firaja:

I did have one thing they wanted, though: myself. The bandits were ready to sell me, just as my mother had sold me; as a woman, I would always be someone’s spoil. But that was beyond my control; I could not discard my womanhood or leave it behind. I suppose I could have made Indigo’s choice and found a man to protect me. But people lie; people betray. I didn’t want their protection. I would protect myself.