The Slave Caravan

15 Lashings

The wagon door opened and a man looked inside the wagon.

"Oh your awake,dwarf. Good thing," he said as he came in. He had keys with him. He walked over at me. I couldn't make out far away objects, but I could make out the man. He grabbed my tight chains and unlocked me. He grabbed my shirt collar and hauled me out and before I could do anything I was thrown out of the wagon and onto the dirt. I pulled myself up and looked back at the man who was coming out of the wagon. He locked the door back up and came towards me. I shook my head a bit harder.

"Tell me what this is all about," I asked him with strong words. He kneeled down to me and gave out a laugh.

"I don't have to answer to you. Your property now," the big man told me. He then grabbed the neckline of my shirt and began to drag me. I couldn't  move very much. What did they do to me? Was I drugged? I looked around me to see many over wagons around us or so I think they were wagons. They stopped dragging me through the dirt and I was sharply turned around.

"It's the dwarf of the hour. I'm thankful to see your awake," said another large man. I couldn't make out many details, so I just stood and stared at the man. My mind couldn't think sharply and I was confused. I licked my stale lips a bit and hung my mouth open. I didn't know what I was thinking.

"Well, I guess you kissed me wife. I think that's the cruelest thing a dwarf has ever done to an enslaver like me," the big man told me. I still sat there and stared. I didn't know what was going on. The large man all of a sudden kicked me in the ribs which sent me to the floor.

"And now you're going to pay me for what you did to my helpless wife. I think fifteen lashings should be good for now," he told me as he kneeled down to me. I opened up my mouth to retaliate, but the words wouldn't come to me. I felt large fingers tear at my shirts. Then when all of my shirts were torn off and then one kicked me to the floor. I was lost and confused. I just wanted to think and see clearly, was that too much to ask? I felt strong hands grab my arms and drag me somewhere.

My head hung lose as they dragged me somewhere. They sat me down and there they stretched my legs and arms out to where they touched each other. They wrapped this rope around my hand and ankles. I didn't like this. What were they going to do to me? I knew it was something bad, but I didn't know what. I heard a man yell at me, but the words sounded just like small mumbling to me. All of a sudden I heard this teeth clenching sound of the air being interrupted by something sharp. All of a sudden my back filled with pain. My arms and legs clenched up against whatever I was being tied up to. I heard the same sound again and this time the pain was even worse. I clenched my teeth to the point I could hear my teeth begin to crackle under the pressure. I didn't let out a sound except a small moan. I needed to seem strong to them for whatever reason. I didn't know why I had to seem strong, but my coinces was telling me to do so. I heard the whip crack in the air and it landed on my back. So that was what was being used to hit me with. My thoughts began to spring up. I felt like a brand new person now that my thoughts weren't so foggy. I looked around me and saw that there were other men and dwarves around him also locked up against trees and large rocks. The air was disturbed once again by the crack of the whip. As the whip hit my back skin tore off of it. I bit my cheek afraid of making a sound. What number of lashings have I gotten and how many do i have to receive? I closed my eyes and began to count, I had received four lashings and had eleven more to go. I closed my eyes and laid my forehead against the tree that I had been tied to.

Five
Six
Seven
Eight
I began to taste the blood in my mouth. I hadn't made a sound. I turned around just for a second to look at the man whipping me. All of a sudden a pain whipped across my cheek and neck. I turned around quickly and looked down at the dirt. The numbness around my cheek was irritating. I tried to pull my arms out of the ties, but a guard hit my hands. I felt useless. I held my head lose as I received the last lashings.
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
By the fourteen lashing I was sure that there was no skin left on my back. I waited for the last lashing. I couldn't stand the wait much longer. My head hurt and I was in an incredible amount of pain. My vision started getting blurry and my whole body shaked. All of a sudden the whip hit me, breaking even more tissue. I opened up my mouth and spat out some blood. I looked at the red specks of blood on the dirt floor. I felt my hands and ankles being untied from the tree. Once they were untied I was unable to hold myself back and I fell back against the floor causing even more pain to go through my body. I quickly rolled over to my stomach. Once I was laying on my stomach I lifted up my head to find a pair of dark brown boots standing in front of me. I lifted my head up even further to find a large fat man with red hair staring down at me.

"I hope that taught you well," his large voice boomed over the quietness. My hearing had a sharp ring to them, so his voice hurt my ears even more. I nodded my head in agreeance even though I had forgotten what I did wrong.

"Get this dwarf a fresh shirt and run some water over his back so he doesn't get infected," the large man told a guard. The guard with a sword at hand began to walk away with his orders. I laid my head down into the dirt. I closed my eyes as I began to feel the burning sensation of pain run through me. The pain didn't come in small steps, no it came all at once. I couldn't catch my breath, it felt like my lungs were being drowned in my own blood.

"Fili?"

I heard a voice ask. I opened my eyes slowly to find Bofur. He gave me a small warming smile. His presence felt warming. I gave him a kind smile.

"How are you holding up there, laddie," he asked as he looked down at my lashings. I couldn't hold my eyes open and I closed them. I bit my lip trying to find the strength to answer him.

"Bad," was all I could say and that took a lot of strength from me. I heard some loud and string footsteps headed towards us.

"Excuse me sir, but may I water his wounds? I don't want you to do all the messy work,"  Bofur asked someone with a kind gesture to it. I heard the footsteps walk off. I heard a rag being dipped into some water. All of a sudden a cold sting came from my back. I held my head up and lifted my upper body as I let out a weak scream of pain. Unfortunately from how weak I was I fell back down and let out a whimper.

"I know it hurts, laddie, but just keep it down," was all that Bofur said. I knew that Bofur didn't say it to be mean, he was just trying to protect us. I looked at Bofur as he splashed some more cold water on my bare back. He looked down at me and we met eye contact.

"Where are we," I asked in a slight whimper. Bofur looked around us and bent down towards my ear. I closed my eyes so I could hear his words more precise.

"We've been captured by enslavers. We are headed to Little Lune to be sold to a master," Bofur whispered in my ear. I opened my eyes and stared at the people in front of me who were tied up to trees. I clenched my teeth. I was property now? Bofur spilled some more water onto my back, it was like fire dancing atop my back. I looked up at Bofur as to comfort me somehow. I closed my eyes in memory.

I walked into the Toy Shop. As I opened the door I could already hear the laughter from the other kids. I wiped away my tears as I noticed that Bifur was coming towards me. Bifur sat down at his desk and picked up a flaming red dragon. He then looked down at me and held it out. I picked it up and held it in my hands.

"Why are you sad," he asked me in a thick accent. I looked down at the floor as more tears flooded my eyes. I looked back up as a tear fell down my cheek. Bifur stood up and left me. I looked back down at the floor. Then a soothing hand touched my shoulder. I looked up to find it was Bofur.

"What's wrong, laddie," Bofur asked me in soothing words. I sniffled back some snot and handed him the red dragon. Bofur took it and put it up on a shelf. He then came back and kneeled beside me.
"My Daddy died," I cried. Bofur wrapped his arms around me and held me deep into his chest. I cried into his chest for a loong time. When all of my tears were shed he let me go and took me to the back of the shop, somewhere no one was allowed to go. He sat me down on a stool and walked away. I sat in silence for a while as I looked around the forbidden workshop. I saw many new toys being built and some beautiful colors of paint. THen Bofur came back and he held something behind his back. He sat down beside me.

"My father died when I was a little one. He died in Erebor, I was too little to remember such an unpleasant day. I was a really sad boy, and when I grew up I wanted to make the sad boys and girls really happy. My cousin and I built up the Toy Shop. Every time a new kid comes in, I always want to bring a smile to their face. I hate it when I see someone coming in looking really sad. I was going to give this to you on your tenth birthday, but I think you might need it now."

Bofur held out a beautiful wooden sword. He gave me a smile.

"You're the prince of Erebor and when you grow up we will go reclaim our homeland back."

Bofur added as I picked up the sword from his hands. It had the Durin symbol at the pommel and the grip was detailed with beautiful leather. The wooden blade was a rather grey, but beautiful. Bofur hugged me and I hugged him. He had brought me comfort in one of the darkest of times.

    I looked up at Bofur. He was concentrating on his work. Even though I was in so much pain, a small smile appeared across my face. With that I closed my eyes and I fell asleep.