The Pain that Made Her Beautiful

The Pain that Made Her Beautiful Ch5 (E)

Chapter 2

Nayeli awoke with a start to a sound. It was the sound of wagons slowly scaling and then plunging down into the potholes and nicks in the poorly conditioned road. She heard the low, gruff voices of men talking quietly in both Germanic and Latin. She heard the sound of a man, to her ear, which was trying to woo, or just plain humiliate, a girl in the wagons. Nayeli heard the man’s voice go harsh, then to a tone of complete indulgence. Oh, he is lucky I’m not awake right now!

She heard the girl answer, angry and appalled, so much so that Nayeli almost laughed at the sound. Neorah can clearly take care of herself. This put a small mental smile on Nayeli’s lips.

Then there was another girl who spoke. She was obviously new to slavery because not only did the tone of her voice give it away, but also the words se used.

“You Germanic scum! You will unhand me. Never speak to me that way.”

“Stop the wagon!” It was Warick’s voice, “Girl, you will learn your place when your master talks to you.”

 Nayeli subsequently heard the sound of a wagon pulling off the road and a door opening, she heard feet pushing and pulling on the ground. “You wouldn’t dare!” There were several loud smacks and a few Germanic curses.

“I demand that you unhand me!”

“Sorry, sweetie, that’s just not how stuff works. Around here, I’m the one in charge.” There was more shuffling then a loud “Tha-WACK!” as the girl cried out. Sobs of the girl reached Nayeli’s ears. Nayeli was despondent: nothing around her seemed to be real.

Sounds of the girl’s protests slowly faded as she went off the roads. Then there were screams. They were awful. The terror they encapsulated was awful. A chill went down Nayeli’s spine as she heard it. She wanted to run to the girl’s aid, but Nayeli could not find the mental power to move herself or even open her eyes. Soon, the sound faded. Nayeli heard the steady breathing of a man that calmed her mind, allowing her to have something steady, unwavering and strong. The sound soothed Nayeli’s mind, allowing her to breathe slowly, deeply.

Nayeli then began to make out the smells, something rather peculiar; it was the smell of fresh dung from the four oxen pulling the wagon she lay in. Nayeli smelled the strange stink of sweat coming from both the men and the animals walking alongside the wooden boxes with wheels. She smelled the freshly running sweat of a man not far away. Nayeli smelled the mixture of salt, dirt, grime, and small amount of blood pock marking the smells as to give it an odorous texture that almost made it feel like a slab of marble, flawless except for quill sized nicks that were etched into the smooth surface.

Next, Nayeli felt the agonizing headache that had woken her up in the first place. She felt as though her whole head would split open. Each horse hoof that hit the ground was as a drum to her, causing her to wince with every “clack”. She felt the corded muscles of the shoulder crevice, cradling her head and keeping her body from rocking.

Nayeli opened her eyes, which immediately protested to the inward flooding of light that temporarily blinded her. Oh gees, why did I do that! When Nayeli was finally able to open her eyes, she saw the tanned skin of a man’s neck. The corded tendons and muscles form shadows and were accentuated by the lowering sun, creating a living oil painting. Nayeli slowly sat forward and looked around. Squinting because of the sudden in-flow of light and color. Well, that is a sight, isn’t it?

Nayeli beheld a majestic watercolor sky straight out of the barred window. She saw the majestic colors of Helios’ painting shining forth in beauty and bright, vibrant colors that he painted on a new canvas every evening. The colors and intensity never ceased to amaze Nayeli’s eyes.