Can't Hardly Stand It [Phrost, Nayeli]

[Emma]

Dawn had just begun to paint the sky pink and orange when they brought the bodies out.

It was a particularly chilly morning, and as such I was huddled up against the stone wall of somebody’s abandoned hovel, a heavy woollen blanket that I’d pilfered from said hovel wrapped around me. I’d pulled my knees up to my chest, my chin resting on them as I watched the informal procession leave the city. Two grim-faced Broddring soldiers heaved a wooden cart, the contents of which were covered by a cream-coloured tarp. However, by the hand hanging out of one side, and the vaguely human shapes within, it was very easy to guess what was inside. The wagon, naturally, had just left the big slave market near the center of Teirm, and was heading for some backwoods graveyard.

I had witnessed similar processions so many times that I felt nothing as I watched the cart go, only counting my lucky stars that I wasn’t one of the poor bastards lying in it. There was a certain measure of indifference that one had to learn in this business, and I had succeeded in doing so. As the wagon rolled out of sight, I promptly forgot about it. I slipped a faded red apple out of my makeshift blanket and bit into it, enjoying the sweetness of its juice as it filled my mouth. It was a pleasant dash of colour among the dull grey gloom that was Teirm. As the thought crossed my mind, I glanced up, seeing dark, heavy clouds begin to roll across the horizon. Ah, charming.

Seeing as wool was highly uncomfortable when wet, I shrugged my way out of it, placing my feet on the soft dirt below me. I was wearing a clingy, short-sleeved white tunic that was tucked into a deep purple skirt, and I had no shoes on. I’d spent the night at a nearby tavern that was run by the Hive before being booted out by the innkeeper. Drones didn’t have much in the way of privilege. In military terms, I’d been told several times, we were the shock troops- numerous, expendable, and worthless. Only those few lucky ones managed to survive long enough to become Lieutenants, and even they had little say beyond what went on in their territory. In short, I had a very long way to climb.

I had very little makeup on, only black kohl to outline and show off my steel-grey eyes, although my hair was clean and shiny. It hung down my back in slight waves, the white colour stark against my pale skin. I tucked the piece of wool onto the piece of wall I’d been sitting on and headed off just as the sky directly above me darkened. Faraway flashes of light shortly followed by the threatening rumble of thunder announced that the storm was very close and very soon. I quickened my pace, avoiding the rain.

Out of morbidity if nothing else, I found myself making my way to the main slave market. It was quite a distance, as I had been near the city limits to start with, but I was in dire need of entertainment. After some time, however, I began to notice odd things. As I drew closer to the market, shadows appeared on the walls beside and behind me, and I heard footsteps that stopped whenever I looked back. I picked up the pace, seeing the enormous painted wooden platforms of the slave market before me. I also held my head higher and took on a more dangerous walk, not daring to let my worry show.

If I was lucky, it was just pickpockets looking for an easy catch. However, in Teirm, things could always be much worse than they seemed.

Words;; 630
Muse;; So-so.
Thoughts;; Rushed, but tis a new character!

[Nayeli]

Teirm, the view from atop the hill where the trail opened up was breath taking, but I knew the dark things that happened in this city and the ideas of slaves were beyond me. Did people not have a bit if dignity, I had spoken to many slave owners and now, as I spoke to them, I found many as worthless pigs, too worthless to even call human. I told them that to their face, told them they were nothing in my eyes but the dirt I walk upon. I looked back over my shoulder, seeing Sean was close behind on his large brown war horse in order to protect me. I had told the others to stay behind, since I did not want to make a scene in the city as we entered. We were still on the trail down to the main road and I stopped my Gray Dappled Mare to pull the hood over my head, hiding who I was. My emerald eyes looked out from under the brim and my gloved hands touched the reins easily and I headed into the trail again.

As we got closer, the sound of thunder could be heard and I grumbled in disapproval. I would need to get to the castle before it started to rain, but for the time being, my cloak would protect me. The only way to the castle that was safe was through the main road and it took me through the main slave market. It was a nasty place and as we entered the city, the sight of dead bodies covered in tarps nearly made me sick. I had to get tougher then this, Nayeli could look at a dead body and not even cringe, not even feel sorry for the poor things. I could tell their were slaves, their hands were dark, showing a different race then our own. ”It is a shame.”

[/color] I looked back at Sean for a moment and then continued onward through the gates.

The thunder rumbled louder and a flash of light caused me to jump. I hated storms, but when one came to the coast, it was a constant thing. I looked at the buildings and I noticed ahead someone was walking, wearing a white tunic with a purple like skirt. I continued forward, seeing a few hood figures come from the alleys. I had already been surprised once back at home only a week before, and I did not need another scare. I looked between them all and then glanced back at Sean, the blond haired man was handsome and he had already proven his strength. As we rode through the main street, I could see the platform for the slave come into view and as we got close, a man was on the platform, showing off a pretty young black skinned girl, her head was down.

”Look at this lassy… This animal… Is she not a beautiful young slave, perfect for you men.” I felt my anger boiling and I looked passed her, seeing a woman slaving crying and being held back by other slaves. I took in a breath. She was possible thirteen years old from the look of her and I pushed my gray horse into the crowd. ”Who will buy her?” I pushed my way up to the platform, throwing a small black bag onto the platform. ”This is a Auction.” I pulled my hood back, allowing only him to see. He was stunned and nodded. ”Sold!” I replaced my hood and offered my hand to the young girl, who came slowly. ”Do not be scared, I will not harm you.”[/color] She came and I placed her on the gray mare beside me. I returned to Sean’s horse and my face was once again hidden and I glanced back at the white tunic girl and motioned for Sean to follow.
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[phrostphyre]

Sean’s warhorse, a large brown stallion, calmly followed Leilani Richards’ white mare. Sean himself remained quiet when she spoke to him. He would have felt more comfortable had she let him scout the path ahead. It wasn’t often that a member of the Savage Faithful made an appearance in Tierm, and the glances Sean got from the citizens spoke volumes about how much they thought Sean’s service worth: Absolutely nothing. They had a city designed for defense, with a wall and a Navy to protect them. They hadn’t been on the frontlines of the Blue Divide during the peak of the war. Neither had Sean, but he had spoken with veterans who had. One of the many problems plaguing the Kingdom was hyperinflation: a horse truly worth two hundred crowns cost twenty thousand! Sean shook his head in disgust. That was what they got for using a monetary system, in place of barter. Two goats, a pig, and a jug of beer would be worth the horse in Hibernia.

Sean grimaced at the thought of inflation, but passing through the slave market brought his head up. A possible threat would be easy to hide in the wretched mass of bodies as families were broken up and separated. His head scanned the crowd, eyes passing over dead bodies and those about to die. When Leilani purchased the girl, Sean kept his face neutral. Once they both were seated upon the horse, he clicked his tongue at his own and the stallion followed the lead mare, Leilani’s steed. The mare knew what she was doing, in contrast to Leilani. Buying the girl like she had simply kept her from being raped by the possible male owners. She had still been separated from her mother. Sean would have purchased both, if it had been his decision. However, it hadn’t. In Hibernia they kept slaves, yes, but only those captured in legal warfare.

[Emma]

I couldn’t hold back a heavy sigh of relief when the sound of footsteps turned out to be the clip-clop of hooves. Two riders rode past, and I looked up at them curiously. One was completely sheathed in a finely made cloak, and riding a pretty grey mare- obviously, someone of great importance. The person, who appeared to be a slender woman from the vague shape I could make out beneath the cloak, was accompanied by a man almost the size of his massive battle stallion. Neither paid attention to me as they rode into the slave market, which, I realized, was just up ahead. I gazed at it with interest.

Many different platforms had been raised, each selling a different flavour of slave. Household labourers- cooks and cleaners and whatnot, made up at least half of the goods present. Enormous burly ones, mostly male, were held on auction meant as bodyguards, miners, or even soldiers for a paranoid nobleman’s private army. Pleasure slaves were very popular- exceptionally beautiful men and women destined for lives as entertainers, be it dancing, singing, or sexual gratification. However, the most prized slaves were those captured from regal backgrounds- royalty from distant lands now condemned. The lucky ones, however, got work as ladies-in-waiting, butlers, tutors, or artisans.

Naturally, few were happy with where they were. Far more intriguing than the different brands of slave were the races- Broddring did not have the economic stability to fund its own slave trade, so all of the vendors were foreigners briefly setting up shop here in Teirm before moving on. They gave a startling variety of races. Only native Broddring humans and Alagaësian elves were not present. Nymphs sobbed despairingly from their cages, beautiful, grey-skinned elves gazed emotionlessly into the distance, and heavily restrained vampires giggled in maddened delight. There were faeries, chimaeras, elemental sprites, exotic elves, even humans from various lands.

It just occurred to me then that every slave vendor here was likely very well trained in seeking out exotic races, which I easily classified as. I immediately bowed my head, hoping to look like a delivery girl doing errands. I certainly looked the part of lower-class, considering I did not even have shoes- although I went barefoot for mere aesthetic reasons, naturally. Upon looking up, I saw the woman on horseback that I had passed by earlier. She was purchasing a pleasure slave, a dark-skinned human girl likely from the southern deserts. She looked about my age, and was terrified. I didn’t know why, but she drew my interest so much that she distracted me from the vendor before me.

“Ow!” I snapped as my throat was grasped. “Ow, you- do I come and grab your neck?”
“Where’s your tag, girl?” He rolled my head around for inspection like some farm animal. “You don’t belong to anyone, do you?”
“What, as a slave? Don’t be silly! Well, I did once do a stint in a whorehouse, serving tea. It was complementary. Fun times, at least until Daddy found out… But there’s no need for trouble, is there? I’m just a traveller looking for shelter from the storm!”
“You’re much more than that, angel. Give me your wrists!”

I glanced down at myself. Besides my abnormal doll-like appearance and paleness- snow-white hair, porcelain skin and features, and dusk-grey eyes- I suspected I gave off some sort of aura. And my clothes were not the travelling type- my tunic was very low, baring both of my shoulders, and my skirt was light and flowing, typical of a dancer’s garment. I looked far more like the village harlot than a Hive Drone. Next time I visited Teirm, I supposed I would have to think out my outfit more carefully. With a roll of my eyes, I held out my hands to let the brute shackle me up.

Words;; 640
Muse;; Ehh... alright. XD
Thoughts;; Better than the last one!

[Nayeli]

The little girl within’ my arms held onto the front of the saddle, my hands were around her, holding the reins to my horse. The crowded street disgusted me as I tried to make my way through, but it seemed no use. I would have to go around this part of town, which meant back the other way. I turned my head to see the disapproving look from Sean and gave him an even sterner one. ”If I had the money, I would have gotten them all,”

[/color] I knew I could have forced them to release them all, but to many and even my uncle, that would have been considered thievery and I would not do that and give myself such a name. I was lucky that the man knew me, meaning he was a civilian of the Brodding Kingdom.

I hated this place, hated this market before me and I was going to do my damnest to rid this place of such low living people, those who dared to sell people for money, or even elves for that matter, or wait ever else was here. It was nasty and cruel, unneeded in the country that I had grown up in and held some respect for, but I was shown quickly that people did not have respect here for their country. I rolled my eyes as we moved, the jumping of the mare causing the young girl to jump slightly. I grumbled at the mare for a moment, wondering what had spooked my animal. She never got spooked, but I saw why as we continued… A large man was before a young girl, possible the age of the girl I had before me and not only that, very beautiful, human for that matter, or so it appeared to me.

I moved past the cages of other thing, the strange beings that I thought were animals, but as I turned my head, seeing many other things that I could tell had human emotion and some were even elves. I would have to bring more money tomorrow and buy more of these things, they did not belong in the homes of people, acting as mere slave, it sickened me to the greatest. I wanted to grow, sick, but I caused my horse to take further strides to the young girl. Seeing him beginning to place shackles onto the young ladies hands. ”What do you think you are doing you ignoramus?”[/color] My words were as sharp as a mere knife, my emerald eyes present under the hood, though unseen by him.

”Taking this escaped slave…” I looked at her, knowing I had seen this one down the road and then I looked back at the man. ”And how do you know if she is a slave in the first place? I have already seen her, she is a Citizen of this country.”[/color] I lied, I was not sure, but my voice was level and strong, showing the many years of taking speech classes and the years I learned to be level headed. ”Release her, or I will bring the force of the Kingdom down on you, I am sure my uncle would not mind bring his Soldiers at my calling.”[/color] He looked at me for a moment, unsure of what to really do.
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[phrostphyre]

Sean caught the glance Leilani threw his way; stern stuff. She would make a good diplomat in her time. He had been studiously ignoring everything going on around him. Slavery was wrong, but when specifically protected by the governing law of the land, the only way to change said wrongness was to either overthrow the legitimate government, get the ruler to change it, or start your own country. Sean didn’t think any but getting King Angrenost to emancipate the slaves would work. Sean didn’t really have the king’s ear, so he would just have to make do with what he did have: a stable job, and steady pay, even if it was wildly inflated. Sean remained lost in his thoughts up until Leilani began grumbling at her mare, and then began chewing the Alagaësian slave trader out.

At ”Release her, or I will bring the force of the Kingdom down on you…” Sean slid from his horse and drew his sword. He towered over the slave trader, and as such, used his physical presence to intimidate the man. Sean would enjoy intimidating small, mean, cowardly men who made their fortunes off the bodies of those less fortunate than them. Humans like this didn’t deserve the title of “man”. Sean would prove that while he could intimidate men like this, he would not stain his father’s blade with their blood.
” Let her go, or I’ll cut those iron shackles, and then use ye as shark bait in the ocean. Afterwards, over a thousand men like me will burn this city and the slave trade to the ground. We will leave no slaver alive, even to the farthest reaches of this continent. I am Sean Sviodson MacLaren, grandson of the Boar King of Ulster, of Hibernia, and I have killed thirty-six men in single combat, and many more in open warfare. The thrill of combat is one of the many things my people enjoy. Do you wish to find it for yourself?”[/color]