Tributes

Chapter One

It was barely a week after the demands went out that the first tribute arrived. Apparently, some of the villages had taken the message seriously. The first tribute was female. Tyreol was almost impressed by her villages fast response in getting her to him. Except, in the past such a fast response was either an attempt to soften his anger or that the village had sent someone they had sent someone they had wanted to be rid of. Given his lack of anger, that would suggest the latter.

He would be concerned, however, each soul that was given was inspected by Heilan and his well-trained aides before being brought to the castle. The ones who would become his personal tributes, the ones who would become servant and the ones who would become bed slaves in the dungeons, they all have different criteria to full. To be his personal tribute meant not having a black soul. Not that it didn't necessarily mean she wasn't a troublemaker. It just meant she had a good heart. Tyreol had certainly had his own fair share of troublemakers in the past. Some of his immortal tributes still were.

The young woman was beautiful. Tyerol had caught a glimpse of her from the shadows as she was brought in, Heilan by his side. If she had been troublesome to her village, it was not through deeds which would make her unsuitable for him. So either it was her personality or the village simply did not to risk any anger from him. If it was the former, he would train any bad traits out of the girl either with words or by the end of a whip, if he had too. If it was the latter, they had little to anger worry about.

Tyreol could not deny his growing excitement. Despite his earlier misgiving to the idea, he was starting to look forward to having humans around again. He missed his immortal tribute dearly and gaining new ones would not stop the wish that the tributes would visit but, new tributes meant drama. It meant having life in the castle again.

The first thing he had noticed about the girl was her hair. A fiery orange mop, which looked like it had never seen a comb or brush but that might have just been its type as opposed to the fact she was a farmer girl. It was made up of thick curls which made her hair look shorter than normal for a female. It flowed around her wildly and Tyreol wondered dimly what it must look like in the summer sun. Still, there was plenty of time for that. She was rather tall for a woman and had gone into the room calmly without struggling. There was potential here.

"Go on," Heilan teased from beside him. "Go greet her," he smirked.

Tyreol scowled unhappily but nodded, leaning down to press a kiss to his loyal servant. Heilan beamed up at him and winked, before disappearing into the wall. Tyreol looked around at the tribute common room again. He had many memories in here and now it was time to make new ones. The servant had done an excellent job of restoring it after so long of the rooms being disused but there were still a few touches from the past. Scratches on the hearthstone, a painting done by one of his immortal tributes during their mortality, bookcases filled with books that had entertained tributes for over a thousand years. The stone of the room itself seemed to be brimming with anticipation.

He smiled, closing his eyes and remembering for one brief moment the last time this room had been filled. It was time to play the game again. He opened the door and entered.

The girl stood from where she had been sitting on her bed. Green eyes looked him up and down, almost as if to confirm he was her new master, before falling to her knees. Her hands falling into a respectful position on her lap, her head bowed. Her pose was submissive, almost the definition of wifely duty but that look. That brief look in her eyes had been one of defiance. It made Tyreol brimmed with excitement. But defiance of what? Tyreol wondered. Was she indeed a troublemaker? Or maybe one just used to her freedom and upset to have it taken away. The fact she had knelt showed, she at the very least knew when to be respectful. Just a little headstrong to be wed perhaps?