Stay

When the strange men invaded, no one knew what they wanted. They were so foreign to us and didn't speak our language. They only killed those who tried to fight back or who tried to kill them, but for the most part left the rest of us in peace.

My father was the elder in our village and he sent to the next village for the man who had come through trying to spread the word of his monotheism. He had spoken many languages, so my father thought he could find out what these people wanted. He had to be forced to come when the invaders were described to him, and once he arrived, I saw why.

They treated him badly, as if they knew him, or knew of his kind with their shaved heads and red robes with the heavy chains crossed over their chests. Still, he did speak their language and he was able to translate for them.

They were pillagers from across the dividing sea and they came for tribute. They did not kill because if they killed, there would be no one left to sow the fields and tend the livestock. They would come for their bounty twice a year.

To ensure we did not cheat them, four men would be left behind and they were to be treated as kings, given a place to live and served as our kind serves our monarch. No one dared fight them or disagree.

On the day they were to depart, they made another announcement. There were nine of their ships and the captain of each ship would choose out one child each of the village elders, to be sure that there was no deceit. There were twelve elders in all and most had children grown, and even grandchildren who were of marrying age.

We were forced to gather, the children and grandchildren of the elders, even Hildy with her suckling babe was made to stand with us for them to choose from.

I was not afraid, I was small for my age and could do no heavy lifting or work of any kind. I kept my eyes down and stayed small as they looked through all of us. My friend Jenal was chosen first, and I had figured he would be. He was young and strong, large among our people. He was training at the smithy and he was valued. Two more young men were chosen out, hard workers both.

When Eliza was pulled from the group, my heart hammered in my chest. She was young, like me, and beautiful. She was willowy and graceful, not built for hard work at all and she was only eighteen, half a year younger than me even if she was a head taller. We had been friends once until Jenal had scorned her and she thought I was the reason why.

After that, three more young women were chosen out. Buxom and full figured Bethamin, Lyndie with her long raven tresses and Ginny with her beautiful face and large blue eyes.

Jon was pulled next, and he was a curious choice to me since his father was the scribe and he was small and weak like his father. He only knew letters and numbers, that was all he was good for. Did these savages have such a need? They must.

The last to get to choose was the youngest among them and he looked to the oldest before stepping up to choose. The oldest man gave him a nod and I could see then that they were father and son.

The young man stepped up, lowest rank among them and went through the remaining of us one at a time, choosing much more carefully than the others had.

What he wanted was obvious as he walked past every boy and looked over every single girl, even Hildy who was bouncing her babe on her hip. He stopped in front of me and put a finger under my chin, forcing me to look up at him.

He turned to the monk and asked him a question. The monk turned to me. "Olin asks what age to put to you."

"I am 18," I answered warily.

The monk told the boy and the boy nodded and looked down at me. He put a hand on my shoulder and led me away from the group and my heart fell. I looked back at my father fearfully and he stepped up as if to say something, but the invaders drew their short swords.

The leader, the oldest among them who had chosen Jenal, spoke and the monk translated as he spoke.

"The youths will not be harmed and will be returned here in one year. In that time new youths will be chosen unless they decide themselves to stay. If we get word from our men who are staying, or if when we return you do not have our third ready for us, or if our men are harmed, only the heads of your youths will be returned to you. Do not cheat us, do not test us. Do not try and escape from here and get help, every village up the coast is paying the same tribute. Your lives, your children's lives, they will be forfeit if you try to cheat us."

With that, the nine of us were loaded on to rowboats, three in each and rowed out to the larger ships. It didn't take long for all of the invaders to load into their long rowboats and row out to their ships and we were all separated as we were delivered to ships.

The boy stood and lifted me high enough that two of the men in the ship grabbed my arms and pulled me up, then the rest of the men climbed a short rope ladder before lashing the rowboat to the rear of the long ship. The boy was talking, shouting at the men and I stood watching the shore as the boy ignored me.

I didn't even get to say goodbye or get any of my things.

When the sail was raised and the men were all sitting, they began pulling on huge oars that were set in divots on the side of the ship. The other half of the men were sitting in the middle, arranging the bundles and crates of things they had taken from my village.

I hugged myself, feeling despondent as the shore got further and further away. Once it was gone, I looked at the other ships and could make out Lyndie in the one on the right. The man who had taken her had hold of her face, forcing her to look up at him as he spoke to her. He seemed angry. I turned to the other ship on my left and I could see Bethamin, her dress ripped open and her heavy breasts exposed as the man who had taken her was ramming his hips into hers from behind. Her heavy breasts were swinging under her as he thrust and she was hugging the mast with her face hidden, her skirts piled on her back. Some of the men were watching and laughing and cheering the man on as he ravaged her.

I looked away, going pale, then barely made it to the side of the ship before vomiting.

A hand on my shoulder made me jerk and cry out in fear, but the boy was gentle as he turned me and wiped my mouth with his sleeve. He held up a small skin of something that smelled foul to my lips. I shook my head, trying to turn away from the liquid, but he followed my with it and spoke. I didn't know what he said, but it sounded insistent. I took a swallow of it and grimaced, then coughed as it burned going down. My nausea fled immediately and I felt warm all over as he helped me sit down.

I don't know how long I lay there, unmoving and uncaring as I stared at the sky, my head propped on a bundle of furs. When I began feeling aware again, it was dark and the boy was standing near me looking up at the stars.

"What did you give me?" I asked him.

He looked down at me, and from the angle, I couldn't see his expression in the moonlight. I did notice half the men were sleeping now, the ones who weren't rowing. Someone was singing a quiet cadence song and I could hear the same from another nearby ship.

The boy squatted and spoke quietly to me.

"I don't know what you are saying," I shrugged.

He pointed to the sleeping men, then pressed my head to the bundle of furs. I laid my head down, but watched him as he looked back up to the sky. He spoke quietly to someone else and another man stood up and took hold of the pole that controlled the sail. The boy moved and laid down next to me, right behind me and I froze. I pictured Bethamin in the other ship and what had happened to her and broke down crying as I curled away from him.

He spoke quietly and put a hand on my hip, making me jerk and squeal again. He lifted slightly and leaned close, speaking softly again. He sounded like he was trying to sooth me as I trembled and sobbed. He moved closer to me, curling his body around mine and holding me against him with one arm as he lifted me enough to put the under under my head and around my shoulders. He continued to whisper softly in my ear and it sounded like he was telling me a story or something similar with the cadence of his whispers. It was soothing and I eventually stopped sniffling and shivering as I listened. He kept whispering until I fell asleep.

By morning, I was stiff and sore and my stomach was growling with hunger. I stood and looked around and the boy watched me curiously as I looked out to the other ships. There was no sign of Lyndie or Bethamin, but another ship was close enough that I could see Jenal rowing.

"How much further?" I asked the boy quietly.

He looked me over curiously before looking back out to the horizon. I sighed and sat back down so I didn't have to work so hard to keep my balance. It was a long hour before the boy squatted next to me and handed me a water skin and something that looked like dried out meat. I thanked him softly as I took them, watching him warily as his eyes took me in again. How long until he got the nerve to do to me what had been done to Bethamin, and probably Lyndie too? Probably all the girls. I hugged myself again as I worked on eating the tough meat and kept the boy in my view as he went back to guiding the sail. Not that there would be anything I could do against him or any of the giants. He could break me over his knee with one hand.

There was a yell from another ship, then excitement all around as the men got loud and started laughing. The boy yelled something to the men, his smile bright as the men started calling a fast cadence and rowing harder and faster. I stood and looked and could see why. There was land on the horizon and all of the ships were moving faster now, some breaking away from the others quickly.

The boy yelled again, then began calling out a fast cadence, yelling and pumping his fist as the men dug in and went harder and faster, squeezing in to put three men on the oars instead of just two.

The ship was pulling away from all of the others, save for one and the boy cheered the men on, yelling out faster and faster as he kept an eye on the other ship. I couldn't help but get caught up in it as the men all roared with effort as they tried to beat the other ship.

It was for nothing really, as the other ship inched out ahead and the men on it cheered raucously as they skimmed to a halt just off of shore. The boy was still laughing as the men dragged their oars and skimmed to a halt as well as the others began unlashing the rowboats.

I watched the shore as people gathered on the beach, watching, surprised to see so many women and children. I didn't know why I was surprised, of course they had families to feed, that was why they demanded the tributes of food.

I was surprised when the boy caught my waist and lifted me over the edge of the ship, handing me down to waiting hands before dropping into the rowboat himself. He was still grinning as we were rowed to shore and I continued to stare. As soon as the boat slid into the floating docks, the boy vaulted out and went and hugged an older woman, kissing both of her cheeks just before the man who I was sure was his father made shore and got out and went and kissed the same woman on the lips. The boy came back and got me, pulling me out of the boat and taking my arm, leading me to the woman. His father was laughing as he talked to the woman and he clapped his son on the back as more men landed and laughed and cheered. They seemed like they were both teasing and congratulating the boy as I stood there awkwardly looking around.

The woman asked a question and the boy pushed me forward and spoke. She asked me a question and I looked at the boy, then back at her.

"I don't understand."

She pointed to herself. "Honnah," she stated, then she pointed to the boy. "Olin." She pointed to the man. "Handir."

Names. She wanted my name. "Kashielle," I answered, pointing to myself.

She smiled and patted my arm, then Olin's arm as she turned to the men bringing Eliza up. Her smile slipped as she looked up at Handir.

Handir shrugged and said, "Badric."

That seemed to placate the woman and she nodded and patted Eliza on the arm and asked her name as well.

"They want your name," I said to Eliza, who looked numb.

"Liza," she answered, looking like she was out of it.

There was more commotion as more men came and clapped Olin on the back and laughed and displayed their own prizes to the people gathering. Jenal brought a lot of praise, seemingly, as they looked him over and Handir spoke to all of them, talking about Jenal it seemed like. Jenal looked embarrassed and as shy as he was, I knew he would be.

When Jon was brought up with the others, he looked pale and lost and he had been crying. Mavrin moved close to him and touched his arm, making Jon jump and flinch. "Jon?" Mavrin asked.

"I told him... I tried to tell him I didn't like boys that way and he just... he didn't care. He did what he wanted and didn't care!"

I felt myself go pale again as I looked at the man who had taken Jon. He was laughing with the rest of them. I looked over at Bethamin, knowing she had been treated the same, but she was holding on to the man's arm as he showed her off and was boasting about her. Lyndie looked around coldly as if daring anyone to speak to her as the man who took her held her arm in a vice grip. Ginny looked pale too, and sick, but I knew she got seasick. The man who had taken her had a gentle hand on her shoulder and she wasn't afraid of him.

Mavrin, Kole and Jenal were looking at Jon in horror as Jon kept mumbling and shaking his head.

I touched Jons arm. "It's one year. One single year, then we can go home. And we will never speak of this again. None of us. We can do this, just do as they say and keep your heads down."

"Easy for you to say," Lyndie said to me coldly. "Yours isn't a gross old man with stinking breath and body odor."

I blushed and looked at the man holding her. He was pretty awful looking as he laughed and talked with the people gathered around them.

I looked at Olin and he was watching me curiously. He took my arm when I looked at him and pulled me closer. I looked at Eliza then and around for the man who had taken her. He was standing off, talking to a woman who was smiling up at him adoringly. She was standing near Handir, still looking numb.

Olin pointed at her, then pulled out the small leather flask that I recognized. That was what was wrong with her, whatever that was was numbing her.

I looked around again and back to the others. Bethamin was smiling up at the man now as he talked and I couldn't fathom that.

There was more laughing and more yelling and I looked and the monk was being dragged up to the group as the people jeered at him.

Handir spoke loudly, over everyone and they all quieted as the bound monk was brought up. The monk spoke. "He said to say that I am here to teach you all to speak their language and to help communicate. You will have daily lessons with me, all of you."

I peeked up at Olin and he was looking down at me with a pleasant expression on his face. I looked back at the monk. "What do they want with us? Where are we to live? What must we do?"

The monk repeated my words to them and there was some laughter and jeering, most of it at Olin now. He smiled good naturedly and shrugged them off as he spoke to the monk.

The monk looked at me. "You will all stay with whoever claimed you, save for that one there," he said pointing at Eliza. "She is a gift to the Clan Chief. They decide what will be done with you, but for the girls... ahhh... you will all be bedfellows. Ahh... some of the boys too, if their captor is... so inclined." His eyes cut to Jon then and he blushed furiously. The other boys stirred nervously.

"Can you tell them I don't like boys like that?" Jon asked softly.

"They don't care," the monk answered softly.

"This boy, he said that?" I asked the monk. "That I was to be his... bedfellow?"

"He hasn't taken you already?" Lyndie asked, still cold.

"No," I answered fearfully.

"He did say that," the monk said with a nod of his head. "He is new to raiding, not as... open as the others yet. He will wait until he has you alone in his bed where no one is watching."

I felt the blood drain from my face as I looked back up to Olin. He still looked like he was pleased all around as the others all kept talking.

Handir spoke to the monk again.

The monk looked at Janel. "You will work the smithy, help Osrik since his leg was injured." He listened as Handir continued to talk, then turned to Mavren. "You will live with Geoff and his four daughters. You may choose one to take to your bed, he wants her pregnant within a month. Of a day you will help Geoff in the trapping and snaring."

Mavren's mouth was open as he stared at the monk.

The monk turned to Kole. "You will be staying with Layfel and his wife, helping him with the pigs and sheep while she is too pregnant to help." He turned to Jon. "You will be staying with Kronig, helping him with the fletching and... be his bedfellow."

Jon made a miserable noise and looked at the man who had taken him. I looked at the man again as well. He was tall and slender, not as young as Olin or as handsome, though he was pretty in a way.

The monk looked at me. "You, Eliza, and Jonel will all be living with Handir. You will be with Olin, his oldest son and Eliza is for his younger son, Badric who was born early and is small and feeble."

He told the other girls they would be staying with the men who had taken them and I felt myself getting angry.

"What if we end up pregnant?" I demanded. "Who are we supposed to go home in a year with a bastard child or pregnant with some barbarians get?"

The monk repeated my question and there was more laughter. Olin patted my arm as he gave me a gentle smile and answered the monk.

"He said you will be given something to make sure you do not get with child, but if it happens, you will stay until the child is born and they will keep the child. Each girl will drink the tea once a week unless you are taken as a mate, in which case you will never return home and you will be married to them. The equivalent of, here."

"I thought we got to go home in a year?" I demanded, my stomach lurching.

"Becoming a mate is a choice you can make, you have to say yes," the monk said quickly. "If you say no, they have to let you leave. Anyway, it is rare for them to ask a hostage to mate, they consider outside races weak."

"But I am supposed to just get one of them pregnant?" Mavrin demanded. "That doesn't make sense."

"He has eleven daughters and four still at home with no prospects for mates. He wants one or all of them to bear him grandchildren."

"All of them?" Mavrin asked faintly.

The monk gave a nod as Handir spoke again. "He announced that everyone go and prepare for the big feast, go with your captors and they will see you ready."

Olin pulled me along, following his father to a huge wooden house with a steeply pitched roof. Jenal and Eliza were being led as well and the Monk was pulled behind by two men. The house filled with people behind us and Handir talked loudly and laughed and poured himself and Olin something to drink. He toasted loudly and he and Olin both drank.

A comparatively small man came in, his shoulder hunched. He looked frail and wide eyed as he looked around. Handir went to him, smiling and speaking loudly as he hugged him and the man smiled up at Handir and returned the hug. He was Olins younger brother and it made me wonder how old Olin was since this man looked mid twenties. I would have guessed Olin my own age.

Handir presented the frail man with Eliza, who was still numb and staring off and the man's face brightened as he touched her face. She looked at him then, her eyes still far off. The man said something that sounded like a thanks to Handir and Handir turned, beaming at Honnah who was also smiling. Handir yelled again, toasting and drank down whatever the liquid was in his horn. He sat then and started talking to the gathered people and I could tell that it was a story.