Chapter Four
"We are short one slave and you will be working the feast tonight for the king's sister," Agetha hissed, her glittering blue eyes pointing towards the sky.
Devyn shot her eyebrows up and jumped a little at her voice. The shrillness of the old hag's tone had snuck up on her whilst she was polishing an old brass knob. So much so, Dev ended up dropping the heavy object on top of her foot which resulted in an enormous amount of pain. She groaned and bit her lip.
"Madgeler has been jailed because she was caught stealing a guard's solid gold helmet. So, we need you, Devyn because you are the only human female slave and King Cassius has requested all women to work the feast. Off you go. Bathe and smell better," she wrinkled her nose at Devyn and shooed her off.
Devyn blinked her eyes and stood, rushing towards the grimy basin that had years of dirt and blood from past slaves caked on its surface. She was glad to be privileged a bath for they were few and far between.
Ignoring the stares she received from the other slaves, Devyn quickly disrobed and sank into the lukewarm waters that went past her breasts. She propped up her knees to her chest and hugged them, resting her cheek on one. She sighed and watched as her silver hair swirled atop the water, creating little maelstroms of gray in the tub. The twisting designs began to spin faster as she eyed them, moving with the water. No, not moving
with
the water. She was actually forcing the water to twirl in such a way.
Devyn gasped and sat back, splashing some liquid onto the stone floor. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts of images that were not real, she dove beneath the rose scented water to wash her hair. Shame, the petals and soaps would turn her hair a light shade of pink but she did not bother. She would be clean!
Dressing in the standard slave clothing, a drab brown dress that lacked proper stitching and form, Devyn made her way out towards the huge kitchen that was bustling with activity.
Cooks and servants ran around with numerous empty and full plates stacked on top of one another. The slave girls were standing cautiously in the far corner, hands behind their backs, sliver chains wrapped around their necks and wrists.
Devyn sported her own chains. Slaves were forced to wear these so those who came across them knew what their roles were. Considering slaves dressed similarly to servants, they were treated far different. Servants were given quarters, rooms in which they shared down in the back of the castle. Slaves had only one room, no larger than a storage closet, and had to sleep on top of one another. However, thanks to King Cassius and his disapproval of slavery, only a handful of human slaves remained.
Of course, Devyn had been sold into slavery by her adoptive parents so they could repay the debts her father had accrued from the King of Edrein. No longer were the days of taking children from their homes to force them into servitude. No. Slavery was condemned but not forbidden. And, to have slaves in Ieslal, you had to purchase them rather than trade or steal.
What a cruel and deceitful land she lived in.
Asna was once a prosperous country with peaceful races. That was long ago. The Elves, the Broslans, and the Humans all conspired against one another. And, when they were not warring with the other kingdoms, civil conflict erupted within their own borders.
Devyn had heard of other kingdoms being far more diplomatic with no turmoil or struggle. Granted, the Elvin kingdom despised war with the Broslans and humans, they still fed the fire. Elves tried to outlaw slavery within each kingdom, having none of their own. They rarely had servants. The elves who did serve the royals were doing it out of gratitude and respect not belligerence and coercion.
The humans simply had slaves who had done wrong in the past. It was their punishment. Either that or death. And who would choose death?
The Broslans, a nightly breed of humanoids, chose to have slavery to instill their power over the lesser species. History tells the children that the Broslans had once thrived in Asna, ultimately controlling her plains. Until one day, an Elf came over from a faraway land, claiming his forests were rotted and soil dry, and settled on the southern tip. They had lived side by side for quite some time but one day, the ancient Elf wanted to have a village and he did.
The old Broslan king did not like this and set out to destroy the village when the Elf king declared a treaty. The Elves would occupy the southern region while the Broslans laid claim to the rest of Asna.
Thus, they kept it this way for nearly a thousand years until the Broslans had captured a passing ship of humans to make them their slaves. Several years had passed until enough humans rebelled and escaped to the middle western region of Asna, claiming it as the Free Lands of Edrein Acral. The first human king in Asna, King Edrein was revered and still is as a near saint for having saved the humans from the Broslans.
Battles and war ensued for many years until the old kings finally realized that the fighting was no longer worth the resources.
And, as of late, the peace among the kingdoms has been riddled with disease and war. Ancient forms of dark magic were being used to control the subjects and other royals to the advantage of the rulers. Pathetic, honestly, but power was power and thrived in every single being. The humans were never really possessive of talents aside from practiced traits of alchemy and spells whereas the Elves were able to communicate with the beasts that roamed the lands and produce luscious forests.
The Broslans used to be flashy with magic until King Cassius outlawed it ten years ago.
"You, slave girl," a stout and plump Broslan pointed a clawed finger at Devyn while she daydreamed with the other females. She hadn't been aware of what she was doing until the man snapped his fingers in her face. "Take these out and be careful not to spill. If you do, I will have you beaten."
The lead servant, Chazen, placed a heavy tray in Devyn's arms and ushered her out to the dining hall, where the king would already be seated with his guests of honor, including his sister.
Devyn was careful not tilt the tray too much for fear of spilling the solid gold goblets of wine. An earthy smell wafted her way as she exited the kitchen through double wide solid wood doors.
