The new drakken entered with a bang and shout. Rya had seen his kind before, the type that even some drakken were wary of. “ Any of our kind that look as he does are to be feared twice as much, for they are a hidden threat. Many of your kind look upon his face and think the same as your friends, however, I have no doubts he has had to prove himself time and time again. Azilon’s words from yesterday echoed around her. He had been talking about the prince, but this drakkan fell in that breed too.
The entrance of the drakkan had caused the crowd to shuffle. Some making a quick exit, others pulling close. Protecting prizes or simply closing ranks for a better attack strategy. This was a game that was known well to all. The chain that Azilon had attached to her waist operated exactly has it had been designed to, keeping her attached to whomever had the other end of it. Which was Lienna. A hulking drakkan, corralling his two terrified brides had managed to force his way between the trio. Other figures quickly filled in the gaps. Rya could just see Azlion through the crowd.
She opened her mouth to call out, when the world attentions shifted to her. Or rather, the girl that was attached to.
"That one. I want that one. I'll kill anyone who begs to differ."
Rya felt her breath catch in her chest, there were too many eyes, too many people, too much looking…
"The room was crowded and all the eyes were looking at the silver haired gem. The pair had drifted from their master, which was alway dangerous, now more so than ever. But he was close enough to help. The older gem saw that his mind was made up. He didn’t beg to differ He already had a thing he didn’t want, this would spare him from two. The fact that the whole act would dishonor his family was more reward than a gembride could ever be- "
Rya clamped her hand over her own mouth and gave Lienna a horrified look. “I’m--I’m sorry. I don’t… I try not to do that anymore,” Her eyes cast a quick glance around, it was clear that those nearby had heard her, but those further back seemed to have missed it. “At least I didn’t ...shout it--,” It was on her second sweep of the room that she spotted Morganna, standing next to a mountain of a drakkan, just as far away from them as Azilon. “He’ll hurt you,” said Rya, her voice little more than a whisper. “I don’t want him too,” Rya took a few steps backwards as the attention became split between Lienna and Rynek. The chain caught on her waist as Lienna didn’t understand that meant to move. Reaching out, Rya grabbed the girl by the wrist and pulled her through the crowd.
Morganna didn’t care about Gems. Didn’t care about Azilon losing his toys. But taking Lienna would be a slight against the house Dantanath and that might be enough to get her to help when her brother wouldn’t.
They reached the pair shortly, most drakken unwilling to get involved and neither helped, nor stopped the two as they made it through the crowd. “P-please Morgana,” said Rya softly, her head tilted low, too occupied at the task at hand to pay much mind to the other unwelcomed guest of the night. “It-It,” But the words refused to form in her mouth, so she stood there in silence.
Azilon is the voted worst husband/son/brother of the year by all parties. Rya has a moment of cray Time to offer Morgana a horribly steep prize for a relatively small favor
The numbness from the impact faded into a warm pricking pain just as Keregar’s hand caught Xae’s face. She met his glare, rage flickering in her eyes as the gap between their faces grew short. Her teeth clenched beneath her lips as she willed herself not to break eye contact. Her face was jerked to the side seconds before their faces reached each other. A wet warmth touch her skin as his tongue traced the slap pattern on her face. Her resolve dying, Xae felt her eyes squeezed shut, face twisting as she held her breath, her lungs trapping the flow of air as she kept as still as possible, like a cat being licked by a wolf.
Her eyes cracked open again, watching as the drakkan pulled back.
”You’re not in Gemina anymore. You’re in Drakka. I won’t tolerate insults like that again.”
Xae couldn’t trust herself to speak after Keregar released her face. Rage coild in her gut, her only solace was that Keregar wouldn’t have reacted so angrily if there wasn’t hint of truth in what she had said. Using the back of her hand, she wiped at her cheek, surprised to find traces of her blood. A smear of crimson was left across her face. Xae’s eyes narrowing as Keregar turned his attention to her sister bride.
For whatever reason, he seemed to save his wrath for her. After ordering Nadia to strip from her beautiful dress, he mentioned Sorracks sanctuary. An area designed for one of the many dark gods of Drakka. The god of children and all things that went along with that.
Xae tried to imagine the home that Keregar described. She pictured tall log walls with sharp points on the end. Inside, rough buildings and the smell of smoke, little more than camping. Allowing nature in just enough to remind them all it was there. A life exposed.
There was a sudden commotion as a drakkan faced the crowd and demanded a bride of his own. Before getting a proper look, she and her sister bride were ushered out into the rain. The journey to their temporary home was wet and cold. Colder than any desert had any right to be.
The home of Keregar left a lot to be desired. It was bare. The floor was smooth, worn down by years of use. It gave off the impression of a place just moved in or out of. No sign of someone actually having made the place a home. A soulless place.
“Are you two my new mothers?” The additional voice startled Xae, her eyes narrowed on the young drakken.
Xae struggled to process the words for a moment. Although she knew that drakken were born and they must grow up, she never had put much thought into what that process looked like. Always picturing the monsters that drakken were once they were full grown. Taking a second look, she saw Keregar written all over the young drakkan’s face. In the shape of the eyes and nose. The way that the lips curved just so. The boy was much fairer than his father, but that was the only difference . In those features, Xae found her hate getting pinned. “That’s not how mothers work,” She said, a strain in her voice as she kept the anger she felt buried within.
Despite that thought, an annoying voice tried to whisper soothing words about how many mothers this boy had had throughout his life. Despite the voice asking how many had treated the young thing as a monster, her voice remained cold.
But she wasn’t about to show kindness towards anything of his.
Xae gets slapped and takes her rage out on K's son
The wine here was far more dry than anything she kept at home. It left a pleasant, vaguely metallic, taste in her mouth. The type of wine that would pair well with meat and cheese. The lack of food she had the chance to consume today meant that the small amount of liquor was already leaving her with a pleasant warmth in her face. The rest of her still fighting off the chill of the rain.
"I can only assume we'll get the other half of her once we do whatever little request he might have. Or we could just return her."
Bree’s eyes flicked towards Kagan at this, squinting slightly a single, horrible thought shot through her mind Return her and ask...for a different one?
She tried to make herself feel guilty about the thought. Gems suffered enough without other Gems encouraging the drakken to view them as objects that could be bought, sold and traded at will. Things that could be returned.
But if anyone could get Allie here...royalty could. It wasn’t personal.
A sudden weight in her hand drew her back as more wine was suddenly added to her glass.
"Try and pace yourself. As I understand it, being drunk generally makes it worse, not better. For first timers specifically."
The vague warmth that had gathered on her face vanished in an instant, leaving a cold dryness in her throat. I also have to convince him and…I don’t really know him and I know that isn’t something he is interested in talking about right now The idea of having sex with Kagan wasn’t repulsive, she had had too much time to get used to the idea. But she was sorely regretting not taking up at least one of the offers made to her by male gems before arriving. She had been saving herself, but that person was very far away now.
Adorabella took the spot to Kagan’s right, so Bree walked carefully across the room, trying her best to keep the mud off of everything, and took the spot on his left.
Bree tucked herself between Kagan’s chest and arm, moving carefully as to not bump either of their wines. Her back resting in the crook of Kagan’s shoulder. She was relieved to find that, after the initial touch of his wet clothing on her skin, the rest of him was warm.
“I’m not nobility or anything,” said Bree, taking another sip of her wine. The taste of it was less strong now, her mouth having grown accustomed to its sharpness. “My family was a merchant class, they sold a little of everything, mostly properties, but my father was hoping to start working on some trade deals with the south,” That statement was putting it lightly. At some point, the power dynamics started to change, with wealthy families climbing up to become equals of the nobility—like weeds among the flowers--her family among them. They were able to grow their wealth faster than most by keeping the family small, the wealth only ever having been split once by twin brothers. Her great-great-great grandfather and equally great uncle. One married and the other didn’t, when the twin died with no heir, the wealth was placed back together. Even now, years later, her families tree was a single branch straight down to her brother Sadge. She didn’t have any uncles, although her father had mentioned an aunt that had been reaped nearly thirty years before. And two great-aunts who had reaped together nearly sixity. In theory, they could be alive, but she didn’t feel the urge to seek them out.
Her father lusted after the idea of marrying her brother to a noble woman for titles and such. But that was the only thing to be gained from such an arraignment. And her families track record for reapings kept many a potential brides leery of such a marriage.
Having been to parties that were held at the houses of ‘high society’ her house was nicer. Was nicer . In all of her dreams of Drakka, she always assumed that her new place would be similar to her hold. Just with uglier houses.
“I have an older brother, he enjoys the social light,” They both had back home, once their formal education was done, there was little else for rich kids to do. Only his talents and existence started and ended with the waxing and waning of the party. Sadge did look out for her, but she was lucky to be family when it came to him, as those were the only ties that held any value in his eyes.
Bree watched Adorabella flit around, drying first Kagan and then herself, much in the same way that Kagan had in the hall before entering the hotel.
“I almost feel silly,” said Bree, leaning forward to dusting off a bit of the fine powered, before settling back in her space. “Bringing this up now that you spent all that time drying us off. But our husband mentioned something about a bath while we were still in the hallway,” She was proud of herself for not letting her voice crack. For not losing her nerve at the last second.
It’s like sticky wax B--alway best to pull it off quickly, than delay and suffer more, Mom’s always knew the right thing to say.
Aubree being a bitch and wanting to sell Adora for her lover. Drinking on an empty stomach. Plot twist, Kagan is the heater. Vague life story.
-edited on my phone. I’ll fix mistakes when I get home.
Bree’s eyes narrowed and her lips pressed thin in irritation when Kagan ordered that she thank the, frankly ridiculous, drakkan. The whole situation left her wondering who on earth the two of them were trying to fool. It was obvious that the two knew each other and were pretending not to, with her being the only one around for the show. Which was stupid. She stared at Kagan for a few more seconds, waiting for the joke to stop, but he was serious. Grudgingly, she turned to the other drakkan, she tilted her head slightly. “Thank you for returning my ring,”
Thankfully, that was all Kagan expected, as she’d barely spat out the words before being pulled into the stormy night.
The walk in the rain wasn’t half as unpleasant as Bree originally thought, it was twice. For the first few blocks, Kagan drug her through the muddy streets at such a pace that she was forced into a semi-run to keep up at all. Her husband also chose to stomp like a child through the mud, splashing it everywhere, on himself, on her.
"Next time you're approached by a Drakken you dont know, I suggest you play it smart and keep your mouth shut and wait for my lead. You talking freely nearly caused me a problem."
“ I don’t see how I was given another choice,” she muttered, her words coming out sharply, had the memory of the situation not been so fresh in her mind, she would have tried to handle the situation better. “But, next time I’ll let you handle the talking, Sir”
By the time the hotel came into view, Bree was soaked through. Her hair heavy on her head and the flowy aspect of her dress became clingy, catching on every curve of her body, while the thinner areas of her dress grew shear. Her feet and shoes were caked with mud, as was the bottom part of her dress. Violent shivers wracked her body with every breeze that shot through the streets. The hotel looked almost round in shape, three stories high, but it lacked the sharp edges that were traditional with most structures.
Her husband stopped her just out of the rain in the entrance of the building."Hold still." Her eyes narrowed on his hands as they reached up and took hold of her face. Willing her body not to stiffen as Kagan ran his hands down to her hips. The sensation of having all the water pulled from her skin and clothing was like a having a handful of tiny, icy beads running down her back, arms and up her legs. Her body gave a few involuntary quivers as the water flicked across more sensitive areas of her body. The back of the neck, lower back, between her shoulder blades. Once she was no longer leaving puddles of water, her husband did the same to himself. While she was certain she still looked like a drowned rat, he managed to wear his water well enough. Once they were a little drier, Kagan lead her down a long stone hall lit by large candles on platforms.
The building had a distinct feeling of being scantily occupied. There were a handful of drakken milling about, brides glued to their sides. The only other creatures she saw were the workers. Strange creatures, about the same size as gems, but covered in corse brown hair like a bear. Thick collars of iron were welded around their necks.
Kagan stopped in front of a large door. The handle rested near her elbow. As Kagan tossed open the door, Bree took a step to follow, only to collide with his back. She stepped back to catch herself, eyebrows raised. She peered around her husband to see if there was anything on the door that might have cause his sudden pull back. But there was nothing.
Clearly whatever is bothering him is in the room. Aubree watched Kagan check the door a few more times before shoving the door open and pulling her in behind him. She gazed around the room, expecting to see another drakkan or...something.
Adorabella was not one of those somethings. The girl seemed to be the exact same as she had been at the castle. Full of confidence, sassy...a total lack of self preservation.
Bree’s face flicked up into a tight smile that vanished almost as quickly at her wave, nodding in acknowledgment. It wasn’t Adorabella’s fault, and she knew she shouldn’t be bitter towards the girl. But she was too wild. Too unpredictable. Had it been someone like Arden, a sister-bride might have been a good thing.
Still trembling with cold, Bree glanced around the rest of the room from behind Kagan's back. Bright, thick rugs covered the floor, a huge bed was lined along one of the walls. At the foot of the bed lay her truck. Something she was thankful to see. On the far side was a large stone tub that stood under the window. A hazy layer of steam rose off of the heated water. Kagan had mentioned a bath earlier a bath with him, judging by the size of the tub , she suddenly felt another tremor go through her body that had nothing to do with the cold.
Her eyes flicked to the wall that held the door. A long table next to the door had an open bottle of wine, beyond it other simple foods covered the table. Her hands seemed to move of their own accord. She snatched the bottle and poured herself a glass. She took a sip of it, still watching the two others in the room participate in their strange interrogation.
Slipping from behind Kagan, Aubree entered the rest of the room, drawing close to the fire, choosing to stand on the stone hearth to avoid making a muddy mess of the rug and to reap the rewards of the nearby heat. While Bree was pulling off her shoes, Adorabella crossed the room and returned to Kagan with a tightly wrapped scroll.
“What does it say?” Bree asked lightly, glancing down at the wine glass in her hand, disappointed to see that half the amount had vanished already. Whatever was written, it was clearly important and had something to do with getting an extra bride, something that shouldn't be scoffed at as an accomplishment.
But Daddy, I dun wanna say thank you. It is raining and wet and now there is Adorabella and now Bree is going to get drunk and be nosy
A gust of icy wind wrapped around Bree’s body as she was pulled from the arena to the world outside. Her view of the drakken capital coming in had been almost nonexistent and the view she was left with now was that of a nightmare. The storm had blown out all fire based torches that hadn’t been properly covered, so that only a few lit the city below. The only other lights came from the windows of nearby homes and the brightness of lightning as it illuminated the area.
Goosebumps exploded across her skin as yet another gust of air shot towards the arena. A shiver shot through her body and she pulled her one free arm in closer to her body. She longed to bring forth a flame to help ease the chill away. But it wouldn’t have lasted long once they entered the storm.
"Its a few blocks to the hotel. I dare to assume you've no strong aversion to water?"
Bree had simply assumed that, with the weather being the way that it was, they would take a carriage. She tried not to focus on the stains the ever growing puddles would leave on her hemline. It was just a dress. But it was also home, a familiar thing in a foreign world.
There was also the minor irritation of having to fix her hair. It's length made tending to it a rather...labor intensive affair. But that argument would have been the most risky and the most childish. Hair could be fixed...and Kagan would probably just remind her that it was soon to be chopped anyway.
Besides, It was more than apparent that Kagan has made up his mind and the question had been rhetorical.
“I...suppose walking will be f-,”
“You! Gem! You dropped this. ”
“Hey, Gem,”
A large hand reached out and tugged on Bree’s outward shoulder. Done in a way to get her attention, rather than pull. Half-turning, Bree saw a hulking drakkan. Shorter than most, but what he lacked in height he made up for with bulging muscles.
The drakkan held up a thick iron ring, far too large for her fingers. “Ah, no... That's not mine,” she said without hesitation.
“Yes, it is yours,” the drakken insisted, this time pulling her free hand, trying to press the hard metal into her palm. Despite talking to her, touching her, Bree couldn't help but notice that the drakkan seemed to rotate his focus between Kagan and some spot behind them, treating her mostly as an after thought.
Bree doesn't like the wet stuff from the sky. And some werido is trying to give her a ring
“So?” said Ehokta, the door swinging shut as he put a hand out to stop it, looking at his bride, utterly ignoring Adorabella.
“If her bite is as good as her bark, then you have selected wisely,” muttered Twenty, her head tilted down, but her tone stayed.
~
The desert storm was showing its fangs. The paths around the city that were only dirt soon turned to mud and the ones with stones formed small puddles. Lightning flashed, crashed about the sky and thunder followed quickly after. The storm had cleared the majority of the streets, but every now and there, little pockets of drakken could be seen, howling at the storm and fighting each other.
The prince sat in the carriage, the gem girl across from him. The Inn where the royals kept the drakken who needed accommodations was close to the arena. Had it not been for the storm, it would have been faster to walk. But he wasn’t about to let his little gem ruin her appearance.
The rooms were some of the finest in the land. A few daring souls spread the rumor that they were created by the original owners clever gem-bride. The owner was long since dead and his holdings turned over to the royal family.
Each of the rooms was large, vaguely rectangular in shape. The center point of each room being a massive bed, large enough to hold four or five people. Large chairs surrounded an even larger stone fire place. Under the far window, overlooking the center of the capital, was a large stone tub. Deep enough that a small gem could stand in it and would cover her waist, with plenty of room for all. It was heated by a low burning fire underneath, with buckets of cold water nearby to adjust the temperature as the user saw fit. Slaves would be in each morning to change the water and...anything else that might need a cleaning.
The final wall held the door, as well as a long table that was filled with wine, cheeses, fruits, loaves of bread, and water.
Ehkota lead the girl to the center of the room and motioned for her to get on the bed. “Now, I shouldn’t have to tell you that you not fucking this up in very important for your wellbeing. I heard about your little stunt when you were first brought to Castle Worth. In part, that is why you were selected, as you know. You are no innocent creature, best use every bit of that to your advantage tonight. If you are returned to me, well, let’s just hope that the Kinner mercifully puts you out of your misery before that point,”
“Don’t move from that spot, I suspect your husband and ‘sister’ will be here soon,” Placing a sealed scroll in front of the girl, he turned leading his guard out of the room. “Don’t do anything stupid, after all it would be a shame if someone else got hurt because of your antics,”
Kinner, Think of her as a deposit. If you enjoy her, she is yours, simply meet me at the castle tomorrow. If not, come to the castle tomorrow and I’ll find you something better.
Ehkota ding dong ditches the bride at a hotel room with a sneky note.
The journey from the hot springs back to the castle seemed like a mere moment compared to the journey to. Perhaps it was because they were now running towards the end of their journey.
Most of the items that Xaeila brought were simple in nature. Her most beautiful dresses and silks left behind with friends and cousins. It seemed a shame to drag such beautiful things into such an ugly world. The drakken, however, surprised her by leaving her a light blue, flowy dress, very similar to something she might have owned back home. The neckline plunged into the belt, but it was modest enough with a few adjustments. The few touches of her own were the bands on her arm. Gifts from her teachers and a nod to her profession.
Or the profession she would have had.
Xae left her hair unbound and free to air dry, knowing that waves would eventually take hold of her hair. The make up she selected was minimal, and done mostly to fill the time she was given to ‘get ready’.
The only struggle came to her feet. Although the burns were healing, the skin was still sensitive and it was painful to wear most shoes for any amount of time. She had been taking to wrapping her feet in soft clean cloth everyday to lessen the impact walking had on them. Today was no exception, choosing to favor the cloth rather than actual shoes.
~
The journey to the capital was far longer than the trip to Shadow Worth. The scenery changing drastical from hour to hour, starting with an alpine tundra and ending in a desert. By the time they had arrived, night had fallen and storm had blown itself in.
For the most part the girls were kept dry, ushered from the carriages to the arena. After a quick speech, the high prince had lead her and another girl, one she hadn’t spoken much with, towards one of the more elderly look drakken. If elderly meant ‘could still rip you in half,’
Her companion spoke first. Easy, uneventful talk. It was clear by the girl’s voice that the meekness was more than just an act.
Her husband followed after. Asking simple questions and giving information in return.
Keregar.
That name sent Xae’s mind spinning. It was a name she had heard before. Keregar, one of the few remaining drakkan that had been around when drakken used to come and select their brides directly from the supply. Although it was his father, Korag, who had been many more times before. A story. One that once broke the hearts of many, although now seemed like a dime a dozen tale.
“ I know who you are,” said Xaelia, raising her head to look the drakken in the eye. “Keregar,” The name came out slowly as Xae took the time to speak every sound in his name. “You’ve been to my village before, as all drakken who enter Geminia do, although it has been many, many years since you last crossed. I also suspect you and I will cross through it again the same number of times,”
The story of Keregar was known by a few who followed the history of the Gem/Drakken conflicted. Although the story of his father was the one more often told. “You shadowed your father across the great spine to seek your prize, all the way to the capital… The rest of the story is sad, although I suspect you find it glorious and full of honor,” Not every gem had a story worth remembering, although there were some people in her village who strived to recall every girl, Xaelia only focused on the ones worth talking about. “My name is Xaelia,”
Xae gets ready. Meets Keregar, and talks about his own story. Also arm bands
It’s a rare thing for a Kinner to acquire one of your kind
The more the drakkan spoke, the more Bree wished he would just stay silent. He wasn’t cruel, not in the way that she could see other drakken were. He wasn’t chaining her or yanking her or making her do anything humiliating. If anything, she supposed, he was being kind.
Kagan did bring up a point of something she’d never considered and that was the cost of a Gem. The reaping always just was, but if the killing of a great drakken was the value of a bride, then what would he have to do to get a second? Bree tried to size Kagan up with the larger drakken. While tall, he wasn't as broad as some of the monsters in the room. But that didn't mean he didn't know how to fight. After all, he had won her? Hadn't he? But he also said that he killed the crippled and broken. So, was the murder--Kinning of the 'great drakkan' a fluke or could he do it again?
They whole concept of a Kinner phased Bree very little, after all, he was only killing drakken. She did struggled to follow was how she played any role in it at all. But it obviously made sense to Kagan, as his hand found its way to her shoulder, trying his best to explain the honor she brought. The whole movement felt awkward, as though he wasn’t quite sure what to do with himself.
“You are very gracious,” she said finally, her eyes flashing briefly to his hand. “I’m sure it will be lovely,”
She felt, rather than watched him struggle to find a place to hold her. Catching his hand softly as he re-positioned again, she pushed it towards her wrist. Short of holding hands, it seemed like the least awkward placement.
At the same moment she thought she heard Ardens voice, turning her head sharply towards the sound, she expected to see the girl standing there. But the space beside her remained empty.
Just the breeze
It was probably for the best, it was foolish to have befriended the girl. Arden would only draw her mind away from the goal. Even as the thought crossed her mind, she felt a hollow guilt enter her stomach.
“There is no one I need speak to,” she said finally, before she could changed her mind. “If you are ready to go, I should probably mention that the drakken that brought me to you said ah 'Tell your husband to enjoy the feast if he must, but it’d be best if he...hurried back to his accommodations,”
A tiny quiver shot through Bree’s body as the thought about what returning to Kagan’s accommodations would mean for her. For as little as the man seemed to know what to do with her body now, his ending statement gave her a pretty clear idea about what he wanted to do.
Or perhaps he was just that careless with his words. But if she ever stood any chance of seeing Allie again, sex was probably the best way to convince him to see things her way.
Bree teaching Kagan how to hold a bride But for reals. Bree thinks that sex is the quickest way to Allie. Also the prince wants you home now. It is pass your bedtime
The young woman looked rather irritated by Adorabella’s light attitude towards the situation. Her face hardening with every word the girl spoke. “I have no idea where you are going. Nor do I really care. I was told to come down here, so I did. I was told to fix you up, so I am. And I was told to instruct you on the finer things of the bedroom, which I will,”
The moment Adorabella mentioned the pregnancy, the guard at the door shifted. “Be silent,” he growled, as though her very words were a threat to the unborn child.
The girl on the bed shifted, “Names would be a waste of time, as I doubt I’ll ever need yours again, or you mine,” Reaching up she gently, but firmly, push Adorabella back onto the bed. ” Even now, I suspect our time is together is down to minutes,” Climbing on top of the girl, she spoke softly. “ I don’t know why my husband asked me to come here. Or why he thought I’d be able to make something out of you so quickly. But I’ll give you some advice. If your husband wants you to be ashamed of your body, you better act ashamed. I know you’ll have a sister-bride, my advice there is to use her as well, drakken men seem to like that sort of stuff. If-” But whatever else the girl was going to say was cut short by the door slamming open for the third time.
”Change of plans, we leave now,” Said Ehkota, gesturing his bride off with a careless flick of the wrist. ”Fe, take Twen back to my room. And get her looser clothing,” he growled, glaring at his wife, before grabbing Adorabella by the wrist.
Adora gets a mini lesson on pillow dancing before Ehkota decides it is time to go
TheDoctor
urukhai
