The Master's Special Maid

11

---- Lin's POV ----

Sitting inside of the wagon with chains holding me captive, I looked around to see the plains of agriculture quickly turn to forest. It had been a long time since I last saw a forest this large. Most of the time I had spent it in the desert. So seeing the forest once more made me happy. Soon night fell and they set up the slaves together close to the wagon. We were given little food and drink, but no one was willing to complain. As the night passed I asked the guard near me. "Can I go to the bathroom?" He snorted at my comment as he grabbed my chains as we separated from the party. I went behind the tree and went to the bathroom. Of course I checked my surroundings and found some medical plants lying around. I picked a few and popped them into my mouth to give me better nourishment before returning to the slaves. Slowly the weather started to turn to the worse as we went farther into the forest. I heard some the guards.

"Damn, it's so cold." The other men grumbled in response. "Well what were you expecting? We moved forward into Zou. Of course this cold weather is normal." Zou was naturally a colder country with mostly rain and snow that covered the nation. They had great agriculture from the rain, but they grow a variety of different things because of the climate. As the wagon slowed I looked up to the dark clouds. Then I saw white stuff falling from the sky, the wind howled as it bit at my skin. The cold getting worse as time passed, eventually we were forced to stop given that they were unable to see ahead of them. Everyone around me shivered and huddled closer to each other. Some had already lost feeling in their feet and hands. I had my magic circulating faster, but I huddled with the others to look like I was normal and did not have magic. Given that the magic made my body temperature rose a variety of servant closed in on me. The smallest snuggling in the warmth of my lap as I put her underneath my clothing and let her touch my skin. As night fell again some had already caught a sickness and were forced away from the rest of the slaves to insure that no one else got sick. 

They quickly died from the cold the next morning. When we got back into the wagon we stayed huddled together. Nothing seemed to really matter to me as I watched the fat flakes of snow fall onto me and the people surrounding me. I let out a sigh as we made out way to the nearest village. The people stared curiously at me and I at them. I was by far the oldest in the group and since I was the warmest I sat in the middle. I looked curiously at the people as they moved about in thick jackets that looked especially warm. The houses seemed warm as well as fires roared quietly in the homes of theses people. But what interested me the most was their characteristics. There were a variety of people with brown and blond hair moving around. They had a variety of hair colors as well as face shapes and body types. They spoke the same language as I did, but there was such a difference in how we looked that I couldn't help but be curious. 

When the wagon stopped an old woman approached us, before putting in two loafs of bread as well as a large pot of stew. The slaves moved quickly towards the food before chowing down before it was taken away from them. Food was brought closer to me as I took some bread and gave it to the child before passing her some stew. I ate quietly and quickly before feeling drowsy. I wrapped the child closer to me as I fell asleep. When I woke up I noticed that I had been moved to somewhere else. I was in a small cage when I heard the racketeering of people calling out prices. My thoughts went to the old woman, it seemed like she had stolen some the slaves, including me. I looked at the people in front of me who looked curiously at me. I did not seem meek which detered some of the customers. Eventually someone had grabbed my cage and opened it forcing me out. 

I stretched as I left the small cage, feeling the popping of my bones back into place. Someone pushed me forward and I moved as told. They moved me to a middle aged man who was mumbling about something. I bowed to my master before a collar was placed on me. We moved in tandem to a medium sized house. I was chained to the entrance as he moved about talking to someone. But I did not see anyone. Was he crazy? I shrugged as I sat on the warm tiles. The other slaves ignored our crazy master, but I was curious to see what would happen if I pointed out that no one was there. "Master, there is no one there." He turned to me fuming and grabbed me. I was thrown outside into the snow face first as he yelled at me. 

"Shut up! Don't listen to that dirty slave. She's new." He then focused his attention on me. Well I thought he did. His eyes were unfocused so I think he was looking at me. "And you! Stay out here for the night." I looked at him as I saw him leave me and closed the door. I stood up and walked around the small courtyard, finding a few twigs and leaves I ripped some of my clothing as I lit a fire with my magic. I sat in front of the fire I made and hummed a tune making the fire roar more. In the snow I drew the patterns of an enchantment as I kept the fire going with my humming. The stars glittered above me with a cold light as I sat near the fire. I was bored and grab a bit of snow, feeling it melt in my hand I let my magic seep through it and turned it into a globule of water. It floated above my hand slightly as I took a sip of the water. My dry throat was coaxed with the cold water as dawn slowly approached. I destroyed the fire and with a little bit of magic I removed any traces of my fire. 

I rolled around the snow and sat there pretending to be cold. When the Master came back he looked pleased with my physical appearance, but I just rolled my eyes at him as I stood and dusted myself off. I wasn't cold so I gave him a lopsided smile. He grabbed me and tied me to a post before getting the guards to paddle me and whip me. I took it silently as the magic let the pain numb from my body. Afterwards he threw me back into the small courtyard, but I was bored and kept fighting him. Soon two monthes had passed when he returned me to the old woman who had sold me. "You hag, you said she was a meek girl. This bitch fought me on everything! I don't want her anymore, give me my money back!" The old lady looked at me with a complicated look while I gave her a lopsided smile. She pushed me into a nearby cage. I sat down and looked around at the feet of the people. 

When I woke up again I was forced out of the cage again. I let my bones pop as I looked at who my new Master was. It was another man, who pridefully strode over to me. He grabbed my hair and smashed my face into the dirt. I smiled up at him, which just pissed him off more. I threw me and a guard caught me. He made me walk the way to the mansion that was larger than my last Master. I looked curiously at the man before entering the compound. He immediately started to beat me, then threw me into a small cell underneath the compound. There were other people here in either better or worse condition than I was. I used a bit of magic and had water to drink. 

A similar process happened here of my master trying to break me. But all he really did was make the fire in me roar to life. I ignored him, took beatings constantly, starved and was forced to live in the cell. Two more months quickly passed and once more I looked at the old lady who had sold me. Similar excuses were given and I was returned to the old woman. I sneered at her openly this time as she was separated from her money. She turned her beady eyes on me. "Your making me lose money you idiot." I snorted at her as I entered my cage. My body slowly started to heal. More and more people passed my cage as I threw dirt at their shoes, which made them unhappy, but no one said anything. 

All of my injuries from my last master had healed  as I stared at the bars to my cage. Finally it opened and once more I was out of the cage.