CHAPTER 3: "Prison"
The day of the death of Hannah slowly passed until the months turned to fourteen years. Rose learned the arts of survival. The wise Wingly, Sari, taught her to find water in deserts and also the plants that weren't poisonous in years of famine. Rose grew up in the cave she was born in and that is where she lived knowing of the rule of the Winglies. Sari taught Rose all she knew except the mastery of the sword and. her father. * That day is coming. * Sari thought. * I will have to teach her soon but first she must understand why she will shed the blood of man for the rest of her life. *
She walked out of the cave and stared at the young girl tilling the ground with a hoe. Rose had grown into a tall and gorgeous young woman, innocent and virtuous.
"Rose come here." The blacked headed girl dropped her hoe and stepped in front of her master. Her dark brown skirt was stained with dirt and her peasant blouse and black bodes also dirty. But it was dirt from learning of the hard labor.
"I am here, master." She replied obediently.
"I want you to go into Syria today. I need more grain for our bread."
"But do we not have enough grain in our fields?"
"Do as I have asked." Sari replied sternly. Rose bowed her head.
"Why do you ask me to go into the human town?"
"I need not explain my reasons to you. It will take you awhile to return so you best be on your way." Rose nodded and fetched a pouch of gold and followed along the path towards the human town. Sari watched her until she was only a spec in the afternoon sun and then lifted the hoe from the ground and set to work.
*~*
The town of Syria was as busy as always, with that same scent of large coals from the bakery after a long day's bake of goods. The blacksmith had black ash scowered over his face and hands and any other parts of his body that were revealed.
One tall young man looked over the blacksmith's work of armory and other useful items.
"A Falchion. Most rare." He said to himself. He looked at his gold supply and then back at the weapon with a shake of his head. No, he could not afford it. Not today.
"Can I help you sir?" The old eyes of the blacksmith, whose name was Smith, went wide in surprise and then a smile spread over his old face. "Zeig, my boy. What brings you into town? I thought you were out with your Lord today for more training."
"I was until he called me off and told me to make myself useful by buying myself a more proper weapon. My broad sword won't due now that I'm higher in the ranks."
"Indeed. Well as you see here I have many arms."
"But none at a descent price."
"Well warfare does have its costs." Zeig nodded his blonde head.
"Maybe another day." Smith sighed and the boy turned to go and suddenly said.
"I could use some help in making the arms. If you wanted to aid me I'd be more than willing to give you an affordable price. Like this Falchion here, eh?" Zeig turned back and stared at the sword.
"But I am already chained to the services of Lord Razor. I am afraid I do not have the time." Smith sighed again but a smiled appeared slightly on his lips.
"Is the time of the fact that you don't like the feel of hard iron?" Zeig looked up at him without moving his head. Smith chuckled. "I shall say no more, sir."
"That would be the wise thing to do." Zeig replied jokingly. He picked up one of the ash-covered hammers. "Let's get this over with." Smith lifted steel thongs and tossed a piece of heavy metal into a furnace and when the time was ready he hefted the metal onto an iron table and Zeig smashed it flat.
"Heavy aren't they?" Smith asked seeing already the weariness in Zeig's young arms. "You get used to it after awhile."
"It is heavy." Zeig admitted. "But that doesn't mean I'm tired." When the piece was flattened to the width of paper, Zeig quit and Smith went and fired another piece of the same metal.
"This might be what you have to do for the rest of your life if you don't stay strong as a knight." Smith warned him. Zeig wiped his forehead and nodded.
"I do not plan to idle away my future."
"Good lad. Now lift that mallet. We have much work to do."
*~*
Rose had combed her hair that morning till it was glossy and shining with innocence. Her feet in leather boots touched the ground with light agility and a grace that she had always had. Her piercing blue eyes (I think they were blue) scanned the stalls of cattle and livestock and glanced over at the bakery.
"There." She muttered to no one. Since she had not lived in the town she did not recognize Lord Razor, one of the chief Winglies. He had just strolled into town on his black mare and had the same deep red eyes that every Wingly possessed. All around him made some sort of formality and as he passed them they went about their way. Slowly Razor made his way towards the blacksmith with a large pouch of gold ringing loudly at his waist.
Rose slipped past him with not so much as a touch of the skin or glance of the eye. Abhorred and disregarded Lord Razor sharply turned around and set his eyes on the one who had ignored him.
It wasn't so much the disrespect that had not come but the innocence of her eyes, the loss of knowledge and ignorance that was in them. That was what caused him to notice her in the first place. He roughly walked up to her and firmly declared.
"Who are you that has disregarded me so with the loss of respect that should have been born in your heart?" Rose stopped in her tracks and gracefully faced him with one hand on her hip.
"I beg your pardon?" She said this quite sweetly as to help make matters better but Lord Razor was not one to be sweet-talked.
"This human girl, who has seen her in all this town before?" He directed this to the crowd but no one answered him. Zeig stopped in his chores for a moment to see what the commotion was.
"Hurry up lad!" Smith groaned. "This metal won't wait for you." Zeig saw the beautiful maiden but Smith forced him to focus on the red metal that was slowly loosing color. He hefted the hammer onto it with a hard bang that shook through the crowd but no one paid any heed.
"If no one has seen this girl that must mean she is a beggar or stray. Where is your master?" He asked her. He cocked his head proudly and high so that all could see his all familiar pale skin and silver hair. Rose looked at him with confused eyes that knew not what he meant.
"I know not what you mean." She replied. The crowd around them instantly hushed. "The only person I live with resides up in the high mountain." Lord Razor stared hardly down on Rose's pale skin and black thin hair.
"No Wingly lives up there." He said coldly as if he meant a threat, but Rose did not understand. He stood back up tall and straight. He clapped his hands once and immediately guards ran up to his shoulder and he pointed down at Rose. "Take her to Orison. A judge will decide the fate of you and we will deal with those humans up in the mountains you speak of."
Before he was finished Rose was bounded by the strong arms of the two men and dragged through the town. Rose struggled to explain but with so little knowledge of the world there was little she could say that would convince the guards that she was owned to a Wingly. Through the town they went and passed many more Winglies and their servants that were repeatedly beaten. Rose cried for their pain for the long cracks of the whip frightened her. But her anger for Sari, who had told her nothing of these things, was more horrifying than actually seeing it. And with hard pushes and shoves Rose was forced into the dark building and thrown into the darkest cell.
*~*
Smith, who had also stopped with his work threw the heavy piece of metal aside.
"It's no use now." He said. "You'd better go Zeig, before you're in trouble." The young blonde sadly watched as Rose was lead away, with fire and anger surging in his heart at once.
"They treat us so horribly. Someday I will find a way to make it all stop."
"Silence lad! For you know the price if any heard you."
"I do no longer care." Zeig growled. "I would sooner die than to threat any human as a beast nor as a slave that must be repeatedly beaten." Smith stared hard at the boy.
"If you're as strong as you act, there may be day where we are freed."
* ssp47's Corner * Thanks to Jayde Summers, Striker, Lady Wolf Moon, Wolf Amongst Elves and Dark Dragon X for reviewing. I'll try to update this fic more, I know how much ya'll like it. ^_^
The day of the death of Hannah slowly passed until the months turned to fourteen years. Rose learned the arts of survival. The wise Wingly, Sari, taught her to find water in deserts and also the plants that weren't poisonous in years of famine. Rose grew up in the cave she was born in and that is where she lived knowing of the rule of the Winglies. Sari taught Rose all she knew except the mastery of the sword and. her father. * That day is coming. * Sari thought. * I will have to teach her soon but first she must understand why she will shed the blood of man for the rest of her life. *
She walked out of the cave and stared at the young girl tilling the ground with a hoe. Rose had grown into a tall and gorgeous young woman, innocent and virtuous.
"Rose come here." The blacked headed girl dropped her hoe and stepped in front of her master. Her dark brown skirt was stained with dirt and her peasant blouse and black bodes also dirty. But it was dirt from learning of the hard labor.
"I am here, master." She replied obediently.
"I want you to go into Syria today. I need more grain for our bread."
"But do we not have enough grain in our fields?"
"Do as I have asked." Sari replied sternly. Rose bowed her head.
"Why do you ask me to go into the human town?"
"I need not explain my reasons to you. It will take you awhile to return so you best be on your way." Rose nodded and fetched a pouch of gold and followed along the path towards the human town. Sari watched her until she was only a spec in the afternoon sun and then lifted the hoe from the ground and set to work.
*~*
The town of Syria was as busy as always, with that same scent of large coals from the bakery after a long day's bake of goods. The blacksmith had black ash scowered over his face and hands and any other parts of his body that were revealed.
One tall young man looked over the blacksmith's work of armory and other useful items.
"A Falchion. Most rare." He said to himself. He looked at his gold supply and then back at the weapon with a shake of his head. No, he could not afford it. Not today.
"Can I help you sir?" The old eyes of the blacksmith, whose name was Smith, went wide in surprise and then a smile spread over his old face. "Zeig, my boy. What brings you into town? I thought you were out with your Lord today for more training."
"I was until he called me off and told me to make myself useful by buying myself a more proper weapon. My broad sword won't due now that I'm higher in the ranks."
"Indeed. Well as you see here I have many arms."
"But none at a descent price."
"Well warfare does have its costs." Zeig nodded his blonde head.
"Maybe another day." Smith sighed and the boy turned to go and suddenly said.
"I could use some help in making the arms. If you wanted to aid me I'd be more than willing to give you an affordable price. Like this Falchion here, eh?" Zeig turned back and stared at the sword.
"But I am already chained to the services of Lord Razor. I am afraid I do not have the time." Smith sighed again but a smiled appeared slightly on his lips.
"Is the time of the fact that you don't like the feel of hard iron?" Zeig looked up at him without moving his head. Smith chuckled. "I shall say no more, sir."
"That would be the wise thing to do." Zeig replied jokingly. He picked up one of the ash-covered hammers. "Let's get this over with." Smith lifted steel thongs and tossed a piece of heavy metal into a furnace and when the time was ready he hefted the metal onto an iron table and Zeig smashed it flat.
"Heavy aren't they?" Smith asked seeing already the weariness in Zeig's young arms. "You get used to it after awhile."
"It is heavy." Zeig admitted. "But that doesn't mean I'm tired." When the piece was flattened to the width of paper, Zeig quit and Smith went and fired another piece of the same metal.
"This might be what you have to do for the rest of your life if you don't stay strong as a knight." Smith warned him. Zeig wiped his forehead and nodded.
"I do not plan to idle away my future."
"Good lad. Now lift that mallet. We have much work to do."
*~*
Rose had combed her hair that morning till it was glossy and shining with innocence. Her feet in leather boots touched the ground with light agility and a grace that she had always had. Her piercing blue eyes (I think they were blue) scanned the stalls of cattle and livestock and glanced over at the bakery.
"There." She muttered to no one. Since she had not lived in the town she did not recognize Lord Razor, one of the chief Winglies. He had just strolled into town on his black mare and had the same deep red eyes that every Wingly possessed. All around him made some sort of formality and as he passed them they went about their way. Slowly Razor made his way towards the blacksmith with a large pouch of gold ringing loudly at his waist.
Rose slipped past him with not so much as a touch of the skin or glance of the eye. Abhorred and disregarded Lord Razor sharply turned around and set his eyes on the one who had ignored him.
It wasn't so much the disrespect that had not come but the innocence of her eyes, the loss of knowledge and ignorance that was in them. That was what caused him to notice her in the first place. He roughly walked up to her and firmly declared.
"Who are you that has disregarded me so with the loss of respect that should have been born in your heart?" Rose stopped in her tracks and gracefully faced him with one hand on her hip.
"I beg your pardon?" She said this quite sweetly as to help make matters better but Lord Razor was not one to be sweet-talked.
"This human girl, who has seen her in all this town before?" He directed this to the crowd but no one answered him. Zeig stopped in his chores for a moment to see what the commotion was.
"Hurry up lad!" Smith groaned. "This metal won't wait for you." Zeig saw the beautiful maiden but Smith forced him to focus on the red metal that was slowly loosing color. He hefted the hammer onto it with a hard bang that shook through the crowd but no one paid any heed.
"If no one has seen this girl that must mean she is a beggar or stray. Where is your master?" He asked her. He cocked his head proudly and high so that all could see his all familiar pale skin and silver hair. Rose looked at him with confused eyes that knew not what he meant.
"I know not what you mean." She replied. The crowd around them instantly hushed. "The only person I live with resides up in the high mountain." Lord Razor stared hardly down on Rose's pale skin and black thin hair.
"No Wingly lives up there." He said coldly as if he meant a threat, but Rose did not understand. He stood back up tall and straight. He clapped his hands once and immediately guards ran up to his shoulder and he pointed down at Rose. "Take her to Orison. A judge will decide the fate of you and we will deal with those humans up in the mountains you speak of."
Before he was finished Rose was bounded by the strong arms of the two men and dragged through the town. Rose struggled to explain but with so little knowledge of the world there was little she could say that would convince the guards that she was owned to a Wingly. Through the town they went and passed many more Winglies and their servants that were repeatedly beaten. Rose cried for their pain for the long cracks of the whip frightened her. But her anger for Sari, who had told her nothing of these things, was more horrifying than actually seeing it. And with hard pushes and shoves Rose was forced into the dark building and thrown into the darkest cell.
*~*
Smith, who had also stopped with his work threw the heavy piece of metal aside.
"It's no use now." He said. "You'd better go Zeig, before you're in trouble." The young blonde sadly watched as Rose was lead away, with fire and anger surging in his heart at once.
"They treat us so horribly. Someday I will find a way to make it all stop."
"Silence lad! For you know the price if any heard you."
"I do no longer care." Zeig growled. "I would sooner die than to threat any human as a beast nor as a slave that must be repeatedly beaten." Smith stared hard at the boy.
"If you're as strong as you act, there may be day where we are freed."
* ssp47's Corner * Thanks to Jayde Summers, Striker, Lady Wolf Moon, Wolf Amongst Elves and Dark Dragon X for reviewing. I'll try to update this fic more, I know how much ya'll like it. ^_^