Fallen Star Chronicles (Work in Progress)

Chapter Four - First Sign of Trouble

~Chapter Four - First sign of trouble

The next morning Ainu wakes before anyone in the household has woken, including other slaves. She quickly dresses in her outfit from the day before and wanders around the house to familiarize herself with her surroundings. As she wanders along, other slaves start their duties and as she passes by them, they turn to look at her, wondering who she was and why she was there. She finds her way to the library and her heart starts hammering in her chest. She has never seen so many books before and she trails her fingers along the spines as she walks around the room, trying to figure out if she recognizes any in particular.

Not many of the slaves in her previous home knew how to read and normally she was forbidden to read herself, but within the past couple years the master slaves and older slaves would teach her how to read, telling her that it would help her prepare for anything her new master wishes. Ever since then she took to reading like a duck to water and that is exactly how D'mitri and Romen found her a few hours later. She wasn't able to curl up in the chair, being a slave, so she curls up on the floor near a corner of the bookshelf where she found the book she is currently immersed in. Romen wrinkles his nose in distaste and a bit of jealousy, mostly because he never had the chance to learn to read. D'mitri, on the other hand, moves into the room and sits next to her without even drawing her attention from her book and quietly reads over her shoulder. He is proud and amazed that she knows how to read, since it is pretty uncommon among slaves, unless they are specifically trained for some sort of business.

Ainu realizes she's not alone and with a finger on the page to hold her place, looks up to see Romen glaring at her and she looks back at him in confusion until his eyes shift next to her. She looks over and nearly launches out of her seat and D'mitri laughs, placing his hand on her head to calm her down.

"Sorry about that, Ainu. I didn't want to disturb you." D'mitri chuckles, caressing the twisted tip of her ear.

"No, I'm the one sorry, Sir. I should have waited to be shown around." Ainu scrambles to stand and puts the book back on the shelf, placing her hands behind her back and looking at the floor while avoiding D'mitri's gaze.

"Come now, Ainu. No harm done. I am glad to know that you cherish literature as much as I do. How long have you been reading?"

"Only a few years, Sir. The master slaves didn't think it was appropriate for slaves to learn to read, Sir, but they decided that with my unusual appearance that maybe learning to read would be a benefit and my new master could listen to me read to him from behind a curtain so that I wouldn't upset him with my appearance, Sir."

"I am not disturbed by your appearance at all, Ainu. I would love to listen to you read for me sometime. Would you like that?"

"If that is what you wish, Sir."

"I would enjoy it very much. Come, it is time for breakfast." He holds his hand out and waits until Ainu puts her hand in it.

Romen snorts in disgust before turning to D'mitri. "Mistress Isabella is waiting for you at breakfast, Sir. She would not like it if your new plaything was there."

D'mitri's gaze hardens as he looks at Romen. "First of all, Ainu is not my plaything. Secondly, I already know that Isabella does not want Ainu anywhere around her, but both of you need to put your displeasure behind a wall because I will not tolerate it from either one of you."

Romen drops his head and is visibly shaking. "I, I apologize Master. It was wrong of me to speak against you or anyone you claim, Sir. I will go now and ready a plate for you."

After Romen leaves, D'mitri tugs on Ainu's hand to get her to follow him. He leads her back towards the master bedroom, but stops outside a door opposite of the master bedroom and opens it for Ainu to go in first. He turns on the light as she steps into the room and is amazed at all of the different colors of fabric leaning against the wall and buttons and other items in baskets and bins on a desk set off to the left side.