The Warlord's Prize

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

"What have you done, father?" I shout at him after my family and I have gathered in the family room.

After Henrietta and I found Henry, informed him of the news his twin had overheard, the three of us stalked the halls of the mansion until we finally found our mother in the kitchen, discussing the menu for tonight with the cooks. Slowly I recounted what we've discovered father has done. She didn't seem all that surprised or concerned about our father sending men to raid Verelos, but she paled when we told her what Henrietta overheard, though she did start to scold her for listening in on a conversation she wasn't privy to, but stopped when she understood what we were trying to say.

"This doesn't concern you," my father says, standing up proud like he hasn't done anything wrong. "Stay out of my business."

"It's not just your business anymore, though, is it Joshep?" my mother stood up from her spot on the couch in the room, moving over to stand before my father. "I know what kind of consequence this will cause and what the king would demand you do in return. So why on earth would you risk it just for some dry empty piece of land?" I've never seen my mother so stern and stoic before, not even when I first tried asking for her help and advice. Then she yelled and carried on in hysterics. Now, she was keeping her composure, even though I knew all she wanted to do was grab my father and shake some sense into her husband. "And why wouldn't you tell me? This concerns me just as much as you, perhaps even more since you seem to care so little about them."

"Of course, I care about the children!"

That makes perfect sense father. The king has ordered him to pay whatever price to the Verelians demand in compensation for the invasion raids my father sent. Whatever the price. According to my mother when my siblings and I went to inform her what father had done; while she wasn't surprised to hear he sent out yet another raiding party, she was shocked, however, to hear where the party went to. Straight away she knew what the asking price would be. Apparently, Verelians love to take women from other countries and kingdoms, in order to increase their own numbers that dwindle from living in such harsh lands. She then went on to explain that due to the situation of us invading them, in order to get them to now leave us in peace without going to war, the price will be specific. Meaning that the leader/leaders of the Verelian army will choose women from the opposing sides family. Meaning their general will pick either my sister or I take back to their lands.

"How can you possibly care about us when you know what is about to happen to us?" I shout at him, unable to hold my voice back. Mother told us to remain silent and to let her handle the situation, but I could see it in my father's eyes. He didn't care what mother would say or do. He'll always do what he wants. "You've basically sold us to save your own hide."

Finally, he turns to me, but so does everyone else. I can feel the gaze of everyone in the room. My parent's, my sibling's and worst of all, my grandfather's. Their shock over my outburst shocks them all into silence, even myself for never have I, in the past, spoken against a family member.

Father's eyes turn from shock to anger. "So what? That's all you girls are used for anyway." He storms over to me and my siblings who stand next to me. "You and your sister only exist to gain me land and popularity in this world. Your brother to further the family line." I pull Henry and Henrietta behind me, doing my best to shield them from his gaze. "What do I care how you succeed this? As long as the family wealth and prosperity grows, who cares how that is achieved?" He nods his head down and looks around me to my sister grasping my arm. "I'd rather it be you that they decide to take, but it'll most likely be your sister. She's younger, she'll last longer than you." The greed in his voice disgusted me.

"But honey," interrupts my mother, "now of that will matter when one of them will be out of our reach in Verelos. We won't benefit from them there." She tries to reason with my father, but he doesn't care. I can see it in his face. He's praying that it will be me that gets taken. He wants to be rid of me. He can still shape and manipulate my sister to do his bidding, but it's too late for me. I know what he is really like, his morals, his beliefs, what he lets happen beneath his roof and I know that he has no heart or any love for his children. We are just a means to an end for him.

"I'll find a way around that."

My sister, my 12-year-old sister Henrietta may be chosen to be a slave for the rest of her life, forced to have barbarian children and my father doesn't even care. But I'm not going to let that happen. She's too young, too bright, too happy to be broken down by such vicious acts. But I'm not. She wouldn't be able to survive whatever happens to her. But I can.

I don't know how, but I will find a way. I will find a way to ensure that I am the one that is chosen, that I will be the compensation that is paid for peace, not my innocent sister. I will dress up in my finest clothes, use all my facial products to make myself irresistible to all men, though according to my grandfather's past comments, that shouldn't be too hard to do as apparently, I'm already attractive to men. I will do whatever it takes, despite my revulsion at having such lust-filled eyes upon myself.

But for my sister, I will do it. So, I will fulfil my father's wish of me being chosen instead of her. I can't have her become as broken as I am.