Lord Alex gazed in distaste around his room in the palace, how it
needed new things. He hated anything that showed any trace of wear, and
many things in this room did. The edges of the tapestries were frayed, the
curtains faded, and the chandeliers dull. Metal hooks holding various
things around the room were somewhat rusted, and the bed sheets were
getting thin.
And then there was what was on the bed itself. A girl with long blue hair was chained to it, clad in nothing but a golden, gem-studded collar. Her emerald eyes, once radiant, were now dull. She needed replacing. Oh, she definitely needed replacing. Perhaps the guards would enjoy having her before he had the useless wench killed, or maybe the sharks in the moat. So many choices...
"Ivan!"
The summoned page appeared in the doorframe, and stood silently, awaiting his employer's orders.
"Have the guards take this girl and put her back in her room until further notice. Also, get me the names of some merchants so I can replace this worn-out, worthless furniture!"
In actuality, the things in the room couldn't have possibly been more than a year old, but Ivan didn't dare mention that. The lord he served was well known for harsh punishments and perfectionism. "Will there be anything else that you need, my lord?" How Ivan hated that phrase, almost as much as the one it referred to.
"Yes, thank you for reminding me, my dear boy. Get some guards together for a little roundup tomorrow. I need a new pleasure slave, as this one," He nodded towards the girl on the bed. "is starting to bore me. Just tell them to look for the most attractive person in the village."
"Excuse me, my lord?"
Ales whirled, his hair fanning out behind him as his eyes glinted with anger. When he spoke, his voice was a dangerous whisper resembling ice, a part of the element he commanded. "You heard me, Ivan. Person. That means a male or female human. Do I have to speak more slowly for you to be able to understand me?"
Trembling, the young page responded. "N-no, my lord. I can understand you quite clearly. I'll get right to it." With those words, he fled the room to do the things he was asked to.
Alex turned to the girl, and taking hold of her chin in a firm grasp, he forced her to look into her eyes. A flash of anger crossed the emeralds, but it was quickly replaced by the usual dullness found within her gaze. The brown-eyed lord chuckled cruelly. "Stubborn, eh? You'll succumb to the pain sooner or later, but I do hope the former."
The girl's eyes showed anger once again, and she spat into Alex's face.
He wiped it off, and his expression was no different, though his eyes were far colder than before. "Trying to aggravate me again? It won't work, I'm afraid. You'll have to try harder, Mia."
A growl sounded deep in her throat, one born of long rage and hatred. She flung a hand out at him ice shards forming in a small sphere around her fingertips, but going no further. Alex regarded her with amusement. "It is so very entertaining to see you try to freeze me with your pitifully weak powers, Mia. Or have you forgotten that your chains prevent you from casting any psynergy?"
Another growl erupted from her throat as she lunged at Alex. He merely sidestepped, causing her to fall to the floor as the chain attached to her collar was pulled tight. "As much as you amuse me, it is time for you to go. You can meet my new slave tomorrow, and I'll require you honest opinion on them."
He swept out of the room as the guards entered. They unlocked the chains, and grabbed her arms roughly before she had the chance to run, not that she had enough energy to. After having been marched down too many corridors to count, they were in the ill-kept, dirtiest area of the dungeons that was reserved for the slaves. Even those with life imprisonment had better areas to stay than these.
A door on the right was unlocked, and the young slave was tossed into the room, landing on an already bruised shoulder. She cast a healing spell on herself, as the chains had been removed. Even so, there was no hope of escape, as the door was at least three inches thick, and made from the same material as the chains.
Mia wondered what she had done to deserve this life, there had been nothing that she could recall of her actions that would have angered the gods. Screams sounded from elsewhere in the dungeon. Alex was probably torturing another slave who had done nothing wrong. He had a sick sense of humor, taking pleasure in the pain of others.
She shifted her position in an effort to become more comfortable, but it was impossible in this place. Water dripped from cracks in the walls and ceiling, further chilling the already cold stone room. A tattered blanket, barely large enough to wrap around her lay in the corner atop a pile of straw that was starting to rot, and mice scurried across the floor from time to time.
Giving up on trying to become more comfortable, Mia crawled over to the makeshift bed and lay down, unable to walk due to the sheer exhaustion she felt, both physical and emotional. She found herself wondering about Alex's parting words, not that she wanted to. Anything that he said was basically poison disguised as honey, being the ruthless bastard he was. Yet according to him, she was to be killed, and he was getting another slave to take her place. In some ways she was glad, in others, not. Mia pitied the poor person who would take her place, doomed to be tortured until they were killed. But if it meant that she could escape this place, even through death, it was worth it. Even if it meant never seeing her family ever again, it was better than waiting around in hopes of rescue.
With those thoughts, Mia drifted off into a light sleep.
And then there was what was on the bed itself. A girl with long blue hair was chained to it, clad in nothing but a golden, gem-studded collar. Her emerald eyes, once radiant, were now dull. She needed replacing. Oh, she definitely needed replacing. Perhaps the guards would enjoy having her before he had the useless wench killed, or maybe the sharks in the moat. So many choices...
"Ivan!"
The summoned page appeared in the doorframe, and stood silently, awaiting his employer's orders.
"Have the guards take this girl and put her back in her room until further notice. Also, get me the names of some merchants so I can replace this worn-out, worthless furniture!"
In actuality, the things in the room couldn't have possibly been more than a year old, but Ivan didn't dare mention that. The lord he served was well known for harsh punishments and perfectionism. "Will there be anything else that you need, my lord?" How Ivan hated that phrase, almost as much as the one it referred to.
"Yes, thank you for reminding me, my dear boy. Get some guards together for a little roundup tomorrow. I need a new pleasure slave, as this one," He nodded towards the girl on the bed. "is starting to bore me. Just tell them to look for the most attractive person in the village."
"Excuse me, my lord?"
Ales whirled, his hair fanning out behind him as his eyes glinted with anger. When he spoke, his voice was a dangerous whisper resembling ice, a part of the element he commanded. "You heard me, Ivan. Person. That means a male or female human. Do I have to speak more slowly for you to be able to understand me?"
Trembling, the young page responded. "N-no, my lord. I can understand you quite clearly. I'll get right to it." With those words, he fled the room to do the things he was asked to.
Alex turned to the girl, and taking hold of her chin in a firm grasp, he forced her to look into her eyes. A flash of anger crossed the emeralds, but it was quickly replaced by the usual dullness found within her gaze. The brown-eyed lord chuckled cruelly. "Stubborn, eh? You'll succumb to the pain sooner or later, but I do hope the former."
The girl's eyes showed anger once again, and she spat into Alex's face.
He wiped it off, and his expression was no different, though his eyes were far colder than before. "Trying to aggravate me again? It won't work, I'm afraid. You'll have to try harder, Mia."
A growl sounded deep in her throat, one born of long rage and hatred. She flung a hand out at him ice shards forming in a small sphere around her fingertips, but going no further. Alex regarded her with amusement. "It is so very entertaining to see you try to freeze me with your pitifully weak powers, Mia. Or have you forgotten that your chains prevent you from casting any psynergy?"
Another growl erupted from her throat as she lunged at Alex. He merely sidestepped, causing her to fall to the floor as the chain attached to her collar was pulled tight. "As much as you amuse me, it is time for you to go. You can meet my new slave tomorrow, and I'll require you honest opinion on them."
He swept out of the room as the guards entered. They unlocked the chains, and grabbed her arms roughly before she had the chance to run, not that she had enough energy to. After having been marched down too many corridors to count, they were in the ill-kept, dirtiest area of the dungeons that was reserved for the slaves. Even those with life imprisonment had better areas to stay than these.
A door on the right was unlocked, and the young slave was tossed into the room, landing on an already bruised shoulder. She cast a healing spell on herself, as the chains had been removed. Even so, there was no hope of escape, as the door was at least three inches thick, and made from the same material as the chains.
Mia wondered what she had done to deserve this life, there had been nothing that she could recall of her actions that would have angered the gods. Screams sounded from elsewhere in the dungeon. Alex was probably torturing another slave who had done nothing wrong. He had a sick sense of humor, taking pleasure in the pain of others.
She shifted her position in an effort to become more comfortable, but it was impossible in this place. Water dripped from cracks in the walls and ceiling, further chilling the already cold stone room. A tattered blanket, barely large enough to wrap around her lay in the corner atop a pile of straw that was starting to rot, and mice scurried across the floor from time to time.
Giving up on trying to become more comfortable, Mia crawled over to the makeshift bed and lay down, unable to walk due to the sheer exhaustion she felt, both physical and emotional. She found herself wondering about Alex's parting words, not that she wanted to. Anything that he said was basically poison disguised as honey, being the ruthless bastard he was. Yet according to him, she was to be killed, and he was getting another slave to take her place. In some ways she was glad, in others, not. Mia pitied the poor person who would take her place, doomed to be tortured until they were killed. But if it meant that she could escape this place, even through death, it was worth it. Even if it meant never seeing her family ever again, it was better than waiting around in hopes of rescue.
With those thoughts, Mia drifted off into a light sleep.