Something was wrong. She knew that even before she opened her eyes. She was laying on something soft. And that was absolutely, completely wrong. Slaves slept on the wooden deck of the ship, and the deck was not soft. And there was something else wrong as well. She couldn't place what it was, exactly, but there was something missing. Something was definitely, absolutely wrong. She froze, too frightened to even breathe as she tried to figure out what was going on.
After a short while, her lungs burned with the lack of air, and she gasped for air, her heart pounding painfully in her chest. Had someone heard her? Would she be punished for making a sound when she wasn't supposed to? Every muscle in her body tensed in preparation for a punishment...that never came. She listened carefully, but there was no sound to warn her that she had been heard. No sound to indicate that any of the other slaves were waking up. She could hear the sounds of breathing nearby, but something was wrong with that too. It sounded like only one person, and there should be several. She and the other slave children all slept in the same hold together, so she should be hearing several people breathing, or moving about around her. And she didn't. That was wrong too.
"It's all right, little one. You're safe now." a woman said softly.
She didn't recognize the voice. That wasn't so strange. The masters had captured twenty five more slaves a few trials ago, and she hadn't been around any of them long enough to recognize their voices yet. But why was one of them here? This was where the slave children that belonged to the masters slept. Slaves that were going to be sold in Athart did not belong here. Adult slaves did not belong here either. They slept in a different hold. And the tone of the voice was all wrong. There was kindness in that tone. Kindness was for real people, not slaves like her. She opened her eyes.
She was laying in a bed in a room that she didn't recognize. And there was a woman sitting at the end of the bed she was in. The woman was watching her, and she was smiling. She sat up quickly in case the woman wanted something from her.
"My name is Tris'are, and I am going to be your mother from now on. My husband and I have wanted to have a child for many arcs, and Moseke has given you to us to raise as our own."
She stared in the woman's direction in confusion, but she didn't dare look up at her. The woman was speaking in Xanthea, a language that she knew well so she could understand the meaning of her words individually. But what she was saying was completely incomprehensible to her. The woman was her mother? Slaves didn't have mothers. Or fathers. Those were for real people, not for the likes of her. And who was Moseke? That wasn't the name of one of her masters, so why would Moseke give her to anyone? Had her masters said that this Moseke could give her away? The woman must have seen her obvious confusion because she continued.
"We can talk about all of that later when you are feeling more comfortable with us. For now, know that you are safe. No one will hurt you here."
When she continued to look completely confused, the woman's smile faded, and she looked sad.
"We can talk about that later too." she said sadly.
A sound alerted her to the presence of another person. She glanced in their direction while being careful not to look at them directly, and saw a man entering the room carrying a tray of food. He set the tray on a table beside the bed before joining the woman sitting at the end of the bed she was in.
"This is my husband, Tir'nas." the woman said softly.
The woman seemed to be trying to reassure her, and that confused her even more.
"He is going to be your new father.
"You must be hungry, little one. Would you like some oatmeal?" he asked hopefully.
She froze in indecision. Was she supposed to answer the question? And if so, how was she supposed to answer it? Slaves ate what they were given when they were ordered to eat. This was something she had no idea how to handle or respond to.
"This unworthy one..." she began hesitantly in Dehasin when it became obvious that the man was expecting an answer.
She fell silent immediately when the man frowned.
"You are not unworthy, little one. Though I suspect that it will be a very long time before you believe that. You are our child, and a cherished member of our family. Do you know any other languages beside Dehasin?" he asked in fluent Dehasin.
Her eyes widened in shock. Why would this man...who was obviously a real person...speak the language of slaves? The woman looked at the man curiously, and she realized that the woman did not understand what he had said.
"This..." she fell silent, her eyes widening again as the man's words hit her.
"This...one...speaks Dehasin, Rakahi, and Xanthea well. This...this one also knows a few words of Common and the Ancient Language." she answered obediently.
"Sei'rue."
She turned to the woman in confusion when she spoke abruptly.
"Your name is Sei'rue. Not...not This One. And your father is right. You are very worthy." she said in Xanthea.
Her mind raced as she tried to make sense of what these strangers were saying. She didn't have a name. Of course she didn't. Names were for real people. Not for the likes of her. And yet...Sei'rue was a label that she had heard before in the past. The masters very rarely used it, but Sei'rue was the label that they used to describe her if they wanted to single her out when she was with a bunch of other slaves. She didn't know how these people knew the label that was meant to mean her at need. Nor did she know why they said that the label was her name. It was all too confusing for her to process, and she couldn't even begin to wrap her head around it.
"I want you to speak Xanthea when you are with us. Do you think that you can do that for us?" the man asked hopefully.
She didn't understand the tone in the man's voice, but she did understand one thing. She had been given an order. An order was to be obeyed. She felt as though she was on more familiar ground now. An order was something she knew how to handle.
"Yes, Master Tir'nas." she said in Xanthea.
Master Tir'nas frowned. What had she done wrong?
"Not master. Never that. I am Tir'nas, and I am your new father. But I am not, and never will be your master. You are free now."
With those words the solid ground she had found in the face of an order was swept away from her once more. She...was free? Not a slave? That would mean that she was a real person...and that was impossible. Wasn't it? She understood that there were some people that were real people when they were born, and they became slaves when the masters captured them. Those slaves often had a hard time adjusting to the fact that they were slaves, and they were punished frequently until they learned to accept their new status because of it. But for a slave to become real...was that even possible? Slaves could be sold to new masters. Slaves could be used for one thing, then be used for something completely different at their masters' whim. But for a slave to not be a slave anymore...her mind simply couldn't process that idea.
Master Tir'nas...the man...looked at her sadly.
"You must be hungry." he said after a few trills.
He held out a bowl, and she took it reflexively when it looked as though she was supposed to take it. But he did not ask her if she wanted it this time. He seemed to understand that she had no idea how to answer that.
It was a weird feeling, having someone watch her as she ate. Usually, the other slaves were all too busy eating their own meals to watch anyone else eat theirs. But her new masters...parents...kept their distance, giving her space. They didn't rush her, or look annoyed when it took her more than a few trills to finish the bowl of oatmeal she had been given.
The oatmeal itself was strange as well. It wasn't too hot to eat, but it was pleasantly warm, not cold and congealed like it was when the slaves on the ship got oatmeal. And it was rare when they did. This oatmeal was sweetened with something that she had never tasted before. It was unlike anything she had ever eaten before. When she was finished, she set the bowl in her lap carefully, uncertain what she was supposed to do with it. To her surprise, Master Tir'nas took the bowl and set it back on the tray. Then he handed her a glass filled with colored liquid.
"Drink that, please." he said gently.
It was an order, and she obeyed it immediately. But her eyes widened at the word "please." No one ever asked a slave to do something. Slaves were given orders that they were expected to obey. Her eyes widened even further when she tasted what she was drinking. It was both sweet and tart at the same time, and it definitely was not water. Slaves were only given water to drink, not...whatever this was. Like the oatmeal, this liquid was unlike anything she had ever tasted before.
"It's juice. Juice is a liquid that is made out of different kinds of fruit. In this particular case, you are drinking orange juice. Have you ever had juice before, Sei'rue?"
She shook her head.
"No, Master Tir'nas."
Master Tir'nas frowned again. He glanced at Master Tris'are before turning back to her.
"Sei'rue...I'm not your master. Neither of us are." Master Tir'nas said gently.
"I know that having a master is all that you have ever known, so I know that it must be very hard for you to understand this. But Tir'nas is right. We are your new parents, not your new masters. There's a big difference."
She didn't understand in the slightest, and it must have been obvious because both of her masters...parents...looked sad.
"It's okay, Sei'rue. You will come to understand what we mean in time. For now though...do you think that you can call me Mother, and Tir'nas Father?"
It seemed very important to her new masters...or not masters...that she do this, so she knew that she had to try.
"Mother...Tris'are?" she asked cautiously, not wanting to mess this up.
"Just Mother will do for me, and Father for Tir'nas." Master Tris'are said softly.
"Mother...?" she tried again uncertainly.
"Yes. That's it exactly." Master Tris'are said with a bright smile.
"This...one...can call you Mother and Father." she promised.
It was an order, after all. And she would obey any order she was given. Even if her new masters were insisting that they were not her new masters.
Last edited by Sei'rue on Tue Aug 03, 2021 5:44 pm, edited 1 time in total. word count: 553
Once she had finished drinking the juice she had been given, she looked around for a place she could put the now empty glass. Master Tir'nas took it from her, and set it on the tray with the empty bowl.
"Are you still hungry, Sei'rue?" he asked.
No one had ever asked her that before, so the question threw her off. But a question from a master was a demand for information, and as such, it had to be answered. So she took a few trills to consider it before responding.
"No M...Father." she said quietly.
"We will have to get you some clothes of your own, but for now you can wear something of mine. It won't fit you well, but it will be a lot better than what you're wearing now." Master Tris'are told her.
She watched as Master Tris'are left briefly, and returned with a simple white blouse and a pair of brown pants.
"I used to wear these when I was younger than you are now, but since you're small for your age, this is the closest I have to something that will fit you. Hopefully it won't be too big."
She eyed the clothes in amazement. Was she really supposed to wear them? They were far better than anything she had ever been allowed to wear before.
"I would like you to wear these, please." Master Tris'are said when she hesitated to reach for the clothes.
"Yes, M...Mother." she said quickly.
Master Tir'nas left the room as she reached for the clothes that Master Tris'are brought for her. But Master Tris'are stayed where she was.
"Let me know when you're ready to stand up, and I will help you. You've been living on a ship for most of your life, so it may be hard for you to adjust to being on land where the ground doesn't rock beneath you like it does on a boat. From what I've heard, many people have trouble getting used to being on a ship, so it's only natural for the reverse to be true as well."
Her eyes widened. That was what was missing! She was used to the gentle movement of a ship being rocked by the waves beneath it. So used to it in fact that she never really noticed it...until it was gone.
"Yes, Mother." she said obediently.
She changed quickly, and when she was ready to stand up, she told Master Tris'are. Master Tris'are stood and moved beside her so that she could support her if she needed to.
"Lean on me until you get your balance, Sei'rue."
"Yes, Mother."
It was a good thing that Master Tris'are had given her the order that she did because the trill she stood up, she almost collapsed once more. It was impossible for her to balance, and only Master Tris'are's aid made it possible.
"Is it safe to come back in yet?" Master Tir'nas asked from outside the room.
"Yes it is." Master Tris'are called back.
Master Tir'nas entered the room once more.
"You are going to be living here from now on, so your mother and I would like to give you a tour of the house. Is that okay with you, Sei'rue?" he asked.
She froze with uncertainty at the question. The first part was an order, and she knew how to handle that. But whether something was okay with her or not...no one had ever asked her anything like that before. It did not matter if a slave was "okay" with something or not. They simply had to obey their orders. But Master Tir'nas was clearly expecting an answer, and there really was only one correct one.
"Yes M...Father."
Between the two of them, her new masters helped her out of the room so they could show her around the place where she would be living from now on.
Detection: using your senses to try to figure out where you are
Detection: trying to identify a person by the sound of their voice
Detection: determining someone's mood by watching their facial expressions
Detection: listening for the signs that people are nearby
Discipline: the uncertainty of not knowing what's going on
Discipline: the fear of waking up in a strange place unexpectedly
Renown: 5 for being brought by Moseke to a family that has wanted a daughter for quite some time.
Loot: A new living circumstance.
Injuries/Overstepping: None
Wealth Points: N/A
Skill Review: All Skills used appropriately to PC's level
Notes: This was a very poignant piece. I think you really nailed this second try on Sei'rue's being transplanted to Desnind. Of course her new mother was there to greet her, and the father wasn't far from the situation either, as they likely would've been warned.
I legitimately teared up at points, at the ex-slave's pain and turmoil, dealing with the situation. That part was handled very well this time around. And yes it makes sense that she has some unpacking, deprogramming to occur so she can accept her life as a free child. That was spot on too.
Her new parents seem like really nice folks, and I'm very happy for Sei'rue, even though this thread does have sad undertones.
Very well done!
P.S. I changed the endurance knowledges to discipline. Endurance is more for strenuous physical activity than dealing with fear/confusion. That's more the province of discipline.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding this review, feel free to PM. Enjoy your rewards!
