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here's what i have so far.. and if anyone THINKS to take my plot.. heaven help you!
In the town of Havorn the marketplace was bustling. It was a most beautiful day, sunny and warm. A calm breeze blew gently from the east. It ruffled the ladies' hair in their tresses, gently shook the leaves on the trees, and swooped down to the harbor. There it joined a stronger brother breeze coming off from the sea and together they snapped the masts of the ships moored in the harbor. The new breeze chased after the sailors of one particular ship as they trudged down the gangplank keeping a watchful eye over their cargo. The men of the Prospect gazed at the humans in chains as they herded the new and old slaves to the waiting slave pens. As the men neared the old storehouse that had been converted into the holding cells, the breeze stopped short. The winds chose not to frequent this place, for it was one of much sorrow. With one last burst the two currents broke apart and scattered from the storehouse.
Briar Street looked up as the sailors from the Prospect entered the warehouse with the new arrivals. He was stooped in the corner of the pen. His tan skin rippled with stringy muscles as he moved slightly, adjusting his balance
He was only eleven, but even so, he looked small and malnourished. The boy stood, staring at the sailors angrily. These men seemed to enjoy their work. It was disgusting to see them so desensitized to the slaves around them. But then, Briar himself was desensitized to suffering. The boy sighed, his even blue grey eyes reminded one of the sky before a storm. He scratched his shoulder absently. Then he turned to sit in the corner where he had made a sort of nest using the blanket he had been given and his faded cream colored sleeveless shirt. He idly kicked the dusty dirt floor, his faded black pants becoming covered with the dust up to mid-shin.
A man was thrown into the cage next to Briar. He looked old and weathered, but still strong. Caiph smiled as he saw the small boy next to him. "Hey there little fella" he said quietly. Briar looked up, piercing blue-grey eyes meeting Caiph's coal black ones. "I ain't little." he grumbled, sitting up to draw in the dirt idly. Caiph only smiled. "Nah, to an old man like me you are little." He went to the edge of his cage, to the bars that separated him from the boy. He slipped a hand through the bars towards the boy. "I'm Caiph. Do ya got a name, or should I just keep callin you little fella?" he said, jesting.
"Name's Briar. Briar Street." he said, proudly proclaiming his background. Street was not an actual last name, but rather, it was what street children used whenever a last name was needed. Caiph smiled at this. "I figured you was a Street. Well then, little Briar, I can tell you're new here, so I'm gonna keep an eye on ya, ok? There's much here that can hurt ya, and ya gotta know the rules and the tricks at getting a good home." Caiph's voice dropped a bit. "No doubt you're thinking of runnin. Here's not the place to do that. Ok? Trust me." Smiling once more, the man produced a half of a loaf of bread from his pocket and offered it to Briar. "You look like ya could use it." He sat against the divider, watching as the boy on the other side did the same. "Thanks." was all Briar would say.
The next week Caiph grew fonder of the boy and took up a protecting position over him. But he also let the boy learn from his own mistakes sometimes, knowing it was the only way Briar would really learn. Caiph began to see how Briar reacted to potential buyers, proving himself more trouble than he was worth, and receiving some pretty bad beatings for it too. Nights were the worst for the boy, who had terribly violent nightmares. Caiph would quiet him as best he could, hoping to get Briar calmed enough before the guards came in and beat him for the noise. Despite his weakness in the night, during the day he closed up and was cold and uncaring as ice to all who looked at him. Caiph also began to notice how Briar was around wind. Breezes seemed to come to visit him, dancing playfuly around him, ruffling his jet black shaggy hair. On one occasion Briar had become angry at a certain master and a sharp gust of wind had actually almost knocked the man over. Briar seemed not to notice, nor to do this purposefully. Caiph frowned. That night he taught Briar to meditate.
One morning dawned bright and clear. It was Briar's ninth day in the slave market. Caiph had not been bought yet either, much to Briar's luck. As the market began to get busy, Briar rose from meditating with Caiph and stood to watch the potential buyers with an angry glare.
"Bry-Bry. Please! Behave for once!" Caiph pleaded. He did not fully break meditation, but instead stayed in a light form of it. Briar ignored him. He noticed a woman entering the market and glared at her. Veronica strode by the pens with an air of calm collective cruelty. Her black eyes scanned the signs in front of each slave's cage. They stopped as they saw Briar. The woman strode over to him, eyes cold. "Well, looky here, a miniature one." she said, teasing him. She looked at his tags, smiling evilly. "Ahhh. A Street. Heh, well noone would want to bring scum like you into their home. Streets breed all kinds of diseases, and they stink!" She watched for his reaction. Briar glared harder, ramming his cage door with his shoulder. "Vek!" he spat. Veronica only smiled more. "An attitude. Well, that comes as no surprise." She got closer to the cage. "Just remember, boy. You got yourself in there." she said quiet and cold. She left and returned a muinet later with a dealer in tow. "How much for this one?" she asked, pointing at Briar. " For 'im? Ya want 'IM? Well, 60 in silver. Jus' want 'im outta here by now." Veronica nodded. "Well gimme a couple of minutes before I decide, ok?" The dealer nodded with a grunt. He went to Briar's door and glared hard at the boy. "You better behave, or I'll deal wit ya personally." he left.
Veronica whistled. "Hear that kid? Well, he's nothing compared to me. So either you act right or I'LL deal with you. Now, let's start simple. Tell me your name." It was a commnd, not a request. Briar put his head up and squared his shoulders. "Cantcha read?! It's on my tags." Veronica entered the cage, unfurling her whip as she did so. She grabbed Briar's left arm and whipped him hard, holding him by the left arm. She threw him to the ground and hit him a few more times. Then she stopped suddenly. "Now, let's try it again. Your name." She said, her voice low and dangerous.
Caiph looked on sorrowfully. "Briar. His name is Briar." Veronica snaked the whip at Caiph, leving a mark near his ear. "Boy, I asked YOU for your name. So, you had better speak up quick. I have all day to beat it out of you if I have to."
Briar looked angrily at her. "Caiph already told ya." Veronica struck him three times at the head with her whip. "I asked YOU! It is a matter of obedience. YOU are to tell me your name, RIGHT NOW!" She struck him five more times. "It's Briar! Caiph aready told you and it's on my tags, so why do ya need ta hear it from me, huh?!"
Veronica stopped and smirked. "Much better. Like I said boy, it's a matter of obedience. I tell you to do something, you either do it or suffer the consequences. Understood?" Veronica left the cage to pay the dealer. Briar stood and spat on the ground as she left, a sign of disgust towards the woman. Caiph frowned. "Oh Bry-Bry. Why did you have to do that? She was looking for a fighter child, and now she is going to make life hell for you. I tried to warn ya, baby." Briar saw the sorrow in Caiph's eyes. His own stormy eyes were hardened and cold. "I won't let her. I don't hafta go with her, or stay with her." Caiph shook his head. "Child, she OWNS you now. You are her property. She can do with you whatever she pleases, and you have no say in the matter." Briar looked at Caiph, digesting his words. He sat at the bars that separated them and lay his head against them. Caiph stroked the boy's forearm sadly. He heard footsteps getting close and gave Briar a quick kiss on the head. "Be safe." Briar stood. "Use your head Bry-Bry." he said to the boy as Veronica approached.
"You're mine now. And I intend to do something about your attitude problem." she smirked. The dealer looked at her. "Want me to chain him, or do you wanna do it?"
"I can handle my slave myself." Veronica said harshly. The dealer shrugged, holding up a bandaged hand. "Be careful, he bites." The man left.
Briar smiled, remembering how he had bitten the dealer two days ago. The boy looked plaintively at Caiph. The man's mind raced as he tried to come up with a sloution to help Briar. "Miss, might you need a cook, or footman, or something? Anything?" Veronica looked icily at Caiph. "Ahhh, yes. The one who spoke up for young Briar here. Still trying to protect him, are you? Well, he brings such things upon himself." Caiph put his head down slightly, not making eye contact with the mistress. This was a sign of submission. "Yes miss. I know he deserves what he gets. I meerly asked bcause I have been here for a week now, and I miss working." he said in his best "good slave" voice. Veronica smiled. "See boy, this is how you should behave. Yes. I think I will buy you." She left Briar's cage and went to chain Caiph. She tied him off to the bars outside of his cage. Then she went back to Briar.
"Now are you going to come easily or not?" Briar glared. "Or not!" he snapped, stepping back. "Oooh Briar!" Caiph groaned. Briar glared at him. Veronica watched, just shrugging. "Fine. It's your choice." She grabbed his wrist and clapped a cuff on it, which she swiftly connected to the bars of the cage. She stood back and pulled a different whip from her belt. She began to hit him, ignoring his yelps as the wire twined into the whip tore at his skin. She hit him a total of 7 times. Then she stopped and pulled out the chains. "Behave now? Or shall I continue?" Caiph looked at Briar. "Please Bry-Bry" he whispered. Veronica smirked. "Yeah, Bry Bry." she mocked. He allowed himself to be chained without a problem. Veronica's smirk widened. She took a hand and ran it down Briar's back a few times, brushing the blood to the floor. She held him still with one hand, squeezing his shoulder. Briar stared off blankly, a look of mixed anger and pain in his eyes. Veronica finished cleaning the blood from his back and pushed both Briar and Caiph towards her waiting carriage. She chained them in the back. Briar sat apart of Caiph, still sulking. The man frowned, looking at Briar. "I told you, boy-child. Why can't you listen? Please, please just try to be good." Caiph kept his voice low, so as to prevent Veronica from hearing. "I don't like that woman.. I can tell she's a hard one. You can't win with her, so please don't try."
Briar stiffened, glaring at Caiph. "I am not gonna be cowed by slavery the way you are! I won't just put my head down like a good little pup and let someone else own me! NO! I refuse to! I'll hold my own, I always do. Or I'll run away. But I will not, WILL NOT be a good little slave!" Briar yelled, not even caring to lower his voice. Veronica turned to give a cold viscious smile to the boy. "Well.. If that's how you wish it...I almost feel sorry for what you are about to live through.. ALMOST!"
The carriage pulled up at the door of a house. Caiph was sent to the stables, with instructions to help tend the horses. Once he was gone, with a few backwards glances at Briar, Veronica smiled, glaring sharply at the boy. She un hooked him from the carriage and tugged on the leash she had attached to his collar. "Let's go." Briar tumbled from the carriage, jumping to his feet. "No!" Veronica struck him across the face, re opening the cut on his left cheekbone. "Do not talk back to me child." She warned. "Now..COME!" she ordered, as if talking to a disobedient dog. She tugged the leash. Briar followed her into the house. She pushed him to a table in the kitchen. "I've brought you a kitchen boy." she announced to a stern faced man standing by the wood stove. He turned, wiping his rough peach hands on his apron. "Good!.. A scrawny little thing ain't he." he said, cocking his head to one side. Veronica smiled sharply. "And a little brat too. If he gives you ANY trouble, give me a call.. I mean to quell his bad behavior." She said before turning to leave. "Will do, miss. I won't put up with nuttin from this rogue." he called after her. The large man turned to Briar. "Get to work on them potatoes then.. NO SLACKING!" he snapped. Briar frowned, picking a potatoe up as he plopped to the floor. He peeled the rest of the day. As he was finishing up, he took a chunk out of a potatoe with his knife and popped it into his mouth. Carver, the cook, smacked the boy soundly in the back of the head, causing him to spit out the potatoe.
"Now did I say you could eat that?" he growled. "No I did not! Finish up!" he snapped. Briar finished. "Done." he snapped at the man bitterly. "Good! now I can rid you of that attitude." Carver picked Briar up, ignoring the scratching and biting and carryings on of the boy. He knocked on a door. "Missus.. The brat's bein' difficult." Veronica flung the door open. "Put him in the room then. I'll be right there. What did he do?" She clouted him across the head, temporarily stunning Briar, so he would stop thrashing.
"Stealin food and carrying on and the like. Got a real attitude, he does." Carver turned to toss Briar in a dark room down the hall. Briar sat, glaring at the door. The room was pitch black and Briar had no idea what the dimensions of it were. He decided not to explore just yet. As this thought crossed his mind, the door swung open, then swiftly shut again.
 alieraisu · Sun Jan 23, 2005 @ 01:16am · 1 Comments |
