184Exchange of Life
Chapter 1- A Revelation
Amara Marina was hot, hungry and tired. She tried not to think of what was to become of her; chained, dirty and being prodded along like cattle. Her home country, Latoya, had not only hit by raiders, but was then followed by an attack by Trine, a neighboring country. Trine was known for its ruthlessness in battle, and Latoya had been no exception. King Connor of Trine ordered all of the royal family, guards and rebels of Latoya to be executed on sight and remaining commoners to be sold as slaves.
Amara knew little about Trine; King Connor and Queen Alana ruled with a tough hand but fair heart. They had three sons- Gregory, Bane and Jon- all known to be handsome. But the most important thing she knew was that they ordered the attack, and caused her family to be killed and her to be taken as slave.
At the age of 17, Amara was slender and agile. Gifted with natural grace and beauty, the daughter of a wealthy merchant, she learned to spot things quickly and determine the value of goods. She had a sharp tongue and an almost sharper mind. She was a golden tan that complimented her reddish brown hair, normally flowing to the middle of her back, and was now a matted and dirty mess.
She had tried not to think of her parents faces as they had been ran through with a sword, but the absolute shock and terror on their faces haunted her. They had made her promise to relinquish any ties to them, as they were knowingly accused of treason against King Connor and his takeover of Latoya. She had did so unwillingly, for she loved her parents, but she would never admit that she was thankful that she bore no resemblance to either one.
A sharp tug woke her from her thoughts. A guard gave her a look of distaste then urged her up a hill. All of the Latoyan slaves had Trinian guards to watch them, and it was not for their protection. As they reached the crest of the hill, a large castle seemed to materialize in front of her. She was dragged down towards the gates which were opened wide for their entry.
A plump man dressed in velvets rushed out to greet them. Amara and the rest of the slaves, either on their own accord or forced, were pushed down to the ground to show the proper respects for nobility: on their knees with arms out and foreheads flat to the ground. The man then addressed the entire group.
"I am Lord Marek. I am master of these estates. Rise so I can get a better look at you mangy mutts." he shouted
Taking their cue, the slaves rose from the ground and looked frightfully at Lord Marek, who had begun to walk around the slaves and inspect each one of them. Since Amara was near the front of the group, she was reached fairly early.
Lord Marek fingered her matted and studied her features intently.
"Hmm..red hair...green eyes...slim, tan body...good figure ..." he muttered absently to himself. Amara did not like being observed like horse at auction but kept her mouth shut. At the moment, she felt this man held her life in his hands, and she would prefer to live than die.
"Nice. Nice. Take her to a room in the slaves' quarters, dinner tonight with the rest. I want her sent to Prince Bane. This one should suit his growing tastes." He said, breaking into her thoughts.
Amara was lead down through a maze of hallways and stairs. She was shoved roughly into a small, dimly-lit room. She immediately collapsed on the straw bed, seeing how the door was shut and locked behind her and drifted into a deep sleep.
She was shaken awake later by a frail looking elderly woman. She did not know how long she had slept, but she felt much better.
"Follow. Eat." The woman told Amara crudely. Amara followed without complaint. The woman led her to a large room that she guessed served as a mess hall. The worn and tattered tables were barely holding up to the environment surrounding them. A line of men, women and children were waiting for their trays of food. Amara knew instantly that these people were all slaves; from the battered clothes and conditions to the faces of those she recognized that traveled with her. She got her food and followed the woman to a half-empty table. She stared intently at her food, or what she guessed what supposed to be food. She ate mechanically, not really tasting the meal, just trying to think what she was going to do. She was going to be a slave to Prince Bane. Crowned prince of Trine and Latoya.
She was going to serve the son of the bastard that ordered her country attacked, her people slaughtered and taken slave. She hated- no-loathed any member of the royal family. But, she would not do something as rash as try to escape, for she knew that masters often punished and killed fellow slaves to make an example. She did not want anyone hurt or killed because of her.
Her thoughts were interrupted by her realization that no food was entering her mouth- she had emptied her bowl and her hand was moving up and down as if to shovel food into her mouth, though nothing was there. She smiled to herself; at least she could remember to do things without her mind. She looked at the woman expectantly, who immediately stood and led her back to the little room.
"Sleep. Morning. Wake. Leave. Palace." The woman said, barely comprehensible. But Amara got the point; she was leaving tomorrow to go serve Prince Bane. She crawled into the bed and drifted into a long-needed sleep.
Amara was shaken awake the next morning by that same woman, who smiled at her as Amara fought to stay awake. As the woman led her down hallways, Amara thought absently. What would it be like to be a slave for the prince...NO! She wouldn't think of that, besides, she would have no way of knowing if she would actually serve him until she was actually there. She didn't even notice that she was outside until she started shivering. It was still dark out and it was freezing. She squinted, trying to make out the figures that were huddled in the middle of the courtyard. As she neared, she saw that there were other women, some almost girls.
There were two brunettes, one that looked to be no older than Amara and the other early twenties. Two ebony-haired girls stood close-by, looking somewhere near the ages of the other girls. Finally, there were two blondes. One looked to be in her late twenties and the other maybe 15. Then there was Amara herself, red-headed and the only one there like that. All girls had something in common; they were young, slim and pretty. 'So,' she thought dryly, 'she would not be going to the prince alone. What a wonderful trip this is going to be'
The soldiers surrounded them and herded them out of the courtyard and onto the road. Amara stopped for a moment to take a last look at Lord Marek's castle, where her fate had been decided. A soldiers whip bit into her back, but it had no more effect on her than a fly. She heard it crack again, but still, she showed no effect. Another soldier took interest, and finally just gave her a shove. She stumbled slightly, but continued to walk forward, towards her new life.