Dark Hearts [On Hold]

Chapter One

Chapter One; Welcome to Meria Kingdom

Chains clinking, shouting, whispers on the street from the people of Meria. (Y/n) looked around, examining the slaves she was traveling with. They stood tall, showing that they were strong and capable slaves. (Y/n) tugged at the chains around her wrists. It had been three months since she had been kidnapped from her village, three months of beatings to break her. However, she wouldn't cave, she would never let them get the satisfaction of her complying to their wishes. She heard a whip hit the ground and the slavers yell out, "Pick up the pace! We have important things to do."

She jumped, startled and walked as fast as she could in the single file line. She had no idea what was in store for her, and worst of all, who would buy her. She had heard stories from a slaver of awful masters who thoroughly enjoyed beating their slaves, especially when they misbehaved. (Y/n) assumed it was to strike fear into her heart so she would break. She didn't know how she'd escape and get back home, but she planned to get back home to her family. She thought of home to keep her sane, all she wanted was to be in the trees again. She didn't want to be surrounded by slaves, and she certainly didn't want to be a slave herself. She looked to the head of the line. A large man on horse back was leading the slaves to a stone tower. The tower was very large, (Y/n) assumed it was a prison--mostly used for slaves or prisoners.

She looked down at the rags she was wearing. What once was an elegant white knee length dress was now a vile collection of dirty fabric pieces. Blood stains, grime and muck covered the dress. No one could tell it was at one point white. There were holes in the skirt, larger holes making parts of the dress hang down. Other parts of the skirt were torn and dangled down. The right side of her dresses torso had a large tear, her body not having much protection against the elements. She had no shoes, as it was customary for her people to not wear shoes. Her feet ached. She was used to the soft grass of her home continent, not the rough roads of Lailea.

She got closer and closer to the tower, her heart beating faster with every step. She examined the male Orc in front of her. He stood tall and confident, his grimy hair stuck to his face. His clothes were no better than her own, however there were no blood stains on his clothing. He grunted every so often, and she felt more comfortable by a beast than she did by other humans. His voice was deep, "Are you going to stare at me forever, or are you going to start a conversation like a normal person?" He turned his head back to her. "I don't bite."

His deep and raspy voice startled her. However, she replied, "What's going to happen to us?" Her voice lowered so she wouldn't get in trouble.

The Orc looked ahead of them. New comer, huh? He grunted. "First, we are going to be locked up. Then, we'll get washed up, stripped naked and presented to everyone at the auction."

(Y/n) gasped, she didn't want anybody to see her naked body. "Why naked?" She asked the Orc. He looked back at her again and sighed deeply. She got no reply and he looked ahead once again. "I'm sorry, I never even asked your name." He was next at the door to the stone tower.

"My name? Why, it is Waruk." He replied as a guard grabbed him and dragged him off into the tower. (Y/n) stepped up to the guard at the gate. He nodded and another guard grabbed her arm to bring her to a cell. However, she took her chance and took off in a sprint in the opposite direction. Meria citizens gasped and yelled at her. She leaped into the air and pulled her legs apart, breaking the chains in half. She heard slavers and guards shouting. She landed on one foot gracefully and ran towards the gates.

An arm reached out and grabbed her leg, pulling her to the ground. She flipped on her back and went to kick the person who pulled her to the ground, only to have both her legs tied with rope. She looked at her captor, he was a Meria guard. However, he wasn't one of the common guards. He wore more expensive armor. The armor looked like that of a royal warrior. It was a deep ebony, with a blood red trim; Merias crest colors. The armor on his shoulders was spiked. He had short black hair, his right eyebrow was pierced, and had three scars across his eye. He would be quite handsome, under completely different circumstances.

(Y/n) thrashed her legs, trying to break the rope, but to no avail. The knight smirked and pulled her up by the back of her dress. "I can't wait to see who will buy a stubborn girl like you." He laughed, throwing her over his shoulder.

"Let go of me!" (Y/n) screamed, hitting the man's armor. She only ended up hurting herself on the hard armor. He walked towards the tower with a large smirk on his face. "You cant do this!"

"Of course we can. Youre just a Xe. Anyone from the Unnamed Continent is just a slave here." With every step he took her chest tightened. She couldnt get free, she kicked and pulled at her feet, trying to break the binds.

I demand you let me go this very instant! She yelled. The man snickered and brought her into the tower.

"Give her some medical herbs to calm her." He said to a slaver. He threw her in the cell and she looked around. Waruk was in the cell directly across from her. She was hopeful that she could escape, and hopefully get Waruk to come with her. Surely, he didnt enjoy being a slave and would love to be free again.

She noticed a tall and rugged man coming at her with a syringe. It held a green liquid, most likely the herb the warrior was talking about. "This herb is fine, Sir Ariel Maison?" the man questioned.

Yes, the knight that brought you to the cell, Ariel Maison, said. "Its better if she is knocked out before the auction."

The slaver nodded and got closer, trying to press the needle into my skin. I pushed myself back and went to kick him, only to receive a glare from Ariel Maison. In my state of shock, the slaver injected me with the liquified herb and my vision started to darken. Ariel Maison, you will pay.

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I woke up to muffled shouts from many people. However, they were not slavers, but the people of Meria. I opened my eyes and examined my clothes and skin. I was clean, and I had brand new clothes on. The white dress left the top of my shoulders uncovered, but did cover the sides. It flowed down into a graceful round neckline. The snug fit helped remove some unwanted attention from my breasts, but the elegance of the dress would just draw the attention back. My arms were covered only halfway down. The sleeves were a loose fit, which helped put focus on my soft skin. The waist of the dress was tied with a (f/c) ribbon, it was very tight. The dresses skirt draped down in a symmetrical way, this added to the elegance. My feet were covered in (f/c) ballet flats. The feeling of shoes on my feet wasnt enjoyable, as where I live we never wear any shoes.

I looked around the space I was in. It looked like all of the female slaves were here. It was a small, dimly lit cement room. The only door was guarded by two guards and each had a wolf at their side, ready to attack anyone who had any ideas on a way to escape. I thought about it for a moment, but I needed to escape with Waruk. I scanned the room, we were all set in groups. The elderly women grouped together at the front of the room, the children with their mothers in the back. The groups were in order of usefulness and age. I, however, was in the back of the room in a corner all by myself. What was my usefulness to the slavers?

The first group of elderly women were called out. There werent many guards with them, I'd assume its because they are old and fragile. After awhile it was the second group. These women werent elders, but they were not young either. Then the third group of middle aged women, and the fourth group of women of all ages with children. I was all alone after the last group left, no one was in the room with me except for the guards.

This wasnt what I planned for today.