Darling Mine

New Face (Kane)

There was one fact I knew for certain in my existence. Life is a game of fate, and the players always lose.

Not that this ever stopped me playing.

There were certain privileges to being next in line for the throne. Access to elite circles and forms of entertainment. Unfortunately, these pleasures also came with responsibilities. Such as choosing a slave.

The idea was that because I could kill them at any point without facing a single repercussion, they would be loyal to me always. Fear was that powerful of a motivator. This just proved how weak those creatures were. It was amusing to consider they had once been the ones in control and we had been the ones cowering in the shadows. Oh, how delightful fate could be, so fickle.

Needless to say, I had not been overly interested in choosing a few humans to be responsible for. The only two considerations I really cared about were their origin and occupation. I wanted them to come from the local town, as they seemed to be the only ones to understand the woods were a death sentence. I had no desire to go chasing after a slave. Though the hunt itself might provide some entertainment. The second consideration was that they worked in the laundry. It was known even by myself for being where most of the general slaves were sent. A low-risk environment. It had the added benefit of being the farthest location from my rooms. This meant as little interaction as possible.

I had been flicking through the files of the potential slaves to appear to be interested in this tradition. It got a lot of the whining gants to leave me alone. Paying little attention to the paper in front of me, I missed them the first time around. It was only a bizarre desire to turn back that meant I saw them. Now this one looked interesting. I made my decision and thought no more of it until the Ceremony.

Obviously, I knew who she was. A picture had been provided in the file. So it was with a delicious sense of expectation that I saw her glaring at me. This was going to be interesting. However, when she merely froze my interest declined. I decided to leave her be for a few days, it would create a sense of safety. I had not played such games in years.

I passed the next few days the same way I always did. In the morning with the head of the guard. Jonathan had been a companion of mine for nearly ninety years. My father had requested my presence at council meetings each afternoon.

"You know, you seemed distracted this morning," Jonathan said to me on the third day. "You didn't know that thief did you?" 

That made me laugh.

"We both know that's not the crime she committed." 

Jonathan gave me a look. One that said I was pushing the boundaries of what he was allowed to say. It must concern my father. Not even I could question him or his wishes.

"Will you be attending?" 

It was compulsory for Jonathan to attend but I had not done so in years. I much preferred my games to be conducted in private. But I was curious what her reaction would be. Something told me it would be worth the effort to see.

So later that day I stood in the window of the northeast tower.  I was not focused on the woman being punished, she had been a fool to challenge my father. He must have been drunk at the time or she would be dead. Then again I took after my father in several ways. He too preferred to deal with problems on his own. This was likely a message to enforce our dominance. The new ones tended to cause trouble. This would give us some peace.

I saw her face drain of colour. I revelled in the tears glistening in her eyes. This game was going to be amusing. That was when she shook her head. Angry? Oh, this girl was going to be fun. As the crowds were leaving she looked at the tower. It was all too easy to smile at her.