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While some people were quite willing to purchase another fairy as soon as it was permitted, it made sense that others would never go for such a thing. Anyone who lost a family member to slavery would be highly against it too.
One man jumped up and down as he waved his arms and tried to shout over the racket. He shoved and shouldered his way to the gate. Oriel went down the nearby steps to find the man clutching the bars.
“Let me in. I’ve got something for you, King.”
Oriel squinted. “What? A dagger in my face? I don’t know who you are.”
“Do you think I’d be that stupid when you’ve got two other Kings and an entire army? I like living, thank you very much.” The man held up his fist and moved a finger so something gold showed.
“Let him in,” said Oriel.
The gate was lifted just enough so he could squeeze under. A few others tried to follow, but guards kept them back.
“I want my sister!” screamed a woman in a ragged dress. “All she did was steal a fucking loaf of bread!”
“Get back!”
“I’ll shove a loaf of bread up your ass if you don’t let me in to find her!”
The newcomer approached Oriel and held out his hand while others hovered in case he was dumb enough to try something. “You want this, don’t you?”
Oriel held his hand out, and the seal was dropped into his palm. The gold ring twinkled in the light as he stared at it before he lifted his gaze to the man. “How the fuck do you have this?”
The man narrowed his eyes. “King Taven-er, just Taven, I guess. He paid me to keep it. I mean, you’d never suspect such a thing, right? You’d tear the Castle apart for it and torture him, but he might not break. You need this to get the rest of the Kingdom and lords to fall in line with less trouble. This is my country too, and while I should have remained loyal to him, you’ll simply fight your way through. Meadow is yours either way. Taven forgot I might love my people a bit more than him. Some of the people in my village have lost family members to slavery over the stupidest of shit, so he can go fuck himself. Can I keep the pay he gave me? It was quite a lot.”
“Yes!” Oriel stared at the seal again. “Dear Elira, thank you. You’ve saved us a lot of time and effort.”
“Also, he promised me a holding later too for my great service.” The man rolled his eyes.
Oriel smiled. “For this, I’m sure I can find you something.”
It took a while to collect the slaves since some had hidden all over the city in fear that they’d be tossed right back into a cell to await their sale. Some had robbed others or committed crimes, although murderers and rapists weren’t permitted as slaves. Oriel wasn’t about to hold petty theft against them.
When the gate opened and the newly freed ones who had family outside were allowed in, the crowd cheered as they rushed forward to those they had lost. Oriel was pretty sure he had just gained a huge amount of respect from the citizens of Meadow, but either way, he would have done it.
He knew some of the slaves had likely been forced to do disgusting things. They had been asked, names had been noted, and those who thought it was fine to rape and torture a slave wouldn’t be left alive for much longer.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Aspen held Oriel’s hand the next day as they stood on the Castle wall and watched the city trying to come back to life. The citizens had been freed from their temporary arrest to go back to their lives, and soldiers were still hauling out bodies. The ships were also being repaired which would take a bit. Some were beyond saving, but they could be stripped for wood and such.
“They found the man from that night,” said Oriel. “The one with the scar. He was among the dead. I would have caught him so if you wanted to choose his death, you could.”
“It’s fine,” said Aspen. “He’s dead. I know you’d hunt every bastard to the edge of the realm if you could, but it’s more important that he’s gone.”
“When I looked through the dead, I saw the man who raped me,” Oriel said in a quiet voice. “His face was pretty burned from whoever attacked him, but I’m pretty sure it was him. The build and hair were the same. He’s gone.” He paused. “We won’t get every single person who hurt us.”
Aspen squeezed his hand and knew what he meant. The sailors on the ship during that week might have taken jobs on different boats and could be anywhere. Not all who committed such atrocities were brought to justice.
“Taven will die like you wanted, so that’s one more erased,” Oriel added.
“I don’t want to watch,” said Aspen. “I’ve seen enough.”
“I know. Roth and I will make sure it’s finished, okay?”
“Okay.”
Aspen knew a pissed crown can be savage, but he didn’t want the details. He’d seen enough violence, and he didn’t want to lay eyes on the King. He’d asked Oriel to let the families of the slaves have him. Oriel had Aspen had gotten revenge on those who had hurt him, but those families wouldn’t. To him, it seemed fair to let Taven face his end with those people.
