A Princess For Auction: Chapter 6, Alessa's Trial
"Sixty silver in fines, for disrupting the peace and harming the reputation of the plaintiff." The magister's hammer rang out as the older man cracked it against the hardwood sound block. I did a little start at the sudden loud noise.
"I can't pay that! This is absurd! That orc is selling my brother, what was I supposed to do? He wasn't even owing any money, it was all a lie!" The man in front of me was yelling to the point that he was getting red-faced and out of breath.
"If the defendant cannot pay, he will spend the time working it off in the salt steppes. Officer, go ahead." The magister barely glanced at the man who was now being brutishly escorted out of the city council chamber by two armed guards. "Next case... what does it say here...? Hum... right. The Work Trader Guild against the Gillhearth family. The guild is represented by trade master Clevil Velle, and the Gillhearths... well, state your name and occupation."
I cleared my throat and stepped forward, slightly disheveled from seeing the man in front of me being treated so harshly. With the flick of my delicate hand I tucked a black lock of hair behind my ear and smoothed out my silk dress.
"I am Alessa Gillhearth, your excellence. I... uhm... I don't have an occupation, I suppose. My father owned everything and ran the day to day of trading with the guilds. Now that he's passed... Me and my younger sisters are the only ones left." I glanced timidly up at the magister, who was taking his time looking at me. He gave me a small smile that didn't touch his eyes.
"Well, Miss Gillhearth... your father left you a somewhat sizeable debt. Three thousand, seven hundred and forty six silver. To be precise. Owed in part to the Work Trader Guild." The magister's dispassionate stare sent a shiver down my spine and I instead turned to look at the trade master from the guild. He was a tall, slender man, busy with scribbling something in a leather notebook. "As you are overdue for several payments, it has become a matter of criminal negligence. Are you able to repay what your family owe, today?"
My jaw hung slack.
It was only a few weeks since father had died, and I had started to learn of everything he owed. Shortly after, contractors and businessmen had stormed our house and taken everything of value, leaving me with next to nothing.
"No... uh, today? I don't have anything..." I stuttered.
"Of course you don't..." The magister sounded almost annoyed. "Prison may not be a safe place for a girl like yourself, but you are not leaving me much choice..."
"Lord magister, if I may?" The tall, guildsman looked up from his notes as he spoke.
"Yes, Clevil?" The old magister didn't look very surprised, only slightly bored.
"Imprisonment is such an unproductive endeavor. The city pays for it, and the guild will never see its investment returned. Could I perhaps speak to the young miss myself, and see if we cannot strike an accord?"
"A settlement? You could have arranged this earlier, Clevil. But what do I care." The magister rose from his chair and started towards a door in the back. "Make your case and settle it before midday break ends."
The master trader gave me a wide smile.
"A worker's contract? You want me to sell myself... as a slave?" My teal eyes stared disbelievingly at the calm man across the table. His demeanor was one I recognized from my father's associates.
"No, Miss Gillhearth. I am not suggesting anything of the sorts. Of course not. What I am proposing is a standard, time-limited contract for selling your services. It is a common recourse for many of our clients. Quite safe, and with all the freedoms of any other person in this city with a job." He kept smiling.
