~~~Chapter One~~~
10 years later… Early fall of 1801
"Ladies and gentlemen of the south, we have here… A grand selection of black slaves abnormally rare in their species." Began the tradesman heartily, gesturing to the row of blacks lined up side by side along the platform he stood on. "We will begin at $35 dollars a piece, starting from the juveniles to the adults." He looked out and smiled as the crowed of wealthy plantation owners of many kinds although of one color, seemed to swarm around him. His smile and enthusiasm grew as one particular man stepped from his coach and onto the dusty ground. He quickly turned back to the chained up blacks and continued, "This rugged looking one, is worth maybe about six of these slaves, and can withstand the scorching sun. But since winter is approaching, I suppose he'll withstand the scorching snow, eh?" His dry humor followed silence. He straightened and stepped forward, "This one worth about 2…" He continued on like this, describing the abilities of each slave as he moved from one to the next. He then reached the female blacks and continued their description, ignoring one. Soon the real auction began, "$50 dollars!" The man looked again, "Do I hear $55?" He asked, cupping his ear. "$70 dollars!" He smiled, "Going once, going twice…Sold for $70."
"What is your price for that one?" The tradesman stopped his questioning of higher prices and turned to his questioner. He smiled as he recognized the man he was happy to have at the auction that day, the one with all the money and large amounts of slaves anybody could ever acquire. People knew him as the richest of plantation owners since a decade. "Which one sir?" The man turned his sharp eyes upwards, "I despise repeating myself sir, the woman at the end…" The man on the stage frowned and pushed away the slaves to get a look. He grimaced as he eyed the young girl capable of nothing really. He grabbed her by her long, ivory neck and brought her forth into view of everyone.
"This one sir…Isn't worthy of a price, take her at your will." He took a few steps closer. His heavy, dark green cloak swinging side to side as he approached, looking into her cobalt blue eyes with his own. Her dark blue hair was cut short; wild bangs decorated a bit of her forehead, not long enough to reach her eyes. He continued his inspection, guessing from the way her breasts were still full beneath that thin tattered dress and those curvy accented hips that she was around the age of 15, or 16. Her skin was pale and bleeding, obviously not callused from heavy work. He met eyes with the auctioneer and tossed him a small pouch full of money. "I never leave an auction, with out being very much obliged…" He said coolly, before turning and making his way through the now, small throng of people and into his coach. The man smiled, "You better be worth it, wench…" He said trailing her feminine jawbone, smiling as she glared perilously before the wealthy man's men drug her away.
~~~
"Lucretzia, do be careful of the china, I'm sure Lord Casanova didn't spend good profit on them just for your clumsy self to break them. Impossible to replace if you continue to hold it in that manner…" Lucretzia Casanova, wife of Estefan Casanova, allowed her pride to be crushed by their old acquaintances once again for the trillionth time that morning, as they continued on their rambling. One after the other, complaint after complaint after complaint. Never did she hear them utter a positive thing, whether about her or not. She was beginning to take 'Sudden death' into consideration, for what else did those damned idiots have to live for if they were going to do nothing but complain about every small detail?
"Lucretzia are you even paying the slightest bit of attention to what we've been inquiring?" She cocked her head, looking at them and silently enjoying their crooked expressions of confusement. She averted her eyes from one wrinkled arse to the other. "I have yet to understand why you bother to enjoy the company of others. For I have come to the conclusion that being a well educated guest and lady is not one of your strongest points." With that said, she stood, straightened the lace and silk incasing her noticeably feminine form, and turned to them. "Now I would be very grateful if you would kindly show yourselves to the door… I have wasted enough time being the center of your ridiculous, if not, insignificant flattery…" She trailed off, giving a slight curtsy, hinting her respect for elders still remained; gave a 'Good day' before exiting the parlor. 'I don't believe them…' She said to herself, waving off maids and butlers who noticed her cross expression.
She turned the knob of the master bedroom, and gently closed it behind her as she entered tiredly. She leaned against the large, gold trimmed and carved door before placing herself in a luxurious couch just in front of the fireplace. The light of the fire danced about her very eyes, gently causing her eyelids to grow heavy. She allowed them to close over her dramatic, amethyst eyes relaxing her tense body as much as possible, as she allowed sleep to take her. Her peaceful slumber lasted only moments, for the sound of footsteps caused her eyes to flutter open and regain their drama and mystery. She furrowed her eyebrows, not sure whether she heard them or not, quickly standing as Estefan's baritone voice broke the silence.
Her expression grew hard, cold somewhat, as she watched his shadowed outline remove his white gloves and, as if she had all the fault in the world, ask, " I can't have you chasing away our acquaintances and friends with your problems Lucretzia… You remember what we've talked about, no?" She shot him an icy glare, "Maybe I'm not as happy and joyful as you may believe Estefan…If you've agreed to accept their atrocious behavior towards you, their friend, than you can have the pleasure of dealing with them personally." She stated bluntly turning away from him, and staring deep into the blazing flames of the fire. Her body froze as she felt him place his hands on her naked shoulders and gently nuzzle her ear with his nose, "You are angry Lucretzia… You need this anger released from you before it tears you to pieces…" He whispered. Her expression puzzled. Feeling his hands slip away, she turned and watched as he opened the elegant door, signaling for something. Someone. Her lips came to an ajar stance as another figure stepped forth into the dim lighted room, and guided over towards her with the help of Estefan. He joined Lucretzia's side smiling thoughtfully. "She's yours to keep…When I saw her I knew she was for you…" Silence. "I'm sure she'd make you very happy..." Her eyes went wide, her sudden rage surprising him, causing his own blood to boil as she pushed the young girl towards him, sending her to land in a heap on the ground.
"You believe that this mere child is going to make me happy?! Immediately alter our predicaments?!" She said, searching his eyes for an articulate answer. He averted his eyes to hers, "WE don't have any troubles Lucretzia…" He said calmly, shoving the girl violently to pool at her feet with his leg. "You do…" She finished bravely earning a murderous glare from her hotheaded husband. He gritted his teeth and stomped forward. Not breaking contact with her glaring amethyst eyes, he grabbed the frightened girl by the hair and dragged her to the door, slamming it behind him. Noin let out a ragged breath and rushed out. Down the hall, the elegant staircase and into the spacious dining area almost knocking over a small table. 'I don't want to hear his sins!' Grabbing a bottle of Wild Turkey she hastily unscrewed the cap and brought the bottle's circular opening to her mouth. Tears formed and fell from her eyes as the sour liquid burned a trail down her throat as she continued to swallow, feeling her senses fail to comprehend her surroundings any longer. Feeling her knees buckle underneath her, her strength weaken, and the bottle slip from her hand. The bottle shattered on impact against the hardwood of the floor, followed by a woman's unconscious body…
~~~
"Get in there!" The young girl braced herself from hitting the hard wall with her hands, as the angry Baron pushed her inside the attic. She watched with dread as he made his way towards her, his hands balled into tight fists. Shutting her eyes and pressing hard against the wall, she waited for him to beat her, touch her, and fill her with dread. But a sharp scream followed and it wasn't her own. She opened her eyes in alarm and gasped as she saw the shadowy figures of what she knew was the angry man and another slave, another woman. Trapped in his world of hatred and pain, and soon…death.
She winced as the sound of physical skin to skin contact echoed bluntly through the room, followed by more screaming, crying, and begging. "No stop, please! No! AHG!" Tears trailed down her young face as the smell of her blood and decay assaulted her nose, followed by a hollow thump at her side. She turned to the woman, and allowed a sob to escape her lips as she gathered her into her arms. She uttered a silent prayer, as her body grew tremendously cold at a mere blink of an eye. Death had swept her from the world that very moment she prayed.
SLAM!
~~~
"Uhnn…" Lucretzia groaned and wearily sat up, clutching her head as her temples pulsed harshly, and loud. She shook her head, clearing her vision a bit, before gasping at the sight of blood. Blood mixed with liquor and shattered glass. She looked herself over, and found that her palm was bleeding severely. Wrapping her hand in a small napkin from the liquor trolley, she made her way out of the kitchen and into the living area. Turning around a corner she stopped abruptly to see Estefan at the end of the hall, breathing heavily, his wide sleeved chemise covered in sharp blotches of crimson. They both stared hard into each other's eyes before he tore away from her. Grabbing his coats from its place on the elegant hook he grasped the doorknob and swung the heavy door open, slamming it hard behind him as he rushed out.
She winced as the slam ran sharp through her pounding head before rushing up the staircase towards the attic. Her mind ran cold as dread embraced her when she reached its simple entrance. She allowed only the tips of her fingers to touch the slightly closed door, pushing it open with little effort. She took a step forward, furrowing her eyebrows at the awkward silence. Walking towards the antique like furnace located in one of the corners she turned a rusty knob clockwise, flooding the dusty, desolate room of terror with light. Making it easier to see, now that there was illumination around the room, she turned to look about it. She stopped, and grimaced hard, before setting loose a guttural screech as she fell to her knees. She pounded the floor with balled up fists, her palm screaming in agony as her long fingernails dug into the opened wound with agonizing pain. "Oh god! No…! How could you!" She said, rushing over towards the body lying lifeless in a sea of blood. She picked up the empty framework of what once was a living human, and begged for forgiveness. "Oh god, no… No… Damn it, no!" She stared mindless as she cried, now feeling numb and alone as reality hit and broke her like a hammer to a feeble nail; she was the wife of a murderer. Satan.
She silenced her breathing, as a slight; seemingly out of place noise caught her attention. Craning her head to the side, Lucretzia's lips fell ajar once again as she spotted another girl in one of the attic's corners. 'I recognize this one…' Setting the deceased gently onto the floor, she stood up and slowly walked over. Stopping mid-step as she watched her brace herself against the wall. Expecting a fatal blow leading to her own death and destruction in order to satiate her anger, Lucretzia allowed a small smile to curve her lips as she kneeled at her side. She tilted her head to the side and grasped the young girl's chin. The girl gasped and quivered as Lucretzia turned her angelic face to face her own.
She saw the fear in her Cobalt blue eyes, clear as day, as she spoke, "It is alright…I won't hurt you..." The girl looked into her eyes before suddenly wrapping her weak arms around her. Lucretzia tightly shut her eyes, as fright escaped the young girl's lips. Wrapping her arms around her form, she too cried. Afraid, terrorized…
"Shhh…It is alright…He won't hurt you…" The girl looked at her own dark eyes, unable to comprehend this, this foreign kindness radiating from this stranger. She watched as the stranger's eyes grew cold, hard, murderous. "I won't allow it… You have my word." She continued to look at her in a serious manner before allowing her expression to soften. "My name is Lucretzia Noin Casanova, wife of the devil. What is your name little one?" The girl smiled.
"Nice to meet you Lucretzia Noin Casanova, wife of the devil. My name is Hilde…"
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I hate cliff hangers don't you? Well, there's chapter 1. Please read and review, tell me your opinions I'd really like to know what you guys think! On to chapter 2!
(Thanks again for the patience you guys!)
Preventer Fire.