It was cold. Frigid even, in that dark room where dim and yellow light was all that illuminated the cloaked faces of all those that lurked around us. They swarmed up to the line in groups of five when their number was called, and their half masked faces were only visible to the lips, of which were often cracked and pink. Magnifying glasses were held up with the pudgy hands of the elite, while on some specimens, you might see the flash of a monocle catch the dim light of the room when the cloak's hood rode up a bit. The enormous metal chains weighted heavily on my wrists, their cold gray metal only making me shiver more under the scrutinizing gaze of those who examined me.
"Group 9," the auctioneer called briskly, and the group around me broke, returning swiftly to their seats, their murmurs barely hear over that of the other groups, making way for the next group to approach. "And remember," Called the auctioneer, his cheerful voice the very weapon in which he might press the price higher. "She's one of a kind, I tell you, a specialty never done or seen before. Never again will any one of you have a chance to possess a set of eyes like the ones you see here today, and she'd fetch mighty high price with just her arm." It took all I had to maintain my face, and keep my emotions clamped safely in their cage. I heard the click of the door swing open, and glanced up slightly to watch as a new cloaked figure entered. At first it was little more than a late customer, but then as I watched the door, it shut firmly on it's hinges, letting the customer alone.
I watched as faces turned, and the customer swung themselves down the large wooden staircase alone, conducted gracefully to a seat alone, on which was labeled, group 11. But heads kept turning, gasps escaping, and even as group ten was called, and the door watched tensely, the mystery visitor remained alone. I was a prize specimen, and my minimum price, was set at two million, so the smallest group was five members, and most were around ten. Yet this cloaked person entered in a blue cloak, not the standard black, and sat alone. "Group 11," The auctioneer called, a slight questioning tone in his usually commanding voice. The blue cloak rose and slipped effortlessly down the aisle.
"Dearest customer, do you wish to wait for the rest of your group?" Asked the auctioneer finally. The blue figure swiftly turned to face him, and conducted with a soft but firm feminine voice, "I am alone." The audience erupted in a combination of gasps and laugher. The mysterious woman approached now, and I caught the flash of a gold rimmed monocle under her blue cloak, which I could now see was fastened with a large gold and silver pendant, framing a large ruby that exceeded the size of the tip of my thumb. She took little time, and examined almost entirely my face, giving little attention to what all else. I was clad in a white silk gown, made so thin that it was quite see through where it press upon my torso.
I watched as a piece of her black hair fell from it's holdings, obstructing her view. She reached up and pressed it behind her ear, displacing the cloak as she did so. But she performed the motion carelessly, and in the process, I saw her eyes. The breath was knocked from my chest as I stared at her face. It was smooth and soft like satin, white as the snow, but in her black lashed eyes, sat a large purple orb, that seemed almost like the shallow and clear water in the sun. In the opposite eye, beneath the golden monocle, sat a large red orb, of which had no pupil, but instead pulled it's red and orange lines inward to a point, and seemed to crackle in my vision like fire. I saw a smirk trace the smooth red lips of the girl, and her purple and red eyes seemed to stare so relentlessly in my eyes for that moment, I felt as though there was nothing left inside me unknown to her.
She turned as swiftly as she approached, and seemed more to pour up the stairs than walk up them, her small hands visible as they hung out the large sleeves of her cloak. "With this, the auction shall commence, starting at 2 million, cast your bids."
"1 million 2 thousand," yelled a group.
"3 thousand."
"3 thousand five hundred."
"4" The numbers poured out into the dim rom, almost cutting off their previous bidders with a new price, until it begun to slow.
"3 million."
"3 million," said the auctioneer, "going on three million."
"3 million 2 thousand."
"Anyone higher."
I watched as the blue robe graciously stood from her seat, "7 million," She said calmly, pronouncing the words like they were common play. The murmurs of groups seemed to be cut off into silence in split moment. Her soft footsteps flooded the room, and she strode right up onto the stage, the auctioneer was silent, the people stunned. The lady placed a large bundle of bank notes upon the table, almost as though the action was an afterthought. She reached out and grabbed hold of my cold metal hand, and pulled me forward from my shock so violently I almost fell upon my face, but caught myself on my feet just in time to be dragged forward. Her shockingly cold hand pulled tightly upon mine, and traversed the stairs slowly, heading straight for the door, pulling me effortlessly along as though I was as light as a feather, with a grip that seemed curated from steel.
"Sold," I heard the auctioneer say almost in a whisper, yet it echoed off the silent wooden walls. The door swung open effortlessly, and I was pulled into the bright lobby, half blinding me. I was pulled down a hall, a door flew open on it's own, and I was tossed in, landing with a clank on the soft carpeted floor.
"Fix her up for me," The voice called from the doorway, and before I even had a chance to lift my head from the ground, I heard it slam behind me, and an obedient "Yes, all mighty," was drowned out by the slam. I recovered and lifted myself from the floor, looking around in the room. Above me were two almost identical beings looking down upon me. They were two strange creatures, whom I could only assume were human. Their skin was shiny and a deep brown, their short hair glistened in tight black coils, and their eyes were a soft chestnut brown.
Yet this was the least of their appearance, as they stood above me dress in the vibrant attire of soldiers. A scarlet red cravat wrapped tightly around each neck, a white blouse was covered by a golden rimmed navy blue soldier's jacket, accompanied by black slats. But this was still comparatively of very little interest to me. They looked almost like creatures of satin, and were shaped quite magnificently, for if I was to see their slender hips and legs, I would think them both men, their flat chests and broad shoulders also supported this, yet when I looked upon the face of the one upon the right, it seemed to have all the luster and coquettish natures of a woman's, while it's counterpart's simply looked as expected, being their only differing feature.
And all of this was yet outshone by something of a completely different nature. They stood side by side, and each had a wrist adorn with a large golden cuff, which led with a large golden chain to that of the other, so they were connected at the wrists by scarcely more than a foot at the center. I scrambled up off the floor and stepped back, unsure what to make of both those who stood before me, and the obvious luxurious of the room, in fact, of the past half an hour. The feminine twin, as I assumed they were, began to laugh.
"She's petrified," She laughed, leaning over into the other, who began to laugh as well.
"My darling, don't be alarmed at this, or I scarcely think you'll make it home without fainting." He laughed, and at this I discovered another difference. That of the right's voice sung high like a beautiful woman's, and the left poured out thin and slightly deep like a gentleman.
"Who are you?" I asked, my voice coming out shaky.
"Us?" The woman asked, "We are no one, sweetheart. We possess no name, no life, no property of our own, and never have." I stepped back at this, shocked by the cheery expression of these strange words.
"We've never existed." The left added. I shuttered at the thought, that perhaps, I might be talking to ghosts.
"But what shall I call you?" I asked, "And are you masters to me, or something else." gathering up the courage to ask, as it would be dreadful if this pair were indeed my owners and I had not been treating them as such. The man adopted a thoughtful gaze and brought his free hand to the black glasses that adorn his face, adjusting them in the habit of thought.
"We have no name, but those who call us at all call us by the part of us that does exist, so you may do that." I looked them up and down, from their polished black dress shoes to their coiled locks.
"What part of you exists?" I asked finally.
"Our chains of course, and our clothes as well," replied the woman, "So you may call us gold, or golden jingle, or hollow soldiers, or whatever you please. We are not your masters, and as you exist and we do not, you are higher even, than us."
"But then who is my master, and who is the woman who just bought me in the blue cloak?" I asked timidly, as it seemed the more I spoke the less answers I received and the more questions I acquired.
"Your master is that who possesses our golden chain, and all that comes attached to it. She is that who possesses all in the world in the palm of her hand, and you shall know her well soon enough, or..." But she trailed off into her head, leaving the worlds unsaid.
"Or?" I asked.
"Nothing," She replied, returning the smile to her face. "Now let's get you out of that dreadful attire and into something suitable." They turned around to sort through the drawers, and I took the opportunity to survey my surroundings. I stood barefoot on the soft carpet, which I now saw a circular red velvet mat that was large enough to extend out to the edges of the square room. The large glass windows were framed in brass squares and reached to the ceiling from the floor for the middle portion of the side wall, but they were mostly covered by two vibrant blue curtains of expensive fabric. The shelves were coated with books and antique looking swords, that no doubt held enormous value, and the large drawer the twins now sorted through was a deep stained wood one carved into delicate curved and swirled designs.
There was a large bed dressed in extraordinary fabric and pillows, at which's head sat a large wood chest that matched the drawer cabinet, and also matched a square table in the center of the room, on which sat a golden pot of fruit. It was a splendid view, and I stepped closer to examine the pot of fruit, picking up a deep red apple to discover that beneath it was a vat of small round jewels, like prism shaped pebbles. There were rubies, diamond, emeralds, sapphires. I cautiously returned the apple to it's place beside the grapes. By this time the twins had stopped their muttering and turned around to me, looking me up and down like a painting set to be appraised. Then there was a clap of joy.
"I found it!" The girl exclaimed excitedly, pulling out a large gown of what looked to be entirely white lace, backed only by silk. "Put this on," She yelled, and I looked around for a bathroom, but found only one door.
But as I approached the left exclaimed, "No, that's no bathroom, and you're not permitted to enter it until your trained." I settled for the head of the bed instead, and waging that I had little dignity left from the silk gown I wore now, I left off trying to hide and changed swiftly, pulling up the heavy gown. It's sleeves were long and it's skirt slender, reaching the floor, so that although it did weight a significant amount, it wasn't too heavy. They raced around me almost before I had it on to button up the back before standing back to admire their work.
"Oh my, we quite forgot her collar," the girl laughed out suddenly, stepping over to the chest to pull out of it a large blueish silver metal collar. I say collar, but I don't know if that's what I would call it, for it was a large ring of metal, wide and boxy, on which sat an array of sapphire jewels, and in the front extended a long large chain about as thick as three of my fingers, which was just long enough to stretch to my bellybutton. I stepped back instinctively at the sight of it, and the boy caught my movement.
"come on," he said, edging forward, "It's not bad to wear a collar, it's good actually, you'll learn to love it. We all have them, and it's not heavy once you wear it a day, I promise." I could tell he wanted the words to be comforting, but they did little to help. I took in a deep breath and reminded myself that I had to do my best, that I hadn't a choice anymore, that this would be better than anything else. I would be fine. They fastened the contraption around my neck with little difficultly, pulling it shut by some latch on the back.
"They'll fix it shut later," The girl said.
"Fix it shut?" I asked, and for the first time I looked intently on the chain of their wrists, and realized that it was small on their wrists, so small that it would never make it off the hand, and that, more surprisingly, there was no lock. I took it in my hands, but their was no seam. They laughed as I examined it.
"Sweetheart it doesn't come off, we slipped into it at birth, and it hasn't been able to get of since we were ten." I stared and dropped their hands in disbelief, now reaching up to feel the jewel encrusted collar on my neck.
"Then?" I asked, and they only nodded, a little pity in their eyes. I sighed deeply, and wished I had at least had the opportunity to see my master before permanently fastening a metal chain around my neck for her, but made no objections aloud.
"Who is 'all of us'?" I asked, remembering what the boy had said to comfort me just a moment ago.
"The slaves." He said, "There is Gold, Silver, Diamond, Emerald, Sapphire, and Ebony. But we are missing an Emerald right now, and Ebony and Silver at at home."
"Then I?" I asked.
"Yes," he replied, "You are Sapphire." Sure there had been times when I was told my eyes looked like the jewel, many times, but this was a new level.
"Prosperity is expensive possessions, and the will to do with them what one pleases, we are just that." The girl returned, "And you too will learn to be grateful to Master." It made me sick to think of the devotion, but I swallowed my disgust.
"When we were born, no one saw us as alive, and being born from a corpse, only one in the world wanted our non-existence, and so she chained us and we became her slaves." the boy returned, "We do not exist, but with this golden chain, we can serve our master as her possession, because she owns our lives, which are not ours." At this point I was too tired to bother with them and their apparent nonexistence.
"Might I rest?" I asked, pulling at the sleeve of the dress, "I've had a long, long day, and it's midnight, isn't it?"
"midnight?" the girl exclaimed, turning to see the clock which had indeed just reached five minutes to the hour. "We must prep you, you are to accompany master out this evening. You will stay completely silent if not asked anything by master, as you respond only to her. You may call her by all mighty, your excellency, master, princess, my goddess, or your majesty, any will do." I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, and settled on master.
"What is her name though?" I asked, interrupting. The twins exchanged questioning glances before answering.
"I've no time, and will tell you later. Anyhow, you must be on your best behavior and watch in silence, you clap when master claps, laugh when she laughs, smile when she smiles, but never stare at her overtly. Always be graceful and never squirm under the touches or stares, alright?" the girl asked, stepping closer to rearrange my short black hair.
"Okay," I said, and noted that apart from the laughing, clapping, smiling situation, it all seemed fairly simple.
"Oh, and never outdo her in anything, never look too nobel, as she is your Queen, and although you must look more beautiful than all the rest of the guests, and especially their servants, you must also look a tad less entrancing than her." And with this I heard the door unlatch and swing open behind me. I turned to see the blue cloak enter, the door close, and it fall to the floor.
"Gold," She called, and I could not help but hold my breath a moment looking at her, and recognize there was no possible way I might outdo her. She was gorgeous, clad in the most expensive and tailored suit. Her golden monocle's chain dangled limply where it draped from the eyepiece to settle in the shiny black hair behind her ear. Her hair lay in curls down her back and sides, tracing around her slender neck and face, which was so ghostly pale that for a moment I wondered even if she was alive. Her red lipstick was vibrant and seemed to match her guarded eye, which was even more shocking now without a cloak to hide it most of the time. If there was a being to get a metal collar fastened to one's neck for, she was it.
"Yes Master," They said in chorus.
She threw off her coat jacket and begun at the vest buttons, "Get me my gown," She instructed, and in less than a minute they had transformed her from her into a large red gown, and draped a golden necklace with a ruby pendant larger than any I had ever imagined around her neck, so it lay on the pale skin just above where the shoulder-less dress begun. At this she scrutinized me, stepping forward to examine my metal arm as it extended from the sleeve, and then my live hand, picking it up with her cold one. She was so cold, I thought, perhaps she is dead.
"Hand me a ruby ring." She instructed to the twins, dropping my hand and strolling to the cabinet, slipping on three rings, before stepping to the door. "Gold, have you given her the rundown?" She asked, and I realized all her words were cold and uncaringly strict. As she spoke I caught sight of her white teeth, which had somehow achieved even less color than her skin, but now sent an uneasy feeling up my spine. Her canines were pointed sharply, and stuck out before the rest of her teeth, which also appeared sharper than normal.
"Yes your Majesty." They replied, again in unison, and I supposed that perhaps they always spoke in unison to her. "Then follow Sapphire, and know your place, or you'll regret you even inked out your pitiful title on that parchment contract." She laughed bitterly, and for the first time I saw a diabolic quality to her mismatched eyes. I followed close behind into the lobby, and tread down the halls behind her, my bare feet cold on the stone flooring. I recognized that gold had most likely forgotten shoes altogether, and if I had spoken up they would have given me some, but it was far to late now as was marched through the halls, evicting stares from all that passed by, and my skirt was long enough to cover me feet.
We turned the corner and two double doors were swung open by doormen, who welcomed us into a large theater. It was packed with people, all in their best clothes and, but we turned abruptly and ascended a stairs to the second floor, where we traversed the banister edged hall until we reached a large theater box, directly center from the stages, and entered. It was an opera that was being performed, and even as that of the crowd laughed and sobbed and seemed to sway with giddy, Master's lips remained still, her hands frozen, and her composure seemed to be eternal. She clapped once, and that was at the end of the first act, of which cease gloriously. We stood and applauded before taking our seats, and she turned to the door expectingly. In a moment there was a knock at it, as though she had predicted it, and she called out to it, "Come in."
Two men entered, one of a medium age and the other younger, aged at around twenty and forty. They wore their best coats, and entered the box graciously, directing all their attention onto the Master. "Do have a seat and allow me to enjoy your company for that duration of the intermission gentlemen." She said softly, welcoming them in with a warm smile, which they took upon them earnestly. "I do believe I have only the pleasure of being acquainted with one of you, Monsieur Lombard, who is the fine sir who accompanies you, if I might inquire." I saw in her voice a warm eloquence and grace with words that seemed so very absent in the strict and cold one she spoke to her slaves with so amply.
"Princess Caedis, this is Baron Louis Doucet." He said amiably in a well disguised french accent, turning to me, "But who is it that accompanies you this evening, I had not seen her with you before." I listened intently as I heard this, as I had heard of Princess Caedis before as the girl whom had shocked the world's nobility quarts with her sudden appearances and graces.
"Another slave of mine, and I hope you will not be disappointed in her, as I have lately bought her, and know not yet how long I'll keep her around."
"How is it you acquired this one, as I am always so intrigued by your stories?" The older one asked.
"Oh, it is of no interest to you, Monsieur, as this one was bought at auction like the last Emerald, and it is of little abnormality that I have acquired her, even as her story may prove more interesting."
"How so?" He asked, "What price was it you purchased her for?"
"Just 7 million," She replied casually, and I watched as the men's eyes widened in astonishment, "I shall wait to relate the story of her being until you may hear it from her lips, and until she knows all of it."
"By golly Princess, you shall bankrupt yourself with such hobbies, and how might it be that she yet does not know her own story."
"I shan't go bankrupt on 7 million, I assure you, and the price is well and good for the product I've received. She knows parts of her story, but as children often are, she was sheltered from it's whole, and I still am ignorant as to how much she knows, or even whether I am entirely correct in what I know." These words shocked me, as I had never known myself to be special at all. My eyes had always brought upon me unwanted attention, I had never had a father, or any family apart from my mother, of whom shied away from all that was not hidden. I had known there was secrets, and untold explanations, but nothing of extravagance, and much that could only make one grimace to know it fully. At this the younger took the opportunity to speak.
"Sorry to intrude," Said Baron Doucet, "But am I correct in assuming your name is of latin origin?"
"Yes," Master sighed and looked away a moment, "It is a kingdom name and a family name that was passed down for generations, and despite it's meaning, I'm not able to rid myself from it." Before this I had assumed that all the jargon about your excellency and majesty had been respect from the slaves, but now I recognized that she was indeed the princess of a kingdom, albeit, one I had never heard of.
"I'm not familiar with latin," The older gentleman said.
"The word Caedis translates directly as murder," The younger answered, evicting an understanding expression from Monsieur Lombard towards the Princess.
"In my case it was not meant to mean murder, but instead blood, like the expression to spill blood means to kill, Caedis as my family name, is blood." All the the talk of blood and murder put me on great edge, but seemed to do nothing to dispel my sleepy demeanor, which refused to be shaken off.
"Then you mean to say you are heir to an entire kingdom?" The Baron asked, showing great interest on the subject.
"No," She said, looking sorry to see the badly hidden disappointment on the young man's face, "In years past that may have been the case, but my kingdom now is only riches and land, not the prospering land of people that it might of been in the past. However, I am considered separate from any other country, and my family has a long and intriguing history as well."
"Then do you run a country without people or simply an independent space of land?" He asked.
"I suppose you might say both, my independent strip of land is large and I take part in many business affairs with nations, it is of little importance."
"But then how is it your nation is without people?"
"It is a span of land deep in the Himalayan mountains, separate by mountain ranges, but in the time of the first real technological age, the inhabitants, seeking a less isolated world and technological jobs with global interaction, drifted away, and left only a few noble families and the rich land."
"Ah," The baron replied, launching into another topic. But the second act began and cut off the visitors, who graciously returned to their box, and I spent the entirety of the act staring blanking into the stage lights in hopes of staying awake. I turned to the Princess but she showed neither emotion nor any symptoms of exhaustion, and seemed just as awake as earlier. When the act finally ended we returned to the room in which the twins were.
"Take care of her," She said, practically throwing me into the room, "I want her knocked out for the preparations and journey, we start for Caedis in the morning, and I can't have my subjects thinking I brought home some miseducated mop for a slave." The door slammed behind her.
"Subjects?" I asked, "She said earlier that Caedis was an abandoned Kingdom." The twins almost fell over in boughs of laughter.
"Of course she did," The boy answered, "We can't have the world believing we have a prosperous kingdom more advanced than their own, or else they would want to visit." This seemed only to puzzle me more.
"But why wouldn't you want them to, the Princess seems fine with flaunting money?" All that answered me was more laughter. "Well, I'm too tired for this anyway, I'll be going to sleep, I replied, and reached behind me to unlatch the buttons of my dress. Gold rushed to help me, and handed me back a large white office shirt of silk and a pair of deep blue cotton undergarments.
"What is this?" I asked,
"Night attire of course," He replied, and they began the complex act of undressing with their golden chain's on their wrist. They slipped into a matching pair of pajamas, but with gold undergarments.
"Isn't all the matching slave attire just jargon?" I asked, "And the names with metaphors." They looked up at me with shock on their faces.
"What are you saying?" They asked, "It means you have a place, that you have a value, it is everything to you." They replied in angry unison, making me step back. I supposed that is how one would look at it if born into it. They climbed into bed and I looked around, and realized there was no extra bed.
"Where do I sleep?" I asked.
"Right here of course," The girl said, patting the third pillow of the giant bed. It was plenty large for three people but I still didn't enjoy it much, climbing into the warm sheets.
"Take this" The boy said, handing me a pill with a cup of water.
"Why," I asked, taking in in my hand and examining it. It was pure white and completely round, like a ball of hail. I seem to have been bought into quite the suspicious situation, I thought.
"It'll help you sleep," he replied, "The journey is long and complex, and it's simpler to transport you after a good sleep." I saw in his smile a soft kindness I wasn't sure I trusted, but I gulped down the pill all the same, and felt my body get heavier almost the instant I did.
"Silly child," The girl spoke now, and I could only hear her distant voice from far away, "I hope she takes to waking up well." I wondered what it meant, but was overcome by a soft and viscous sleep before I could think into it much, and not even the giant metal collar around my neck seemed to cause me discomfort.