Chapter 3: Chapter 3
- They sold me.
The words had been echoing in the confines of Parisa's mind for the past few hours as she rode horseback with the two men to where they were taking her. She was not allowed any information about where they were going. She wanted to continue asking. She wanted to pry the information from them with her small frozen hands. Better yet, she wanted to take the green-eyed man's blade that she'd caught a glimpse of and drive it into his body over and over and over again until he was barely recognizable.
- They'd sold me.
She'd learned that Johnny was the name of the green-eyed man and Sam the auburn. They didn't speak much to Parisa, but they did use her whenever they paused for a brief break. They admired her pretty hair. They ran hands along her smooth skin. They abused her beauty and took pleasure in her body during those small moments of "rest."
Parisa said nothing about any of this because, at least they didn't kill her. At least they fed her. At least they gave her something warm with which to travel in.
The new clothing her mother had given her were nice, but they would do nothing against the harsh winters of the North. Johnny, before they'd started their journey from Lingsct, had tossed a fur-lined cloak to Parisa, ordering her to put it on. She did with little hesitation.
Winter was an all year occurrence in the Northern part of Tandelle, the empire Tunde was born into. No one in this part of the country experienced any other season unless they traveled further South or to the West coast where the empire's capital, Sishka, laid.
Parisa's father had traveled there once, a long time ago, before she was relocated to the stable to sleep. Her father spoke of the warm temperatures and the flourishing flowers. He told Parisa and her mother about the sun and how it blanketed the land in light and protection, just as the royal family promised they would do for their people.
When her dreams weren't plagued with memories of her previous life, they would take Parisa to the Western parts of Tandelle. Sometimes, she would be alone. Other times, she would be with her parents. In those dreams, she'd never been moved into the stable. She was never hungry or cold or forced to work. They'd walk through the gardens together while gawking at and admire the nobility in their fancy and expensive clothing. The women would be dressed in fine silk gowns with gemstones around their necks and on their rings. The men would be wearing tailored suits of blacks, whites, dark blues and every shade imaginable. Both would be escorted by trained knights wearing the golds and reds of the empire.
Parisa also knew there'd be a fine electrical buzz in the air. Magic. The capital was known to be filled with it even though only the royal family and a select few knights were allowed to practice its uses. Magic had been forbidden centuries ago after the first emperor came into power. He didn't want his position threatened by another who could practice. This was because all one needed was magic in order to be eligible for the emperor position. She'd learned this brief amount of history on her home kingdom when her father had still spoken to her. Anything else she knew were based on the nice neighbor ladies. Women she knew she'd never see again.
- They sold me.
Her hands curled into tight fists. Any color that may have graced her skin drained away. She gritted her teeth together. What was she so surprised about? Honestly, she should have seen this coming. Some part of her must have been living in denial or she truly was stupid to never think this day might come.
- Who will care for Rika now? Or the other horses?
Her heart twisted in her chest and her eyes began to burn. She bit down hard on her tongue, tasting copper as blood coated the inside of her mouth. Parisa refused to cry. She would not show these men that type of weakness.
Parisa leaned around the man, Johnny, that she was seated behind. She was grateful they weren't making her walk alongside the horses. Her father had made her do so once before when he'd needed to take her into town for work. Parisa's feet had been sore for a week after.
The horses' hooves left tracks in the white blanket of snow beneath them. In front of them, a white cloud emerged with every breath they exhaled, indicating how low the temperatures were. The sky above held nothing but ominous dark grey clouds and Parisa vaguely wondered if they'd get trapped in a snowstorm before they arrived at their final destination, wherever that may be. By the sheer increase in pine trees, she knew they were getting closer to the border of Tandelle. Her town, Lingsct, sat near it and they'd moved away from the nearest town, which went west, not east.
Parisa fidgeted in her seat. She licked her lips before opening her mouth.
"Excuse me," her voice was raspy and barely above a whisper. She didn't think Johnny had heard her until the man looked over his shoulder, an eyebrow raised. Parisa's body froze, her muscles tightening. She cast her eyes down, not daring to meet the man's heavy green gaze. "Where are we going?" The words felt like they were attached to a weight, each one harder to lift from her throat. The man shifted and Parisa flinched, preparing for a beating for speaking out of turn.
"We're heading into the Kurosu empire."
She looked up. The man was looking forward once more, watching the path he'd been moving his horse on.
"Isn't Tandelle at war with them? How are we going to enter the territory?"
The man chuckled. "Full of questions, are you?"
Parisa's face heated with shame. She bit down on her tongue to stop from asking anymore questions. The man never answered her final two, and she contented herself by watching the pacing landscape. Lingsct never had very many trees, but the further east they went, and the closer they traveled to Kurosu, the more a forest seemed to flourish.
Large burley pines extended high into the sky, snow coating the branches and covering the deep green. Pine needles made a bed on the snow beneath every tree. The calming scent of the needles and trees tickled Parisa's nose and eased her muscles. It made her heart ache and filled her insides with comfort. She'd never seen a forest before, but she quite enjoyed this one.
She wondered, as they traveled deeper into it, what would await them when they crossed into Kurosu territory. The nice ladies that had lived beside her parents had told her tales of how the people of Kurosu treated those from Tandelle. She'd be abused, beaten, killed and then strung up for the empires people to laugh at. She didn't think there'd be any escaping their wrath, even if she was pretty.
***
They travelled well into the night. By the time they stopped, Parisa could hardly feel her legs. They wobbled beneath her, and it took all her strength not to collapse the moment her feet touched the snowy earth. It was their second night of traveling and Parisa was almost positive they were no longer in Tandelle. The forest was thick and there was no sign of the large frozen fields she was used to.
The two men she was traveling with cleared a spot underneath a tree. They tossed a blanket to her and Parisa curled up underneath it. It didn't seem they'd disturb her tonight like they had the night previously. She was glad about that. The night before, she'd barely been able to contain herself from vomiting. They stank and they were filthy. Of course, she was, too, but that only made the experience worse.
Parisa was tucked in, curled into a ball with her back to the men and on the brink of sleep when one of them spoke.
"How much longer, do ya think?"
Parisa's ears twitched. The exhaustion she'd felt moments before vanished and she steadied her breathing so they wouldn't notice that she was still awake. Even if she could do nothing about her situation, she would still like to know where she was being taken. And to who.
"One more night."
One of the men snorted and there was a crackling as he tended to the fire. "That perverted old bastard better pay us a hefty price for the kid. Traveling between borders is a pain in the ass."
"There won't be any issues. This part of the territory is never patrolled."
Tunde relaxed at that. She'd been worried they'd run into knights at the border. At least now she didn't have to worry about crazed citizens and being strung up in a town as they screamed at her for being Tandellian. The fire crackled and popped as if in agreement with her silent thoughts.
"What do you think the family will do to her?"
"Don't know. Don't care. It's not our problem once we hand her over."
Silence. And then,
"You've heard the stories."
"You shouldn't believe every rumor ya hear, Sam."
Sam, snorted. "You saw the servants just like I did. They were terrified."
"It ain't our problem."
"You're a real cold-hearted bastard, Johnny."
Johnny had no response to his friend. The two fell silent. Parisa stared off into the dark forest. She listened to the fire crackling behind her as if laughing at the unfortunate situation. The girl had no clue what she was being sold into, but it didn't sound good.
For a moment, for one blissful second, she imaged jumping up and running away. She fantasized about escaping, but that's where the fantasy ended. Escape and then what? What would she do? If, by some miracle, she could outrun the men and their horses, she'd need to navigate the forest and find a town. If she managed that, where would she go? How would she live? She had no papers to her name. She didn't even have a last name, though most peasants in Tandelle didn't. Parisa wasn't sure if it were the same in the Kurosu empire.
Parisa sighed, her questions going unanswered. As she drifted to sleep on the cold and frozen earth beneath her, she swore she heard that same voice from a few days ago, cackling at her.
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