The Royal Courtyard Courtesan

"Carissa! Carissa!" I heard my mother screamed my name repeatedly.

"Mother's anger is on another level" I muttered, rubbing my eyes with my hands.

Seriously, what has happened again? What has Carissa done? I thought as I continued sleeping comfortably, I heard some knocks in my door and I knew it was her... then it hit me!

Acquilina's mother must have found out! Shit!

I woke up with a start and opened my windows, my mother is already succeeding in opening my door and shouting about how unfortunate she is, to have me.

The moment the door flung opened, I jumped off the window, it's an easy peasy.

I ran off to where my legs could carry me, seeing Acquilina's mother by the door, I winked at her and started laughing, She had an enraged looked that said "I'm going to kill you, when I catch you!" but who cares! She should learn to tell a real fabric from a fake one!

Thanks to her, my wonderful sleep was cut short, I should steer clear from the house for today perhaps. I ran across the busy streets, there was so many people walking to their various destinations, even if it was so early. I continued running making sure not to bump into anybody. Hopefully, not one of my victims.

I got to the third Street and took an alley then another alley, that lead to numerous doors, some traders usually store their goods here.

To be honest, it's very safe.

I walked to the sixth door trying to catch my breath from all the running I have been doing, the door was slightly opened and I knew the only person that could be here is Swift, my one and only best friend and my partner in crime too...

I sighed opening the door, This was where will stored our goods too- stolen goods, fake goods, clothes for numerous occasions and what not? Think of all the bad things we can do...

"Swift" I called walking to him, he looked up from what he was doing and smiled, he was currently painting a rusted metal to gold and it looked almost real.

"Goodness, only my friend can be this good" I teased and he chuckled

"Why so early, Carissa?"

I shrugged and answered "What's wrong being early, can't I come early if I want to?"

"You're talking like I don't know you, Carissa you are not an early bird, except there's trouble" he said

I grinned.

"Right, you know me" I said accepting fate.

"That's right, the goods arrived yesterday night" he said, going to drag a red big bag

"Really, is everything intact?" I asked

"Yes, it is" he replied

"Good, get ready dear Swift, we are going to make havoc rain in this kingdom" I said with an evil smile

"I'm only worried about, getting caught, we have been there thrice" he said nervously

I face palmed and mentally gave an eye roll

"Chicken" I muttered and he glared at me

"This is the reason you don't have any woman by your side, you always chicken out" I continued

"That's not true, grace likes me" he said

I bust out laughing

"stop making me laugh, okay. Look, we are not going to get caught, we might have gone there thrice but this time around, it's a different goods and it's the last" I said convincingly

"I hope the king doesn't take special interest in our case...." Swift said slowly packing up some necessities.

Yeah, The king, the heartless king, I hope our luck keeps shinning through!

The next morning, we got ready and took our goods to the market place, Swift looked nervous but had calm down a bit, we were dressed in long clothes and long straw hat

"You better, not sell us out" I said between clenched teeth.

We walked past numerous traders and found a spot, trying our best to avoid taking the same spot we took last time, Swift brought a table made of mahogany that he rented earlier and spread a white floral material on top, arranging our goods on it.

"Buy your magic cure, for just thirty pieces of silver!" We kept shouting that, some people had gathered around us.

"What does it do?"

"Can it make me bare children?"

"My mother has a strange sickness, can it heal it?"

Anxious questions were flowing in the air. I braced up for the lies I was about telling.

"Yes, the name is Magic cure, because it works like wonders, one touch can heal all your diseases, even the hidden one" I said

"Really?" A passerby asked, he looked more curious, he was wearing a black coat.

"Tell me more" he inquired and everyone else had their ears to the ground.

Swift took the so called magic cure, high in the air.

"This is what cured my grandmother's leg problem, the moment she took it, it changed positively" he said smiling

"How are we sure, you are not trying to scam us, the medicine looks too good to be true" the man said

What's with this man? Can't he just buy the damn medicine.

Actually, What's wrong with everyone? They are all waiting for someone to buy it first...

"Trust me, I will take full responsibility if it doesn't work" I said confidently

Full responsibility? What? That's not me.

I'm going to make sure we never come here, ever again.

"Thirty pieces of silver, are you selling out someone?" A woman asked from the crowd and murmuring issued.

I was about answering, when a purple carriage came running, two guards were in front on the Welsh pony.

Everyone, stopped to stare at it, as it passed by with Murmurings again.

"Another courtesan?" I whispered asked, Swift who was beside me.

"Yeah, another courtesan" he said and sighed

"Another unfortunate soul" I said with pity

"Come on, it's not that bad" Swift said chuckling

"Hey, I heard from someone in the castle that another courtesan will be coming by the next full moon" some woman whispered to her neighbour beside her but loud enough to be heard by us because they were standing so close.

"See" I gestured to Swift

"Another courtesan, just how many does he have?" I asked Swift like he knows the answer to my question.

"Who knows? Maybe a hundred" he said

After the purple carriage was out of sight, everyone turned around, returning their focus back to me, suddenly remembering the magic cure.

An Idea suddenly came to me, I smiled and said

"Everyone, listen, The king told me to keep this as a secret but since you are all doubting the efficacy of this masterpiece, I have no choice but to say the truth, just don't let the king know that I told you..."

"What are you doing? The king? Seriously" Swift whispered cutting me short but I continued, nevertheless.

"This is the magic cure, that the king bought for one of his Courtesans!"

I was currently smiling, like I just hit a jackpot.

Of course, I just got the jackpot!

The moment I told everyone about my fabricated story, they bought into it like it was a sweet fairytale.

"I cannot believe our luck, fortunately, one of the courstesans was truly sick and that woman testified to it" Swift said, obviously still amazed.

I smiled and shrugged

"I am happy we sold all the medicine and that the Courtesan was actually sick" I said and giggled.

"Ha, what a luck!" Swift exclaimed and some passerby looked at him like he was crazy.

I immediately took his hands and dragged him along with me.

"Seriously, you want to put us in trouble" I whispered

"Says the girl, who is not afraid of the king" Swift said

We continued walking, with the store room as our destination.

I lifted my eyes to see a maiden, with golden curls and emerald eyes.

"Is that not Grace?" I asked Swift and he stiffened still holding my hands, I giggled again and left his hands.

Swift has an intensed love for Grace, eversince she became a young woman or who knows, it might have been the time we were born, I only got to know by mistake.

"Hail Grace" I said smiling, as she approached us

"Hail Carissa, Hail Swift" Grace said smiling

She was wearing, a yellow fine dress.

"How have you been, Grace?" Swift said trying to hide his nervousness

"I am fine, what about you?" She asked smiling

"I am well" Swift replied smiling too

They were both smiling at each other

"Oh, did you hear about the king's announcement?" Grace asked us.

"No, what did he say?" Swift asked

"He's going to start trading with the dark kingdom, he confirmed it himself, today" Grace said

"Unbelievable, I have always thought, that was a just a rumor" Swift said

I looked on uninterested, I do not care about what the king does because to me he is the most selfish and stupid man, I have ever heard about.

Eversince, he became king, everything has been chaotic to me, the only thing he does, is how to acquire more courtesans in his bed...

It was two days after, we just finished acting as fake shamans in a small hut, we rented.

We had dressed in long flowing gowns and made sure to cover our faces. After business, we changed our clothes to the normal one's.

Coming out of the hut, i noticed some bad looking men, standing beside it.

"Swift look, those men look familiar" I said pointing to them

"They really do but I can't seem to remember them" he answered

One of the men turned to look at us

"There, they are!" He shouted and they started chasing us,

We started running, hitting some people and goods in the process.

I said it, those men looked familiar.

Why are they suddenly chasing us?

They don't look like a recent customer too...

We ran taking a narrow corner, passing two streets, jumping a high fence thrice, almost hitting a pregnant woman but they were, still on our tail.

We quickly dashed to our storage room.

Oh shit, it was just me! Swift was not behind me!

Was he caught?!