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 Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 8:17 am
The blue-gold mare waded out of the muddy shallows until the cold water touched her belly. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as the flow of the river cooled her aching legs and washed away the red mud that had encrusted itself up above her fetlocks. It had been a trying day, but it was over now; her work was done and soon she could go and sleep before it all had to begin again. She wished she had the courage to flee.
Giving a slightly less happy sigh this time, the Bae dipped her head down to the water’s surface and drank deeply, trying to focus on the moment and the pleasure of sating her thirst rather than thoughts of tomorrow and the day after and the day after and the day even after that... How it stretched out before her, her life that was, how it stretched.
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 8:27 am
Shaking himself out of his distant smiling, the curly-maned Bae realised that he was not alone. There before him was Eilir, the Bae girl he was supposed to breed with at some point. He hoped that the foals would be good ones; he didn’t want to disappoint Dahak with inferior stock.
“Evening,” he said to her after a moment, realizing that the other slave was lost in thought and had failed to notice him. If they were to be bred together some day he felt that he ought to make an effort to be friendly. For some reason this particular mare went all stammery around him, but he had heard that she was a nervous thing so it was probably nothing to worry about.
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 8:52 am
Eilir jumped at the voice and spun about as quickly as the water allowed. There before her stood Virgil, lovely soft-spoken Virgil with his mane all blown into disarray by the wind. “Umm... Hello there,” she managed eventually with a shy smile. “How’s your day been?” What a silly thing to ask. ‘How’s your day been’; honestly! Anything would have been better than that; she hadn’t seen him in ages and all she could come up with was asking him how he’d enjoyed taking orders and being treated like a possession all day? Idiot, idiot, idiot!
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 9:11 am
Virgil moved a little deeper into the river and gave the mare a half smile. “My day was good thank you,” he replied with a nod. Then, feeling he ought to add something more, “master Dahak was pleased with me... How was yours?” Not only was he interested for himself to find out a bit more about his future partner, but Dahak had been encouraging him to make more friends among the other slaves.
He hadn’t been asked to do this for his own happiness, he knew, but he didn’t mind that. If him being well-liked by others of his station brought the tall Jala some benefit or other then no effort was too great. Besides, he rather liked listening to other people; the only problem in the whole making friends game so far as he could see was the possibility of being asked questions which required long answers. He always seemed to run out of words if he had to talk for more than a minute or so at a go.
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 9:18 am
...Well he was an odd one, wasn’t he? She remembered now, the happiness he seemed to find in his work. She couldn’t understand it, especially as he’d been taken as an adult. How could anyone go from a life of freedom to slavery and like it? She couldn’t help but envy him a little; being satisfied with life would be wonderful. She hoped their foals would end up like him rather than like her.
“It was... it was alright, I guess,” the short-maned female said eventually. “Hard, long but I didn’t get into any trouble or anything so... Yes, I suppose it was alright...” And now she couldn’t think of a single thing more to say to him. Mind flailing in what she saw as an awkward silence, Eilir managed; “why was Dahak pleased with you?” Better than nothing, she supposed.
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 9:26 am
Virgil smiled and shifted his footing a little to let the water get underneath his hooves. “Got the last clump of sweetgrass for him,” the stallion said succinctly. A pause settled in the evening air then, and the blue-coated Bae lowered his head to take a drink and to give himself time to think of something else to say. They really were a pair of terrible conversationalists, but he couldn’t let that stop him... What had she given him to go on? Ah, yes, her day; obviously she didn’t like her position as a slave, he should ask her about that.
“So,” the curly-maned Bae said as he raised his head, “you... you don’t like being a slave do you? I mean... I think most people here don’t... could you tell me why?” It was probably a daft question, but better a daft question than no question at all. Besides, he did want to understand; he thought he had a vague idea of why but confirmation would be nice.
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 9:36 am
How was she to explain something to him that was so very obvious? “Well...” the gold mare peered uncertainly down at her reflection. “Because I’m not free,” she said slowly after a moment or two of looking at her close-cropped mane. “Because I’m treated like property,” she went on, raising her gaze to look at her companion once more. “Because... Because to the Katilenuck, I’m not a person. I’m just a... a... commodity.” He didn’t understand. She could see it in his eyes that he didn’t. How could so lovely and so intelligent a creature accept such treatment with a smile, with gratitude? ...Perhaps she could find out.
“Why do you like being a slave?” she asked, canting her head to one side as the cold water continued to flow about her; she’d have to get back onto dry land soon or she’d freeze. Still, she’d wait to hear the answer to her question first; perhaps if it was one she could understand she could learn to be happy with what life had thrown at her as well.
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 9:43 am
“Well I...” Virgil looked down at his reflection as Eilir had done a moment ago and gave a shake of his head. “I feel safe here I suppose; never did when I was ‘free’. I was always running, always scared... Then I met master Dahak.” The icy-coloured Bae raised his head to look up at the sky, a smile spreading across his muzzle. “He was like no other,” the slave said distantly. “He just... just assumed that I would follow him, and I did. He made me his property, his slave, his responsibility. He gave me protection and a purpose in life. I...” The Bae looked down again, smiled at Eilir and shook his head. “I cannot explain in words my gratitude to him. I am forever in his debt for what he has done for me, and so long as I can be near him I am content in my life.”
His words probably hadn’t made any sense to her at all, but that was alright. Dahak had said that friends did not have to comprehend all of one another’s hearts to be friends, and he was probably right. Dahak often seemed to be right, but even Virgil had to admit that his mater was not totally infallible. Not that he’d ever say that aloud, of course.
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 10:16 am
Ah. So that was it. A matter of heart. Eilir felt something inside her deflate with the realization and she turned to walk back onto the shore. He loved him. Anything that happened between Virgil and herself would, from the stallion’s point of view, would be to please his master. How had she not guessed it? She really was thick sometimes, wasn’t she? “I... see,” she said as she reached the bank and gave herself a good shake. “Well... well whatever makes you happy, I guess. Everybody’s different.”
Her voice sounded hollow even to her, and she didn’t doubt that the pale-maned stallion would pick up on it. She just had to hope he didn’t guess at the reason; she didn’t want him to know that she loved him, or thought she did at any rate. What else could the feeling be? Infatuation was possible, she supposed, but it had gone on for quite some time now and she was sure it went deeper than just a simple crush. He was everything she’d dreamed of in a stallion since being a filly; soft-spoken, kind, gentle, handsome... But he loved another, and was content with that one-sided love. Perhaps she would have to learn to do the same. There was much of how Virgil lived that she would have to learn to emulate if she wanted happiness.
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 10:36 am
Virgil sighed softly to himself and followed the other Bae out; he shouldn’t have told her, now she probably thought he was a traitor to all other slaves or something. Coming to a half some way off from the mare, the pale-eyed stallion gave himself a half-hearted shake. “It does make me happy,” he said uncomfortably once he’d finished. “I know... I know it isn’t normal but I can’t help... can’t help the way I feel.” He hoped this hadn’t made her dislike him enough to try to get out of being paired with him when Dahak felt it was the right time; that would make the tall Jala angry and he didn’t want his master angry with him.
“I’m sorry if this changes how you think of me,” the white-winged Bae said softly, “but I can’t change my heart.” Wouldn’t even if he could. Even if all others scorned him for his feelings he would still have Dahak, and that would sustain him through all his days. He really was, Virgil considered with a sigh, a very odd Bae, but then love made everybody a bit daft, right? He hoped Eilir would understand that; he was coming to quite enjoy her company.
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 10:46 am
“No! Of course it doesn’t!” Of course it did. It made her want to be angry with him, want to hate him for not liking her instead... but she couldn’t do it, couldn’t resent the quiet stallion. That was love for you, she supposed, quite a debilitating condition, and one without a known cure. Oh what she would do have have him feel as though a day had been good merely because she’d smiled at and praised him. How did some arrogant, cruel and selfish Katilenuck b*****d deserve sweet Virgil’s affection? Not for the first time, Eilir lamented the unfairness of life in general.
“How do you do it?” the blue-eyed mare asked of her companion suddenly. “How do you find happiness in unrequited love?” She hoped he had an answer, and one she could use herself rather than one that just confused her. If he didn’t... well, it wasn’t like it would kill her; her life, such as it was, would go on. Great.
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 10:57 am
“Oh...” Virgil frowned for a moment before twitching his wings in a shrug. “The love I have for him doesn’t need to be returned,” he said softly. “It wouldn’t... it wouldn’t be right for him to adore me. He is... he is so high above me, I would not have him lower himself to my level. He is like the far off beauty of the stars, from a distance and far below I can love him but... but if he were to come to me I would be blinded by the light that shines from him. To me... to me, though unrequited, our love is perfect and exactly as it should be.” Wow, that had been quite a lot of words all in one go. He hoped she didn’t think the less of him for placing the Jala so high, he knew well that to her and most others they were scum but... “I suppose I’m just different,” the stallion said softly with another wing-shrug.
Yes. Different and happy that way; he couldn’t imagine anything in the world making him happier than he was now save more chances to do his master proud and to help him rise up in the world as he deserved to. Dahak had told him a couple of nights ago that he was a stallion who was going places. The Bae didn’t doubt him for a moment and couldn’t wait to see how his lord and love achieved his aims. Knowing the bright-coloured stallion as he did, the slave was in no doubt that it would be spectacular.
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 11:06 am
Well, though she vaguely understood what he meant it wasn’t something she could apply to her own situation. She supposed she’d have to figure out how to deal with her feelings on her own. “That... sort of makes sense,” the mare said eventually with a weak smile. “Still can’t understand why you feel like that but... well, like I say if it makes you happy then... then it’s alright, right?” Right. If he was happy then it was fine; she should just be happy that he was happy and that she could talk to him and be friends with him and that one day she would have foals with him. She was sure he would come to feel affection for her, and that would be better than nothing. Perhaps one day she would fall out of love with him and love another slave who loved her back. That would be nice.
Sighing to herself and flicking her damp tail the Bae turned her eyes up to the sky. “I should be getting back to the cave,” she said with a sigh. “If I don’t get to sleep soon I’ll probably fall asleep at work tomorrow and I don’t want to even think about what might be done to me if I did that...” She didn’t think Hera would have her seriously damaged, but she wasn’t sure and there were plenty of painful things that could be done to her without damaging her so much as to affect her efficiency. “So... So I’ll say good night then Virgil,” Eilir said with another weak smile. “I hope you rest well... and that tomorrow is good to you.”
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 11:16 am
Virgil returned the smile and nodded. “Yes, I had too; master Dahak will start to wonder where I am if I don’t hurry... And I hope tomorrow is good to you as well.”
As the mare bade him goodnight and walked away, Virgil gave a sigh and turned to head back to his master’s abode. She said it didn’t change how she looked on him but... but after he’d told her she’d seemed different. Perhaps it was just hard for her to get her head around and she had seemed distant due to confusion but... But he doubted it. His feelings for his master did upset her, or anger her, or something like that and it was a shame. True she still seemed to be willing to be friends but... but she didn’t like that he loved the Jala who had claim over his life. Still, there was nothing he could do about that.
Sighing again to himself and flicking some water from his wings, the dark-coated stallion hoped that the other Bae didn’t tell too many people. Some, he suspected, might not be quite so tolerant of his feelings as she was. The retribution of an owner for sleeping on the job, he felt, would be nothing compared to the retribution of a crowd of other slaves for falling for what they saw as the enemy. An owner wanted to keep you alive and working. Fellow slaves on the other hoof... Virgil shook his head to himself and picked up his pace to a trot, hoping fervently that his heart didn’t get him into too much trouble in the days to come.
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