Slavery
Arella's Pov
For a brief moment, I was captivated by the man's ethereal beauty, momentarily losing myself and my awareness of my surroundings.
My gaze faltered, but when I mustered the courage to look at him once more...
Our eyes unexpectedly locked, and I quickly lowered my head in fear.
His intense gaze sent a shiver down my spine.
I was acutely aware of his eyes on me; the heat of his gaze seemed to linger on my chest, yet I refrained from looking up.
I kept my head down, waiting for my master's next order. I have heard rumors about slaves being reduced to pets or subjected to sexual servitude, and I hoped that would not be my fate.
As I waited in silence, my heart pounding and my mind racing, I couldn't shake the feeling that my life had taken an unexpected and dangerous turn. I dared not look up, for fear of what might be revealed in my master's gaze. The uncertain future loomed over me like a dark storm cloud, and I couldn't help but wonder if I had merely traded one form of captivity for another. The room was thick with tension, and as I pondered my fate, I knew that this was only the beginning of a potentially painful journey.
"Hey, woman! Strip and lay down on the bed!" He commanded with a cold voice, his face twisted into a mischievous grin.
A few hours ago...
I just couldn't move. I knew the slave dealer would punish me if I weren't careful, but no matter how hard I tried, moving my leg became increasingly difficult.
Wincing in pain, I managed to take another step forward before pausing.
"Keep moving!" The dealer's whip lashed against my back, and I nearly broke down in tears.
Blindfolded, I was cut off from sight, yet I could feel the warm sunshine and the gentle breeze as it caressed my body.
The continuous shouts and yells around me led me to guess that we were in the town hall.
The crowd was in high spirits, their yelling unrelenting.
I was positioned behind a pole and listened as the other girls were auctioned off one by one.
I buried my face in my palms, facing the direction of the floor.
After a while, I guessed all the others had been sold because I was brought forward.
The metallic chains around my feet and hands weighed heavily, and all I could feel was an unbearable pain.
With my eyes already bound, I closed them tighter, recalling the last events before my arrival here.
I was at my grandmother's house when she asked me to fetch a bag from the roadside.
Unsuspecting, I left the house cheerfully. Suddenly, my uncle Jason and his wife Andrea appeared out of nowhere and smiled at me.
That was the last thing I remembered before darkness overtook me.
I knew that my aunt hated me, she had set me up at different times, but I also managed to evade them. However, the thought that my uncle would conspire with her to sell me was something I could not accept.
Wow! They sold me because of their greedy quest to inherit my Father's piece of land, and the family house that my grandma lives in.
I had been so naïve, once believing the world to be a haven of angels and good-hearted people.
Lost in thought, I barely noticed when the irritating noise around me dwindled and the crowd became more orderly.
My breath quickened with nervousness, and I wondered why the noise had suddenly died down, not realizing that I was the one who got them to keep quiet.
The wicked slave dealer's anger flared as he pushed me to my knees. I stumbled, nearly toppling backward.
I was weak. I can't remember the last time I had a proper meal.
The food we were fed at the slave house was the worst. It was watery, smelly, and tasteless.
"Hey everyone! The final item is here! And feel free to take a look at her!" he announced in a loud voice.
Everyone in the crowd started to cheer.
"Strip her down, we want to get a good look at her body!" A shameless man yelled, and the crowd burst into laughter.
I could hear the slave dealer chuckle as he pulled me up. He was about to touch my breast when a woman in the crowd let out a scream.
"Be fast, we don't have all day!" Her voice filled with jealousy, and it reminded me of my aunt's voice. She was always insulting me and calling me names. She said I deserved to die just as my mother had.
"Hmmm," I sighed, parting my lips softly.
I was confused and worried about the person who would buy me. I silently prayed for a nice master or mistress.
A melancholic smile crossed my face, for I knew that wherever I was headed, a new set of tortures awaited me.
A million and one questions surfaced in my mind, but there was no one to answer them.
"Long silky lustrous hair, smooth and radiant skin, a rosy flush in her cheeks, her jawline like a sculptor's masterpiece, full red lips—not to mention she is slender and has a sexy curve with large hips! I present to you the perfect masterpiece! This is the most beautiful slave you will ever find in the entire kingdom."
"Who is interested in her?" The slave dealer asked with a seducing voice and added. "She is also a nineteen-year-old virgin, and she will be very useful as a wife, or a mistress! You can even make her your baby machine!"
Tears streamed from my eyes. Me, a baby machine?
I had the urge to burst into laughter; I wanted to laugh out all my pain and sorrow. But the slave dealer had warned me that if I tried any of that, he would strip me naked in front of everyone.
There was nothing I could do; even God had failed me at that moment.
I wanted to pray for a good master, but I knew that the prayer would be meaningless. I have never been lucky before, so why would I be now?
500 gold coins
1000 gold coins
2000 gold coins
5000 gold coins
10000 gold coins
The auction persisted, with the crowd growing increasingly boisterous as each person declared their final bid.
"I will pay a hundred thousand gold coins," a man's voice reverberated throughout the hall.
All the screaming and shouting irked me, and it seemed as though I was in the middle of some aged fools who didn't know what to do with their money. I wondered how they would feel if it were their daughter being auctioned off.
Yet, the bitter truth remained—I was not their daughter, nor would I ever be.
I pray that my grandma is alive because she would have probably had a heart attack by now.
"Is that the final price?" The dealer asked with a menacing voice.
The crowd fell silent as the man who had bid a hundred thousand gold coins seemed pleased with himself; the sound of his footsteps approached the front.
Then, abruptly, a chilling and malevolent voice boomed from the rear.
A voice of command and resonance, imbued with authority and charisma, his words carried weight and an almost magical presence. "A million gold coins!" he declared emphatically.
The crowd was instantly hushed, and even the man advancing towards me halted in his tracks. I could only speculate about the expression of shock that must have been etched on his face.
Blinking my tired eyes in confusion, I couldn't believe what I had just heard.
"Could someone actually wish to pay a million gold coins for a mere slave such as myself? Is such a thing even possible?"
Amidst the chaos, a laugh escaped me, mocking the cruelty of my aunt and uncle. They had disposed of me for a paltry two thousand silver coins.
Oh, how I wished to witness the astonishment on their greedy faces upon hearing the price I fetched.
It felt crazy! I am supposed to be gloomy! Yet I sounded so happy!
The slave dealer was surprised.
I heard the clatter of the key hitting the floor as it slipped through his fingers! His hands, once firm upon my back, now quivered with disbelief.
A million gold coins for a slave such as myself was an unfathomable sum.
But I felt proud and a surge of self-worth.
It took a couple of minutes for the slave dealer to regain his composure.
"Does anyone wish to make a higher bid?" he inquired, his laughter tinged with a nervous edge.
The crowd whispered in low voices. I guess they were also wondering if I was worth such a huge amount of money.
"Going……going…. going, and sold!" The slave dealer announced, and the crowd burst into laughter, as they congratulated the slave dealer on his new fortune.
"Get her!" The slave dealer instructed two of his men.
"Don't! Nobody dares to touch what belongs to me!" The man growled at the slave dealer, and he suddenly materialized in front.
I could not glimpse his face; then, without warning, a sharp pain stabbed my neck, and darkness engulfed me as I fell to the ground, unconscious.
Casually, he flung a bag of coins to the slave dealer for payment, hoisted me up with ease, and in the blink of an eye, before the astonished onlookers, we both vanished as if by magic—appearing and disappearing in an instant.