To Tame a Slave Ch. 07

"You should calm down. If you keep panicking the way you are, you will faint. I feel as if that would embarrass you," her voice was quiet and calming, lessening my panic until I could breathe again. Satisfied that I wasn't going to pass out on her, she stepped forward and dropped a piece of fabric onto my lap. I stared at it mystified for a moment before realizing that it was a dress, much like the one she was currently wearing.

"Thank you," I said, my face flushing at the realization that I'd fled the house naked. I quickly pulled the dress over my head before flashing her a confused smile. "Who are you?"

"I'm Knowledge," she responded, kneeling next to me in the grass. It took a moment for that to register, but when it did I nearly fell over.

"K-Knowledge? Like, the deity?" My eyes were wide as she nodded. "But- But why are you here? I mean, I've seen other deities I think, but they were all so cryptic and confusing."

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, some of them quite enjoy their theatrics. Fate especially." Her voice was almost annoyed, but quickly smoothed over to her almost emotionless tone. "I prefer to be straightforward. I dislike games."

"But, I mean, that doesn't explain why you're here," I repeated, horribly confused.

"Were you aware that your eyes glow when you are in an extreme state of emotion?" She asked, ignoring my question again. I opened my mouth to respond, but she interrupted. "My mind keeps a log of all of my followers, and the location of any statue erected of me. The reason your eyes glow is because you are releasing energy. I could feel it through my statue here."

I blinked at her, even more confused than I was before. "S-so you came because of- um, the energy?"

"I came because you were distressed, and I had hoped I could help. We have been putting you through so much that any stress that can be removed seems only fair." Her reminder of my distress made my eyes tear up again, and for a moment she looked slightly panicked, as if she didn't know what to do with a crying person.

"Alanna?" A male voice called to me from the house and Knowledge quite visibly drooped with relief.

"I should take my leave. It would not do for others to see me here," she said, standing up and brushing some grass off her dress.

I caught it briefly with my hand, desperate eyes turning up to hers. "Please, can you at least tell me what's going on? What these dreams are?"

Regret passed behind those grey eyes. "I am sorry Alanna, but I cannot. My hands are tied in this. The only advice I can offer is to stop treating them as dreams." And then she was gone, my hand grasping at air where her dress had been just a moment ago.

"Alanna?" Drell rounded the hedge, his body relaxing as he caught sight of me.

I mustered up a glare, still shell shocked at the appearance of Knowledge. "Fuck off Drell."

He grinned, dropping down in front of me instead, legs spread haphazardly. "You might as well stop telling me that. It doesn't ever work." My glare intensified, but it only drew a laugh from him so I gave it up, electing to instead lean against the bush behind me.

"What do you want?" I asked tiredly, my eyes closing. Despite everything, I felt at ease around him, as if my body instinctively trusted him. Then again, I felt the same way about Anthony, and look how that had turned out.

"Hey, where'd you get that dress? Kata said you had raced out here without a stitch of clothing," he asked, confused. I opened one eye to glare at him and he held his hands up in defeat. "Okay, I'm sorry. I'm the peace emissary. I was elected to come out and check on you. Kata would have done it, but she's currently hiding in the kitchen with the butler. I always forget how easily frightened Seraldi are."

"They're both Seraldi?" I asked, curious despite my ire, receiving a nod in response. We sat in silence for a couple minutes, as if neither of us really knew what to say.

"Alanna," he finally started, voice sounding uncertain for the first time since I'd met him. "You should go easy on Anthony." I snorted, teeth bared in a grimace.

"I mean it," he continued firmly, twisting around to his knees to lean closer to me. "I've never seen him display this level of emotion about, well, anything. I don't think I've ever seen him lose his temper, let alone get violent. Shit, I didn't even know he had a temper."

I met his earnest eyes finally, distrust clear in my face. His hands snagged mine, holding tight as I half heartedly attempted to extricate them. They pulled me forwards until, grumbling, I was tugged into his lap, his arms wrapped around me. After a moment, I relaxed against his chest, his touch so familiar it almost hurt. "Why do I always feel so relaxed around you?" I asked quietly.

"Relaxed? You're always so fucking prickly, I don't think you even know what that word means," he grumbled, receiving a glare.

"No, I mean, I dunno how many times I've cried around you. I don't normally cry, and it kind of pisses me off." The palms of my hands pressed to my eyes, trying to stem the flow of the aforementioned tears. His fingers idly stroked my back.

"To be fair, it's not like your time here has been easy. A few tears are to be expected. Maybe it's because I'm the first person you met when you stumbled into this world?" That sounded like a reasonable explanation, maybe, but my instincts told me that there was more to it than that. From the tone of his voice, I guessed he felt the same, but neither of us mentioned it.

I sighed finally. "Okay. I'll go inside, and I'll talk to him. I can't promise anything, but I'll try." His arms tightened around me.

"Thank you Alanna." There was relief in his voice, but something else I couldn't distinguish. Before I could pick it apart, we were on our feet and headed towards the house. A trembling breath filled my lungs as I steeled myself for talking to Anthony again.

---

We found him in the dining room, staring into the fire. At the sound of us entering he turned, and I caught sight of the hand shaped red mark on his face. Good. Asshole. Unfortunately my brain couldn't muster enough pride over the mark for my liking.

"Alanna," he murmured, voice echoing with regret. There was a long silence as we all stood there awkwardly, before I finally sighed.

"Is it dinner time yet?"

Everyone laughed, and the tension of the moment was broken, though Anthony and I had resolved nothing. We dropped into our usual places, Drell taking the seat across from me, though I shifted my chair subtly away from Anthony's. Nobody spoke for a while, focusing solely on the food that was brought to us. It wasn't until we'd all finished that Drell finally spoke up.

"So while I'm thankful I showed up when I did, my purpose for visiting wasn't to break up your fight," he started, earning a glare from me and a pained look from Anthony. "Sorry bad joke."

Anthony sighed, rubbing his hand across his face, visibly trying to calm himself down. "Why did you come then?"

"I have news from the castle." Their eyes met, Anthony suddenly interested while Drell became oddly serious. "They've found the heir."

I perked up with curiosity. Drell had mentioned something about a missing heir when we had first entered the city. "Were they missing?" Two pairs of eyes turned to me.

"Not... exactly," Anthony started, pausing a moment to test my reaction to him. When I kept my cool, he continued. "The royal family is in possession of a magicked necklace. When it's time for an heir to be chosen, they place it on the neck of the firstborn. The necklace reaches into the mind and soul of the person it's placed on and decides whether or not they'd be a fitting ruler." He paused and I nodded to show that I was understanding. "After a moment, they attempt to remove the necklace. If it comes off, the person has been rejected, but if it clings to the person then they are the next heir. If they're rejected, they will continue down the line of succession."

"So can it only be one of the royal family who becomes the heir?" I asked curiously.

He shook his head. "The necklace doesn't discern between gender, family line, or even species. There are records of it moving to another family when no viable heir is found in the current one."

"Okay, so, it was the necklace that was missing?"

He nodded. "It was stolen, nearly twenty years ago."

As I processed that, he turned back to Drell. "You didn't say that they found the necklace, but instead found the heir. So it was already placed on someone?" Drell nodded, a somber look on his face. "Who?"

"It was found on a young human woman."

We both stared at him in shock, unable to respond.

"They were following a lead on one of the women who had been involved in the theft. Supposedly she died not long after the fact, and the necklace was placed on her daughter. It is apparently clinging quite tight to the girl." He grinned suddenly. "It blasted a knight clear across the room when he tried to snatch it off."

Anthony chuckled. "I do seem to recall your distaste for knights." He sobered up quickly, running a hand through his hair as he thought. "Is she being brought to the castle now?" Drell nodded. "How many people know?"

He shrugged. "Most of the castle I believe. Everyone is preparing for her arrival. There's a lot to be done before a new heir is sworn in, especially being that she's human."

"Wait wait wait," I interrupted, confused. "I thought humans weren't really considered people here. So how come they're just going to let this girl become the future queen? Wouldn't they just, I dunno, kill her to get the necklace off?"

The two men exchanged glances, before Anthony responded. "The law is immutable. When the necklace decides on an heir, it's decision cannot be challenged. The only way a new heir can be chosen is if the current one chooses to remove it of their own free will." I sat back in my chair, shocked at the revelation. A human was going to become queen. But what did that mean for the rest of the humans in the kingdom? They certainly couldn't keep treating us as if we're not real people, could they?

"-won't be long before news spreads into the city," Drell was saying as I tuned back in.

"I can't see that going well," Anthony murmured, sitting back in his chair with a thoughtful look in his eyes. "What is the mood in the castle?"

Drell shrugged uncomfortably. "A lot of people are unhappy. Mostly the noble families. I fear the knights may attempt something when she reaches here." He paused, fingers tapping restlessly on the table. "I believe she may have the army's support for the most part though. We are loyal to the crown only, whoever that crown may currently belong to. There are also a number of human sympathizers in the ranks, so that helps."

"That's good. I'm worried about the reaction in the rest of the city though."

"That's part of the reason a number of us were recalled to the castle. They wanted someone a little more trustworthy guarding the girl," Drell responded. The men stared at each other for a moment, before turning to look at me.

"I'm sure the heir will be well guarded," Anthony started slowly, "but I'm more worried about people turning on the other humans in the city. I don't believe any of them will be safe once word gets out."

They glanced at each other, seeming to communicate silently. A thought struck me suddenly and I gasped. "Am I in danger?"

"Normally I would say no, as long as I kept you holed away in here," Anthony responded. "I'm a fairly secretive man, and nobody would have ever guessed I own a human slave. However..."

"However, now the dressmaker knows," I finished for him. "And he has good reason to want revenge." The men glanced at each other again, nodding.

"Alanna, could you please go to the library for a little while?" He asked, tone apologetic. I sputtered, pushing to my feet and glaring at him in outrage.

"You're trying to send me out of the room? Why, so you can talk about me behind my back?" I snapped, slamming my hands down on the table. He picked them up carefully, pressing a light kiss to each hand, his touch making me quiver.

"Please, I'm sorry, I would normally include you, but this is important, and you don't know enough about this world yet. Please."

I grumbled, snatching my hands away and turned, storming from the room. I could see where he was coming from with his request, but that didn't make me any less annoyed. It wasn't until I sunk down into one of the chairs in the library that I calmed down.

No, I really wasn't annoyed at this point. Not with him at least, not about this. If I dared to admit it to myself, I was almost a little afraid. A human queen. What did this mean for me? Would we have to escape the city for the time being, and if so, where were we going?

If a human became queen, would we still be slaves?

I rubbed my face anxiously, hopping up to pace across the floor. Trying not to agonize about it too much until I could talk to Anthony and Drell again, I picked up one of the books I'd been reading. It was interesting, but failed to hold my attention for very long.

There was a noise behind me, near Anthony's desk, the sound of something being set down. I spun in confusion, to see Knowledge with her hand on a book. She held a finger to her lips, gesturing for me to keep quiet, and then she was gone. I stared at the empty space for a moment, my brain not really registering what had just happened, before gasping and racing forward to snatch the thing up.

It was a small, leather bound book, unadorned with no sign of a title or an author's name. Flipping the cover open, I was surprised to see my name written on the first page. There was a short note, seemingly addressed to me, written by Knowledge.

'Alanna,

I apologize for resorting to tactics more befitting

Fate, but as I said, my hands are tied. I can only

interfere so much. This book will contain the

answers you seek, but only as it becomes

necessary for you to know. Do not share this

book, or it's information, with anybody.

-Knowledge'

I read and reread the note, trying to figure out what she meant by 'as it becomes necessary', before finally flipping through the rest of the pages.

"Aaaand it's blank." I flipped through it a couple more times, just to make sure. "Yep. Blank. I hate magic."

"Alanna?" My name was called tentatively from the door. I made sure to set the book down before turning to meet Anthony's eyes. The sight of him made me smile, momentarily forgetting what had happened this afternoon. His answering smile was so brilliant that I couldn't bear to stay angry at him. He may have been pig headed and stupid and judgemental, but he broke a man's wrist for me. And okay, maybe I didn't have the greatest track record when it came to my temper.

"Come, sit," he gestured towards the sofa, but I dropped down in the chair instead. I may not be angry, but I wasn't going to cuddle with him yet. He smiled, not affected by my choice, and sat down on the couch. After a moment, Drell came in and dropped down next to him with a serious expression on his face.

Everyone was quiet for a moment, which made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. "So?" I asked, breaking the silence. "What did you guys talk about?"

They exchanged a look, one that made me want to glare at them, before turning back to me.

"We think it would be best for us to leave the city," Drell finally said.

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Is that all? I mean, that's fine with me. I'm feeling cooped up and it would be nice to see more of this world." They exchanged another look, making me nervous. "What? Do you guys not want to actually leave or something?"

There was another long, tense moment of silence before Anthony quietly said, "I won't be going with you."

It didn't register for a moment what he'd said. I mean, the very idea was preposterous. He owned me, didn't he? Why would he send me out of the city and not come too? I blinked at him in shock for a moment.

"The fuck do you mean you won't be coming?" I snapped, confusion turning into a glare.

His eyes never left mine. "I mean I won't be coming. What's going on here is too important for me to leave. I need to be up at the castle, to be here when the heir arrives. You and Drell will be traveling to Madam Alcina's. She runs a pleasure house, about four days ride from here. It's the only place I can be sure you'll be safe."

"You're sending me to a fucking brothel?" I snapped, hands curling into fists in my lap. Anthony and Drell both winced.

"It's... not a brothel," Drell chimed in. "It's- Well, it's hard to describe. And Fate help anybody who dares to call it a brothel to her face."

Anthony leaned forward to take one of my hands in his, forcing it to relax and uncurl. "You'll enjoy your time there Alanna, and I believe you'll like Alcina. She's a human, and probably one of the most influential people in the kingdom."

My eyes widened at that. "A human?"

"Apparently she was basically adopted as a child by a member of the royal family. He saw something in her that made him look past her being a human, because he helped raise her and helped her with her goal of building that pleasure house," Drell said, before laughing. "I've never met the woman myself, and I'm almost afraid to do so. She has a low view on people who buy and sell slaves."

My glare was turned on him this time. "I fucking wonder why." I turned back to Anthony, trying to keep a pained expression off my face. "So you won't be coming."

He shook his head, those blue eyes sad. "No. I won't be coming. I'm sorry." I carefully pulled my hand from his grip and leaned back against the chair, closing my eyes for a moment as I choked down unwanted tears.

"Okay. So what's the plan?"

---

It was decided that Drell and I would leave first thing in the morning, before merchants started to open their stalls and shops. He said that there was a good chance the information could make it down to the city tomorrow, and it would be the merchants who would know first. Kata was to acquire comfortable clothing for travel for me, which I insisted should not include a single dress, to which they conceded.

Not long after that I was ordered to bed, as I'd need my strength for the next day, and for once it was an order I was happy to obey. I crawled into bed absently, not bothering to strip off my dress, and stared at the ceiling for a good long time, contemplating my coming journey. It was almost exciting, albeit in a slightly terrifying way, but I couldn't seem to force my mind to move past the thought that I'd be separated from Anthony for the first time in... I quickly did some math in my head.

Shit, had it really only been a week and a half? It felt like forever had passed. A laugh escaped me, and an arm was tossed across my eyes as I attempted to fight back tears. I'd known this man not even two weeks, and the thought of being separated from him made my chest hurt.

"What the fuck Alanna?"

I resumed staring at the ceiling again, laying there in the dark consumed by my thoughts until a sound by the door drew my eyes. The shadows shifted as Anthony made his way to the bed, fiddling at something behind his back until his shirt finally slipped to the floor. My eyes, adjusted to the dim light, traced the lean muscles of his torso, breath catching slightly in my chest.

"How do you wear shirts? With your wings, I mean," I asked softly, his eyes turning to meet mine. The blue of them seemed almost to glow.

"All of my shirts fasten in the back, so I don't have to pull them over my head. And they're made with holes for my wings," he said as he slid into bed, lying on his side facing me. "You're still wearing your dress."