All the Richer [Kyre & Alvis Alendran]

The City of Diener lay still and quiet beneath an ebony sky, wisps of smoke trailing up toward the stars that glinted overhead. A multitude of buildings huddle behind the safety of high walls, graduating in size and grandeur the deeper one travels into the city. Lone sentries patrol atop the walls, their breath carried away from them in faint clouds of mist, bundled against the chill of the night. While fires burn within braziers upon the battlements, the city below lies in darkness, its citizens tucked snuggling within their beds, unaware of what was soon to come.

~~~~~

A soft, warm light illuminated the small room, casting long shadows upon the walls which jumped and stuttered as the candle's flame flickered in the faint breeze. In the corner of the room, settled upon a single bed crafted from ageing and scuffed wood, sat a young woman in her nightshirt, a book resting comfortably in her lap. Long strands of fiery red hair tumbles wild and free about her shoulders, brow furrowed in conversation as her eyes scan the lines of text before her.

Below she could hear her father working in the smithy that took up the first floor of the building, the heavy clang of hammer against anvil filling the still night air with a rhythmic twang. Fia had long since learnt to sleep through such a familiar sound, yet for some reason it eluded her tonight; her mind restless. With a sigh she set her book aside and rose to her feet, wrapping her blanket around her as she padded across the floor and to her partially opened door.

The rest of the house lay empty and quiet. Her mother had passed some years ago, yet still the young woman could feel her absence, an emptiness that she doubted would ever pass and perhaps fuelled her father's long work hours. Slipping out into the hallway, Fia eased open the door that acted as entrance to the living quarters and cautious inched half way down the stairway that led to the forge below. Sitting upon a step, huddled beneath her blanket, she lay her head against the railing and watched her father work.

The warmth from the furnace chased away the cool night air, despite the open front of the forge, embers burning brightly in the dim light. Clang, clang, clang. Her father turned the piece of metal he was working on and set it back to the anvil. Clang, clang, hiss. The metal glowed red amidst the embers as all fell quiet again, the sound a dog howling in the distance echoing through the streets.

Fia's eyelids grew heavy as she watched her father force the piece of metal into shape with well-practised care.

Most did not look upon the great Empire as a subtle thing. More akin to great storm, a rushing wave, something that destroyed adn ruined all it passed over. And while the comparison was apt, the fact remained that much had to go on in the shadows to allow that to happen. THe battlements were high, but ropes linked to the grapples still made it with a srong cast. Forms swarmed up the ropes silently. The first guard died to a bolt from a crossbow, laying him out cleanly before an alarm could be raised. The advance was swift and sure. It wasn't long before they came to the great gate that sealed the city off from the world at night. And kept it safe from the surprise of what was looming.

Aldred was a younger man, the third born to his line, which left him with little to no hope of succeeding the family fortune. He took thta as a sign, adn joined the army, knowing that with some luck he could cover himself in enough glory that he might be able to build his own legacy, amass a fortune of his own, adn start his own branch of the family. Become a patriarch in his own right, owning no fealty save to the crown. It was a lofty ambition, but half-assing your goals did nothing except keep you strictly small. And he would not abide that. He was going places. And this night assault had been his idea. He'd volunteered his unit to open the gates. The general had approved the mission on the idea that if it failed, then a traditional siege could be enacted. But if it worked...they would pour into the city proper unimpeded, and the city could fall in a single glorious night of fire and blood. And Aldred would be recognized for his achievements.

The gate was opened by a series of well maintained winches. One of his men simply threw a lever, adn the gate began to wind open. Other members of the unit were killing off the few guards that had began to note the change in the gate. Aldread stood atop the gatehous,e adn waved a burning ttorch overhead, five sweeps to signal the call to advance. He saw a black tide swarming forward, the 2nd Imperial Legion. He smiled, and descended. His work was done. Now it was time to join in the pillage. There was always work to be done.

Once inside the city, shouting began as the Imperial soldiers began to kick in doors, searching for plunder and captives. There was a vast train of wagons being deployed just out of bowshot, room for the captured slaves. All that were taken were given to the army, to be divided as plunder according to standing and reward. The same went with gold and riches. But Aldred was content with this. He would have excellent rights this night. He tossed a torch into a small structure that looked to house no peopel currently, adn watched as it began to burn. The assualt was in full swing. He heard the rythmic pounding of a forge, and made for it. The man at the forge looked up in time to catch the bolt from a crossbow in the chest. Aldred glared at his squadmate. A smith was a valuble captive. It would have been an excellent thing to bring back to the army, giving htem a larger share in the plunder. But they would make do.
"Fan out! Find anything of value!" Adred roared. He swept his blade in a wide arc, and his squad moved. He himself made for the stairs that would likely lead him to the housing above the forge. He caught sight of a form, adn knew that he was not alone. Blood on his blade, or flesh in the cages, one way or another, this person had an appointment to keep.

So silent and swift had the invaders been that the middle-aged smith barely knew what struck him. He heard shouting, raised voices in an accent and tongue that was unfamiliar to him, and saw dark shapes, swarming out of the shadows with weapons drawn and murder in their eyes. Perhaps he would have fought, made a valiant attempt at the defence of his home and the protection of his daughter, had a bolt not shot from the darkness and impale itself deep into his flesh.

He staggered, the half-finished blade he had been working on clattering to the ground, followed swiftly by a number of other items as the man fell back against a nearby workbench. His teeth clenched against the pain, he clutched his hammer in hand and narrowed his eyes to focus on the advancing men. The taste of metal filled his mouth, blood red liquid bubbling from his lips as he sought for some hidden strength within himself yet found none.

Fingers grew numb, his gaze distant as he drove himself off the workbench and forward. He made it two steps before his legs gave out beneath him, and struggled but a moment more before his body slumped against the ground - if not dead now then close to it.

Fia watched on in horror, lips parted in a cry that was suffocated by fear. She wanted to run to her father, to help him, but a figure now moved through the forge his blade glinting in the half-light of the still glowing embers. For a moment she remained frozen where she sat, praying and hoping for just the briefest moments that her blanket and the shadows would conceal her. It was not to be; the devil's eyes found her, his steps leading him toward the stairs and toward where she hid.

Suddenly her mind lurched into action and she scrambled to her feet, stumbling up the last few steps and back into the living quarters. Clawing at the door, Fia pushed it shut and slamming the bolt across to lock it before backing up a pace, certain that she could hear the heavy footsteps of her pursuer upon the staircase beyond. There was no time to debate whether the door would hold, the girl's mind racing with panic as she cast about her for a hiding place or something to use as a weapon.

It was no surprise that her father had one or two weapons lying around, after all he had made hundreds of them in his lifetime in the trade, and so she snatched one up, holding it in front of her, clutched tightly in both hands. She had had a few lessons in swordplay, basic practice with her father on the rare occasions she had pestered him into it, but little of that returned to her now, full of fear and numb with shock as she was.

The footsteps stopped, silence and then the door shook in its frame.

The door was barred, but Aldred had been given a glimpse of flame red hair as the person fled. That alone was worth something to the slave keepers. The door closed before her reached it, and he threw his weight into it. The door suddered, but held. He noted the iron banding, adn knew that teh smith had not been a fool, and reinforced his door. He whistled, loud and sharp, and one of his men threw him a heavy two handed hammer that was in the shop, likely for beating out heavy blooms of iron. He swung the maul and brought it down hard on the door. The wood splintered, and shook, a second blow sending it falling inward. He advanced, dropping the hammer idly, adn bringing his sword back out.

Joining the miltary had been a choice supported by his father, who had seen fit to open the family coffers, adn see him armed like a son of nobility. Amoru that worked well and had been made for him and him alone, along with a sword from the armoury. It was a heavy job, but Aldred had trained with blades this size before, making it fit well in his hand. Forty inches of hand hammered steel, with an odd striped pattern of cleaming steel and darker metal. Aldred did not know how it had been made, but he'd seen more than one blade break against the hard edge of the sword, and it chewed whetstones apart in the sharpening. It was a weapon that would be at home in the hands of a prince, and it being given to a third sone was a statement in and of itself The family was wealthy, and powerful to say the least.

He saw what it was he'd hunted. A girl. And one that he knew would be a prize in the slave pens. She held a longsword before her in a grip that showed some basic knowledge, though nothing showed that she might be an expert at it. It seemed well made, no marks showing imperfections, and a solid maker's mark acid etched onto the blade. Likely the smith had made a few tools to keep his home safe, for all the good it had done him. Still Aldred would not underestimate her. He would assume she was dangerous until she proved otherwise.
"You could surrender." He offered in her tongue, making sure she knew what he was saying. "It would be easier on you. Ther are horrors you cannot conceive of waiting for you if you fight me." His voice was smooth, calm, collected. He tapped her blade with teh point of his, keeping out of her reach, but the move was meant to either remind her that she needed to drop the blade, or goad her into attacking him.

Fia could not halt the cry of alarm that escaped her as the heavy head of the maul cracked through the solid wood, sending splinters flying. It withdrew, leaving a gaping hole in the door through which the sounds of screams and the smell of burning seeped inside. Her sword quivered in front of her, bare feet inching back another couple of steps as she awaited the inevitable second blow.

With the sound of splintering wood and the groaning of iron hinges the door gave way, pieces of wood thudding to the floor, revealing the figure of a man. As he stepped across the threshold, sword drawn once more, Fia shuffled back a little further until the wall behind halted her progress. They were clearly out-matched; a strong, well armed and armoured man against a frighten, bare-foot girl in her nightgown clutching the first weapon that had come to hand.

"You...you killed my father..." Her voice wavered despite how desperately she fought to keep it strong and clear, jaw clenching and knuckles flushing white as she clutched the only thing separating them. The clink of his blade against her own spurred a faint gasp and a reckless swing, "Stay away from me!"

"I did not kill him. It was a waste of a man to kill him. If you believe nothign else believe that." He said dryly, not a word of what he said untrue. The blade tap did draw out a wild swing, her body telegraphing the move brilliantly. His own blade lashed out in a biting couter blow, batting the sword hard, the edge biting into a wall, and sticking fast. He smiled. Not what he'd hoped for, but with her weapon secured like that...she was fair game. He rushed forward, his armoured hand landing palm first on ehr collarbone, adn throwing her away from her weapon. He followed after her, adn placed the flat of his sword over her neck.
"Now then. Will you be coming along more quietly, or shall I show you the folly of argument?" He asked.

Below them, the looting of the smithy was going at an economical rate. One of the traits Aldred had sought in his men was the ability to appraise and sotw items as fast as possible. Ingots of high quality steel, the strong box full of money, a few weapons that had clearly been earmarked for noble clients. All of these were rapidly sotred away. WHen Aldred returned, they'd set fire to the building, and call it a day. They'd find another place to loot, an another, each time sending a small group back to deliver their plunder to the Keepers that would tally the value of their haul.

It happened so quickly. Fia knew as soon as she swung her sword what a foolish error she had made, but there was no taking it back and the situation swiftly moved from bad to worse. The weight and momentum of the blade worked against her, the skilled parry slamming it into the wooden wall and there it held fast. Even as she desperately worked to free it, a hand grabbed at her, throwing her backward and onto the floor.

Eyes wide with fear, heart hammering wildly within her chest, the girl struggled and scrabbled at the boards beneath her, desperately trying to claw herself up off the ground and place some distance between them again. Before she had even found her footing, his hand laid hold of her shoulder and drove her back against floor, the gleam of his blade flashing in front of her face before she felt cold, cruel steel against her neck.

The fight went out her in an instant, barely daring to breath as she stared up at him, emerald eyes full of terror. Would he kill her now? Slit her throat and leave her to bleed where she lay? Or perhaps the more pertinent question was did she want to die? Her father mostly likely lay dead below, her mother had already parted, she had no family and, likely than not, no money or prospects if she survived this ordeal. But did she want to die?

Fia made no response, she simple stared back at the armoured man as she lay passively beneath his blade, her breaths small and shallow.

Aldred reached behind him and withdrew the marked slave shackles. It would mark her as taken by his squad. He grabbed one of her wrists, adn fed it into the shackle, closing it tightly on her. It wasn't tight enough to leave the shackle scars so common when done by people in a hurry. He'd made them specially for that. it reduced the value of the prisoner. He moved the sword to shackle her other hand, and pulled her to her feet.
"Let's go then. You've places to be as a new servant of the Empire." He informed her, half dragging her along. His unit had spread some of the charcoal out in the forge area, ready to make sure that it burned spectacularly.

"Permission to...take a few moments with our new acquisition sir?" His second asked, leering at the girl.
"Denied. Light the place and move on. I'll get this to the Keepers." Aldred said crisply. The men nodded, adn broke open a lantern ont he charcoal, starting the fire off well. The building would be down in less than an hour. In the meantime, he would be leadinghte girl through the streets of the city that were under attack. He was close enough to the wall he wasn't worried about attacks. He only hoped that his squad would pick out a nerw target well without him.

Fia blanched at the sight of shackles, the chain rattling as the armoured man reached for her nearest arm. She desperately wanted to fight him, to resist, to beat her fists against him, but her courage had all but failed her and she could only watch on numbly as cold metal sealed about her wrist. Tears pricked at her eyes, forcing her to turn her face away from him, squeezing her eyelids closed, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of her grief.

The second shackle snapped closed around her other wrist and Fia felt her captor's weight leave her, his figure towering above her before she was dragged unceremoniously to her feet. She kept her silence as he half-lead half-dragged her from her home, descending the stairs once more and stepping into her father's forge. All was in utter chaos; workbenches had been overturned, cupboards emptied, the floor littered with scrap metal and charcoal. Amidst the carnage, her father's lifeless body lay slumped upon the ground, the glowing orange and yellow embers reflected in his glassy stare.

Fia wrenched her gaze away, jaw tightening as she sought to control the trembling of her lower lip, slim fingers curling tightly against her palm. So preoccupied was she that she barely heard the request of another man, lifting her gaze in time to meet his lecherous gaze, breath catching in her chest as she awaited her captor's response. Only now did she realise how poorly dressed she was, the chill of the night air seeping through the thin cotton of her nightgown despite the heat of the forge. She shuddered, averting her gaze swiftly, as she was lead out onto the street which had been silent before, yet now was alive with the sound of screaming, laughing and the crackling of fire.

The dead lay strewn across the street, acrid black smoke bellowing from buildings already stripped clean of valuable and occupants. All around her wagons were being loaded; men, women and children bound and lead in processions toward the great gates. Down an alleyway Fia could here the screams of a woman and the sneers and laughter of men, a father pleaded for the life of his son, a mother wept at the death of her husband.

The soles of her feet felt slick and cold as she stumbled after the armoured man that lead her through the burning city, teeth chattering from fear and from cold as a strong wind howled through the streets, stoking the fires that consumed buildings all around her and clawing at the thin fabric that hung about her young frame.

ALdred moved through the city with practiced ease, having relived a scene nearly identical to this one a dozen times. A city being sacked was always a long drawn out affair, usually taking a few days of dedicated slaughter and looting. Longer if the city managed to form a cohesive resistance. That was why the elite shock troops of the Empire had advanced ahead of others, all of them wealthy beyond the reason of normal soldiers, and thusly having no need for the petty rewards of the loot, and these men would break the enemy resistance wherever tehy found it. It was their task to bring the ruler of the city to heel, and failing that, bring back his head, and badge of office. Each unit had a trophy room at the capital, proudly displaying the prrof of each of their victories. It was nearly every soldiers dream to count themselves amongst that hallowed number.

Aldred saw the flesh peddlers, the slave keepers, and there was one in particular that he trusted to be square with him. He was a shorter man, pudgy with fine living, and with a smile that no one would find comforting.
"Master Aldred." He said in a voice that made Aldred's skin crawl. He took a few steps forward, coming closer to Aldred and Fia. "You do bring me such...pretty things." He leaned closer to Fia as he spoke, inspecting her as though she were a horse for trade.
"Into your care I give her Skar'keetah." Aldred responded.
"And into my care she is accepted. Good hunting Master Aldred. Good hunting." Aldred passed her off to the other man, and turned, jogging to get back to his squad. Much more to be done this night.

Skar'keetah looked Fia in the eye. His skin was pale, in a way that looked nearly unhealthy, though his eyes were a sickeningly pure blur, unnaturally bright.
"Oh, such treasures are foun in a place such as this." He mused, seemingly to himself. He tugged on her restraints, and led her to the caged in wagon. "You will await the end of this within. Within you are protected girl. If you try to escape...it will not go well for you." He warned. There were five other women within the cage, and whent he door opened, they scuttled back away from the opening, as though more afraid of what lay without then within.

Aldred. Had that been the first time she'd heard his name? It did nothing to warm him to her, honestly Fia wished she had not heard it - it was easier to believe him a monster than a man of flesh and blood like any other.

She shied away from the pale skinned man as he loomed closer, a cold shudder spreading down her spine as his gaze moved over her body. Despite her shackles, the young woman tried to curl her arms about herself, uneasy by the way each of these men looked at her with calculating hunger. Fia didn't allow her mind to consider just what their intentions might be, or what might befall her once she was taken from her home.

Her wrists were tugged upon, forcing her forward a step or two as the chain between her shackles was passed from one man to the other. Two unnaturally blue eyes bore down at her, a gaze which she hurriedly averted her gaze from, choosing instead to fix her eyes upon the caged wagon that sat not a few paces from where they now stood.

Once enclosed within those bars escaped would be almost impossible, now was her chance to break free and run, find a hiding place and remain there until these invaders had gone. But where would she go? The streets were swarming with foreign men, swords slick with blood and eyes crazed with the heat of destruction. And then, if she wasn't found and forced to face the consequences of her disobedience? Where would she go, what would she do?

The cage door swung open with a clang, those within staring out at her with frightened faces. Fia's gaze fell, watching as her feet inched up whatever steps might be present and stepped into the wagon, eyes squeezing shut as she awaited the clang of the door closing behind her.

The gate did not slam, Skar'keetah simply closed it almost quietly, and checked to ensure it was locked once more. He walked tot eh sides, adn spoke to the women within the cage.
"Be at peace my pretties. Within those bars, you are safe from all the harm that exists in this city. None shall look to harm you in the least. That is my word. And it is never broken." He turned away, and padded away slowly, his robe showing that he wore nothing on his feet, and yet the bottom of his feet were as pale as the rest of him. He stepped towards one of the smaller wagons nearby, these ones covered. "Serena, do be a deart and bring out something to sate the appetites of the new ones."

From the wagon emerged a slender woman, looking to be in her mid-twenties perhaps. She carried a small tray with her, and stalked carefully to the caged wagon. She shifted the tray to a single ahnd, and began to place a kind of bun that steamed as though still warm within the cage.
"You shoudl all eat. You will need strength to endure all that comes. Once you are no longer in his care, Skar'keetah can do no more to preserve you." Her voice was quiet, but firm enough to carry well. She offered a faint smile to those within. One of the women shakily snatched up a bun, and bit into it, finding it had been stuffed with meat and cheese. She set upon it quickly, eating it quickly. Serena nodded, and began to place a few more within the wagon. All the while, the city burned.

Aldred cut down a man who rushed at him, splitting his head open. He advanced on the house that had been defended, adn kicked the door in. Screams flowed to his ears, adn he pointed to a few doors, his squad sweeping in. They pulled three women out, two of them children. Shackles were clapped on them, and a small group of men started the escort process while the looting commenced. Not as rish as the blacksmith's home had been, but good enough. The siege was raging on in full glory, and Aldred knew he might never get enough of this part of the life.

There was little else to do now but to sit and await her fate. Fia lowered herself into a corner of the cage, slender fingers drawing her nightgown over her legs as she drew her knees up to her chest. The faces of her fellow captives reflected the terror that she felt but she could not bring herself to look at them for any great length of time. Instead she turned her head away and stared back at the burning city, the stars obscured by plumes of black acrid smoke.

Shouldn't she be crying? Shedding tears for her dead father, her burning home, the loss of her freedom? Weren't tears the appropriate response at a time like this? Yet all Fia could do was stare blankly at the horror and the carnage that lay before her, watching on as the flames spread ever onward.

The words of the pale, fat man named Skar'keetah did little to reassure or calm her, nor was his offering of food particularly welcome. Indeed, the mere smell of it made Fia's stomach turn somersaults, not because it smelt particularly unappetising but because its aroma was mingled with that of burning and blood. So she left the buns for the others trapped with her, turning away to rest her forehead against the cold metal bars and sealing the world away behind closed eyelids.

The sun had started to rise on the city, putting another kind of light to the streets besides the lurid glow of the burning streets. Aldred was flushed, and shaking with adrenaline that was keeping his fatigue at bay. A pocket of resistance had been found, a citizen militia forming to strike for the slave wagons and arm the citizens. His squad had found the okcet, adn ambushed them, alughtering them in a few moments of brutal bloodshed. But it was another accomplishment that would further elevate him in the eyes of the general. He was going to be taking home a kings ransom in loot. And what benefit him, also paid dividends to his squad. They knew that their fortunes were tied to his own. So long as he was rising up, they would be pulled along for the ride. They had found one last group of citizenry, and had rounded them up. Not many worth much in this lot. Another group had found them, raped half of the women within, which lowered their value enormously. But there were a few children amongst the people, adn those would bring a fine proce. Children could be trained in nearly any task at all. It was with a smile that they made their way back to the flesh peddlars to secure their status this day.

Skar'keetah noted all that happened within his rapidly filling up wagons. The first caged wagon had filled up qiuckly, and he limited the number of peopel within it to reduce overcrowding. he'd lost peopel like that, and such reduced his reputation. And that was all a man had in this business. Each wagon would be filled no more than enough that each person could sit down with a certain amount of comfort. It was why he always had five wagons. As the sun began to rise, he knew that it was soon going to be time for the great tally of wealth. He had already been keeping track of what was brough tot him thus far, and knew that Aldred had made out extremely well. Skar'keetah had been planning on asking that the first girl that had been brought to him be given in payment for his services. And for the service in the next five sieges. She was a prize that one.

Aldred smiled as the wagons were rolled out of the city walls, and set up in lines. The less able slave traders were now doing an inventory, taking stock of what they had. Skar'keetah, ever so thorough, was well ahead of them, and had a value report on the desk of the general.
"Sir Aldred, you have brought such...nice things to me." Skar'keetah said in his slow, vaguely musical tone. Aldred smiled.
"What is it you wish from me? More gold?" Aldred asked, knowing that the slave master would not be speaking like this if he didn't want something.
"The first girl you brought. I would like her for my own. She would make a fine addition, and failing such, fetch a fine price. I would offer ou my services for some time in return for such."
"Generous Skar'keetah, but you have asked for the wrong one. I wish her for myself, adn will be my first choice of the rewards." The slave master bowed his head.
"Should you change your mind, do let me know." All of this conversation was taking place not five paces away from the cage, where the very young woman they discussed was sitting.

Fia must have dozed off at one point, exhausted by grief and fear, for she woke with a start as the wagon jerked into movement, her heart hammering wildly in her chest. Huddling all the tighter in her corner of the cage, she took in the people around her before lifting her eyes as they passed beneath the shadow of the great city walls that had done nothing to save them. A cold feeling of dread settled upon the girl a she took in the activity around her; there had to be dozens of wagons similar to her own, some so crammed full of men, women and children that even all standing they could barely fit. Soldiers, weary and bloody from battle and conquest, moved all around them, trudging out of the ransacked and burning city, faces smeared with soot and ash.

A familiar set of voices caught Fia's attention, bringing her gaze sharply round to where Aldred and Skar'keetah stood in conversation. She could not be certain who they were discussing, for she could not be certain that she had been the first Aldred had brought to be caged, but nevertheless the tone and topic of the conversation left her blood running cold.

Fetch a fine price?! Fia had not given much thought as to what might become of her, her mind too preoccupied with her grief and fear, but now her future stretched out in front of her, her future in the hands of men such as these and her terror was renewed once more. She was to be sold, sold like cattle at market, but to what end and purpose Fia dared not imagine. How dare they! She was not some piece of meet to be bartered over; she had a life and a soul, neither of which belonged to anyone but herself!

Anger rose up within her, burning away the grief and the fear as her fingers curled about the cold bars behind which she was held captive. They had taken everything from her; her home, her father, her happiness and security! They murdered and chained who they willed without thought or care! What right did they have?! What god has bestowed upon them the authority to make such decisions over the lives of others!

Brow furrowed deeply with her rage, she drew herself up onto her knees, glaring directly at the two who had sparked her fury. "Murderers! Thieves! I am no man's property! Gods curse you! Curse you and all you hold dear!"

Aldred heard the shouting from the wagon, and saw the girl. Oh, now she showed some fire, some fury, and he admit that it looked good on her. Skar'keetah agreed aparently.
"Oh, do let me have her Sir. I offer my services as spoken, and an additional eight marks in gold." The slave master said faintly. He looked almost enraptured with her anger.
"Nay, I still lay my claim Skar'keetah. But I do ensure that should thing go poorly with her, I will gladly offer her back to you at a discounted price." Aldred drawled.
"Acceptable. Shall you address her fury?" Aldred nodded, and stepped forward, getting a little closer to her.

"The Gods of our Empire show their strength in their people. Your own Gods care nothing for you, and have no power over us. Abandon your faith in them now girl. You belong to the Empire now. To me. And I will show you the folly of opposing us." He bowed as he finished his little speech, a mocking courtesy.

She felt her anger waiver a little as the two men turned toward her, but set her jaw in determination, fingers still wound tightly around the bars of her cage. They would not make her tremble and quake in fear, she would not show them that weakness, even if her heart lurched wildly in her chest as Aldred approached with measured, purpose-filled strides. As he drew closer Fia pulled back a little from the bars in her grasp, cautious to maintain some small distance between them, ever wary of his motives.

His response left her uneasy. There was little denying that the Gods of the Dienerian people had failed them; ignored their cries and pleas for help, and had watched on, unmoved, as their city and their lives were destroyed. Fia's mother had always argued that everything happened for a reason, but in the midst of her grief and captivity, the young woman could not see how any of this could have a purpose. Perhaps their Gods had indeed abandoned them.

She remained silent, eyes narrowed in rage as she glared out at him with all the hatred that her weary soul could muster. Despite how she trembled inside, Fia was determined not to give this man the satisfaction of seeing her fear or her grief - he had taken everything else from her, she would not let him have her despair.

The wagons were pushed to the appointed field that everything was assembling. The storage wagon that held the collected loot that his squad had captured was being emptied, a Tally Master there to assess everything. It was an impressive haul, and Aldred collected the report from Skar'keetah. He waited for the tally to be done, and took that report as well. A short time later he was handing the reports to the aide of the Lord General that led the army. He made his way back to teh slave wagon. He wanted to be close by when the Lord General came to see him.

Skar'keetah knew that Aldred would be back, and so had one of his servants make tea, and set out a small table to serve it on. There were three places to sit, the slave master obviously knowing his trade well, and knowing that the Lord General would be by to finish things up. He smiled over at the slave wagon, his gaze vaguely chilling.
"Perhaps you might think of performing poorly for the good Sir Aldred. Then you may be offered to me instead." He said calmly to Fia.

Fia returned to her corner, setting her back against the unyielding bars and drawing her knees to her chest, adjusting her nightgown about her legs. The sun's steady path towards its zenith brought gradually more warmth to the air, something that the young woman was very grateful for considering how thin her garments were. Resting her chin upon her knees, she allowed her eyes to drift closed and her muscles relax, though she remained alert to the sounds that surrounded her.

The drone of general conversation buzzed about her, a couple of her fellow captives sobbed quietly, soldiers laughed and took rest from the exertion of the assault. Dierner still burned; Fia could smell the smoke and every so often a low rumble signalled the collapse of another building.

She only raised her head again when the sound of movement close to the wagon caught her attention, straightening stiffly and squinting against the daylight. Several figures were busy arranging furniture, grinding them into the dirt to ensure that the table was not uneven or the chairs unsteady, before hurrying off once more. Upon sighting Skar'keetah once more she shifted her position to face back out into the world, ignoring the chink of her chain as she shuffled around in the cage, careful not to disturb the other occupants.

She met the pale man's comment with a cold stare, uninterested in performing for anyone in any manner what so ever. Why should she care who held the key to her bonds, what difference would it make? Pushing back her fiery red hair from her face, Fia settled her hands in her lap and waited, an uneasy feeling settling in the put of her stomach.

Aldred smiled as he saw Skar'keetah had set out the tea table. He settled into a chair with comfortable ease. The two men sipped tea in silence, until thy heard the tramping of marching feet approaching.

The Lord General did not arrive alone. As a man of considerable value to the Empire, they had seen fit to furnish him with a unit of guards from the capital city. Each guard was selected carefully, and through either careful training or some gift of the Gods, each one of them was identical in height, standing six and half feet in height, and broad inthe shoulders. They wore dark armour, the metal covering every inch of flesh, their helms large and all emclosing. Even in hte lighting sky, no light seemed to penetrate the holes that they looked out from. The guards apread out in a circle, cordoning off the area, and allowing the Lord General to arrive.

He was a man in his late forties it seemed. His frame was well built, and he had a sacr on his face that ran from below an eye, down his cheek, and back towards his ear. His hair was kept pulled back, and his walked with the hint of a limp. He smiled, seeing the two men awaiting him. Neither stood, and the Lord General simply sat in the open chair. Despite the lack of ceremony shown him, the man radiated power adn authority, wearing it like a cloak that he'd grown very comfortable with. He lifted a cup, and poured tea. He sipped it and sighed, nodding to Skar'keetah.

"Gentlemen. Shall we get this started?" The Lord General asked, his voice even, but strong, as though the question was more of a formality.
"Of course sir." Aldread responded. The Lord General looked up at the cage, his eyes tracking across every person within, and it felt as though that glance has sized up and measured each form within in that breif a time.
"And you brought in all of them? Impressive Aldred. Forcing the gates, assisting in the sack...you're quite ambitious. I approve of that. Now then. Have you an idea of your reward?"
"Yes Lord. One of the slaves within. I would take her as my own, rather than have her brought before the tallymen." The Lord General zeroed in on Fia in that instant, picking her out with no hesitation.

"The flame haired one I assume?" He asked. Aldred nodded. "Suppose I asked that you offer her to me as a gift of plunder? Such would flatter me. Enough to secure a promotion within the army I would think." Aldred paused, sorely tempted. But the army was being rotated back, adn there would be no chance to really make use of the new rank for some time. The girl however, would be useful now.
"You honour me lord. But I politely repeat my claim." Aldred said quietly. The Lord General nodded.
"So be it. I shall not ask you to give up that which you have fought hard for more than the once. Her value shall not be removed from your tallied take, but neither shall she count against what you select." Aldred smiled. It was going so well. Fia was his now.

Slender fingers played along the short length of chain that linked her wrists as Fia watched and awaited. Aldred returned, casually taking a seat and sipping from his cup as if it were a perfectly sensible thing to take tea in the presence of so many caged and frightened souls. As silence settled over the two men she took the time to look over her fellow captives, now able to see them better in the sunlight.

Two girls sat huddled together, arm in arm, a good few years Fia's junior. One of them had been crying, her freckled cheeks damp with tears, auburn curls falling about a gentle face. The other stared straight ahead, gaze distant and unfocused, barely moving but for the rise and fall of her chest. A mother sang and hushed her child, stroking the little girl's long blonde hair as she rocked and cradled her, hiding her own grief and fear behind sorrowful eyes. The rest of the occupants were girls around her age, most entirely oblivious to the activity going on around them.

Heavy footsteps and the sound of rattling metal drew Fia's attention sharply from the interior of the cage, watching the chaperoned arrival of a man with a scar upon his face. She assumed he was important, his stance and stride hinting as such, as well as the number of well armoured soldiers accompanying him. Neither his presence nor his status was reassuring in the least, and so she continued to watch with caution, eyes narrowed as she struggled to deduce what was being discussed.

Their accents and language were foreign to her, but the direction of the scarred man's gaze gave some indication as to the topic of the conversation. His gaze soon fell upon her, a calculating and critical stare that travelled up and down her figure as he talked. Fia refused to look away when his gaze finally settled upon her face, eyes narrowed in defiance and fingers tightening about the chain in her grasp.

Something had been decided, Aldred smiled and Fia felt cold dread creeping up her spine despite the warmth of the morning sun.

The Lord General finished his tea, and bade teh two men goodbye, taking his leave, and heading back to the command tent, his bodyguard following suit. Aldred relaxed a little. Being in the presence of those men never felt right to him. It was always damned eerie. Skar'keetah smiled at him.
"So you have won your prize Sir Aldred. Will you require my services further from here?" The plump man asked softly.
"No. I think I can take it from here. THough if one of your staff could remove her from the wagon?" Aldred said calmly. Skar'keetah nodded. He snapped his fingers, and waited. the slender woman who ahd brought food the night before had emerged, and nodded to Aldred, long acquainted with him.
"The fire haired one if you please my dear." She nodded to her master, adn moved to the wagon, unbolting the door, adn pulling it open. She levelled a finger at Fia.

"You. Please come here. I would rather not have to drag you through all of these people. And you are asked to exit the wagon." She said in a rather fluent, unaccented voice, speaking hte language of Fia's city.

Whatever had been decided clearly concluded whatever business was taking place around the table, for the scarred man rose and took his leave, along with his metal men. Fia remained where she was, watching and waiting, uncertain of what was to happen now. She did not have to wait long.

The emergence of the one free woman she had seen since her capture caught her emerald eyes, watching warily as she received instruction before crossing toward the caged wagon. It appeared that Fia was not the only one who had been watching, a number of the other occupants shifting nervously as the bolt was drawn free and the door swung open. None seemed particularly keen to step out beyond the safety of the bars, at least in here they were reasonably safe, out there...who knew what might happen?

Fia stared back up at the woman as a finger pointed her out, remaining where she sat for a moment as she weighed up her options. There was no sense resisting; there was no where to run and only one inevitable outcome, she would leave this cage willingly or by force, but she would leave it.

Curling her fingers around a bar, the young woman shifted onto her knees and then pushed herself up onto her feet, careful not to disturb her fellow captives. Under the gaze of many, Fia inched her way toward the open doorway, her restraints clinking lightly as she moved, her nightgown flowing about her as a gentle breeze swirls through the cage.

There was no sense running, doing so would either summon down the wrath of the men responsible for her current predicament or place her in the path of other soldiers and similarly unsympathetic individuals. Once again her bare feet find the ground, though this time they fall upon cool blades of grass as she waits wordlessly for her chaperone to rebolt the door she had just passed through.

The woman pushed the cage door closed without aid, adn rebolted it. She seemed well practiced in this.
"May I ask for payment for my services?" Skar'keetah asked. Aldred nodded. The plump slave lord pointed to the youngest girl within the cage. "I would take her."
"Start the training young?" Aldred asked.
"Young enough, and anything can be accomplished."
"Acceptable. Now then." Aldred advanced on Fia, and paused in front of her.

"Now then. I am Aldred, and you are now mine. Follow my orders, and you will do well under me. Disobey me, and I can make things very hard for you. Do you understand me?" He asked her. He hated her language. It was...coarse to his ears, so unrefined and unlike the more civilized tongue of the Empire. His first resolution was to ensure she was trained in the proper language. It would have her to be unable to hear his commands. But that would take time. ANd it would require specific training. He might have to be paying Skar'keetah after all. At least until he reached home. Then everything would be different.

She flexed and curled her toes, enjoying the feel of the cool grass beneath her feet - a fleeting pleasure that was disrupted as the two men began to talk. Casting a wary glance toward the cage behind her, Fia shivered as the breeze tugged at her nightgown, causing her to draw her arms closer to her body. She found herself wondering what sort of lives awaited her fellow captives, in particular the youngest and most fragile, but there was nothing that she could do, no way that she could spare or save them.

The sound of footsteps drew Fia's attention sharply round to find Aldred moving toward her, causing her to inch back a little as his frame loomed over her own. If he disliked speaking her language then she disliked hearing it spoken by him, the words sounding strangely foreign upon his tongue despite the fact that the words held meaning. Drawing in a shaky breath, Fia drew herself to her full diminutive height and lifted her gaze to look Aldred full in the eye, fingers curling tightly against her palms.

"I don't belong to anyone; not you, not anyone."