Avatar Bondswoman

I apologize first off for the confusion of the first chapter in the he/she statements. It's explained here for the most part.

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A jarring stop woke her and she tried to look around; a completely foreign sight greeted her. Where trees had once stood and surrounded her, now all she saw was humans, stone, and wood. The alienness of it all caused her to huddles tighter; drawing her bound feet to herself. People noticed her moving and began gawking or congratulating the man driving the cart. Whimpering lightly she slowly began to realize how dire her situation truly was. The smiles of all the humans cut deep into her making her bindings feel tighter than they were. The fresh wound of loosing her mother festered as the smiles and cheering continued; silent tears poured down her face.

The cart stopped before a building near the center of town. Hopping down the man that had drove the cart came around and grabbed her ankle bindings. He dragged her towards him and she winced feeling splinters flake off the wood and imbed themselves in her exposed arms as her sleeves bunched up from the movement. He slid her out the rest of the way and dragged her around to the back of the short brown building. Looking around she understood that there was little question as to where she had ended up. Many elves of all ages were bound or stuck up in cages around her. Most all of them were caked in a blackness that she didn't have the imagination to identify. Some were thin and sickly looking while a few appeared to be just fine. A scream from one of the cages caught her attention as she saw a group of men huddled inside around a screaming elvish woman that was laying on her back. She wondered why they were hurting her as one man was huddled between her widespread legs. With a grunting scream the woman bore down and a second higher pitched squeal joined hers. The man held up the object and she paled realizing that the woman had just given birth. Her captor dragged her towards the cage. "It's a female. Kill it." The woman laid there sobbing and she wondered if that was her first child.

The man in the cage procured a towel and wiped his hands clean. "Ah, Kaleb. How have you been?" She watched him walk towards them with a smile. "Fine I suppose." The dirty captor sighed lightly. "And Johan?" His grip on her tightened at the mention of that name. "He's dead." The other man looked a bit pained, "Oh... I'm sorry to hear that... How...?" She was shoved towards the man. "This one. He turned him and the rest of my group into horrible tree looking things." His angry tone scared her and she whimpered lightly. "A boy you say?" The other man seemed intrigued and began inspecting her closely. She watched him start at the bottom and work his way up her light brown pants that had been worn in from use; she would need new ones soon. Then to her shirt and vest which had a few blood splatters from the initial assault on her mother. The shirt was plain but the earthy-green vest had been hand embroidered by her mother; a leafy print had been etched into it. Lastly he looked at her face, "A little lean; 200." Her captor gawked, "I have three widows to return to; 400." The other man shook his head, "Too high. He's dangerous; 225." Her short golden hair was grabbed suddenly, "I am down a brother and expect payment; 380." A slight grunt came from the other man and he made her look at him. "Maha le kanan doyeda." His tongue rolled harshly making her mother tongue his own. She was shocked that one such as this man understood elvish. "Mahada..." Her response was meek in comparison. He let out a sigh and looked to Kaleb, "310 and not a silver more. He's untrained but lean. What happened must have been a fluke. It happens at times when they're young like this." Kaleb sighed and handed her over. "Theo has your payment at the front as usual." Nodding he left to attain his payment. She shuddered as this new man held her and began yelling. More men appeared and grabbed her, dragging her into the back end of the small building.

The sudden smell of bodily wastes and blood assaulted her and she vomited upon the floor. "Awe boss you bought a green one for sure." She was pushed from behind and fell forward catching herself on her knees. A warm wetness spread up her pants as she realized she had kneeled right into her upbringings. The man from before walked past them, "Stand him up and get him out of those clothes; he doesn't need them." He kept his back to them as he readied a branding iron in the fire. Pulled up roughly she was cut from her bonds and stripped of everything she wore. "Uh... Boss..." The boss turned and looked at her shocked. "Gods damn Kaleb. Bastard didn't even check first!" He strode over and turned her around checking her before turning her to face him. One of his hands deliberately found its way between her legs and he pushed a finger in. She screeched a bit as he caused a deep sting within her due to her dryness. He pulled his hand back, "At least she's intact. Damn him. 310 for a female..." He stood and checked the hot poker.

She whimpered and looked around in fear. The walls were hugged with iron wrought cages holding several elves at once. Scanning the cages, she locked eyes with a few of the inhabitants within them. One such inhabitant held her gaze strongly. The woman was weathered but had dramatically blue eyes that practically glowed. The depths of which held her and she forgot the situation at hand. A soft voice, deeper than her mother's, filled her head. "Ennen dei. Analeya danje. Leanda." She just continued to stare and thought her own silent response. "Kaylen danje." Analeya smiled and she felt a little safer now that she had someone to talk to.

A sudden shove to her back broke their connection and snuffed out the blossoming happiness. She was pushed face down over an anvil that came up to her chest. The craning exposed her back fully and she watched the boss pull the long iron brand from the fire slowly. She gulped seeing it; an angry brand of 'T.B.' surrounded by a circle glowed brightly. He walked out of sight behind her and held the brand up over her back. A knock on the door-frame stopped him from bringing it against her skin. "Ah Lord Danin, to what do I owe this pleasure?" She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in as he returned the brand to the fire. A deep voice filled the room, "I've come for the young one you have there." The boss walked over to the newcomer with a smile and a handshake. "I see, I see. Well come in and have a look at her then." Heavy, well stitched boots thumped deeply against the wooden floor as he came around to her front. The boss was beside him in a flash motioning that she should be stood up. Once upright Danin took in the sight of her small naked form.

She looked him over in shock. He was by far the most handsome and well groomed man she had ever seen. His short black hair curled lightly as though it had a life all its own. His eyes were a deep green and watched her intently and calculatingly. Every fiber of the soft royal blue cotton he wore appeared to have been spun and sewn just for him. "She pleases me; 200." The boss shook his head, "She is young and fully intact; 290." Danin looked a bit shocked that he would even attempt to ask such a price for a female. His shock was cut short as the blue eyed woman, Analeya, butt into their haggling. "Dear lord, I beg of you, buy me as well."

A deafening silence overtook the room as both men turned to the caged woman. The men had a look that promised a flogging if she went on; she swallowed and continued. "I can be of great use to you." An eyebrow raised on the lord's perfect face. "Of use how?" He glared her down for interrupting but wanted to know her reasons. "That child doesn't speak your language." Danin eyed her a moment before looking between both of the females in question; anger flashed behind her eyes as his mind rolled over a hidden insult. "Do you take me for a person who does not know the language of his slaves?" His voice went low; letting her know just how he felt. Analeya shook her head quickly, "No good lord I do not. I merely believe that you are a noble lord and are too great to bother yourself with the education of your slaves." Another silence overtook the group as the lord looked over the slave in the cage. Kaylen was completely confused by the whole thing; nothing any of them had said made sense to her.

Danin was the first to break the silence, "500 for the two of them." He said turning to the boss man. A slightly pained face came to the slave seller, "Please dear lord these are both prime stock. That one, " he pointed to Analeya, "is still intact as well. You can't expect me to accept such a low price for such finds." Danin stalked towards the man slowly; eyeing him. "They are both women and underfed. As for that one, " he nodded towards Analeya. "Who knows how long you have kept her in such filth. I will have to pay 100 silvers just to de-worm the both of them. You will take 500 and no more than that!" The boss paled lightly at the mention of the state of his slaves. "500 it is." He hung his head a bit and held out his hand, "The pacifiers." Danin reached into his cloak and pulled out a ring. "Which one do you want first? I'll stay open until you purchase another." The boss took the ring and rolled it over in his hands. "The young one, and there's no need to stay open. I will deal with the other one."

Nodding, the boss went to Kaylen giving her a perfect view of it. It glinted a bit as the light of the fire caught it. An inscription was etched into the side; but she couldn't quite make out what it said. Closing the distance between them he placed the ring to her throat. It glowed a bit when it made contact with her skin. Unsure of it, she tried to pull back but was caught quickly and forced to remain still by the other man that held her. The ring rippled a bit and began to melt where it touched her neck. The melted gold, of it's own volition, then travelled to the back of her neck; meeting just below her hairline. Once there it re-solidified and grew to allow her room to breathe. The boss-man then pulled back to have a look at her now that the ring was firmly attached. "Now as to the second one..." Danin nodded to the boss-man's comment as he strode over to Analeya's cage. "Tell me, if I release you will you be loyal?" His eyes watched her closely. "Yes." She nodded trying to convince him. "Swear it." He came flush with the bars. "I swear it." She began to return his heated gaze. "Swear to your holy mother." Her gaze faltered and he smirked, "Magandla Buya, dan bahen ligal heden jhad la Leyad Danin." He grinned and turned around, "Let her out." She hung her head a bit in shame.

The owner of the store stood shocked for a moment not believing in Analeya's newfound loyalty. "I will pay for any damages she creates. Now open it." He sighed and complied with Danin, going and opening the cage slowly. Analeya rushed to Kaylen's side and hugged her warmly. Happy to finally be given some measure of warmth she leaned into the hug. The man behind her released her and she got to fully enjoy the hug; wrapping her arms around the woman. Danin produced a bag of money from below his cloak and handed it to the boss. "Come slaves." He turned on a heel and left for his horse. Analeya grabbed Kaylen's hand and led her out after Danin.

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Translation:

"Maha le kanan doyeda." - "What magic do you know?"
"Mahada..." - "Magic...?"
"Ennen dei. Analeya danje. Leanda." - "Stay calm. I'm Analeya. You are?"
"Kaylen danje." - "I am Kaylen"
"Magandla Buya, dan bahen ligal be van heden jhad la Leyad Danin." - "Holy mother, I swear fealty in all aspects to Lord Danin."

End of round two.

~Lain Iwakura.