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 Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2017 1:14 am
 She didn't remember having been in a field, or being happy about it. She was told that she was sweet and adventurous as a child, so it could very well be true. It didn't matter if it was just another of his lies either. Having him trained and getting through the ball without embarrassing her would be enough. She'd send him away then. He'd saved her life too many times for her to feel right about putting him to death, anyway. After this was all over, she wouldn't have to see or hear from him again. Astrid played along, reading the notes from sheets of music. She hadn't missed a note or gone off pace until she heard Victoria's instructions for Kenneth. She fumbled the next few notes and went quiet for a moment. A little color was touching her face and she brought a hand to her forehead to calm herself down.
"Victoria, do not fill his head with such thoughts. He needs only to be concerned with charming the other women at the ball." She didn't care to mention that before and during the ball his status would be raised. If she informed her sister, the silly girl might get too excited. It was fine when she paired the guards together with maids, and others, but when it came to her love life she didn't care for her sister's meddling. She was above all that nonsense. Her husband would be someone capable of ruling beside her, not some miserable soft-of-the-heart-and-head weakling.
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Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2017 1:29 am
Kenneth looked at Victoria confused, she certainly had a thing for imagination and it was running rapid now. "He needs to swoon you, sister, to make the men jealous, they must believe only he has your true attention!" She fanned herself, excited at the thought before remembering a little detail. "Ken, you were a noble once, right? Astrid told me last we had tea, what was it like to be poor?" She asked, crossing her arms over her tightly bound chest. "We weren't poor, but not rich, we had enough to be comfortable. I've seen and been with poor people though, the woman aren't dressed as much as you, they show ankle up to upper thigh to sell themselves for food. The lucky ones become maids or servants before resorting to th- Princess?!" Victoria was shocked, not only did women show ankle, but upper thigh?! She fainted at the thought, Ken catching her and helping her lay on the bed before letting Astrid care for her. Such low women weren't in her story books, she wasn't prepared for the horrid image.
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Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2017 5:08 am
Astrid looked up as her sister called her slave by the shortened version of his name. She didn't approve. He was her lesser, for Victoria to even use his name was improper. But she didn't say anything and instead waited impatiently for the two to resume their dance lesson. When she did not, and her slave started to talk about his experiences with the poor she put her lute aside. She picked up a pillow to throw at him, but stopped as her sister suddenly fainted. "Tory!" She hurried over to her side and cupped the young girl's face in her hands. She was a bit flushed, but looked to be fine. Still, Astrid sent a servant to go and fetch the doctor just to be safe. She pulled Kenneth aside, making sure to aim for the old burn mark on his upper arm when she grabbed him. "What were you thinking? She's just a child! Even mature women don't want to hear about those creatures."
It was indecent for a woman to show the knees or anything above it, including the arms. Only the shoulders could be bare down to the armpits. Sometimes it was fashionable for a woman to have her hair covered, to appear modest. Astrid had been aware of the existence of such showy women. It wasn't uncommon for men to visit them when their wives were menstruating or pregnant. It went unspoken for obvious reasons. The behavior of her servants and the shocking drawings in her slave's possession had been enough to awaken her to the sin in her own home. That they'd do anything, for anyone, to survive did not surprise her. She did not pity them, but looked down on them as being too weak to be allowed to live. That was not her choice to make, however. So she stuck to chastising Kenneth. As he was slightly shorter than she was she glowered down at him. She stood close enough to him to speak quietly and so as to show him that she wasn't afraid of confronting his wickedness. "This isn't the behavior of a gentleman. Do you truly desire your freedom or perhaps are you preparing to embarrass me later? Is that it? Are you plotting your revenge against me? Is this what you've been waiting for?"
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Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2017 10:03 pm
Kenneth went to step back, his arm being grabbed right where his burn mark was and he couldn't help but tense up. He stumbled when pulled along and straightened up before cowering at her glare. "I-I didn't mean to, I was just answering her question, no, no I'm not going to embarrass you, Princess! I don't want revenge against you..." He looked down, feeling ashamed he had told Victoria such things, but he was use to it. It was common to see those women, to talk to them or know them as friends. Did royalty not think the same as nobles? "Please, princess, teach me to be a gentleman!" He begged, the doctor rushing in to check on Victoria and helping her sit up when she awoke. "She will be alright, I recommend to not talk of such crude things to her, she is fragile and her imagination is too...unlady-like." He huffed, looking to Ken with a scowl as the servant had told him what made Victoria faint. "I..I'm fine, I'm shocked such women do exist! They must be uneducated, and forced to do such awful things to their bodies!" She fanned herself, sitting up on the bed to let the doctor check her. The advisor came in once the doctor left and looked confused. "Hello, my dear nieces, I need your slave to come to the ballroom, every slave is to wash the walls and floors for a bit and I will help him with how to speak to ladies before Victoria faints again; yes a servant told me, chatty one." He chuckled, giving Victoria a different book she had requested last night but he had been too drunk to see to it. "Also, your father is very interested on the slave's progress, is he learning to eat properly and dance?" He asked Astrid, not wishing to notify Astrid that her father was watching like a hawk toward's her slave.
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Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2017 6:08 am
She stepped away from Kenneth once the doctor entered the room and held back a sigh at the man's verdict. As expected, she'd only gotten over excited. Astrid wasn't too pleased by the number of people visiting her room. It made her question how safe it was, even knowing who those people were. "They are commoners and lesser-born nobility, sister. Even without the excuse of needing to sell themselves for survival, they would happily indulge in their every desire on impulse. That is why they need the royal bloodline to rule over them. They would simply be barbarians without the strict leadership of our father and ancestors." She stared darkly over at Kenneth as she spoke. Even if he couldn't reproduce at this point, his obvious interest in the obscene was disgusting to say the least. He expected her to believe two different stories. Even if the drawing was accurate to her memory, she didn't trust it.
She regretted not killing him from day one. Who knew what sort of diseases he carried, what if some of his blood had come into contact with an open wound? Some illnesses could be spread by seeping into the pores of one's skin. How had she managed to convince herself that she'd fallen for such a miserable little sub-human? How would she manage to convince her suitors that she was infatuated with Kenneth, anyway? "Your request could not have come at a better time." She answered and walked over to stand next to her sister. "He has made some progress, at least. More than I originally anticipated. I intend to see to it personally that he doesn't sully the dignified name of Inrmis, Uncle... Will Joseph be in attendance?"
She didn't know that the ball was being held at their vacation home. Being stuck here for a month, away from her plants saddened her. If she had a chance, she wanted to go back and visit them. It would be good to also check on her collection of jewelry, perfume and poisons as well. If the opportunity should present itself. There was the sketch of her white baneberry which had been recovered, as well as the poisons she'd hidden away in her luggage. But it just couldn't compare.
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Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2017 3:17 pm
Victoria sighed, nodding to Astrid that she understood. "Your right sister, I just wish we could put those commoners to better use!" She asked, looking to their uncle and smiling at him. "Slave, go to the ballroom, a guard is there with supplies and what needs to be done, I'll be there shortly." Ken nodded, walking out and to the ballroom to get some stuff from the guard who rolled his eyes and handed him a bucket and rag to clean the floors with three others, two maids cleaned the tables. Erwin looked to Astrid and nodded. "Yes, Joseph is attending with a young noble girl, he won't be here until the ball so don't worry. I know you won't let him sully our name, also I've looked into your request to be rid of him, why raise his status? I found someone who will take him in, his real family has left the country it seems." He smiled sadly, knowing that Ken would be deeply hurt to know his family that he tried to protect would abandon him.
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Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2017 4:40 pm
Astrid was fairly surprised to know that his family had abandoned him. There was nothing they could have done to get him back after he became the possession of the royal family. But she'd at least expected them to keep trying. So much for the loyalty of lesser people. "He's saved my life on several different occasions, even at times when he would be able to free himself by running away. He thinks I've made a deal with him. That if he should fail and embarrass me at the ball, I'll have him killed. There's no need for him to think otherwise. He must not know until after the ball's over, Victoria." She said, looking from her Uncle to her sister. She didn't want either of them to let him know that he'd be free regardless after being adopted into his new family. As long as he thought he might be killed, he'd be more motivated to do as he was told. She just hoped that now that her Uncle had revealed Ken's status was being raised that Victoria would keep her imagination in check. Joseph being present at the ball would also present some issues. "What if Joseph reveals Kenneth's past as a slave at the ball? Must he attend?"
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Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2017 10:03 pm
Erwin crossed his arms, he had received one letter months back, telling the royal family to keep the boy, that he was a disgraced when labeled a slave, they had requested money for him when first given to the princess. He hadn't seen them since. "I suggest we make it clear that he is not to fail, after this is over, you would need a new slave. I suggest shopping for one with him, to show him you aren't afraid to replace him; although you would still have to replace him once his rank is raised." He looked to Victoria who sighed and looked away them. "I want to go shopping with you then." She requested, standing up to pat her dress lightly. "Your brother is a prince, I already warned him to behave at the ball, he said for a new shiny sword, he will behave. I've also requested Victoria to cause a scene should he try to expose Kenneth during the ball." He smiled, looking to Victoria as she picked up her book to leave. "Astrid, lets go shopping! Go get your slave and we can shop for some new jewelry, books, oh maybe a new veil for your hair?!" She left excited, going to get into a more suitable dress for shopping as Erwin sighed. "Would you like a guard to escort you? Your slave has to have a chain attached, this city does not allow slaves to walk outside of the home without them." He asked.
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2017 6:02 am
"You as well, Victoria! You should be more modest." She was sure to say to her sister as the girl hurried out of the room. She turned her attention to her Uncle. "I don't believe Joseph to be trustworthy. For obvious reasons. We will be requiring a guard, if only for Victoria. As for my slave wearing a collar, what if we come across someone who will be attending the ball? He's a coward and a glutton. Though he's had multiple chances in the past to flee, he's chosen to stay. You were the one who pointed this out to me, Uncle. What of dressing him casually, and having a guard accompany us for the purpose of chasing him down, should he run?" She was also somewhat irritated that after coming here to send her slave away, she was now being told to hunt him down again. For a while now she'd felt her slave was tethered to her. Even when she slept alone her mind imagined the sounds of his loud snores. She'd been too close to him lately, that must be why she couldn't go a few hours without thinking about him. The trip, if it could be worked out properly, would be a good chance for him to strengthen his arms. They'd have several items sent to the castle, sure. But she planned on making him carry some of them anyway.
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2017 7:10 am
Erwin nodded, Ken couldn't be seen outside the area as a slave. "Alright, I'll get him in respectable clothes to shop with you. I'll also tell the guard to be discreet about catching him, if he wanders or runs. Joseph can't be trusted, he won't arrive until late morning of the ball, lets hope the place is too crowded for him to notice." He bowed lightly before leaving to get Ken and get him in a good outfit and tidied up. He hated the shoes, after having not worn shoes for a long time. A guard followed him to the entrance of the villa to meet up with Victoria and Astrid. He was dressed casually, long sleeves to cover marks and his shirt buttoned up to hide scars. "Where are we shopping, princess?" He asked, Victoria had her fan out and ready for the hot day. "The town center has a market filled with foreign goods, why aren't you wearing a collar?" She asked, having not been informed that Ken couldn't be seen as a slave for awhile.
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2017 7:50 am
Astrid regarded him coldly as he approached with the guard. Her Uncle had done a decent job of cleaning him up in a short amount of time. The clothes fit him awkwardly and the way he walked made it obvious how uncomfortable he was in his shoes. "We're going to find your replacement. Should you be victorious or perish, either way I will need a new slave..." She explained as simply as she cared to and abruptly looked over to her sister. "He almost looks human, doesn't he?" She commented snidely to her sister and then turned to step inside of the open carriage. Once they were all settled she explained that because of the role he'd be playing at the ball, he couldn't been seen as a slave. She also told Kenneth that he was to act like a gentleman and accompany them today. As they arrived at the market, Astrid made sure to get Kenneth to get out first, and to have him offer to help Victoria and herself down. The market was bustling and one could see the heat rising from the crowd. She frowned, not wanting to mingle with any of the sweaty lesser beings. "What a mess... Let us see what they have to offer elsewhere."
She walked, two guards, her sister and useless Kenneth in tow, to the more expensive section of the market. It was far less crowded, those browsing were more polite and dignified. There were buildings instead of tents, and one nearby had no sign. Just a well-dressed guard standing at the front door. It was an auction house where slaves and rare domestic animals were being presented for sale. It was discreet and something one could only find if one were already aware of its existence. "Shall we take a look in here first, Tory?" She looked over to her sister pointedly, wanting to get their main objective out of the way before anything else.
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2017 4:58 pm
Kenneth frowned, slouching while standing and stuffing his hands in his pockets to show he wasn't interested in shopping. "Human? Nah, well maintained property." She chuckled, fixing the veil on her long braid before getting helped into the carriage by a guard while Kenneth was last. "I am human." He was ignored, told to keep quiet and just follow them while they shopped. He was forced out first and was confused, looking back to Astrid and taking her hand to help her out, doing the same to Victoria and walking behind them and the guard. "A mess?" He tilted his head, the guard tapped his shoulder lightly to get him going to follow the princess again. He wanted to get the princess some flowers, but slaves didn't have money nor were allowed to handle it. They got to a building where a young guard tilted his hat to the princess's, holding up his hand. "Good Morn' Ladies, our selection includes a pickin' from the enemy territory, we are currently trainin' most, so I advise caution and have your guard here in front for now. Enjoy your shoppin'." He smiled, standing straight and back into his normal pose. Kenneth didn't want to go inside, the guard towered behind him and he moved forward, the guard moving to a more defensive position by the princess's. Young and middle aged slaves were sitting in cages, some were chained to poles with sale prices, most were drugged up to keep quiet. "P-Princess..." His voice was barely heard as a man stepped on the selling stage and started to offer three slaves, his voice booming to attract attention. "Princess. It's your first time buying a slave yourself correct? Please remember to let the man give the money to the slaver, women cannot purchase a slave unless their escort approves. It's undignified for a woman to buy a slave herself." He couldn't purchase one either, being too low of a status to be allowed a slave. Kenneth was looking at some of the slaves in pity, Victoria was eyeballing a very young slave girl. "Would Ester like that one? She doesn't own one yet and that girl looks her age." She turned to Kenneth, looking in her purse for money. "Can he get me that one for Ester? Afterwards we can get him better clothes?" She asked, holding a few gold coins in her hand if Astrid approved of the little girl slave.Sabriel Thurirl The second guard is trailing farther behind to remain unseen
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2017 9:28 pm
The air stank of perfume, probably to cover up the smell of animal waste and the slaves. She wrinkling her nose at it. As her slave expressed his concerns she ignored him. She had brought him here to make him nervous, after all. She looked at the little slave girl Victoria was speaking of. She had the handler make the girl move around, raise her arms and legs, open her mouth and such to make sure there were no view-able injuries. Then she had the man list the girl's skills, age, weight and other information. "... She's too young and soft-of-heart to be able to have a slave of her own... Go on, though. If mother disapproves, then we'll simply find another use for it." Whatever happened to the child, she wanted Kenneth to have time to bond with her. It would help to keep him motivated, though she would not be given to him or freed should he succeed anyway. She noticed that Victoria was offering the money to Kenneth and she stopped her. She told her to hand it to the guard, to hand it over to the slaver. The girl would be sent to the castle later. She continued on through the market, taking a look at the other slaves. Many were presented for the purpose of hard labor, though a few were advertised as being for their masters amusement. Behind curtains, where neither of them could see, were dancers. The man selling them was persistent in trying to get Kenneth to take a look, but a stern word from Astrid was enough to get him to stop. They had several barbarian youths from Idstein which looked interesting. There was more fire in their eyes than had been in Kenneth's at first.
She spent a little time considering them, wondering if any of them would be worth the effort. She ended up purchasing one particularly young male who refused to stand up unless forced. His slaver told her that the boy'd recently been castrated, which was why he wouldn't stand up on his own. She would have him sent to the main castle. She spoke with Victoria about possibly purchasing a small cat or dog for their youngest sibling. She believed it would help him to come out of his shell more, if he had something to take care of. But the idea was dismissed, the mess the thing would make would bother their parents too much. As they left, it was starting to become a bit windy. The other people in the streets were heading inside buildings to avoid the winds. She lead the way to another building, this one belonged to a team of a tailor and cobbler. "Pick out something suitable for him, Tory." She said, finally willing to waste time on Kenneth. He was trying her last nerve lately. The smallest mistake bothered her and she found herself wishing that she could beat him properly.
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2017 10:33 pm
Victoria was happy to purchase the little slave girl, taking a small bottle of ink from her purse and a needle to poke three black holes on her wrist in case she decided to run. She had her escorted by her slaver to the castle. Kenneth followed Astrid, distracted by the thought of exotic dancers but shook his head. "No." He spoke bluntly, refusing to use another slave like that or upset Astrid by doing so. He followed again, seeing Astrid eyeball the foreign prisoners of war turned slaves, purchasing one young male who was castrated but a week ago. "That looks painful..." He sighed, knowing the sort of beatings and training that man would go through. They left the building to continue shopping, the winds picked up and he nearly lost his hat, the girls had to hold their veils down on their heads. Once inside a tailor shop, Victoria gleamed and began searching the clothing, Kenneth stuck his hands in his pockets, bored. He looked outside before a sharp nail dug its way into his hand and he pulled it out of his pocket to feel Astrid grasping it out of sight of the tailor. He apologized lightly, looking to her hand as it softened up and he grasped it gently to hold, bringing it up to kiss just as gently. "Astrid! Look at this! This tailor thinks I don't know fall fashion from winter fashion! The gall!" She knew fashion very well, having a line of hand made dresses from a seamstress in their home castle. Kenneth pulled away, letting her attend to her sister being insulted by the man. It was when Ken spotted something shiny on the ground and picked it up, a small gold coin must of fallen from a customer's pocket. The guard walked over to the two girls, reminding the tailor who he was insulting. Ken looked to the window and noticed the wind died down, inching out before heading down the walkway to the flourist. He gazed at every flower, deciding on a flower similar to her poisonous beauty at home, only it didn't have poison, it had a very nice spring smell and he handed the owner the gold coin, telling her to keep the change as he went back outside. The streets were busy again with nobility, not as heavy as further down, but he was lost. "Astrid is going to kill me if she notices I left..." He spoke to a few women, they ignored him unless he tilted his hat or talked to their escort first. He sat down on a bench, looking at the flower in his hands and drooping his head in frustration. A tap on his shoulder made him look up to the second guard, having followed him the whole time. "Lost? Come on." He forced him up, they walked back to the carriage where the two women and first guard were waiting. "I-I can explain, princess!" He waited until they were in the carriage before leaning forward. She grabbed his chin, poofing his cheeks out as if ready to smack him. "Pwease wet gow.(Please let go)" He asked, slipping the flower under the veil and into her hair, right above her right ear as she finally let go to investigate was he just put in her hair. "Ohhh! So pretty!" Victoria smiled, holding her fan up to hide her huge smile.
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2017 11:16 pm
She scowled at him from beneath the sheer material of her veil, his disappearance had her in a foul mood. She didn't want to discipline him in front of her sister however, so she tempered her rage by staring him down while they traveled back to the castle. She failed to notice her sister's amusement and, of course, had felt that it was a flower he'd slipped behind her ear. For the sake of appearances, she left it there until they'd returned to the castle. Once there she stepped off of the carriage and turned to fix him with another dirty look. "Follow me." Then she strode off towards her rooms, trusting that he'd do as he was told. She was so worked up that she forgot to bid her sister farewell, or even forgot that she'd been with her at all. Ever since he'd dared to kiss her hand again, she'd found it difficult to focus on any one thing before her thoughts were pulled inexorably back to him. She shut and locked the door after allowing him to pass through and then turned towards him furiously. On the ride home, she'd thought of all the ways she could punish him for his disobedience. Digging her nail into his hand hadn't been enough, and his reaction to it only served to stir her up further at the time. She slapped him twice, with such force that she'd managed to hurt her own hand unintentionally. "What is wrong with you?!" She hissed at him and crossed her arms. "Who just goes off without saying anything and gets lost, like a ninny chasing a butterfly?! What money did you purchase this with?! Are you trying to buy my favor?" She removed the flower from its place behind her ear to show it to him as she asked.
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