Slave Trade - Unprepared
Slave Trade Unprepared copyright 2013 comidacomida
Sidney awoke with the dawn, the sunlight just strong enough to create streaming, golden rays as it seeped through the thin cracks between the planks that made up the walls of the stables. The ratty cloth that was the blanket for the fox's bed lay crumpled on the floor, but the slave master was plenty warm within Tharis' arms.
The bull lay behind him, arms wrapped protectively around the small fox, and Sidney remained where he was, closing his eyes again as he let the calm, deep, powerful breath of the slave very nearly lull him back to sleep. Ultimately, it was Tharis simple words, "You're awake." that kept him from dozing back off.
Sidney slowly rotated around within the bull's loose grasp so he could look at the old slave. In the dappled light of the private stable room Tharis' gray streaked fur held a surreal majesty to it; Sidney did not often encounter aging slaves, and it was an alien experience, especially considering the vitality contained in the bull's body. "I am." the fox acknowledged, "I didn't know you were."
"I don't sleep much." Tharis noted simply, gazing down at him. Sidney had seen the glinting reflection of half-light on a dog's or wolf's eyes and the glimmering sheen from the eyes of a lion or cat or panther... but Tharis' eyes, even then, were different: they seemed to have a glow of their own, made all the more prominent when the old bull's head moved and a ray of sun crossed them, muting the glow for the half second until his face was embraced again by the twilight of the room. Sidney marveled at his up-close view of the bull's eyes as the slave leaned down to kiss him on the muzzle.
"I..." Sidney felt his ears flush once the soft, velvety, graying bull's lips drew back from his, "uh... I... don't get kissed very often."
Tharis smiled down at him, "That will change." and the old slave leaned down to make good on his promise, but their time together was interrupted by the front door to the stable being knocked open.
Sidney bolted up in bed, Tharis loosening his grip as a commanding voice from the next room spoke up loud enough for the words to carry through the closed door, "Slaves of the Gladiator Stable of Lord Hector Desanti, gather your gear."
It was a voice that Sidney did not recognize, but he knew right away that the command would not warrant any second-guessing. He motioned for Tharis to stay put then got up, gathered his loin cloth, and quickly strapped it into place. Beyond his door, the sound of the Gladiators readying themselves was evident.
Sidney's paw extended toward the door knob leading out to the stalls but the door opened first, revealing a tall, well-muscled badger dressed in chain link armor. "You are the Slave Master?" the badger demanded, glancing down at a piece of parchment in his paw, "Sidney, also known as Bane?"
"Yes, sir." the fox acknowledged politely, fighting his inclination to lower his gaze; Sidney was a slave, but the badger's bearing did not offer any indication that he deserved the respect of a lord... and, unlike a regular slave, slave masters didn't grovel to just any free man that came along.
"Orders are for the whole stable." the badger stated simply, but his tone held the strength of an edict. The man's eyes glanced past Sidney, and only then did the fox realize that Tharis had not stayed in bed; the large bull was standing right behind him, arms crossed. The badger did not seem intimidated, "You AND the breeding slave." the armored man finished the thought.
There was a time when Sidney would have followed unquestionably, but that time had somehow passed. The fox crossed his own arms and did the unthinkable: he questioned a command, "You are not from Lord Hector's house." he motioned to the strip of purple cloth sewn into the chain, "Whose orders are they?"
"Lord Levid." Tharis answered from behind him.
"Smart breeder." the badger noted without the slightest hint of deviation from his formality, "Whole stable outside in two minutes," he held up two fingers, "We are under orders to snap-lash anyone who delays." and, with that, the messenger about-faced and strolled out of the room; Sidney did not miss the clear view of a snap flay hooked into his belt.
The slave master remained where he was, stunned for several seconds until he felt his arm slide through one of the openings of his vest. Tharis helped him into the garment the rest of the way and the large bull, who had already donned his own loin cloth, placed the loop of his golden lead into the fox's paw. "I think we made him mad." Sidney announced quietly.
"The badger is not paid to get mad." the bull spoke neutrally, following the slave master out the door and into the mostly-empty main room of the stables. Maern was the only slave still inside, and he looked up, ears perked as Sidney came into view.
"Not the badger..." the fox announced, motioning the stallion to the exit; Maern complied without question. Once they were alone, Sidney turned to regard Tharis, able to easily see his own grim expression reflected in the bull's faintly-glowing eyes, "... Lord Levid."
Their discussion ended once they exited the stables. Situated in the area next to the practice circle were several wagons; the only one Sidney recognized was Lord Hector's. Like the badger, most of the other transports had the heraldic colors of multiple shades of purple... except for one. Sidney motioned to it and spoke quietly to Tharis, "Those are Lord Talvin's colors." he whispered. The bull nodded thoughtfully but made no reply.
Up ahead, closer to the wagons, the fox caught sight of the rest of the stable; Olnyr, Dorias, and Choel were holding a collection of harnesses and, at the direction of several workers atop the carriages, passed them up so they could be placed with other cargo. Silently, Sidney gestured ahead and Maern trotted over obediently add what he was carrying to the bundles atop the carriage.
The fox gripped the golden lead in his paw a little tighter once he saw Lord Hector in what appeared to be a heated argument with a collar-wearing collie... the same collie that had presided over Sidney's first snap-lash session; his tail immediately tucked. Drawing closer, the fox strained his ears to try and catch any amount of the conversation he could manage without appearing to listen in.
"... POSSIBLY comprehend how he sees this as a reasonable course of action." Lord Hector wore as deep a scowl as Sidney had ever seen on his usually serene face. The stag's demeanor spoke volumes about his frustration, another condition that the slave master was not accustomed to seeing expressed by his owner.
The collie spoke the whole time facing away from Lord Hector, focused instead on some detail having to do with the way the carriage door opened and closed, "Mine is not the place to question, Lord Hector. I do as I am commanded." the slave turned to face the stag, "My master did say that your presence is also required."
"Required or not," Lord Hector accepted a traveling cloak offered to him by Finneas, "I don't plan on sitting around and letting my property travel across the kingdom without me."
The collie flicked an ear at the sound of the devil-may-care tone in the stag's voice, "Of course, Lord Hector." and the slave bowed his head.
At that moment, Lord Hector turned toward the fox, and the stag's ears went up immediately, "Sidney!" and his master gestured to him.
The slave master trotted the last few yards to reasonable speaking distance, then stopped and bowed his head, "Yes, Master."
Lord Hector took the fox by the arm and led him away from Lord Levid's dog slave. With nothing more than a glance at Tharis, the stag gave a flick of his eyes between the bull and collie. Sidney didn't miss the almost imperceptibly faint nod Tharis gave in acknowledgment. The slave master obediently followed his master, who only spoke up after glancing over the fox's shoulder to make certain that the bull was limiting any eavesdropping. "Lord Levid called my entire gladiator stable to his estate." the stag announced.
"Yes, Master." Sidney nodded, having already heard as much, but not about to interrupt the stag's line of thought.
"The arena season is already well underway." Lord Hector scowled, chewing on his bottom lip and glancing down at the ground as he added, "I can think of no reason for him to call me back at this point."
"Yes, Master." the fox repeated his earlier statement, pleased to be a sounding board for his master. Sidney didn't know where the stag's musings were taking him, but he was content to take the time to center himself in his master's presence.
"Be careful, Sidney." Lord Hector spoke with all the certainty of a direct order, "Lord Levid is afraid of you, and for good reason."
The fox was taken aback by the announcement, and barely managed to stifle a whimper at the thought. "I am no threat to him, Master." he reassured the stag.
"Be that as it may, a dangerous man becomes more dangerous when he PERCEIVES a threat." Lord Hector offered.
"Yes, Master." Sidney bowed his head, "Of course, Master. I will be careful." he reassured the stag.
"Good man." Lord Hector smiled. The fox felt a warmth inside himself, knowing that his answer had somehow given his master a degree of comfort. The stag patted Sidney on the shoulder, "Now..." he announced, leading him back toward the impatient collie, "My carriage will be following in the procession and I will be joining you at Lord Levid's estate."
"Yes, Master." fox nodded, glancing covertly at the collie, who was focused intently on the two of them.
"You will take my slaves into the holding cart..." the stag motioned to a large, black, covered wagon made of wood reinforced with metal bands. Sidney did not miss the fact that the windows were barred with metal and the door at the back of the transport had a lock.
"Yes, Master." Sidney acknowledged, fighting to keep his tail from tucking at the sheer, intimidating nature of the cart.
"Everyone will stay there." Lord Hector continued the orders, "Be respectful and be responsive, but you will decline any request from anyone other than myself to leave the wagon unless your lives are in danger. You and my slaves are under these orders until I PERSONALLY tell you differently." the stag glanced first at the collie, then to the fox, "Do you understand?"
"Yes, Master." Sidney acknowledged without a moment's thought.
"Do YOU understand?" Lord Hector moved his critical gaze to the collie.
"Of course, Lord Hector." the dog bowed deeply and, Sidney noticed, did not meet the stag's gaze again.
"Good." the Lord nodded, his demeanor again regal and unshakable, "Now, Sidney... please see to it that my slaves are situated... I understand that we leave shortly." The stag took hold of Tharis' lead and placed it into the slave master's paw.
"Yes, Master." the fox confirmed, and went immediately to see to his slaves.
* * * * * *
The interior of the holding cart was just as intimidating as the exterior, if not more so. The benches were made of unadorned hard wood planks and jutted out from the walls too high up for the fox's feet to touch the floor; they were, however at just the right height for the gladiators, save Choel, who cold just able to scrape the wooden floor boards with his toe claws. The three windows were small and placed up high on the walls, making it difficult to see any of the passing scenery. Though the carriage's interior was dark, Sidney did realize that Tharis' eyes were no longer glowing.
The discussion among the slaves was subdued and, other than occasional snippets of small talk, the majority of words being spoken were questions to which nobody had an answer. The hours passed slowly and, despite the cool weather outside, the interior of the transport was stiflingly warm due to all of the body heat. Everyone had long-since begun to shuffle and squirm uncomfortably before any indication of their location was given. When it finally was,the realization came from Olnyr.
The bison's ears perked and he stood up, glancing toward one of the transport's windows, "We're near the castle."
"The castle?" Sidney questioned.
"I think 'e means Lord Levid's estate, Sir." Dorias spoke up, "Lords 'ave manors an' kings 'ave castles."
"How do you know?" the fox asked Olnyr.
"Bells." the bison answered, "A town near the castle has lotsa bells." he sat back down and stared at Sidney, "They ring em before night."
Straining his own ears, Sidney listened for several seconds before he could focus on a chorus of pealing bells , "How far away are--" he began, but paused when the light from the windows was interrupted for the span of a breath.
"The walls." Olnyr noted flatly, "We're here." A minute later, the wagons came to a stop.
They waited for what felt like forever to Sidney. After the fox began to think that they were going to be left there for the entire night, the sound of a key jiggling in the door's lock finally brought a sense of relief to him. He motioned to all of the slaves around him and, except for Choel, they remained seated. The fox stood, arched his back, stretched one leg, then the other, and finally sat back down.
When the door opened a fully armored, gruff-looking rhino stood staring in at them. "Well?" he demanded when none of them moved, "Come out! I don't have all day."
Lord Levid's collared collie passed by, "They are under orders to wait for their Master." the dog noted, motioning for the guard, "Come."
Sidney had never heard of a slave giving orders to a free man and, from the rhino's look he didn't appear to have any indication of being owned. Strangely, however, the guard snorted, glared into the transport at them, and followed after the dog. Dorias answered the fox's unspoken question, "Collie's Lord Levid's voice... word is that 'e was brought up from a pup by th' king 'imself and 'is word is Lord Levid's own among th' 'ouse'old."
"It's true." Olnyr grunted, "Breeg is the most powerful slave in Pross."
The slaves remained within the carriage, awaiting orders from Lord Hector. With the back door open, Sidney realized that the confined space cooled down to a comfortable level rather quickly, and, despite the incredible noise and activity outside, he found the time sitting there to be relatively relaxing. When Lord Hector finally did make an appearance, however, it was the opposite of comforting.
The stag was brought before the open transport's door by a pair of armored hyenas. Unlike the other guards around Lord Levid's home, they did not have the purple color heraldry, rather, they had simple gray tabards or, as Sidney had come to learn, they were sell swords. The guards stood on either side of Lord Hector, who, expression grim, said in a flat tone, "An ocelot will be along for you shortly. Go with him." and, after he gave that simple order, the stag was led away... none too gently.
"I don't like this." Choel noted with a faint growl.
"Glad we be in agreement then." Dorias acknowledged.
"Why is Lord Hector being told what to do?" Sidney questioned, "Guards aren't supposed to treat Lords like that."
"Shhh." Tharis offered calmly from beside him on the bench. His warning came just before the arrival of an ocelot dressed in studded leather armor; the slave master didn't miss the fact that the feline's armor, like the hyenas also lacked colored heraldry.
"Bane?" the ocelot questioned, looking straight at fox.
"Sidney." the slave master responded.
The feline blinked, undeterred, "Follow me, Slave Master Bane, and bring your slaves." with that, the ocelot about-faced, and proceeded toward the main building in the courtyard.
"Now what?" Choel questioned in a quiet tone.
"Now, we follow him." Sidney responded, "Lord Hector ordered it."
Emerging from the transport, the fox ushered the slaves on, not letting them stop even to stretch, which most did on the way as they walked. Sidney led them at a quick pace so they could catch up to the ocelot who, thankfully, was strolling slowly toward whatever locale was the ultimate destination. The slave master, with Tharis' lead still in paw, was followed by the rest of the stable; none of them said a word.
Sidney remained attentive to the area around him, moving quickly enough to keep up with their guide, but slow enough to take in his surroundings. He spent so long trying to memorize the path they took that he didn't really notice who he was following until they came to their destination. Only once the ocelot stopped and opened up a large metal cage did the fox make the connection, "You're one of Lord Talvin's gladiators."
"If your tongue stays loose, it might just fall off." came the cryptic reply, and the ocelot motioned the slaves into the holding bin.
Sidney was about to ask for clarification when Dorias' large hand fell upon his shoulder, "Sidney... 'e means that 'e'll cut it out if ye keep talkin'." Translation suddenly clearing up his confusion, the fox decided he was done talking. The slave master ushered all of his slaves through the door, then made to follow them, but the ocelot closed it.
"This isn't your room." the cat stated, then pointed across the hall to a small wooden door with bars on its single, thin window, "That's where you're staying, Bane."
"But I--" Sidney began. The ocelot moved a gloved paw to the hilt of the blade at his side and the fox left his comment unfinished. Opening the door for Sidney, the cat closed and secured it behind him. His face appeared at the window, "The Lord will be with you soon." and, with that, the cat departed.
Sidney glanced about the room; unlike the last holding pen he'd experienced at Lord Levid's estate, the room had a bed of sorts, which consisted of a simple wooden slab bolted to the wall. There was an empty trough, which opened at the bottom into a foul-smelling pit beneath, and a small stone cistern built out of the wall with what appeared to be fresh water. The room was otherwise unadorned and unspectacular, but still far nicer than what he'd been exposed to in the past.
He didn't have much time to further investigate as the door to his chamber unlocked, and his visitor entered. "Hello, Bane." the immaculately dressed wolf said with a smile, tail swaying pleasantly from side to side.
Sidney stared in surprise at him, "Lord Talvin?"
"In the fur." the lord acknowledged with a smile, closing the door behind himself, "I had hoped to take up a little bit of your time before dinner tonight."
"Dinner?" the fox inquired.
"Of course." Lord Talvin inclined his head, "Lord Levid invited Lord Hector to his home to thank him for saving Baron from the Grinders."
"For... saving-- wait--what?" Sidney lost track of of the conversation, "Lord Levid SOLD Olnyr to the Grinders, and then Lord Hector bought him, and--"
"And there were no sales contracts to prove anything." Lord Talvin interrupted the fox, "A few years ago there were a set of laws enacted by the king to create clear understanding of ownership of a slave, and Baron's contract never changed hands." the wolf leaned against the stone wall next to the door, "So, technically, Baron is still Lord Levid."
"But, Lord Hector--"
"I know..." Lord Talvin acknowledged, "But he did not purchase Baron legally."
"I..." Sidney paused, "I don't understand."
The wolf smiled, and strolled forward, reached out, and patted the fox on his head, "Of course..." he drew his paw back and began rummaging around in one of the front pockets of his courtly tunic, "I would dare say that it is not a slave's place to understand financial transactions, legal or otherwise."
"But..." the slave master ventured, "why are we here?"
Lord Talvin smirked and pulled a black strip of leather from his pocket; Sidney recognized it as the same one the wolf had been playing with the prior day in the carriage on their way back to Lord Hector's manor. "Why are we here, you ask?" the lord inquired. The fox nodded, and the wolf smiled, "That is a question all men ask from time to time."
"Is that not an acceptable question?" Sidney asked.
"it is a very acceptable question, my sweet fox." Lord Talvin took hold of Sidney's paw and began to affix the black strip of leather to his palm, sliding the cords through the space between his fingers and tying them together around the top of his paw, securing it in place. "Most men and women never get an answer to 'Why am I here?', but, then again, slaves are not most people." He then started on the leather strap for Sidney's other paw.
The scholarly discussion about the basic question made the fox's head spin. He centered himself, looking at the leather tied to his paw before asking, "Do you know why we're here?"
"Tonight? In Lord Levid's estate? Right now?" Lord Talvin tied off the second palm guard, "Yes, I do."
"Why?" the fox asked, tone plaintive, desperate to gain understanding as he thought about seeing Lord Hector led away from him by the two sell-swords.
"Lord Hector has a history of making life 'difficult' for Lord Levid." the wolf took a step back as he looked Sidney up and down. "Raise your paws, palms out." he directed, holding his own up as an example. Sidney did as was requested and Lord Talvin gave them a once-over, "Since finding out that your master purchased Baron from the Grinders, he was less than generous with his tolerance for Lord Hector's antics."
"But, Lord Hector bought--" Sidney froze in place, "Why are you calling him Baron anyway? I thought that--"
"Because Lord Levid reclaimed his property, as is his right seeing as he is the Lord that holds Baron's contract." Lord Talvin nodded and motioned for Sidney to lower his arms, "Which means that one of your gladiators will be facing him tonight after dinner." The wolf nodded his head courteously and about-faced, heading to the door.
"Wait." Sidney reached out and grabbed at Lord Talvin's cloak.
The Lord about-faced, his demeanor a mask of serenity, but the faint glimmer from the light reflecting off the wolf's eyes helped remind Sidney that he was a dangerous man. "Yes, my little Bane?"
Sidney had dozens of questions about what he wanted to ask, but the only one that made its way out of his muzzle was, "You know about Lord Hector's Sorra..."
"Indeed." Lord Talvin smoothed out his cloak.
Sidney's tail drooped sightly at the surety of the confirmation, "Lord Hector told me that I was the only one alive that knew of it."
"You are." the wolf confirmed.
"But--"
Lord Talvin chuckled, opening the door quietly before turning back to look at the fox, "Bane learned many things during the time I served Lord Hector, foxy... but Bane died many, many years ago."
"But you're Bane." Sidney attested.
The wolf leaned closer to the slave master, his muzzle scarcely two inches from the fox's. Smiling, Lord Talvin spoke quietly, "No... you are." and, with that, the lord showed himself out, closing and locking the door once he was outside.
Sidney stood, stunned for several moments before he gained enough composure to shout after the wolf, "Lord Talvin? LORD TALVIN?"
"Quiet." came a calm voice from beyond the door. The fox recognized it as belonging to the ocelot.
Sidney, in a moment of frustration, decided to do otherwise, "You're one of Lord Talvin's gladiators..."
The sell sword growled softly, "There's that tongue coming loose again..." and the fox heard the sound of a sword being loosed from its sheath.
"Slaves can't sell their--"
"I'm not a slave." the ocelot growled, and Sidney heard the sound of the door opening. The cat stepped in, securing it behind him, "And I think it's about time you remembered who was..." In addition to a the sword in one paw, the warrior had what looked like a thick leather bag in the other. Sidney backpedaled as the ocelot stalked toward him. His back pressed against the wall and he had nowhere else to go, but the man continued stalking closer until the cat was almost atop him, speaking at a near whisper. "I hope you're good at acting."
"I--" Sidney paused, ears up, "What?"
"Not such a big man NOW, are you, ya little shit?" the cat growled loudly, and slammed the bag against the wall right next to the fox's head, creating a very disconcerting, realistic, fleshy thud, "Getting a little too full of yourself, is that it?" and the ocelot kicked the wooden bench with his boot.
It took Sidney a few seconds before he realized what was going on, "S-Stop!" he shouted, and, heart-racing, added a convincing "AGH!" when the ocelot hit the wall again.
Still not fully understanding the reason for the charade, the fox continued the acting for nearly minute until the ocelot turned to regard him and spoke quietly, "Sorry bout this."
"Wha-?" and Sidney saw stars when the pommel of the sell-sword's weapon struck him between the eyes. The fox landed on the floor, pain lancing through his head, and he was as much stunned by the blow as he was the fact that he was not unconscious. His vision was blurry, and he heard a distinct ringing in his ears, but he could tell that the ocelot was leaning over him.
"Lord Talvin and your master see eye-to-eye on a lot of things, but my Lord and Lord Hector do not agree on everything." Sidney felt himself being stripped, but the implications of it were lost to him as he fought to make his dulled mind catch everything the cat was saying. The ocelot bound his wrists with his own loin cloth rope, "Lord Levid is setting up four fights for your stable..."
Even in Sidney's dazed state, the number didn't sound right "...but..." his own voice awoke an aching pain in his head and made the flashing in his vision get even worse, "... Olnyr..." he fought to keep his comprehension moving forward, "...only three... we... only three..."
"Right." the ocelot manhandled him onto the slatted wooden bench, face down, "You only have three gladiators... which means Lord Levid wants you to be the fourth fight."
The realization of that struck the fox as surely as the cat's weapon had, and he began to struggle, "No... I... I can't... I--"
"Don't worry." the ocelot murmured softly, "You won't." the impact on the back of Sidney's head was of little comfort but the blackness of oblivion was a welcome relief.