THE DEMON LORD AND HIS PET

It's been hours since I started running. The forest is dark I am unable to see anything clearly. My legs carry me as far as it can ignoring the blisters forming on my leg. "I need to escape! I need to escape!! I need to escape!!!". I scream these words in my head for I will not go back there. I only wish Diane would not be punished.

I dash across the trees hearing loud steps reaching my location, fear starts to engulf my bones I already vowed I would not return but now I have been found.

"Come out now Aenyra!, I can sense your presence. I promise to be gentle with you if you will just submit yourself". These words growled deeply a few meters away from me.

I quickly ran to hide behind a tree sneakily but my legs failed me. I mistakenly step on a small piece of wood lying on the floor. I look up, my eyes meeting a pair of red eyes smirking at me.

"Found you!"

"No!!!!." I scream jolting up from my bed, panting heavily to meet a girl with pitch-black hair sitting in a chair close to my bed and her head lying on my bed.

She raises her head. I think my pants must have disturbed her sleep.

"Margaery how are you feeling? You have been gone for three hours" She wiped the sweat that was forming on my forehead with a piece of her clothing.

"Ummm, Who are you, and who is Margaery?" I ask her my voice coming out a little bit raspy.

"oh course," she says will a smile." I am always forgetting you wouldn't remember me and who you are again" Her voice has a glint of sadness and is produced in a low tone. I can tell that she knows who I am judging by how she called me 'Margaery although I can't remember and I can't help but feel sad about not knowing who she is.

I massage my forehead lightly feeling a slight pain coursing through my head.

"Here take this. It would help". She hands me a bowl of some brownish liquid content. I smelled the contents of the bowl my face scrunching into disgust, I did not like the smell.

She chuckles "You need to drink it, Margaery. It's your medicine." I give her one last questioning look and she nods smiling at me. I cover my nose with one hand emptying the content of the bowl into my stomach.

I am so focused on the girl beside me who claims to know me that I don't notice other girls walking around the room in a hurry. They are about 50 girls.

Do they live here?

"Who are you people?" my question came out a little bit harsh.

"We are no one Margaery. We are either orphans or our parents rejected us"

"Who are you? What's your name?" I am asking again. No way am I going to believe that she doesn't have a name.

"Like I said, I am no one I do not have a name. No one does". Isee tears forming in her eyes. My question might have triggered something. I am really getting annoyed now. why can't I remember a thing? and my head is still paining me.

She took in deep breaths before her lips part.

"My name is Olenna. But listen Margaery you are not to call me by my birth name."

"Why would you say that? It doesn't make any sense."

"I know but we need to live by the rules if we are to be kept alive here. The only thing we could do is to pray we are bought by someone manageable cause everyone is a beast. Some people do not last up to a year before they are found dead."

I gasp "What!?"

"What do you mean bought and dead? I don't understand a word you breathe from your mouth"

She comes closer to me whispering in my ears "We are pets to be bought by the rich people. Vampires, werewolves, witches, and other beasts use us as their plaything and sex toy" She leans back.

I didn't notice my hand was covering my mouth in shock. My words are dead in my throat forbidding me to say a word.

"Don't cry Margaery". She brings her hand up to my face wiping the tears that have started falling from my eyes. "We have only an hour before we are put back in the cell. Yesterday was a very terrible day and I thank the stars you cannot remember what took place"

I look around the room and see the girls running and pacing around the room. Some are whining, crying, and consoling others.

"On the day of the full moon. An auction would take place. According to the astrologist. That day would be the best day and the first day the pure-blood vampires will step into our village" she said bringing me back from my thoughts.

I want to ask her what she means by all of these.I cannot make sense of what she is saying, Vampires, werewolves, and witches.

What the hell happened last night? Why can't I recall a single event from yesterday? And most importantly, why can't I remember who I am?

"Listen Margaery, you -"

You said I should not call you by your name why are you calling me by my name?". I cut her off narrowing my eyes towards her.

"Yes, you shouldn't and I should not call you your name. No one here calls us by our first name. Instead with are identified by the names of animals. I am identified as a 'cat'so everyone calls me that and you are a 'bird'.

'What!!!? Why the hell would someone call a person a bird and a snake'. I try to stand up from the bed but my muscles are aching badly.

She proceeds to help me alight from the bed revealing my white gown. I trace my fingers along the dress feeling nothing but plainness. I wear the wooden sandals left beside my bed. Trying to take a step toward the wooden chair I feel a sharp pain

"Ouch," I wince in pain. Raising my foot from the floor.

"What's wrong?" She gazes at my foot, Bending down she shifts the hem of my gown to the side with one hand lifting my leg and placing it on her thigh. She removes the wooden sandals from my foot and sees blisters on my foot.

My eyes widened in shock remembering my dream and this was the exact foot that had formed a blister. Maybe I am overthinking it but I can swear I am not. I should ask Olenna what happened last night. Oh, wait!! Did she not say I was gone for three hours?

I can't even remember anything in my life again and she was even glad I can not remember yesterday's event. I need to fill in empty spaces in my head.

"Margaery what's this!? You weren't injured last night. And when I put you to bed I can swear that you didn't have any sort of wound". She looks up staring at me.

"I...I... I'm..... I cannot.... Ouch!!!. My head. It aches. Olenna please help...... Ahhhhhh..... Olenna!!!". I fall to the ground feeling the pain travel through my body like an electric shock. "I can't breathe. Mummy!!!! Mummyyy!!!!" I scream gripping my dress, my teeth gritting.

"Wait here. Let me go get the guards". She said leaving the room and the other girls had already left the room. Leaving me alone with my excruciating pain.

I can feel the pain thugging and squeezing my chest. I hit my chest in hopes of releasing some pain but it didn't work.

Suddenly, I notice a man standing in front of me and I can't make sense of his appearance not knowing whether it is an imagination or reality but I can still feel his presence as my eyelids start to grow heavy. I cannot hold on any longer, I have no strength left in me. I do not want to die. I do not want to die!!. I scream in my head tears trickling down my cheeks as I continue to wince in pain. My head is in pain as if I am being tortured by someone.

My eyelids are growing more heavier.I try to force it open but I can not so Igive up in silence. Darkness engulfs me.

***********************

"Hello!!!, Hello!!, Hello!!!!". I scream turning around in an enclosed space, With no source of light.

Suddenly, I feel a cold hand wrapping its fingers around my wrist.I feel my heart sink into my stomach. I try to free myself from the grip but I cannot. The grip was firm on my wrist tugging me closer and deep into the darkness.

Its sharp nail slit my wrist as it dug into my skin. I want to scream, shout, and ask who it is but it feels like I am stripped away of my vocal cords. I open my mouth to scream but no sound comes out.

Think Margaery think. I shout at myself in my head.

As the hand continues to drag me deeper into the darkness. A spirit of defiance enters my body and I stop myself from being taken away using my fingernails I dig it into its eyes. yelping in pain it releases its strong hold on me and I make use of the opportunity and begin to run away from it.

I can not see the direction I am running into but I feel it is far away from that hideous creature. I come to an abrupt stop when I hear a deep growl behind me. It sounds like the exact type I heard in the forest but this one gives me chills, freezing my bones. Turning back I feel large hands covering my eyes and taking my wrist as I am being pulled away from this place. I can't help but feel a sense of familiarity.

********************************

I jolt up from the bed to meet four pairs of eyes staring down at me. I could only recognize a pair.

"O......" I quickly stop myself from making a huge mistake by calling her first name.

"Sir, she is awake". A man with a large box said to a man standing the closet to me with a frown on his face and visible wrinkles.

"How many fingers am I holding up?". The man with wrinkles asked me.

I quickly look at Olenna and she gives me a reassuring nod.

"four". I replied to him.

I felt a hot hand land on my cheeks and I quickly reacted to it.

What the hell?

"How dare you?." I scowl at him. Why did he just do that?

He leaned close to me as he cupped my cheeks "Now, you listen child. I do not care whether you always suffer from memory loss but I will never tolerate your rudeness. You are to reply with sir. I own you and soon you will be auctioned off. You have spent too much time staying in this village. It's time you leave. I hope you will not be brought back here and even if you are I will make sure you die in my hands" I scrunch up my nose to avoid his smelly mouth feeling instantly nauseous but I hold it in to avoid another slap on my face.

"Mr Nell. When is the date of the full moon? I can't wait any longer" He asked the man standing beside him wearing a cloth that gives out he is from the upper part of this village but still under this man's control.

"Two nights, sir". He answered bowing his head.

"Good. Finally. The wait is finally over" He laughs wickedly his eyes keen on not leaving my face.

He trailed his fingers on my cheeks. "Get ready child, you will be auctioned in two nights. Cat makes sure she is well-kept. She would not be going back to the cell. Stay and help her get ready." He looks Olenna up and down before finally saying something again. "You too get ready. You two will bring me the most money in the next two nights. So make sure you guys are clean and cover up any bruises on your skin. We can't afford to make a single mistake" He leaves the room with the other two men leaving me and Olenna in the room.

Tears rapidly fell from my eyes, I couldn't believe my ears "Shush don't cry". She says hugging me and feeling her own tears sticking to my clothes.

"We will overcome any struggle together Margaery. I promise you that. I won't let any harm come across you". I know she means it but she can't keep it. She doesn't have the power. I can't help but feel closer to her. Maybe she is the only one I can trust right?

I hug her back tightly as she pats and draws soothing circles on my back.