Early days

[Mylena Yee]

"Again!"  The voice barked the order and there was a soft shuffling as the children scrambled back into position.  When Master spoke, they all moved.  No one would dare disobey his commands or back talk.  The consequences for disobedience were swift and painful.

Their day began at dawn.  A few moments given for absolutions and washing up, a light breakfast of tea and rice, then training. The day was highly regimented.  Mornings were given to physical training.  They would run through the forms over and over, until one flowed into the other without thought.  Later Master would pair them off in groups, sometimes one on one, sometimes two or three on one, and they would fight. 

Lunch was more filling, usually soup, possibly some fish, more rice and tea.  After lunch were other lessons.  Calligraphy, tea service, dancing, cooking, sewing... it varied day to day, but each class designed to make you useful to those the children would eventually serve.  They would learn to help their future Masters as body servants as well as body guards.  Some were taught skills to act as chauffeurs, others to act as house servants, healing arts, a few select received skills taught in the pleasure houses. 

After lunch was more training.  Mylena spent hours honing her ability to use all manner of weapons.  And to create them from objects around her when none were allowed.  She was proficient with a bo, appreciating the advantage the reach gave her, but in cramped quarters it could be a liability, the same with the longer swords.  Her weapons of choice were her matched blades, each about the length of her forearm.  Long enough to give her some reach advantage, not so long as to impede movement in a close fight, her combination of martial arts and the blades made her deadly to anyone foolish enough to get too close.  She excelled at improvised weapons as well, once successfully defending herself with a tea service, another time defeating three opponents with nothing but a pair of fluted champagne glasses.

Dinner was another light meal and the children were actually given a little free time before bed.  They slept in a large dormitory style building, boys on one side, girls on the other.  Mylena did not spend her time crying for her mother, she barely remembered her.  She had been taken for training when she as too young to form lasting memories of the woman.  She had no idea who her father was either.  She didn't cry over the past; she trained hard for the future

She only knew the name of the man whom she belonged to, and the planet she had come from.  When she had first arrived she spent many nights crying herself to sleep, dreaming of going to Belleraphon and forcing Quinn Treymane to tell her of her mother.  It made little difference to her now though.  She realized she was more fortunate than most to be receiving the training she was.  Otherwise she might have wound up just another unskilled house servant.   She only hoped that whoever bought her would be decent.

[Mylena Yee]

The older woman strode around Mylena, looking her over from top to bottom.  She stepped closer, the Master standing off to one side, saying nothing, just watching.  Mylena didn't move. A well manicured hand tipped Mylena's head up. "Let me see your teeth girl."  Mylena complied with a smile. The older woman nodded her approval and stroked the girl's hair.  "And she's properly trained? She can serve tea, and dance, act as a lady's maid and a bodyguard?" Anne was giving the Master a look that could curdle cream, though he seemed unphased. 

He nodded and made a grunt that could be taken as an affirmative.  He'd been training children for years and his pupils were some of the most sought after.  He made a slight gesture and Mylena sank gracefully to her knees, head bowed. Master's fingers snapped and Mylena rose with a sinuous grace, her lithe body moving through the intricate steps of the dance with delicacy and passion.  No expense had been spared in her training and that was obvious.  Anne clapped her hands together, delighted. "Yes, this is exactly what I want. What is your name girl?" This caused the young girl to come to a stop before her soon to be mistress, head bowed. "This girl is called Mylena, but she will answer to whatever name you wish."


Anne smiled again and made a  gesture to the Master. "She's perfect, I'll take her."