Chapter 7

Just before the children, Katherine, and Reepicheep were put onto the long-boat, a well groomed man with a well kept beard came out of one of the houses and started conversing with the leader of the pirate band.

"Well Pug, more of your usual goods? The pirate named Pug bowed very low to the man, exposing the balding and shiny top of his as his greasy black hair bobbed at the forward motion. He looked rather comical and it was amazing that he was able to keep himself upright at the apparent unbalance that the bow left him in, especially factoring in his considerable girth.

He talked to the gentleman in a honeyed tone. "Why yes your lordship, always the best when you buy from ol' Pug." The unnamed man ignored Pug's ramblings, "How much for that one." He waved toward Caspian with his hand as Pug beamed at the prospect of a sale. "Well my lordship could always tell which ones are the best, no one could try to sell anything second rate to you my lord. That boy, well I've grown rather fond of him myself. Tender hearted man I am, never should have taken up this line of work. But you being such an honorable man my lordship…" The man had enough of Pug's flowery lies; "Tell me your price, pirate! I will have no more of the rigmarole of your tainted trade!"

Pug sobered up rather quickly not wanting to lose a sale; "Well my lord for you three hundred crescents for the boy." "I'll give you one hundred and fifty." Lucy sobbed at the thought of being separated; "Please sir! Don't separate us whatever you will do. You don't know-" Katherine stopped Lucy before she could get out another word, putting her tied hands on the young girl's shoulder. 'It wouldn't be wise to announce to everyone just who Caspian is at this moment' she thought to herself as the man tried to calm Lucy down himself. "I will pay no more than one hundred and fifty, and you little maiden I am sorry that I cannot buy you all." Turning away he said; "Untie my boy Pug. And treat those others well or it will be on your head." Pug looked indignant, "Who ever heard of a gentleman in my business who treated his stock better than me?! Why, I treat 'em like my own children!" "I wouldn't be surprised if that were true," said the other grimly.

Finally the moment of separation had come as Caspian was untied by one of the grimy men. Lucy burst into tears while Edmund had a blank look, and Kat was very grim indeed. Caspian looked over his shoulder and tried to be as cheerful as possible. "Cheer up. It will all work out all right in the end." With that Caspian was gone, and the others were put on the boat with extreme swiftness. Lucy's quiet crying was soon chided by the "caring" Pug. "Now there, missy! Don't be going and ruining your looks for the market tomorrow. You be a good girl and then you won't have nothin' to cry about."

Soon after Lucy stopped her crying, Kat almost started to cry herself. The ship was a floating cage. They were taken below, into a long and dark hold that was hardly clean. They were not the only ones that Pug and his gang had captured; there were many Galmians and Terebinthians and others from smaller islands. Locked in this living nightmare, they could only hope that Caspian could get to the ship somehow…and that Eustace would stop talking.

~*~

After about half an hour of Eustace's complaints Kat was fed up. "Eustace Scrubb, if you don't stop complaining right now you are going to be very sorry you didn't! He shut up, which was a minor miracle in itself, but the other people in the hold glaring at him might have helped somewhat. The long night dragged on, the hours slowly creeping by like a snail on cement, it was only a few hours after sunrise when the ship docked into a harbor and the crew went about their duties. Smoothing Lucy's hair out of the young girl's eyes, Kat blinked languidly in the half-light as she shifted trying to keep from waking the sleeping child in her lap. Her actions went unheeded when the door to the stairs was thrown open with a flourish by a figure outlined in the bright light outside.

Outside Katherine could hear Pug coarsely yelling to the man at the top of the stairway. "Only pretty girls 16 to 25 or so, you me hear Tacks! This gentleman doesn't what any children." Immediately assessing the situation Kat flew into a silent panic, 'If he only wants girls there isn't to many lines of work for a slave in that type of situation.'

Taking action she rumpled her hair and clothes hunched over and turned from the walkway hoping to not be noticed. Tacks walked heavily on the boards and began sending girls up the stairs and into the light. He moved closer and closer every moment and Kat froze as he passed by, as he turned and herded up the last of the girls Kat let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding in as the door closed again.

~*~

Above deck Pug was simpering unashamedly to a Calormen trader wearing a long billowing robe with a brightly colored turban of orange. His face was brown and weathered from the sea and desert, prideful dark eyes, and his upper lip was the proud owner of a well waxed mustache the ends curling toward the sky completely defying gravity. His sharp eyes flicked over the line of pale and scared women in front of him finding every little fault. He turned back to the pirate and with six short words deflated Pug's mood instantly; "I don't see the red-haired one."

~*~

Pug fumed as he stomped down the stairs cursing that lazy Tacks the whole way down as the boards creaked in protest under his weight. 'I know Tacks isn't the sharpest knife in the lot, but to think he would forget about the one red haired woman in their care!' This was mind boggling to the pirate. He made quick work of finding her and he roughly grabbed the red headed girl and dragged her up the stairs and onto the deck.

Needless to say Kat was not a happy camper. She clawed and fought the entire way up the rickety stairs as the rest of the people below watched in a mixture of interest and horror. Unconsciously she began to yell out the beginnings of the Gettysburg Address that she didn't even realize she had memorized until that point.

"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal!" (Authors note: At this point the majority of the pirates thought Katherine to be rather insane, the only ones who really slightly understood her mad speech were Edmund, Lucy, and Eustace. It might be noted that even Eustace was impressed with her knowledge of American historical speeches, but then again they hadn't heard the half of it. Back to Kat) "And I hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal! And women at that! With certain unalienable Rights, such as Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness!" (Authors note 2: at this point Pug is trying desperately trying to salvage the entire situation and Kat lost children here) "More to the point because I am an American and Abolitionist! Therefore you are denying me my constitutional rights by trying to sell me into slavery against my will! You would be well advised to remove your hands from my personage if you don't desire to be nuked by my country by the morrow and there will be a chicken in every stew pot!"

At this point in time Pug had been finally able to silence her by clamping his sweaty fat hand over her jabbering mouth. He smiled and was about to open his own mouth with a humorous remark when Katherine found herself well and able to bite down onto one of the chubby fingers silencing her. Which Katherine did quite promptly, Pug instead let out a screech of epic proportions that would be remembered for many years to come, as he snatched his hand away, Kat spit out any hint of the nasty taste that his hand had left in her mouth.

In a fit of rage Pug raised his uninjured hand to strike Katherine, and was only stopped by the silent Calormen who said; "I'll take her."

~*~

WARNING: My roommate and I had a sudden dose of reality and brilliance this weekend that completely changes the end of this story and its planned sequel. The whole general idea of the story is going intact it just doesn't end the way I thought it would. I will apologize for any inconsistencies that may occur because of this mid-story change (No I'm not telling, you're all just going to have to wait).

Thank you and hope you enjoyed this chapter.

PS. Drinian will still be awesome!!!

PPS. Thanks to Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and the president who was the one who talked about the chicken stuff, Kat's insane speech just wouldn't have been the same without you guys.