Run for your Life [JudalXReader]

Sounds Fun

It was blazing hot, mid-summer in the unforgiving desert. Yes, you were at an oasis, but even still the people here were on the brink of death.

"Peaches!" You shouted weakly as a young boy passed by, "Get fresh peaches here..." your voice trailed off once you saw the shackles on the boys ankles, swollen and red, and he gave you a resentful look.

He couldn't have bought anything from you, even if he had money. You knew all too well what it was like to be a slave. Your own shackles clinked and clattered when you shifted uneasily.

The boy stopped for a moment to glare at you. Slaves like these, that were made to work in conditions like this, usually died within days.

Sympathy overtook your greed. You stepped out of the shade of your booth, and handed the boy a peach.

You didn't worry about anyone seeing you. There wasn't much you had to lose. And, who wouldn't give a starving boy food?

He took the peach, looked up at you and blinked. He might not even know your language. After a moment, he nodded his head and continued on.

You went back to the shade of where your table was nestled between two buildings that provided some shade. You'd been standing this whole time, your feet ached in your thin-soled sandals that were almost as good as not having any shoes on at all.

The air was still as death. Every time you breathed it was like breathing in clear fire. Your caravan was lucky to have made it here before the heat wave. The others that were behind you still hadn't made it here... You assumed they were dead or dying. But, no one around here would even begin to imagine helping them.

Your master was at a bar somewhere getting drunk or doing anything to stay out of the sun. Despite the fact you were a slave, you knew you were well-treated compared to some of the others who worked for your master.

"Peaches. Come get fresh peaches," you said hollowly, your voice diminishing from being so parched. You were barely managing a monotone.

All you could do was sit here and watch the scorpions scuttle onto the table, trying to get to the bowl where your produce was. You took a fan and swatted them away, one by one, hoping they didn't seek revenge on you and sting your bare feet.

Scorpions were one of your biggest fears.

You looked down at your feet often, making sure one of the devils didn't sting you. Again, there were no scorpions.

There was nothing really to do... not that you were bored. Boring had become normal now that you were a slave. You don't yearn for things, because you knew that there was no point in making yourself miserable when you could be content.

You had no reason to want freedom anyway. Everyone you love is dead.

The sound of desert bugs writhing in the heat was deafening. You wanted to close your eyes badly, but you had no way of knowing when Master would come back.

The heat was a palpable thing, making the air around you look like it was melting from the sky. Your dark tan skin was even darker this year. You can't remember what grass felt like... leaves and trees were no more than a pipe dream.

This was the opposite of where you used to live in, your bountiful nirvana in the middle of hell. But now, your homeland has been taken over by the "peace-seeking" Kou Empire. They killed your family.

You remember little of that day when the Kou Empire's magi came. He had come to persuade your king to join their empire, that no one would be hurt, and that it would benefit our economy if we joined them.

The king refused.

They said that the magi destroyed your entire town single-handedly. You were with your teacher at the time, studying at her house when it all unfolded. She was beautiful, a retired servant to the queen, who had received an education in a land far away from ours. Her intellect was awesome, and even you couldn't understand what she meant sometimes, even though she explained everything so well. Your teacher is the only one who might still be alive.

She had been leery of what was going on that day, and warned you something bad might happen. News of the king's refusal had spread. Merchants were all moving out of the town in a haze, as were many citizens. It was about mid-day when he began his destructive rampage. Your teacher seemed to have known him. She cursed his name while she watch the palace being destroyed. You can't remember what his name was. You never saw what he looked like. All you saw was ice, turning the palace into a cold fortress of death, crumbling and its rubble falling down the long hillside on which your city was made. Large chunks of frozen palace tumbled down like an avalanche. You didn't stay to watch anyone else die.

Before you knew it, you and your teacher were running through the forest like scared animals. Somehow while you were running, she'd disappeared. You were terrified. This forest was known for its quicksand, and every step you took you afraid the ground would swallow you whole. Had your teacher run into a pit? You didn't know, and you wouldn't have been able to hear her over the screams and crashing from your village, despite it was very far away.

You kept running. And running. Then, before you knew it, you'd made it to the sea. After you saw the water, everything became blurred afterwards. Somehow for the next week your mind couldn't remember or think. And, when you finally came back to reality it was too late. You were a slave.

You opened your eyes. There was a man in front of you, eating one of your peaches.

"Hello," he said, staring at you, and not minding that he was getting bits of peach all over him when he ate, "Isn't it a wonderful day to be outdoors?"