All of the boys had already gotten up before the crack of dawn, dressed, and out the door to the fields. Viaan decided to sleep till he could feel someone nudge him, rolling over he is met face to face with mute gray eyes and a curved like a very thin crescent moon.
"Wahhh! What are you doing here?" Viaan shouted.
"Why are you not up, Viaan?" Linetta asked.
"Because I don't want to be here…" He mumbled.
She took his hand forcing him out of the warm sheets, his eyes were still closed standing on the cold damp rotting wood under his feet. Fingers squirmed around his waist reaching under his shirt causing his eyes to pop open.
Linetta perched her lips on his, she drew his body up in her arms sweeping him in the air and dropping him on the floor in a heap of laughter.
"What the hell is wrong with you!" Viaan shouted.
"Get your ass to work before Mr. Iden tans you!" She scolded.
"Whatever…"
"Wait!" She yelled.
Jerking him back from the doorway she examined his clothing, she forgot how he came in such unusual garments. She raced out of the room while he waited for her to come back, minutes later she came in with several pieces for him.
Handing him black garb, he lifted the shirt to realize it was just a plain oversized pressed cotton shirt and pants to pull off his collared sweatshirt to yank it down over his head, he gawked over at Linetta giving him a big smile.
He tossed the trousers given to him on the bed, Linetta frowned that he was not willing to change the rest of the way in her presence.
"Go jerk off or whatever somewhere else, not in front of me." Viaan scoffed.
Linetta took his hand leading him outside in the bright sun, he shielded his eyes with both hands. He felt suddenly faint she attempted to tug him into the shine of light above, the humid warmth of day burned his sensitive skin.
A sudden stinging bore into his pores, he felt he was being suffocated. Internally panicking from the force driving into his body he struggled to keep footing.
"You will be okay I promise." She laughed.
"No…please…"
Viaan begged, he stomped his sneakers into the dirt sliding through the dewy verdant grass doing his best to halt her from bringing him out.
"Viaan!Calm down!" A voice shouted.
He stopped as he gawked at Declan running toward him, Linetta released him from her grip. Declan's tired eyes were drawn to the fear on the lad's face, gently he thrust his arms down.
"Wh-what just happened, what was that pain?" Viaan questioned.
"Just breathe a moment Viaan please…" Declan said gingerly.
"He needs to get used to it, Declan!" She scolded.
"He will, but this is his first-time Linetta," Declan explained.
"Whatever, I will be back later to check on him."
Giving her best pouty face she marched away, she slammed the door behind her. Declan moved his hand to his face rubbing his eyes as he held tight to Viaan's shoulder.
"Did she do anything to you?" He inquired.
"I am fine…"
He said nothing more in response to what had happened with Linette, his expression softened as Viaan became more comfortable without Linetta forcing him away.
"Will you come with me?" Declan asked.
"Fine!" Viaan huffed.
He trailed behind Declan cautiously back outside to find much more people out in the fields than earlier, he watched as they delicately grasped the ball at the base to twist it out of the boll letting it drop into the small basket they held.
All he could see were children and middle-aged men as there seemed to be no in-between, Declan handed him his own woven container to pick with. Trailing to a spot where other boys from his shanty, Viaan stayed quiet.
Following Declan's cue, he did the same, before he knew it he would have a full basket. Declan pointed ahead of him to a large bin to dump it in the wide green receptacle given to place their pickings, he would be back and forth several times throughout the day.
His feet began to tire and ache as he slowed down by the end of the day, he had basically picked about three-hundred pounds if not more; the sounds of neighing could be heard in the distance distracting him from how exhausted he had felt.
A slow trotting to a full-on galloping could be heard coming nearer and nearer till it reared on its hind legs, it brayed loudly causing Viaan to hold tight to his ears.
His eyes enlarged with intensity, the man was of human nature. A large golden broad sword swung from his hips in a simple brown sheathe made from hide, smiling down at the boy as the horse's hooves reached the soil once again scraping against the dry dirt of the harvest.
The man's face was slender, his armor was a dull silver, but had many golden indentations and symbols carved into the pauldron, vambrace, and gauntlets.
Below his faulds were much lighter not a full set unlike a true knight of earth they would carry the cuisses instead was thick black material and then the greaves also carried heavy decoration.
Viaan was stunned by the man's fiery red hair, his olive cape waved behind him. He lugged his helmet under his arm trodding forward, he felt like he had been transported to a storybook.
"Good evening, Nava!" The man shouted.
"Good evening, Rowan!" A lady yelled back.
A fair-skinned beauty, hair of golden curls laid at the nape of her neck. Her champagne-colored lace draped off her shoulders, Viaan couldn't see too much of her gown from where he stood.
"You are back from killing goblins I see…" Nava smiled.
Goblins? There are goblins? Viaan was enamored by their conversation, he had no idea where the faery had taken him. That means this is the land's hero he thought, he became animated and excited by the prospect.
"Viaan, are you okay?" Declan asked.
He gasped out nearly forgetting to go home, it was the middle of the night for them both. Usually, vampires are nightly beings, here they are used for expandability instead.
"Where am I?" Viaan questioned.
"Where did you come?" Declan commented.
"I didn't come from here and I will probably never see home again will I?" Viaan questioned.
"None of us will, Viaan…"
The giant house above them was all lit up, they could hear the loudness of a party brewing as their fanged slaves silently slinked back to their dwellings making the best of their leftover night in their lean-to.
Viaan sat on his bed watching Asher and Hagan play a made-up game, they jumped on the beds and zoomed around. Gio cuddled up beside Viaan as the fun continued, Declan laughed asking them questions about their merrymaking.
Yet Viaan couldn't keep his mind on anything, he was amazed to know there was more out there beyond this life he was pushed into yet he was here barefooted made to sleep in a decaying hovel.
"I want to fight a goblin, I want to go on an adventure!" Viaan announced.
Everyone paused staring blankly at Viaan, Asher and Hagan froze in position. Gio's jaw dropped, and Declan strolled over to Viaan touching his forehead, Tevin came back from inside with a pail of fresh water from the well.
"Viaan, that will never be possible…" Declan stated.
"Why not?" He argued.
"Do you not understand what we are?" Asher frowned.
"There are no vampire adventurers here, were slaves," Declan explained.
His memory shot back to meeting his bonded faery, he forgot that he felt a tingling deep inside his chest. Power was slowly rising in him and he didn't know where to start or how to use it he just knew he had it.
"Then I will be the first!" He howled.
"We would never be able to escape Mr. Iden though." Gio cried.
A sadness crawled over them like a big black cloud covering everything, the discussion dampened their spirits. They already had nothing, Viaan reminded them of their own broken dreams and desires.
"But, I was sent here from another country because of a faery!" Viaan shouted.
"Impossible, faery don't usually interact in this part," Tevin noted.
"She had long braided hair and wings, she told me…" Viaan muttered.
"Maybe you were dreaming, Viaan." Declan laughed.
His words soured in his mouth trailing into a void, they didn't believe him not even a little. Being here so long dashed their hopes, they were complacent with their being.
Viaan is the start of fifteen years old and stuck as a captive servant for what may be a lifetime if he doesn't change his fate, the wheels of karma through a clever fae sealed his humanity behind a pair of fangs.
His head hit the pillow, he pressed his hands together squeezing his eyes shut. He prayed internally that the faery would show herself again, he prayed Mr. Iden wouldn't be so cruel to him along the way, but deep inside he knew he was stuck.
He could feel it in his bones, his heart cried out. His whole body shivered, the cold leaked in through the boards and crevices. He tuned them all out as he tried to meditate calling out to the faery.
"Are you lost?" A voice chimed.