Evangeline Drakkon's Story

Miss Edwards found herself dressed in an elegant white dress and making her way out onto the streets. She truly hated leaving the rich gardens behind her, however tomorrow was the Blood Oath ceremony, and currently she only had one that she wished to be Bound. She almost found herself curling her lip at the thought of Tyler. Sure he was good at cleaning, however he was easily replaceable, and that attitude! She couldn't stand his face, constantly creased with a frown. It didn't do to have such a displeasing face mar her perfect household. Today he should be either cleaning something of hers of helping the other two with the preparations for the Blood Oath ceremony. He of course was an easy choice, though until tonight he wouldn't know he was chosen. None of them would until tonight, when the final preparation were set out. She'd given strict instructions to both Jason and Evangeline regarding the preparation and was almost looking forward to the night.
She continued her pace down to the slave markets. She needed a girl to get rid off, one that hopefully would be caught easily or at the very least be annoying so that she could rid the world of another useless servant. As she finally arrived, she found herself in the middle of a bid. A small delicate looking girl was on the platform, evidently needing a bath and new clothes, while people started the bids. Angela took the girls appearance in. Terrified green eyes, long dark hair and thin, weak looking frame. It was a shame really that the bidding was already taking place. She would probably not make it five miles away, making her a nice easy catch.
Miss Edwards let her eyes rove over to the rest of the slave groups. Just behind the girl was a Native American girl, how also had a fragile appearance. The girl looked slightly familiar, and Miss Edwards had the distinct feeling she'd seen the girl at the slave market many times before. In fact the more she looked at her, she was certain this was the case. The girl must constantly be being resold, which evidently showed she was not worth much. Seeing this was the case, Angela quickly decided she would be joining Tyler. She looked weak making her an easy target and seeing no one wanted her, wasn't much good as a servant. A slight smile passed over Miss Edwards features, it was an easy choice, meaning she would be out of this filthy market place and in the safety of her own home soon enough.
She fingered the gold wrist band waiting in one of the volumous pockets of her dress. Once bought a slave instantly had to be labelled so that escape was less possible and it would be easy to return them to their masters. She herself made all her slaves where a simple silver wrist band, like a cuff. A simple A.E was carved into each one ensuring she would not loose any of her servants.
She'd purposefully bought a small size, deciding that whoever she chose must be weak. Evidently she'd been right. Now all that was left to do was wait until the green eyed brat was sold, so she could purchase the one behind her.




Jason glanced over his mistress's instructions. He was feeling distinctly uncomfortable about being asked to prepare the elements for tonight. The more tasks his mistress gave him, the more worried he was about the choosing tonight. He most definitely wouldn't be Bound, but in his opinion being a Hunter was far worse. After all failure would result in torture and then death, and success would label him a murderer. He felt sick, and immediately turned his thoughts back to the list. What he had to prepare wasn't helping anything.
He'd been ordered to deliver the kitchen staffs instructions on the feast. It seems Miss Edwards would be celebrating getting rid of her least favourite slaves tonight. This, however was not what was bothering him. Further down the list was strict instructions on where to find the brand and how to stoke the fire down in the cellar. The reminder of the brand made his scalp prickle with unease. The night before the Blood Oath ceremony, both Bound were to be branded with the specifically designed brand. It was a long piece of metal, with a small iron "x" soldered to the end. On the eve of the Blood Oath ceremony, the brand was placed in the fire until white, before being carefully placed on each of the Bound's left side of the neck.
Jason shivered involuntarily. This was another reason not to be a Hunter. In his household it was customary for the Hunters to execute the branding in front of the Master. The male Hunter to brand the female Bound and vice versa. He still couldn't rid himself of the sounds of the last celebrations Bound as the brand was applied to their necks. Both had been found a week later…
Jason refused to think of what happened after that. He continued looking down through the instructions while fingering the gold wrist band. He hated the thing. It was a constant reminder that there was no more freedom. Every time he considered taking it off, however, his back would ache with the slight reminiscence of his last escape attempt. The result had been a large, pink scar diagonally down his back. His muscled back had been laid open by a sword by Miss Edwards instructions. She had witnessed it, making sure it was executed to her standards. Just before she'd left she'd made sure to remind Jason why he had received it, and warn him in her silky voice that it was best to not try again. She left then, giving instruction to beat him senseless. After that he hadn't dared try again. He found himself fingering the tip of the scar in his left shoulder with his fingers, before sighing slightly and striding down the hallway.
The only upside to his current predicament was the presence of Evangeline. Truly he was completely smitten by her. He couldn't help it. He found her quite simply stunning ,and liked the presence of her company. Seeing that Miss Edwards had implied he was to get help, Jason had quickly decided who that would be. As he was passing in the hallway, he noticed Tyler. The sight of the boy gave Jason a quick stab of fear for him. Tyler currently wasn't a favourite with Miss Edwards, which wasn't much of a secret...and with the ceremony looming...Jason shook his head, trying to rid himself of the thought.
He gave Tyler a quick nod in acknowledgement before continuing down the hall. While he wasn't strictly allowed to speak to the other slaves, Jason, with his current position, was allowed a few leniency's. Even so, it was always good to be on the safe side with Miss Edwards. It wasn't uncommon for other slaves to attempt to climb higher up the ladder with a few unnecessary tales. Especially today. Feeling heavy, Jason finally managed to find Evangeline. He found his face lighting up slightly at the sight of her, but forced himself to control it.
"Miss Edwards left us a few instructions" was all he said, though his eyes told different stories. He handed her the list allowing her to read it for herself.





The growing number of people in the market place made Arya feel sick with apprehension. She'd already watched a dozen or so people sold, and she could feel the line in front of her grow steadily shorter. Her hands were bound awkwardly behind her back, and feet were shackled together to minimize the possibility of escape. Her throat was raw from the lack of moisture and her stomach felt hollow and empty. Everyone around her seemed different. She stood out like a sore thumb amongst the locals, her pale skin standing in stark contrast to the darker tones around her. One of the slave masters grabbed a club and hit her harshly on the back of the head. She let out a pained gasp, but shuffled forward slightly. The stocky young lad in front of her was forced forward and she watched as the crowd started to place bets on him. The whole process made Arya feel completely worthless as the bidding grew louder and soon a wooden placard was hung around his neck saying simply "sold".
The boy was quickly taken away and handed over to his new master. All of the bidding was like this. There was simply no way to escape. As soon as you were sold, your feet were unshackled and you were taken straight to your new master end of story. Something sharp dug into her back as she was forced forward and onto the rough platform. Her green eyes widened at the sight of so many people, and she found herself unconsciously stepping backwards before one of the men shoved her forward again. Her mouth went dry as the man selling her began to highlight her good features. All Arya managed to notice were the words "serving girl" and "cooking" as the rest of the words went into a blur.
She was forced to stand there as the man continued to talk her up. Her tattered white dress was torn and dirty, her long black hair now tangled and unkempt. She could just imagine how many would want a half starved girl of sixteen, that obviously did not have much strength to her.
Seeing that he wasn't having much luck on swaying the crowd to buy her at more expensive price, he tried a different tact.
"...and of course after you use her for the serving and cooking, there's always the option for a cheaper bound slave."
Arya's face transformed into shock. She'd only heard of Bound servants briefly on the ship. They were simply described as the least favoured slaves that were up for the worst type of punishment. No one bothered enlightening her further. Surely they couldn't already decide to punish her already? She hadn't even been bought yet...she briefly wondered what exactly being Bound would entail, but quickly decided against the thought process. If it was worse than some of the other punishments listed, she didn't want to here about it.
Another pang of hunger hit her hard, and she swayed slightly, before one of the men gripped both her arms holding her steady it wouldn't do to have her collapse and only add to her undesirable features. She glanced behind her, finding the next person in line, waiting for her part to be over.

The girl behind her was obviously Native American, and very delicate looking. Truly she was rather beautiful to look at, her deep blue eyes and tanned skin giving a stunning contrast. Arya's head was suddenly wrenched around to face the crowd. Evidently the bidding was beginning. The girl behind her probably wouldn't have any trouble being sold.

Angela was surprised to see her old friend Patricia at the market place. The two of them were neighbours, and it was always nice to have a friend to call on and exchange the gossip.
"One of my Bound and one of my Hunters died...Now I need replacements."
"That is unfortunate, good thing money is no issue" Angela replied nonchalantly, waiting for what she hoped to be her purchase, to step forward.
"She'll make a perfect Bound."
Angela glanced up at the green eyed girl which was coming towards her.
"No doubt she will. Doesn't look like she'll last a day" Angela said smiling as Patience spoke to her new slave, hiding a small sliver of jealousy. It didn't really matter, after all it was exceedingly rare for a Bound to survive, however it would make it quicker for Patience to get her Hunters back. Angela raised her hand for the bidding of the next girl. Vera, they had said. Patience gave her a quick goodbye before heading back to the entrance. Finally the bidding stopped and Vera was bought before her.
Angela placed the appropriate amount of coins in the slave masters hand, before snapping on the gold wrist band. Like most slave tokens, it could not be removed without the metal being destroyed. Unlike Patience she didn't bother hiding her strict nature.
" You are to call me Miss Edwards, I will give further instructions once we arrive"
Angela herded the girl past the entrance, giving Patricia a slight nod before making her way back home. Unlocking the front door to her elegant house, Angela hustled the girl inside. She led her over to the servant quarters, underneath the rest of the house. A small, barred room with a single bed was all that each slave was given. Vera, since she was new, also had two suits of clothing hung out.
"Right. Take a bath in the servants bathroom, and exchange your current attire with these." Angela pushed the two white dresses into Vera's hands. "I'll expect you ready in around fifteen minutes. I will send one of the other servants to instruct you further"
With that she turned and marched back around the house. She found Tyler cleaning one of her large marble floors.
"Tyler. My new female slave has arrived. You are to wait for her outside the servants quarters. Once she comes out I want her to help you clean the rest of the house. Both of you are to wear clean clothes for tonight, and make sure you are available. Do I make myself clear?"
She wasn't into being tactful about the choosing for tonight. After her feast she would have her Hunters and Bound bought before her. As per usual, the Master, or in her case, Mistress would read out the basic rules before having both the Bound branded. They would be kept in the cell beneath the parlour until dawn the next morning, when they would be released.




Jason watched as Evangeline slowly pushed back a strand of free hair.
"Oh. What nee-needs to be done?"
He pretended not to notice the stutter, seeing she was obviously uncomfortable with it. He looked unhappily at her before finally managing to speak.
"The branding needs to be prepared" he said after a pause. He grimaced. The whole thing was sick. Seeing that the mistress was out of the house, he found himself daring to voice his opinions.
"I just can't stand to think of who'll be next this year" he let out a sigh "It's good enough for us, we're certain not be chosen as Bound...but Tyler? Miss Edwards doesn't have to try to let us know who's being next. As for the girl I have no idea."
He found himself fingering the golden cuff at his wrist, as was his habit when something upset him. The sudden opening of the front door, jerked himself to his senses. He glanced warily at the door to the room himself and Evangeline were in before turning back to her, motioning for them to keep moving. Miss Edwards was not known to be slack with punishments.
He started off towards the parlour. Miss Edwards had had a new cell built underneath it, specifically for the ceremony. It was considered good luck to have better preparations for it, and Miss Edwards had not failed to take advantage of it.
The large metal door, with it's barred windows sent an involuntary shiver through him, but he forced himself to open it in search of the brand. The room was completely bare, with the exception of the box in the corner. A small pile of wood and the brand were to found inside. He started piling up the wood inside the corner, directly under the vent, trying to push away thoughts of what it was for.




Arya stood shaking slightly as each bid was put forward. Eventually it stopped, and the harsh wood of the SOLD sign was forced over head. She was swiftly taken down, and steered by her shoulders towards her new mistress. A mistress she certainly was. The woman before her was evidently wealthy, with long, silky golden hair. It was curled tastefully and framed the ladies face beautifully. A large, tear dropped shape ruby rested at her bear neck, matching the ones in her ears.
Her stunning appearance only added to Arya's worry as she realised that evidently this lady was used to getting what she wanted. Her tattered dress, and hollow cheeks stood out in stark contrast to her new mistress. A sinking feeling went through Arya as the woman's cold blue eyes met her own.
Arya found her gaze frozen in place as she watched the woman look over her purchase. The man behind her finally released her as he noted she was now in the hands of her mistress.
The woman's face broke into a smile. It was so unexpected, Arya found herself relaxing slightly. The smile was so different to what she had seen in those icy eyes, Arya felt perhaps things would be slightly better than she had anticipated.
Arya flinched slightly as the SOLD sign was lifted from around her neck.
"You won't be needing that" Her voice was sweet and inviting and tentatively Arya started to let down her guard, her fearful expression dropping somewhat and revealing her exhaustion. The woman pulled out a small silver chain, with a tiny diamond hanging from the centre. When she made a motion to put it on Arya, the girl almost stepped back in surprise. That was until she saw the small P.J engraved into the clasp. It was only a small glance before the soft snick of the mechanism in the clasp snapped shut. The necklace only reinforced the idea that there was no hope of ever regaining freedom.
"Alright. Let's be getting back. Goodbye Angela"
Arya's head twisted and just managed to get a glimpse of "Angela" before she was herded off to the entrance of the slave market. Behind her, the native American girl was sold, and that was when she was herded off to Angela. Arya managed to give her a weak smile before being marched out of the entrance. The smile held no joy, but a sort of accepting sadness.
When they finally reached the entrance, Arya found a shorter girl waiting with another boy. The girl was evidently a slave too from the necklace around her slim neckline. The young woman had a slim, small build, but seemed to possess a wiry, non direct strength. She also had natural green eyes, and a slightly tanned skin tone. The male was also slightly tanned, but also quite tall. He also didn't look particularly strong, however seeing his age, Arya doubted his weaker appearance held much strength.
Her deep green eyes probed both of them over, before glancing at her mistress. She still had no clue what to call any of them. Not that it mattered. Slaves weren't supposed to talk unless spoken too. She bit her lip. She hated thinking of herself as someone else's belonging, though there was naught to be done about it now.

Evangeline answered him as he spoke, trying to keep herself contained, and proper.
"The branding? Oh.. we have to do it? I thought Mistress would do it herself. I suppose not though. And as for Tyler, it is best we not worry about it. Mistress decides our fate, and we must let it be. Now we must be quiet, we both know what happens if someone catches us speaking out of place."
She wiped a bead of sweat that was sitting on the edge of her brow, and began to walk as Jason motioned to. "She's home so soon?" she asked softly. She looked at the enclosure that reminded Evangeline of a zoo of some sorts. Cages, cells, brands. Yes, it was like a zoo, with the humans as captives. She walked up beside Jason where the box was, standing still, hesitant to touch it. "I don't think I can do this Jason. I'd rather be Tyler. He gets to die off and he doesn't have to suffer anymore. It's almost unfair..", she trailed off, biting her lip and watching Jason pile the wood.
She kneeled on the floor and began to pass him a few pieces of wood at a time, thinking to herself, and swearing at herself for telling Jason how she felt about this whole ceremony. "I don't know how we put up with this for so long.", she said, her eyes going to his arms, watching the way his muscles rippled and moved underneath his shirt, and the way his arms flexed as he carried the wood. She was sitting there staring at him, oblivious to anything.
She moved her gaze towards his face, watching as his jaw tensed, and how his hair matted to his forehead. He was handsome, and she knew it. She realized she had been staring for some time, and she looked at the ground quickly, hoping he hadn’t caught her gazing at him. Blood rushed to her cheeks as she blushed, and she covered her face with her hand shyly.

"The branding? Oh.. we have to do it? I thought Mistress would do it herself. I suppose not though. And as for Tyler, it is best we not worry about it. Mistress decides our fate, and we must let it be...."
Evangeline's cool words echoed around Jason's head as he continued to stack the wood in the corner. She was right in one sense, and wrong in another. As much as it was Miss Edwards choice, if he was a Hunter, he would be the one to physically drag them back to their deaths...as for Miss Edwards doing anything for herself he doubted it. Miss always liked to have the servants doing everything. She normally had the male Hunter brand the female Bound as the other female Hunter held her down. The memory was shoved back. He'd heard the whisperings of it later in the servants quarters after the sleepless night.
"I don't think I can do this Jason. I'd rather be Tyler. He gets to die off and he doesn't have to suffer anymore. It's almost unfair.."
Evangeline's words broke his line of thought. He tensed at the words. Die off wasn't quite the way to put it. He glanced up at Evangeline's face trying to gage whether she'd seen how the Bound died. Unsure, he decided to let the comment lie. If she didn't know, it was for the best. He personally had seen one of them go at the markets. The priests tended to do the torturing within the cloisters and the actual execution publically. Each one died differently. He shuddered inwardly at remembering the haggard looks and numerous burns and cuts covering the malnourished bodies. Dying off was not how he would see the torture the Bound was put through. None the less, Jason agreed he'd rather be Bound than a Hunter...At least the Tyler...the Bound, he didn't want to think of Tyler, would either be free or dead at the very end, whether the Hunters would be either dead or re-captured and responsible for another's death.
"I don't think I can do it"
The phrase was brought back to memory as Evangeline knelt beside him and began to pass him the pieces of wood. He stopped putting the wood on the pile and turned to her.
"You don't know we'll be chosen" he said urgently, the very thought draining his strength "We can't know…"
He finished the sentence passionately before trailing off, desperate to convince himself. It wasn't working, deep down he knew he was in deep danger of being a Hunter.
"I don't know how we put up with this for so long."
"We didn't have a choice" Jason muttered, but he allowed himself to think of it. Truly, if he survived he'd be in a much worse situation than the Bound if they survived...if anyone survived wouldn't it be better they were free? The more he thought about it, the more he realised, if anything was going to change, it would have to the be the Hunters. At that point he made a decision, he wouldn't be hunting anyone. He'd give himself up. He gritted his teeth at the thought, before looking at a Evangeline, almost daring to tell her his decision, before he caught her staring at him. As soon as she noticed, a deep blush curled up her face. She covered her face, embarrassed.
That was when he realised the flaw in his plan. It wasn't just him that would pay the price for refusing to surrender to the games...it would possibly be the other Hunter. Normally the two hunters hunted together, making it easier to find the bound. The few times the Hunters had split up, were the few times a Bound survived. As Jason stared into Evangeline's eyes he realised the truth. There was no way he could avoid hunting for the others if Evangeline was chosen. Refusing to hunt meant having her killed…

That was if she was chosen. The reminder of Evangeline herself believing that she was going in made his hope small. If himself and Evangeline were chosen Tyler and the other Bound had to die.

Evangeline kept her eyes on him as he looked at her. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a moment, and regained composure over herself. When she opened her eyes again, she sat there, resting her arms at her sides and away from her elegant face. She grew angry at his comments, but didn't dare to show that she thought so. But being herself, she bit her lip, hesitant to say what she was thinking. She decided to change the subject. "Do you-NO.", she trailed off, and began her small rant. "No, no. How do you handle this so calmly?", she asked, her tone sharpening. "You take it so easily. Why? What if we do end up being the Hunters? I've hunted animals..but people? Killing people, Jason? I don't think I can do it. How can anyone do it? It's absurd!..But..", she dared say it. She glanced left, and then right before finishing her sentence. "- we could fight it Jason..we could escape..", she whispered now, not wanting anyone to overhear. She tucked a long wave of hair behind her ear, and stood up. She quickly looked around, making sure no one else was there. After doing so, she walked outside of the room, listening to her surroundings for a moment, before stopping, and turning back into the room.

She brushed her knees off and walked two steps towards Jason, standing a little less than a foot away from him. She shifted her gaze from her feet to his face, standing still. "Do you think we would make it if we tried?" She bit the inside of her lip, and waited for his answer. She began to think about the ceremony itself. Sure, the role of the hunter and bound were all new to her, but she learned enough from living in the servant's quarters. They had been discussing it nearly every night now. Her thoughts drifted off and she thought about Jason. He seemed angry almost a moment ago, she wondered why. She watched his face, watching his jaw tense in anger, and his lips stiffen. Her gaze drifted upward, and she began searching his eyes for an answer, her eyes moving back and forth frantically, the pupils small from the little sunlight that was shining through. The dim glow of the rest of the room contrasted well with her skin, making her smooth, pale skin look even more flawless, and her eyes, even more cold, blue, and dangerous. Her hair fell in long waves at one side of her face, shining brightly in the sun, making her smooth locks look absolutely stunning.

(Sorry for the late posting, i've been really busy with finals.)

"Do you-NO. No, no. How do you handle this so calmly?...You take it so easily…"
Jason visibly flinched at the statement, his hands tightening on the piece of wood. Just because he didn't voice his feelings didn't mean he wasn't struggling with the whole damn concept. The whole thing was making him feel sick, he didn't want to think about it anymore.
"...Why? What if we do end up being the Hunters? I've hunted animals...but people? Killing people, Jason? I don't think I can do it. How can anyone do it? It's absurd!...But..- we could fight it Jason...we could escape.."
Her voice lowered to a whisper, she got up to check they weren't being watched.
"Do you think we would make it if we tried?"
The piece of wood fell from his hands with a loud bang.
"Don't you think someone's tried that Evangeline?" He said quietly. "They're not stupid. They put trackers in your neck, there's no way you can get it out without killing yourself...Besides" he continued bitterly "It's not us that kill them. We simply drag them back to the cloisters so they can do the dirty work"
His words twisted in hatred at the thought of them.
"And if you think I don't care, and take it well, you are sorely mistaken"
He dropped his head in his hands, trying to calm himself down. If Miss Edwards turned up they'd both be in for it...though he supposed she couldn't beat them if she wanted them to hunt.
The whole stupid thing was worked out far too well. If one of the hunters refused to hunt, they would practically be killing the other hunter involved as well as themselves...but if they managed to find the bound, they had blood on their hands, whether the priests did the actual killing or not.
After a few minutes, Jason rose, wordless, from his spot on the ground. The wood would be lit later tonight. He sighed. That would be soon. The afternoon was already slipping away.
"We should get ready" he murmured, before turning and making his way back to the servants quarters. Miss Edwards had already instructed himself and Evangeline to look their best for tonight. She'd provided simply, clean white garments and instructed both to wash up etc. for tonight. As he was passing the other dorms, he caught sight of Tyler and the newer girl. It didn't take a genius to know why she was here. He avoided their eyes, and went straight to his own dorm. As soon as he saw the simple white garments, the whole situations felt like it was crashing down on him.
He found himself seated with his head in his hands, desperately trying to regain control of his emotions.
He forced his eyes shut, trying to block out all the thoughts for tomorrow. Perhaps he wouldn't be chosen...what the hell was he going to do if he was though? The thoughts continued to swirl around in his head, making him feel ill. The branding...the words crept into his head unbidden, and he found himself breaking down. He couldn't brand that girl in the hallway, he just couldn't. Yet, if he was chosen there wouldn't be the choice. How could he even look at her and Tyler? There was nothing to do about the situation, but inevitably it was his choose, his responsibility for their death...