The walk back toward Qort’s Forge was a long one, not in distance, but in emotional toll. Benjamin now owned two people… he owned these two girls, at least according to the principality. He had accepted them as his as a complete accident, as his outstretched arms of surrender were misinterpreted as some manner of claiming gesture. The spring was quickly warming, but the dead of night was still brisk. Benjamin could almost hear the girls shivering as they reached the forge and entered. As soon as the doors closed, Benjamin dropped the chains, rushing to a waste bucket, and voiding his stomach into the metal container. He wretched several times before coming to his senses. Ben was breathing heavily, wiping his mouth on his arm before turning to see the girls and Qort eying him in confusion. Ben could see little thin body hairs stand on end as the girls quietly but violently shook where they stood, and Ben’s face flashed with understanding “come, this way. God dammit, I don’t even know if you can understand me.” He beckoned them into his small room, Qort following behind. “We… Understand, my lord.” Came a sweet but terrified voice. The slightly taller of the two girls had answered him, and her accent vaguely reminded Ben of a blend of Scandinavian tones. “What do you wish of us, my Lo..”

“Benjamin, or just Ben… please.” Ben stated, quickly cutting her off as the honorifics in her speech quickly threatened what little remained in Ben’s stomach.

“As you wish… Beenjaymin” the girl said, as Ben turned around again. He had pulled most of the bedding off of his cot early on in his move to the Forge. It helped with the nightmares of nothing was constraining him as he slept. Now he pulled a pair of simple blankets out and turned to hand them to the girls only to freeze in shock. Qort had left the room, and the two slave girls had stripped completely naked and were standing there, heads down… still shaking. Their purplish grey hair draped across their shoulders, and Benjamin couldn’t help but notice the signs of torture left on their bodies. They were too emaciated, too sickly, to physically pummeled to even tell if their skin color was accurate, or bruises on top of bruises. The missing frail straps of clothing only seemed to intensify their ribcage creasing their torso, emaciated busts, and gaunt hips, and legs.

Benjamin fought back tears of sorrow mixed with rage. If the Slaver wasn’t already dead, Ben felt he could have killed him more slowly. “That the fuck, no. No no no no.” He rushed over, quickly pulling the simple blankets around each of them in turn. “Come, sit. We need to speak on this.“

“Yes.. my… uh, Been” the one who spoke answered.

“Bin” Benjamin enunciated, “not been, Bin”

“Ben..” the girl stated faithfully, causing Ben to cringe inwardly.

“Dammit, I need help. QORT! get in here!!” Ben yelled, startling the two girls who were now wrapped tightly in blankets, sitting on his bed, while he sat in a simple chair he pulled from the small writing table in the corner.

The Durr slowly opened the door, “ah, so’yee ain’t of’a mind to take’em.”

“No.” Ben’s tone of finality seemed to brighten the Durr some, “but I am going to need you to fill in some gaps, information wise.”

The Forgemaster nodded, closing up the door and leaning back against it with folded arms, “aye, dat aye can’do”

“Ok” Ben huffed slightly, turning back to the now confused slaves. “First off, I need to know your names.. What do I call you.”

“My birth name is Viola, this… this is my younger sister by one season, Valtrya. She doesn’t speak. Not anymore.” Viola answered, and Valtris slipped a hand out of the blanket to hold her sister’s.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Viola and Valtrya. Please, understand that I have no intentions of forcing myself on you… it already sickens me that I may have accidentally accepted you as property…. I need you to understand that as soon as I can find the right paperwork, you will be free. I do not wish to own you.” Benjamin stated, but watched in surprised concern as Valtrya seemed to panic, frantically looked to her sister.

Viola slowly rubbed her sisters hand, but her eyes pleaded with Benjamin, “my Lo… Benjamin, do we displease you so? What may we do to, persuade you to keep us…”

That request nearly blew Benjamin off of his chair, “I… I…”

“If I may Benjamin.” Qort spoke up. Ben’s eyes narrowed at the lack of Qorts usual drawl. The Durr slowly stepping away from his position by the door and slowly kneeling in front of the girls, “Benjamin means well, but this is not his Realm.” He said softly, taking their arms and legs in his hands as he expertly inspected them. He then carefully opened their blankets, gently checking their rib cages and torso’s for signs of illness or serious injury. Viola winced hard as he touched the second rib on her left side, and Valtrya had a nasty scar along her right side from her armpit to her hip. It was healing, but still fresh. “You have done well to survive this long.” He wrapped them both back up in their blankets and turned to Benjamin. “Benjamin, these girls have been slaves their entire lives. They are also Aereesin, if you freed them anywhere inside the Principality, they would be almost immediately captured and sold again. You have shown them kindness and dignity far beyond what an average slave owner would have. From their perspective, you are their best hope of survival.”

Benjamin’s face fell as he heard this, but Qort was not finished, “their race has long been branded traitors, ever since the H’mere war. They are barely considered people by most… only good for working to death, fucking to death, or breeding for cheap forms of the former. Simply put, they would not stay free, not within the Principality, and neighboring realms who are less…. dependent on slave labor will not take them.”

“Why the fuck not.” Ben asked rage boiling in his soul, but feeling helpless at the same time.

“Because these girls only know how to be used by men… and beaten by masters.. they have no skills that would be considered worthy…” Qort said simply.

Ben looked at the two of them in horror… but Viola spoke up, “you are not from the principality? Is there not slavery in your home Realm?”

“There was, in some places there still is… my family fought and died to free the slaves in my Realm.” Ben answered, “I hate the concept, with my very soul. You two seem like sweet girls who have been through hell. I have no ill feelings toward you, it is the act of owning a person I find abhorrent… any person…”

“But if you free us…” Viola pleaded softly

“I know….” Benjamin growled standing quickly to stomp toward the small window on the far wall. “If keep you, I betray everything I believe in… if I free you, I am effectively murdering you… what the fuck am I supposed to do here!” Ben shouted the last part out of the window.

the forest, Son of Terra Benjamin heard the voice clearly that time. “I…” he paused as a flood of memories from his childhood raged through his mind. Math, English, basic science… “I.. I’ll do it” he breathed, stepping back to the chair he stood from and sitting back down. “I will keep you, on three conditions.”

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

The two sisters looked at each other, nodding in unison, and Benjamin took it as a sign to continue, “first, I will teach you how to work and use numbers, and I will teach you to read and write. You will do you best to learn it” the girls nodded in unison again and Ben continued,

“second. When the time comes, I will take you to a boarder of a realm that will have you for your skills, and I will free you. Until then, you will do the bare minimum of acting like slaves with me. You need to learn to act like a free person, so you can become a free person.” This time the girls looked at each other for a long moment, but still nodded in understanding.

Ben took a deep breath. “The third. I will never force you to fuck me, and I do not want you to force yourself to fuck me, or think that giving me your body is expected. It.. is… not. And anyone who forces themselves on you will meet the same end as your former master.”

Viola’s eyes widened at the final condition, and tears quickly formed as she felt Valtrya squeezing her hand tightly. “We… we will do as you ask my lo…. Benjamin.” She stood stiffly, bowing deeply as her sister do the same. “Thank you…” she stood again, tears streaming down her face.

“No need to thank me yet… You are not free, yet. Use my wash bucket and clean yourselves as best you can. I’ll heat some water for you to rinse with.” He quickly turned to leave, following Qort out of the door quickly as the girls once again began to strip in front of them.

“Qort…” Ben asked as they stepped into the forge room. “Am I going to need to leave the forge… I did just kill one of your kin. I…. I didn’t have a choice”

“Yes, Korgan was kin, as all orcs are kin to you.” Qort began, pulling kindling from a pile to light the forge, “But he was not family. He chose to fight you over words, and he lost in lawful combat. We have no quarrel, albino.” He stepped to throw the kindling in only for Ben to stop him.

“You don’t need to waste resources,” Ben said, picking up a pale of water usually kept in case of fire. His early college courses on thermodynamics flooded into his mind, almost as if on command, and Benjamin began pulling energy directly from the surrounding air with on hand and directing the energy directly into the water. The large mass of nominally warm air quickly cooled within moments, and soon both Qort and Ben could see their own breath. Benjamin smiled as he watched the bucket of water simmer.

“Energy can neither be created or destroyed” he stated absently, “but it can change its form.” he picked up the steaming bucket and tested it with his finger, unaware of the flabbergasted expression on Qort's features. It was hot, but not scalding and he placed it just inside the door “warm water is ready” he called, closing the door without looking in.

Moments later a suds covered head appeared through a cracked door, “Um.. Ma… Benjamin? We need your help… we.. we can’t lift the bucket… please?”

Ben mentally face palmed, and stepped inside hoping this wasn’t another attempt to bed him in gratitude. Luckily, it wasn’t. Both girls were naked, but their backs were turned to him enough that they weren’t totally exposed “if we could get the bubbles out of our hair…. We haven’t used soap before….” Viola explained.

Ben easily lifted the full bucket, carefully and slowly pouring the hot water over each girl to help them wash the soap from their skin. “There is a towel in the chest. I’m sorry it is just the one, we can figure out the rest in the morning. Wrap up in the blankets for now, and I’ll see you in the morning.” He left them in his room a second time, stepping back into the Forge in time to see Qort lighting a fire in its heart.

“You scare me pink skin. It feels like deep autumn in here” the Forgemaster gruffed, piling some wood in for a simple fire instead of charcoal for metal working.

“Qort, what’s with the accent change, you’ve done it several times now” Ben asked, settling into a chair near the fire. He would be sore in the morning, but It was his choice.

“Ah,” the Durr grunted, “The academy tried their damnedest to rip my culture from me… when I was expelled, I decided that I would never let it happen again..” the Forge master smiled “An,atts why Aye like T’keep mee Drolle. Y’seem ta understand me’nuff”

Ben could only chuckle, “aye, I understand’yee” he responded back, getting a snort from Qort. “I’ll see you in the mornin Boss.” And with that, Ben settled in next to the fire.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

*Knock knock, fucker*….

BEN!!!!

Peace, Son of Terra

Don’t go! Nononono!

Benjamin, Benjamin

Benjamin’s eyes bolted awake with an explosive gasp before his eyes fell to the quickly cooling embers.

“Benjamin..” This time the voice was real and Ben jerked his gaze to his left in time to Viola standing next to him, in the barely covering garments from the earlier evening “I’m sorry, my… Benjamin; but I have a request… and I don’t want to anger you.”

Ben stood, taking the blanket around his waist and wrapping it around the violently shivering girl. It was not yet first light. “Viola, you shouldn’t be uncovered. What is it.”

“My.. sister” Viola said between violent spasms of shaking. “I cant keep her warm, We are usually forced to sleep with our master. I do not want to break your conditions but… we are so cold. Please…” She paused, clearly worried about what she was going to say next, “Please come to bed mas.. Benjamin. If not for pleasure, at least for warmth.”

Ben kicked himself internally as she asked. ‘Of course, they don’t have the body fat or energy reserves to stay warm… shit.’ “Ok, but tomorrow I’ll be making a stove for the room. Come on, lets get you warmed up before you catch an illness.” Ben stood, only to have his hand taken by Viola. She led him back to his room, where he saw Valtrya shaking violently in a cocoon of bedding. She looked up, pleadingly as Ben entered. The bed was not large enough, not really. But it was up against the wall, and Benjamin slipped in behind them. He kept his trousers on, but removed his shirt. He felt Valtrya’s shaking form instantly press itself to his chest, her skin soft but like fresh ice after a blizzard. Viola began undressing almost instantly, while Ben closed his eyes to give her some privacy. Soon he felt her crawl into the small cot, pulling herself close to the not quite so violently shaking Valtrya. With three blankets on, Benjamins body heat quickly warmed the two girls. They pressed uncomfortably close to him, drinking in his warmth. Valtry was pressed firmly against Ben’s chest, with her sister wrapping herself around her protectively. The two were so frail and tiny that Ben could reach entirely around the two of them, putting a warm arm on Viola’s back and tucking the blanket under her to seal the cacoon of bedding. She recoiled slightly at his touch, but soon forced herself to relax as he did nothing else. Ben didn’t sleep the rest of the night, but for little spurts of unconsciousness broken up by the two poor girls wiggling for comfort in the all-to-small Cot of a bed.

One particularly long doze had him awaken to the first rays of light coming into the room. The Two girls were still asleep, but no longer in danger of freezing; and Benjamin slowly slipped from beside them , wrapping them tightly in the warm blankets before putting a work shirt on, and stepping out into the forge.

“Morn’” Gruffed Qort, handing Ben his breakfast. “Don’ expect me t’feed yer’ new Charg’s. Tey’be Yur probl’m now”

Ben nodded, “I’ll go down to the market and pick up some extra food. Let them sleep, and if they wake up. Give them my portion for today.”

Qort raised an eyebrow, but nodded nonetheless, and Ben quickly started the Forge before departing for the market. The walk to the market was quick, were it not for the renewed staring. Word had spread quickly, and he was hard pressed to decide how many nodded in respect or approval, vs who glared at him in either veiled fear, or disgust. Ben quietly slipped about the market grabbing dried meats, some of the limited vegetables, and a few extra eggs and potatoes. The seamstress was on the way back, and he picked up a pair of simple dresses that appeared the correct size. The seamstress seemed confused as to why he would spend money on such slaves, “If they are to work in the forge, they are worth nothing to me hurt” grated Benjamin before setting an appointment for the girls to come back and be properly measured for further clothing.

Ben hated that he was now a slave owner, but his soul refused to allow him to throw these two girls back into the Realm to be picked up by some asshole or murdered by another. If he could get them educated, he could make them free; and that plan seemed to salve his nerves on the former. His brooding saw his return to the Forge, laden with food and essentials. He stepped in to find Viola and Valtrya sitting at the small table near the anvil, sharing his plate. And wearing nothing but the whisps of clothing their former master had forced them into.

Ben sighed heavily, stepping into the shop fully and closing the door with a clank. “Ok, you two. Into the room.” He said, “Lesson one about being free, Modesty.” he held out the two plain looking dresses.