Hi guys! So I've had this story in my head for awhile and I haven't been able to finish another story of mine because of it. I'd love to keep this story going so please let me know if you like this really, really short chapter.

Upholder

Her almond shaped, cognac colored eyes were lined with kohl and her full lips dyed a deep red from berries. She slowly lifted her veil over her slightly marked face before looking into a tarnished mirror that hung on the wall. Her body was covered in thin materials, covering everything but also covering nothing.

"Amara" She saw Smeme's reflection in the mirror, it was time. Taking one last deep breath, Amara pushed her deep brown waves behind her shoulders and turned to see Smeme snarling. "All of the girls make it on time but you are the only one that can't grasp how important that is." Smeme grabbed Amara by the arm, her thin fingers digging into her dark olive skin and most likely leaving a bruise. Dragging her down a dimly lit hall, Smeme flung her into a room that was only cut off by a few pieces of fabric. All of the girls briefly stopped talking amongst themselves as soon as Amara had entered the room. She quickly straightened her back but as soon as she did, she was pushed forward once more by one of the guards standing by the door.

It was dark outside and the room was even more dimly lit than the hallway. This was her life. Dark nights and dark days. Amara had been orphaned as a child and was sent to the concubine as a slave. It is there where she transformed from a small, skinny girl to a beautiful woman. She quickly became one of the favorites. The music started playing, as it did every night when she entered the room. She could see the smoke billowing out from the back of the room and knew she had to start dancing. He was here. Her hips slowly started swaying and eventually worked up to a full circle. She closed her eyes, letting the music take over as she did every night. Her arms raised above her head and her hands moved around each other in the same circle pattern has her hips were moving. The music had stopped but Amara kept moving until she started to hear soft crying coming from the women in the room. She opened her eyes to see the two guards that were standing by the entrance on the floor, covered in blood. Quickly turning around she saw no more smoke and the master in a pool of his own blood, dripping from the bed. Surrounding him were five tall men with swords and armor she had never seen before. Some of them had markings on their bodies, just like her and all of them had intricate braids in their hair. The women were now screaming and crying louder, except for Amara. One of the men with markings on his face and head had started to walk towards her. His face was now right in front of her own and before she could stop him, her veil was torn off. His eyes became wide and his lips turned up.

"Bjorn, this one is special, she is unlike the rest of them." The tallest of them had stopped looting the masters body to look up at her. Amara had no idea what was being said but knew it had something to do with her. He came over and towered over her. His hand was large and rough as he grabbed her chin but she made sure she did not flinch or show any signs of fear. His blue eyes examined her face while his thumb trailed down the markings on the side of her face.

"She will come back with us and will not be touched." He looked at her once more before turning around to explore the room. "Hvitserk, take her to the boat while we finish up in here." A younger man approached Amara, grabbing both of her hands and tying them together before leading her out of the room with a rope. She looked back only to see the curtains slowly falling into place and the women screaming even louder than before. The hall was dark now but she could make out Smeme's body against the wall, hunched over. Amara's heart began to race as soon as she saw the thick wooden doors that cut her off from the rest of the world. The women that lived here were hardly ever allowed to leave the concubine in fear that they would run away. She was only allowed out a handful of times since she was a child but was always accompanied by a guard and Smeme.

As soon as he opened the doors, the smell of the sea and blood hit her senses fast. She couldn't help but smile and laugh as she looked up to the black sky. Everything felt like it was moving really slow. The wind that picked up her wavy hair, the men and women around her running from these strangers and the sound of the metal hitting metal rung loudly. She was free and nothing would ever be the same. The young man holding the other end of the rope looked back at her and smirked as soon as he saw her smile.

"Unlike the rest of them, is right." His mouth moved but she couldn't understand anything that was being said. She could have been killed and she would still smile as the sword entered her body. She took one last look at the building that held her captive for most of her life and a single tear fell from her eye.

I promise future chapters will be much longer but it felt right where I left it off. Please review so I know its worth it to keep this going!

xoxo