by Dixon, TJ
“So tell me more about yourself and Lena. To start with, how did she become your slave?” Peter asks and I think back to that cold winter day.
“I found Lena in an alley in my home town. She was close to death, though it was unclear whether she would starve first, or die from the cold. She hadn’t eaten in too long, but her clothes were rags and there was snow in the clouds. I made a contract with her, that she would serve me as my personal slave and I would feed and clothe her. She agreed at once and has been my slave ever since. I thought of her as my friend rather than a slave, but as a slave was the only way I would be allowed to let her live with me.”
“I could tell she seemed like a friend. She still seems very thin though. How long has she been your slave?”
“About a year. She was much thinner when I found her. She’s been eating properly, but she has an illness that we’ve not been able to cure. A healer could probably help her, but none of the alchemists we tried could. Unless you happen to be royalty the chances of getting a healer are zero.”
“I suspect that Lucy could help if we could get her awake and back to her proper size.” Peter says. Before I can ask who Lucy is though he continues. “It might be worth having Rin’s mother see if she can do anything. She’s an alchemist, but she’s a good one.”
“Who’s Lucy?” I ask.
“A friend who knows healing magic. She was cursed so she’s tiny at the moment. She’s also currently asleep and we haven’t been able to wake her. Rin’s mother is trying to find something that will help her wake up, and we also have a clue about a song that would wake her.” Peter says sounding sad. “Are Lena’s parents dead?”
“Her mother abandoned her, but was killed by wolves soon after. A fitting end.”
“And her father?”
“Her father? I don’t know. He is of no importance. I suspect he was just a slave hired to produce a child. That’s what most fathers of commoners are. It is cheaper to rent than to buy a man, and why would you need an extra mouth to feed?” I say. Peter frowns and sighs.
“So what have you had her do?” Peter asks.
“Simple jobs. Cleaning, fetching, cooking and any simple errands I need done. Nothing that is dangerous or too difficult. I hope you will consider the same sort of work for her.”
“That sounds reasonable. You will be in charge of her anyway, so there is no need to change anything.” Peter says.
“I appreciate that. I will ensure she helps to make your life easier.” I say gratefully.
“You can continue living in that room together so I don’t see that anything needs to change. As a slave you wouldn’t be able to attend lessons as a student anymore. You’d have to sit on the floor as my slave. Please reconsider the contract.” Peter says.
“The floor is fine.” I say grateful that I am allowed to continue my studies despite being a slave.
“You could serve me better as a free person.” Peter says but I shake my head.
“I am resolved now, but I am only human. In the future I could be tempted to abandon you if I was free.” I say shaking my head.
“Is there nothing I can say to persuade you?” Peter asks.
“I’m sorry. Please forgive my selfishness. The honour of my family is at stake.” I say.
“You seem one of the least selfish people I know.” Peter says laughing for a moment. Then he turns serious. “You may be my slave, but I would like it if you were also my friend.”
“If that is your wish then I will do my best to be your friend as well as your slave.” I say nodding.
“If I ever ask anything of you that you think is unreasonable, please tell me.” Peter says.
“Nothing you could ask of me would be unreasonable. It is my duty to obey and serve you.” I say confused.
“Then anything that you are uncomfortable doing.” Peter says.
“But that would be like shirking my duty.” I say.
“It is still my decision whether you will do it, but if you are not willing to tell me, then I’ll be uncomfortable giving you any orders.” Peter says.
“Then I will do so.” I lie.
“Just so you know, I can tell when you lie.” Peter says and I blush.
“I’m very sorry. I will tell you if that is your wish.” I say this time truthfully but grudgingly. “Please ignore my trivial complaints though. My greatest wish is to serve you to the best of my ability, and at least retain some of the honour of my family.”
“What is the history between your family and Aventurine’s?” Peter asks.
“The Divine Flame’s land borders my family’s land. Unlike ours however theirs is fertile and rich. The money that their land brings them has allowed them to refine their magical skills with the best teachers that money can buy. They are able to afford an independent company just to guard their home, which they can afford to spend huge amounts of money on.
“My own family however need to work as hard as they can to help our people. Any money we have goes on improving the land and the lives of our people. Our skills also help to defeat monsters that wander into our land, but we are few and we can’t afford to hire anyone to help us. My older sister died during the summer break trying to defeat a monster that was too much for her. She didn’t kill it, but she scared it away at the cost of her life. Our honour and our people are all that we have.” I explain. I loved Asura and am proud of my sister, but it still doesn’t seem real that she is dead. I keep my voice and expression strong but inside it hurts. I don’t believe anything can take away that pain.
“I’m sorry to bring back such painful memories. Who will defend your people now?” Peter asks.
“My mother will do so until my younger sister is old enough.” I say and wish that I hadn’t placed this burden on them. To lose Asura, the strongest of us sisters, and then to lose me as well. Only Hinata is left now. This is what my mother would expect of me though, and I know I am doing the right thing. I am lucky to have a kind master, but I must not take advantage of his kindness. Asuna Hoshi died in the arena and Asuna the slave of Peter replaced her. I must not forget that.
“Your greatest duty now is to improve yourself. To study and practise. I don’t want you getting distracted worrying about my needs.”
“I understand. I will make myself the best mage that I can so I can serve you well when I have improved enough.”
“It is possible that I might have almost enough people to form the company but be one short. Will you reconsider the contract then?”
“Of course. I will sign the contract and help you form the company. Then I will sign a new contract to be your slave again.” I say and Peter looks at me incredulously. “You only need twenty people initially. It is no problem to lose one or two.”
“You would seriously do that?” Peter asks.
“Of course. It is a matter of honour.” I say.
“I really don’t understand you, or your honour but I am sure of one thing. You are a good person, and I am lucky to have you on my side.” Peter says.
“Thank you. The praise of my master is the greatest of rewards.” I say and I am truly grateful. I am also convinced that Peter is a good person who I can be proud to serve.
“We will have training later. We train every day after lessons, and we used to have bounty hunts on our days off, but with the competition we decided to focus purely on our training. That, and the competition itself of course.”
“I will train as hard as I can. I do not want to disappoint you.”
“I’m pleased to hear it. I’d like you to share your experience and knowledge with the rest of the club too.”
“Of course.” I agree instantly.
“I’d also like you to try your best to be friends with everyone. It may be difficult at first with Aventurine, but you are both good people. You are very different people, but I am confident that if you are both willing to compromise, then you will get to know and like each other.”
“I will try my best.” I say slightly doubtful.
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br /> “Is your element earth or water by the way?” Peter asks.
“Both.” I answer.
“You have free time until the training later. Use it as you wish.” Peter says.
“But you haven’t punished me yet.” I say confused.
“Punished?” Peter asks just as confused.
“Lena was rude earlier. I said I’d accept the punishment for her mistakes.”
“That is hardly something that requires punishment.” Peter says.
“I also lied to you.” I say ashamed.
“Lied… Oh, about telling me when you’re uncomfortable about my orders. Just don’t do it again.” Peter says.
“But I deserve to be punished.” I say looking down at the floor.
“Look, you’re going to embarrass me if you act like this in front of everyone. I’m not going to punish you for such trivial matters. Forget about it.” Peter says sounding a bit annoyed.
“I’ll make sure to wait until we’re alone, but the mistakes of a slave need to be punished.” I say.
“Did you punish Lena for every mistake she made?” Peter asks.
“Of course not, but that’s different.”
“So are you saying that you were a kinder master than I should be?” Peter asks.
“No, but Lena is still very young. I’m old enough that I should know better.” I say.
“So if you had beaten me, would you have punished my every mistake?” Peter asks.
“Yes.”
“I told you I could tell when you lied.” Peter says with a sigh.
“Then please punish me for lying again.”
“You only said that so I’d punish you.” Peter says seeing right through me. “If you do something that truly deserves a punishment then you will be punished but I will not punish you for trivial matters. If I am disappointed in you then I will tell you, but unless you truly deserve a punishment there will not be one. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” I say.
“I also forbid you from punishing yourself.” Peter says seeing through me again. “That’s an order.”
“I understand.” I say.
“What do you wish to do with your free time?” Peter asks.
“Serve you of course.” I reply.
“Then return to your room and keep Lena company.” Peter says.
“When do you plan to use the room?” I ask.
“Use it for what?” Peter asks confused.
“Is it not to your liking?” I ask.
“It looks like a great room, but it is your room.” Peter says.
“Not anymore. It belongs to you now.” I remind him.
“You still need somewhere to sleep.” Peter says.
“The floor would be quite sufficient.”
“I’m not having you sleep on the floor.”
“There is room for an extra bed. More than one extra bed. It would be cheaper to buy an extra bed or two, than to keep renting this room.”
“I didn’t see a window.” Peter says.
“There’s one in the ceiling and a few on each wall. They are hidden, but can easily be unhidden if you know how. The protective magic is much stronger than the magic on this room too.”
“I suppose that would be good.” Peter says nodding. “Very well. I’ll get a couple of beds and we’ll move in on our day off next week. Now go to your room and keep Lena company. Be sure to be at the training on time though.”
“Are you sure?” I ask.
“Yes.” Peter says again sounding annoyed.
“Then I will obey.” I say and port back to my room.
(Hinata)
I am kneeling at Asura’s grave. It isn’t truly a grave, because there was nothing to bury. So it is more of a memorial dedicated to her sacrifice, but it is the best place to remember her. Asuna came here with me every morning whilst she was here, but now I come here alone. I know that mother is grieving in her own way, but this is my way.
“Hinata!” Mother calls and I get up. I take one last look, and then turn to mother. Her face is dark. She doesn’t like me coming here every morning, but it is unusual to see her here. She isn’t just here to tell me to stop coming.
“Mother.” I say quietly with my head bowed.
“There’s been another attack. I may be gone for a while. Please take care of things whilst I am gone.” Mother says and for a moment panic fills my heart. If I were to lose mother as well… That would only leave me here until Asuna came back. Really and truly I should be going to the academy next year, but if mother were no longer here that would be impossible. Of course that isn’t what I fear the most. Losing mother would leave a hole in my heart that could never be filled.
“Please be careful.” I tell her. I would go with her, but I would only get in the way.
“Don’t worry. It sounds like it is just wolves. They seem to be getting more and more common.” Mother says with her kind smile. Then she ports away and I am alone for now. I look back to Asura’s grave, but I have work to do so I cannot remain here.
There is a reason earth and water magic are our strengths. The land is barren and there is far too little water. Only by developing these elements to their full are we able to survive in these harsh lands. I check on the map which villages need attention today, and then port to the first. As I approach the villagers look to me with a mixture of hope, envy and pity. The hope inspires me, but the pity I hate. The envy is laughable. I would swap lives with any of them in a moment if it meant not having to live with the loss of my sister and the burden that is placed on my family.
I may be young for a mage, but I have done this enough times that I could do it in my sleep. From what Asura and Asuna said, everyone will be amazed that I can already do this when I join the academy. I don’t really understand why they’d be surprised by something so simple. The villagers are grateful but certainly not surprised as I use water and earth magic to revive the land. It is a process that needs to be repeated every few days but without it the crops will fail, and then we would starve. Then I fill their small water tank so they have drinking water for the next few days. The crops are certainly not going to be bountiful, but with this they will be enough that we can all survive.
Village after village I visit until I have been to every village on my list. Then I visit the small town we live in. The water tank is almost empty so I fill it up with water magic. The fuel for the smithy is almost all gone, so I create more. There is more work to do, but my magic is completely gone, so it will need to wait. I am not only magically drained but physically drained so I am grateful to be able to rest.
I approach our home. It is a large building that was built when our family first arrived in these lands. It is in desperate need of repair, but we simply can’t afford to spend the money on it. During the winter we take in people who have nowhere else to go so I am not surprised to see an elderly woman sitting by the door. As I get closer she sees me and tries to get up.
“Don’t worry! I can get past!” I call out but she shakes her head and continues. It is too far away to be sure but I get the impression she has the face of a bearer of ill news. I hurry towards her and my heart is racing. Has something happened to mother?
“Lady Hoshi.” She says bowing her head once I am close enough to hear her. “I am afraid I have sad news for you.”
“Is it my mother?” I ask fearfully but she shakes her head.
“A messenger arrived from the academy earlier today.” She says and I know it must be news about my sister. “Asuna Hoshi fought bravely in the Royal Competition at the academy. Unfortunately, despite her best efforts she met defeat. She survived, but lost her freedom.”
So she is alive, which is better than I feared, but… This is too much. First Asura is killed and now Asuna a slave. I fall to my knees and despite my best efforts tears blur my vision. I don’t hear what she says next. A while later I come back to my senses and I am alone. If mother saw me like that she’d be furious but right now I don’t care. I head back to my r
oom and fall onto my bed as I am.
I’m not sure when I fell asleep but when I wake it is night. There is shouting outside. I stand up still sleepy but then the shouting changes to screaming. A chill runs down my spine and I rush to the door. Looking down the corridor and through to the entrance hall I see a huge scorpion. The body alone is probably as long as I am tall. On its tail a woman is skewered and after a moment I recognise her. She is the mother of a boy that I’ve spoken to a couple of times. They are using our home as a refuge for the winter.
I summon a spear of ice and throw it at the scorpion but it doesn’t even scratch it. It turns towards me throwing away the poor woman on its tail and moves quicker than should be possible. I summon and throw a small boulder this time but it dodges easily. I summon more and throw them quickly one after the other. Some hit its body but most miss entirely. It is almost on me when I finally hit and crush its head with a boulder. It jerks suddenly in death and the tail shoots right past me about an inch to the left of my head. Blood and venom drip onto my shoulder. I dash to the side before the tail falls onto me and use water magic to wash the venom and blood away before my skin is burnt but the shoulder of my shirt is burnt right through.
I want to just stop right there but instead I rush down the corridor. I am nowhere near as fast as the scorpion so it takes a minute rather than the few seconds it took the scorpion. The woman is dead already but I look around in case anyone is hurt but still alive. I vomit as I see what is left of the woman’s son. Everybody else has already fled.
I fall to my knees and cry. If I had been quicker perhaps they might not have died. If mother had been here, surely they would have been saved. If Asura… The tears just don’t stop flowing.
“Milady?” An unfamiliar voice calls to me. I brush away the tears from my eyes but they don’t stop.
“What is it?” I ask weakly.
“Are you Hinata Hoshi?”
“Yes.”
“I am a messenger from the academy. I bring news of your sister. She entered and lost the Royal Competition. The consequence of this is that she is now a slave, and all family rights have been revoked by the Queen. Please convey this message to your mother as well.”