Bound By Chains (BxB) (Old Version)

Chapter Six

The coming day was rather...strenuous for us slaves, seeing as we had to prepare for the celebratory dinner. When we had arrived the day before, after Cayden and Maryanna decided to wed, King Alton announced that the war between the North and West Kingdoms were finally ending, which inevitably caused the people to go crazy with cheers and shouts of joy. I could still faintly hear the ringing in my ears, even after a day had passed. And after the immense amount of praise King Alton received for ending the war, the wizened man had decided to have a celebratory dinner, to commemorate this so called joyous occasion. Finally, after sixteen years of battle, each kingdom was finally laying down arms; greeting with handshakes instead of weapons. 

I should have been happy about it, but I honestly did not care. I was a slave, so such trivial things such as that, was not my problem. What was my problem, was how many trays of steaming hot food I had to carry into the large dining hall. My arms were sore, as were my legs, and I felt like I was past the point of exhaustion, ready to pass out. But I knew that I could not do that. I had to stay awake, despite my body's tiredness.

After setting a tray of sweetened treats onto one of the large tables, I heaved a sigh and made my way back into the kitchen. Slaves ran back and forth, cooking and transferring meals between rooms. No one was resting, for no one was wanting to risk getting a whipping. I did not blame them, either. I had been whipped plenty of times in my past, and none of those times were particularly pleasant.

My back ached at the mere thought. I gave a brief smile at the half-human who had handed me a tray filled with various meats, and trekked back to the giant dining hall to set it onto a table. I turned to journey back to the kitchen, when I bumped into someone and stumbled back, only to be caught by whomever I had bumped into. When I looked up, my heart dropped when I caught sight of Prince Cayden staring at me, a dark brow raised as I righted myself. I immediately lowered my gaze, dreading what the other man was about to say.

"I-I apologize, Your Highness. I-I did not see you there. I p-promise it shall never happen again-"

Cayden waved his hand, making me snap my mouth shut, staring intensely at my feet. "It's alright. It was an accident. Now, have you seen my father? We were supposed to speak about a problem that has risen, but that man avoids me."

"I-I'm afraid I have not, Your Highness. Would you like for me to search for him?"

Cayden shook his head, and when I glanced up through my lashes, a pout was formed on his lips. "No. I will search for him myself. You will return to your duties and help the other slaves set the tables. And Davian? See to it that you watch where you go. I wouldn't want another problem to arise."

When he walked off, I let out a breath I did not know I was holding. I thought that I was most definitely getting a whipping when I realized I had unceremoniously bumped into him. What was I thinking by not paying any attention to where I was walking? I could have been whipped and locked up for...well...years. But...Cayden pardoned me, and I was so very thankful for that. Surprised, but thankful.

I dragged a hand down my face, my heart still beating hard in my chest before I made my way back into the kitchen to continue helping with preparations.

 
By the time dinner came around, the dining hall was bustling with chatter and laughter, the large room full with nobles and high ranking officers from around the kingdom. I, along with a crew of slaves, were tasked with refilling our guests' glasses of wine. I was so tired, but I continued to fill glass, after glass whenever I was beckoned over by a noble. More than a few times, I was teased and flirted with, but I paid no mind to those who thought it funny to mock me, and filled their glasses in silence, walking off whenever I was called by another. One man grabbed me inappropriately on my bottom, laughing mischievously as he pulled me closer to him.

"So, what's your name, Slave? Surely someone as delicate as yourself, should not be serving drinks, but rather...serving me, instead."

Keeping my eyes away from him, I held the bottle of wine tightly in my hands as I tried to move away, only for his grip to tighten around me. "I apologize, but I am not a form of entertainment. If you wish to seek intimacy, there are rooms next to the dining hall in which slaves can please you."

"I don't care for those ugly things, tis you-"

"Davian!"

Blinking at the sound of my name, I turned and witnessed Cayden waving me over, his dark eyes transfixed on the man holding me captive. Cayden lifted his empty wine glass, indicating that he wanted me to fill it. With a grumble, the other man let go of me, pushing me forward and nearly knocking me to the floor, had I not caught my balance in time. I hurriedly made my way over to Prince Cayden, bowing as I began to lift the bottle of wine up, ready to pour. I jolted when he suddenly grabbed my wrist, my heart thudding in my chest. 

"I want you to stay by my side for the rest of the night. You are to serve no one else wine, save for me and my father. Is that understood?"

I nodded, my eyes lowered. "Yes, Your Highness." He let go of my wrist and allowed me to fill up his glass, his chocolate eyes diverting from me and shifting over to his father. I knelt down next to his seat, bottle of wine in hand, and watched everyone around us converse and move around, faces alit with joy. I risked a glance over to Cayden, mentally thanking him for getting me away from that...that creep. If not for him, who knows what that man would have done to me. 

"So, any word from the South Kingdom?" I heard Cayden ask, the other man lifting up his wine glass to take a sip of the crimson liquid inside.

King Alton turned his way, wine glass in hand. "No. Not yet. They're probably still recovering from the attack."

Attack? My ears twitched and I resisted the urge to directly look over to them. Instead, I kept my eyes on the wine bottle sitting in my pale hands. 

"I'm still shocked that Queen Piper allowed such a small group of rebels to attack. I mean, is her army not really that strong?"

Alton shrugged and downed the rest of his glass before beckoning me to come over to him. I stood up and walked over to him, pouring more wine into his glass as he spoke. "That is what I thought as well. Either these rebels are much more skilled than we realize, or Queen Piper's army is in desperate need of training."

After I poured King Alton's drink, I made my way back to Cayden's side, taking a seat as my mind raced. So, Queen Piper's Kingdom was attacked by rebels? Why would they attack the South Kingdom? Was there something there that they wanted? Or were their goals much different than that? And what were the rebels rebelling?

"Have they attacked any of the other Kingdoms?" Cayden asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Not that I know of, but I wish to be prepared, just in case they try anything with our Kingdom." King Alton leaned back in his seat, those beady blue eyes shifting my way. "Are you using Davian for tonight?"

Cayden blinked and briefly glanced at me, before turning his eyes back to his father. "Um, no. Not tonight. Why do you ask?"

"Because he has been purchased for tonight, by one of our guests. He has paid quite well for an hour with him."

Cayden frowned and sat up in his seat, staring incredulously at the older man. "What? By whom?"

King Alton raised a brow and pointed over to...no...not that creep from earlier. "Lord Berret, of course. He has paid in platinum for Davian, and I do not wish to disappoint him. Do not look so frazzled, son, it is not as if you own my slave. Remember, I can do whatever I want with him, even sell him for a night. You have no say in it."

"Of course, father," Cayden muttered, before downing the rest of his drink and standing up, barely giving me a glance before he left.

I could only stare at his back as he walked away, already dreading tonight. Why did I have to be purchased by that creep, of all nobles? I would have been fine being bought by someone other than him. Well, not really fine, but I would have rather been bought by literally anyone else. And as I turned my gaze over to Lord Berret, I could see the grin that formed over his face as his emerald gaze met with mine. I gulped, knowing that tonight was probably going to be the worst night of my life.