Dust weighed heavily in the air like a thick blanket, covering Alfred from head to toe. It stuck to him with the sweat from the blaring sun, irritating his eyes and throat. Alfred wished that he could brush the dust away or at the very least shield his eyes from the discomfort but his hands were tied behind his back. The most he could do was shut his eyes closed against the newest gust of dusty wind and hope that a sandstorm wouldn't follow.

Had he been free from his chains, Alfred would have joined the men talking quietly in the tent, shielded from the wind and the beating sunlight. He would have thankfully accepted a glass of chilled wine from the nearest server and lay back on his couch, discussing market rates and possible private trades. But oh, the wine sounded nice. Even a glass of water would have been quite welcome. Alfred brushed his tongue over his dry lips. It stung against the dry wind, but the only solution would be to wet them all over again.

Yes, Alfred would have done many things should his hands had been freed. But at the time, perhaps even more pressing than the dryness in his throat was the constant buzzing in his ears. Alfred jerked his body sharply with a sigh when he felt another fly rest upon his shoulder.

He couldn't take it anymore. The heat, the dust, the flies...even the smell was unbearable. There were other people sitting in the same closed off section as he was, all hot and sweaty and inevitably smelly. They were all strangers, however, and hadn't met each other before they were led by their owners into the same pin. There was no point in striking conversation or being friendly- chances were they would never see each other again.

All in all, the slave market was a miserable place, especially for those slaves who occasionally were traded for as little as three jars of oil. The overwhelming majority of the patrons did not linger. Sending a trusted servant to purchase new slaves for the household was a common practice.

There were some men, however, who enjoyed the market. The scent of despair and the thrill of the bid drew them to the auction block. Those were usually the kind of masters you wouldn't want to end up with.

Hours had passed since Alfred was led into the compound and he found the overbearing silence maddening. Sitting around quietly in the dirt and simply waiting for the auction to start… patience was never one of his virtues, to say the least.

Alfred took a deep breath. This was an ordeal he had promised himself never to go through again, but here he was, hating every moment of it.

He had messed up. Of course he had. That was why he was in the market with red marks across his back instead of at the villa with Matthew, where he belonged. At this time of day they would have been setting the table for his master's late breakfast before cleaning the courtyard with his brother. Now he would never see him again.

"Get up, all of you!"

Alfred's legs obeyed automatically without much thought. He scrambled to his feet along with the rest of the slaves and looked up with guarded eyes at the trader, a Nubian with dark hair and at the moment, a comical frown.

"Form a line and follow me," he barked and nodded when the group did as they were told. Alfred stood behind a trembling young woman and began the long trudge toward the platform, careful not to trip over his own chains.

Alfred tried to ignore the looks. Passerby shoppers had the tendency to glance and even stop to stare. What he hated the most, though, were smug smiles or even worse, blatant disinterest. Despite himself, Alfred had turned his head when he heard a small noise to his left. A small girl had stopped her mother and pointed at the chain of shackled slaves, eyes wide as saucers and her mouth agape.

He smiled at the girl, but before she could respond the mother had hurried her along, sending Alfred a dirty look. Slaves shouldn't be seen nor heard, the look clearly stated. Don't call unnecessary attention to yourself.

Alfred's smile faded and he quickly turned his gaze forward, noting that they had almost reached the auctioning platform. The first few slaves were unchained from the rest of the group, presumably belonging to the same owner, and were led up the wooden stairs and onto the platform. They stood stiffly as the auctioneer silenced the gathering crowd and commenced the bidding.

The anxiety of knowing that you would have to stand up there next and be scrutinized by a large crowd made Alfred's stomach churn, but as the hour passed and it was finally his turn to go up, he held his chin high and stared over the crowd's heads.

Alfred had been the only one his owner had sent to be sold. Alfred could feel the crowd's eyes on him and he shifted nervously. Otherwise, he tried his best to block out the voices which asked questions and made demands.

The auctioneer cleared his throat and approached him, reading the plaque around his neck before grabbing his arm and raising it so that everyone could see. "Here we have a white man, twenty three years of age and in perfect health. Strong and sturdy with all his teeth and limbs intact. Ideal for manual labor."

He turned to fully face the crowd, regarding them for a moment before calling out. "Who will give me one thousand denar?"

The bidding had started.

Admittedly, Alfred was not as stoic as his blank face would have liked to indicate to the crowd. Just like any other slave led onto the block, he dreaded the silence which would follow the starting bid should he not be desirable. Nobody wanted to end up in a quarry. Alfred needn't have worried, though; voices called out one after the other, raising the bid bit by bit with every offer. Alfred's posture relaxed. Just a little.

The bidding had reached the three thousand when a loud and clear voice announced, "five thousand denar."

Alfred lowered his eyes from sheer curiosity, searching for the man who had called out. Five thousand denar was extremely expensive for a single slave. He wasn't entirely sure if he felt flattered or insulted. After a short search, it was easy to spot the man, as the crowd had parted around him in order for the auctioneer to seek him out.

There was nothing remarkable about the man. Pale skin, light hair beneath his brown turban and green eyes: a common enough genetic combination for the region. He was neither remarkably tall nor short, at least from Alfred's perspective on the platform, and according to his slim build he could have easily been a nobleman who hadn't worked a day in his life.

There went the hope to work for someone he respected, Alfred thought glumly.

Alfred was led off the platform and into the shaded area where slaves waited to be paid for and claimed by their new owners. He leaned back against a wall, preferring to stand what with his legs still chained and waited for the general auction to be over. By the time the trader had entered the walled-off waiting area accompanied by the bidders, the sunlight had begun to fade.

Alfred spotted the man who had bid on him and waited to be approached, but it appeared that the stranger had bid on other slaves as well. He inspected them carefully, asking them questions in a low voice before nodding at the trader to set them aside for him. When he finally approached Alfred, he looked slightly weary.

"I hope this one doesn't stutter as well, Elrien," the man shot the trader a pointed look. The trader shook his head firmly and narrowed his eyes at Alfred. "Go on, boy. Say something. Tell mr. Kirkland what you can do."

Alfred looked silently between the two men. "Well, out with it! We don't have all day!" the trader snapped.

Alfred glanced up at the bidder uneasily. "I can cook," he stated, understanding from the silence which followed his words that he should continue. He squared his shoulders. "I can clean and play the flute, and in the past I have been dictated letters by my previous master."

This seemed to have caught the bidder's interest. He looked up and studied Alfred's face carefully. "Does that mean that you can read and write?" he inquired, genuinely curious. Alfred nodded, which only made the man look even more pleased. He reached out and grabbed his chin, studying his features with a satisfied smile.

"Both handsome and intelligent, then. It would seem that I got you for a good price," he observed smugly before letting go of Alfred's face and straightening up to discuss payment with the trader. Alfred watched them both with furrowed brows as they shook hands, sealing the deal.

Alfred would have liked to have claimed that he knew all kind of different types of owners and what to expect from day one, but he couldn't figure this man out.

For the first part, the bidder didn't look like a lord or a nobleman with the cream colored tunic he was wearing. Wealthy men liked to flaunt their good fortune by walking around in pure white linen. They wouldn't be so familiar with the traders and merchants from whom they purchased their wares, either.

Alfred was led toward the group of waiting slaves, chained to the last one in line by the neck. He hated the collars, but he knew that they were only temporary. It still sat heavily on his shoulders, however, and the sweat that was quick to gather beneath it made his skin itch.

The bidder looked them over with a satisfied nod before motioning for the man beside him to grab the chain and lead them out of the compound.

So they walked.

I haven't posted anything here in ages, haven't I? Well, I promised myself to finish up my unfinished stories I have on here before I start something new, but this plot has been sitting on my mind for a long time. So I suppose I'm apologizing? Idk.

Now, about the story. This will be ukus, so please take that into account. By no means does that mean overly uke Alfred or overbearingly seme Arthur, however cliche this first chapter sounds like. But this was all about first impressions and as we all know, they usually end up being wrong. The setting is a mixture of my own imaginary version of Arabia but is on no account historically based or accurate, so please don't point out that there weren't, for example, white slaves. Or anything else that crosses your mind xD

All in all I hope that if you had read this you had enjoyed it and will stay for more :) Reviews are highly appreciated since they're a big part of my motivation ;w;