Daydreams

Baela I

As the morning sun rose over the mouth of the Rhoyne she dreamt of falling. Falling from the highest peak in the world and pray on the way down that she turn into a bird as to fly as far away as possible. Alas, her wish never came true. She was a slave to the most disgusting man in all of Essos. She did not know his name, but all the other masters called him the "Filth of Qarth." The slaves say he clogged the whole draining system in his lands and as a curse he was forced to smell like piss and shit the rest of his life. Yet here he was smelling of bile and possibly one of the poorest masters in the Eastern side of the world.

Her and the other slaves were chained together and ushered to the selling square. There were hundreds of others dressed all the same. Baela didn't belong. Not here, not as a slave, not in Volantis. The city was filled with people, slaves and masters alike. Mainly slaves though. A master was an uncommon sight for a person's eyes. Volantis was always marketing off slaves day or night.

There was a rough tugging sensation on her wrist and she was pulled onto the block, unchained, and stripped of all clothes leaving her naked for everyone to see. The announcer called out, "The first slave offered from the 'Filth of Qarth.'" He grabbed Baela's face to see the tattoo on her cheek, "A builder? How are you a builder?" he asked.

Baela licked her lips, "I work the forge, make weapons and armor for my masters guards. It's all I've ever known to do since I can remember."

The announcer laughed, "A beauty and good with her hands! Very resourceful creature. And where were you born?"

"Lys." She answered.

"Lys! Most likely a product of slave breeding, am I correct in the matter?"

"You are correct, mi' lord."

"Excellent! Very excellent! The blood of Old Valyria runs in many from Lys. Could you possibly have it?"

Baela looked at her master who gave a small nod enough for her to see, but not those around him. "Yes." She said.

Whispers went among the masters that were attending. The announcer proclaimed, "For this specimen the bidding starts at 150 Honors."

One master raised his hand, "200!" He shouted.

"275!" shouted another.

Baela looked over into the streets where commoners would walk into shops and buy food, wine, and anything nice. She desperately wanted to be apart of it instead of a slave. She had never been able to buy something for herself even something such as a glass cup. She locked eye contact with a young boy walking behind the other slaves. He had black hair, dazzling sea green eyes, and a scar running down his cheek. He smiled a wicked smile as if to say, "So it's you." A traffic of commoners passed by and he evaporated into nothing behind them.

"430 Honors! Sold!" the announcer bellowed.

Baela scanned the crowd and saw a man in Braavosi leathers walking up on the stage. He tossed two bags of Honors to the 'Filth of Qarth,' "Here. Maybe you can afford a bath for once." The other masters laughed. Even some of the slaves he owned showed a little smile, just for a moment though so no one would notice easily. The new master picked up my cloth dress and handed it to me.

"Thank you, mi' lord."

He smiled and said, "Come on, I've got other places to be." Baela rushed off the stage as stopped at the bottom waiting for her new master. As quick as she could she put her cloth dress back on and brushed her hair aside like she normally did as an anxious tick. As the master reached the bottom step she held her arms out to be rechained. "That will not be necessary my dear. So long as you are with me you will not wear a chain again."

He started to walk away so Baela ran to catch up, "Mi' lord, I-" She stopped herself. "Forgive me that was out of turn. I should not be speaking unless asked a question." She lowered her head in apology.

"It is quite alright." He said.

The master lifted her chin up with his finger and Baela got a much better look at him then before on the stage. He was old, not too old, but old enough to be her father. He wasn't of course. Baela had known her father. She lived in his house up until right after her 10th name day when a fever took him in the night. Since her mother died in childbirth and since her father had no true born sons, Baela and her other half siblings were put on a ship to Qarth. She missed her father. He was a genuinely kind man and never beat them. He was as real as any father would be to his children even if they were bastards. Her fathers voice rang through her head, "The greatest lie we tell ourselves is that happiness is given to us. It isn't given to you… Just like everything else in the world you have to earn it for yourself."

A tear ran down her cheek and her master wiped it away, "I'm sorry, mi' lord, you just remind me of someone I lost." She used her dress to wipe the rest of the water from her tearducts and saw something very unusual. Two hammers crossed over each other under his left eye, however it was faded to the point of contrast close to his skin color. "You're a slave as well?"

Baela and her new master walked a little ways before he started talking. "I was, when I was a boy. A blacksmith just as you. Except my master didn't like slavery, so he proposed me an offer. In exchange for my freedom I had to be his apprentice. I could do what I wanted when I wasn't working, but whenever it was time I had to constantly be forging. When I made enough money from him and selling weapons, armor, and the like, I paid him all he bought me with plus interest. I set up my own shop in Pentos with all the money that remained. Recently I found out he died so with the same mentality he had I decided to return the favor in another way by taking on my own apprentice. I figured since Volantis had the biggest slave trade area that I'd find at least one with talent."

"So you chose me?"

"Yes."

"And you're going to give me the same offer?"

"With a few alterations. But that is a conversation for another time my dear. For now let us find you some better clothes for the journey back home for Pentos."