The women's small smile never left her face as she clapped her hands together. "Your training will start right at this moment, your first tasks are to rid yourselves of those rags," they followed her eyes to there beaten old clothing that hung from there shoulders like wet rags. "Fresh clothing has been laid out atop your assigned beds, and the baths are that way," she pointed to a small wooden door across the room. "Be ready in thirty minutes," they left the slaves to ready themselves in the cold stone room, that had now become their prison cell.
Alora hustled to her assigned bed, her name was scribbled on a small piece of wood and hung over her small bed. Gathering the newly folded clothes into her arms she hurried to the bath, but to her surprise, there was only one small bath, and every child was removing their dirty clothes and climbing into the small stone bath. she knew she basically had nothing while living in the outlands, she did what she had to do to survive she always told herself, but it was the next low for her to undress with everyone in the same cramped room. Alora stood stubborn in complying with the rules there caretakers had given them. she adverted her eyes waiting for the last child to finish before hurridly bathing herself. Once finished to slid the new clothes on, their scratchy material itching her skin but she ignored it and ran out in the room to find all the children standing in a straight line there back toward her, and Mary stood in front, her gaze was warm but something didn't feel right.
Alora gathered her senses and rushed to squeeze herself in between to children, Mary slowly turned to her, a bittersweet smile plastered to her face, and her words laced with a sickeningly sweet tone, "you're late". Her shoulders shook as a small laugh escaped her lips," you shouldn't have been late, well I had been wanting these new slaves what happens when you defy the higher beings," her lips turned up in a sickening smile. Alora's couldn't help but be shocked at the name slave. Of course, she knew it wouldn't be easy in the castle walls but to be a slave was not what she expected. "Gale", Mary called out the name, the dark gaze of the elderly man that had stood beside her earlier entered the room. "This child needs to be broken," Marie's finger pointed towards Alora, "Just a few good licks for a show," she pated the man's shoulder. a small smile came to play on Gales's lips before forcefully grabbing Alora's arm and dragging her threw the stony hall, and up the steps. She could bearly regain her footing, finally, he quite dragging, throwing her into the muddy cold ground, right in front of a tall post. She could see people gathering, and around her the children stood watching. Their confusing gazes laid upon her, Mary walked over to her putting her lips to her ear and said, "the outlands are far more merciful then I am, this will be your punishment so take it gladly, slave," the words rolled off her tongue like venom, sending shivers up Alora's spine.
Gale ripped her arms into the air before Alora could even take a breath clattering metal shackles were hung around her wrists, the chains were bolted into the wooden post. Her clothes were ripped down the center of her back, revealing her pale scarless skin. Her breath became frantic, her eyes darted between the crowd. "Begin," Maries voice cut threw the silence, And then a sharp crack split threw the air, and pain raced up Alora's small back, she screamed, it burned like a fire had been set on her. Another crack rang and slashed her side, tears ran down her cheeks like waterfalls as a fire burned over her skin. The children watching stood in horror as the screams continued fear written like bright black ink over there faces. "That's quite enough," Mary called out, but the cracking didn't cease. Alora's legs gave out from underneath her, she hung in pain, leaning to the post for as much support as she could get. The tears hadn't stopped, nor did the whips sharpening pain, there was a loud ringing in her ears, she could hear and feel her heart thumping like a drum in her chest. I "said cease Gale!" Mary now sounded furious.
"What a show, already at the whipping post on its first day, luck seems to have left it." A new voice emerged after Maries, it was deep and course. The whipping finally stopped, but the ringing in Alora's ears hadn't allowed her to hear well. she was able to lift her eyes just enough to examine the man. Mary quickly straightened her self and bowed to the man, he had long straight brown hair, and a square jawline, he was covered in a giant fur coat with a golden wolfs head embroidered into it. Two young boys stood on his sides, both having wavy brown hair, one taller than the other there faces resembling the man they stood by.
"My Lord, it was being a nuisance and disobeying the rules set forth for it", "My, it should surely be punished then, I was just wondering why I wouldn't be invited to such an entertaining show", even as sweet of a tone laced his voice, the man's words sent even more shivers up her nacked back. She slowly started to feel the eyes of her peers staring at her, but more like a piece of meat then a girl, "Is this truly what I am Now" she thought to herself. She caught the youngest boy gaze on her, there was what looked like pity written in his soft eyes but she didn't dwell upon it, rather she just looked away. The pain only grew by the second and she lost the strength to look longer. She knew there could be no one trusted in this place.
Mary gathered the slaves together in front of the giant man and his two sons. "Bow before your Lord's slaves!" her voice sharp, in obedience they fell into the mud and bowed like dogs to there master, But even as the pain swelled in her ear, and the shackles hung her to the post unable to move. Alora couldn't help but hold a burning hatred in her for the beasts that held themselves higher just because they can shift into a bigger monster.
Before long the shackles were removed from her wrists, thudding into the mud, she lay there stunned and in pain.
After being drug back to the cell room, Alora had blacked out.
She awoke, her clothing cacked with dried mud and her back aching, and a heavy chain shackled to her ankle like she was merely a dog or less. When she looked around the room, the other children's eyes would scurry from her to the floor, whispers traveled threw the room. She held back her tears, she knew better than to think once she was brought to the castle that there would be fair treatment. She was naive and even though that caused her to be whipped at the stake, it could have been much worse. She knew from now on that she couldn't just do as she pleased. She was now a slave to this castle she had been forced to enter, this was her new life whether she liked it or not.