Unholy - Andley (AU)

2

It was fairly late in the day, about five o'clock in the afternoon, and the sun was setting slowly, casting a beautiful orange glow over the fields, elongating the shadows. Fluffy white and grey sheep grazed in fields, cows lowed softly as the farmers herded them into stables. A single hawk's call echoed over the open landscape. It was picturesque.

A boy around eighteen of age sat on the soft hay which lay piled upon the stable floor, his arms wrapped loosely around his legs with his chin resting upon his knees. His soft black hair was tied back in a ponytail, but even then it still reached halfway down his back.

He let out a soft sigh, but whether it was of content or sadness was unknown. It was serene out here, far away from the bustle of the town, but that wasn't the only reason the boy had stayed behind to 'work'. Seven people were being executed today in the town square, and he could think of nothing more sickening than watching.

He couldn't understand how the people of Kyrax would flock to the gallows to gawk at those who were to be hung. As if it was some sadistic form of entertainment.

The boy let out a snort and frowned, stretching his legs out fully and resting his back against the wooden wall of the stables.

Ashley Purdy wasn't from round here. He'd once been heir to the throne back in the kingdom where he had once lived, Redoria. He'd lived in a beautiful palace, with a comfortably hot sun during the day and a beautiful serenade of crickets and bats by night.

Being from Redoria, it meant Ashley's skin was not a sickly white as were the people's of Kyrax, nor was he ghostly thin and weak.

His flesh was of a beautiful tan, with a strong bone structure and high cheekbones, naturally glossy jet black hair, which grew surprisingly fast. His body was toned and slim, well built for just about any situation, and his eyes were a deep brown with a few flecks of gold mixed in.

To say the least, Ashley was a very good looking man. Even after living in such a draining town as Kyrax for so long, he remained glowing, and as friendly as ever.

Ashley held a rather complex background after he'd been kidnapped from his home late one night, and he now struggled to remember any part of his past.

However that didn't matter much anymore. He was a slave, and had been for some time, and that was all that really held importance right now.

He'd been sold and moved around a lot, that was another part he remembered. However even that remained fuzzy and pieced together.

He'd been in Kyrax for just over three years now. Still technically a slave, but he worked on a farm, and his owner was a tired old man. This gave him more freedom to do things, such as shopping, exploring, reading, and really anything he wanted.

Of course the work was very hard, and the rations were little to nothing, but his life was no different to any of the other slaves and assistants that worked in the fields with him. He was just one of many.

The boy picked off a few stray bits of straw that had found their way onto his grey linen shirt. It was course and heavy, and the sleeves which were rolled up to his elbows were too long for his arms.

'Prince Ashley'. Even the idea of it seemed ridiculous now. He laughed softly under his breath and shook his head rather fondly, taking a deep breath of the sweet dusk air.

The boy's toils of the day had exhausted him, as it was nearing harvest time for the farmers, and this year there were many crops to be gathered. Ashley had spent the last few days bundling up huge reels of hay, cutting down the dead crop that would infect the healthy, and trying to get the old cart horse to pull the plough over a new field. He'd finally convinced the dopey beast to move, and it'd plodded obediently onwards.

He was very proud of the work that he and a few other workers had accomplished.

Ashley let his eyes close as the sun set fully and the land became a dull grey, breathing in the soft hay smell, his mind wandering back to the horror that was going on in the town.

Of course he knew who had ordered the sickening display.

Count Biersack. The cruelest man Ashley had ever heard of. He'd never actually seen him, as he tried his hardest to avoid he places where he knew the count would be, but he could guess he was some eighty year old sadistic creep.

He despised the count with a deep and burning passion. Ashley wasn't one to detest a man so easily, but Biersack was an exception.

How could a man be so cruel? He ordered daily torture, executions, floggings, and other despicable acts to be carried out. It made Ashley feel ill just thinking about it.

He pitied the servants that worked inside the castle walls. Guards would come out, usually once every few months, drag about ten people from the town and its surroundings, bring them into the castle, and that would be it. Once people went in, they never came out.

Ashley shuddered as a cold breeze picked up, and he reopened his eyes. Everything was dark, and the stars glistened gently up in the infinite black cloak of the sky.

The Redoran boy stood and brushed himself off, exiting the stable after bolting the door and making his way down the dusty path towards the cramped servants quarters. But as he neared the building, its windows and open door illuminated by the flickering yellow candlelight within, he saw four rather imposing figures marching down the path towards him.

Four of the count's guards held two girls which Ashley knew to be the sisters who worked in the neighbouring mill. At least that's what he could guess, as they both had black hoods over their heads, muffling their sounds of distress. Ashley could only assume they were being taken to the dungeons, probably because they ground the wheat wrong for the count's bread, or something ridiculous like that.

Ashley stood to a side to let them pass and watched as they loaded the two girls onto a horse drawn cart that waited patiently on the side of the road.  He held his tongue as they passed, knowing he'd say something that would get him arrested for sure, but his eyes glared daggers at them.

The guards climbed into the back of the cart with the girls, but one must've caught Ashley's gaze, and marched swiftly over to him without hesitation.

"You. You're coming with us," he stated without emotion, and gripped Ashley's arm tightly as a hood was pulled firmly over the boy's head and his arms were forcibly held behind his back.

He attempted to pull away, but the guard was stronger than Ashley had imagined. He felt himself being shoved onto the cart, and heard the horse's snort as it began to pull away, and proceeded on an uncomfortable journey to Proudspire Castle, where Ashley could only assume waited his inevitable demise.