Disclaimer: I own some of this! How about that? ^_^ But, the rest of it belongs to someone else.
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It didn't matter how much Figwit tried to ignore it, every few steps away from that slave camp, and another not so far away, he became anxious and uneasy.
Boromir next to him was no better, snapping at the flies, at the stones, complaining of too much sun, or too little sun...
The horse's pranced nervously, tossing their heads up and down, pulling at the reins.
"I feel terrible." Figwit muttered, and Boromir nodded, snarling at the overgrown wild grass, by the road.
))))~~~**~~~((((
Ana held Uuneaor tightly to her chest, in the handmade sling, as she and Lori were led outside, with a small group of other slaves, all young, some male, some female, to the dusty yard.
Clocked figures stood, watching them from a balcony higher up, two main watchers clocked in rich purple, and flanked by others in black. The owner of the slave market standing nearby, jabbering on.
Lori blinked up at them, and trying her best to look completely crazy in the head, mumbling, and screeching about Monkeys in swimwear.
Finally, after a few minutes, the group left, and Ana, Lori, and three others were tied to each other, by the wrists and ankles. A enclosed wagon was brought in, and the five, with Uuneaor were pushed into it, roughly, while outside, smooth elvish voices called orders, in their musical language.
With a hard jolt, and a wail from Uuneaor, the wagon started through the gate,
and away to the south.
))))~~~**~~~((((
Figwit and Boromir arrived back at the camp, in a rush, the horses kicking dust up around them. The guards recognized them from before, and the gate opened, allowing them in imendantly.
"Changed your minds so soon, My Lords?" The skeleton of a man, Badaln, came back, grinning.
"We want some slaves. Young. Useful, strong, pleasing to the eye. Men as well as women." Boromir snapped.
Badaln blinked. "Not girls?"
"Them also." Boromir added. "The best of your slaves.
"Well...of course...I have two slaves ready now, and others can be brought imendantly." Badaln clapped his hands, and a guard hurried over.
"We don't have much time, make it quick!" Figwit snapped, and the man flinched.
"Of course!"
Minutes later, seven dusty, weary slaves stood, staring at Boromir and Figwit who stood on the Balcony. Four girls, one with a small child, all youngish, and three young men, all weak and half-starved.
"They look starved." Figwit coldly informed Badaln. "You expect us to buy slaves that look unhealthy?"
Badaln flinched, and rubbed his hands together. "They are our best."
Boromir snapped. "They look terrible!"
"We'll have to take all seven, I suppose." Figwit snapped, looking aside over at Badaln, his dark eyes regarding Badaln coldly. "And the basted child."
"Very good..."
"We will also take those half-starved horses, in the corner." Boromir added, looking thoughtfully at a corral of bony horses, ten in total.
"They...are nothing better than meat!" Badaln exclaimed.
"Then you will not mind ridding yourself of them." Boromir snapped, and threw his bag of coin at the bony man. "Get the slaves and the horses ready, now! We want bridles and saddles, there is more than enough in there for the horseflesh, and the tack."
Figwit stood, and placed the pile of coins down for the slaves. "Be quick about
it."
Badaln rushed off, and Boromir allowed a small smile.
"Feel better?"
"A little." Boromir nodded. "Those will be good horses, with some care."
"We're lucky we got some help then." Figwit smiled down at the slaves who were being tied to each other. "Let's go find our woman."
))))~~~**~~~((((
Outside, and out of view of the camp, Figwit and Boromir untied the slaves, giving them the option of working for them, or going free. All decided to work for them, each getting a personal horse. After talking to a couple, they discovered that Ana and Lori had been sold after they left, not before.
"Back to that pathetic fool of a man, Badaln?" Boromir growled.
"We will deal with him later." Figwit answered, and started his horse quickly along the tracks of the wagon. "I have a child to worry about, right now. But, his slave camp won't last a week after I find my wife, and child."
A days ride, and the tracks were missing.
"Gone?" Boromir slumped onto his knees, and Figwit nodded, looking to the horizon.
"Strange that they headed west..." Figwit sighed. "We should return to the slave market then, or try a different one."
))))~~~**~~~((((
Ana and Lori gazed in surprise at their new 'home'.
"My...house?"
"Couldn't be right..."
Soft laughter came from behind, and the elves removed their hoods.
"Why not?" A older, and familiar face chuckled, the male elf regarding them with amusement. "We have to get our servants from somewhere..."
"Saelbeth?" Ana blinked, her mind going back to that drunken night.
"So, you remember me?" Saelbeth looked over her with cool amusement. "I would have thought you would have no memory of that night."
Ana blushed, and Lori elbowed her. "Err...this is Lori. Lori, Saelbeth."
Saelbeth nodded. "We'll send word to your husbands imendantly, of your return. You were lucky they mistook us for a different group of elves...apparently you two, and the baby had been reserved for a certain group of elves...we just happened to turn up and be mistook for them."
Ana blinked, and nodded. "Where is Figwit?"
"Riding about the countryside, looking for you." Saelbeth tore up the five slave documents, and nodded to his three new servants, who smiled widely. "I shall have a dinner tonight. Are you interesting in joining us?"
Lori shook her head, before Ana could answer. "I need sleep. And a soft bed. And cushions. And..." She gasped, and grinned, turning towards Ana. "Hot food! No mold! Seats! No mous..."
Ana covered Lori's mouth. "We are looking forward to actually sitting in a room together without mice for company...But some other night?"
Saelbeth half bowed, and smiled. "As the Lady Ana and the Lady Lori wishes." He kissed their hands, and ran a finger over Uuneaor's face, and left towards Rivendel.
Ana unlocked the door to the house...and screamed.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
It didn't matter how much Figwit tried to ignore it, every few steps away from that slave camp, and another not so far away, he became anxious and uneasy.
Boromir next to him was no better, snapping at the flies, at the stones, complaining of too much sun, or too little sun...
The horse's pranced nervously, tossing their heads up and down, pulling at the reins.
"I feel terrible." Figwit muttered, and Boromir nodded, snarling at the overgrown wild grass, by the road.
))))~~~**~~~((((
Ana held Uuneaor tightly to her chest, in the handmade sling, as she and Lori were led outside, with a small group of other slaves, all young, some male, some female, to the dusty yard.
Clocked figures stood, watching them from a balcony higher up, two main watchers clocked in rich purple, and flanked by others in black. The owner of the slave market standing nearby, jabbering on.
Lori blinked up at them, and trying her best to look completely crazy in the head, mumbling, and screeching about Monkeys in swimwear.
Finally, after a few minutes, the group left, and Ana, Lori, and three others were tied to each other, by the wrists and ankles. A enclosed wagon was brought in, and the five, with Uuneaor were pushed into it, roughly, while outside, smooth elvish voices called orders, in their musical language.
With a hard jolt, and a wail from Uuneaor, the wagon started through the gate,
and away to the south.
))))~~~**~~~((((
Figwit and Boromir arrived back at the camp, in a rush, the horses kicking dust up around them. The guards recognized them from before, and the gate opened, allowing them in imendantly.
"Changed your minds so soon, My Lords?" The skeleton of a man, Badaln, came back, grinning.
"We want some slaves. Young. Useful, strong, pleasing to the eye. Men as well as women." Boromir snapped.
Badaln blinked. "Not girls?"
"Them also." Boromir added. "The best of your slaves.
"Well...of course...I have two slaves ready now, and others can be brought imendantly." Badaln clapped his hands, and a guard hurried over.
"We don't have much time, make it quick!" Figwit snapped, and the man flinched.
"Of course!"
Minutes later, seven dusty, weary slaves stood, staring at Boromir and Figwit who stood on the Balcony. Four girls, one with a small child, all youngish, and three young men, all weak and half-starved.
"They look starved." Figwit coldly informed Badaln. "You expect us to buy slaves that look unhealthy?"
Badaln flinched, and rubbed his hands together. "They are our best."
Boromir snapped. "They look terrible!"
"We'll have to take all seven, I suppose." Figwit snapped, looking aside over at Badaln, his dark eyes regarding Badaln coldly. "And the basted child."
"Very good..."
"We will also take those half-starved horses, in the corner." Boromir added, looking thoughtfully at a corral of bony horses, ten in total.
"They...are nothing better than meat!" Badaln exclaimed.
"Then you will not mind ridding yourself of them." Boromir snapped, and threw his bag of coin at the bony man. "Get the slaves and the horses ready, now! We want bridles and saddles, there is more than enough in there for the horseflesh, and the tack."
Figwit stood, and placed the pile of coins down for the slaves. "Be quick about
it."
Badaln rushed off, and Boromir allowed a small smile.
"Feel better?"
"A little." Boromir nodded. "Those will be good horses, with some care."
"We're lucky we got some help then." Figwit smiled down at the slaves who were being tied to each other. "Let's go find our woman."
))))~~~**~~~((((
Outside, and out of view of the camp, Figwit and Boromir untied the slaves, giving them the option of working for them, or going free. All decided to work for them, each getting a personal horse. After talking to a couple, they discovered that Ana and Lori had been sold after they left, not before.
"Back to that pathetic fool of a man, Badaln?" Boromir growled.
"We will deal with him later." Figwit answered, and started his horse quickly along the tracks of the wagon. "I have a child to worry about, right now. But, his slave camp won't last a week after I find my wife, and child."
A days ride, and the tracks were missing.
"Gone?" Boromir slumped onto his knees, and Figwit nodded, looking to the horizon.
"Strange that they headed west..." Figwit sighed. "We should return to the slave market then, or try a different one."
))))~~~**~~~((((
Ana and Lori gazed in surprise at their new 'home'.
"My...house?"
"Couldn't be right..."
Soft laughter came from behind, and the elves removed their hoods.
"Why not?" A older, and familiar face chuckled, the male elf regarding them with amusement. "We have to get our servants from somewhere..."
"Saelbeth?" Ana blinked, her mind going back to that drunken night.
"So, you remember me?" Saelbeth looked over her with cool amusement. "I would have thought you would have no memory of that night."
Ana blushed, and Lori elbowed her. "Err...this is Lori. Lori, Saelbeth."
Saelbeth nodded. "We'll send word to your husbands imendantly, of your return. You were lucky they mistook us for a different group of elves...apparently you two, and the baby had been reserved for a certain group of elves...we just happened to turn up and be mistook for them."
Ana blinked, and nodded. "Where is Figwit?"
"Riding about the countryside, looking for you." Saelbeth tore up the five slave documents, and nodded to his three new servants, who smiled widely. "I shall have a dinner tonight. Are you interesting in joining us?"
Lori shook her head, before Ana could answer. "I need sleep. And a soft bed. And cushions. And..." She gasped, and grinned, turning towards Ana. "Hot food! No mold! Seats! No mous..."
Ana covered Lori's mouth. "We are looking forward to actually sitting in a room together without mice for company...But some other night?"
Saelbeth half bowed, and smiled. "As the Lady Ana and the Lady Lori wishes." He kissed their hands, and ran a finger over Uuneaor's face, and left towards Rivendel.
Ana unlocked the door to the house...and screamed.