Tears in the starlight
Camp was packed up the next day, just as Dilandau said it would be. As the others around us were gathering themselves, my "master" was trying to decide whether I should ride or walk. I honestly could care less. Either choice would have been unpleasant, considering I would be in his presence. I looked instead to the woods to my right. I wasn't more than twenty feet. I thought that perhaps, just maybe...
"Thinking of going somewhere?" said Dilandau, cutting into my impending plans. I looked back at up at him. He had that same self - assured look on his face. Once again, I had the urge to spit on him, but decided that it wouldn't be worth it. "Perhaps you had better ride with me," the lord said. Without warning, he roughly grabbed me and pulled me up onto the horse so that I sat in front of him. "There you are," he said in a pleased tone. I rubbed my sore arms. "Sir," said one of his men, "everything is ready." "Very good Chesta," said Dilandau, "You and the others are to go ahead to Durrin. I'll meet you there in a couple of days." I actually glanced at the two of them in surprise. Where was he going?" "Don't worry about them," Dilandau said putting a hand on my leg. I shook it off. He laughed and said, "I'm taking you to your new home. This is certainly no place for you." With that we rode off.
******************
I didn't know how far away from my "new home" in miles, but the journey took half a day, so that the sun was preparing to set. I looked up at the huge castle as we rode up to it. Did he live there? The answer was obvious since a servant ran up to take the horse as we dismounted, and two more bowed when he faced them. "Lord Dilandau," one of them said, "It is good that you are home sir. Shall the cooks begin preparing dinner?" "Of course!" the lord said indignantly, "Unless you expect me to feed myself!" "N-no, of course not my lord," said the servant in a startled voice, "I'll tell them to get started right away." The man ran off. The other servant, an older woman stepped forward. "Here," Dilandau said handing me over to the woman. "Take her. Have her cleaned and dressed for me by the time dinner is ready and not a minute afterwards." "Yes my lord." the woman said taking me. "Come with me," the woman said, leading me away.
******************
I wasn't opposed to becoming clean, so I did not hesitate to climb into the bath prepared for me. It was after this that I had a problem. It was with the scantily made, practically see through black dress that had been handed to me. "No," I said shaking my head. "There is no way that I'm wearing this disgusting thing." I flung it back at the servant woman who caught it. Trembling she said, "Please do not be difficult. Lord Dilandau doesn't like defiance. He doesn't tolerate it at all. There have been servants in the past...who actually hesitated to obey him who have had their heads cut off." I looked at her in disbelief. "He had them killed?" The old woman shook her head. "No, he simply removed his sword and chopped off their heads. I was there twice when it happened. Their heads would go rolling and Lord Dilandau would simply ask someone else to do his bidding, not once batting an eye." The old woman looked at me pleadingly, "Please, I am but an old woman. I do not wish to lose my life for such a simple thing as this. Please?" She held the outfit back out in front of her.
I saw how genuinely terrified the poor woman was and consented to put on the dress. When it was on me, I saw that the black dress was slit up both sides and through the the transparent layers, my legs could still be seen. I was disgusted, but the woman was relieved. I had seen but a glimpse of the lords dark temper and at her response I trusted that it could be worse. Much, much worse.
"Lord Dilandau has requested that a meal be brought to you. I will go get it." She left, locking the door behind her. Even though the whole situation made me numb, I was still hungry. I quickly ate the food after the woman brought it to me. The meal was actually very good, better than anything I had ever eaten. After I was finished the woman took the tray and walked to the door. It was when she looked back at me that I knew something was not right.
She turned and regard me, a very sad look on her face. She had locked the door as she did before, but it was the look on her face that startled me. I had laid myself down on the bed, wondering about it. I had almost drifted off to sleep when a thought snapped me fully awake. I looked at my outfit and then at the surroundings. It became very clear why the woman was so sad. "Oh no," I said aloud. I knew what he was going to do. I ran and looked out the windows. I saw that I was up a ways from the ground. I thought that perhaps by walking along the ledge, I could get into another window and somehow get away. I tried to open one of the windows, and then another. They were locked. As I was fiddling with them, trying to find where they were locked, I heard the door open and close behind me.
I turned reluctantly. It was Dilandau. He had removed his armor, wearing a button down undershirt and his pants. He regarded me speculatively. "Well, well," he said huskily, "Very pretty." As he was coming towards me, I was moving sideways, trying to give myself room to escape. "P-please," I begged. He put a finger to his lips. "Shh," he said, his eyes looking mischievously into my own. He reached forward to grab me, but I ducked, I ran past him to the door. It had been open but before I could get all the way out, his arms wrapped themselves around my waist. Laughing, he drug me back into the room and threw me onto the bed.
I will not speak of what happened next, I trust that it is obvious enough.
**********************
After Dilandau had "satified" himself, he lay beside me, humming absently to himself. I lay facing the window, trying to deny what had happened. As I regarded the distant stars, I thought about my family, wondering where in heaven they were at the moment. I prayed that where ever they were, that they had turned their eyes from my shame.
***********
End of chapter. A sad one I know, but more is on the way
Camp was packed up the next day, just as Dilandau said it would be. As the others around us were gathering themselves, my "master" was trying to decide whether I should ride or walk. I honestly could care less. Either choice would have been unpleasant, considering I would be in his presence. I looked instead to the woods to my right. I wasn't more than twenty feet. I thought that perhaps, just maybe...
"Thinking of going somewhere?" said Dilandau, cutting into my impending plans. I looked back at up at him. He had that same self - assured look on his face. Once again, I had the urge to spit on him, but decided that it wouldn't be worth it. "Perhaps you had better ride with me," the lord said. Without warning, he roughly grabbed me and pulled me up onto the horse so that I sat in front of him. "There you are," he said in a pleased tone. I rubbed my sore arms. "Sir," said one of his men, "everything is ready." "Very good Chesta," said Dilandau, "You and the others are to go ahead to Durrin. I'll meet you there in a couple of days." I actually glanced at the two of them in surprise. Where was he going?" "Don't worry about them," Dilandau said putting a hand on my leg. I shook it off. He laughed and said, "I'm taking you to your new home. This is certainly no place for you." With that we rode off.
******************
I didn't know how far away from my "new home" in miles, but the journey took half a day, so that the sun was preparing to set. I looked up at the huge castle as we rode up to it. Did he live there? The answer was obvious since a servant ran up to take the horse as we dismounted, and two more bowed when he faced them. "Lord Dilandau," one of them said, "It is good that you are home sir. Shall the cooks begin preparing dinner?" "Of course!" the lord said indignantly, "Unless you expect me to feed myself!" "N-no, of course not my lord," said the servant in a startled voice, "I'll tell them to get started right away." The man ran off. The other servant, an older woman stepped forward. "Here," Dilandau said handing me over to the woman. "Take her. Have her cleaned and dressed for me by the time dinner is ready and not a minute afterwards." "Yes my lord." the woman said taking me. "Come with me," the woman said, leading me away.
******************
I wasn't opposed to becoming clean, so I did not hesitate to climb into the bath prepared for me. It was after this that I had a problem. It was with the scantily made, practically see through black dress that had been handed to me. "No," I said shaking my head. "There is no way that I'm wearing this disgusting thing." I flung it back at the servant woman who caught it. Trembling she said, "Please do not be difficult. Lord Dilandau doesn't like defiance. He doesn't tolerate it at all. There have been servants in the past...who actually hesitated to obey him who have had their heads cut off." I looked at her in disbelief. "He had them killed?" The old woman shook her head. "No, he simply removed his sword and chopped off their heads. I was there twice when it happened. Their heads would go rolling and Lord Dilandau would simply ask someone else to do his bidding, not once batting an eye." The old woman looked at me pleadingly, "Please, I am but an old woman. I do not wish to lose my life for such a simple thing as this. Please?" She held the outfit back out in front of her.
I saw how genuinely terrified the poor woman was and consented to put on the dress. When it was on me, I saw that the black dress was slit up both sides and through the the transparent layers, my legs could still be seen. I was disgusted, but the woman was relieved. I had seen but a glimpse of the lords dark temper and at her response I trusted that it could be worse. Much, much worse.
"Lord Dilandau has requested that a meal be brought to you. I will go get it." She left, locking the door behind her. Even though the whole situation made me numb, I was still hungry. I quickly ate the food after the woman brought it to me. The meal was actually very good, better than anything I had ever eaten. After I was finished the woman took the tray and walked to the door. It was when she looked back at me that I knew something was not right.
She turned and regard me, a very sad look on her face. She had locked the door as she did before, but it was the look on her face that startled me. I had laid myself down on the bed, wondering about it. I had almost drifted off to sleep when a thought snapped me fully awake. I looked at my outfit and then at the surroundings. It became very clear why the woman was so sad. "Oh no," I said aloud. I knew what he was going to do. I ran and looked out the windows. I saw that I was up a ways from the ground. I thought that perhaps by walking along the ledge, I could get into another window and somehow get away. I tried to open one of the windows, and then another. They were locked. As I was fiddling with them, trying to find where they were locked, I heard the door open and close behind me.
I turned reluctantly. It was Dilandau. He had removed his armor, wearing a button down undershirt and his pants. He regarded me speculatively. "Well, well," he said huskily, "Very pretty." As he was coming towards me, I was moving sideways, trying to give myself room to escape. "P-please," I begged. He put a finger to his lips. "Shh," he said, his eyes looking mischievously into my own. He reached forward to grab me, but I ducked, I ran past him to the door. It had been open but before I could get all the way out, his arms wrapped themselves around my waist. Laughing, he drug me back into the room and threw me onto the bed.
I will not speak of what happened next, I trust that it is obvious enough.
**********************
After Dilandau had "satified" himself, he lay beside me, humming absently to himself. I lay facing the window, trying to deny what had happened. As I regarded the distant stars, I thought about my family, wondering where in heaven they were at the moment. I prayed that where ever they were, that they had turned their eyes from my shame.
***********
End of chapter. A sad one I know, but more is on the way