His Majesty, Her Grace - Sequel to A Prince Caspian Love Story

Chapter 8 - Liberation

Althea's POV

I awake with a jolt. My body is sore and my eyes feel dry as the environment and situation rush back to mind. Men are starting to unlock us from the wall. Lucy, Eustace, and I are the first and only ones to be taken away from all the other prisoners. They lead us away to a wooden stage that was set up in the middle of the courtyard overnight. Men have gathered around in front of it waiting for the biding of people to begin. I'm forced up on stage first, standing on a small box next to the gaudy man from before. A few people in the crowd whoop and holler at me but I do my best not to react. Everyone starts yelling numbers and talking over each other.

"Now now gentlemen. Let's start the bid at 100." I almost feel like laughing from the fact that he addressed them as 'gentlemen' when that clearly is not the case.

"120!"

"150!"

"200!"

The crowd goes quiet for a few seconds.

"Do I hear 210?" The gaudy man yells. "Come on. She's a lovely specimen."

I feel like I'm going to vomit. The way they talk about humans as if they're animals is revolting. My hands grow cold and sweaty as I shift nervously between feet on the stage, the silence dragging on for what feels like an eternity.

"215." A short, heavy-set man shouts as he moves through the crowd to the front.

"Sold!" The gaudy man hangs a wooden sign around my neck that has 'sold' written across it. He pulls me off the box and shoves me across the stage. I'm forced down the stairs to the man who just bought me. He wraps a hand around my chained wrists and yanks me towards a small payment desk as Lucy is brought on stage next.

"100 for the little lady." A rather creepy-looking man says, who I'm pretty sure bid on me too.

"120!"

"150!"

"Any more bids?" When no one else says anything, he hangs an identical sign around her neck too. She's shoved next to me just as the short man finishes paying.

"These were found on her person." The seller says, pushing forward my dagger set.

"Keep them, she won't be needing them." He grabs a hold of my shackles again and leads me into the crowd of bidders, watching Eustace being brought up next.

"And now, for this fine young lad."

The crowd murmurs at Eustace standing there awkwardly.

"Who'll kick off the biding? Come on now. He may not look like much but uh he's strong." The gaudy man says, squeezing Eustace's arm.

"He's strong alright, smells up the rear end of a minotaur." The short man yells, moving towards the front of the crowd again, pulling me behind him.

"That is an outrageous lie!" Eustace shouts. He has guts, I'll give him that much. "I won the school hygiene award two years running."

"Come, won't someone make a bid?" The man yells again.

"I'll take them off your hands... I'll take them all off your hands." A very familiar voice calls from directly behind me. I look back and the hood of the man flips off to reveal Reepicheep and Drinian. "For Narnia!"

More Narnians yank off their cloaks and start attacking the slave traders. I twist my arm free from my buyer and Drinian knocks him out with the handle of his sword.

"Unlock yourself." He says, tossing me a ring of keys then jumping back into the battle. I climb on the stage and start to free Eustace first, then myself. I go to help Lucy and in the two seconds my back is turned, Eustace disappears. Lucy's hands are already free and she spins around hitting a man in the face with a large book. I swipe my daggers off the desk and sprint over to the wall where others are chained up, doing my best to avoid pairs of people locked in combat.