Reincarnated to the Past 24: Arnsya 4, End of Arnsya (Patreon)

Reincarnated to the Past
Chapter 24: Arnsya 4, End of Arnsya

-VB-

With our business with the other arns completed and having achieved what we came here for, Ghigari decided to pull us out of the Higher River Kettin tribe’s town before anyone got funny ideas. 

To that end, I ended up busily managing the new additions to the retinue. Specifically speaking, the ones I had to manage were my new personal retinue added by the admission of defeat by Homkal.  The chief had arrived with the biggest host from his tribe, many of which included slaves used to carry supplies and other goods. As a result of our agreement before the duel, Homkal Mahk gave me all of the slaves he’d brought with him and promised me on his honor to deliver the rest of what I was owed to the High River Kettin, who would send me the slaves at a later date. 

I digressed. 

I have been given five families’ worth of slaves, consisting of seven men, four women, and seven children. I wanted to argue that he wasn’t giving me five families of slaves like he agreed to, but Ghigari had pulled me aside and told me that it was good enough and that pushing this issue when Homkal had delivered on the word of his promise, even if he didn’t deliver strictly the five families he agreed on, would actually give Homkal a reason to not hand over the cattle. 

Was I confused as fuck? Yes. 

I didn’t get what I was owed, but then it took me a moment to realize that I was still thinking like a 20th and 21st century individual. In the future, it would have been fine to debate and demand over the precise and minute details of the exchange.

But if Ghigari thought that I got a good deal, then what would others think? Yes, it wasn’t exactly what I wanted, but technically speaking, I’d gotten more than what I demanded. Households in this day and age were counted not by the actual family unit but the head of the household. 

This meant that Homkal could have given me five unmarried men and called his end of the exchange fair because I never specified what I wanted before the deal was made. 

Instead, Homkal had fulfilled his part of the deal once over by giving me seven men, four women, and seven children. 

Ghigari told me that it was a show of respect to give some more than what was owed. Had I demanded more, I would have come off as selfish and disrespectful, a reason to deny me other parts of the deal, namely the cattle. 

I was upset that I may be separating families but I was pragmatic enough to see that I didn’t have much room to argue here in the eyes of the locals, including Ghigari. However, I swallowed my umbrage, thanked Homkal sincerely for his generosity, and moved on. 

I can’t win everything, after all.

Anyways, I met my new slaves and began to think of ways to improve their quality of life…

-VB-

Her name was Siju. 

She was born a slave, lived as a slave, and only knew how to be a slave. 

So when the chief told her and the other slaves that they were to be given to a powerful man of another tribe, she expected to continue her life as a slave in a different place. She was a beautiful girl, or so everyone told her, but it was only because of her place as the chief’s personal cupbearer that she was spared all of the incredibly unfortunate events that befell many beautiful slaves. 

She was herded along with the rest of the slaves to meet their new patron, and all Siju hoped for was a continuation of her fortune. 

When she and others met the man who would be their new master, she felt herself intimidated. Yes, Chief Homkal was taller, but he was a man easily swayed by the words of others, just as he had been swayed to fight the Lower River Kettin by his lieutenants and advisors. It was easy to keep him calm with wine from the south and expensively spiced meat, but she knew nothing about this new master. 

This new master looked stern. He carried himself well, not quite like a warrior but well regardless. He hung a sword from the side of his hip in a scabbard, wore a smooth brown hide shirt and pants, and wore a pair of hide boots of fine quality. He didn’t keep his black hair long like the rest of the warriors but short and trimmed with just a bit of hair at the top and front being longer than the hair on the side of his head and back. Despite being longer, they were stiff and swayed hardly anywhere in the summer breeze that had her own long hair swaying gently. 

His exposed skin along the forearms, arms, and legs showed him to be a warrior, definitely. 

But it was his eyes. They looked over her and the other slaves with such intensity that she felt herself wither a bit under their gaze. She felt small.

And then, he abruptly smiled. 

“Hello.”

A simple greeting? 

“I am Alan Marris. Some of you may know and some of you may not know, so I will make it very clear. I am your new master, and you belong to me and me only.”

Siju nodded, expecting something similar to this declaration.

“However!” 

The sudden input caught her attention more than before just as it was flagging as she thought she heard it all. 

“I do not like needless violence, show of power, or anything similar. I pledge to not abuse you, but this does not mean that I will not punish you if you do something I disapprove of or break the common rules and laws. Be assured, however, I will protect you all should anyone try something against you, because you lot are mine.”

… She supposed that she could have been sold to a worse master. He was certainly better than Homkal.