiently, "I will return soon with clothes for you to wear."
And with that, I was left alone once again with a task at hand. All things considered, I was thankful for the opportunity to clean myself.
It had been a trying few weeks, and submerging myself was sure to provide some comfort, like the lake near the orphanage once did.
I let the robe fall off my body and began my descent into the depths toe first. It was warm and relaxing, even more so than the lake on a warm afternoon.
It wasn't just the surface too. It spread a warmth throughout my body as I lowered myself until my head alone remained above the surface.
I moaned audibly and wished Orin was here to experience this. But he would never be allowed in here, would he? This was a space reserved for courtesans. Women. So why was I here?
I groaned when I thought of my situation. I didn't belong here any more than I belonged in that cage taken as a slave.
On the matter of cages, this may as well have been one. Just a lot more luxurious. I dreaded to think about the sorts of things that were expected of me here.
No, I couldn't think about that yet. The thought scared me, and it's better to not jump to any conclusions.
I swam over to grab the soap and was enveloped by a wave of sweet-smelling olive. Nothing like the harsh animal tallow I was used to at the orphanage.
Like everything else, it was smooth and comforting as I rubbed it along my body. Yet another experience I wished Orin was here for.
As I cleaned, my mind turned to him. I wondered where he was now. As I understood it, Lady Isolde had been considering taking him too, but without a definite answer, I had no way of knowing.
What were the chances he was also experiencing an exquisite bath such as this wherever he was?
I shook my head and muttered to myself, "Not likely." I just hoped he was okay and that we would see each other again soon.
Madam Selene returned soon after and made her way to the far bath I'd chosen, placing folded cloth on a dry surface nearby.
"Can you find your way back to the other room?" she asked me.
I nodded.
"Good, return there when you're through here," she instructed. "Do not go to the main floor, and certainly do not go near the rear entrance. Haskel knows not to let any of the girls leave."
She'd turned to make her exit but stopped, turning to me one last time. She eyed me closely, my entire body below my chest obscured beneath the water's surface.
"You really do have the face of a woman," she commented to herself, "How strange."
=^..^=
I'd gone to work washing my grimy hair extensively and getting rid of every last bit of dirt. By the time I turned to cleaning the rest of my body, the tips of my hair dipped beneath the water's surface, reminding me of how long it was now.
I thought back to our time as kids when Orin had tried to get me to cut my hair. I wondered whether I was partly at fault for my situation. Of course he'd stopped pressing the matter when he understood me a bit better.
When you're an orphan, you don't own anything. My hair was mine alone, and I could never get rid of it.
Now it was perfectly clean, and so was the rest of me. With that done, I sat at the edge of the pool and applied the oils to my skin that now felt divine.
I would've imagined all my life and never imagined that a feeling like this one existed. It almost made everything that led me here worth it.
After I was done drying my hair as best as I could with a nearby towel, I could put it off no longer. Next came the clothes. I can't say I was very shocked by the women's attire that waited, but still, I had never worn anything of the sort.
It was a light cream gown with short puffed sleeves and a square neckline. Its waist was cinched snug to flatter the neckline, and the skirt fell in soft, flowing layers down to the calf.
She'd also included a linen chemise to be worn beneath the gown, but no loincloth, as that was a decidedly male piece of clothing. It was becoming very clear where I stood as a courtesan.
I felt so very alien as I went through the motions to wear my new clothes. Despite how odd it felt, I had to admit the clothes fit my figure better than I would have liked.
Last but not least was a simple slip-on on my feet, and the ensemble was complete. I was fully dressed as a young woman.
With no more excuses to remain in the bath, I made my exit.
=^..^=
"Rowen, this way." Madam Selene called out to me during my journey back to the inspection room.
I followed the voice into a room that had the most beautiful assortment of dresses and robes. There were all sorts: silks, velvet, and linens in all fashions. There was underwear too, from simple ones like the one I wore now to the sort that made me blush to look at.
I found pointed-toe shoes, leather boots, and more slip-ons like mine. Scattered around the room were stools, presumably for courtesans to sit while they dressed, and tables with numerous adornments from paint to jewelry.
"The second rule is presentation," she told me as I approached. "As a courtesan of the Velvet Pavilion, you must always appear far more beautiful than any girl the guest would ever see out in his world. That is the reason he comes into ours, to witness unparalleled beauty. This room is where that happens."
Madam Selene rose from her chair and ordered me into it. I obeyed.
From behind me, she ran her fingers through my long, damp hair. She carefully lifted it off my back, and only then did I notice it had soaked a portion of the dress on my back.
"Over the coming weeks, I and your sisters will teach you how to create that unparalleled beauty," she continued speaking as she reached over to retrieve a wide-toothed, wooden comb, which she ran expertly through my hair. "They will help prepare you, and when you have learned enough, you'll in turn help prepare them."
She combed my hair as it dried, the whole time sharing bits of information that I ought to know.
"Your sisters have begun entertaining, so I will introduce you to them at the end of the night." She informed me, while still running the comb through my hair, that she noted again that I had potential but needed work.
"What does entertaining mean exactly?" I found the courage to ask.
"Most usually just your company," she explained. "These men live for the opportunity to be in your company, and they pay a lot to do so. It is your duty to ensure that they enjoy that time. Sometimes, it is only conversation that is required. You pour their drinks, and you lead them places with your voice. It is no small feat. It is both companionship and emotional labor. You will learn how."
I listened intently as she spoke, but at the time, I couldn't have understood the scale of what would be required of me.
"Madam Selene?" I called out while she was busy applying scented oils to my almost dry hair.
"Yes."
"There was a boy with me," I started. "Did Lady Isolde purchase him too?"
"Forget about him." She said sharply, as though I had offended her, "The only men you should spare a thought for from now on are the guests of the Velvet Pavilion. You need to learn everything about them and quickly. You have no time to wonder about some slave boy."
It was obvious she would hear no more on the matter, so I let it go. It would be much harder to forget Orin, the boy I'd spent all of the last decade with. No matter how many times everyone around me told me to.
"The way the men have their swords and shields for battle, these here are your weapons." Madam Selene gestured to some products on the table. "Sit still; I will show you how to wield them."
"This is rosewater." She began by applying it to my face and then continued with a cream she told me was made with almond oil. Both were already peculiar additions that were entirely foreign to an orphan from the countryside, and I suspected the same for most of the peasantry across the country.
She showed me a crushed powder and a paste with rich red and pink colors that she then used gently on my lips and cheeks.
I knew already that it would be a challenge to learn everything I needed to, but unless I wanted to constantly be on the receiving end of one of those disapproving glares Poppy had received earlier, I would have to regardless.
"We use this—" she showed me a dark powder that resembled charcoal but seemed different even to my novice eyes, "to line the rims of our eyelids to make them appear darker and larger."
She held my head in place as she went to work, and it was all I could do to keep from squirming in response to the foreign feeling.
She stepped back and admired her work. When she was satisfied, she said, "You look at a man with those eyes, and he will tell you anything you want to know."
I watched her replace the products in their original positions and step away to a polished metal mirror in the corner. "Come."
Obediently, I made my way to her, and there, I saw the girl Madam Selene had been speaking to this whole time. Her lips were a dangerous shade of red. The subtle pink shade of her cheeks made her look innocent, a juxtaposition from the siren look in her eyes that seemed capable of drawing a man out to sea.
The worst part is she was me. To anyone that didn't know my secret, I would have belonged here as much as any of the other girls.
I wondered what Orin would say if he saw me like this. Would he stare enough to make me uncomfortable? Would he lightheartedly joke about it?
"It is an important skill, learning how to do this," Madam Selene told me as she watched me watch my reflection move in the mirror, "but it is only an enabler for the real skill every courtesan must learn. The ability to get any man to talk to you. Would you like to come see your sisters employ this skill?"
I nodded, although it didn't seem at all like a question.
"Let's get you dressed, then."
It took some time to select the perfect robe for me. It wasn't time wasted, though, as Madam Selene seemed thoroughly pleased when she held the purple velvet robe up to my body.
"Put this on," she instructed.
While I worked on lifting the gown off my body while still making sure the chemise wasn't lifted too high in the process to become indecent, Selene continued her lecture.
"It will be some time before you are allowed to entertain," she told me. "You have so very much to learn yet. The guests of the velvet pavilion aren't the common lot. These are the lords and the military commanders, the richest men in the city."
Her words drew my mind to Lady Isolde. I couldn't help but wonder whether she was actually a member of nobility or if it served a different purpose.
"These are men that out there, control all our fates. But in here—" she stepped forward to tie the ornate silk cord at my waist, holding the beautiful embroidered robe in place. "We must be in control of them. It is a fine line that must not be disturbed. Only when you have learned to walk that fine line will you be allowed on the floor alongside the others."
I admired the long, flowing, open-fronted garment that almost always showed a glimpse of my legs underneath it.
"Good, take a seat," Madam Selene instructed while returning to the stool.
I was overwhelmed by the sensation on my skin as I walked. It was a far cry from the rough tunics I'd worn all my life. It was tailored to move and drape with my body as I walked, revealing and concealing with every step. And worst of all, it felt like it fit.
When I sat, the robe fell off my legs, threatening to show more than intended but never doing so. I sat shyly with my legs closed out of necessity to the garment's form.
Soon after, Madam Selene proceeded with the only item left, a simply adorned hair stick, which she twisted through my hair and pinned at an angle. It almost seemed like witchcraft how that little motion held both my hair and the hair stick in place, leaving only suggestive strands to trail down my neck.
This, paired with the garment's wide collar, left a generous viewing of my neck and collarbones. Something told me that, like much of my appearance, that too was intentional.
"You're ready," she said, satisfied. "Come with me."
=^..^=
Together we made our way down the unexplored hallway, which led towards the music, the laughter, and the sweet smell of expensive dishes.
We reached an open space where men mingled with courtesans aplenty. Velvet-draped walls paired with oil lamps and candles virtually everywhere you looked made it a jaw-dropping sight.
There were plush divans and well-crafted tables that separated even this open area into semi-private spaces.
The most striking feature was the sweeping, curved staircases that led to the upper floors, along which some courtesans stood almost as if on display. Others played various instruments, making music with their fingers, showing both skill and beauty at once.
Most courtesans were engaged, however, entertaining some seemingly important man or another.
"This is the atrium," Madam Selene explained. "When you are ready, you will spend some time entertaining here before you make your way up those stairs. I want you to watch your sisters closely. Watch what they do and learn from them."
I took the opportunity to study those in view. A light touch here, an interested smile there. It was too cruel to expect me to do any of that, being a man myself. Despite that fact, Madam Selene remained convinced that I would learn how.
"This way," Madam Selene instructed, and I followed. We made our way into a different, quieter room where the men spoke more often with one another, with the courtesans present only to bring and pour drinks. "This is the wine room," she informed me.
I could only make out bits and pieces of the numerous conversations being had. Some politics here and some philosophy there. Some conversations I couldn't even make sense of.
There we found Lady Isolde engaged in conversation herself with an older man. I couldn't immediately place her role in that interaction, whether it was as a courtesan or someone that stood on equal footing socially.
My heart skipped a bit when I saw her gesture us over.
"Do not speak unless spoken to," Madam Selene told me as she ushered me along.
As instructed, I became a voiceless decoration.
"Isolde, have you been keeping this one from me?" The man spoke in a deep, coarse voice.
"Certainly not, chancellor," Lady Isolde let out a small laugh. "She's new and very inexperienced."
"Not always a bad thing," he replied, then laughed to himself.
"That may very well be, but as you know, we have a certain standard here at the pavilion, so I'm afraid she's as of yet unavailable."
He made a show of leering at me, and I hated every second of it.
"Very well," he licked his lips. "I hope you'll let me know when she is-- available."
"Of course, Chancellor," she answered, "Although, it may not be for some time, but I promise it'll be worth the wait. You'll find this one very special."
"High praise coming from you, my dear." The man made no efforts to hide how pleased he was with her words and my appearance. "I will be looking forward to it."
It was only when Madam Selene and I returned to the atrium that I realized how heavily my heart was beating. Everything about that man offended me, and most of all, the way he looked at me.
It made me sick.
"Some courtesans go many nights before a guest takes interest in them; it seems you will have no such shortage." Selene told me, "You will learn to feed on that attention and turn it in your favor."
I didn't want to do that. Why did what I want seem to matter the least?
"Let us get you some food and then to bed," Madam Selene said to me. "Your training begins bright and early tomorrow. I will take you to your room after I show you how to remove the paint at the end of the night."
There was no break. It was one cruel realization after another. The latest of which came after I'd received a helping of stewed vegetables from the kitchen and we'd exited the opulent main halls and passed through a utilitarian door that led to a separate wing of the pavilion.
Madam Selene had unlocked access to this area with a key that she kept on her person. I could only assume that this area would be locked at all times, especially at night, so escape would not be so easy.
I had nowhere to go without Orin anyway, so I had to put that thought firmly aside for now.
It was quiet here, unlike the music-filled halls of the main wing.
My shock came when she showed me to an open dormitory with eight beds by my count and trunks at the bases of each one. I'd noticed that there were other similar rooms.
"You can have this bed," Madam Selene had told me.
"Am I to stay here?" I glanced at the other beds. "With the others?"
"Do you think you are special enough to deserve your own room?" Selene asked, "That privilege is reserved only for our most sought-after courtesans."
"But I can't."
"These girls are your sisters, and the sooner you start seeing yourself as one of them, the better." She said to me, despite the incredulous look on my face, "I would have given you that advice regardless of what lies between your legs. You are now a courtesan of the Velvet Pavilion, and there are no men here."
She said it with a finality that told me I wasn't to bring it up again, but how could I not?
"But—"
"You've had a long journey, and I've had a long day," she said finally. "We will speak more in the morning."
=^..^=
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Hiya, so slightly slower uploads as we head into the weekdays (job), but I'll try to get these out quickly. I really hope everyone is enjoying these. Love to hear your thoughts.