Ro took several slow breaths as her tears crept down her face. All she knew of the world had been shattered. Everything that she had been sure of before was now up in the air with no chance of coming back down. This place. These strange monsters around her. The screams of fear from the humans around her. The smell. The awful vial smell coming from them. Sweat and blood and vomit. So many of them covered in scars from whips and rubs on their wrists and ankles from bondage. Even the children had tarnished skin. It was more than she could take.
Ro stood in her tattered clothing watching and waiting for her turn up on one of the wooden stages that dozens of others had been on that morning. Some of the men were muscled from hard labor and others were thin and sickly from years of malnourishment and abuse. The women weren't in much better shape. Some of them were even worse off. One woman was barely able to stand as two creatures held her up on stage ignoring her pitiful cries to her family in the crowd.
Trolls. That's what Bethany had called them. Trolls and Fairies and other monsters that Ro didn't know the names of. All of them surrounded her now. The Troll that had captured her when she tried to escape held a tight grip on her upper arm. She looked down at his warty grey hand as it clasped her. There wasn't even a small hope for escape this time. Even if she broke the hold, there were countless others just like him that would catch her the instant she was free. The other Troll held Bethany's hands behind her back. She hadn't looked at Ro since they had arrived. Ro wanted to talk to her. She wanted to tell her that she believed what she had told her now. These monsters were real. The beautiful violet-eyed woman that saw them off this morning when they left was real. It was all real.
Bethany had made eye contact with Ro several times on the horseback ride over, but she never spoke to her. Ro had only been on a horse a handful of times before and was a little resistant at first but one of Trolls lifted her up before she could protest. She was terrified of falling so she spent the long ride gripping the horse's sides with her thighs which were unbelievably sore now. The Trolls spoke to each other for most of the ride. Instead of trying to translate, Ro took in the scenery around her which was beautiful. There were mountain ranges and rivers and forests that covered most of the land. The view was stunning and breathtaking. And she couldn't believe that Bethany had seemed so unimpressed by it. It gave Ro a false sense of hope which she realized as soon as the giant wooden gates opened up and the Trolls led them inside. They stood in the back of the crowd and Ro could plainly see the anguish in the eyes of her fellow humans. The children screaming as they were separated from their parents. Lovers fighting for one last embrace before they were forced to part ways. There was an endless amount of suffering.
Ro's breathing became ragged. She was panicking. She didn't want to accept this. She couldn't accept this. If this was real then she wouldn't be able to leave. She wouldn't be able to see Grams again. Her legs gave out and she landed hard on her knees. The Troll still had a strong hold on her arm and jerked her back up on her feet.
"No...please no." Ro whispered. "No!" She shouted and pulled against the Troll.
"Ro stop!" Bethany finally spoke.
Ro stared her down with a fierce look that Bethany knew all too well. Defiance. Bethany had that same look every day for weeks when she first arrived in the Court of Embers. But that look slowly faded with each day. It faded as she endured torture, sleepless nights, days without food, and as she witnessed the final breaths of so many strangers. She knew she would never get that look again after she went back to the Court of Embers. She watched as Ro gritted her teeth and jerked against the Troll again. Bethany wanted to tell her that everything would be okay. That she didn't have a reason to be upset, but she knew better. She wouldn't give Ro any kind of hope because there wasn't any to give. Bethany watched as the Troll wrapped a rough hand around Ro's throat.
"Ro...calm down and he shall release you." Ro didn't listen and tried hitting the Troll. The creature tightened his hold and Bethany couldn't help but see the panic building up in her eyes. Ro's hands were wrapped around the Troll's thick wrist, her teeth gritted. Bethany jerked against her own capture. "Ro just stop! You must do all that you can to survive."
Ro didn't say anything as she dropped her arms. She just became submissive which was exactly what she needed to do. The Troll released his hand and turned to face one of the wooden stages. Ro and Bethany looked at each other exchanging a silent conversation. Bethany's face was stone. She had been right. Ro had to do whatever it took to survive. Even though in the back of her mind she knew that she would never escape this place, she still had to have the hope that she would see Grams again and she knew she couldn't do that if she was dead.
The Troll holding Bethany suddenly began to pull her away.
"What's going on?" Ro asked. "Where is he taking you?"
Bethany swallowed hard, "Ro...just... worry about yourself."
"Bethany! Where is he taking you?!" Ro shouted with a tone of desperation.
"I am being returned to the Ember Court. That is where I must go." Bethany held her head high. She knew her punishment would be severe and savage, but Ro didn't need to know that. Hopefully she wouldn't be as stupid as she had been. Ro would be submissive and listen and keep her head down. Bethany had to believe that for her. "Just do what they say."
Ro watched as Bethany and the Troll disappeared into the crowd. Although Ro had only known Bethany for a short time she couldn't help but feel a sense of emptiness when she was pulled out of sight. She looked up at her Troll as he began to pull her towards the wooden stage. She watched as the auction continued. A person would be pulled up onto the wooden stage and then shouts from the crowd would ensue until there was only one left and then the person would be led off the stage to whoever had bid the most. It was barbaric and Ro wanted nothing to do with it, but that wasn't her decision to make.
The Troll stopped to talk to a Fairy. Ro knew that the man was a Fairy because he was beautiful. But his hair wasn't golden and he didn't have the violet eyes that Gala had. Although several of the Fairies there did, he didn't. He looked like a lot of others with deep cobalt eyes and shoulder length hair that shined the color of silver. He was gorgeous especially compared to the repulsive thing that held her arm. A black fur cloak covered his broad shoulders. His clothes were of fine quality. Military like with chrome buttons and lacing and leather boots to that had been well worn. He stood with confidence as he spoke to the Troll in their language. He motioned toward Ro as if asking a question about her. Then the Fairy looked at her cocking his head to the side. He never met her eyes, just scanned her body and continued talking to the Troll. He kept flashing his bone white teeth as he spoke. Ro couldn't help but stare. She eventually looked away from the Fairy and down at her wrists. They were red and sore from the rope that bound them together. Was this how her life would be? Always bound? She shook her head. Grams didn't raise her to be weak. She would find a way out of this and back to her.
The Troll and the Fairy exchanged a final thought before the Fairy nodded and turned away into the crowd. The Troll continued pulling Ro closer to the stage. She dreaded going up there. Dreaded knowing what her fate would be. She found herself searching the crowd for Bethany, but she never saw her and wondered if she ever would again. Ro hated herself for not taking her at her word. Bethany had warned her and showed her kindness which was something Ro knew she probably wouldn't experience for a while.
Ro was standing at the base of the steps that led up to the stage and even though the Troll didn't say anything to her, she knew that it was her time to go up. It was hard to take the first step and even harder to take the second, but somehow she managed to do it. Another Troll approached her and grabbed her aggressively. She winced from the pain of how tightly he clasped his warty hand around her forearm. He dragged her to the middle of the stage and began to shout in the language that she didn't understand. Voices from the crowd shouted back in the same language. The bidding had started and her fate was in their hands.
As Ro looked out into the crowd she saw the mix of Trolls, Fairies, and other creatures, but noticed that the Fairies were the only ones bidding. She also noticed that like Gala they were dressed in beautiful clothing made of silks, leathers, and gemstones while the others were dressed in torn rags like the ones that she wore now. There was definitely a caste system and Fairies were sitting happy at the top.
Ro bit her lip hard as the final bid was shouted. She had been bought. Her freedom had been officially taken from her. She wasn't able to look out into the crowd at the voice. The wooden stage was the only thing in her view as the Troll shoved her across it. When she reached the stairs another set of hands grabbed her. She lifted her green eyes to meet the blue eyes of the Fairy that had been talking to the Troll just minutes before. He had bought her. She didn't understand. Why would he want her? What questions had he asked the Troll?
Without a word he began to pull her through the crowd. At first she pulled against his grip. He reacted by jerking the rope around her wrists so hard she thought her wrists my snap. She let out a sharp cry. The Fairy lifted an eyebrow as if to ask if she wished to try him again, but she didn't. She hung her head and let him continue to pull her. When they were out of the crowd she noticed six more Fairies standing near their horses with the same eyes and hair color as the Fairy pulling her had. They all wore the same black fur cloaks and fine clothes. Ro assumed that they were a team of some sorts, but she couldn't comprehend what they might have been assembled for.
There was a covered carriage beside the Fairies. They looked to be guarding it. Her Fairy led her to the back of it. She was saddened to see five people staring back at her. There were two men. One blonde. One brunette. The brunette looked to be in his early-thirties from what Ro could see under the hood he wore and the blonde slightly older. They were muscled up and ready to work. It was no wonder why the Fairies wanted them. The other three were women. One was older, maybe late sixties, and the other two were young and beautiful. The young women didn't wear dirty torn clothing like Ro. They were in silk dresses. Their hair was done and they had huge smiles on their faces. Ro couldn't imagine why. She couldn't think of any reason to smile. This was hell. The Fairy pushed her into the back of the carriage and she took a seat next to the older woman. The Fairy shouted something to the others in a different language before he disappeared out of view.
"Sprichst du Deutsch?" The older woman asked Ro.
Ro pulled her eye brows together, "I'm sorry I don't understand."
"American?" The woman asked with a German accent.
"Yes I am."
The blonde man spoke, "How long?"
He had a thick Russian accent. Ro only knew that because she had watched From Russia with Love about a hundred times with Grams. She was a huge Sean Connery fan. That thought sent her back for a second. There were so many little things like that in her memories. They were things that she had taken for granted. Movies nights and the smell of fresh popcorn coming from the kitchen as Ro waited on the couch for her grandmother to bring it to her in her favorite blue bowl. That seemed like such a faraway place now. A fantasy.
Ro met the Russian's eyes, "How long?"
"How long have you been here? In the realm."
"Yesterday...I've been here since yesterday."
There was a silence in the back of the carriage. An uncomfortable silence that sent a chill down Ro's back. But words weren't needed to know that they felt sorry for her. They knew that she had no idea what was coming. She looked into each of their eyes, except for the brunette man who hung his head, to see the same look of pity in all of them. Ro didn't like that look. She didn't want that from them. Or anyone. She sat up in her seat. It startled her as the carriage began to move, but she kept her position. She listened to the crackling of rocks beneath the iron wheels as they turned. She heard the murmuring of the Fairies that surrounded the carriage.
She looked at her travel companions. All calm. So calm and quiet. Ro hated it. She wanted to scream. She wanted to jump out of the carriage and start running until she couldn't anymore. She looked down at her bare feet. What good would that do? How far could she possibly manage to get? Her stomach growled as if on command telling her that her body wouldn't be able to handle any attempt at escaping. She shifted her eyes to look at the flaps of fabric that covered the carriage. All she managed to see were the legs of the horses that trailed behind them. She let out a heavy breath of defeat. She wondered how long she would be crammed in the wagon.
"Where are we going?" Ro asked no one in particular.
The Russian spoke, "Frostfall." He leaned forward resting his forearms on his thighs. "It is the Court of ice and snow. It is in the mountains in the north."
That explained the black furs that the Fairies wore. Ro looked down at her clothing. She hoped that she would be given something else to wear if that were in deed the case. She would freeze otherwise. Her travel companions weren't dressed for the occasion either. Especially the two younger women in their silk dresses. They didn't seem worried about it though. And not just about the cold. They didn't look like they had worked a day in their life. Their skin was smooth and flawless unlike the men with their tanned skin and tarnished skin no doubt the result of years of labor. And the old woman. Although she looked older Ro had a second thought that it wasn't just age that had given her skin its dull lifelessness, but the world that she was about to enter.
"So you've been there before?" Ro was uneasy as she made conversation to not think about Grams or her current situation. She wanted to know what it would be like, but wasn't sure if she would like what she would hear.
"No. I haven't." Said the Russian. I have been at the Court of Wildwood for the past seventeen years."
Ro's heart stopped. Seventeen years. She wanted to ask if he was serious. She wanted to find some form of doubt, but she knew that there wasn't any. She began to really look over the man. His clothes weren't much better than hers. And through the rips and tears she could see the scar covered skin that was exposed. This man had been through pain and suffering. He had experienced things of nightmares. Everyone in the carriage had. Except for Ro. She had a life a happiness with her grandmother. She loved her and even in this short time away from her she felt so miserable. She wanted to be with Grams because she knew that she needed her. Grams was dying. It was finally getting easier for Ro to admit that to herself. Grams was dying and Ro was just sold into slavery a world away. She hung her head. Grams was going to forget her soon. She had to make it back before that happened. She just had to find a way.
"I'm an American." One of the young girls spoke. She wore a red silk gown with silver jewels along the collar. Her hair was dark, but her eyes were a pale blue. Her full lips were curled into a smile that would bring any man to his knees. "I'm from New York. You?"
Ro kept her head down, "Texas."
The woman spoke again, "There aren't a lot of Americans. Mostly Europeans. My name is Natalie."
"My name is Ro."
"Ro?" Natalie asked confused.
Ro knew that her name was odd. People had always thought that. But she loved it. Grams had given it to her and she wouldn't want to go by anything else. "It's short for Aurora."
"Why would you ever shorten it? Aurora is a beautiful name." The other girl spoke this time. She was Irish.
"I think so too. My grandmother never liked it. She started calling me that and it kind of stuck." Ro turned toward the German woman beside her, "What is your name mam?"
"Elsa." She said flatly.
"How long have you been here?" Ro was afraid to ask, but did anyway.
"Nearly forty years now."
Ro's hands began to shake slightly. She clasped them together in her lap. The wagon rocked back and forth as it wheeled over rocks and debris. No one seemed to be bothered with it. They were all so steady and expecting. This was nothing new to any of them. They had experienced this for years. They knew what was to come, but Ro was in the dark. She looked to the brunette man who had yet to say anything. He had a wicked scar that creeped out from underneath his hood along his left cheek. Ro could only assume that he had endured even more torment than the rest in the carriage. She noticed that unlike the others his hands were not bound. That made her question his strength. He was broader shouldered than the Russian which obviously made him stronger, but he didn't have the commanding presence that the Russian did. He seemed to just want to keep to himself, but Ro had to know what he knew.
"How long have you been here?" She said to him. He didn't look up. "Do you speak English?"
The man continued to ignore her and Ro slumped back in her seat. She wasn't going to push him. The Russian shot her a look as if to say that was a good idea and to leave the man alone. So Ro decided to turn back to the Irish woman. She was red headed and stunning. A cloud of freckles covered her nose and cheeks. They off set her deep green eyes.
"Have you been to the Frostfall Court?" Ro asked her.
The woman smiled, "Many times."
"What is it like?"
She crossed her legs, "It will be more different for you than it has been for me." She shrugged her silk covered shoulders, "I do not know what will happen to you."
Ro pressed her eyebrows together, "Why would it be different?"
"Because they are prostitutes." The Russian said with disgust in his voice.
"We are Courtesans!" Natalie shouted as her pretty mouth snarled.
The Russian leaned back and folded his arms, "You know it is the truth I speak. It does not matter what you choose to call yourselves."
Natalie tried to rush towards him, but the Irish woman held her back, "Screw you!" She cried.
Ro's eyes danced between the two, "Stop it." She focused on the Russian, "You don't know what they've had to go through." There was no way that those women would have chosen that life. No one in their right mind would have. The Russian was a man and forced to work hard labor. That was demeaning, but not near of demeaning as the things those women must have been forced to do. Ro knew that there was a possibility of her having to endure the same fate. That would have been her hell. She would work hard labor. She would work her fingers to the bone before she would do what those women had to do. She would do anything to avoid it.
The Russian's brown eyes narrowed in her direction, "Little girl, I suggest that you reach deep inside of yourself to find whatever strength you have. You have no idea what is ahead of you."
"I have been trying to understand." Ro stated. "I...this place...these creatures...I feel like I have accepted it, but I..."
"I understand." Said the Russian. "You will adapt to your new life. In time it will be second nature to obey." Ro's eyes began to water as he continued. "You can no longer see yourself as a human. You are a slave. Nothing. You feel nothing. You think nothing. You do nothing against them. You obey. That is your life now."
Ro looked down at her feet as her tears fell on them. They made streaks through the dirt exposing her pale skin. She had no bruising under the dirt. No scars. Her skin was pure and soft and beautiful. That was what her life with Grams was like. Happy. Simple. Light. Now it was blurred. Dark. She knew the Russian was right. She had nothing. She was nothing. Without Grams her life didn't have meaning to her because that was all she had known. So she knew in order to survive this, she had to keep Grams in her heart. That was her saving grace. The hope of seeing Grams again would keep her sane and willing. That was all she had and it had to be good enough.
* * *
It took days to reach the border of the Frostfall Court and during that time Ro didn't say much. She just listened. The Irish woman was named Brianna and she had been in the realm for six years. Natalie for three. The two had just met for the first time and exchanged stories of their sexual escapades. Natalie told a story about a prince from the Wildwood Court. She knew the Russian, Ivan. Which explained her outburst. They seemed to have a rocky past of some kind that Ro didn't quite understand. Brianna had served in the Tempest Court. At one point Ro almost asked her if she knew Bethany, but for whatever reason she didn't. She just held her tongue. Bethany had been trying to escape into the Tempest Court, but that didn't mean that she knew anyone and if Brianna had known her, Ro knew she wouldn't have the heart to tell the courtesan her friend's fate.
The brunette man was silent too. He never spoke a word. Never moved from his position unless the carriage shifted enough that he was forced to. No one spoke to him and he didn't seem to mind it. He was content sitting in his stillness and listening. It wasn't easy for Ro to be completely silent for the last hour of the trip. She shivered and her teeth chattered from the bitter cold that crept into the carriage. Elsa wrapped her shawl tightly around herself cursing in German under her breath. Natalie and Brianna huddled together for warmth although it didn't seem to help much. Ivan was cold, but he wouldn't dare let anyone know it. The brunette hadn't seemed affected. He lifted his head for a moment as the carriage stopped. Ro followed his gaze towards the back.
A Fairy had approached the back of the carriage on horseback. Without a word everyone exited. When Ro's bare feet hit the snow they instantly felt frozen. She was the only one without shoes. She hoped that they wouldn't have to walk for long. She looked around, but she didn't see a Court or kingdom. She saw a distant mountain range and snow covered pine trees, but she was too cold to take in the beauty of it. She looked at the Fairy for symphony, but he had none for her.
"They want us to follow them through the trees." Ivan spoke. "The forest is too thick for the carriage."
"I'm...fre...freez...freezing." Ro said through chattering teeth.
"Walk and warm up." Ivan's words were colder than the snow.
He trudged on ahead of the group behind the Fairies on horseback. Ro was at the back of the group. A Fairy trailed her on his mount. The sound of the snow crunching underneath its hooves kept getting closer and closer to her as her pace slowed. She was getting farther and farther away from the rest of the group with each step. Her feet were numb. Her whole body was numb. Each breath she took stung her throat. She didn't understand how anything could endure this kind of cold. She fell and landed in the snow. She tried to stand back up but her body wouldn't stop shaking.
"Se lever." The Fairy spoke in French. Ro had taken French for three years in school. It was a class she had taken for fun with Leah, but she never thought that it was come in handy one day. He wanted her to get up, but she couldn't. "Aufstehen." He spoke again. This time it sounded like German. He didn't know what language she spoke. He was telling her to 'get up' again. He would keep telling her until she understood.
"I...ca...can't...fee...feel anything." Ro managed to say.
"The Court is through the trees. You will walk." The Fairy was stern.
Ro turned her head to face him, "I..ca...I...can't. I can't...ge...get up."
The Fairy dismounted. He reached down and lifted her up by the back of her shirt. She was on her feet, but only because he was holding her there. Ro tried to stand, but she couldn't. Her feet were frozen. If she couldn't see them she would question is they were even there. The Fairy was getting aggravated. He began to yell at her, but Ro couldn't hear him. She could see his face, the angry look in his blue eyes, and the veins bulging on his neck. But she couldn't hear him. Then she couldn't hold her eyes open to see. She felt her body become heavy. Cold. So heavy.
And then it was dark.
The Fairy threw her in the snow and cussed under his breath in his native language. He never had patience for the weakness of the human creatures. The Fairy who had bought Ro trotted up to them. He looked down at Ro. Her skin was beginning to turn pale. Almost blue. He looked to the other Fairy. He spoke to him firmly. He told him to get her to the stronghold and to get her warm. He kicked the sides of his horse and went to take his place with the rest of the group.
The Fairy cussed again and picked up the weak lifeless human. He laid her over his horse and then mounted it himself. He couldn't believe that Alston had shown the human girl such pity. The Fairy would have just let her die in the snow. But Alston was his commander and he would follow him until death. He kicked the sides of his horse then and disappeared into the snow covered trees.