A small, single occupancy room.

Ila opened her door. Her room was just as she left it except for a note on her pallet.



Ila shuddered and crumpled the note.

Aalyssa followed her inside and closed the door. "Ila?"

Teas sprang into Ila's eyes. "I liked working in the kitchen. I was learning so much and I thought I might have actually been good at it.It's what I really wanted to do."

"And why don't you want to now? Does the note have to do with it?" Aalyssa inquired gently.

"I want to but it's not going to work anymore. I should have known it wouldn't have lasted." Ila said miserably. "Someone who visited me at the Crimson Dove is one of the survivors from the raid, him and his family. He saw me working in the kitchen. He doesn't want me working in the kitchen, he wants me to... do what I was doing at the Crimson Dove for him and his friends. I can't go back to doing that." Ila shuddered.

"And you shouldn't have to," Aalyssa said angrily. "Perhaps I could speak with him. Everyone deserves a chance to do what they really want to."

"He said if I didn't leave the kitchen and do what he wants me to he'll tell all the men that I'm a whore." Ila folded her arms over her chest. "I've kept it secret, I've kept the brand hidden. Almost everyone here has been polite to me but that'll change when the secret gets out."

"He certainly didn't think that plan through. It will make it obvious to his wife that he has been straying. You didn't speak with Aislyn and Brighid about this?"

"He said he had a way of ruining me while keeping himself safe... I met his wife and children before I knew they were his family. His wife is a nice woman and the kids are well behaved. I don't want to hurt them." Ila shook her head. "I didn't think either would want me in the kitchen if they knew I was a whore."

"I've known Aislyn and Brighid for years. You are doing them a huge disservice. You should not judge them just like you don't want to be judged." Aalyssa thought for a moment. "I can't figure out how he would be safe from the wrath of his wife for straying."

"He seemed really confident that he could ruin me without having any harm down to himself." Ila fidgeted with the crumpled note. "He said he would have every man in the keep after me."