Slave meets king

The man looks bored. A beauty is trying to whisper something into his ear, but no words could reach him. Because the king is empty on the inside. He has nothing to wish for. Because there is nothing he doesn't have already.

Until his eyes fall on one of the slave girls that were brought to him as a coronation gift. They all look small and pathetic; terrified.

Except for this one. Her eyes don't fall to the ground when he notices her. She does not tremble or turn.

She stares at him. Her eyes holding a fire that burns him inside. Excitement. It's been too long since he felt that.

#One day earlier#

The old ship tilts as the sea attempts to drown the sinners that took refuge on it. Astrid smiles at the thought.

"God, if you hear us. Sink this ship and let the screams of those animals be the last thing I hear!" The beautiful woman prays out loud looking straight at the captain.

One of his loyal monkeys takes a step toward her.

"Let her be. If God would listen to her she wouldn't be here." The captain stops his man with a bored tone in his voice.

Astrid bites her tongue. It is true. If God would be out there, she would be home with her family. Laughing with her brothers as her mother makes dinner while singing their old song. Her father would read his book near the big window and smile from time to time looking at them. Now they are all dead. Only unlucky Astrid is alive.

A solitary tear falls on the wet floor. It gets lost through the many other before it. A lot of women cried here. A slave ship has this curse.

"Astrid... They will kill you if you talk like that!" Lanna whispers, pinching her arm.

"I can only hope they do." Astrid answers with venom in her voice. How can Lanna be quiet now? They both lost their parents in the same way. Murdered by those animals. Now they have to bow to them?

A thunder pulls her out of her dark thoughts. She is terrified by them.

"We are almost there. And just in time. They started the celebration." The captain says looking out of the window.

The girls huddle together to see the outside.

Astrid turns her head in the opposite direction. She wants nothing to do with whatever they're seeing. But the excited screams and whispers make her curious. She takes a peak.

The sky is covered in shining flowers. They appear and disappear with a rumble of loud thunder.

Dragons fly in between them. Dancing in between the colorful flames.

Their beauty is undeniable. But so is the fear they bring. They are creatures of destruction.... and no beauty can hide that.

The dance is over when they arrive in port. It is quite late. The celebrations will continue tomorrow.

They are chained and guided towards a small building close by.

Astrid doesn't fight it. What's the point? They are here. In their land.

A few older women take the girls in to make them presentable. They even act king when they untie their hands. But there is no kindness in their job.

"Look at the state of them! Why don't those savages understand that they need to bring them in good condition?" One of them whispers to another.

"Hush and do your job! It doesn't matter anyway. The king already has enough beautiful women. And with better blood. These will be just servants."

This is Astrid's only hope. To never have to meet the cruel king. Or if she meets him... to have a knife to slit his throat.

They are stripped of anything they came with. They are washed thoroughly. No piece of dirt on their bodies. No trace of home. They are left an entire hour to soak in warm rose water before being covered in fragrant lotions. Their hair is combed in complicated braids and their faces are painted black and red. The colors of the dragons. The colors of death and fire.

"Dress them quickly!" Someone screams as the first ray of sunshine comes through the windows. "He has arrived!"

"But we don't need to present them until noon!" The oldest woman says, looking at the girls and then at the man that just came in. He is dressed in golden clothes and wears a tall hat. the woman bows deeply.

"The king already rejected the first three sets. It took him seconds." The man says not looking too surprised.

"All the beauties from east, west and south?" The woman asks with her voice barely hiding her fear. "But they were... The north is the last..."

"Doesn't matter! The king does as he pleases. And by the look of it. Those will become sacrifices for the dragons too..." He answers looking at the trembling girls in front of him.

"We will die? I thought we are going to become servants?" One of the girls asks and the man answers with a knowing smirk.

"Get them ready. We leave in ten minutes!" He orders as he gets out.

The next few minutes are a mess. the women are screaming at the girls, the girls are crying. No one wants to get dressed to go to their deaths.

Except for Astrid. For the first time in days, she's excited. She will soon join her family.

After being forcefully dressed, they are pushed into carriages. Some cry, some pray, some simply wait in silence. Such a difference in between the slave girls and the people already celebrating their new king in the streets. I guess is fair... They have no reason to fear or hate him. They are just happy they have a reason to drink.

"Astrid..." Lanna calls her while taking her hand. "I am scared."

"Death will free us, Lanna." Astrid answers, comforting her only friend.

"But death will not come quickly. It will come by fire and pain."

The two girls just stare at each other. They can do nothing. Just wait.

Once arrived at the palace, they are given no time to admire the golden halls that will become their coffin. The opulence, the luxury. Breathtaking, but cold as the souls that own it.

They are all rushed in the throne room, right in the middle. They are sorted, the tall ones in the back, the more beautiful ones in the middle. They are ordered to kneel down with their heads on the ground and wait for the king to come.

And in that uncomfortable position, they sit for an hour.

Some servants whisper. The king got bored and left with his favorite woman. The mother of his heir. The most beautiful woman in the empire. But still... just another slave at his mercy.

Astrid sighs. Her father was a priest of the old ways. He thought her that life, whether we want it or not is a gift from God. There is no forgiveness for the ones that end it themselves. She thought at the time that that's beautiful. It has a meaning. Now... She hates it. The idea of betraying her father's faith is the only thing that kept her from taking her own miserable life.

"His Majesty, King Loras!" A guard announces and a deadly silence falls over the room.

Astrid sneaks a peek at the man that takes his seat on the throne. He is tall, with broad shoulders and a strong body. The only way a warrior king can be. But all of that can be expected. What Astrid didn’t expect is his face. Not beautiful in a common way. The lines are not soft, the eyes are not clear. His long hair falls in a wild cascade under the heave crown that rests on his forehead. He looks like... and old god.

Astrid scolds herself. How can she admire such a man? The man that is at fault for her family's death.

Her eyes burn with hate. She disregards all orders and keeps her head straight. She will die anyway, but she won't die with her head down.

But something unbelievable. The king rises his eyes. And looks straight at Astrid. The world stops as they both stare at one another.

The king gets up from his throne and slowly comes down the stairs. Astrid's heart is shaking at each of his steps, but she won't move her eyes.

She prays death will be fast.

But it isn't. Fate doesn't offer her this kindness.

Instead, the king grabs her chin and forces her to get up.

With a smirk on his face, he looks at her up and down. Astrid holds her breath, as everyone else around, it seems.

"You are mine now!" He says and with that seals her fate.

The entire court gasps as they all look at Astrid.