Masters of Fate, Slaves to Duty
folder
Drama › General
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
15
Views:
1,439
Reviews:
0
Recommended:
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Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Drama › General
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
15
Views:
1,439
Reviews:
0
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The Author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.
Chapter 2
Chapter 2
Some winter day long since past…
She awoke to a most unfamiliar feeling. Comfort, enclosed in a blanket of warmth, surrounded her. Taking a deep breath, she caught a whiff of fresh tea and baked goods. Her stomach rumbled in protest to her lounging. But she didn’t want to give in because she hadn’t felt this content in a long time.
However it was short-lived. When she opened her eyes, she found herself in the belly of some metal beast. There were no windows, and one exit. The only light source was some candles on a nearby table, sitting quietly amongst the food. She sat up to get a better look, and had a little trouble. The blanket covering her was from a large animal, and it was heavy. She looked down at the bed, and realized she wasn’t on a floor mattress. There were also pillows on this bed, indented from slumber. She had only seen luxurious items like these at the palace.
Sliding her body out from the heavenly bed, she put her bare feet on the cold metal floor. The air in the room was chilly as well, and it was then she realized that she was unclothed. She made a quick walk around the small room, and couldn’t find her clothing. So instead, she grabbed a piece of bread, and jumped back under the warm covers.
Pulling the blanket up to her chest, she munched on the bread and wondered where she was. She remembered arriving in some port town. Her feet were hurting, her stomach was empty, and all she had wanted to do was sleep. There were docks and boats, but that was the last thing she could recollect.
That was when she felt it, a rocking motion. She was on a boat, but where was she going and who had brought her here?
As she finished off the bread, she heard movement outside, then the handle on the large door turned. She quickly pulled the covers up to her neck, and closed her eyes, pretending to sleep. She heard the door shut, then footsteps. Some rustling, soft jingling, and some items hit the floor. Bare feet padded across the floor in her direction. A hand moved a piece of hair from her face, then the blankets were pulled away and someone climbed in beside her.
As the person situated the blankets, she felt a large arm wrap around her torso as the equally bulky body of a man curl up next to her. She tried not to panic, but when he put his face in her hair and smelled, she jumped out of the bed and reached for the only weapon she could find, a dull knife on the table.
She whirled back around to face her opponent. “Who are you?” she whispered, her voice lost in her panic.
He immediately threw back the blankets, and put his hands out in front of him. “I’m sorry!” he exclaimed. “I didn’t know you were awake!”
She looked at him, stunned that he was speaking her language. “So, it was all right for you to come into my bed if I was asleep?”
He started to shake his head. “No, no!” he stuttered. “It’s nothing like that!” He cocked his head to the side and said, “Now that I think about, technically the bed is mine.”
She was confused by this man. He was young, and from what she could see in the low light, he was definitely large and muscular. His light hair glowed golden in the candlelight, and his eyes were a color of the ocean she had never seen before.
He continued to climb out of the bed, and she noticed he was still wearing what amounted to pants and a thin shirt. She steadied her feet against the motion of the boat, trying to keep the knife aimed at him.
“I promise, lass, I mean you no harm,” he said in a soft and calming voice. “I’m afraid you wouldn’t be on this earth if I hadn’t brought you here.”
He moved toward her, taking small steps as he reached for the knife. She backed up more, but the boat was rocked hard, and she was thrown to the floor. The knife skidded across the ground and under the bed. But instead of hitting the floor, she fell against flesh.
She looked up to the man towering over her, his hands gripped hard on her shoulders. He smiled down at her, but there was no malice in the smile. If she didn’t know better, she’d think he was actually concerned for her.
Helping her stand again, he said, “I’m sorry, the floor is hard, and I don’t want to see you to hurt any more.”
A chill sent bumps down her skin, and her stomach roared to life again. He laughed, and she gave him a dirty look. “Please,” he said, ushering her back to the bed. “You’ll catch your death in this room.”
She climbed back in, still unsure if she should trust this total stranger. He grabbed the tray from the table, and brought it to the bed. “Here,” he said, handing her a cup of tea. “I’m sorry if it’s not what you’re used to. We’re lucky to get any goods like this on a battleship.”
She took a long drink, and handed the empty cup back to him. He was breaking off a piece of bread when she said, “What is a battleship? And how did I come to be aboard?”
She quietly ate her bread as he told her about her fainting in his arms. Apparently he brought her aboard this ship which happened to be his, saying he was its ‘captain’. This ship also had a doctor who had cared for her, and the ‘captain’ was under strict instruction to keep her warm. Her dirty clothes had been burned, and the two of them had bathed her and put her in the bed. That had been three days ago.
“You’re fortunate that you did not lose any appendages,” he stated while handing her another cup of tea.
She looked at him again, this time confused. He rubbed her free hand. “Your fingers and toes, they were frozen. I had to share my body heat to keep you from going into a hypothermic shock.”
She remembered it. There was someone with her. That was the warmth she had sensed in her sleep.
He squeezed her hand again. “I do not want to meddle, but I have to ask.” He pulled her arm up to where he could see it better in the light. His fingers traced the scars marking her arm. “Are you a slave?”
She stared at him for a moment, contemplating her answer. “You could say that was true for a time,” she answered, taking another sip of the warm tea. “Sometimes we have to fight if we want to live, whether it is for ourselves or someone else.”
A knock drew both of their attentions to the door. She heard a man’s voice speaking an unknown language. The captain left her side to grab his coat from the chair and answer the door. A young man in a similar uniform entered, carrying a bundle of brightly colored clothes. His short, sandy brown hair complimented his sharp jaw line, and his eyes and smile conveyed mischief as he looked between the two of us. The captain patted the other on the shoulder and took the clothes. The younger man seemed to be making a joke, but the captain opened the door and pushed him through. He bowed to me before the door was shut in his face.
He threw the clothes on the bed. “This is as close to your size as we could find. Daven has a true ability for ‘sizing up’ women. Unfortunately all we can offer you is a uniform. But that will make you less suspicious to my crew.”
I crawled out of the bed and started to pull the clothes on piece by piece. However, there were things on the pants and shirt that I wasn’t used to. The captain saw I was having trouble. He turned me to face him, and he proceeded to fasten the shirt while I held onto the pants. In a short time, I was fully dressed, all the way to the deep blue coat and oversized black boots. He stood back, and evaluated the final result. He came closer again, and smoothed my hair away from face.
He smiled at me. “I’ve never seen hair like this before,” he said softly as he was tying my hair up, trying to hide the length. “It’s like your winter’s trek stole all the color from it, and coating it the color of snow.”
I didn’t know what he was talking about, but I realized I had not seen my appearance in some time. I pulled a handful out before he could tie it up. Solid white, there was no color to be found. “Yes,” I said, trying to conceal my surprise. “It’s a part of my family. My brother’s hair is the same.”
When he finished with my appearance, he put his own clothes on and opened the door. “If you are feeling up to stretching your legs, I’d like to show you the HMS Stronghold,” he said, showing me through the door. “And I am her captain, Jonathan Foxx.”
I smiled as he bowed and finally gave me his name. I bowed in return. “It’s an honor Captain Foxx. You may call me Kurenai.”
Some winter day long since past…
She awoke to a most unfamiliar feeling. Comfort, enclosed in a blanket of warmth, surrounded her. Taking a deep breath, she caught a whiff of fresh tea and baked goods. Her stomach rumbled in protest to her lounging. But she didn’t want to give in because she hadn’t felt this content in a long time.
However it was short-lived. When she opened her eyes, she found herself in the belly of some metal beast. There were no windows, and one exit. The only light source was some candles on a nearby table, sitting quietly amongst the food. She sat up to get a better look, and had a little trouble. The blanket covering her was from a large animal, and it was heavy. She looked down at the bed, and realized she wasn’t on a floor mattress. There were also pillows on this bed, indented from slumber. She had only seen luxurious items like these at the palace.
Sliding her body out from the heavenly bed, she put her bare feet on the cold metal floor. The air in the room was chilly as well, and it was then she realized that she was unclothed. She made a quick walk around the small room, and couldn’t find her clothing. So instead, she grabbed a piece of bread, and jumped back under the warm covers.
Pulling the blanket up to her chest, she munched on the bread and wondered where she was. She remembered arriving in some port town. Her feet were hurting, her stomach was empty, and all she had wanted to do was sleep. There were docks and boats, but that was the last thing she could recollect.
That was when she felt it, a rocking motion. She was on a boat, but where was she going and who had brought her here?
As she finished off the bread, she heard movement outside, then the handle on the large door turned. She quickly pulled the covers up to her neck, and closed her eyes, pretending to sleep. She heard the door shut, then footsteps. Some rustling, soft jingling, and some items hit the floor. Bare feet padded across the floor in her direction. A hand moved a piece of hair from her face, then the blankets were pulled away and someone climbed in beside her.
As the person situated the blankets, she felt a large arm wrap around her torso as the equally bulky body of a man curl up next to her. She tried not to panic, but when he put his face in her hair and smelled, she jumped out of the bed and reached for the only weapon she could find, a dull knife on the table.
She whirled back around to face her opponent. “Who are you?” she whispered, her voice lost in her panic.
He immediately threw back the blankets, and put his hands out in front of him. “I’m sorry!” he exclaimed. “I didn’t know you were awake!”
She looked at him, stunned that he was speaking her language. “So, it was all right for you to come into my bed if I was asleep?”
He started to shake his head. “No, no!” he stuttered. “It’s nothing like that!” He cocked his head to the side and said, “Now that I think about, technically the bed is mine.”
She was confused by this man. He was young, and from what she could see in the low light, he was definitely large and muscular. His light hair glowed golden in the candlelight, and his eyes were a color of the ocean she had never seen before.
He continued to climb out of the bed, and she noticed he was still wearing what amounted to pants and a thin shirt. She steadied her feet against the motion of the boat, trying to keep the knife aimed at him.
“I promise, lass, I mean you no harm,” he said in a soft and calming voice. “I’m afraid you wouldn’t be on this earth if I hadn’t brought you here.”
He moved toward her, taking small steps as he reached for the knife. She backed up more, but the boat was rocked hard, and she was thrown to the floor. The knife skidded across the ground and under the bed. But instead of hitting the floor, she fell against flesh.
She looked up to the man towering over her, his hands gripped hard on her shoulders. He smiled down at her, but there was no malice in the smile. If she didn’t know better, she’d think he was actually concerned for her.
Helping her stand again, he said, “I’m sorry, the floor is hard, and I don’t want to see you to hurt any more.”
A chill sent bumps down her skin, and her stomach roared to life again. He laughed, and she gave him a dirty look. “Please,” he said, ushering her back to the bed. “You’ll catch your death in this room.”
She climbed back in, still unsure if she should trust this total stranger. He grabbed the tray from the table, and brought it to the bed. “Here,” he said, handing her a cup of tea. “I’m sorry if it’s not what you’re used to. We’re lucky to get any goods like this on a battleship.”
She took a long drink, and handed the empty cup back to him. He was breaking off a piece of bread when she said, “What is a battleship? And how did I come to be aboard?”
She quietly ate her bread as he told her about her fainting in his arms. Apparently he brought her aboard this ship which happened to be his, saying he was its ‘captain’. This ship also had a doctor who had cared for her, and the ‘captain’ was under strict instruction to keep her warm. Her dirty clothes had been burned, and the two of them had bathed her and put her in the bed. That had been three days ago.
“You’re fortunate that you did not lose any appendages,” he stated while handing her another cup of tea.
She looked at him again, this time confused. He rubbed her free hand. “Your fingers and toes, they were frozen. I had to share my body heat to keep you from going into a hypothermic shock.”
She remembered it. There was someone with her. That was the warmth she had sensed in her sleep.
He squeezed her hand again. “I do not want to meddle, but I have to ask.” He pulled her arm up to where he could see it better in the light. His fingers traced the scars marking her arm. “Are you a slave?”
She stared at him for a moment, contemplating her answer. “You could say that was true for a time,” she answered, taking another sip of the warm tea. “Sometimes we have to fight if we want to live, whether it is for ourselves or someone else.”
A knock drew both of their attentions to the door. She heard a man’s voice speaking an unknown language. The captain left her side to grab his coat from the chair and answer the door. A young man in a similar uniform entered, carrying a bundle of brightly colored clothes. His short, sandy brown hair complimented his sharp jaw line, and his eyes and smile conveyed mischief as he looked between the two of us. The captain patted the other on the shoulder and took the clothes. The younger man seemed to be making a joke, but the captain opened the door and pushed him through. He bowed to me before the door was shut in his face.
He threw the clothes on the bed. “This is as close to your size as we could find. Daven has a true ability for ‘sizing up’ women. Unfortunately all we can offer you is a uniform. But that will make you less suspicious to my crew.”
I crawled out of the bed and started to pull the clothes on piece by piece. However, there were things on the pants and shirt that I wasn’t used to. The captain saw I was having trouble. He turned me to face him, and he proceeded to fasten the shirt while I held onto the pants. In a short time, I was fully dressed, all the way to the deep blue coat and oversized black boots. He stood back, and evaluated the final result. He came closer again, and smoothed my hair away from face.
He smiled at me. “I’ve never seen hair like this before,” he said softly as he was tying my hair up, trying to hide the length. “It’s like your winter’s trek stole all the color from it, and coating it the color of snow.”
I didn’t know what he was talking about, but I realized I had not seen my appearance in some time. I pulled a handful out before he could tie it up. Solid white, there was no color to be found. “Yes,” I said, trying to conceal my surprise. “It’s a part of my family. My brother’s hair is the same.”
When he finished with my appearance, he put his own clothes on and opened the door. “If you are feeling up to stretching your legs, I’d like to show you the HMS Stronghold,” he said, showing me through the door. “And I am her captain, Jonathan Foxx.”
I smiled as he bowed and finally gave me his name. I bowed in return. “It’s an honor Captain Foxx. You may call me Kurenai.”
TBC...