Status: On-Going
Petals on the Wind
An Unknown Fate
The wait unsettled everyone within the slowly emptying room. Nerves were on razor's edge, and rightly so. Tensions had been high ever since the first elegant candidate draped in fine auspiciously tinted silks and an arrogantly tilted chin had been summoned and passed through a pair of grand ornate doors never to return. In fact, not one of the women who entered through those doors had been seen since.
Quiet uneasy murmurs fluttered through the remaining girls on swift wings after about the fifteenth girl had been escorted through those imposing doors and shared the same unknown fate as her predecessors. Parisa remembered her very clearly. She was a pretty young thing that couldn't possibly have been over fifteen years, with delicate features, a petite frame and big round eyes that easily revealed her anxiety.
Everyone, including Parisa, was curious as to the fates of those girls. Some of the others wondered if they had all been chosen. Though unlikely, it was not unheard of for an Imperial Prince to have many concubines, hundreds even. Had they all been rejected, sent home to become the shame of their family? Many rumors passed through painted lips, some more outrageous than others. But what no one dared to voice, though it was clearly dwelling within their thoughts, was that the reason no one returned was because they were no longer among the living.
Just what had happened to all of the girls, and what was going to happen to them once they passed through those doors?
Parisa was one of the few that remained silent throughout the entire process. The daunting uncertainty of so many unanswered questions was getting to her as well, but she tried her very best to stand firm and stow the negative emotions. Despite her efforts, it was all in vain and peaceful thoughts evaded her like pipe smoke on an evening breeze.
One after the other girls continued to vanish, until Parisa was one of only a handful left. Nasrin also was part of this small group. It only took a brief glance around for Parisa to realize the reason why they were last to be sent before the Imperial Prince and the nobles. The girls left, though considered citizens, were not originally of the Kou Empire, Parisa and Nasrin included.
Those left for last were clearly thought of as less worthy than those whose Far Eastern bloodlines ran back through generations upon generations, since before the founding of the Kou Empire even.
Parisa wondered if any of the others noticed this discrimination, or if their nerves were just too taut for them to take notice of anything that went on around them. It was probably the latter, if the slight nervous rustling of fabric was anything to go by.
The soft sound of the double doors opening and the steady shuffle of footsteps caused Parisa to suck in a slow, deep breath and her eyes to close momentarily. By the time her eyes fluttered open and her mind registered the name the assistant called, Nasrin had already begun to move away from the group and towards the doors. As the lengthy train of her brightly hued silken gown and long strawberry red hair disappeared, Parisa felt a cold heavy weight settle in her stomach.
Would this be the last Parisa would see of Nasrin in this life?
The very thought nearly made her ill. It took a few moments, but when she realized her hands were trembling she clasped them together so they were hidden beneath the fabric of her long gown sleeves. But no matter how tightly she gripped her hands, knuckles surely as white as freshly fallen snow, her heart continued to pound painfully in her chest, stealing her breath.
Seconds felt like hours. Minutes an eternity before the door opened again and the next candidate's name was called. Her heart nearly burst inside her chest, and for the first time in her life, Parisa felt as if she might collapse in a dead faint.
The name called... was hers.
She would be the next to walk through those doors and into an unknown fate. It was finally her turn to face the judgment of the Imperial Prince and the nobles.
Quiet uneasy murmurs fluttered through the remaining girls on swift wings after about the fifteenth girl had been escorted through those imposing doors and shared the same unknown fate as her predecessors. Parisa remembered her very clearly. She was a pretty young thing that couldn't possibly have been over fifteen years, with delicate features, a petite frame and big round eyes that easily revealed her anxiety.
Everyone, including Parisa, was curious as to the fates of those girls. Some of the others wondered if they had all been chosen. Though unlikely, it was not unheard of for an Imperial Prince to have many concubines, hundreds even. Had they all been rejected, sent home to become the shame of their family? Many rumors passed through painted lips, some more outrageous than others. But what no one dared to voice, though it was clearly dwelling within their thoughts, was that the reason no one returned was because they were no longer among the living.
Just what had happened to all of the girls, and what was going to happen to them once they passed through those doors?
Parisa was one of the few that remained silent throughout the entire process. The daunting uncertainty of so many unanswered questions was getting to her as well, but she tried her very best to stand firm and stow the negative emotions. Despite her efforts, it was all in vain and peaceful thoughts evaded her like pipe smoke on an evening breeze.
One after the other girls continued to vanish, until Parisa was one of only a handful left. Nasrin also was part of this small group. It only took a brief glance around for Parisa to realize the reason why they were last to be sent before the Imperial Prince and the nobles. The girls left, though considered citizens, were not originally of the Kou Empire, Parisa and Nasrin included.
Those left for last were clearly thought of as less worthy than those whose Far Eastern bloodlines ran back through generations upon generations, since before the founding of the Kou Empire even.
Parisa wondered if any of the others noticed this discrimination, or if their nerves were just too taut for them to take notice of anything that went on around them. It was probably the latter, if the slight nervous rustling of fabric was anything to go by.
The soft sound of the double doors opening and the steady shuffle of footsteps caused Parisa to suck in a slow, deep breath and her eyes to close momentarily. By the time her eyes fluttered open and her mind registered the name the assistant called, Nasrin had already begun to move away from the group and towards the doors. As the lengthy train of her brightly hued silken gown and long strawberry red hair disappeared, Parisa felt a cold heavy weight settle in her stomach.
Would this be the last Parisa would see of Nasrin in this life?
The very thought nearly made her ill. It took a few moments, but when she realized her hands were trembling she clasped them together so they were hidden beneath the fabric of her long gown sleeves. But no matter how tightly she gripped her hands, knuckles surely as white as freshly fallen snow, her heart continued to pound painfully in her chest, stealing her breath.
Seconds felt like hours. Minutes an eternity before the door opened again and the next candidate's name was called. Her heart nearly burst inside her chest, and for the first time in her life, Parisa felt as if she might collapse in a dead faint.
The name called... was hers.
She would be the next to walk through those doors and into an unknown fate. It was finally her turn to face the judgment of the Imperial Prince and the nobles.