Dark Hearts [On Hold]

Chapter Two

Chapter Two; Escape Plans

It felt like I had been sitting here for hours, although Im sure it was only minutes. Back home I would have been preparing to become a great warrior. My tribe, the Xe, were the most accomplished warriors in the Unnamed Continent. Stubborn and strong, thats something all Xe had in common. The old tales my grandmother used to tell me said we were descended from dragons. The most fearsome beast in all of the world, we just so happen to be descended from them. I dont really believe it though, no one in my homeland has even seen a dragon. If I was really a dragon's descendant I would be able to escape this miserable place.

I was too lost in my thoughts to notice a guard walk in, that is until he grabbed my legs and bound them together with steel chains. I yelled at him in a foreign language, "Fus dah chii fo keidah fus fokeiduh fusro!"

He turned to one of the guards at the door "What did she just say?" he growled.

One guard replied while the other guard, a small brunette boy, tried to make himself as small as possible, "She said 'You will pay for this you worthless scum!', sir."

"Tell the little bitch that I say she better watch her mouth or she'll never see daylight again." The man walked out, he seemed very angry with being called scum.

The brunette boy spoke "Je ke fus duhde refus de fuskei fo fu--"

"I know." He looked shocked that I talked back like that, but didn't say anything. Even if he wanted to say something he couldn't because a guard stormed in; it just so happened to be Ariel Maison. He pushed the brunette boy aside, knocking him into the wolf beside him, who yelped and growled.

"Rechii Keta, kai fodahnaduh dah dah fo nee fus rero. (Ariel Maison, how horrible it is to see you again.)" I growled at him. He just smirked at me.

"I don't understand a thing you are saying, little girl." He picked me up and threw me over his shoulder. I stayed still, I would try to escape from whoever bought me. There is too many guards here. Even though I wasn't facing him, I knew Maison had that vile smirk plastered on his face as he walked me out of the room. The cheering was louder now that I was out of that room. Maison walked down the simple corridor that he had stepped into. It was dimly lit and all of the doors were opened up to empty rooms.

"All of the other slaves have been bought and are either leaving with their new master or waiting in a celled carriage to take them home. You're the last, and most expensive slave of the night." Maison said. He sounded like I was supposed to be proud of myself. "My Prince was very excited to hear a Xe was being sold. He bought about four slaves, that's less than his average amount. I guess most slaves can't compare to a Xe warrior."

"Dah re fo redahfo duh. Dah re rekai duhfoka dd foke. (I am no warrior yet. I was taken before my trail.)"  I replied. He stopped at the top of a set of stairs. There were lights seeping through the part of the curtain that did not touch the floor. Maison set me down and a woman grabbed my arm, pulling me forward, causing me to fall due to my bound legs. She sighed and switched the chains from my legs to my arms. She was strong for a woman, considering she pulled me up and dragged me on stage. The change of lighting hurt my eyes. The brightly lit torches lining the walls illuminated the entire room. The room was large, there had to have been about a thousand seats, if not more, and quite a few balconies. I examined faces of people. The room was packed. It seemed higher ranking people sat up front while lower class citizens sat in the back. It was more of a playhouse than a room.

A voice spoke up, "Here is our final and most expensive slave. She is a young and fit Xe warrior. Xe warriors are strong and amazing fighters, however the women make good maids. They are also good for some...other things." The announcer was old, and his sexual hints and staring made me very uncomfortable. I cringed and glared at the man. "Her name is (Y/n). We will start the bidding at 600,000 patels." A man stood up. Another stood and shouted a higher number. The next was a woman. This went on until a man in a very decorative balcony stood and said an outrageous amount. No one else rose. Everyone was silent and the announcer called out, "Going once, going twice, sold! To Prince Xander Diomedes of Meria."

A different woman came on to the stage and pulled me backstage; she looked shocked. "I cant believe they didn't strip you." Her voice was soft and she was very quiet.

The woman held my arm delicately, she wore a dress similar to mine, instead of (f/c) accents, she had deep forest green. She had straight and long platinum blonde hair, it went down to her waist. She had bangs that went straight across her forehead. Her purple eyes and tanned skin made her look much more beautiful. She had a permanent sadness etched on her face.

She began to walk, bringing me with her. "Could you tell me where we are going?" I asked her, with slight venom in my voice.

"We are being brought back to the castle." She replied softly. I pulled my arm away from hers. She gave me a blank stare and said, "We mustn't be late, the Prince will have our heads."

I nodded and continued to walk with her. Two guards opened a door to a long hall for us to enter. I recognized one as the brunette boy who had been in the holding room with me. He gave me a pitiful look as we stepped into the hall. It was dimly lit with no doors except for the one at the very end of the hall. There were no decorations, the hall had white walls and plain wood flooring. Our steps echoed through the empty hallway as we made our way to the door. I was so close to escaping, I could almost taste it.

When we reached the door, the girl paused for a second. She was hesitant to open the door. I took this as my chance to speak, "We can escape." I said in a whisper. Her eyes widened in horror as her mouth dropped open slightly.

"Escape will never be possible." She whispered back. "You should give up before you are punished." She put her hand on the door handle and opened it up. A nice breeze hit my face, it brought memories back. It was dark outside, stars littered the night sky. I breathed in the fresh air, it was enjoyable until the platnium blonde girl pulled me towards a cell on wheels, led by two large black horses.There were four people inside the cell. The girl looked at me and nodded. I examined my surroundings, hoping for an escape. There were guards everywhere, and Ariel Maison stood at the door of the cell with a cringe worthy smirk on his face.

"Nebula, hurry up with the slave. The Prince Xander is waiting for you in his carriage." Maison said to her. The feeling of dread radiated off the girl, Nebula. I almost felt bad for her, almost. She pushed me forward and walked off towards an extravagant looking carriage. Maison grabbed my arm and shoved me into the carriage, I landed on my face and let out a groan. He slammed the door shut and locked it, letting out a vile laugh. I groaned and sat up, holding onto my head with both hands. I was in pain due to landing on my face.

I felt a rough hand grab my arm and pull me up onto a seat. I looked at the person. I was met with the dark brown eyes of Waruk. A soft gasp left my lips, I felt like I was about to cry. Waruk was the nicest person I had met in the past three months. He grunted and patted my back. He didnt say anything, and neither did I. It had been a long night.

I looked at the other three slaves in the cell. There was two women, and another man. The two women were of elven descent. And the man had been of dwarven descent. Everyone except for me was wearing rags. Their clothes werent clean in the slightest, even Waruk had been dressed in rags. I looked like a high class citizen, not some slave. I was confused as to why I was wearing such elegant clothing. I wasn't special in any way, I wasn't even high-class in my tribe. So why was I now wearing something so elegant and beautiful? I had to find the answers.

I heaved a sigh, looking at Waruk I asked, "Why am I dressed in such an elegant outfit?"

Waruk grunted, "You will be a part of Prince Xander Diomedes personal maid staff." He leaned back against the bars and shut his eyes.

"How are you so sure about that?" I inquired.

"Back when I was last sold in Meria, there was another girl being sold as a slave. She wore a dress like that. I later learned that she had been put into the prince's personal staff." He answered. "I was bought by a nobleman. He was a fat old man who loved gossip, he told all of his slaves about the prince falling in love with the girl."

"However, why was I dressed like this before I was appointed to his personal staff?" I questioned once again. "And who is the girl?"

He shrugged, "I never heard much else. Maybe it's that Nebula girl."