4-A soldier's mercy

Fiona's pov

                       In all 23 summers of my life, I had only been nude before one man, and one man alone. An act that brought about the most insatiable moments I have ever lived. But it wasn't worth my remembrance, as that night was followed by the worst of tragedies leading up to three years later. I had gone bare before that man willingly, but now the man before me had the same request that didn't resonate with my compliance. And so, I dragged my hand up my dress, fingers clutching tightly to the fabric, presenting resistance to his command, and my gaze wavered, breaking the strong resolve I had.

"It isn't winter yet, so has nobility frozen your hearing?" The slave master barked, "Strip, you bloody tramp!" His eyes were red-rimmed as he wreaked chaos on me.

"I cannot do that." I tried to steady my voice, "You cannot force me to do that against my will!"

The man's hands shot out at my words, his fingers grasping my throat, squeezing, making indents on my skin. My wolf flared, but I had to suppress my reaction. I thought of my baby. I thought of Celia's safety.

"You would do as I say or I would strip you bare myself and pass you on to the soldiers for inspection. And best believe me, you will make their day."

"Let go of my lady!" Celia screamed, plunging herself between us. The force made the man let go of me and I stumbled back, almost falling as Celia continued to speak. "You can't order to see her! She's a princess."

The man gave a sarcastic laugh, his laughter echoing across the noisy crowd of slaves. "What you were before now matters not. I made myself clear!" His beady eyes peered down at us and locked gazes with ours. "This darling princess here is filth-just like our king has pronounced."

My throat went dry as my fear turned into something much worse, sadness. An emotion I had always tried to repress had just been evoked by a man I met a few hours ago. For we were fated, and he thinks me filth.

My wolf howled just as the sadness bloomed in my chest, causing a constricting feel that made me want to collapse to the ground on all fours and gasp for air. Never in a thousand seasons did I think I would tread onto the path of being rejected and pronounced filth.

"She's a princess, not filth. My lady will not be bare before you."

The man growled at Celia's words. The hilt of his whip was engulfed by his fingers as he drew out the weapon of assault, flinging it through the air. I pushed Celia out of the way, shielding her, a shriek ripping from my throat as the harsh leather snapped against my back, making me shrink in pain.

"My lady!" Celia screamed, trying to push me out of the way, but I resisted. The leather came down again with much greater intensity.

"Guards!" The man barked in a different direction. "Drag that one out!" He pointed at Celia, and soon she was ripped from me despite the hold we had on one another.

"You!" The man faced me now, hooking a hand around my arm and pulling me up. "You will learn the hard way." He went for the whip again and I turned my face, squeezing my eyes shut as he raised his arm but this time, the whip never descended.

I waited for the pain, but it didn't come. I only heard the man screaming about being interrupted, and I turned to see that another man had come, making a scene by wrestling the whip away from his hold.

"Jarek!" The slave master barked at him. "This isn't your domain! You are a soldier, not a slave master!"

"And it is upon me to maintain public order and curb injustice." The strange man named Jarek stood his ground as he flung the whip to the side. "I could have you arrested."

"For what?" The man snorted, his gaze falling back to me. "For wanting to inspect a slave?"

"In a brutal manner, yes." Jarek continued to speak, his voice booming, commanding the attention of others. "It's a violation of rights!"

"These animals have no rights!" The man barked at Jarek. "You are disrespecting me before them! You are heightening their insolence."

"Wait till the king finds out about how you treat his subjects." Jarek's lips turned into a smirk. "You would be in trouble now, eh?"

Does the king care about us? I nearly scoffed.

"No! Not this one." The man wagged his finger at me, beady eyes blazing in anger. "His Majesty pronounced her filth!"

His words cut through my heart, slicing me like a sharp dagger. My mate had truly pronounced me filth.

Jarek frowned. "Conrad." His voice was low and menacing as he pronounced the slave master's name. He took steps closer to the man. He stopped before him, going in for a whisper, and I witnessed the man's face paling, his eyes widening in fear.

Jarek stepped back and the man murmured something about having other things to do. He threw a glare in my direction and walked away.

"Thank you," I whispered, turning to Jarek. "You saved me." I managed to smile as he appraised me with his brown eyes that bore the same colour as his hair. "I owe you one."

"It's nothing, Princess." He returned my smile. The way he pronounced the word "princess" wasn't in mockery like my mate had done. This was soft, respectful, endearing. "I am Jarek," he introduced himself, bowing his head respectfully. "Please allow me to escort you to where you will be assigned."

"My lady, Celia." I spoke immediately. "She was dragged away by some guards a—"

"Don't worry, Your Highness." His smile deepened as he paved the way through the crowd to our destination. "She's in safe hands. I saw, and I took care of it already."

It was definitely surprising to see someone on my side apart from eunuch Elric, and I still couldn't understand the reason behind his kindness—nor did I understand Jarek's.

I followed him anyway. He led me to a different faction of the field and explained that I would be assigned to a duty here, and after I thanked him, he bowed slightly and left.

I stood in one position for a while, my hands folded before me, eyes darting amongst the crowd hoping for a glimpse of Celia-but I couldn't find her. I tried not to heighten my worry since Jarek had promised that she was safe.

'Do you think he's to be trusted?' Iris asked as I listened to the slave mistress addressing us. 'We have learnt enough to know that nobody does anything for free.'

'What could he possibly want, Iris?'

'We both smelt him-he's unmated. And he can smell that you are unclaimed as well. If you put two and two together...'

'It gives you six?' I teased.

'Oh Fi! We were bad at arithmetic always, but I didn't know you carried on the trait.'

We both giggled at my answer and her reply. It was wonderful having a little laugh despite the situation we were in. It felt like a bit of relief had settled in my chest, paving the way for a breath of fresh air, and my mind felt decluttered.

"I love your hair." A voice startled me from behind and I turned to see a girl standing behind me, staring at me with huge eyes and a noticeable feature of hers-she was bald, "Can I touch it?"

I nodded and she stretched out her fingers, weaving them through my silver strands, rubbing at the soft feel.

"It's so shiny and luscious," she complimented. "I am Olive. Are you new here?"

"Yes"

"You don't look like you should be here," she giggled, stepping next to me. "You look like a princess."

I am a princess.

"Thank you," I whispered instead. "You are beautiful."

"Thank you." She magnified her grin. "I can tell that we are going to be good friends! I have been here for two years, so I shall put you through the ropes."

"So, what are we doing here?" I inquired as she held my hand, moving me forward when they asked us to gather around.

"This is where we get assigned to our duty posts by picking up folded pieces of paper. You could get assigned to the infirmary, the kitchens, the stables, the laundry, and anywhere else in the castle."

"What's the best place?" I asked.

"The castle! Especially when you are assigned to the halls to serve the soldiers or even some lords. They could look upon you with favour, and in an instant, you go from slave to mistress." She chatted on excitedly. "And you are lucky!"

"How so?" I raised a brow at her.

"I saw Captain Jarek interfere for you today. He could even decide to take you as a mistress."

My insides cringed with terror at the possibility of being a mistress, and just then it got to our turn to pick our papers. I got mine and opened it, my eyes skimming over the words written in dark ink.

Olive yelled excitedly before me, and I knew instantly that she was assigned to the castle.

"What were you given, Fiona?" she inquired. "Tell me, tell me."

"The Lady's Court."

She gasped, stepping closer to me as her eyes widened in horror. "Oh my, that's the worst place. Those vicious women always think they are better than everyone else."

I took in a deep breath. "Really?"

"You'll be fine. Just be very careful and avoid the she-devil herself."

"And who is that, if I may ask?"

"She's Lady Lyanna. His Majesty's mistress."