Once more the morning sun had began to rise indicating the start of a new day. Lili could even hear a rooster's morning call within the distance, but she could not recognise it to be her own precious Terminators much beastlier of a voice sadly. And no matter how she wished it to just be a bad nightmare, she indeed was still a slave, bruised, wounded and with that collar around her neck with a chain attached to it.
Still she was a fighter and so as she awoke to the day, seemingly being the first to do so, she didn't complain. With determination she hardened her little heart and prepared herself mentally for whatever was to come that day. And luckily that day she wasn't forced to make breakfast for the men, for they had now after a lot of walking made it close to another village.
The village was much like Einsway in appearance, except its tavern was a lot smaller with just two simple floors to it and only a few cramped rooms to rent. And there with all of them cramped into one of the rooms with just two small beds, that they were meant to share made Lili feel trapped, plus the men stank which made their stay within the room quite uncomfortable.
Still it wasn't all bad, thanks to her natural healing abilities her left arm had somewhat recovered now as had the rest of her body. Although with her recovery then came new challenges.
To earn her worth she was made to work in the Inn, cleaning tables and serving customers. Still doing too heavy of tasks did hurt her still recovering body, but it wasn't like complaining would gain her any benefits here and so she merely soldiered on.
But that day something strange happened then. As she found herself having been forced to work within the Inn, doing some cleaning and serving drinks to the few morning customers, she had noticed that none of the brothers or Robin were around. They had all apparently went outside at the same time to do something while she was left alone without her chain or anyone watching over her.
Lili could hardly believe it, so with caution she stopped her cleaning and scanned the space around herself, but no matter how many times she looked she couldn't see the brothers or Robin anywhere within the Inn. Was this a trick or a test of some kind, she did wonder? Why would she be left alone completely unattended, did they think so little of her?
Sure she wouldn't dare to run in fear of what would happen to Robin, but there were other things that she could still do. So with her hood pulled down she sneakily pretended to sweep the floor with a broom, as she slowly made her way to a group of 5 men who were drinking and eating at a table in the Inn.
Coming to their side she was to her relief immediately noticed by one of the men. His slightly tired and drunken eyes eyed her up and down, clearly interested, which was just what she wanted.
Sure they might have just been some wondering peasants on their way to sell their wears within one of the bigger towns, but just maybe they could help her. However her hopes were immediately slightly shattered as the peasant man just handed her his wooden mug and said.
"Hey, you pretty little slave girl. Get me another one of these. And make it quick, I'm thirsty."
Placing her broom against one of the tables, she took the mans mug in both her hands, and then tried to appear as cute as possible to try and gain their sympathy. Then with her slightly tiery big deep blue eyes she looked to the man and spoke softly in her cute girlish voice as she said.
"Sir please could you help me, I have been kidnapped. I didn't do anything wrong, I swear. And they also beat me without reason, please you gotta help me, or at least tell the police or someone who can help. Please sir, my friend and I really need help, please."
Hearing these words the rest of the peasant men's attention was also now taken by her. All five of them looked at her curiously, then as her pleading ended they looked to one another, and then to her again. Suddenly the men seemed somewhat confused and maybe even a bit offended, when the man who she had spoken to first then asked her.
"Police, kidnapped, what are you talking about girl? And besides what do your problems have to do with us? It's your own fault that you have been branded and no one else's, you little thief. Now don't try to play all innocent with me girl. Instead be a good little slave girl and go get me more ale, or I'll be the one to discipline you for your pathetic attempt at escaping your fate instead of your master. Which by the nice look of you I would definitely not mind doing, hahaha!"
At these words Lili felt her hopes immediately drop and be smashed into pieces. They truly didn't care about her or Robin, and as she looked at them for a second she could have sworn that they were not looking her in the eye. Their gazes were on her lips or lower on her body, and it felt so wrong. Her body shivered in slight fear and disgust at the men's weird looks and mocking laughter.
After that, she didnt dare to ask anyone for help again. It truly did seem like she was on her own here and it was up to her to get herself out of this situation. Nobody was coming to save her and it was her own fault anyway that she was in this situation just as the peasant man had said.
With this in mind, Lili kept her head down for the rest of the day and just concentrated on her work. After cleaning the common areas of the Inn she moved to the kitchen where she was ordered by the man who owned the place to go and take out the trash. When she asked where to? The man simply laughed and said.
"The river of course."
Lili felt baffled by this answer, but did not dare to argue and just did as she was told.
Running out the backdoor and to the small river there, she then hesitated. It felt so wrong, but seeing as the trash she held within the bucket wasn't anything too bad, she then did as she had been told.
Dumping the bucket full of trash and waste into the river, she did wonder if it was even safe to go swimming in rivers here of people threw all their stuff within the rivers. Though as she was thinking of this she noticed an old man coming to the riverside, some ways away from her. The old man seemed to notice her, but didnt seem bothered at all by her presence as he just pulled down his pants, revealing his ugly cock. And then he actually crouched down and started to take a shit into the river, right before Lilis horrified young eyes.
Seeing this Lili's face turned ugly as she immediately turned away and felt like puking. Just a moment ago she had even thought about washing her face in the water. But the thought of it now just made her feel sick.
Sure she knew that this was not the 20th century, but still hadn't anybody ever taught these people about proper hygiene or better ways of trash disposal? Oh, how she wished she could just go back to her little home in the woods where it was clean and peaceful.
Thinking on this matter she couldnt help but wonder what might have happened if she never would have left on her foolish journey, what if she just had stayed at home? Maybe then she could have done something to fight off those armored men, but then again that would have probably been even worse. There had after all been more of them and they even looked meaner than the 4 brothers, so there was no telling what they would have done to her.
Feeling depressed by these thoughts Lili hung her head low as she quickly returned back to the Inn and continued with her work.
Later that day the brothers and Robin returned to the Inn with a new young man at their side. The man seemed to be in his early twenties with short blonde hair, blue eyes and a shaved face. Though what really caught Lilis eyes was the man's Lute and his appearance that seemed to just scream out that he was a bard.
Seeing her looking at the man, the thin man was then quick to introduce him for some reason to Lili.
"Lili, say hello to Whimsy Warbler. Our very own bard that will be traveling with us from now on."
Lili felt it to be strange, why would anyone want to join these thug's, but she nonetheless politely bowed her head lightly at the man and said her greetings to him.
"Hello I'm Lili, it's nice to meet you."
Seeing this the man smiled kindly and said.
"Well met little Lili. I look forward to seeing you sing tonight. I hear you're quite skilled."
Raising a questioning eyebrow at the mans words Lili turned to the thin man, who then explained.
"You heard him right girl, its time for you to truly earn your keep here. That is if you wish to eat tonight, hahaha. But don't worry I don't intend to have you playing on your own for the whole night. What I want is for you two to play together, teach our friend here your songs and he will take it from there. After that you can focus more on making us our meals, which I must say that you're quite good at Lili."
Hearing this Lili couldnt help but feel worried over the man's words. The last she had eaten was in the morning and now she had been working the whole day. And once more she would be forced to sing while starved, just so she can earn something to eat.
Though she did strangely enough feel a bit happy when she heard him compliment her cooking. Somehow knowing that their bellies happinesses were reliant on her, kind of made her feel happy and a bit powerful.
***
That evening as the villagers were done with their daily work and began gathering in the Inn, Lili was then unceremoniously lifted onto the stage by the fat man Lute in hand. Whimsy Warbler also was there beside her on the stage. Still the extra company didn't help her mood much seeing as she had a collar around her neck and no choice in standing on stage.
With a heavy sigh Lili adjusted her Lutes strings and looked to the crowd where no eyes of sympathy for her could be seen. They just looked at her with curiosity and expectant eyes, clearly not seeing the slave collar as a big deal.
Though to her surprise before she started to sing the fat man placed a wooden bowl on the stage and said nothing. The sight of this made her feel confused, what was the point of the bowl?
Then she saw the fat man glance at her, clearly trying to tell her to get on with it and start playing. Realising this Lili tensed up and did as she was told with a slight frown on her cute little face, that to the onlookers merely seemed cute.
Lili felt so humiliated and dehumanised standing up there on the stage with a collar around her slender neck and no choice in the matter. This was wrong and yet the people cheered her on, it frustrated her, but with the brothers watching her, fear over took her little heart and so she sang.
Luckily the brothers having taken notice of her poor state had at least given her a stool to sit on. Plus there was even a leather strap on the Lute which helped her hold it. Also Whimsy Warbler was a great help, as she merely needed to show him how to play the notes and she then could just sing, like so letting her tired hands rest a little.
From there on the following events of the night went on much like they had gone back in the village of Einsway. The only real exception was that Whimsy Warbler was there playing his own Lute and singing with her. Plus this time she to her relief didn't faint embarrassingly or have two boys rushing to her rescue. No, the show went well, long into the night, until she was finally allowed to leave the stage.
But as she left the stage Lili didnt feel happy, but cheated. The wooden bowl on stage was overflowing with copper coins which the fat man happily took and dumped into an empty leather pouch.
Truly people did give tips in this world. Many of the customers had constantly been tipping her more and more coins in hopes that she would continue playing more and more, which then caused the thin man to force her to play. Like so the show had been carried on for much longer than she would have liked it to go.
Realizing this Lili felt so mad with herself for not having realised this tipping system before hand. The people of Einsway had probably just thought of her as someone who had been playing music for fun? Still would they have actually given her coins if she had just asked for them to do so? But most of all she felt annoyed by the fact that all the work she did today amounted to only some bread, soup and a mug of ale.
Plus she was made to sit on the floor in the corner of the Inn next to Robin. From there she watched as the brothers ate lots of meat, drank their alcohol and laughed as they were clearly having a happy good old time around their round table full of food.
She did complain about it to Robin, but the boy didn't seem disturbed by it at all. Apparently it was perfectly normal for slaves to eat on the floor, and sleep on the floor as well which was exactly what they did the coming night.
Feeling cheated and humiliated even more by this all, she only was able to find comfort in the fact that she at least wasnt sitting on the floor or sleeping on it alone as Robin was there next to her. Also listening to Whimsy Warbler playing the Lute instead of her having to do it all the time was really nice, especially as her body hurt.
Still during the night Lili felt absolutely infuriated by the events of the day, she felt like she really needed to do something drastic here and soon. Having to live this kind of a life, sleeping on the hard wooden floor and eating low-quality food that barely filled her already small stomach was not healthy for a young person like herself. Like this she would never grow to be a big boy, she would just continue being short and feminine.
Haunted by these thoughts Lili was unable to fall asleep. When suddenly she felt Robin pull her in close against his chest and lend his arm as a pillow to her. Clenching her little fists Lili felt like exploding in rage at this boy just then.
How dare he hug her without asking? She was not his little stuffed animal that he could just hug in the night for comfort or whatever it was that he was doing.
Lili was about to pull this boy's hands away and say something mean to him, but just then Robin spoke surprisingly softly to her with a voice full of what sounded like worry as he said.
"Dont mind me, Lili. Just act like I am not even here. Just think of me as nothing more than a tool meant for you to use. After all with you in your condition now it would be bad if you got a cold, right. Or got a stiff neck for sleeping on the floor. So use me Lili, let me help you the best that I can and just close your eyes and fall a sleep, it's ok, you can trust me, I'm here for you."
Hearing this a warmth came to Lilis little heart and her expression immediately softened. She felt touched by this boys kind caring words, it was kind of like with Art and it felt so good all of a sudden. Now she couldnt help but feel hopeful, maybe together they might actually make it through this and obtain freedom again eventually? Maybe she could in fact trust Robin to help her get through all of this? Plus his somewhat muscular arm did make for a good pillow and his warmth along with the sounds of his beating heart was kind of nice.
And then before Lili even knew it, her eyes began to close as she slowly fell into a deep sleep within Robins arms. Robin though wasn't able to fall a sleep that night, his heart was beating crazily and his body sweated a little out of nervousness, as he wondered if he had actually finally done it.
Finally he had managed to get himself a bit closer to Lili again. He had managed to earn a little bit more of her trust, and hopefully soon he could get even closer to her.
The thought of this almost drove Robin mad, his teenage hormones were going crazy, especially as he smelled her sweet scent and hugged her tightly. She felt so soft, so light as of she weighed nothing more than a feather, and already he could feel and see so many tempting things on Lili that he as a boy did not have. She was truly so beautiful within his arms, and soon little snores could be heard from the girl, and then she actually opened her mouth slightly and cutely began to drool on his arm, which Robin didn't mind at all.
All her actions merely brought an ever widening smile upon his face and build up his confidence. One day he swore that he would have her fully to himself, her heart and body and all would be his.