Noble Farmer

by A W Sheffield

  “Goodness no,” the Lord beside my asshat of a relative said. “They are put up for auction right away. Has one caught your interest?”

  “Yes, as a matter of fact.” I pointed to the wagon. “The one three in are the far side. I have seen that one before, but I don’t remember where.”

  “Ah yes, her, she is my contribution.” Lord Aerathrel stated. “A beastkin of Lion descent, I must have been in my cups when I purchased her. A terrible slave, even with a controlling device.” He turned in his chair to look at me, “had you wished to purchase her, you should have mentioned it before we came.”

  Fucking bastard. I was seething on the inside, “well, I might have to place a bid when she fails, I might even save some coin on the purchase.”

  Luckily the next contestant took the field and I singled for Brandon. “Did you tell everyone?”

  “Yes, milord. We are awaiting your word. Fank is on the wagon, ready to move.”

  I nodded at the boy. “Good.” I stood and acted like I was stretching and moved back to the corner of the room. “That beastkin girl, the lion one, do you know her?”

  “Yes, she is very nice to me, always looked out for me when the others would pick on me.”

  “You think she would want to leave this land?”

  He smiled up at me as he was picking up what I was putting down. “Oh yes, milord, she hates it here just as much as I do.” I mashed his hair and dismissed him.

  Returning to my seat, Aerathrel said without drawing his attention from the arena. “You should not give them hope, they will become unruly and then you will take a hit, financially when you have to send them to the mines.”

  “There is a saying where I come from, it is better to train a horse with a gentle hand than it is with a whip.”

  “Yes, we have a saying much like that as well. But fear, is a much better weapon than love.”

  “I will think on your advice, Lord.” I was done conversing with him, and as I saw the female slave pulled down from the wagon, I knew where I needed to go. “When is Ayl’s turn?”

  “Two more...oh look at that, she completely missed the target. Burihel will not be happy with that.” I watched long enough for the Lion girl to get kicked squarely in the stomach, but then she turned it up. She rolled with the kick and came to her feet in a fighting stance. The look on the Elf Maiden’s face was priceless.

  The slave stalked the elf, and she started to miss more and more targets. But the closer the slave got, the more the elf shimmied away, then she pounced. Like a savage beast, she threw herself at the elf like an animal, swinging the wooden sword in a skilled display. Even I was impressed, more so that the elf had managed to evade each strike. She had even given up the entire contest as she had to put her all into avoiding the hits. Until I felt something shoot up my arm, like a tingling memory from when I tried to touch the enchanted armor.

  The beastkin fell face first on the ground, and this time the crowd yelled their approval to the maiden in the arena. But I sat speechless, blinking my eyes, trying to turn the imagine I just saw into a mental picture. Like when lightning burns into your mind’s eye. I saw the hint of the spark that slammed into the back of the beastkin’s head, and my heart sank. These elves were without honor, it was cheap, she would have won her freedom, but that was not what they wanted. I knew it more than ever before, my time on this island had come to an end.

  I stood and nodded to Brandon. “Gentle Elves, if you will excuse me, I will be seeing an elf about a new slave.”

  “I wish you luck, Human, she seems a handful.” The lord said.

  My father in law simply stated, “down the row, one right turn at the second intersection and you will see the platform. Do not dally, or you will miss my daughter’s victory.”

  “My lords.” I said and bowed my head. I did not wait for them to respond and hurried away from the Gentry Box. Brandon took the lead for he knew where to go, and I was perfectly happy following for the moment, trying to rein in my anger. By the time we made it to the auction, she was already up there, though she was unconscious and tied to a pole.

  The auctioneer was speed talking, but no one was bidding. So, I held my hand up. “I see ten silver, do I hear twelve.” You have to be fucking kidding me? Ten fucking silver, is her life worth so little?

  “Sold, ten silver! To the Human in the back.” And Elf came up to me and I paid, “you may pick her up in around back.”

  “Brandon, go get Fank.” And my deerkin was off.

  “You seem to have a liking for the beasts.” I female purred at me. I looked at her and what I saw with my brain was not what my eyes saw. As any elf, she was pretty, beautiful even, but there was a darkness behind it all. An evil radiated off of her that made my skin crawl.

  “They are hard workers.”

  “Yes, indeed they are, so are humans.” Her dark eyes traveled up and down my body. “I could make a fortune off of you at the pleasure house in Gorithia, should you ever get bored of being a Nobleman, come see me Lord Persik.”

  “Oh...kay.” I was about to move away from her when I saw the next slave that was brought up and I froze in my tracks. “No fucking way.” She was dirty, filthy, a shadow from the last time I saw her, just before I had run. But there was no mistaking that rabbit head and those pissed off red eyes.

  “Bidding starts a one hundred silver.” Someone raised their hand.

  Hand after hand was raised, as I looked up at Torga. She wobbled unsteadily on her feet, unlike the surefooted warrioress that I knew her to be. It must have been the Mind Fog Elixir. When the bidding hit a thousand silver, fewer hands were raised. When it hit fifteen hundred, I heard, “going once, going twice…”

  I raised my hand, it must have been the evil from the woman next to me, for I wanted Torga to pay for what they did to me. She may not have been the cause, but she allowed it to happen. Heads snapped back to see me with my hand raised when the auctioneer said, “do I hear sixteen hundred?”

  When another hand raised, I raised mine again and shouted in a clear voice. “Two thousand.”

  “I have two thousand from the Human Lord, do I hear more?” He looked over the crowd. “Going once, going twice, SOLD!”

  I wasn’t concerned, I had stopped by the bank for some spending silver and still had another four thousand left. “My Lord, this is a special creature, one that is…”

  “Extremely dangerous and will kill me if I am not prepared.” I finished for the elf, “trust me, I know. Tell me do you sell shackles and Mind Fog Elixirs?”

  Torga ended up costing me four thousand silver in the end, shackles, a controlling device and a crate of Mind Fog Elixir, I might have gone a little overboard, but I knew better than everyone here how dangerous she was. I just didn’t know what I was going to do with her. When we got the two slaves loaded up, I turned to Fank, “keep an eye on them, is this one starts to wake, feed her a potion. Fank, do not mess around with this, she can kill you in a blink of an eye.” I couldn’t stress it enough to him, and the simple said he would take care of it.

  We hurried back to the Gentry box, even running in the end when we heard the announcer calling for the Daughter of Aerathrel. Out of breath and sweating, I made it just in time to see Aylana take the arena floor. She had a determined look, but when she gazed back up at the box, I saw her smile as she made a sign with her drawing hand. With her thumb and pointer finger extended, like how earthlings made a gun, she slowly extended her pinky and kissed it. During the entire display, it was like her deep blue eyes were only for me.

  I didn’t know what to do, but I waved at her. “She is saying she is going to win this for you. To earn your love.” The Lord beside my father-in-law said. “It is an ancient sign of respect, and a binding. She is making it known that you are hers. A marking of her territory, if you will. Tastefully executed if I do say so myself.” Lord Aerathrel didn’t say a word, only looked down at his daughter as if the determination on his face could someho
w be passed to her.

  I smiled down at her and she removed her hand from in front of her. She nodded to the hype elf-man and put her game face on. She was so hot to me in this moment. I couldn’t pry my eyes from her even if I wanted to and as the first target appeared, she hit the very center of the red circle. “Hell yeah.” I shouted and half stood in my chair. Target after target I cheered for her, and as she made a spinning heel kick into the side of a slave’s head, she landed perfectly and loosed yet another arrow. She was deadly poetry in motion, and I was transfixed, then the last three slaves were released at once. “Wait, the hell? That’s cheating! HEY, WATCH OUT AYLANA!” I caught the reflection of metal and my heart sank, “IT’S A REAL BLADE!” I screamed out over the arena, but I didn’t have to worry, she was on it. Unlike the other elf maiden, my wife was a force to be reckoned with and she laid down the law. I cheered louder than before, when she dropped all three of them in an instant.

  My pride would not be contained, as I looked down at the Elf Lord, “that’s my wife.” He merely smiled and kept his attention on the display Aylana was making. With only two targets left, I saw her arm draw arm began to shake and I knew something wasn’t right, not when the shot went wide and struct the target in the arm. “She’s hurt!” My whole body locked up as she her face twisted in pain. I was gone, running for the door, the faces of the Elven Gentry watching me. Even her’s, fucking Lathura’s, and the bitch was smiling. But I would deal with her later, Aylana needed me, she was hurt and nothing would keep me from her.

  I was possessed, taking the stairs five at a time as I descended to the arena floor. The guards offered little resistance as I pushed passed them. By the time I got to the field, I saw her seated, tears were streaming down her hollow cheeks. My heart stopped thundering when I saw the older elf wrapping her arm. “It is a clean cut; you lost a good amount of blood and will need to take it easy for a while. Try not to move it as much as you can.”

  If she heard him, she gave no indication as she just stared at the wooden floor. I sat next to her, and was silent awhile. I just let her get it out as I put my arm around her and pulled her into me. She gave no resistance, we sat like that for a time, until I finally said. “Let’s go home.” I picked up her bow and quiver, after I shimmied her pack on my back. It was too big for me and it felt strange supporting the taller elf, but she didn’t weigh a thing and all too soon, we were headed back to the Lord’s house.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Aylana was silent for days, and I gave her as much comfort as she would allow.

  Then my asshat father-in-law returned in a huff. “Guards, to arms, seal the trees, no one leaves, no one enters. I am issuing Martial Law!”

  “Whoa, what happened?” He didn’t answer me for a time, only paced within the dining room.

  “I am ruined, that’s what happened, my debts have been called in and I will be forever known as the Elf who lost Aerathrel because of my gambling.” I had no kind words for him, it was his fault. “I was cheated, she scored a seventy-nine, and even you, A HUMAN, saw it. Had she made one more bullseye, I would have won. The Scandal!”

  “You mean she would have won.” His head snapped my way. “Your daughter, Aylana would have won. Not you.” He drew up to his full height, as did I. I had enough of his selfish ways, if it came to a fight, I knew I could kick his pampered ass. “So, they cheated, so what? Your daughter was hurt, and you are here raging about how they cheated you.” I shook my head in disgust. I knew I should have packed and rolled back to Atheria when the getting was good, now we were stuck here, with this gambling asshat.

  “How dare you speak…”

  “HOW DARE YOU! You are the worst example of a father I have ever seen. Have you once inquired on how she is? NO, the hell you have not.” My hands twisted into fists. “And I am calling in my debt as well. You owe me another thousand silver; I will take it now in the form of travel across the channel.”

  “I have declared Martial Law; the port will be sealed! You imbecile.” He turned from me and stormed away.

  Three days had passed and I was growing bored. I had checked on Aylana and my slaves as much as possible, but I knew I was not helping them. They were scared, just as much as I was. We could have been in Atheria by now, but Lord Pissy Pants wasn’t having it.

  That night the scouts spotted the incoming army. We were seated for the evening meal, when the messenger ran in. “Lord, they are just within the border. Two days march and they will be here. Your orders sire?”

  “Assemble the army, archers to the trees, I want scouting reports every hour, on the top of the hour. If a bird snores at night, I want to know about it.” The soldier saluted and headed off. I was left to finish dinner alone, as the Aerathrel family readied themselves for war. It was not lost me on that Aylana too, have sought to ready herself. When I finished my dinner, I headed straight to the room. But she was not there, and I stood upon the balcony, overlooking the city as the Elven soldiers marshaled. Husbands kissed wives, children gripped at parents legs. It was hard to watch, and could only wonder if that would be my family’s fate one day.

  The night was beautiful, grey clouds crawled across the sky, highlighted by silvery glow of the full moon. A million stars twinkled in the inky blackness of space and a warm breeze made the leaves rustle, it was a pretty song. One I would have loved to share with Aylana.

  “Jaeger.” I had been so caught up in the moment, I didn’t hear our door shut. She came to stand before me in the moons light. One half of her face was silvery pretty, the other cast in darkness. She seemed taller in armor, and she was striking. Her blue eyes were a lighter shade in the moonlight, but there was a sadness within them that made my heartache. I could feel it radiating off of her like heat from a fire. There was a shyness about her, coupled with the green stained leather armor, it made her almost look innocent. She was a goddess, a vision, a nerd dream so stunning I never wanted it to end. “I need to leave...with the other archers.”

  “No, you don’t, stay here with me.” I was mesmerized by my wife.

  “I wish for nothing more than to be with you now. Alas, I must answer my father’s call.” Her hands took mine and she said with an emotional voice, “had I known this would happen, I would not have acted thus, these last few days. You have been nothing but kind to me, compassionate, and caring, you deserve a better wife than me.”

  There was moisture on the brim of her lower eyelids. I held her gaze as I said, “no, I deserve you.” She squeezed my hands in gratitude. “You will always be my wife first, Aylana, forever.” I let go of her hands and wiped the unshed tears from her eyes. “My beautiful wife, I wish I could go with you, but I would only hinder you. I would not want to be the cause of your or my death.” It was more hers than mine, she was a badass, I wasn’t.

  “We face a mighty force, this will be a hard won fight. I fear death with come for me. Should that happen, you need to run, take only what you can carry and run. Don’t look back, not even for me.”

  I had to get her out of this mind set, she could not give up now. “Death will not come for you, you are too strong.”

  “Death comes for us all, the strong and weak alike. Whether in this moment or cycles from now. It will come for me, as it will for you.”

  “Maybe one day, but not now.” I said, firming up my resolve. “And when that time comes, I will be here, right beside you. You have my word.” She leaned down and kissed me, it had been the first time in weeks, and this was no peck on the cheek. There was a stirring within me. Once our lips parted, I whispered, “I never want this moment to end. Please, Aylana, don’t go. We can leave, you don’t need to go. This is your father’s fight, not yours. You have nothing to do with this. We can...” She kissed me again, silencing me, and the stirring became stronger, a yearning so deep I felt a tingling in my toes.

  “Be well, my Jaeger.” She said as she pulled away. “My Noble Farmer.”

  As she was about to walk out the door, I called h
er. “Aylana Persik.” She stopped and looked back over her armored shoulder. With my thumb and pointer fingers extended, I brought them up to my face. Slowly, I extended my pinky and kissed it. The tears rushed to her eyes once more and she gave me a pitiful, but happy smile before she ran through the door. I knew she felt to keep from me seeing her break down again. For I felt the emotion within her, mirroring my own. It had been the most romantic moment of my life, just her and me on this balcony on such a beautiful night. And like an idiot, I had missed my chance to tell her how I really felt about her. Maybe I would never get the chance to.

  The city seemed deserted during Martial Law, for days it had been this way, for only those with business were allowed to move about the trees or even out of their homes at all. I on the other hand, was a lord, special privileges bitches! I spent most of my time in the training yard and the near empty armory. I practiced my archery with Aylana’s old recurve bow, and used one of the older rusted swords to go through my forms. After the first week, the wounded started to arrive, and my help was needed in the medical tent. I did all I could for those with minor injuries, and the medics had expressed more than once their gratitude for my help.

  I was patching up on soldier, cleaning the wound and applying a pressure bandage, when he moaned. “They are pushing us back, where are the reinforcements? The Lord has forsaken us!” His cries could be heard by everyone and more than a few of the elven warriors looked down at their feet. “Fight, FIGHT for your lives, for we will find no quarter, only death!”

  A maiden came over and held a cup up to his mouth, more trying to down his words than for any real need for water. The soldier choked and spat the water up, but finally passed out. She left me as silently as she had arrived, and I had never felt this somber in all my life. Hope was a fantasy and they weren’t just losing it, it packed it bags and left days ago.