Foreigner

Chapter 1

                        When had things all started going wrong, for him, for his tribe, for everyone he knew. Was it when he was born? When his mother left Arth and brought him to Iark and left him an orphan with the Wahan tribe? or was it when the people of Arth attacked and stole his tribe for slaves? Should he not have tried to save them, it seemed every plan Eunseom made fell apart no matter how prepared he tried to be, just like this time. 

                       He had it all planned out out to save Teodae and Mungtae with Buksoe and Dalsae, at least Buksoe got away, but because of Mungtae's betrayal he and Dalsae where captured. Things continued to go downhill from there when their captors found out he was an Igutu. And now because of his own stubborn nature of refusing to bend to their will he made it hard for the others and which ended up leading Teodae to take his own life right in front of Eunseom, That had been just last night. It had been Eunseom's breaking point, he submitted to his captors and now could no longer bring himself to speak or even acknowledge his own name, he didn't have a right to it he thought.

                      Eunseom was practically being dragged behind the horse, his injuries that weren't fully healed along with the new injuries from his captors abuse plus the fact that he and that other were being starved were the main causes of this. He didn't even lift his head to see that others ahead of him, kept separately from him due to his Igutu blood line. He hung he head even lower as he began to lament over the fact that he would probably never see Tanya again. While he was lost in his thoughts he didn't realize that the group was coming to a stop. With nothing pulling him forward he collapsed to his knees only then did he steal a glance up to see why they stopped.

                He saw a group of four people on horse back approach, but they looked different, foreign. He could hear the thinly veiled noises of discomfort come from his captors and watched as they all glanced to one another.

              "What should we do?" one asked.

             "I'll take care of it," stated the leader, the one who was the root of Eunseom's suffering since being caught. He waved to the group as the came close enough to talk.

             "Hello," the foreigner said in Arth tongue but it sounded so wrong a strange accent attached to it.

             "Hello, what can we do for you?" asked the Arth slave trader.

            There was a moment of pause and the foreigners spoke amongst themselves in there own tongue causing the Arth slave traders to shift uncomfortably. Finally the one who had greeted them spoke again.

           "Slaves?" he spoke straight the point. He was answered with a slow nod from the Arth men.

           "Do they want them? we can't sell them they're already reserved for Doldambool," one of the Arth said nervously. But before any of the others could answer him the foreigner spoke again.

           "One," while speaking he removed a pouch from his waist and opened it to reveal a host of precious gems. The leader of the slave traders eyed the bag eagerly.

         "Let's just give them the damned Igutu, we have enough for Doldambool and we don't need the bad luck," he spoke to the crew but mostly to the one who had been dragging Eunseom. He looked back at the potential buyers and pointed at Eunseom. The group looked at him and quickly discussed between themselves seeming to come to a conclusion the leader gave a nod and handed the gems to greedy hands. "Give them purple," he comanded.

        Eunseom made to stand when he heard the name he had been given by his captors and watched as his captor dismounted the horse and grabbed the rope that tied to his wrists and began dragging him toward the four men.

          "Eunseom!" he turned and saw Dalsae trying to reach him only for him to get struck down and restrained by the slave traders. His attention was brought forward again when he was yanked forward.  Soon he was tethered to new horse and both groups began heading seperate ways. Eunseom sent one last glance to Dalsae as he was marched forward. Where would he end up now?

           When the others were long gone and the only sounds Eunseom could hear where that of the fleeting wild life and foreign tongue the strange men he felt the soft drizzle of rain on his skin. Lifting his head up to look at the skies he sent one last prayer out in hopes that Tanya and the rest of the Wahans would be safe.