He grabbed ahold of her throat and began to squeeze.
"Very very much."
"Leave now and I won't have you exicuted." Said a woman behind the Bandit Burge.
Flora recognized the voice, it was the woman from before. She was younger than Flora imagined, not much older than her. She couldn't see her face as it was hidden under her hood.
"You have no part in this Morgana." Said Burge, "Unless you want to join us, leave."
She placed her hand on the blade sheathed on her waist. "You know the penalty for spoiling merchandise. Unless you leave now, I will enforce this law upon you and your friend."
"You don't scare me."
"Really?" She asked.
"Not one bit, now let me be so I can have my fun." He turned back to Flora raising his hand to strike her.
Before he could the woman threw her knife, it pierced through the man's hand. Blood spill out, he clenched the dagger attempting to pull it out.
"Now you know how it feels." Said the woman.
"You! You!" Shouted the man. "You're crazy! You'll pay! I'll kill you for this!"
"I'd like to see you try." Teased the woman.
"Get her!" He demanded.
The skinny bandit took his club and charged at the woman. He quickly fell to the ground after she struck his throat.
"You'll die for this!" Said the bandit Burge as he charged at the woman.
She quickly overcame him striking his knee and holding a blade to his throat.
"Matheus will find a suitable penalty for your treason."
"You'll die for this." He said with an angry tone.
"Doubtful." She looked at Flora. "You alright?"
"Yes." Flora answered with tears in her eyes.
"You?" She looked at Daniel.
"Yeah..." He looked hurt, "I'm fine."
"No woman should ever have to go through what you wish to inflict." The woman said pressing the blade roughly at the bandits throat. "I should take your manhood for what you've done."
"Matheus will chose my fate."
"That I will." The voice of the man before spoke.
He appeared in the doorway behind them. He was tall and built with a mid length beard and a large scar stretching across his face.
"Matheus!" Burge shouted, "This is not what it looks like!"
"Really?" He teased. "Because it looks very bad for you."
"I swear I-"
"AND I SWORE!" Shouted Matheus. "I swore..." He repeated with a calmer voice. "That I would protect my people, that I would provide for them. And that I would punish those who broke the rules."
He walked closer to the man.
"And you know what Burge, you broke those rules." He smirked. "And what comes next... That, is why they fear us. That, is what separates us from animals. That, is why we follow the rules."
"Please Matheus, I am sorry." He begged.
"Begging is for the weak, we are strong. I thought better of you." He turned his back.
"Bring him."
The barn flooded with bandits, they took Burge and the skinny bandit outside.
"Morgana, bring her too." Demanded Matheus.
"Why?" She asked.
"I want her to see." He answered before walking outside.
Morgana took a pair of keys and unlocked the chains, however the shackles still bound her wrists.
"Come." She said while pushing Flora forward.
She led her outside where there were many tents, behind the tents were trees. The ground was wet, a thick brown mud.
She led Flora in front of a wooden platform that looked to be where others would be hung.
"Gather round!" Shouted Matheus.
A crowd of bandits, their wives and children, others of their people gathered in front the platform.
"We are gathered here today to witness the punishments of these men." Shouted Matheus. "These men who defile our laws! Who seek to betray our way of life! But we will not let them! For our way of life is what's kept us alive for so long."
Burge and the skinny bandit were forced to their knees on the platform.
"What happens to those who disobey our way of life?" He asked.
"They suffer!" The crowd of people shouted.
"Yes!" Matheus shouted. "They, suffer... Witness how they suffer, and know this will happen to all who follow in their footsteps!"
He stood in front of the skinny man.
"You followed blindly." Said Matheus. "Know that you will follow no more, as you will be the first to die."
The men behind the skinny man backed away as Matheus drew his sword.
"Please, no!"
His words meant nothing, his head was removed from his body with the grace of the sword.
This was too much for Flora to bear, she turned away unable to escape the horrific sight of his death.
"Look!" Morgana demanded as she grabbed Flora's head and forced it forward.
"Please!" Begged Burge. "Show mercy!"
"Would you do the same?" Matheus asked.
"...Yes! I would! Please, let me live!"
"Your life I will not take."
"Thank you! Oh thank you!"
"I will take something else instead." His hands were forced forward past a block of wood. His forearms resting on the block.
"Wait! Please no!" He begged.
With his bloodied sword he cut the man's hands to the bone, they fell down below.
"This is what happens to traitors!" He said as Burge screamed in agony.
"You no longer have a place here, you are furthermore exiled from this society." Three bandits took Burge and forced him out of the camp. As they did this the crowd of people separated and dispersed.
Matheus approached Flora. "Why did you make me watch such horrors?" She asked.
"Horrors?" He asked. "This is our way of life." He forcefully grabbed her chin and looked deep into her tear filled eyes.
"You'll find that once you're sold, these horrors will look like mere acts of kindness." He backed away. "Take her back to the others."
With that Morgana began to walk Flora back.
"He's not a monster." She said as they walked.
"What?" Flora asked.
"Back there, he wanted you to see them suffer. That's why he made you watch, so that you could feel safe."
"I'm sorry." Said Flora, "But I feel far from safe."
"Your sister?" She asked. "What danger is she in?"
"A Demon has kidnapped her, he threatens her life." She tried to hide that she was of Royal Blood.
"Why?"
"What?"
"Why would a Demon take a normal Elven girl?" She asked. "It's not like her life would serve purpose."
"I'm unaware why." She lied. "All I know is that I need to save her."
"You lie."
"Excuse me?" Flora asked.
"You are a liar." Morgana claimed. "I can always tell when a person lies, and you... You're hiding something."
"You haven't given me cause to trust you." Flora said as they reached the barn door.
They stopped before entering.
"And yet I saved your life."
It seemed selfish to her, and she soon felt guilty, but Flora had nearly forgotten.
"I guess you're right..." She looked down.
"I envy you girl." Morgana said.
"How so? I'm nothing but merchandise to you."
"You have everything I don't." She answered. "You have a sister, you are innocent, beautiful-"
"You're not?" Flora asked. It occurred to her she still hadn't seen her face, it still remain hidden under her hood.
She pulled the hood back to reveal her face. Long brown hair, dark brown eyes, and a large scar reaching from the top left of her face down to the bottom right. Starting from her upper forehead to her jaw.
Other than the grotesque scar she was beautiful.
"I look at you and I see the perfect little Elven girl with everything to lose, while I have nothing else to lose."
Flora couldn't find the words to speak.
"I look at you and I see what I could have been."
"Why don't you be who you want to be?" She asked.
"How can you be so naïve?" Morgana asked. "Once you've been broken by this world you'll see that the only way to get by is to be who you truly are."
"That isn't a proud way of life."
"There's no other choice for me."
"What if there is?"
"What?" Morgana asked.
"Join me on my quest, help me save my sister, you don't have to be who you don't want to be." Said Flora.
"You're more foolish than I thought. I would never betray Matheus."
Flora was silent for she knew she couldn't convince Morgana to free her. She knew her life was near its end, and the thought of dying scared her, but it wasn't that bad. What troubled Flora was knowing she would die without saving her sister and avenging her family.
"Lets go." Said Morgana as she pushed Flora into the barn. She then chained her to the wall as she was before.
"The auction will be held soon, our bidders should be arriving shortly." She turned her back to walk away but stopped before taking a step.
"I hope whoever buys you... I hope they are merciful." She left the barn.
It was silent, nothing but the sound of the animals and the shifting of prisoners in their cages.
"Are you alright?" Asked Daniel.
"Please." She nearly cried. "I can't die here, I need to escape."
"Just wait, trust me and I'll get you out of here." There it was, his reassuring smile. It felt to her as if he was her only friend, a light in a dark tunnel.
"Promise?" She asked.
"I promise."
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