peaches & cream 12. poison ivy // wedding cake 4. maid of honor
TITLE: Bliss By Any Other Name.
AUTHOR: Shrimp
CHALLENGE: peaches and cream. wedding cake (flavor of the month). pocky chain.
WORD COUNT: 1,110
RATING: PG
NOTES: Pocky chain on the character of Bliss explaining her past and such. Next I'll do one for Addison.
“Bliss, Bliss, look at me for a moment,” Sen said, her voice cracking with nerves.
“What is it, Ahma?” The child asked as her mother placed hands on each side of her face. Sen stared intently into her little girl’s eyes hoping that what she had glimpsed was a mistake. “Ahma?”
“Nothing, little one,” her mother responded in a low voice as she released Bliss. She watched as the girl frolicked off and slowly slid to a seat on the ground. Silently she cried. She would take Bliss to Warmund as soon as possible. He would know what to do.
***
Bliss squirmed in her seat anxiously. Try as she might she couldn’t focus on what Warmund was saying to her. Her eyes kept darting to the window where warm light filtered in. She could hear the other children playing in the courtyard. She wanted to play! Why did she always have to spend her days learning things? She bit her lip a turned her attention back to the lesson. It was all so boring and there was so much of it. She wished she was allowed to write it down instead of just listening and repeating. History was so boring!
***
“I’d like to play,” Bliss called to the group of children that were gathered in the center of Yzgar Home. They stopped their innocent chattering and looked at her strangely.
“Why?” One of them asked after a time. Bliss frowned.
“Because it seems fun,” she responded.
“You don’t know how to play. Go back to Poypa and the other old ones!” A second child called harshly. Bliss took a small step backwards and watched helplessly as the children ran away in their games. With heavy eyes she did as they said and walked slowly back to Warmund and her lessons.
***
“You can’t let it happen, Poypa! You can’t let them put her to auction!” It was her mother’s voice.
”Calm down. You’re too old to refer to me as ‘poypa’.” That was Warmund. “And we can’t stop them from offering her any more than we could have stopped her from growing up.”
“But she isn’t grown!”
“Grown enough, I’m afraid.”
Bliss eavesdropped on the conversation between her mother and her teacher. She pulled her knees to her budding chest and stared at the floor. She would be sold soon. She might get taken far away. Secretly, she hoped for it.
***
“That one.”
“That one?”
“Yeah, that one.”
“But she’s so… flat.” Bliss scowled at the two men who were appraising her as she stood before them. Couldn’t they have spoken about her when she wasn’t present? And what did he mean ‘flat’?
“True. But she’s pretty. In a way, anyway. Can’t put my finger on it. I want her.” She didn’t like the way the man stared at her as he handed his gold over. For the first time in her life she was grateful that she hadn’t been deemed pretty enough to be that sort of slave. “Let’s go.”
***
“What’s your name?” An older woman asked as soon as the man had closed the door to the slave’s quarters.
“Bliss.” There were a few snickers from the other young women present. Despite that there was no hostility in the air. Bliss relaxed slightly.
“Don’t worry, it’s not bad here,” the older one reassured. “I’ve been sold a few times in my day and I’d count this among my favorites.” Bliss nodded a little.
“That’s good.”
“Sweetheart,” the woman whispered, stepping closer and placing a hand underneath Bliss’s chin, “what’s wrong with your eyes?”
“It’s just how they are.”
“Amazing.”
***
“What did he just do?” Caly asked, peering over Bliss’s shoulder to see what had been handed to her. Bliss fidgeted away and faced her.
“He gave me a coin.” She opened her hand and there sat a small rust colored circle. Caly stared at it with wide eyes.
“Why?” She inquired. Bliss shrugged.
“I let him kiss me.” She continued at Caly’s incredulous look. “I told him, there are girls for that already. He said he wanted to do it to me even though it was against the rules.” She shrugged again. “He gave me a coin for it.”
***
After the last light had gone out Bliss sat up in her cot. When she was sure that no one was awake she stood swiftly and padded over to the window. She placed her forehead against the glass and closed her eyes. Bliss stayed like that until she had recited the prayers she had learned as a child. Each and every one of them cycled through her mind. Her life had taken her far from the slave tower but she refused to forget the things that had been instilled in her there. If she forgot then what did she have?
***
“I hope it doesn’t bother you when I tell people I own you. I don’t really think I own you. It’s just…” Addison trailed off as he tried to soothe his guilty conscience.
“It’s just easier. I know,” Bliss assured him, smiling at the look of relief that came to his face. “Besides, they’d probably just take me as their own.”
“Good point. Heh, guess I’m sort of saving you every time I say it then!” He said as if he had caught on to a big secret.
“You’re my knight in dirty tunic, Addison. You really and truly are.”
***
“She isn’t a gypsy. She’s an Yzgar,” Reynard said with his usual deadpan seriousness. Bliss stood behind him shakily, holding the place on her arm where the man had grabbed her angrily.
“Yzgar, gypsy, whatever you call her she’s still a slave.” The man fell backwards as Reynard’s fist collided with his chin. The man scrambled to his feet, huffed a curse at Reynard, and then scurried away.
“You need to stay close to me and Addison,” he said calmly before walking back towards the horses. Bliss stared at him as he walked before following close to his side.
***
“Stop,” Reynard snapped. He had his hand on her shoulder and pinned to the wall. His grip was strong but she didn’t struggle against it. She looked into his eyes, holding his gaze with her own hypnotic stare. She watched him swallow heavily and attempt to keep his mind clear. She smiled and leaned in, wrapping her arm around his neck to keep her balance.
“Jealous?” She drawled coyly into his ear. He let go and shoved her away before heading towards his room. “Men,” she said to herself with a disapproving shake of her head. They were so primitive.
AUTHOR: Shrimp
CHALLENGE: peaches and cream. wedding cake (flavor of the month). pocky chain.
WORD COUNT: 1,110
RATING: PG
NOTES: Pocky chain on the character of Bliss explaining her past and such. Next I'll do one for Addison.
“Bliss, Bliss, look at me for a moment,” Sen said, her voice cracking with nerves.
“What is it, Ahma?” The child asked as her mother placed hands on each side of her face. Sen stared intently into her little girl’s eyes hoping that what she had glimpsed was a mistake. “Ahma?”
“Nothing, little one,” her mother responded in a low voice as she released Bliss. She watched as the girl frolicked off and slowly slid to a seat on the ground. Silently she cried. She would take Bliss to Warmund as soon as possible. He would know what to do.
***
Bliss squirmed in her seat anxiously. Try as she might she couldn’t focus on what Warmund was saying to her. Her eyes kept darting to the window where warm light filtered in. She could hear the other children playing in the courtyard. She wanted to play! Why did she always have to spend her days learning things? She bit her lip a turned her attention back to the lesson. It was all so boring and there was so much of it. She wished she was allowed to write it down instead of just listening and repeating. History was so boring!
***
“I’d like to play,” Bliss called to the group of children that were gathered in the center of Yzgar Home. They stopped their innocent chattering and looked at her strangely.
“Why?” One of them asked after a time. Bliss frowned.
“Because it seems fun,” she responded.
“You don’t know how to play. Go back to Poypa and the other old ones!” A second child called harshly. Bliss took a small step backwards and watched helplessly as the children ran away in their games. With heavy eyes she did as they said and walked slowly back to Warmund and her lessons.
***
“You can’t let it happen, Poypa! You can’t let them put her to auction!” It was her mother’s voice.
”Calm down. You’re too old to refer to me as ‘poypa’.” That was Warmund. “And we can’t stop them from offering her any more than we could have stopped her from growing up.”
“But she isn’t grown!”
“Grown enough, I’m afraid.”
Bliss eavesdropped on the conversation between her mother and her teacher. She pulled her knees to her budding chest and stared at the floor. She would be sold soon. She might get taken far away. Secretly, she hoped for it.
***
“That one.”
“That one?”
“Yeah, that one.”
“But she’s so… flat.” Bliss scowled at the two men who were appraising her as she stood before them. Couldn’t they have spoken about her when she wasn’t present? And what did he mean ‘flat’?
“True. But she’s pretty. In a way, anyway. Can’t put my finger on it. I want her.” She didn’t like the way the man stared at her as he handed his gold over. For the first time in her life she was grateful that she hadn’t been deemed pretty enough to be that sort of slave. “Let’s go.”
***
“What’s your name?” An older woman asked as soon as the man had closed the door to the slave’s quarters.
“Bliss.” There were a few snickers from the other young women present. Despite that there was no hostility in the air. Bliss relaxed slightly.
“Don’t worry, it’s not bad here,” the older one reassured. “I’ve been sold a few times in my day and I’d count this among my favorites.” Bliss nodded a little.
“That’s good.”
“Sweetheart,” the woman whispered, stepping closer and placing a hand underneath Bliss’s chin, “what’s wrong with your eyes?”
“It’s just how they are.”
“Amazing.”
***
“What did he just do?” Caly asked, peering over Bliss’s shoulder to see what had been handed to her. Bliss fidgeted away and faced her.
“He gave me a coin.” She opened her hand and there sat a small rust colored circle. Caly stared at it with wide eyes.
“Why?” She inquired. Bliss shrugged.
“I let him kiss me.” She continued at Caly’s incredulous look. “I told him, there are girls for that already. He said he wanted to do it to me even though it was against the rules.” She shrugged again. “He gave me a coin for it.”
***
After the last light had gone out Bliss sat up in her cot. When she was sure that no one was awake she stood swiftly and padded over to the window. She placed her forehead against the glass and closed her eyes. Bliss stayed like that until she had recited the prayers she had learned as a child. Each and every one of them cycled through her mind. Her life had taken her far from the slave tower but she refused to forget the things that had been instilled in her there. If she forgot then what did she have?
***
“I hope it doesn’t bother you when I tell people I own you. I don’t really think I own you. It’s just…” Addison trailed off as he tried to soothe his guilty conscience.
“It’s just easier. I know,” Bliss assured him, smiling at the look of relief that came to his face. “Besides, they’d probably just take me as their own.”
“Good point. Heh, guess I’m sort of saving you every time I say it then!” He said as if he had caught on to a big secret.
“You’re my knight in dirty tunic, Addison. You really and truly are.”
***
“She isn’t a gypsy. She’s an Yzgar,” Reynard said with his usual deadpan seriousness. Bliss stood behind him shakily, holding the place on her arm where the man had grabbed her angrily.
“Yzgar, gypsy, whatever you call her she’s still a slave.” The man fell backwards as Reynard’s fist collided with his chin. The man scrambled to his feet, huffed a curse at Reynard, and then scurried away.
“You need to stay close to me and Addison,” he said calmly before walking back towards the horses. Bliss stared at him as he walked before following close to his side.
***
“Stop,” Reynard snapped. He had his hand on her shoulder and pinned to the wall. His grip was strong but she didn’t struggle against it. She looked into his eyes, holding his gaze with her own hypnotic stare. She watched him swallow heavily and attempt to keep his mind clear. She smiled and leaned in, wrapping her arm around his neck to keep her balance.
“Jealous?” She drawled coyly into his ear. He let go and shoved her away before heading towards his room. “Men,” she said to herself with a disapproving shake of her head. They were so primitive.