//words… //--flashbacks

// "So, you wanna sell the kid into slavery huh?" said the haggard old man to the lady in front of him. She was gripping a young boy by his upper arm tightly, almost raising him completely off his tiptoes. "Mama? What's going on?"

"Didn't I tell you to shut up a long time ago!"

"Ma'am…. if I may?" The woman smiled at the man and thrust the small child to him. "Please do!" the young boy, no older that four years old stumbled and fell at the filthy old man's feet. But when he bent down and lifted the boy gently, the little boy gave a toothy grin up at him. "Now boy, listen here…."said the man still bent to the child's level. "Can you tell me what's attached to my side?" the boy looked to the man's side then back up to him. "It's a switch…" he said meekly. "Good boy! Now, do you know what happens if you're a bad boy and do something like disobey me or your mommy here?"

"I….I get hit?" he whispered looking through his unruly chocolate bangs. "You are correct little one. Do you understand?" the child nodded quickly. "Now, turn around and face your mother." He did. After the large man handed his mama some money she looked down at him, snarled and turned on her heel, walking away. "Take a good look little one….she aint coming back." The boy's lavender eyes widened and then filled with hot tears. "Mama…Mama…..!" the little one tried to run but was stopped by a firm grip on his short little braid. "MAMA!" the baby boy screamed in a desperate shrill tone. His mother kept walking, ignoring her child's cries….and the sharp snap of the switch.//

"Mama…" the boy, now 6 years of age mumbled to himself. He wiped the tears away with his delicate, yet filthy hand and fought to control the sobs threatening to rack through him.

Finally when he was calm, he sat up. "Hurry and clean the blood off the walls! Put food and water in all the cages! His majesty Lord Blair is coming to choose out some new slaves!" a man in the middle of the chamber yelled pointing at the wall beside him.

The subject of our story watched as a bowl of oatmeal and a cup of water was placed in his cage by the slave master's eldest son. Then looked up to see him scurry to do the same for the other cages. After he was out of sight, the young boy looked around. The whole chamber was bustling with people trying to clean up, and usher other customers out the door so that Lord Blair could browse in peace. But the young boy about jumped out of his skin as a loud rap of brass trumpets sounded in the somewhat small chamber. A man stepped up between the people with trumpets and said loudly: "Lord Samuel Blair has arrived please make way."

With that a very tall young man stepped through the doorway and into the room, his long navy blue cape flowing around him. As soon as he had a look about the stone chamber littered with cages full of filthy children in all age ranges, a man looking to be in his late 30's, and about as filthy as the children stepped forward. This was the son of the slave master who had been there since the slave chamber had opened for business 50 years ago, the son of the old man who had sold that young boy into slavery 2 years earlier.

"Good afternoon Lord Blair. How may I assist your search?" said the slave master all too happily. "Your assistance will not be necessary, I can search by myself."

"Oh… Well yes of course you can sir, how utterly stupid of me, please have a look around won't you??" Lord Blair stifled a smirk and walked up to the first in a row of cages. Inside a young girl was asleep, curled on her side, one arm handcuffed to the wall.

In the next cage another young girl was sitting in the corner looking up at Lord Blair. The young sire smiled and walked away, moving down the row of cages. He intentionally skipped a few of the cages and then stopped at the cage of a somewhat older boy. He looked to be about 15 and was eating the slop they put in his cage earlier.

The young boy with the braid and the bright purple eyes watched Lord Blair as he skipped over the older boy and came right up to his cage. The boy smiled. To everyone's surprise, Lord Blair smiled back. "Slave master! I request that you remove this boy from his cage and strip him, I would like to look him over!"

"Yes sir!" the slave driver turned to his men. "Open cage 12! Quickly! Do as Lord Blair has requested!"

Before the violet eyed child could stand up, two men swung open the door to his cage and unshackled his hand from the chain attached to the wall. They then grabbed him and yanked him into the center of the room. They tore off his shirt and pants so roughly that the child fell to the floor with a blunt thud. "Lord Blair snickered with a large grin. The boy stood and kept his head down, bright eyes shielded by long pointy bangs. Some of the men who worked at the slave chamber laughed at the child for looking so downright…well…CUTE. The boy standing nude on the platform began to whimper and tug at his chest length braid. He swiped at his teary eyes fitfully and ordered himself not to cry any harder. "Alright, that's enough. I think he'll be coming back with me." Said Lord Blair. "Alright you little shit! You heard him, stop bellyaching! Get dressed and get your scrawny ass over here!" said one of the workers.

When the tiny malnourished boy was dressed in his dirty oversized clothes he sat down on the tall platform and slipped off of it, landing very clumsily in a heap on the floor. When he looked up there were several people looking at him. "BOY! GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE!"

The tiny boy shuffled over to the slave master quickly and looked up at Lord Blair. He smiled at the child and paid the fee. "Alright sir. From now one the runt belongs to you…Have a splendid day!" Lord Blair nodded at the man and left with the boy in tow.