Broken - Ancient Greece AU
The smell of the sea was the first thing that Jensen became consciously aware of. The next thing was the amount of pain he was in. He remembered the battle, the invading Greeks, and he remembered fighting with all of his friends and brothers, trying to defend their home. Most of their men had been gone on a hunting trip, leaving only a small party to defend the village. He remembered all of them falling, and the victory cry of the invaders. It had taken no less than six of them to subdue him – apparently this Greek king liked to take slaves and make examples of his enemies. The thought made Jensen sick to his stomach.
He cracked his eyes open, feeling exhausted, despite the fact that he had just woken. His surroundings were dark, but light peeked through several cracks above him. He was on a ship, then. He could still feel the rocking of the ocean, but they weren’t moving anywhere – they must have reached their destination and docked.
Jensen moved to stand, but his arms were lashed together with thick straps of leather, and he was tied to a post on the floor, leaving him stuck until one of his captors came to fetch him. Fury built within him, and he wanted to cry out in frustration. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from roaring in anger. There was nothing in the world that he hated more than feeling helpless.
He didn’t know how much time had passed until a Greek soldier came to untie him, holding him at the point of a sword the entire time. Jensen glared viciously at the man, but he didn’t struggle. He knew when he was beaten, and there was no point to fight back now. He had to be patient and bide his time.
“Ah… You weren’t wrong. This one is quite pretty. And you’re sure he was trained to fight? He looks like he would be more suited to be a pleasure slave.” The words came from the mouth of a man clothed in a black robe with a red sash, covered in gold jewelry. He had dark hair and eyes the color of coal – Jensen immediately wanted to tear his throat out. “The king will be pleased. Take him to the throne room so the King can decide what to do with him.”
“Of course, Markos.” The Greek soldier nodded respectfully to the man before turning back to Jensen. “Move it, scum!”
Jensen was pushed through the halls of the palace, his arms bound and his dignity shredded. They passed by many Greeks, all of whom sneered and laughed at his appearance. They didn’t need to know where he came from – he was a slave now. Nothing but property to be treated as their king desired.
It was a long walk to the throne room, and Jensen strained against his leather bonds. He had tried to memorize the way into the depths of the palace, but he wasn’t sure if he would be able to make it out again without getting lost. Once they reached the throne room, all chatter from the nobles and guards ceased, leaving it almost completely silent. The king sat upon his throne and Jensen scowled up at him defiantly.
“King Misha, I bring you the remaining survivor of the warriors from the island of Milahos,” the soldier told him, bowing before the king. He stood, and kicked Jensen’s legs out from under him. He fell to the floor, and landed on his knees. He lifted his head angrily and met the bright blue gaze of the king. “Does he please you, my king? Should you wish for it, I’ll send him to join the laborers immediately.”
It doesn’t matter where you take me, Jensen thought furiously, wishing that the King could hear his thoughts. I will get out of here, and when I do, I’m not sparing anybody.