DPOV

I walked towards the surgeon's office. I had taken the girl, who I had learned was named Rose, to him. He assured me he could fix her.

Her friend had stayed by her side the whole time. She had absolutely refused to part from her. I commended such loyalty. As long as she stayed out of the surgeon's way.

I stepped inside the man's office. He still had his surgery gown on and it was heavily stained with blood. His wolf was on his shoulder. The wolf was like a little puppy. It was so small. But just like its counterpart he was fully grown.

The doctor was one of the few people I knew who had his wolf out almost all the time. The animal looked over the doctor's shoulder.

He was writing some things down in a notebook. And the eyes of the wolf moved over the page as if he could read the words. Maybe he could. The wolf had the same curious gaze and hunger for knowledge as its owner. Maybe that is why he kept him out all the time. Four eyes could see more than two.

"General. Thank you for seeing me."

The girls weren't the only ones that had been brought in. Some of my men had been wounded as well. Casualties were low, but never zero. He also had to look at the other slaves we brought in. They would be assessed and distributed. We would take the most healthy and the strong ones either for palace duties or in our soldier ranks, the others would be auctioned off to the next master.

I had seen the girls had been healthy, other than a bit of malnourishment so maybe they would stay here in the palace.

"How is she?"

The surgeon took off his glasses after finishing writing his notes. He took a handkerchief from a drawer and started to clean the glasses. It seemed more like an idiosyncrasy than that the glasses needed cleaning. His wolf mimicked his motion and started to lick his paw.

"She had a large laceration on her side. I was able to mend it, but it will take a bit for her to replenish the blood she lost. She also had signs of abuse, but everything seemed to be recent. I fixed what I could and let her live with the rest. She seems to be healing rapidly. I removed her shackles and treated the skin underneath."

He looked through the glasses, seemed unsatisfied with them and kept cleaning.

"Given her physique I think she will make an excellent concubine, maybe give her some time to heal and put on some weight, the scarring should be minimal and I doubt with her looks it will hinder her much."

That had been my thought too, but why hadn't she been a concubine at the last slave masters compound. A girl that looked like her could make him a lot of money. Maybe she had been too young?

"As for her friend. I wondered if I could keep her. She has no signs of abuse and seemed agreeable enough. She also has a knack for healing. I could use her as a nurse. Good slaves that actually know a thing or two about healing are hard to come by."

The surgeon was a good man. He was demanding, he expected everyone to have the same work ethic he did. But he wasn't curel. If he said he could use her, she would be safe with him.

I nodded. Not that I had a say in it. He was just being polite and informing me because I had brought the girls in. I had a say in almost anything. But never slaves.

After I finished with the doctor and discussed a couple more of my soldiers who had made it to the infirmary, I walked back into my quarters.

They were large befitting my station even if a bit remote. I had asked for a bath to be made for me. I was still rather bloody from battle. I had taken off my leathers and put on a clean shirt while I had dealt with the aftermath and logistics, but now I truly needed a bath.

I got rid of my clothes and slid myself into the extra large bathtub they had to specifically commission for me. I remember when I was still in the normal ranks being nothing but a foot soldier. The tiny baths, if they were even available, were hell.

I didn't have many luxuries. I choose it that way. I never needed much. But an extra large bathtub I actually fit in? Now that was something I would splurge on. That and my weapons.

It showed in my quarters too. There was an extra large bed. Okay, Maybe I splurged there too a little. I stopped them from putting on satin sheets, but the bed itself was a huge four poster bed. The sitting area didn't contain much more than a couple of chairs and a table. The library in the corner was well stocked, but I didn't have any pieces of art in them displayed as most of my counterparts did. The wall opposite my library had my weapons. Most decorative weapons would be inlaid with jewels or gold. Mine were different, They were all functional, so you wouldn't believe those pieces were worth a fortune. But they were made by the best weapons masters in the world with the best material.

I submerged myself in the hot water and it quickly turned pink from all the blood soaking off of my body. I looked down on my hands as her blood was washed away from them.

What would happen to her now?

I shook my head. I didn't care what happened. I had done the job that was expected of me. I had squashed the insurrection and I had saved the life of one slave and given the other a safe place as a nurse. I had done my part. What happened next was not my concern. I had other things to worry about.

She would be better treated as a concubine. She might even stay here in the palace close to her friend. She wouldn't have to wear shackles and she wouldn't be abused anymore…where people could see it.

I gripped the sides of my bathtub and tried not to break the porcelain as I imagined exactly who she might be servicing.

I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. It would do me no good to go down that road again. There was nothing I could do to change her situation, like there had been nothing I could have done to change mine.

After the bath I let out my wolf. It had been there like an itch all afternoon since I dropped the girls off.

I released the piece of my soul that housed my wolf and he materialized in front of me. He was clean again too. His fur was fluffy. It was strange that even if I had been the one taking the bath, he appeared to have had one too. The ends of his hairs still had a bit of moisture in them. My hair was the same.

His golden eyes were looking at me intensely. He was judging me. He even growled at me before he sat down opposite me.

"And what exactly would you have me do, huh? She will be better off now as a concubine. She will travel in higher circles. People will want her for her beauty and exotic looks and she will be showered with riches and she will never have to work as a house slave again."

He just kept looking at me. He didn't believe it anymore than I did. Because he was me.

I had no doubt she would be coveted. But the way she had stood in that field of roses, told me she had the spirit of a warrior. I wondered if being a concubine could snuff out that light, even if she had kept it as a house slave.

RPOV

After a couple of days in the infirmary, Lissa and I were escorted to a different part of the palace. I was grateful Lissa was still with me and she looked good. She was safe.

She had informed me that the surgeon had noticed her skill as a medic and requested her to stay with him. She had been worried where I would end up. Since we were four years old we had never been apart. But as a slave we didn't have a choice. If the surgeon requested her, she would have to stay with him.

He had treated me and he seemed like a decent guy. I felt that Lissa would be safe with him. So I suppose this was what happy-ever-after looked like for one of us.

Now I would just have to make sure I was assigned somewhere in the palace too. I had a good chance too. I was young and healthy. The wound at my side notwithstanding. But that would heal.

Our escort stopped at an ornate door. It was made of wood and had intricate carvings, depicting several women and some flowers. There was a peculiar smell coming from beyond the door. It wasn't a bad smell, on the contrary I think it was meant to be pleasant. But the cacophony of fruit and flower smells was an assault on my senses.

Dread settled in my stomach as our escort opened the door.

The doors opened to a beautiful courtyard. There were a couple of structures that appeared to be apartments. At the center there was a pond surrounded by several benches. There were a couple of cherry blossom trees. They were in bloom. A single pink petal floated down towards me and I held up my hand to catch it.

The garden was made even more beautiful by the absolutely gorgeous women who sat on the benches and walked around the garden. Their hair was brushed to perfection. Their clothes were colorful, adored with the best silk and most intricate lace. Most of them were blond, but some had darker hair. But all had the fair skin associated with this region. Nobody looked like me. They were all concubines.

The feeling made me sick to my stomach.

Although technically concubines were also slaves, they led a different life from the rest of us. It depended a bit under which slave master you were a concubine. Not all their lives were so glamorous. But here at the palace they lived a lavish life.

Realization hit me that I would be one of them.

And yet I had never been so afraid in my entire life.

A woman came up to us and dismissed the guard who had accompanied us. He closed the doors behind him.

I felt trapped already. I wanted to run. I wanted to fight, I wanted to scream that I would never be a concubine, but then I looked at Lissa.

She wouldn't be a concubine. She was a nurse. Even if she wasn't free, she would be the one thing she was born to be. She really had a knack for healing. She had studied many different herbs and their healing properties and she knew how to mend broken bones or stitch up a wound. And I am sure the surgeon would teach her more. She may not be free, but this was the best next thing for her.

And If I ran, I knew she would run with me. I couldn't do that to her.

But Lissa didn't know. Our last master had tried to send me out as a concubine once and had never attempted again. Lissa didn't know why.

"The medics bay is through there. I have talked to the doctor. Now that he has a nurse he wants you to come by often. We have several medical procedures we do here and I know most girls would appreciate a woman performing them. We also have one who is pregnant and we could really use a midwife."

Well, that was a small blessing. Lissa would be able to come by often. And she would be able to continue to learn.

She led us to the medics bay.

"I hear you two are familiar with each other?"

I nodded. "Lissa and I have been friends since we were children."

The woman's hard exterior dropped for only a moment, before it was firmly back into place.

She was around fifty, if I would have to guess. I assumed she was a former concubine but was too old to be requested. I wondered what happened to those concubines. They couldn't all be tour guides. What happened to them once they were past a certain age. All the women I had seen in the garden had been young.

We made it inside and showed Lissa where to put her case with medical instruments. The building had enough beds for three women, but there was no other staff. I suppose there wasn't a need for full time staff. There couldn't be that many concubines here.

"Now as for you."

She turned to me. She looked me up and down. She touched my hair and gripped my chin. She tilted my head looking at my skin and bone structure. She then moved to my hands, examining them for calluses and looking at my wrists for scars from the shackles.

"The scars will mostly fade. Luckily we have many high ranking army officers that require our services, some like the scars."

Don't throw up, please don't throw up.

"Your coloring is unique. This will also draw some attention. Maybe we can exploit your exotic looks even more with some special tailored dresses. Do you know where you are from?"

The question wasn't rude. Most slaves were domestic, but some had been taken from other places. But even the domestic ones didn't always know where they originated from.

"I believe I have some Turkish blood. But it was mostly hearsay from my first slave master, so I am not sure."

And I didn't know if it was true. Apparently my mother had left the information that I was Turkish on my fathers side, but since I hadn't seen her since I was four and I had never met my father, it could all be a lie.

"My mother has light skin and red hair though." I supplemented. Maybe it was important.

The ex-concubine nodded.

"You will stay here for observation for a few days, then you will be moved to your own apartment. You will follow some training. I want my girls prepared and I want them to be able to perform their duties. However, once you are healed you can be requested."

She looked me over again, a frown on her face.

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

Again a frown.

"Have you ever been with a man?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "No."

"Very Good. It means I can advertise you as a virgin. You will be coveted a lot. Use that first time to try and entice him. Several concubines here are reserved for only one man. If you can get the favor of a single man and he requests exclusivity your life will be much easier. We won't be allowed to send you out with anyone else."

I didn't know what was worse. Being passed around by several men, or being bound by one.

For a moment the General's face flashed in front of my eyes and maybe being bound to one man wouldn't be so bad. I wondered if he already had an exclusive arrangement.

Although she had mentioned we would be exclusive for the man, the other way around she hadn't discussed. Which means even if he did, he could maybe use one more.

"The obvious exception being the King of course."

She said it like it made perfect sense. Even if a General or a higher dignitary requested a girl to be exclusive. The King could just take what he wanted.

"You do know what happens, don't you? When a man and a woman get together? You do know what is expected of you?"

I wasn't that naive. I had seen more than enough.

I nodded, not wanting to sound rude by commenting.

"Good, very good. I have asked the cook to bring you some high calorie food for a while. Even though I can see your curves, you will need to lose this house slave look and fatten up a bit. In a week or so I will schedule an appointment with the tailors. They will get the first measurements for some dresses."

Great, this would be my life. I didn't know what scared me more, the men I would have to serve, or getting in one of those ornate dresses.