I am thrown to the ground like the dog I am as my master presents his seven daughters of Nim to the seven brothers of Dorack. I don't dare lift my eyes as I sit on my knees next to the woman I tend to most, Clarian, the oldest daughter at twenty-three summers.
"Stay down dog!" I hear her father say to me. Her father is my master, a thin old man with a mean right kick. Suddenly I can hear a voice, a deep voice of a man which I assume is the oldest brother though I can't make out what he is saying. I sneak a peek, just a small one without lifting my head. He stands tall behind five other brothers and has seven wives around him already.
"Cut her ties" I hear the same man say, he is no longer speaking in his language.
"Her ties my Lord?" I hear my master say,
"Women before us must have their hair down, even if they are a dog."
The tie that keeps my hair in a rat bed above my head is quickly cut, and I flinch as my dark hair falls around me long, far longer than the prime daughters next to me.
"Forgive me for saying my Lord, but one of your brothers is missing," I hear my master say.
"I am here," I hear another voice, his like his brother is deep but stronger.
He stops, and his feet clad in brown boots are but a few inches away from me, and I wonder if he is going to kick me for being in his way. I try to hurry back without being too much of a notice when he crouches and grabs my hair. I freeze but dig my naked toes into the ground below me, and I don't dare lift my eyes. But to my utter shock, he starts playing with my long tresses. What the hell is he doing?
Maybe having long hair is an insult, perhaps he is about to cut it all off. I shudder because this makes me very sad I love my hair, it's all I got. The seven brides all had mid-length or short hair. Even though I will not be left here I fear we have insulted them by not cutting mine.
"Hand me a tie," He says, and I look down at his hands, he braided my hair. He quickly ties the end, takes out a knife, and slices through the bottom. I shriek and fall back clutching my long hair to me, he only took an inch off the end maybe but then I make an even bigger mistake, and I look up. He is big. Lean big muscles adorn every part of his body, and leather straps dig slightly into his skin. He is tan but what shocks me the most is his eyes, they are bright blue. He is beautiful for a brute. I can't take my eyes away from him.
"How dare you dog!" My master's foot meets with my back, and I fall forward and catch myself on my wrist, and damn does it hurt. I'm already covered in dirt and sweat, what's a little more?
I whimper, and he stands "Enough, I alarmed her," The bute says then walks away to line up with his brothers.
"Will, you not inspect?" My master asked, forgetting me at the moment but I know I am going to pay for what I have done later.
"Yes," The oldest said, "Let's see them."
I look away and huff to myself as the daughters of Nim drop their silk dresses for these men. I glance at their feet because that is all I can do. The middle brother moves to a sister "I'll take this plump one!"
I want to smirk, go figure the curvey one got picked first. All those years they slapped the girl's hand away from extra food and for what? She got selected first.
"I take it she has been deflowered and well-prepared for my cock?" The brother asked. I blush. I know I'm nineteen, but a man has never touched me, and I have never seen one naked, so his words make me blush, and I am glad for the mud on my face.
"She has," My master states firmly. The brother drags the daughter away into a tent, and a few seconds later you hear her scream.
"Well, it seems she was not prepared enough," I can practically feel the eldest brother's smirk as he speaks. I had heard that these men were very well-bred, meaning they had big manhoods. Once long ago they were shapeshifters, but they can no longer do that, and I have no clue as to what animal they are.
Most masters get paid for their daughters, not this time. My master paid to have the brothers take his daughters because if one of them could bear a child, the family would then be set for life which didn't make any sense to me in the least. I know these men are one of the longest surviving bloodlines, but they can't shift, and there seems to be an issue when it comes to breeding. I wanted to scoff, a balance of nature I'd say but I'm not allowed to voice my opinion for I am nothing more than a dog to these people.
One by one the brothers chose till only the daughter I serve most is left, and the man who braided my hair comes forward and looks at her. She has blond hair and blue eyes, the fairest of them all. Most of the women of Nim have red hair though some are born with golden locks. Those women are known as a prize in Nim.
Apparently not here.