Ritsuka Tachibana, a common girl from the lands of China is captured and sold as a slave in the market of the capital known only as The Golden City of the Desert. A land said to have been the birthplace of the Heroes and Sorceress Goddess of old. There she is taken to the palace to work in the kitchens as a servant. What possible future lies for her trapped in this strange mystical land?

Rating Teen for now.

Slow build Alternate Universe Alternate history. Rem and Urie are brothers in this fic. Glax is still the worst dad alive.

Characters Ritsuka, Urie, Rem, Glax, Jek, Dance with Devils stage play characters Noel and Holland Maria and Lindo.

Chapter one

A pearl in the hand

They five now no more than three of them lived near the very edge of the shadow of the now nearly eight hundred year old so called Great Wall of China, a nearly imposing structure built so long ago to keep an invading army of Huns out and in turn seemed to reached out to touch the heavens very above as if the gods themselves could simply step out of the clouds and step on the earth like they had done so long ago in the ancient past to set up another royal Dynasty of golden dragons. They lived and were surrounded on all sides by deep forests and waterfalls that kept them all fed and watered.

It was a simple life, far away from the palace and its darkness and lust.

A young girl moved swiftly and carefully along the bank of a pebble strewn river, carrying firewood in her back watching the fish swim by, listening to the voices of the forest. It was midday the sun not too bright the forest full of life and wonder. Maybe later she would bring her brother out here to run their feet in the spring and talk of days long past.

That was until she heard a horses' frilly whine and strange voices that she could barely understand.

"They said she was around here..."

The voice had a rough and strangely deep sound to it but she still could recognize it, thanks to her Grandfather who had given her lessons of other languages around the known world she could tell that whoever was speaking was not from around her or China for that matter.

Strange why would they want to be here didn't they know that...

She looked up from the river spotting a couple dozen strangely dressed figures up ahead through the trees half hidden but standing out against the greenery, her eyes widening as she looked at them more closely. Without a doubt she knew who and what these people were, quickly she dropped the firewood.

She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt had to get away from them.

She was just a few miles away from home, she could hear her mother and her cousin talking as they went about their morning.

That was until she felt someone grab her from behind.

"This one will make a great sell." He smirked his eyes hidden behind a strange looking mask.

Out in the corner of her eyes she saw more coming, men all men dressed in the black clothing of Slavers.

She would not could not be taken by them.

She fought back pulled her wrist away from him startling the man holding her reached up and slapped him across the face leaving three long and noticeable deep gouges on the left side of his face.

The man recoiled at the surprise unexpected attack his red eyes wide in shock a shaking hand raised to his face.

This had not happened even in a barbaric place like this before... not once.

The men descended on her from all sides. There was no escape there was no other way but to fight and that is what she did until she felt something, a presence within her mind darkening her eyes turning her body to led a sneering voice whispering harshly in her ear.

"That'll keep you out for a while until well after you are sold, little ruby bird..."

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Vaguely she remembered that Lindo has asked if she wanted him to go along with her saying it would be quicker and easier but she had refused saying that he had other things to do at the moment. How could she have been so foolish... But at the same time how could she have expected anything to change. It had just looked like any ordinary day after all.

The left side of her face still aced and throbbed slightly, she weakly raised a none seeable hand to her cheek and felt the skin it felt skin tender and without looking she knew it would leave a mark, a mark that would go away given time. The cart jostled and rattled sending her falling to the floor of her moving cell. As the day wore on she drifted in and out of consciousness as whatever that had afflicted her with worked its magic on her mind keeping her from moving or fighting against her captors or even the binding on her hands and feet tied as tightly as she thought foot binding must feel like. Horribly she thought that's what they were going to do to her before the thought was swept away form her mind leaving it all but blank and nearly empty.

Straining herself and her entire body to keep her eyes open she looked out through the bars as the landscaped changed to to that of burning deserts and freezing moons recognizing nothing through the haze.

One mile after the other one more step and jerk of her cage was taking her so far from home as she was dragged onwards.

Once again her eyes slipped shut the spell taking her strength once again her body like led an ocean currant dragging her down.

"Is she awake?" One of the men sighed, the dark mark on the left side of his face a firm reminder of what happened when they had underestimated this seemingly defenseless girl.

"No that spell will last until he reach the city and then some."

"Master are you sure she's not of anyone important?"

"Important?! Just look at her feet, don't you see that she's a nobody!" Said the one who was their leader his pink hair tied in a pony tail that was placed delicately over his shoulder glaring down at him from his high horse gesturing at her shackled feet.

"Once more she's a daughter from China, a nothing of no importance, no one will ever miss her." Cold red eyes glittered maliciously in the desert moon down at the one curled in the cage the three marks on his cheek standing out against the moonlight. He raised a hand to hit wincing slightly.

The ten of them came to rest for the night set up camp by an oasis under the shade of a single tree the bright moonlight the only source of light until a fire could be set he was just about to tell some of his men to find some wood when he spotted one of his men moving towards her still presently curled up on the cage.

"Leave her alone," he called in annoyance. "We'll get a better prince on her if she's a virgin." Besides there was no reason to get a child from this one, not yet anyway they would wait until the next full moon for that.

"What if they ask if she's Muslim or Christian? They might lower the prince to nothing?"

"Are you an idiot. She's not wearing a face covering and did you see the way she fought in the forest? She wasn't taught to be some docile lamb meant to bear children that's for sure. She'll fetch a good enough prince."

". . .She's not very pretty, but she has good strength at least, she'd make for a very good working slave."

"Whatever let's just dump her off at the first buyer that comes." Another said still nursing his deep wounds from the nights before.

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The cottage was small but well built and held together and hidden by a powerful magic and above all it was comfortable something not quite common in China during the time but still it had to be built like one to avoid suspicion to anyone who was powerful enough to not be enchanted by the spell. There was still a spall window in the front where in the distance a head of brown could be seen in the distance coming steadily closer to the dwelling. The child giggled holding the small creature in her hands ready to show her mother and brother what she had just captured.

"Xiông?" She called out to the house. Hearing no response in return Something wasn't right, even to the child's young mind she knew it. The dragonfly her little gift slipped out of his fingers back into the shrinking darkening woods.

"Ritsuka!"

"Mother!?"

"Rtisuka!"

Grandfather!?

"Ritsuka?! Where are you?!"

I'm right here!" The child shouted spotting what she thought to be that of her own mother pulling at her clothing to get her attention as all innocent children did. If she was anyone else if she was anywhere else expect here she could be sent flying to the hard ground in one swift strike for this so called misbehavior.

"Ritsuka!?"

I'm right here!"

A hand was placed delicately and carefully on her shoulder upon the tattered remains of her simple dark green kimono and she turned to see that of her grandfather in his burial clothing stained with dirt of his eyes filled with sadness and anguish.

"I am sorry my dear granddaughter."

Suddenly another man stepped out of the shadows of the nothingness a man she did not know and dressed in odd clothing but whose eyes matched her that were gazing at her in sadness and deep regret.

It is all my fully... But I promise you it will all be over soon, you will be where you were meant to...

Just then she screamed her voice raw and powerless as she felt a searing coldness rushing over her and she was forced back into a harsh reality felt the harsh burning sun rain down upon her hot and cold.

It was loud that much she could still sense about her, that and a pair of red eyes she could see through her haze. staring into a pair of seemingly mocking cold red glowing dizzying eyes.

"Oh? Did we wake you from a pretty dream?" She heard one of her captors say through a sneering voice down at her before her blurry vision was obscured by his leader.

"Time to go, little ruby bird."

He reached out grabbing her by her wrist to drag her out of her cage and into the harsh desert ground. Her throat felt raw feeling like she hand't eaten in days, despite that she gathered what little water she had remaining in her mouth and spat at him through her clouded vision. Though she couldn't see it the mans now seeable eyes twitched in anger as the spit rolled down his cheek his purple colored lips twisting and turning. He tightened his hold on her bangs and held her up to his eyes.

"Just for that I'll see you sold off to some deceased ridden fat old man... I swear."

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Chapter two

Value before Prince

It was hot.

Though him saying that out loud would be the understatement of the century and could get him very strange looks for saying something so obvious that it was pointless to even say it before he made one of his men or his guards shove them away.

It had been Eighteen years since he had been bought to... live as a slave here, nearly thirteen years since he had been taken out of the shackles by the now deceased Queen of this Golden City and nearly five since his worth had been proven to the king and he still wasn't quite used to this damned weather. The mornings and afternoon was boiling hot, the evenings and nights freezing cold, there was absolutely no in between.

Yes the weather was damned miserable at any time of the day.

He had just gotten back after spending a week in Turkey and then another in some other place that for the life of him could not remember the name of on business for the king, trying to bring about suitable marriages betrothal for the kings two sons for whatever good that did. Besides he doubted the king was looking for any form of peace anyway.

A guard shoved a passerby peddler away from him as he walked on. That was another thing the streets here were too crowded with peddlers selling their wares at the top of their voices market goers, beggars, a petty child play thief keeping away form him at they made their way through the city square bustling with intense booming noise, the city a mixture of both old and new.

Sure it smelt a lot better then what he remembered of his home back in the heart and ghettos of France and the crowds were relatively the same in which the only good thing about having lived in that dungheap thanks to his parents choice as well as, if he remembered correctly had been the much cooler weather off the water not unlike the small breeze coming from the one surrounding the city but...

The kings top advisor Noel* raised a hand to his face and wiped the absurd amount of sweat from his heated face, this damned turban he was wearing wasn't helping him in the slightest and neither was this fan bearing Muslim slave. He was just about to shout at him to step away when he paused noticing a flash of very familiar obnoxious colored hair in the distance.

He looked. No... it couldn't.

He looked even closer watching it bobbing in and out of his sight.

And yet it was.

Without another thought he walked towards what he knew for a fact to be that of his old... partner.

"Master?" He vaguely heard one of his men asked as he turned a corner. "That is towards the slave markets... Master! They might believe that you still are...!" The servants voice was lost to the guards swift movements as they filed in after him, spears as well as guns raised and ready to strike or shoot, whichever came first, at anyone as he went by. He paid little to no notice to anything else as he walked on, his desert robes swishing behind him in the wind. While he thought he could never get used to the cut of the clothing in this place he still figured that he dressed a bit better and less revealingly then prince Urie, what with the way he shamelessly showed off his skin, not as if that brother of his was any better anyway. Of course saying that out loud would get his tongue cut out and not because he thought he dressed better than a royalty. Besides what else was one to wear in this damnable heat anyway?

He came to a halt right behind him he and his men hardly noticed him as they moved to a shackled foreign looking girl held down by a magic spell ready for the market, an image of the past filling his mind.

"Jek." He began, not even waiting for him to turn around trying to keep his voice steady. "Never thought I would see your fragranced self back here."

The others around him turned red eyes widening at the sight of him.

"Its him..."

"You. . ."

The man named Jek turned, an annoyed growl starting in his throat that froze his eyes widening when he caught sight of him, staring at him voice as if lost to him for a good few seconds before he swiftly retrieved it. He notice that he had lost the pale look about him his hair so blond it looked grey colored even more by the sun, eyes as dark as grey clouds and were fixed on him waiting for his answer.

"Its him... its Noel...!" Jek heard one of his men shout above the noise of slaves being offered, prices being made, no one noticing or paying the two of them any mind but a few who noticed Noel first from long ago, their eyes narrowing and then the guards standing right behind him, their hands tight around their weapons as well as the sensation begging to spread through the air of preparing to create a protective or death spell if need be. And they turned swiftly back to their own business.

"Y-you...!"

"Me." Noel smirked as the two of them stared at each other long buried memories of the past resurfacing once again.

"How the might have fallen, and can and will fall even further down... Is that not right... Noel?"

"Yes."

Jek shook his head, trying to get that out of his head. This wasn't right, why was someone like him dressed so richly, flanked by guards and...

"What the hell are you doing out here?! Should you not be on your knees toiling away on a courtyard somewhere?!"

"Maybe a decade ago but not today... I am a kings man now Jek."

"That cannot be right!"

"Oh but it is."

". . . . Fine! Whatever just get away quickly I'm trying to sell this girl! People won't buy anything with guards here even if they worthless byproduct of..."

Noel ignored his speech and instead he gazed up at the girl and then back at the other noticing the bruises on their faces.

"Oh. . .? What is this? Can't handle one small girl anymore Jek? Getting rather old for this work as well..." He smirked, eyes on the dark marks on his cheek that he had tried to cover up with some sort of badly casted spell.

The other blushed a light shade of red that nearly matched his lighter colored strange hair.

Noel looked and saw the men still had the marks on his hand.

His sharp eyes fell on the bruise on her face, her face pale, her eyes dulled and dead looking.

"How much is she and where is she from?"

"China... and and that is none of your business!" He sputtered.

The cook needed some new hands in her kitchens anyway now that he thought about it.

"Her feet are not bound. Good I'm taking her."

"She's not for sale!" He spat at him.

"All slaves are for sale." He said, mimicking his word he had said to him in the past. "When the right values are met..."

"Not to you."

"Are you still hot and bothered at the sight of me? Did you already forgot what I told you not a moment ago. . .? I am a kings man now Jek." Noel said to him loftily, folding his arms over his chest, a cool self assured smirk on his face the same kind he had shown to him when he had been taken away by the same guards he now commanded so long ago. "I could see you in shackles with just a flick of my head and thrown to lions without even a trial." He half turned to the half a dozen guards he had with him whose fingers tightened on the handle of their guns.

"...Fine! Just take her for what good it'll do you!"

He smiled nodded to one of the guards who approached the girl next to the men.

"Careful with her now, she's under a spell." He watched as the guard carefully put her in his arms then looked back at Jek.

"It'll wear off in thirty minutes." He muttered though gritted teeth a overly shadowed eye twitching.

"Fought back against you that much did she? Well now I'm very pleased I got to her first. Its good to have another strong pair of hands working on the staff. Not a doubt in my mind that you would have given her to the first old pervert who came this way and that would have been a huge waste in talent. Well... I must be off, royal duties to see to and all, royal princes' and royal mentors to be bothered by, a kings temper to withstand and other such things. Well anyway pleasure doing business with you, as always Jek~. May the goddess and the heroes ever be with you... for whatever good it'll do to someone rat like you." With that he turned on his heel in the sand and left without looking back at the man who looked like he was burning like the sun.

"To the dammed impaler with you false god loving heathen," Jek hissed at him under his breath.

But he was already out of earshot towards the palace glittering over the city as bright as the sun on the many tips of the Pyramids of Egypt.

His men looked back at their master helplessly. Angrily Jek gnashed his teeth together so harshly that a bit of dark red colored blood began oozing out of his lower lip where piercing the flesh could be seen a pair of white pointed teeth sharp and clear as the palest ivory.

*In the palace kitchens*

The head Cook gazed down at the small slip of a girl the kings top advisor had bought for her to see and then back up to the one who he had left there for her to answer her questions when he had promptly left the kitchens without another word.

"Where did he say she was from?"

"China miss."

"China?"

She gazed down at her feet and clicked her tongue.

"She's not from the nobility that is for sure, which is good she can work i'm tired of these tiny footed weak servants bought from there. Noel does have an eye for things like that I'll give him that. Well anyway... she needs some water first and a meal she looks like she hasn't eaten of bathed in days."

She looked more closely at the younger girl looking somewhat half asleep, docile even.

"Why is she like this?" Cook asked gesturing at the girl.

"A spell has been cast on her to keep her like that. It is wearing off as we speak. Noel asked a spell caster to help it along."

Frowning slightly she looked back at her and knew it too be true, a tricky spell that could not be broken only waited out.

Thanks to that the girl was looking down away from her towards the ground. She had a very... strange air about her that she knew was not from the spell. Her hair was a mess as well as what she could see of her pale face where on the left side a small dark bruise had formed. She was told that she had been strong and she did not doubt it, she would make a very good worker.

"Fought back against them did you?"

"...Yes..."

"You have courage then I'll give you that. Well... that bruise will go away after a while you won't feel it very soon. Now look up at me girl."

Slowly she looked up and she saw the color of her eyes seemingly to be brown mixed with just the lightest bit of gold looking nearly like the prince Urie's. A unique color to say the least.

"What is your name?"

"...Ritsuka..."

"Are you Christian or Muslim?"

". . .Neither. . ."

"Well good for you, Ritsuka you'll be treated better than most for your parents having a brain. From this day forwards you will work for me you will be a servant in the kitchens and do as you are told... not that that won't be any different for someone like you." Her voice tailed off as she said that.

"I look forward to seeing what you can do. Now someone get her some water and something to eat. We will have to wait until that spell wears off on her."

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Sue me I'm keeping her name as Cook for the time being. Also if your wondering what she looks like she's the girl who told Ritsuka about the notice from Rem in the first episode minus the glasses.

*I'm not gonna lie. When I first saw a still picture of Noel from the stage play I thought he was a cinnamon-roll cat, now however I think he is a Sinnamon-roll cat who just so happens to be a turncoat bat.

Aslo I know what you all are wondering. When will Rem and Urie come in? Well fear not for the both of them will be in the next chapter. However Glax will be there as well... so yeah.