Thanks for the review Lioness's Heart! It was sooo helpful!
I'm not putting a disclaimer here because I already put one on the first chapter.
P.S. Sorry I changed it to first person so abruptly but I was finding third person too difficult.
________________________________________________________________________Beka'sPOV____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
After what I heard from Hasfush, I had wanted to go right back to my lodgings but Rosto insisted on having lunch first. So here we were sitting on the bank of the Olorun River. Rosto hadn't skimped, there was fresh bread, strawberries, pasties, Tyran custard, and fruited honey cake. I was shocked and not just because he knew my favorite dessert.
"Rosto this is too expensive, I can't eat it." I complained. This must have cost him at least two copper nobles.
"If you eat enough of it I promise to find one of the poorest families in Corus and give them a pot of Tyran custard and five loaves of bread. Is that good enough?" He was smiling; he thought my reluctance to eat funny! Still I was pretty hungry and it would be nice to try and relax after the scare I just had.
"Fine, white-haired old man" I mumbled and then grinned when he protested.
"I'm not an old man! My hair is sun-colored!" It was the usual argument whenever I said but because he's so vain about his looks, it never gets old.
I started to eat only because I knew Rosto would keep his promise. Rosto wasn't hungry but he seemed to enjoy staring at me. Feeling self-conscious I tried to distract him. We talked about the work on the inn for awhile. It was looking good with numerous secret entrances and such. Rosto trusted me enough to tell me of a few though it was doubtless nobody knew all of them but he. I had eaten almost everything when he finally said I'd eaten enough. I was full and just like a baby I was sleepy after I ate. Rosto only noticed when I started yawning continuously.
"I think I'll go back to my lodgings." I said through my yawns. I tried to get up and stumbled. I tried again and fell. Evidently I was too tired to even walk. I shouldn't have stayed up so late last night I thought guilty.
"Rosto, can you help me?" I regretted it the moment I asked. He grinned at me as he swung me up into his arms. I struggled for a minute before I relaxed. He was just taking me home after all. Still I'd rather lean on him then be carried the whole way. As he started off down the road I was extremely aware of his heart's steady beating, the feel of his chest against my side, and his hands on my shoulders and legs. Despite my...distractions, soon I started to fall asleep. My head fell onto his shoulder and my eyes closed.
-
I awoke to Pounce licking my face. It was nice to have my annoying little constellation back for good. He was the perfect companion. Him and Achoo of course. Speaking of Achoo I looked at her, she was staring at me with her doggy eyes. She was getting along fine since Port Caynn.
I looked out the window; it was almost time for watch. I scrambled into my uniform and put on my gear. When I was ready I opened the door and nearly tripped over a beautiful vase filled with red gillyflowers. I smiled to myself. The last time he gave me red gillyflowers it was when I first used the white hair joke. That time it was a cracked vase, now it was a perfect one, with beautiful carvings of a cat. Even so I still liked the last one better and since he didn't ask for it back I had kept it. I took that vase out now and split the gillyflowers into both vases. The cracked one I placed on my bedside table and the new one on my table.
As I walked to baton practice I thought of our picnic. It was certainly fun but did anyone see him carrying me home? I felt a blush creep into my cheeks at the thought of breakfast tomorrow if someone had seen. Oh why did I let him?
The whole way to the training yard I felt like I was being watched. When I turned my head I thought I caught a glimpse of pale-blonde hair disappearing around a corner or ducking behind a stall. Was Rosto watching me? I thought about what he said after I told him Vrinday Kayu might come after me. He'd said she had to go through him first. Was he tailing me to make sure I wasn't attacked? So he wasn't as cold a cove as I'd thought. He was trying to protect me. I reminded myself I should do something nice for him sometime.
The mood from this morning's breakfast was present at training too. We practice like regular but no one was laughing or smiling. Apparently the fact that our young heir has gone missing had hit everyone hard. What kind of kingdom can't keep their children safe in their own palace? That's what other countries will think of us. They will think us weak and easily conquered.
Muster had the same feeling. Lucky for us, me and Tunstall were on Cesspool tonight. Never had time to think about anything there. I thought I should tell Goodwin and Tunstall about Vrinday Kayu and mayhap my lord but the mood here was infectious. I didn't want to talk. I would tell them after watch.
Tunstall was the same for the first part of watch, he said nothing. We caught a murderer, three foists, and stopped numerous pickpockets and one brawl. We had worked up an appetite and were heading out to the Mantel and Pullet when we saw a Rat beating up a poor mot in an alleyway.
"I'll take care of this. You go on and order my dinner." I whispered to him. He nodded and moved on. Meanwhile I was already heading for the Rat. I accidently stepped on a stray cat's tail. He shrieked and ran off. I cursed myself for not noticing the cat. The Rat looked up saw me and ran for it. In a way I was glad for a run but it was ruined by my growling stomach.
I chased him through alleyway after alleyway. Him calling curses at me over his shoulder. When he tripped I finally caught up to him. I was just about to grab him when red flames burst up between us. Startled I stepped back and more flames erupted behind me. The Rat seemingly oblivious to the flames surrounding me had run away. I cursed looking for a way around the flames but what I saw made my blood run cold and shivers run up my spine. Vrinday Kayu appeared on the other side of the flames. She laughed and I was surrounded by red mist. As I slipped into unconsciousness her loud cackling echoing my ear, I had one fleeting thought before it went black. Where was Rosto?
_
I had a strange dream then; Rosto was pacing the hallway outside the door to my room wearing nothing but breeches. It was dark, too dark. It must have been somewhere around one in the morning. Usually I'd be home by then. A few minutes more passed and he suddenly punched the wall. His expression was furious. Footsteps from Aniki's door and then it opened. Aniki shuffled over. Rosto looked at her and his expression turned blank.
"She's still not home?" She asked. She was wearing naught but her shift and her hair was hanging around her shoulders.
Rosto nodded. "Why not ask Pounce if he knows? He stayed here, didn't he?" Rosto's lips twitched. I bet he hadn't thought of that. Rosto turned the knob on my door which happened to be unlocked and stopped dead. Written in ashes on my wall were the words: A slave she'll be. A cackling voice filled the room and I caught one glimpse of Rosto's furious expression before I jolted awake.
_
I was lying on cold dirt. My neck was stiff and there was something cold and metallic in place of my gorget. I reached up and felt it. It was a slave collar. That means my dream was real. Then it came to me, she must've given me dream rose specifically so I could see that. I sat up and looked around. I was in a small shed. My cuffs were attached to a ring sticking out of the floor. I gave it an experimental tug and pain flashed through my arm. So that's how they prevented slaves from escaping. The chains shock you and these sheds were spelled to be soundproof so it's almost impossible to tell if slaves are hidden within. We had raided a few before. The mumpers are getting smarter, pox rot em'.
I heard noises outside the wooden door. In a minute it opened and a man I assumed was a Scanran slave dealer entered with Vrinday Kayu. I glared at her as she closed the door behind her.
"Who did you say she was again?" the dealer asked as he looked me over. He was a muscled cove with three gold earrings in his right ear and a face that would make babies cry.
"Ava" Vrinday answered. She didn't look so good I thought with smug satisfaction. Pretending to be dead did not agree with her. She looked like she would drop dead if you so much as tapped her.
"Well, she's pretty enough for a maid. She looks like she's from t'e Copper Isles. Folk pay more fer Copper Isles slaves. I'll give you a gold noble for 'er." Copper Isles? It was then in the light from the torch they brought with them that I noticed my skin color had changed. So too had my hair. My skin was a chocolate brown and my hair was curly, long and brown as well. I gaped at it.
"Didn't think you were worth a gold noble did ya? Eh?" He said. The looby thought I was from some poor family and had probably never seen a gold noble in my life but Vrinday smirked interpreting my expression correctly. Her smirk made her face looked even more sinister and deformed. Any hope of being recognized and saved vanished in an instant.
"You can keep the gold noble if you keep her on dream rose for every night of the journey. I have enough for the week. I wish for her to see what I'm doing here." The slaver smiled and tucked his gold noble back in his purse.
"No problem." He unlocked the cuffs on my wrist. It would have been easy to escape then if Vrinday hadn't been standing by the door. But then if i did get anywhere the collar would choke me. The slaver grabbed my arm and lifted me to my feet. He left my hands alone. Mayhap they needed me for sommat.
"We'll leave today afore anyone's up and about. Don't worry bout' Night Watch neither. They're a bunch of lazy scuts." He opened the door and dragged me out. Vrinday followed smiling at me as I glared at her. Waiting for us outside were four mounted men and an extra horse attached to a wagon. These men were also Scanran. He loaded me into the wagon with a small child which he placed in my lap. That's probably why they needed a me, so I could take care of this toddler. The boy was struggling slightly. He had a sack over his head and his little arms were tied behind his back. In his stuggle the sack slipped revealing his face and blue eyes. For the second time in the space of a few mintues, I was shocked. They were the Queen's eyes. I had only seen them once but there was no mistaking those blue eyes.
These Scanran men were kidnapping the prince and me along with them.