Chapter Five

The Slave Market

To keep me from screaming for help or struggling with my binds, Benjamin and his friends loaded me into a wooden cart stuffed with sacks of hay, gagged me with a strip of burlap, and hid me. My mother's advice didn't help this time. I wept: for my sister's betrayal, my mother, whom I would probably never see again, and for Seth, who was the only person and friend who understood me.

When the wooden cart jolted to a stop, I was awakened from my restless sleep. As Benjamin and his friends gathered their possessions and such, I sat in the heap of burlap and listened to the sounds around me, determined to know where I was.

"What is in your market today, Benjamin?"

"Slaves, of the finest origin," Benjamin answered in his most sincere tone.

"Ah, for what price?"

"That will be determined in an auction." Benjamin replied. "Now, excuse me, I must prepare my slaves for the event."

I listened in on the conversation with disgust.

"An auction! How horrid!" I thought to myself as I imagined myself standing atop a crate in front of all ranks of nobility.

Suddenly, the crate lurched, as if someone was picking it up by one end, and I gripped the sides of the wooden cart in fear. I could feel the dirt road beneath the cart, but I never let go of the sides, it was as if my fear had paralyzed them there. I didn't want to be sold in an auction, and I certainly didn't want to work everyday for the rest of my life!

The cart rolled to a stop, and there was a creak as Benjamin lifted the heavy wooden door that encased the burlap sacks and I.

"Get out," he ordered, "and don't wander."

As I stepped out of the cart and let go of the wooden sides, I felt a sharp pain in the palms of my hands. I looked down, and realized that they were pierced with thousands of splinters.

"Oh well," I thought. "A new injury for every pain."

When Benjamin was done unloading the cart, he came over to me and tied my splintered hands with a thick rope. Then, he led me into a pure white tent on the side of the road: I was unprepared for what I saw. Inside the tent, there were dozens of merchants and nobles, and even more slaves. Some had the beautiful skin color of dark chocolate, and some had the smooth color of melted caramel. I was the only slave with skin the color of milk. When I entered the tent, many of the waiting slaves glared at me, and some gave me apprehensive looks. The merchants all studied me with growing curiosity, while the nobles all stared at me with wide, opened mouths.

"It's because I'm pretty," I told myself.

It was true. I heard one merchant whispering to another that I would make a beautiful servant. I shuddered in disgust. If I were to be sold, I would like to be sold to someone who didn't have a scar running down his face.

One by one, Benjamin lined up the slaves, and he roughly pushed me in the back. I didn't mind: It meant that nobody would see me and purchase me.

"Are they here yet?" I heard a merchant whisper to his friend.

"They should be here soon enough."

I wondered who "They" were: a family of rich nobles or a group of successful merchants? I received my answer when a richly clothed page entered the tent.

"The royal family has arrived."

Benjamin, the obvious leader of the merchants, answered, "Andrew, please escort the royal family to their seats."

Silently, Andrew rose from his seat and walked out the tent. Everyone's eyes followed him while Benjamin whispered last minute orders.

"You are not to speak when spoken to, and you are not to disobey my orders."

Then, the tent's curtains drew back, and Andrew walked back in, escorting three richly clad royals. I studied them: the king looked like a wise and just ruler, while the queen looked like a woman with an incontrollable temper. The last royal who walked inside the tent was a boy about my age. I guessed that he was the prince. The prince was richly clad in a green tunic with golden embroidery: he had an air of arrogance, but I could tell that he had a kind heart that he hid under his serious expression.

"Slaves, rise." Benjamin commanded to us.

I rose, but behind the other slaves, I was so petite that I could not possibly be noticed.

"Who is willing to auction a slave?"

The majority of the room stood to study us. One by one, the slaves in front of me were auctioned, until I was completely visible to the crowd. To take my mind of the auction, I studied my splintered hands and tried to pick out the pieces of wood as accurately as possible.

"Well, hello dear child!" I looked up to see the king standing in front of me.

"Hello, your majesty." I swept into a deep curtsy that my mother taught me. When I looked up, the King was gazing down at me in great respect. He turned to a nearby slaveholder, Andrew, and questioned him.

"How much would you like for this dear child?"

"That would determine upon how much is auctioned, your majesty."

A merchant heard this and rushed up to Andrew, "I am willing to bid six shillings for this slave."

Silently, Andrew led me to a crate and told me to stand on it: I relented.

"Who would like to bid on this fine slave?"

I studied the tent. Many merchants rushed up to the crate, and even more nobles leisurely walked up to study me. In the back of the tent, the Prince sat quietly on a small stool. Our eyes met, but he quickly looked away.

A scream awoke me from my hazy state, "I bid 4 shillings!"

Suddenly, the room was filled with thousands of shouts.

"7 shillings!"

"10 shillings!"

"20 shillings!"

"40 shillings!"

The Kings voice boomed, " 100 shillings."

I gasped. Back home, 100 shillings was enough to buy a palace.

"Is any person willing to bid higher?" Benjamin queried the crowd.

"Wait!" the King exclaimed. "Dear child, what is your history?"

"I was stolen from my home and brought here as a item of purchase." I answered truthfully.

"How dare you speak!" Benjamin was red with rage as he raised his leather whip. He began to bring the whip down upon me, and I closed my eyes and waited for the piercing pain to come. When it didn't, I opened my eyes to see the Prince standing before me, shielding me from the whip.

"Since you did not deny the tale and resulted in violence, you will reduce the cost of the kidnapped slave to 57 shillings." He glared menacingly at Benjamin, daring him to object.

"Sold." Benjamin squeaked in reply: it was the weakest I had ever seen him be.

"We will take our leave, now." The King replied as he left the tent.

"Are you hurt?" The Prince held out his hand to help me up, and I accepted it.

"No, I'm fine." I answered, "Thank you for saving me, your highness."

"It's Kieren.' He smiled.

"Kieren!" I tried the name out in my mind. It was a wondrous name, but I only nodded and followed the prince out of the tent. The queen was waiting for us: she smiled at me with sincerity.

"Welcome to Kulornia, dear."

"Thank you, your majesty."

"You must have gone through many hardships."

"Many, your majesty."

"Taken from your family! It must have been horrid!" The queen shuddered.

I smiled, "It really did hurt in the beginning, but I have gotten used to a servant's life."

"That was very brave of you." The Prince spoke for the first time that we had been in the carriage. He looked at me with a new respect.

The King interrupted. "Since you have arrived from a different origin, you will receive a comfortable room in the castle and you will serve as a lady-in-waiting to the queen."

"I look forward to becoming great friends with you." The queen smiled.

"Your majesty?" I questioned the King, "May I have any more duties?"

"What do you wish to do?"

"I wish to hunt in the forest." I smiled, anticipating his reaction.

"You are good with a bow and arrow?" He sounded amused.

"Excellent." I answered.

"Very well, I will have the archery master accompany you tomorrow morning."

"Thank you." I was truly great full as the carriage rolled through the large iron gates to Kulornia's royal castle.