The Awakening

Chapter Four

No farewells were exchanged as her new owner ushered her out of the manor. Balor had rushed, as though he was eager to explore her by getting her back to her new home, or prison. The thought had her stomach churning. She did not allow herself to linger on the thought. She would take every second as it came and with a grain of salt.

Her father had gladly handed her over, without so much as a second glance or second guess. Her mother did not grace them with her presence to offer a goodbye. The whole situation had sent shockwaves of pain through her heart. The abrupt, and almost too willing, removal of her from her parent's life had been a bit too much for her to process. She knew her parents had never particularly expressed their love for her, but she was their daughter. There had to be some fraction of care within them for her.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts from the downward spiral before it consumed her, she opted to focus on what was awaiting her. Which did not seem too enticing either.

Balor commanded his men to ready for the travel to Teine. She was surprised to find that she would be travelling to the hottest continent in Vexar. Various horses were waiting outside, fully saddled for the trek which would take at least a fortnight. She also noticed that many of the unknown faces inside the manor were his own guards and henchmen.

No servants, or slaves accompanied him.

The guards were quick to guide her away from Balor and towards a mare, as dark as night itself, that she assumed she would mount for the journey. Without showing her reluctance, Avelon mounted the horse assigned to her.

The guards had lifted her easily, as though she weighed nothing. She shifted uncomfortably on her horse. Being handled so easily had made her feel vulnerable and small.

Thankfully, no male had accompanied her on the mare and no shackles were placed on her, yet. She made sure to thank whatever goddess was watching over her, for the small mercy of superficial freedom. She presumed that the second she would step out of line her good luck would instantly run out.

Whistling from in front drew her gaze forward to where Balor was motioning the horses forward. Her horse, the black beauty, was tied from the mouth to the end of Balor's horse's saddle. A subtle shackle of sorts. Silently, she patted the mare whilst leaning down to whisper in its ear.

"You are too beautiful to be shackled to... that." Her eyes trailed back to Balor.

His body harshly outlined by the hot sun shining down on them. The mare snorted as if silently agreeing, which had her smirking.

Amidst her thoughts and straining heart, she remained quiet and pliant. She wanted to wait until Balor showed his hand. She needed to ascertain what type of person he was before she tried anything. Obviously not a good one seeing as he literally bought her, but how bad was he? She wondered while sighing deeply, keeping her eyes trained forward.

The whistling echoed across their small group once more, before the horses started trotting forward. She glanced back once at the grey building behind her that she called home. It was beautifully accentuated with fading blue trimmings. Moss vines raked upwards to the windows from years of growing. Her window stood open and for the briefest of moments she could have sworn she saw the servant that was sent to tend to her earlier, standing just behind the curtain. She bit the inside of her cheek at the oddity and stiffly returned to her forward-facing position. She breathed in the clear air, savouring her surroundings. Teine would not be the same.

They had continued walking for what felt like hours with no one uttering a word, except for Balor barking simple instructions. Although the silence had frustrated her, there was no way she would strike up a conversation. She had no intention of getting to know the people who found pleasure in Fae trade. So instead, she studied the landscape around her. Greenery and high shaded forest trees surrounded them. Their shadows danced on her skin as they moved.