Master Synn leads me through the trees, deep into the forest.
We walk in comfortable silence - him trudging ahead and me following behind, enjoying the soft wind and warm sunlight brushing across my face - before he breaks the quietness. "She gave her energy to save you."
"Hmm? Who?" I speed up my pace, falling into step beside him.
"Berea." He turns to look at me with his lips parted as if he ponders if he should be saying this at all. "Removing magick that powerful always comes at a price, and she shortened her lifespan in order to save you."
I knew Berea saved me, but I had no idea I was the reason her life is coming to an end. Wincing, I frown and peer up at Master Synn. "Why couldn't she do that for her own daughter?"
"She was too far gone. The magick had been a part of her for too long, and she'd let if flow too deeply into her soul." He reaches out and gently grabs my hand as we walk, brushing his fingers over the patches on my skin. "Those markings - those scars - you have show that the magick was ingrained in your flesh and it was about to root into your soul had we not removed it."
"I didn't deserve her to be so nice to me..." I gingerly pull back from his hold, insecure and embarrassed about the scarred feel and appearance of my skin. "Even just to apologize for what happened with her daughter..."
"That wasn't her entire motivation." Master Synn lowers his arms back to his sides. "She felt she needed to make some things up to me, too. And I care very deeply for you. She did not ask me if I wanted her to, she asked me how much I care for you and made her choice."
I look down, watching the leaves crunch beneath our feet. "I can't ever thank her enough."
"You don't have to." He exhales, and I catch a glimpse of him brushing a bushel of leaves out of my way before I walk into it. "It's nice enough that you apologized and want to throw her a party. I'm not sure anyone has ever had a celebration for her in her lifetime."
My heart aches. No one has celebrated her? Even though my village wasn't great, it still had routine celebrations for births, big occasions, and the ending of lives.
"Enough of this, though. We're here." He's smiling when I turn my gaze back toward him.
I glance around, but all I see are trees. "Where's here?"
"It's a surprise. So, be a good girl and close your eyes for your Master." His pale eyes settle warmly on mine, and a playful smile graces his lips.
A blush spreads across my face. I don't know why hearing him talk to me like that feels so good, but it does. It makes my entire body feel warm and fills me with memories of our old time together.
I had enjoyed being a slave, after all, but maybe it was because Master Synn wasn't a truly forceful owner; he was compassionate, patient, protective, gentle, and loving.
He was everything I thought a slave owner wouldn't be. I expected him to force me into sexual acts, never grant me freedom, and abuse me. But, instead, he comforted me through my nightmares and saved me from myself.
And there was something about being owned by someone - cared so deeply for and watched over compassionately with gently suggested direction - that felt incredible.
All of my need for control flew out the window and my soul relaxed; I felt able to accept that maybe I didn't need to control everything. Perhaps it was even comforting to let go and let someone take the reigns as long as I trusted that person to lead me to a place I'd be happy.
And, now, that's what I let him do. Master Synn slips his fingers between mine and leads me with my eyes closed across the forest.
The chatter of the forest animals fills the air. Now that I'm not oozing with destructive power and accidentally killing things, I find their sounds comforting just like I used to. I find everything about the forest lovable like I used to.
I recognize the chirps of Neyenflies above me, and the light, fluttering noises of their wings. I feel the sun's rays falling down atop my face and shoulders, spreading even deeper warmth across my skin.
Master Synn's fingers tighten slightly around mine.
"Alright, open them." His voice is soft.
I open my eyes.
Before us is a clearing filled with vivid green grasses and a crystal blue lake. It's so similar to the lake nearby my old village that I immediately feel my eyes brimming with tears.
He remembered.
Turning back around, I wrap him in a tight hug. He gently squeezes me, petting the top of my head as I sniffle into his chest.
As I release Master Synn from the hug and glance around the lake, I realize that I feel free of all of the pressure I felt the last time I visited a lake like this.
I no longer am worried about my father's approval. I no longer feel the weight of caring for my tribe members on my shoulders. I don't feel pressured into a marriage with someone I don't know or like.
And I don't need control or power anymore.
I can let it all go.
This is a new future. My future. The place I always wanted to be.
I feel just as relaxed as I did when I closed my eyes, laid on the grass, and drifted off to sleep the day before I was kidnapped.
And even though I thought that was the worst time of my life, maybe it was the start of something good. Something new and beautiful.
I'm in the arms of a man who cares for me, a man that I chose to be with, with nothing holding me back from pursuing whatever future I want.
For the first time in my life, I feel free.
***THE END****
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****AUTHORS NOTES****
"Sold" has come to an end and I hope you enjoyed the book! The romance between Saiea and Synn was so cute and enjoyable to write. The way they came to care about each other felt very DDLG to me! I honestly just started writing Sold as a way to blow off some steam when I was suffering from writer's block on "Chasing Beasts," but it has really turned into a story of its own!
If you enjoyed this story, please consider checking out my other books!
"Chasing Beasts" is a Fantasy/Adventure/Romance also on my profile. It's complete, so you never have to wait for updates! And it's a very fun read about a girl and her adorable half-kitten half-sugar glider pet companion battling monsters while falling in love with a sweet and badass scythe wielder!
If you want more romance, be sure to check out my Drama/Romance "Vice" about a girl trying to learn how to "adult" who ends up being hired as secretary to the heir to a multimillion-dollar corporation. The story deals with some harder themes, like anxiety/depression, though, and the romance is steamier - just as a warning!
"Cyra," is another Young Adult Fantasy/Adventure/Romance book of mine, but with shapeshifters instead of dragon mages! It's a quirky romance about a girl choosing between the boy she loves and her life mate.
And if none of these sound up your alley you can always check out my Comedy/LGBT/Romance "Seven Dates," a lighthearted story about a lesbian girl who makes an agreement with her friends to try dating seven guys before she comes out as a lesbian to her parents!
Thanks again for taking the time to read Sold! I hope you enjoyed Saiea and Synn's romance!
Please don't forget to vote and comment on the book (all of my books on here are rough drafts and feedback/reactions are very appreciated) and follow my Wattpad profile if you want to see more of my future content! :)