Glade 31, 110 AoS
"On the third day he took me to the river
He showed me the roses and we kissed
And the last thing I heard was a muttered word
As he knelt above me with a rock in his fist"
Her voice carried over the heads of the people who weren’t really paying attention to her. Earlier, Axel pressured Mannon into standing in front of all of them to sing.
“We’re missing entertainment!” He exclaimed back then, grabbing Mannon by her arm, pulling her out of the chair and shoving her into the only space that was clear of furniture or rubbish. They were in what used to be the dining hall. The eight people table had not seen polish in a long time and armchairs and chairs were dragged into the small place from other parts of the manor.
“Let’s hear the prude sing!” Axel announced. It was the laughter of the people and the silence of others with their averted gaze that pushed Mannon.
She already had a steel cage around her heart and though his comments still snuck through the bars and hurt her, she kept her responses and emotions a prisoner whenever she was able to. So she stuck out her chin and did as she was told.
Mannon wasn’t a bad singer, but neither did she have any practice. Her voice was raspy and untrained, struggling to find the right notes sometimes. Her knees were shaking from nerves and her cheeks became as red as the wine in everyone’s cups very early on into the song.
People stopped paying attention to her by the time she got to the second verse. But still, she carried on. At first, she was trying to hold eye contact with everyone. She did her best to perform like she sometimes saw the prostitutes hired who came into the manor and how they danced seductively, inciting the orgies.
But as almost each and every one of the pair of eyes shifted from Mannon to the game of cards, or their goblet, or even the drugs on the table, Mannon found herself staring straight at Axel. There weren't many others of interest to her. In fact, no one else was.
Yet, Axel...he didn’t care. He didn’t even look at her. He had a woman on his lap. His hand exploring her form over the flimsy dress. She wasn’t a prostitute. She was one of the unfortunate souls already present in the mansion when Mannon arrived. Mannon didn’t know her name. She didn’t care to learn any of their names. They were inferior to her because they were common and their love with Axel wasn’t as great and unbreakable as hers was. So seeing him dedicate himself to that slut in making, it spurred fire in Mannon’s belly.
The last verse, Mannon tried to belt it. Perhaps in volume, she hoped to capture his attention, to capture his gaze and lock it with hers so he would see the fire inside her. The attempt only turned her voice hoarse and more into a shout rather than a melodic finish.
Axel slammed his hand on the table. Those who were numbed by substances jerked a little in their haze, others jumped. But they all grew quiet when Axel looked at Mannon with anger and annoyance. He was still being erratic in his actions despite the amount of time that passed since Mannon was disowned.
It’s the women….they are distracting him, Mannon thought and it wasn’t the first time that the idea of getting rid of them crossed her mind.
“Jesus. You really weren’t taught anything, were you, Your Disgrace?” His new pet name for her still seized her throat.
Axel scoffed. “You know, actually. Better shut up. Just stay quiet in a corner somewhere.” And he waved his hand at her as though she was a mere servant. And she lost his attention again as he picked up a few pieces of food mixed with some of the nasty mushrooms and he fed them to the woman on his lap.
A billowing wave rose inside Mannon. She wasn’t sure whether she was going to shout, scream or cry.
He showed me the roses and we kissed
And the last thing I heard was a muttered word
As he knelt above me with a rock in his fist"
Her voice carried over the heads of the people who weren’t really paying attention to her. Earlier, Axel pressured Mannon into standing in front of all of them to sing.
“We’re missing entertainment!” He exclaimed back then, grabbing Mannon by her arm, pulling her out of the chair and shoving her into the only space that was clear of furniture or rubbish. They were in what used to be the dining hall. The eight people table had not seen polish in a long time and armchairs and chairs were dragged into the small place from other parts of the manor.
“Let’s hear the prude sing!” Axel announced. It was the laughter of the people and the silence of others with their averted gaze that pushed Mannon.
She already had a steel cage around her heart and though his comments still snuck through the bars and hurt her, she kept her responses and emotions a prisoner whenever she was able to. So she stuck out her chin and did as she was told.
Mannon wasn’t a bad singer, but neither did she have any practice. Her voice was raspy and untrained, struggling to find the right notes sometimes. Her knees were shaking from nerves and her cheeks became as red as the wine in everyone’s cups very early on into the song.
People stopped paying attention to her by the time she got to the second verse. But still, she carried on. At first, she was trying to hold eye contact with everyone. She did her best to perform like she sometimes saw the prostitutes hired who came into the manor and how they danced seductively, inciting the orgies.
But as almost each and every one of the pair of eyes shifted from Mannon to the game of cards, or their goblet, or even the drugs on the table, Mannon found herself staring straight at Axel. There weren't many others of interest to her. In fact, no one else was.
Yet, Axel...he didn’t care. He didn’t even look at her. He had a woman on his lap. His hand exploring her form over the flimsy dress. She wasn’t a prostitute. She was one of the unfortunate souls already present in the mansion when Mannon arrived. Mannon didn’t know her name. She didn’t care to learn any of their names. They were inferior to her because they were common and their love with Axel wasn’t as great and unbreakable as hers was. So seeing him dedicate himself to that slut in making, it spurred fire in Mannon’s belly.
The last verse, Mannon tried to belt it. Perhaps in volume, she hoped to capture his attention, to capture his gaze and lock it with hers so he would see the fire inside her. The attempt only turned her voice hoarse and more into a shout rather than a melodic finish.
Axel slammed his hand on the table. Those who were numbed by substances jerked a little in their haze, others jumped. But they all grew quiet when Axel looked at Mannon with anger and annoyance. He was still being erratic in his actions despite the amount of time that passed since Mannon was disowned.
It’s the women….they are distracting him, Mannon thought and it wasn’t the first time that the idea of getting rid of them crossed her mind.
“Jesus. You really weren’t taught anything, were you, Your Disgrace?” His new pet name for her still seized her throat.
Axel scoffed. “You know, actually. Better shut up. Just stay quiet in a corner somewhere.” And he waved his hand at her as though she was a mere servant. And she lost his attention again as he picked up a few pieces of food mixed with some of the nasty mushrooms and he fed them to the woman on his lap.
A billowing wave rose inside Mannon. She wasn’t sure whether she was going to shout, scream or cry.
► Show Spoiler
