One of a Kind

Chapter 9: Three Years Later

I cringed. It hurt. It really hurt. And I thought that after these years it would get easier. That even the people who owned me would get better. They hadn't. And nor had my slavery.

I had been bought by a lord from Wrynica. His wife took me over almost as soon as I arrived. She had be chopping wood, sharpening and polishing the lord's weapons, and worst of all, she had me do the work of all the maids so that she could dismiss all of them so as not to have to pay them.

Not to mention their kids. I was also forced to pick up after them. They left stuff all over the floor. It's what I was doing right now.

"Martha! There's another slave sale today! I was going to go into town to get another!" the lord shouted. I cringed at the sound of the word slave. Even though my owners didn't know I was the Neko because of my very keen hiding skill, they still liked it when I played cats and such with their youngest kids. Now, it seemed they needed another slave to help because the kids found I was a more convincing cat then most would guess and brought me around town with them.

"Alright, but take the slave we already own with you. He needs his time to get to know the town so that I can send him on errands," the mistress called back. I cringed and stood, brushing off my hands. I left the room I was cleaning and grabbed the masters coat for him. I hated having the job of a butler.

"Also, don't forget to buy the stake. We're having guests from another kingdom here after all," she shouted again. I was busy helping the master put his coat on and noticed him roll his eyes. I knew he hated his wife because it was an arranged marriage but he could at least hide it better.

I followed him out into town. We walked down streets till we got a the square by the harbor. It was packed with people all crowding around a raised platform. I looked at the boys and girls lined up on that platform. I remembered the day I had been on the platform. Thank god the guys selling me didn't say I was a Neko. And they called me a village boy too. I guess that was their way of letting me of easy since I saved their lives during the journey to this country.

"Alright! Next up we have a boy from the country once over! He's a farm lad whose family wanted to get rid of him so they sold him to us! Any bidders?" the seller called. I looked at the boy. We had passed over most of the slaves at this point and he was one of the last ones. I looked at him and saw in his face what was in mine the day I was on the block. I knew what my face looked like because I never hid what my emotions were but it seemed this boy was the opposite.

"Sir, this is the one," I said. The lord looked at me and the way I was watching the boy. He nodded to me and I knew he understood my meaning. I needed a friend as much as I needed a partner and that was easiest when you had something in common with the other person aside from being slaves.

"I'll bid five hundred!" he called. Everyone turned to look at him. There were a bunch of people at the edges of the square, watching. I knew that they wouldn't bid because they were from other countries but it seemed as if judgement was all they cared about.

There was one man wearing a blindfold over his eyes. I assumed that meant he was blind. And his colors were the colors of my old kingdom. I wished I could have talked to him but that wasn't an option. Besides, I had to get the slave for my master since he didn't feel like doing it.

"Going once! Going twice! Sold to our richest lord!" he called and I walked through the crowd and stopped in front of the boy. I held out my hand to him and carefully helped him off the stage. I didn't know what condition he was in but it wouldn't help for me to be mean to him right away if we were going to work together.

"Come on Yuri! We haven't got all day!" master shouted at me. I looked over at him and nodded. I turned in the money to the man and maneuvered back toward the master and then back toward the house. I noticed the man next to the blind man watching me with intent curiosity. I was pleasantly confused. Why so interested in me?