Chapter 2-
I know we have reached our destination because the boat has stopped rocking. The men have been moving back and forth on the deck for a while now and there has been a lot of shouting. Most of the women have been huddled together and crying since the boat stopped moving, but some of us stand still and try to listen as closely as we can. “What do you think they are going to do to us?” The youngest amongst us and my bunk mate Ava asks. She is tall for her age, a few inches taller than me so I would guess around 5’8, she is slender and wears her long black hair in a braid. Ava has lovely pale skin and beautiful blue eyes. I am just as frightened as the other women, but I don’t want her to feel more afraid, so I try to comfort her.
I smile and act calm like I know we will be alright when there is no earthly reason to think that we will be. All I can do is observe and try my best to stay alive. I quickly took to Ava; she reminds me of my little sister Anne back home they both share a quiet, shy disposition and Anne’s eyes are a lovely blue like Ava’s, they are also both sixteen. “It’s going to be okay we are together, and they haven’t done anything too horrible to us yet. I will protect you.” I say in my calmest voice. I know I have no business promising her anything.
I can’t protect myself let alone anyone else, but I feel bound to her. I will do what I can to protect her. We hear footsteps stop above us and the hatch being lifted at the top of the stairs; they are coming for us. I suddenly feel like I can’t breathe, and Ava grabs my hand. I give her a small reassuring smile and straighten my spine I will be strong I tell myself. “Ladies we have reached the shore. Stand in a straight line and follow me off the ship. Don’t get any ideas about running off; I promise we will catch you and you will be punished. This transition will be orderly. Any disobedience will result in swift and severe consequences.”
The commander looks fierce as he speaks to us. He is the type of man even if I were not in chains I wouldn’t challenge. He’s enormous, very tall and strongly built, although all of the men on the ship and at the camp are larger than any man I have ever seen. Maybe they are warrior giants from far away who have come to capture slaves. The commander has a sword and whip at his side that I’m sure he has made use of before, these items along with his demeanor make me fearful to disobey.
We all lined up trembling following his orders. Ava’s behind me and we are situated towards the front middle of the line. When we walked off the ship, I noticed a lot more men and large horse pulled carts all lined up. The men look like the commander’s soldiers on the ship. All of them holding a large stature either sitting on horses or standing near the carts and all with some form of weapon, the sight of them is disheartening.
Looking out into the crowd that has obviously been waiting for us to arrive I notice there are no feminine faces among them, not even one. The men stare at us all hungrily, making my skin crawl. The warrior like men all seem very serious no longer having side conversations but eyeing every one of us women as we walked toward them. Although they do have a hardness about them and are very intimidating, they were all also very handsome. What a strange sight, this large group of men who look as if they want to kill and eat us, but also wear such lovely features. This must be what the devil looks like, deceiving you with his beauty before taking your soul.
As we neared the wagons the commander met with a man and shared a seemingly serious conversation, this man stood above the commander and held a slightly larger frame. As I got a better look at his face, I noticed he was exceedingly handsome, possibly the most beautiful man I had ever seen. His eyes were dark almost black, and his hair a sandy blonde color hanging long down his back. His jaw is sharp and defined with full lips and a short blonde beard covering the lower half of his face. He finished his conversation with the commander and ushered us forwards and into the wagons.
As we walked in line past him, he seemed to study each woman, but not with the same hungry gaze as the other men. When Ava and I walked past him, his eyes met mine and for a second my chained feet stopped moving. I felt a chill run down my spine and my heart began racing. I quickly broke the contact between us and continued my march. It almost felt like my body was betraying my mind, knowing this man must be dangerous but being drawn to him all the same. I feel little tingles all through my body as I continue to walk forward. Why won’t my heart stop pounding?
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The strange strong men began loading us into the horse drawn wooden carts by groups. I hear chains clinking followed by a thud behind me and turned my head. One of the women had tried to escape but was slammed down to the ground almost immediately. Where did she think she would go? We are surrounded by warrior men, the ocean and woods. The commander stepped forward grabbing the woman whose name I believed to be Missy making an announcement. “You will all learn a lesson now. Disobedience will be punished!” Missy was thrown to the ground and her robe ripped from her earing the cheers of the men surrounding us as her breasts were exposed.
I grabbed onto Ava’s hand and told her not to watch. She received three lashes from the whip each one bringing out an agonizing cry from her. When the commander was finished whipping her, he covered her exposed body and carried her to the cart we had been settled into. The commander stood and called out. “Let this be a warning to you all. We cannot guarantee your safety if there is chaos. Follow orders and you will not be harmed.” This man must be crazy, talking about how he will guarantee of our safety, how can he speak such nonsense when we are chained like animals after being stolen from our homes.
My entire existence feels like chaos right now. After everyone was loaded and I settled in I took a deep breath, I definitely won’t be running, at least not until these chains are off and there are fewer wild men surrounding me. I was surprised to see furs in the cart for us to cover with it is definitely much colder here than home with the frost hanging in the air, it was an unexpected kindness. Missy was seated next to Ava and I, we helped her get settled in and covered in furs. Ava held her hand while she cried in my lap, I brush her hair with my fingers until Missy drifted off. The ride was long but silent all of us taking in the new scenery and wondering what our fate would be. Who were these brutes of men were that had stolen us, and what did they want with us?