A Selling

It was the back part of the market; the section that no one visited, or, no one wanted to visit. It was the section where the things were sold which many people did not wish to know of, and one of those things being people. 

Many were sold to things that common folk do not talk about, some were sold as workers, and others were sold simply for money. However, among those numbers was one that stood out, and did not quite fit in. The man selling him was doing so claiming he was selling a "demon", though of course the man was no such thing, although he could hardly be called human. 

With pupils that glowed red, and both rows of teeth sharper than knives, there was something very strange about him. Simply standing near the man gave off chills, and there was a strange presence to him. It was because of this that no one bought him, and likely no one would, and the seller was considering slaying the monster of a man because of it.

Hope walked to the market like she always had, following the cracks in the road that she knew too well. She stopped by the shops she always had, and went through the motions that went through everyday. She continued to walk till something caught her eye. towards the back of the market, she saw movement. She walked towards it and was met by a sight that was new to her.

There were people back here, not just walking around, but some chained up, and some in cages. The sight made her sick, but also more curious. She cautiously stepped out to the crowd and was greeted with a wretched scent.

She continued to walk, and soon came upon a man, he too had people chained and caged, and one that he claimed to be a true demon. It didn't seem true, but it still made her curious.
She approached the apparent demon, and sat in front of the cage. She sat there staring at the man, who had his eyes closed, and seemed to be sleeping.

Oh, it was a pitiful day when someone such as Dalmar could be thrown in a cage, and attempted to be sold as a "demon". It was, in fact, the exact reason he was no loner a dragon, like he had once been. After the last great dragon crusade, disgustingly in the name of "The Dragon", Dalmar had enough, and permanently changed form. Yet, there he was. 

Of course, he had allowed himself to be captured, and could easily break out at any minute. But he didn't. It was not until then that he knew why.

"Do you always watch people sleep?" He asked, laughing slightly at the thought, and opening his eyes to see the young woman. His blood red eyes bore into her soul, and he could see her entire past in that minute. Had he remained in his true form, her future too would be his to see, but that was no more, and he walked the earth as a man, rather than fly its skies on the wings he once had.

"Or am I just that special?" He knew he should not be so sarcastic, but this person was different than the others. She had more potential than the thousands milling about in the south-west. It was strange, almost as if she herself was not human, but greater.

There had been a prophecy, yes, that people would advance, and some would be far greater, but Dalmar did not expect to find one of these people.

Hope jumped back, frightened at the sight of his eyes. She had never seen eyes so red. And his teeth were as sharp as razors. She didn't know how to respond to what he had said, so she sat there, continuing to stare.


"I... No. I just..." She kept stuttering. When she finally stopped, she continued to stare. What was this place, and why was he here? Why were any of them?

"Yes?" Dalmar asked, raising an eyebrow. She was an interesting girl. Attractive too, which was strange, for it was rare for that thought to pass through his head about anything.

He wondered why she had come here, but now, he also willed her to stay. She was interesting, that was certain. Yet, she was scared.

Of course, he understood. Wouldn't anyone? Especially after the fat man had loudly explained that he was a demon from the bowels of hell, and now would kill him if no one bought him. Perhaps he would have to do something about that. Dalmar would not die, no, but he could not escape without drawing the attention of every onlooker in the entire market. Maybe she could help him, and return, he could help her.

Hope sat there and stared at him. He didn't seem evil, the only thing that made him different was his eyes and his teeth. She didn't want to be like the rest of them and think he was a monster.

"I... I'm sorry... I've never... Your eyes... I've never seen anything like them..." Hope glanced to the bigger man that owned the booth. What had he said earlier? That he was going to die? I can't stand people... She thought, How could you destroy something such like yourself?

"I... I should go..." Hope stood to walk away.

"Few have," he said, as she mentioned the eyes, and Dalmar smiled, laughing quietly to himself. Yes, the eyes seemed to be the first thing anyone noticed about him. However, many took it to be a bad omen; a sign of a demon. This woman though, she did not seem to think the same. Good. 

Yet, she stood to leave, and Dalmar's smile faltered.
"Why?" He asked as she said she had to leave. "Do I frighten you?"
Whether he did or didn't, her sudden change of mind confused him. Yet, it didn't. Many human's were similar. He doubted that she would answer, but rather walk away without another word, and Dalmar would be forced to escape himself, and draw a painful amount of attention in the process.

Hope turned back to the man with red eyes. Why? It wasn't because of his eyes. Her heathen of a father expected her back.

"I... My father... He will... worry.." Worry that he didn't have his fifth meal on his plate yet... "I... tomorrow... I can return tomorrow." She didn't think she would be back, but she had hoped the man who owned the booth had heard in case she was.

She stood, and this time continued to walk away and out of the market back towards her home.

"If you say so," Dalmar replied, though he doubted she would.
And so, he watched the young woman go (*cough cough*, totally not looking at anything), and sighed to himself. Maybe he would truly have to free himself from this little mess.

However, he would wait, throughout the night, just to see if she had spoken the truth or not. Although he suspected she would not return, part of him wished she did. She was interesting, and for him to think that about a human was not normal.

And so, he waited until the dawn, and then some, to see if this girl would keep her word, or not.

Hope walked up to the door of her house, hearing her father in one of his drunken rants yet again. She walked into the kitchen, dropping of the food and walked to her room. She entered and lay on her bed. She thought about what had happened today.


Will I go back tomorrow? That place doesn't frighten me but... it's just terrible... She thought again about how the place made her remember how much she hated the world. Why would they chain and sell those poor people? What had they ever done? She stared at the ceiling and her mind slowly drifted to the man with the red eyes. He wasn't a demon, or a monster, just a man... a man with strange eyes and odd teeth.


Would she go back? And if so, what could she possibly do? The keeper was going to kill him. She knew she didn't have the money to buy him, she wouldn't anyways because unless she could free them all, she wouldn't be any better than those other people.


Hope turned to her side and shut her eyes. As she drifted in and out of consciousness,  she saw nothing but red eyes and sharp teeth.


There has to be something I can do... Maybe... Maybe I could...

Looking around, his bright eyes piercing the dark night in the few hours before morning, he smiled at the work done. The market, lacking any people at that time of night, was now completely empty, save for himself.

The merchant gone and done with, all the other slaves freed, the only thing that was keeping Dalmar there was the girl. He wanted to see if she, unlike all the others, would keep her word.

He doubted she would, but at the same time, part of him hoped she would as well. If she did, he supposed he owed her something. It would make her stand out from all the others, and make her something more, that was certain. However, he would simply have to wait and see. And so he did; standing in the night, eyes shining bright, he would wait to see if she came.

Hope walked down the broken road again that morning, carrying her sack to use to bring back yet more food. You would think he would have had a heart attack by now. Her father had yet again managed to eat every last bite of the food she had gotten the day before in one sitting, sending her back for more.

She did her usual rounds, hoping no one wanted to stop and talk. She finished getting everything and stared towards the back of the market. She could see no movement, but knew that there was a whole different, almost black market back there.

She walked to the edge of the market she knew well, hoping others did not see her, for she knew that if they did, they would follow and simple parade around buying themselves there own personal slave. She stepped between the tents at the edge of the marketplace, and walked through to be once again met by a strange sent.

But this time, there was no one there. Where have they all gone? She couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. Had they all been sold? Were every one of them sent off to be the doormats of the rest of the town? She stumbled a bit, saddened at the thought that if she had done just something...

She sat on an abandoned crate, staring at the chains that now lay empty on the ground. She tried to remember what exactly the person that was in those chains looked like. She tried to imagine what kind of horrendous things might have happened to that person.

She tried to find a brighter side to it, Maybe they all escaped? No, not possible for all of them to escape at once... Maybe some people came through and freed them? No, not a single human being would be that kind hearted.

She remembered the man with the eyes just then and stood to go to the booth that he was in. He too, was gone. His cage torn open, showing a possible struggle... Was he sold off with the others? Or... Was he...

"Look at that," a voice behind Hope would echo down the alley. "You kept your word. That's interesting," Dalmar said, stepping out of the shadows that he had been waiting in, his eyes piercing the early morning's light.

He looked at the girl, smiling slightly. She had indeed kept her word, and that made her stand out from the rest of the rabble. Perhaps she was something far more than the others, as he had speculated the night before.

For this, he supposed he owed her. A new life, perhaps. In a new land, where none would know her name or history but him. There was a place, in the northern most reaches of the land, where another of her own heritage lived. They might not be related, but perhaps she could find a friend there. Friends were needed, in this time of the world. However, so was experience, and he owed her that much as well. To teach her the ways of the magic within her veins, and the strength in her own arms.

And so, he looked at her, an eyebrow raised, and a slight smile across his lips.

Hope turned to see him standing there. A sudden, unexpected, wave of relief washed over her as she saw him standing there. He was standing, it was odd to see him such, he was much taller than he expected.

"I... What happened here? Where have they all gone?" She gestured towards the market place, pointing towards the cages and chains. How did he escape?  There was no way he alone could have set them all free. His eyes set him outside of the others, but he was just a man, wasn't he?

Hope looked closer at him, and realized he was staring. At what? Is there something on my face? Hope's hand habitually went to the scar on her cheek, the one put there by her father.

She pulled it away and looked back at him, his smile caused her to relax a bit, as if she had known him for years. Yet, even though it was not even a full day yet, she felt more comfortable in his presence than she had felt even around her own blood.

"They've gone home," Dalmar said, still looking at her. "Wherever their homes may be. I set them free, and told them to go as they would. No human should be chained like a rabid dog; it isn't right," he said, though he still gazed at her.

Was she afraid? Of what? Most likely him. It would make sense; many were. However, there were parts of the way she stood that her fear was not the case at all, and perhaps she was only confused by the happenings. The way she stood, the way she looked; she actually seemed comfortable about him, and that was very different.

"Why would you do that?" Is he really that different? She realized that what she had said came out very harsh. "I... I mean... I've never met some that... Cared..." She couldn't believe that someone would actually care enough to set so many people free from harm.

Hope looked at him a while longer, then smiled. Maybe he wasn't so bad. The man who kept the booth had said he was a monster, but he should have been looking at himself.

She continued to stare at the man with red eyes and wondered what made him so different, aside from the obvious.

"Then why are you still here? Won't the keepers come back and find you here? Those savages would just lock you up again."

"This world is a cruel one, and has enough hardships as is. The innocent do not need to suffer more than they already do," he answered, looking Hope up and down, wondering more about her.

As she looked back at him, he doubted that she knew just what he was, but, in reality, he supposed it didn't matter that much. She was not turned away by him, and did not think of him as a demon, and that alone was more than enough to make her stand out, and make her something different.

"And yes, if they were to come back, I suppose they would find me here, and try to put me down," he said, flicking his eyes to her's once more. "But I wanted to wait. To see if you would keep your word or not.
"And now I can see that you have."

Hope was shocked by his words. He waited for me? Of all people? "Of course I did. I told you I would, so I did... I'm not like most people." She looked at him, wondering what was so great about herself that he would wait. He should have gone and saved himself.

"Why didn't you go home? Don't you have a place to go?" She looked at him, still confused as to why he would wait. Does he not have family that will worry? She stepped closer and sat on a different crate. She didn't want to go back home, so even if he left she would probably just remain here. Maybe people will come back and take me away... It would be better than being with my father. She stared at the ground, nudging one of the chains. She looked back up, to see what his response would be.

"I can see that," Dalmar replied at her comment, still looking at her. She certainly was not like other people, and that was a good thing.

"And I have to home to return to," he continued, replying to her second comment. "And from the looks of it, you either have none of your own, or do not wish to stay here," he said, and then thought about it. Perhaps this was how he could repay her.
"But if that is the case," he said, thinking for a moment, "then you shouldn't stay here, though you act like you do. 
"As hard as your home life might be, the other life will be harder when the market's people come back. They will think it was somehow you that set everyone you, and punish you for that.
"However," Dalmar said, a strange look came into his eyes then as he looked at the girl. "There is a land where you could escape to, if you see escape as your only option at living life. Across the sea, where none would know your name. A place to start over; to start a new life.

"If you want, of course," he said, finishing. He realized that perhaps, it was too soon, and he was offering too much, or too strangely. However, his offer stood. If she wanted to leave, he would take her.

Start over? Where no one knew her name? The thought intrigued her. She did hate it here. Her father wouldn't even care. No one would, really. She looked down once more at the chains, thinking of the person who might have been kept on it. She thought about how it might all be different, and how this place was her chain, and this man was helping to set her free just like the others.

But he's a stranger... Yet she felt as if she had known him for years. She looked up again. "I... When would we leave?" The second she said it, she could not believe her words. Was she really thinking of going? Yes. She wanted to start anew, away from that heathen. She looked back to the man. She wanted to know how much time was left. Would she need to pack what little rags she owned?

She thought not, but she would probably have time to steal the money that her father kept hidden. She hated thieves, but she was pretty sure he had pick-pockets take it for him anyways, and since she had no chance of finding all of the owners, she might as well put it to good use.

She took a deep breath to prepare herself for his answer. She was half expecting him to laugh in her face and say it was all a joke, that there was no such place. That he had made it up to get her all excited and then throw it back in her face. Yet, she some how knew that he was different

Dalmar smiled, looking at Hope. So she was truly different. That was good; the world needed different people, not the same, boring, and expected ones that walked all around.

"Right away," he said, looking at her. "Everyone will return shortly, and we need to leave quickly if we are to go unnoticed."

Taking a step closer, he looked at her one more time. He wondered how long he would be able to shield her from the world. Not forever, certainly; she would need to learn to fight and fend for herself. However, that did not mean he could not give her a push in the right direction. The direction to live life.

"Well?" He said, holding out a hand to her. "Will you come with me?"