It was over in seconds. Watching from the back, I saw a flicker of hands in the crowd, heard the auctioneer garble a rush of words, and then the man was being handed down from the stand to a waiting Gerudo with an exchange of rupees.
Another of the men at the end of the line was tugged away. The poor guy was bullied down the aisle with vicious prods and forced up on stage.
I, having been added late to the other end, would be the last up.
A few latecomers to the auction looked me over, as we waited. I was learning that the blonde hair of my family was a great asset in this part of the world; attracting Gerudos like it were solidgold.
The line dwindled sickeningly quickly. There was only half to go. Then there were only four. Then three. Two. The last one.
The guy was sold off to a ridiculously fat Gerudo for 6800 rupees. I let out a sigh of relief that the woman had finally gone before my turn.
My stomach had melted and gone. Facing huge armoured spiders and demented sorcerers I could take, but not being judged like this. I wasn't ready to find out the worth a woman saw in me, the material price they were willing to put on my head. My legs refused to move, which was convenient because I had no intention of making them.
Nabooru jabbed me in the back, painfully forcing me to take a step forward. Just one.
She jabbed me again, and again, and again and again and again until I was stood before the stage. The Gerudo up there knelt down, grasped the colar of my leather tunic, and lifted me easily up on stage.
Something like three dozen pairs of eyes surveyed me. I sought out Nabooru's and latched myself onto them, attempting to convey either murderous rage or despair. I got neither across, and she stared back, calmly and coolly, arms akimbo, a smile on her lips.
"A somewhat bruised piece up last today, ladies, but quality none the less. A little blondie, 6 foot, no older than twenty so good mileage on this thing. Strong as an ox by the looks of it. Tough as old leather too- Nabooru's really taken her fists to this baby and he's still standing. You've all seen this and it aint too bad so I'm starting the bid at 6000 rupees."
I saw Nabooru's face light up. That was good...that was...very good.
"8000 rupees!"
"8000 rupees for the girl at the back."
I stared into the back but the throng of people there blocked anything from view. Anything further than 10 metres away was a heat haze blur anyways.
"Any raise on eight thous-? Eight 100, thank you. Eight 200. Eight 300."
"10,000 rupees!"
There was a rustle of interest, excitement, andannoyance in the crowd.
"10,000 rupees. Any advance on 10,000 rupees? Going.........going................g-"
"STOP!!!"
The crowd, as a whole, swung around. Up the pass there galloped a horse; huge, black, and obviously dying of exhaustion. It got to the gates and, as its rider dismounted, it collapsed in a quivering mass of whipped, bleeding flesh.
The woman who'd dismounted was tall and powerfully built, even for a Gerudo. She was dressed in magnificent, pitch-black battle dress and her long black hair flew out behind her as she marched thunderously towards the stand, leaving her horse where it lay and drawing her huge scimitar with relish.
The auctioneer had her hand at her belt in an instant.
"Please, no arms at the auction."
"I WILL PAY YOU 50,000 RUPPEES FOR THIS FILTH!" the woman roared, jabbing a black-varnished finger at me.
Nabooru was nearly dying of happiness.
"50? 50 thousand? Erm, Ok, any raise on-?"
"Fifty one thousand," the girl with the violet eyes called, stepping out from the crowd. She wasn't looking at me though; she had her eyes set on the other bidder, and there was pure hatred in her gaze.
The woman in the black armour turned a sneering face to the younger girl.
"60 thousand," she said, with an added, "beat that" in the way she said it.
"61 thousand," the teenager countered.
"80 thousand rupees!"
The auctioneer was less than a foot away. Without turning or head or apparently moving her mouth, I heard her whisper, "do you want to live?"
I frowned. "Yeah," I hissed. What else do you say?
"Good. Me too. When Nahashi bids again, faint."
"Sorry?"
The auctioneer moved nearer, till we almost touching, and hissed in my ear.
"When the girl votes, pretend to get heatstroke and collapse."
Suddenly she was back to her normal routine. The audience, focused on the two bidders, hadn't noticed a thing.
"Do I have any advances on 70,000 thousand rupees?"
Nahashi hesitated. She lipped her dry lips, bit them, clenched her hands into tight fists. I realised she probably didn't have that much money.
"Seventy thousand and one rupees."
On cue, I let my legsdrop out beneath me. My head slammed into the hot planks. It hurt but I stayed still, face slack, eyes screwed up. The sun made the insides of my eyelids glow red.
"Looks like it's too hot for him, ladies.Let's call it a day. Bidding ends at seven thousand and one rupees. Item goes to Miss Nahashi Ganon for 60 thousand and one rupee," said the auctioneer.
There was an enraged roar, then someone yelled 'guards!' and a scuffle ensued, in which the huge scimitar smashed into the planks an inch from my face, exploding them into splinters. I lay completely still whilst the huge woman was subdued and carried away.
A hand grabbed me by the collar and lifted me. I felt myself being carried hurriedly through an excited crowd, into the coolness of a building, and, opening my eyes a bit, through a doorway.
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Soory to finish it there but I've got revision to do so I wont be writting for a LOOOONNNNNGGGGG time.