190 years before the birth of Alfred.
Ahmad stood in front of two well-dressed black-haired children. In comparison, his own clothes were old and worn, yet he spoke with grace and elegance unbecoming of his frail appearance. His skin was dark and his hair was like cotton. The children smiled happily as the man pointed at a map with a stick.
"Do either of you know what is here?" The boy's hand shot into the air as he threw himself up, trying to outstretch his sister. "Jacob."
The boy stood up. "The barbarian forest. It holds many splintered tribes a.." Interrupting the boy, a butler walked in. His eyes looked at Ahmad with a condescending gaze.
"Young masters. Your father calls for you. We must end the lesson early today." The two groaned loudly but meekly got out of their chairs and walked off, not before saying their goodbyes to Ahmed. The butler gave one last look at Ahmed, snorting, turning and leaving. With his newfound free time, Ahmed decided to go bother one of the few people who made living the way he did bearable.
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"May I come in?" His hand weakly knocked on the door, and he gently pushed it open. Sitting at a desk, a beautiful brown woman sat. She sewed a couple of rags together, but her charming smile directed itself at Ahmed.
Every time he saw it, he wondered where Tumna had come from. He knew that she must have come from the East like himself, due to her dark skin, but her beauty was that of a noble. She pointed towards a chair in the room for Ahmed to sit, pouring him a glass of water.
"You're early. Don't you have to teach the little ones?" Her voice was gentle and sweet.
"It ended early. A shame, they always seem to like lesson time."
"A strange thing for those sun worshippers to like any of us," Tumna said with a bitter smile. Ahmed did the same. He knew it was a matter of time before those children ended up like that, and he dreaded the day. He always found them adorable,e and the day they stopped seeing him as their teacher but a slave and Follower of Khors was when he would lose his purpose here.
He looked over at Tumna. "When do you work today?"
"I do not know. The butler has got all the slaves to wait in their rooms. Seeing as how the kids got called away it must mean that something important is happening in the manor today. Not that I'm complaining about time off." She said with a tired voice.
"That is true." His words were followed by silence as he watched Tumna sow her clothes together.
The silence lasted for a while, and she finished up before they began to talk again, lasting over an hour, only to be interrupted by the knocking on the door. The butler stood there, his disgusted eyes looking at the two. "Girl, get ready and be in the dining hall within ten minutes. You, go back to your quarters."
Barking out the orders, he turned and left, leaving the two stunned for a second, but quickly getting ready and following them, fearing what would happen if they were late.
Tumna stood in the dining hall, head bent down, unmoving. "Brother, you should have given me prior warning if you wished to visit. I have been very busy as of late." The voice was not one you would expect of someone talking to their brother. It was a cold voice that was sharp like a dagger.
The man on the right, with heavy footsteps and laboured breathing from his right, a testament to his weight, spoke. "Do I need a reason to see my brother?" He paused to catch his breath, "I'm just here to see how my niece and nephew are coming along. You turn down every teacher I find for you."
Pulling a chair from the table, he took a seat, out of breath from talking so much. "We have found a good teacher for them. A good slave that we picked up for cheap."
"Don't tell me, brother. A heathen. Our father would be disappointed."
"Not as disappointed as you for lying with them." The response was quick, getting a deep grumble and shaking the man's fat.
"Anyway. When do we feast?" Stopping his brother, the fat man asked, "I came all this way and brought good meats, treats for the kids and wine for us."
"I would not keep you waiting for so long without food, brother. The chef began cooking as soon as you walked through the door."
"Perfect." His smile was sincere as he rubbed his hands. "I have an announcement to make. This will be a feast to remember."
"I don't doubt it."
The family flooded into the dining room. Simon sat at the head, with his brother, Phill, to his right, his wife to the left and the kids flanking each side of the table.
"Well then, let's have our wine." Simon clicked his fingers. Tumna walked to Phill's side with a flattering smile on her face. Phill looked at her face, his eyes full of desire. He stroked the side of her leg out of sight of the rest of the family.
Tumna could only smile as she backed away slowly, not wishing to anger the man. Phill turned back to the table, quickly dropping a bead in his wine, unnoticed, before laughing and eating with delight.
The meal lasted half an hour. Clapping his hands, Phil got everyone's attention. "First, for my lovely niece and nephew, a pair of desserts that are to die for." As if on cue ,two slaves walked in with the small pastries with black powder over them. The kids looked at it with drooling mouths before turning to their uncle and thanking him.
"With that. I'm sure you must be wondering where my wife is. I am happy to announce that she is expecting a child. I fear for my first, so I didn't let her come." His words received a round of applause.
"Congrats, brother. Despite the sudden celebration you threw at me, I am happy for you. The Weston Family has gained another." Simon raised his glass of wine, downing its contents, with his wife and brother following along.
"Of course, brother. And forgive me for all this." He said with an apologetic tone, getting a shrug in return. "We may not have had the best relationship after father's death, but we are family, and here and now, I wish to give you a formal apology. I'm sorry."
Simon sat in silence, stunned by what his brother had said. "It is fine, brother." Taking a break, he stood up and walked to a cabinet at the side. "It has been a while since you and I have drunk together. How about it?" He pulled an expensive bottle of wine out. Phill nodded as he stood from the table. "We will take our leave first."
Within Simon's study, the two sat drinking, reminiscing about their childhood. "You always were a little bully back in the day, Phill, but I must say, it's good to see you now become a father, and I hope going forward we can go forward as a family again, not rivals."
"I was stupid back then. I was the younger son, and I felt jealous that my father didn't leave me any land. To raise an army against you was a dumb mistake." Phill said as Simon rubbed his throat. "That's why I decided to come here. As I am going to become a father, I thought it was time to set things right. Let my kid see his cousins."
"That. mmmmhh. Sorry, must be the wine. Been a while since I've had some. I'm happy about that. mmmmhh." Simon slumped forward, rubbing his throat. Phill quickly got up, causing his fat to jiggle.
He went to Simon's side and placed his hand on his shoulder. "It's time to set things right. And I'll be damned if my son suffers like I did, Brother." His voice was sinister as he leaned closer to his ear. "Don't worry, you will join your wife and kids in Sol's Kingdom. I don't think you need to worry; however, I probably won't be there after today."
Pushing Simon to the floor, he turned his back on him and slowly walked out. Simon clenched his throat, his eyes full of hate and malice. "You evil fat fuck. If you were not my brother,r I would have chopped you into pieces and thrown you in the pig pen." With pure willpower, Simon spoke. His words stabbed into Phill's back.
"I guess you should have become a Kinslayer then, brother." In a mocking tone, he closed the door on his brother,r who crawled towards it.
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Tumna lay in her bed, closing her eyes. She had heard many heavy footsteps walking past after the dinner had ended. Doors slamming open and people screaming as they were dragged away had become the theme of the night. It was obvious what had happened and she knew it was only a matter of time before they came to her.
Hearing her door open, underneath the covers, Tumna shivered. A heavyweight sat on the end of her bed. Lifting the cover Phill looked down at her. His hand grabbed her face.
"You could have also been involved with my brother's death, but you are lucky. You caught my fancy. So this is what will happen. I'm going to give you the chance to prove how sincere you are tonight and if you succeed I will let you live." His hand gently released her face as he got up and stood by the door.
Tumna shivered gently but weakly nodded getting a cruel smile from Phill. "Perfect." Closing the door behind him, the horror in the room began.