Slaves. Corona had slaves, and Varian had no idea.
He didn't get any sleep that night. He was so scared that he felt like he was going to be sick, and he did end up throwing up in the middle of the night as his anxiety got the better of him. Varian spent the entire night curled up in a ball in the far corner. Andrew was his only saving grace. The man tolerated his tears, comforted Varian after he got sick, and willingly provided the one thing that helped to relieve the boy's anxiety: Information.
Varian was unsettled that something so big had been happening just under his nose and he'd had no idea about it. He hated that he didn't know exactly what to expect. What would Varian be expected to do? How would he be treated? How did Corona decide who was to be a slave? The guard had said that they'd had this planned for Varian for a long time, before he'd even done anything wrong. Why? And what did his dad have to do with this?
Andrew probably didn't know anything about Varian's dad, but he had the mark of a slave on his back. He knew what was going to happen to them, or at the very least he had a much better idea than Varian did. He knew it was hard to talk about it, but when Varian asked for details and information Andrew gave it to him.
Through the long hours of the night Andrew told him about the conquering and enslavement of the people of Saporia all those years ago.
Varian was vaguely aware of all these things, as he'd heard the people of Old Corona whisper about their history. He'd never heard it spoken of so blatantly though. It had always been talked about like it was a dangerous secret. A few years ago Varian had tried to find any and all information that he could about Saporia, and his dad had been absolutely furious at him. He'd yelled at Varian, nearly screaming at him about how some knowledge was better kept unknown, before he'd knelt on the ground and pulled Varian into a tight hug, begging him to not ask any more questions.
Varian had been scared enough to stop asking around about Saporia, partially because his dad was an intimidating guy, but mostly because he'd never seen his dad look so scared. His dad was one of the bravest people that Varian knew, so if there was something that scared him then it must be pretty bad.
Varian mentioned this to Andrew and the man just nodded.
"Makes sense." Andrew said. "Don't get me wrong, Saporians are proud of who they are, but Corona isn't really a safe place to be a Saporian."
"Or to ask questions." Varian muttered to himself. He drew his legs close to his chest and buried his head in his knees. Andrew sighed and put a hand on Varian's shoulders.
"Corona's nobles make a lot of mistakes." Andrew said. "And they have a lot of power to get rid of those who are brave enough to call them out for it."
Varian took in a shuddered breath. He felt like crying again, but he's exhausted all his tears, at least for now.
"Dad tried to tell me to leave things alone." Varian whimpered. "I didn't listen. Why didn't I listen?"
"Don't beat yourself up, kid." Andrew said. "You heard the guard. They were looking for any reason they could get to bring you in. Even if you kept your head down for the rest of your life they would find something to pin on you anyway." Andrew looked out the small window of their cell. It was still dark out, but the sky was beginning to brighten. Dawn was almost upon them. It was only a matter of time before the guards came for them.
"You already have a slave mark." Varian said quietly. "You…you've been through this. What was it like?"
"To be honest with you, I don't remember a lot about it." Andrew sighed. "I was only about eight years old, maybe nine."
Varian's chest tightened painfully. He lifted his head to peek at Andrew. "They have children?"
"More than you know." Andrew said sadly. "Many of us were born into it."
"How'd you get out?" Varian asked.
Andrew's brow furrowed thoughtfully. He crossed his arms and frowned. "There was a slave that earned his freedom somehow. He snuck me and a younger kid out. He passed me off to a loyal Saporian, who stayed with me until they got me to my distant relatives. I don't know what happened to that slave, or the boy he took with him."
Varian perked up slightly. There was hope, even if just a little bit. "There's a way to win freedom?"
Andrew scoffed. "It's possible, but I wouldn't get your hopes up, kid." Andrew said. "I don't know the details, but I know that it doesn't happen very often. The man that snuck me out was the only one I knew that accomplished this, and he had to do something really important to even be given the chance."
Varian drooped and wrapped his arms around his legs. Andrew grimaced and knelt in front of him. "Look, it's going to be hard, and it definitely won't be fun, but it could be worse."
"How?" Varian asked bitterly. He glared at Andrew. "I'm a slave in a kingdom that I didn't even know had slaves."
"But you're not the only one." Andrew said. "There are a lot of Saporians. One thing I do remember clearly is that we all treated each other like family there. We took care of each other as much as we could. Nobody was really suffering alone."
It sounded nice in theory. Varian had always felt like he didn't quite fit in with everybody around him. Even in a town full of people considered outsiders in Corona, he was an outsider in his own right. He caused too much trouble, and did things in a way that people didn't understand. Varian could barely imagine what it was like to not be alone. To have people he could count on. It sounded too good to be true.
"But I'm not Saporian." Varian said quietly.
"You might be." Andrew insisted. Varian was pretty sure that he wasn't. His dad would have told him if he was Saporian…wouldn't he? Then again, his dad kept a lot of secrets, and now Varian was scared that he was starting to understand why.
"But what if I'm not?" Varian said.
"Well, it's not just Saporians." Andrew said slowly. "If you're being dragged into this whole thing it's probably because your people are involved in one way or another. Even if you're not Saporian you probably have some other kin. Once we get where we're going I'll personally see to it that you're united with them."
"But what if nobody's there?" Varian asked. Somehow his fear increased. He hadn't thought that was possible. He didn't want to be a slave, but he really didn't want to be alone.
"If we can't find anybody then I guess you're stuck with me." Andrew gave him a small smile. It was forced and clearly just an attempt to calm Varian down. The boy wasn't reassured.
"I want to trust you." Varian said quietly. "But I know better than to trust the word of a charismatic royal."
Andrew frowned. "That's not a fault of royals, it's a fault of Coronans." Andrew's expression softened. "But it's okay if you don't trust me. I'll keep true to my word."
Varian still didn't trust him, but at least Andrew recognized that words meant nothing if actions didn't reflect them.
The night seemed to last forever, but all too soon the cell door was unlocked. Varian flinched and drew deeper into the corner, trying to not be noticed. It was no use. The guards filed into the cell. They grabbed Andrew and pulled him up harshly before they reached for Varian. He wanted to cry and beg for mercy, and it took every bit of his will to keep from doing just that.
Varian wouldn't show them weakness. He wouldn't give them the satisfaction of begging and pleading for mercy that he knew wouldn't be given to the likes of him. Varian couldn't do anything to keep his tears from falling, but other than his harsh breathing he kept his sobs to himself. Through tear-blurred eyes Varian could see Andrew's glance of approval.
Varian was forced into heavy chains that were a lot rougher than the ones he'd worn yesterday. They dug into his wrists. Once Varian was secured a musty smelling bag was thrown over his head. Varian's breath quickened and his head felt light. He didn't have the time to adjust before the guards were pulling him out of the cell. He was dragged forcefully along, and he had no idea where they were taking him, or if Andrew was still there.
Varian didn't trust Andrew, but he hoped he wasn't gone. Varian felt like he needed a friend now more than ever, even if this friendship was probably doomed to fail like all of Varian's friendships did.
Varian let the guards pull him along until he heard the creaking of an old door. Varian was effortlessly picked up and thrown into what seemed to be a small metal room. Varian didn't need to see to know that he was in one of the carts made to transport prisoners.
Varian tried to push himself to his feet, or at least into a sitting position, when a heavy force crashed into him, knocking all of the air out of him. The door was slammed shut, and Varian found himself in complete darkness.. He couldn't help the small whimper that escaped him.
"Sorry, kid." Andrew's voice said. The weight that was crushing Varian went away as Andrew picked himself up. The cart was too small for him to go far, but at least they weren't on top of each other anymore. "You okay?"
"I-I'm not hurt." Varian said. He squeezed his hands into tight fists to try to chase away the shaking he could feel. "But I'm not okay."
Andrew sighed. "Honestly, I think I'd be worried about your sanity if you said that you were okay." The two of them nearly fell where they sat as the cart started rolling, going much faster than was probably safe with the two of them being unsecured in the back. Varian doubted that the guards transporting them cared if they lost their balance and hit their heads.
Varian adjusted his position so that he was sitting with his back against one of the walls and his legs pressed against the other side. He was still unbalanced, and very aware of every movement they made over the road, but he felt just a little bit more secure. He suggested to Andrew that he do the same.
"Thanks, kid." Andrew said.
"Wh-where are we going?" Varian asked.
"To be honest, I don't know." Andrew said. "I know that Corona has a lot of slaves in the mines and the fields, but I doubt that's where we'd go. Corona sends the high priority slaves, like the royalty of enemy kingdoms, to a secret place so any rebels couldn't find them and break them out."
Varian shuddered. He wanted to wrap his arms around himself but it was impossible while his arms were still tightly shackled.
"Am I one of those high priority slaves?" Varian asked. He didn't know how he could be, but would the guards have been obsessed with capturing him if they just wanted him to be any other slave?
"I don't know." Andrew admitted quietly. "I wish I could help you more, kid, but I haven't gone through this for twenty years. I was just a kid. I barely understood what was happening. I just know that they used to hurt me to try to get my dad to cooperate."
Varian's breath hitched. What if that was the whole reason he was being brought in? Was there a slave that was somehow connected to Varian, even though he didn't know it, and Varian was just forced into slavery so he could be used against them?
Varian couldn't think of anybody that would work against. He didn't know a lot of people, let alone people who would give up their will for his sake. The only person he could think of that this might work against was his dad, who was trapped in amber back in Old Corona.
Varian wished he was back home. He wanted his dad to hold him in his arms and keep him safe from all of these threats that he now wished he didn't know about. Varian wanted everything to go back to the way it was before. Things had been tense, and he and his dad fought all the time, but at least they were both free.
As they were carted away from Corona the road got bumpier and it got harder to keep himself from falling. After the fifth time of losing his balance and tumbling into Andrew, even despite him using his legs to keep himself in place, the man came up with his own idea.
Andrew encouraged Varian to sit in the corner so he was still sitting against one wall, but leaning against another. Andrew then shifted his own position so he was sitting right against Varian. Surrounded on three sides there wasn't really anywhere for Varian to tumble to.
They rode one for what felt like hours before the car was finally pulled to a stop. Varian shook and huddled against Andrew. This was it. His freedom was about to be taken from him, and he had no way of knowing if he'd ever get it back.
The door was thrown open and a moment later Andrew was pulled away from Varian. A moment later he was grabbed himself and the hood-like bag was finally pulled off his head. Varian squeezed his eyes shut tight as the brightness of the sun temporarily blinded him. His legs felt numb after the rough ride. Despite this he wasn't given any time to adjust before he was pulled along again.
When Varian's vision cleared he got his first glimpse at their surroundings. They were in a deep, barren valley surrounded completely by tall cliffs. Varian didn't actually know whether they were cliffs or if that was just level ground and Varian had been dropped into a hole.
Varian didn't know how they'd gotten here, and he had no idea how they would ever get out. He eventually dragged his eyes away from the surroundings and focused on the people around him instead. It was really easy to pick out who was a slave and who was a guard, and not just because of the state of their clothes. All of the slaves looked defeated and beaten down, like they had nothing else to live for.
Varian couldn't tell at a glance just what the slaves did. There weren't any fields nearby to farm, and this didn't look like the type of land where precise stones could be found, so Varian didn't think these were the mines either. This must be the secret place for the high security slaves. If that was the case there were a lot more slaves than Varian had expected.
He saw several dozen prisoners, and those were just the people walking around outside at the moment.
Some of the slaves glanced their way curiously as they passed, and their eyes widened when they saw Andrew. The people started muttering and whispering to each other. Some of them looked devastated. Others looked like they were staring at their salvation.
Andrew seemed to know that all eyes were on him. He held his head high and proud, looking about as dignified as an enslaved prince could.
The guards that were escorting them brought them to a central building that looked like a city hall crossed with a blacksmith. Andrew stiffened and looked at Varian in concern before he turned his attention straight ahead again.
Inside the building there was just one woman sitting behind a desk, staring at paperwork. When Varian and Andrew were brought in the woman gave them a disinterested look. Varian could feel his legs trembling. He'd never been looked at like this before, like he was a piece of meat for sale.
"Andrew, son of Albrun, and Varian, son of Quirin." The woman set her papers down. She came around the desk and slowly approached them. Andrew scowled and did his best to meet the woman's gaze, but her attention wasn't on Andrew, it was on Varian.
"I was expecting more." The woman said. She harshly grabbed Varian's face by the chin and forced it to the side to get a better look at him. Varian felt like a horse being examined to see if he was fit enough to be valuable. It was humiliating and degrading. Varian felt like he was going to be sick. He had to swallow down his bile.
"You're smaller than I was expecting for one of your kind." The woman said. "I'll have to figure out what to do with you." The woman looked towards the next room that housed the part of the building that looked like a forge from the outside, but resembled a torture chamber inside. There was a billowing fire, with about seven different iron rods hanging from the wall. A boy just a few years older than Varian was feeding the flames. He looked terrified and exhausted. This was obviously another slave.
The woman grabbed Varian's arm harshly and dragged him into the other room. Andrew tried to follow, but the guards pulled him back. Varian was pulled towards a rusty table near the fire. The woman harshly pushed him against the table, making the side dig into his stomach. She pulled his gloves off and tossed them carelessly to the side. She forced him to hold his hands out on the table, palms down.
"Prepare the dark iron, boy." The woman said to the boy in front of the fire. He grimaced but did as he was told. He grabbed one of the iron rods. As he picked it up and held the end over the fire Varian realized what he was looking at. This was what would be used to brand him, mark him for the rest of his life. There was no coming back from this.
Varian whimpered and squeezed his eyes shut tight as he squirmed in the woman's grip, but her hold on him just tightened.
"Don't make things hard on yourself," The woman said coldly. "This is what your people deserve."
Why? Varian didn't even know who his people were, let alone why they apparently deserved this life.
Varian was held against the table for what felt like an eternity before he heard the other boy approaching. Varian tensed and tried to grab at the table, but the woman grabbed his hand and flattened his palm
Everything was tense for a long moment that seemed to drag on forever. Varian felt tears fall from his eyes. He didn't want this to happen at all, but at the same time he also wanted to get this over with. The suspense was torture.
Finally it happened, and Varian wished that the suspense, terrible and terrifying as it was, had lasted longer. It hurt. It burned. Varian's whole body flinched and he yelped as he tried to pull back. The woman held him still though, making it impossible to escape the pain. Varian's yelp soon turned to a scream of agony as the heat didn't stop.
Varian burned his hands frequently, which was why he had his heat-resistant gloves. He was always able to pull away from the source of heat immediately. He couldn't get away from the iron that was still being held against the back of his hand.
The smell of burning skin made Varian feel nauseous. That was his skin being burned off. His nerves being burned so badly that they might not recover at all. This wasn't okay. Why did anybody think it was okay to do this to someone?
After just a few seconds, but what felt like several agonizing minutes, the branding iron was lifted away from Varian's hand. The woman finally released Varian as she took a step back. Varian sobbed as he collapsed to the ground and cradled his hand close to his chest.
"Get him out of here." The woman said. She sounded completely unbothered by Varian's pain.
Somebody approached Varian and touched his arm. He growled and folded in on himself as he tried to kick at whoever had come to hurt him.
"Hey, hey, kid, it's just me." Andrew said gently. "It's okay." He gently grabbed Varian's arm and lifted him to his feet. Varian's eyes were still closed tight. He didn't want to see the mark on his hand. That would somehow make it more real than the intense burn had been.
"You start work tomorrow." The woman said. "Now go." Varian didn't know how he was supposed to use his hand for the next several weeks, let alone tomorrow. Varian wasn't about to argue with the woman though. Not after what she had just done to him.
Varian let Andrew lead him back outside. Varian knew by the clanging of armor directly in front of them and behind them that they were being escorted by the guards, but he tried to ignore that they were there. He tried to just focus on Andrew.
Once they were outside Andrew grabbed Varian's wrist and gently pulled his hand away from his chest. Varian whined in protest, but Andrew ignored it.
"I just want to see the mark." Andrew said. "The brands are so that people know where we come from. I just want to know who your people are." He was quiet for a moment. "That's not the mark of Saporia." He sounded surprised, and even a little bit unnerved. Varian didn't want to see his brand, but he couldn't deny that he was curious. He'd never known himself to be of any people other than Coronan.
Varian very slowly opened his eyes and looked at the back of his hand. He felt his insides freeze when he saw the familiar symbol. It was a circle with three strikes coming out of it. Varian didn't know what the symbol meant to the rest of the world, but it meant something very clear to him, and the realization made him feel like his world was collapsing around him.
Varian's dad had this very symbol on the back of his own hand. He always hid the symbol and hated to talk about it, but Varian knew about it, and now he finally knew what it meant, and the knowledge terrified him.
His dad had been a slave.
Everything became too much. Varian's eyes rolled to the back of his head and his legs gave out as everything went dark and he fainted.