Chapter 153: Book 2 Chapter 18

Marie

 

"I don't understand how you can want this!" Alrik sighed exhausted. Their first regular training sessions had all been exhausting. Now they sat in the cafeteria and had breakfast.

"I want to be a hero!" Lou grinned. "That's what I've wanted since I was a little boy!"

"Hero?" Alrik looked at Marie, who was hanging tired over the table. "Do you want to be a hero too? A heroine? Like our Lou? I still can't believe you're taking the elite course! Both! How do you do that?"

"With too little sleep!" Marie yawned. "And less free time. I want to be able to protect my friends."

"Just like me!" Elin stroked her back. "We will all be heroes!"

At the end of the day, Marie didn't feel like a heroine. More like an exhausted wreck. But after dinner, she had to go to the elite course, which always took place late. There she got pushed to her limits again until she was ready to fall over.

The elite course was even harder than the normal training, and skill and combat skills were required, which she would actually learn in regular training. Marie, therefore, trained twice as hard as her competitors. Within a few days, she caught up. Out of sheer willpower. In the regular course, she was therefore already considered a model student. As a genius with the sword.

Here, in the elite course, she trained not only with the sword. She learned how to make and recognize poisons, first aid, basic knowledge of medicine, arrow shooting, and much more.

As she dragged herself back to her room, exhausted and stressed, she met Pia.

"You're still awake?", asked her former friend, who was holding a towel.

"I could ask you the same!" Marie sighed. "Are you going to take a bath now?"

"Now the bathrooms are not so full!" Pia shrugged her shoulders. "And there's no one there who smells of sweat. I don't like that at all. How are you?" The academy had a large men's bath and a large ladies' bath. There were no private baths. Marie was not bothered by this.

"I'm tired. Enjoy the bath!" Marie walked past Pia yawning and did not notice her old friend looking at her sadly.

 

Fritz

 

Moritz's visit was pleasant as always. They had fun together, fooled around like children, and told Paula embarrassing stories from her youth. Paula laughed in amusement. Moritz was also a great uncle to Nino and Loelia. Nino clung to him like a little monkey.

Now Fritz was on his way to the bicentenary of the slave market. Not an event he wanted to attend. But his visit was expected. Two guards accompanied him, next to his coachman. They knew about his children and had vowed not to betray him.

Of course, they knew nothing about his involvement in the uprising. Not yet. Maybe he would tell them soon, as the three turned out to be very trustworthy. In addition, he had recently heard them speak out against the Queen. This would be advantageous for him, as he would no longer have to use excuses or find ways to visit his allies unaccompanied.

The owner of the market, Friedhelm Auerhaus, greeted him at the entrance of the imposing market hall. The building had a roof of sparkling glass. It seemed friendly and welcoming. 

"Prince Fritz! Highness! An honor!" He bowed deeply. "It is a great pleasure to have you here as a guest. The gala should start soon. You are our guest of honor."

"I was very pleased with your invitation", Fritz lied with a charming smile. "Unfortunately, my wife could not accompany me. But she lets you send her congratulations. Two hundred years! That's great!"

"What an honor!" Mr. Auerhaus, a small, round man with long gray hair, wiped a tear from his face. "Come! I personally bring you to your place. After the gala, I will guide you through our current assortment. One of our best specimens will serve you today!"

"I'm really looking forward to it." Fritz lied again. He would rather be at home, with his family. Specimens! Dreadful...

Through a friendly entrance area, they went into a small hall, which served as a festive hall. Everything was simple but nicely decorated. The guests were already sitting at their tables.

Fritz got a seat right next to the stage on a simple grandstand, right at the entrance to the hall. His two guards accompanied him inside and dutifully stood behind him. On the stands, a small, elegantly table with a golden-colored chair had been set up for him and a servant with a temporary binding spell served him a good three-course menu and expensive wine. The same as what was served to the other guests while listening to a speech by Mr. Auerhaus, as well as a small orchestra that performed on this special day. The slave, who was sixteen at the most, threw pleading glances at Fritz and was chalk-pale and too scrawny.

Fritz sighed. The poor boy trembled. His features were very fine. Almost girly.

Mr. Auerhaus thanked him once again for the visit of the prince and the visitors clapped politely. Then the speech continued. He talked about the beginnings of the market. Fritz hid a yawn.

After two hours, the gala was over and the guests left the hall. Mr. Auerhaus came to Fritz and bowed again. "I would now like to present you our goods! Of course, you have already seen one of my slaves. I hope you enjoyed his services? The elf has only been here for a few weeks. I instructed him in serving. I hope to be able to sell him at a high price. A pretty specimen, isn't he?"

"He has done his job sufficiently", Fritz murmured. He felt sorry for the elf.

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Mr. Auerhaus led him into another, adjacent hall, where elves and werewolves crouched in cages. They all wore simple, mostly clean clothes and seemed exhausted. Mr. Auerhaus told him about each slave, the age, the name, and his home. Some he described as excellent workers, others as particularly pretty. Fritz pretended to care. He would have loved to free them all. But he couldn't do that yet. And he couldn't buy them all. Where should he put them all? And such a purchase would arouse suspicion.

They came to the last cage, which stood a little apart from the others. In it sat a fifteen-year-old girl. A werewolf. She had dark, almost black eyes, short, blond hair, and was relatively tall and muscular for a girl. "This young lady has been staying with us for a few months." Mr. Auerhaus snorted. "She's a particularly nasty specimen! When the soldiers took her out of her pack, she tried to resist, and here, she only causes me problems too. She growls and tries to bite or scratch my employees and potential buyers. So, nobody wanted to buy her!" The girl growled and showed her teeth. The slave trader kicked against the bars. "You'll stop it! You beast!"

"Nasty?" Fritz looked at the girl who was crouching in a corner of the cage, lurking and growling.

"Her name is Emmie and she comes from a small village high in the mountains. Her mother is said to be an alpha wolf there. I was told that her mother had also tried to defend her daughter against our rights. The girl is an alpha wolf and therefore well suited for heavy work. However, she attacks anyone who gets too close to her, and she is not afraid of punishment. I'm not sure I can sell her. I probably will... Sort her out."

Fritz raised his eyebrows. "Sort her out?"

"She doesn't bring me any money." The little man shrugged his shoulders. The girl's growl grew louder. "Well, Your Highness! You've seen my goods!" Mr. Auerhaus led Fritz back to the other cages. "And as a sign of my gratitude for the honor of your visit, I offer you a slave. Free, of course. A gift from my humble house. It would be an honor for me to provide a good servant to you! Did you particularly like one of my goods? The elf who served you?"

"Didn't you want to sell him expensive?" Only reluctantly, Fritz distanced himself from the unfortunate girl.

"Yes. Unless you want him. A pretty, obedient specimen!" Mr. Auerhaus clapped his hands. "Well, who is the happy slave?" He pointed to the many cages.

Fritz thought for a moment. He felt sorry for the elf. Just like everyone. He looked back at the girl. Sort her out... The slave trader would have this child killed.

"The girl!" He pointed to her cage. Soft growls could still be heard.

"The Beast!?" The slave trader's mouth remained open.

"Yes. Exactly. This child. And if you allow, I'd like to buy the elf from you!" Before he sells the poor boy to someone bad. Who knows what would happen to the boy?

Mr. Auerhaus blinked. "What? No. Not really. They both shall be yours! A gift. But the girl... Are you sure? She's a nasty thing!"

"More than just safe. Thank you for your generosity!"

The little man bowed deeply. "I'll just get a few colleagues to get the goods ready for you! The girl needs a muzzle and shackles, otherwise, she could attack you... Do you really want her? The Beast! Just a moment!" Then he hurried away. Fritz went back to the wolf child's cage.

The girl looked at Fritz skeptically. He smiled at her, but she continued to growl. Muzzle. Poor child. Paula is hopefully happy about another daughter and a son. What do I do with them? They have families somewhere. Poor children.

A little later, three of the employees tried to muzzle Emmie and put small linen bags over her hands before handcuffing the girl, who fought back angrily. Little did she know that Fritz meant well with her. Another servant brought the young elf. He had black hair, green eyes, freckles, and red dragonfly wings. The boy stared at his feet.

"What's your name?" Fritz asked him as the girl was pulled brusquely out of her cage.

"Peyo", the boy murmured, while Fritz applied the binding spell to him. After that, he applied the girl, Emmie, with the same spell. To do this, he had to push one of the linen bags aside.

"Wonderful!", announced Mr. Auerhaus. "Thank you very much for the honor of your visit. I hope they will serve you well!"

Fritz’s guards took care of the two new servants. "Thank you very much for the invitation!", thanked Fritz. "And for the gift." Then he left the slave market with his two new children. Mr. Auerhaus accompanied him to the carriage and bowed there as a goodbye.

The servants set in the same carriage as Fritz. His guards tied Emmie to the inner door handles so that she could neither flee nor attack the prince. Peyo was spared this. Then the guards sat down with the coachman and the carriage started moving.

The girl growled and stared hatefully at Fritz while the boy continued to look only at his feet.

"My name is Fritz von Sonnenhof. My wife's name is Paula and I have two wonderful children", he introduced himself to them. "The queen doesn't know anything about them because she forbade me and Paula to have children. Paula is mortal."

Stunned, Peyo looked at him now. Emmie also seemed confused. "What?", the boy murmured.

"I'm not taking you into captivity, even if the binding spell makes it seem so. I don't believe in slavery, but I didn't want your lives to end in cruelty." He sighed. "Unfortunately, I couldn't take them all with me. Maybe you two don't believe me, but we have all the time in the world."

"I really don't believe you!", the girl snorted.

"You’re Highness!", the boy hissed, startled.

Fritz laughed. "Well. Peyo is right. In front of guests, you have to address me correctly. But don't worry, boy, she won't be punished."

"In front of guests?" Peyo looked at Emmie, who continued to stare at Fritz.

"When we're home, I'll take the terrible muzzle off you, child. I’m sorry that you have been kidnapped from your home, but I hope to offer you a good new home. Really. I regret your fate." Fritz sighed. "You don't have to be afraid. I won’t harm you."

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