A farm… of all the places Nowi and Robin ended up settling was a farm, well it isn't a large-scale one, in fact, Robin could probably manage it on his own, but it's a farm nevertheless. Nah lets out a small puff of smoke as she tries her best to look like she approves of it. It doesn't help her sister, Morgan, has her father's case of amnesia. Still, why a farm? It brings a set of memories she would have rather forgotten, along with Grima and the apocalypse. 'The difference is that they love me… they care, they cook for me.'
Despite telling herself that everyday, she still found herself wandering towards the forest to get berries and other foods, some worse than others, and some things that weren't even food, things not meant to be put in her stomach. Why did it have to be a farm? 'I never told them… I should have told them.' She chides herself, but what were the odds? It didn't help the house looked…
Did her parents, the ones that raised her, own a farm? And they were forced to abandon it? Is that why she was sent back to that specific one? She found it odd why she had to go to a farm, when she could have been sent to Ylisstol, where father's best friend lives. Perhaps fate is just cruel. She glances over at her bed, maybe a quick nap is in order.
Nah wakes up feeling refreshed, she gets up and stretches. 'They love me, they care for me, they feed me.' She repeats her mantra as she heads out of her room and down the stairs, towards the main living area, right into their library. It is obviously nothing compared to the one in Ylisstol's castle, but it is relatively large, taking their home into consideration.
"Hey, sister!" Morgan smiles as she peaks her head over a book, "We got some more books today."
Nah looks over at the pile, it is a spot designated for new books before they are properly shelved. A colorful spine catches her eye and she carefully removes some of the books over it to get it, 'A… gods,' her face flushes as she looks at a rather detailed cover of two men... 'Nope.' She normally wouldn't judge a book by its cover, but she doesn't really care for the more lewd content, placing it to the side she looks the spines over, 'How about…' Another one.
"How many…" Nah starts.
"Over half of them." Morgan's voice calls out, she obviously doesn't even need to hear the entire question and considering her own voice sounds heated...
"Are you really reading one of those here?" Nah glances over at her sister, who has pulled down the book just enough to show off that sheepish smile she has whenever she's caught doing something she isn't supposed to be doing, "Gross."
"Hey! There's… plot." She weakly defends, "It's not all…"
"I don't want to hear it." Nah resumes her search, 'Over half of them, huh.' They probably got them for Morgan, because they know she personally doesn't care for them.
"So… what do you prefer reading?" There is a slight jump in her tone midway through, 'Gods, she has no shame.'
"Not that." She huffs.
"Oh, don't be that way…" Morgan giggles, "Here, I'll start off," Nah groans as her sister continues regardless, "I've found the yaoi ones to be quiet enticing."
"Explains why there are so many with two men kissing or whatever on these covers…" And all of the not-so-subtle 'sword' innuendos. Ah! There, a gem in Nah's eyes, a documentary on Manaketes, 'Let's see how much of it is…' She stops as she sees the author's name, "Laurent?"
"Yup. You didn't know he wrote books?"
Nah isn't surprised, but still, "You've read some of it, then? It's not written like how he and his mother talks?" Gods forbid if it is, she would rather not have a dictionary on standby.
Morgan giggles and the older Manakete daughter just realizes she set herself up for... "Nah."
Nah lets out an aggravated sigh at both her sister's childish response, her immature name… and whatever the hell was going through her mother's head when she named her. 'I mean really, Nah? Did they just agree on naming one each?' She gently carries the book over to her chair and flips it open, thankfully the words weren't unnecessarily long or complex. Well, considering this is written by a person who has fought beside not one, not two, but four Manaketes, most of this should be the truth, and who knows, maybe he has some insight that he didn't directly share. 'Chapter 1… of 50.' Well then…
As she expected from the Mage, Laurent spared no detail, each page was practically bursting with information… most of it Nah knew, but there were a number of things that he observed that even she didn't notice. 'Most of it being chalked up to instinct, so I do know it, but I don't consciously know it…' Placing her one of her small dragon bookmarks on the 19th chapter, she gently places it aside on her small pile of 'to-be-read' books. At some point Morgan had already gotten up and left, but considering the distinct aroma of desire… and that the specific book she was reading isn't here… 'She has no shame.' Shaking her head, Nah gets off of her reading chair and leaves the room.
As she had guessed, Morgan's scent trail leads straight to her room, thankfully the rooms all had a reinforced silencing ward on them, 'It blocks sound and scent.' It is truly a blessing. She walks around the house, eventually deciding to go outside, her father is currently tending to their dozen of so crops, 'It is still so strange to see him getting dirty in the field, rather than shoving himself in his study.' Her mother is somewhere in the distance, but considering her laughter, she is probably playing some sort of game.
"Good afternoon, Nah." Robin greets as he glances up from the row of three carrots. "How are you?"
"I'm well," She walks over, making sure she doesn't step on any of the crops, "Uh, why were there so many…" She trails off.
He lets out a small amused sigh, "Partly is because Morgan wanted some, the other is because Nowi requested them." There is a smile on his face. "I'm sure I don't need to tell you what's coming up."
Nah's face flushes, "Right…" 'Mating season.'
He chuckles at his daughter's expression, "Yarne will be visiting in a few days."
"Which is why you are growing carrots." They had a small amount of magic coming from them.
He nods, "Well, this year I had to… speed it up, since I wasn't expecting Morgan to 'invite' him."
"Morgan…? Oh, gods." She looks away.
"It's nothing to be ashamed of, besides when are you...?"
"Father!" Her face is now beaming red as she walks away. 'I know it's only natural, but to hear it just being casually spoken about…' She would rather not share her fantasies with the rest of her family. She glances over at the forest, 'They love me, they care for me, they feed me.' Losing the internal battle, she heads over to the wooded area.
Just a few berries.
Nah carefully creeps around the forest, Dragonstone at the ready. The worst threat here will be a bear, but they tend to live and let live as long as one doesn't take from their bush, and considering all the animals mark their territory, Nah has no problem telling which bush has been taken. Her enhanced senses scan over each spot, 'There.'She approaches a bush that sports blueberries, she picks a half-dozen or so and eats them two at a time. Her stomach grumbles, 'A few more…' A thought that kept repeating as a few more led to a few more.
She snaps to her senses as only about five remain, 'They love me, they care for me, they feed me.' She shakes her head before she snatches the last ones. Even as they seemingly taunt her with their flavor, their allure, 'One more? Dinner will be ready soon, but…' Nah struggled to not snag the last five. She licks her lips as she looks them over, before pulling her gaze away and walking before she gives in. 'Nope, I've had…' A dullness hits her senses as her stomach protests, how? She just ate…
Her eyes widen as her mind clears and she takes a second, closer look at them, the allure is gone, but… 'Gods, those aren't…' They look like blueberries, but now that she isn't blinded by old habits, 'I don't even know what they are…' She shakes her head, it's alright, it's not the first time, she'll just claim a stomach ache when she gets back and everything will be fine.
"Ah!" She cries out as she feels a metal pierce her shoulder, her senses dulling even more, "What?"
She hears a deep chuckle, "Told ya, boss! Same one that's been stalking the woods." Nah takes a ragged breath as she feels a new toxin enter, on top of whatever she just ate. "Good job on the berries, there." She can't even tell how many there are.
It wasn't until they were practically in arm's reach that she sensed three of them, "'Ey, girlie." The most armored one yanks her head up to meet his rugged face, "Yep, a Manakete, alright." Nah barely registered one of them snagging her Dragonstone, not that she could even find the will to use it. "You'se gonna make a high price."
The arrow is pulled out and she lets out a small whimper, 'Gods, too much toxins…' She has a hard time staying awake, 'Mother… father… sister.' Another whimper leaves her as she is hefted over the man's shoulder. 'Help me.'
The brutes kept her sedated, they obviously weren't taking any chances, she couldn't really do anything without her Dragonstone. She has little experience in swords and tomes, unlike Morgan, who could wield a tome as well as a Dragonstone. "Oof." She huffed as she is almost dropped into a cart with a cage. Another needle enters her skin before the door is closed and the land starts moving again. The sudden movement and recent dosage causes her to vomit, thankfully purging the berries' poison, but they already have her on so much of their drugs that it doesn't do much in terms of helping her. She slumps back to one end of the cage.
'They love me, they care for me, they feed me.' A mantra that has lost its significance, 'But I still find myself eating berries, why couldn't I break the habit?' The man said something about her fetching a price, parts for alchemy? Slavery? She weakly shudders. 'Help me…' Some time during the trip, her eyelids started to feel heavy and she succumbed to sleep.
"Up dragon-girl." She felt a hand yank her on her arm as yet another needle enters, 'They are going to kill me with the amount of sedatives they keep shoving into me!' A clanking sound barely registers as her arms felt trapped, 'Shackles…' She recognizes almost a minute later. The world is so hazy, she can barely see more than a few feet ahead of her. It wasn't until she was forced to sit down that she registered she was moving in the first place. "There's your Manakete, where's our gold?" She felt a gentle pair of hands stroke her face and touching her ear tips, "Well?"
"Right here." The newest voice said as a faint jingle rings out, "Good job." The thugs laugh, and they say something, but they are already out of her earshot, 'Which is probably only a dozen feet right now.' Nah curses herself for getting in this situation, "Let's go, girlie." Once more, she is hefted over a shoulder, while one hand is needlessly holding her rear-end. 'Mother, father, sister… help me.' Unlike last time, she is gently placed down on some sort of soft… it's a cushion, another thing that took over a minute to realize. The haze has lifted somewhat, but she still couldn't do much. The world started to move around her once more as she is being taken gods know where.
This man was less dependent on those sedatives, and Nah actually had a fair amount of feeling return before the needle entered her, putting in just enough to keep her sluggish, but not on the near-overdose level she was experiencing. "Where…?" She finally manages to mutter, how long has it been?
The man snorts, "My 'den' of course." He said as if she was suppose to…
'Den?' A shiver goes through her, a sense of dread, she didn't need her Manakete senses to get the implications of that word. "Please…" She whines.
"You need to relieve yourself?" He asks, clearly misunderstanding.
"N-No, I mean…" She weakly shakes her head.
"No can do." Her heart drops. "I paid way too much to let a prize like you run off."
"Dragonstone?" She whimpers.
"Hmph," He scoffs, "You won't need it, besides, they probably sold it by now." She stayed quiet after that, now she couldn't do anything, 'I should have trained in tomes, like my sister…'
Even in her current state, she knew it, the man's 'den' reeked of sex, lust. It wasn't just his, though, 'Whorehouse.' She has never been in one, but considering the multitude of both men's and women's musk filling the air, so intense that it even pierced her sedated state, 'Help me…' She whimpers.
"Wash." She just recognized she was standing in front of a very expensive bathroom, the smell of musk gave way to a pleasurable amount of herbs, fruit, and incenses. "Go." She is nudged as the shackles drop, "This is the only time you'll have alone, but I will get a servant to scrub you down if you don't cooperate." Wow, so the man does have a least a bit of sense.
"O-okay…" She weakly replies as she removes her clothing, 'Being alone doesn't mean much here.' She felt the man's eyes on her as she has to climb into the tub, the hot water removing some of her stress… and the door finally closes. 'Alone.' She scrubs off the dirt and 'nature' smell she has accumulated, replacing it all with an alluring aroma that just felt wrong. 'This scent isn't for my benefit.' Tears escape her as she finishes her cleaning, noting that the water is still clean, 'He must have spent a mountain of gold to get enchantments like this. The standing water is still clean and hot.' In fact, now that some of her senses has returned, the entire bathroom had the distinct hum of magic in the air. Everything, the sink, the tub, the door, everything.
She climbs out, the water dripping to the carpet seemingly being absorbed, but not ruining it. 'Gods, this guy must swim in gold coins… the sisters Anna would collapse.' She takes a towel and dries herself off, and unsurprisingly at this point, the towel is still dry and almost smells nothing like her. She places it back and puts her clothes back on. She goes to open the… 'locked.'
She hears the tell-tale sign of it clicking and that man stands in front of her. If it wasn't for the fact that he is imprisoning her, she would think him handsome. His appearance suggests nothing of ill intent, just a man with an absurd pool of gold. Then he gives her a lewd smile and she shivers, "Let's get some food in you." He goes to grab her.
"I can walk." She flinches, and tries to put on a brave face.
He thinks it over, "If you try one thing…" She nods and follows the man into the dining room, which unlike the bathroom, isn't decked out in enchantments, but it still just looks so expensive. "Sit." She complies and sits on the chair, "Just get her something to make it through the day, I want her in peak condition by the end of the week."
She jumps in place, "End of the week?" She was expecting tomorrow… or at the worst, right after.
"I didn't make this much gold to offer a subpar concubine." He scoffs, "Mine are of the highest quality… but you are the first Manakete, I doubt I'll find a buyer for months."
"Months?" She repeats after him again. "I thought…"
Another scoff, "This is no cheap den, girl. Nor are these a 'one-night' purchases like most others. I only deal with contracts, it may limit how many women… or men I have, but the income makes up for it." An intense aroma of food enters the room as she is presented with such high-quality meats and fruits, "I'll admit, I have no experience in what Manaketes desire for food, so I brought a little of everything."
"Why are you treating me like this?" She realizes after she asked that she already knows the answer.
He sighs, "Seems like those brutes used too many drugs if you are still having trouble…" He snaps his fingers as someone else enters the room, "Track those men down, I want a portion of my gold back for damage done to the girl." She shivers at the unspoken consequence. 'Gods, if it wasn't for the fact he is selling me into servitude… or that he paid for my capture, I'd say he's a good man.' "Mind telling me your name?"
Oh, and here it is, "Nah." But before he could retort, "N-A-H, that's my name." She picks a piece of the chicken as her mouth waters at the sight of it.
"...You can't be serious." She can sense the exasperation coming from him. "By the gods. No, I am not… you're getting a different name. I refuse to offer… what the hell were your parents thinking?" He finally leaves the room.
She picks at the food, one at a time, each one no less appetizing than the last. 'Naga, help me… send someone.' She continues shoving food down her mouth. 'It's bad enough I'm in this situation… it's even worse that it's almost that time of the year.' She knows it's coming around soon, considering how much food she can stomach right now.
A small belch escapes her as almost everything that was offered is eaten, spare a few helpings of meat and fruit. 'That is the first time I ever ate until I was full.' Sure, her parents offered enough to satisfy, but to eat until she couldn't eat any more? Even more so with her heat coming around?
"By the… who else came in here? This food is meant to…" The man groans.
"...Just me." She squeaks out.
"Are you trying to eat yourself to death?" He chides her.
"No." She refrains from using the immature response Morgan would have, "This is normal for Manaketes."
"I'm going need to raise the price…" He mutters. "The rest of the day is yours, you'll be escorted to your room later."
She gets out of the chair and leaves the room, 'Guards are littering every room.' How much gold does this man have? A chilling sense of dread overcomes her as she takes note of a number of those weapons. It seems like every other guard has a Wyrmslayer or Beast Killer on them. 'He's making sure no one else comes or goes.' Considering his care of her, she figures they won't just kill her, it's there for the purpose of fear…
And by the gods is it working. She walks around the main room, "A library…" She absentmindedly comments at one point. 'Surely he would have something like that?'
"A new one?" She is snapped out of her thoughts as a well… developed tan-skinned woman approaches her, "A girl?"
"I'm half-Manakete." She grumbles. "I'm probably older than you."
"Oh, my apologies." She slightly trembles. "H-How are you?"
Nah sighs, "Is there a library here?" She doesn't feel like communicating, she just wants to shove herself into books while she waits for this 'escort'.
The woman frowns, but gestures towards a door, "That one, miss."
Nodding her thanks, she quickly leaves her presence and enters the… 'Wow.' She shouldn't have expected any less, but books seem to litter every possible space, shelf after shelf… but most of them are of that genre. Even a large portion of the Non-fiction contains that topic. Morgan would love this, but Nah? She inches over to the dozen or so books that have nothing to do with sex, a few biographies, some history on each of the nations and…
"Laurent's book?" She mutters as her hands graze the cover of the same book she read back at her house. A sense of familiarity and safeness hits her as she gently takes the book to a chair, 'What was it… chapter 19?' She flips it open and resumes reading...
Her eyes are glued to every page as she takes in every little observation the future Mage wrote about, "Ma'am!" She startles as a man shakes her. "Gods, I've never seen such a single-minded determination among anyone." She looks up at an armored man, another one stands near him, looking more like a servant. "There, she's aware." He glances over at the servant.
"Thank you, sir. Come, Miss Nah." She frowns and places the book aside, simply choosing to follow the man. He leads her to an expectantly well-decorated bedroom. Incenses fill the air and everything looks so clean, the carpet is plush, the bed is no less exquisite. "Your quarters." ...All of this, 'As long as I am here…' "Do you require anything?"
A way out? Home? "No." Those are things she knows won't happen. The servant takes his leave and she crawls onto the bed, keeping her clothes on as she pulls the covers over her.
Nah feels a pair of hands yank her away from her spot, "Get up, you know you aren't allowed to sleep in my house, you… thing!" She flinches as the drunken 'father' tosses her away from the doorstep , which is clearly not in the house.
She scrambles to her feet and backs away before he hits her… again. She smells food enter the air… not meant for her, she gathers what she can and goes to the forest, picking at whatever she can, bugs, berries, even parts of a tree, anything to stave off the impending starvation. "Mother… father…" She cries in solitude, "Why did you leave me here?" It is a question that comes up multiple times everyday.
Her foster 'family' has treated her with the utmost disdain. Nah does chores, she even does other people's chores, she behaves, but they still kick her around, they sold her Dragonstone… all because of her heritage. She doesn't have the energy to leave, or the will. The forest is her only solitude, the place where her walls crumble and she succumbs to the stress of it all, so she can put her brave face on and endure the pain again. With her appetite as sated as it will get, she returns to the farm before they fetch her… again.
She dries her tears as she grabs a dirt-stained bucket, fills it with water she used yesterday to clean, some soap, grabs a slightly dirty cloth and starts scrubbing the exterior of the house, before hesitantly going in and doing the same. She washes the floors, the walls, the windows, the dishes, anything and everything she can reach. Everything she cleans is at the peak of cleanliness, if it can sparkle, it sparkles, if it can reflect, it reflects. This farmhouse is the single most sanitized one in the entire world… all by her hand.
And she only receives harsh words, threats, names, and beatings in return. Why? The other children can goof off, wreck the house, dirty it up, but they get taken care of. "Watch it, freak!" One of said children purposely bumps into her, causing her small bucket of dirty water to spill on the floor… and he fakes a fall. "Dad! The weirdo spilled the water and it caused me to fall!" He flashes her a sadistic and satisfied look, before faking an expression of pain as the 'father' walks in.
She shrinks back and offers her arm as he yanks her without an ounce of compassion, taking her to her 'room'. It's vacant, the only one, clearly meant for her… a room she isn't allowed to sleep in. She scrambles to position herself before he forces her on her stomach, butt raised. She tenses as she catches the distinct smell of leather. "You better stay quiet, freak." She whimpers as the beatings start, one after the other. Her rear hasn't properly healed in weeks, but he doesn't care, skin turns red and new cuts form. "Now, fix your mess." He yanks her and tosses her to the side, her rear making contact with the ground.
'It burns…' She stops herself from crying out, from doing anything that would anger him. "Yes, father." She quickly nods before going back out and getting a damp cloth, the one she uses to dry things, It must have taken her an hour before she finished. With a now-empty filth-stained bucket, a dirty cloth that hasn't been properly washed, and a wet cloth that hasn't been fully dried, she places her overused tools back outside, in a spot labeled 'The Freak's Tools'. Nobody else touches it, these are the things that belong to her. Her stomach grumbles, but she can't do anything about it. She isn't allowed to go back into the forest until lunch-time.
Steeling herself, she sifts through the dirt away from both the house and farmfield, looking for something . Bugs, worms, a buried vegetable, anything to keep her going, to keep them from hearing her stomach growl. She digs and refills at least a dozen small holes before she concedes to the worst of it, 'It's going to be one of those days…' She gathers several handfuls of dirt, making sure the area is evened out, before getting some of 'her' water, leftover from their washing, and pours it over her little mound of dirt. She scoops it together and pats it into a somewhat sturdy form, something that won't fall through her small fingers. 'Bottoms up…' Tears leave her eyes and she greedily bites into it, thankful that something is occupying her stomach.
Her mud pie does nothing for nutrition, it isn't something that is meant to be digested… but she has nothing else, she can't let them hear her stomach growl, so she fills herself with anything to stop it from making its protests. She downs the sudden dryness in her throat with some of that horrid water, before placing the bucket back in its place to be refilled later. She doesn't know whether it's a blessing or curse that being half-Manakete keeps her from getting sick, that the dragon in her is so resistant to such 'human' illnesses. 'No, it's a curse.'
Death has crossed her mind a number of times over the months, but they won't even let her have that peace. She tried starving herself, but they force leftovers in her, she tried dehydrating, but they force water, she tried to bleed out, but they mended her. She is in a living hell, punished for being half-Manakete. Her parents are dead, her sister has vanished, and Nah is left with this pitiful excuse of a family. Alone, unwanted, but not allowed rest in the arms of death.
There are times where she almost wished that Grima would return, surely the apocalypse isn't as bad as this? At least she can understand that Grima is cruel because of his very origin, his nature. These people? They are clearly capable of compassion, of love, as these are things they show each other, but she gets nothing but hate… and that makes them more evil than the Fell Dragon could ever be.
Nah startles awake, her body is trembling, her eyes feel dry, her face is wet. 'That nightmare again…' She couldn't stop a wail of anguish from leaving her mouth, but it came out weak, her throat is so dry. "Miss Nah!" That servant enters, "Please, calm down." He places a hand on her forehead and she just lets him, "By the gods… Medic!"
Within minutes she is given proper medicine, healing and water. Yet she still trembles, she is offered the best she could ever get… but she is trapped here. She is just a bag of coins to the owner, a pristine, diamond-laced faux leather sack of gold coins. "Kill me…" It took her a minute to realize that those words left her mouth.
The healer's head snaps up to her so fast she is surprised it didn't pop off, "Don't say things like that! If the master were to hear that, I will be executed for improper treatment!" The man shakes.
'So, he isn't as gentle as I thought… he inspires fear into the women he isn't pampering.' Nah just stares at the poor man. 'Who has it worse?' The first response would be her, since she is the one who is getting sold and trapped in some other greedy man's arms, but he has probably spent years living in terror, being forced to put on a brave face so he could live to see another day. She keeps her mouth shut, which calms the man somewhat.
"How are you feeling now?" He shakily asks.
She fakes a smile, "Better, thank you."
He seems to buy her lie, "Good… good. Please, let any of us know if you need anything else." He bows and waits a moment before leaving.
'Help me.' Hasn't she suffered enough? An abusive family that made Grima's return seem like a cake walk. She finally reunites with her family, people who love her without a single string attached… even as she succumbed to old habits, sleeping outside, eating things she shouldn't be eating. And now she is stuck here, a product of those old habits, stuck in a gilded cage, a place she will probably receive better treatment to whoever she is sold to.
'Help me' changes to, 'End me.'
She didn't realize she fell asleep until she was gently shaken, "Time for your morning bath, Miss Nah." She grumbles, but complies. She sighs and follows the man towards the bathroom, and repeats the process of yesterday, coming out just as clean and good-smelling. She dries herself off… 'Where are my…'
She is greeted with an expensive looking dress, laced with gold and other fine gems, it sparkles brighter than even the bathroom she is in. Yet it is designed with the idea of showing off her youthful nature… her clothes are nowhere to be seen. She shakily grabs that dress and puts it on, it is form-fitting, inch-for-inch, but not so tight as to restrict movement. 'Probably enchanted, too.' She gently knocks on the door and she hears it unlock…
The owner is there again and he gives her an approving smile that sends chills down her spine. "Perfect, now, let's get your breakfast in, makes sure you are pristine, and you'll be ready."
She gulps, "For?"
The smile widens, "Potential buyers, of course. Though I doubt any of them will have the coin." He leans forward, "Don't do anything to make you or me look the fool, if a buyer wants you to bend, you'll bend, understand?"
She shakily nods, "Yes, sir." The deadly serious aura fades and is replaced with the genuine concern he has. She walks towards the dining hall, unlike dinner from last night, there is nothing here that is particularly strong in scent, in fact, most of it smells pleasant. Orange is the first prominent smell, regardless she eats her fill, though there isn't enough food to completely satisfy her. With that done, she walks out, and is lead into a different room…
Where there are a number of people staring greedily at her. She steels her nerves and smiles. She is guided to a pedestal, 'Just like the 'prize' I am…' and she stands there as a bulging mass of fat approaches her first. 'Gods, his breath…'
"Out!" The owner enters the room and shouts before the mass could even get close enough to touch, "If you even approach this den one more time…" The man recoils and leaves, "And if any else of you reek like he does…" With that looming threat, no more than five more dash out. "I will not have such foul-smelling commonfolk near her… or this place."
With that, a thinner man walks up, he has a pleasant smell about him. "Impressive as always." He comments, "It seems I'll have to gather some coin quickly…" The man bows, "Thank you for the display." He leaves the room.
Most of the others follow a similar manner, they look, a few ask her to turn, but that's really it. "A Manakete, hm?" She lost count of what number this man is, "And female?" The way he says that sends shivers down her spine.
"Am I known for deceit?" The owner manages to say in both a calm, but deadly tone.
"No, sir." The other's voice comes out slightly shaken. "Still, I would like to see…" The owner holds a hand out, "...very well." He gives the man a bag of gold, 'I am starting to see how he has so much gold… it probably costs an arm and a leg just to get in here.' She wills herself calm as he inspects her… 'Gods, hurry up.' Satisfied, the man lets her dress fall back down, "You will never cease to impress me," He winks at her, "I will have you in a week's time."
The color drains from her face as he leaves. "Good job," The owner praises, decidedly not using her name.
"You wanted to change…?" She wants to think about something else.
"Whoever buys your services will name you." He shrugs it off. "That's the only reason so many came in, you are the… fourth one I've offered with a 'blank' mane." He snaps his fingers, "Now…"
"One more, master." A servant enters.
He tuts, "Late fee?" The servant nods and hands him a huge sack of gold. 'Gods…' "Very well, bring this… miscreant in. He only has five minutes, though."
And the man that entered… Nah had to fight with every fibre of her being to not squeak, it may not be her family, but… 'Virion!?' He flashes her a quick, knowing look, like he is assuring her everything will be alright. "Ah, pardon my tardiness, but I'm afraid a group of savages decided to assault my carriage." He scoffs. "Anyway." He looks her over, but unlike every other man, he doesn't care, 'Must be stalling.' The archer nods, "I do believe I will pay now, sir."
The statement caught him off-guard, "You have enough to pay the late fee and for her?" He seems suspicious.
Virion smiles softly, "But of course, surely you have heard of me?"
"You are a rich noble." He seems to not care, and is getting aggravated.
He laughs, "I am not just any noble, I am the archest of all the archers. I fought in the war against the Mad King, Valm, and the Grimleal. I took up my bow for the Shepherds. I am the Duke of Rosanne. My name is Virion." He gracefully bows.
The owner's eyes light up, "Ah, I can understand how you claim to have such gold, so…"
The duke shakes his head, a wicked smile on his face, "See, there's a problem… I'm afraid I am not here for such pleasantries."
He is instantly livid, "You are here to pay, or you are here to leave."
"Hear me…" He starts, "I am, in fact, here to obtain her, but… I am also here to..." He pauses.
"To shut this place down." Exalt Chrom enters, "By my power bestowed upon my title as Exalt and the fact this… trafficking business is happening in Ylisse's borders, this atrocity will no longer exist."
The owner foolishly stands his ground, "I am in a neutral ground, if you knew the current borders, you will know that there is exactly a half-mile 'free-zone' between Ylisse and Plegia."
But to his surprise, the blue-hair man chuckles, "Ah, I should have known you would play that card." The Exalt draws Falchion, and all the of the guards draw their own, seemingly uncaring that such an act will call for punishment. "And you should know I tend to act before I think."
"Sheathe your weapons, and I will 'try' and see if I can give you the minimum punishment of trafficking." Frederick walks in, as does a large number of Shepherds, the room is almost filled.
"I say off the guy." A very livid Robin enters, "Let's do it Chrom's way for once," His trusty Thoron tome is in his hand, "Nah." His eyes are full of compassion, before turning right back to a pure anger at the owner, "I don't care if you are king of the world, you abducted my daughter."
"Father…" Nah breathes.
"Yea! What kind of monster are you?!" Nowi's Dragonstone glows violently.
"I could use a new hexing dummy…" Tharja slowly states, a wicked smile on her face.
"I wonder how much he will bleed before dying?" Henry laughs.
The owner is now clearly nervous and he backs down, "Fine. Fine! Take her! Just leave!"
With that blessing of a statement claimed, Nah leaps from that dreaded spot and runs right into her parents' arms… then feels her sister join in soon afterwards. "Mother… father… sister." She openly cries.
"There. See? She's back with you and I swear…"
"I'm still sending you six feet under." Robin states as the man pales. "One moment, dear." He pats Nah on the head as his tome crackles with electricity. "Thoron!" All the owner did is stand there as the spell fries him, killing him before it even finished shocking him. "Hmph." The tome close and he pockets it. "Nah…"
The guards tremble, "He's dead?"
"He's dead!" To the Shepherds surprise, they start cheering.
"He's dead! We're free!" They started chanting.
"I can see my family again!"
"Thank the gods!"
"The gods? Our saviour is right here! All hail Exalt Chrom!" The Exalt is left speechless as the guards kneel en masse.
"Um…" He glances at the others, "You were… forced?"
"He abducted me from guard duty." Came one response.
"He held my family at sword-point." Came another, as all the other replies came around the same message.
"Milord?" Frederick asks.
He sheaths his sword, "Let them leave, I trust they are telling the truth."
"...of course." His voice booms, "You heard the Exalt, you have one chance, I would make good use of it." The guards drop their weapons and stroll out, bowing and thanking the Shepherds along the way.
"I will… give you some space." Chrom states, "Thank you, Virion, for buying us the time. Uh, your…?"
Virion laughs, "It's an impressive bag of forged coins, no?" That fact earns him a glare from Frederick, "How dare you think I would use such things for ill-intent." With that, the others leave.
"Nah." Robin sighs, "By the gods…" He doesn't seem to know how to continue.
"Sister…" Morgan is crying on the glittering dress, 'Good, let it be ruined.'
"My dear daughter." Nowi joins Morgan. "We thought… you just…"
"I'm sorry." Is all Nah could reply with.
"You're with us, we're with you." Robin states, "We love you, Nah. You know this… it hurt us so bad when you didn't show up for dinner…"
"...I thought you just went out there to sleep again." Morgan admitted, "I caused this, if I hadn't convinced…"
"But you still didn't return in the morning." Nowi continues, "So we went back out there, and that is when Morgan and I picked up those other scents… and that stray arrow."
"...I'm so sorry." Nah repeats.
"Let's just go home, okay?" Robin offers.
Morgan gives all of them a strange look, "Perhaps we can find her actual clothes, first?"
"Please do." Nah nods as she refuses to move, like this whole scene is just a dream taunting her…
Then Robin pinches her, "See? Not dreaming." He has a knowing smile on his face.
The half-Manakete feels cloth being pushed onto her, her mother has her old clothes in her hands, they have been mended at least. With a grateful nod, she goes into a side room and changes… then slices the expensive dress with her fingers. "I'm ready." Nah has a small smile as she leaves the accursed den. Back to their home. 'They love me, they care for me, they feed me.' And with that dreadful encounter, she swore she will not ever eat random things or sleep outside. 'Because they care, they want me, they love me.' Maybe she can get over them being in a farmhouse, but still…
"What are the odds of us moving into something besides a farmhouse?" She spurts out at one point.
They give her a concerned look, "Is that what caused all of this?" Robin frowns and she nods, "Gods, I am so… of course! I wish…"
"We'll pack and leave immediately," Nowi assures her, "I'm sure Chrom can secure us a spot in the castle while we find another place."
Nah nods, "It's just… in my timeline…"
Morgan interrupts her with a hug, "Can we burn it down, too, then?" That earns a giggle out of Nah, a well-needed stress-relieving giggle.
"I would normally say that is a waste of materials…" Robin starts, "Let's get our stuff out first, then yes."
Nah smiles, 'Gods, I love them so much…'