Love, Pain and Loyalty Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Roan grew as a nice kid. Good looking boy, kindly kid and well educated , even Lord Sheamon raised his son with a cold hand and harshly. Fergus was always on Roan’s side, taught him the right from wrong. He promised to Pat, Roan wouldn’t be like them. Roan wouldn’t be a slave. Roan had to be a nobleman; even he was not a born noble.

Roan was 16 now. He made a good friend with everyone. With his noble friend either with slaves. And his favorite slave friend was Mark. Actually, Roan hated slavery so much. He couldn’t understand why people like them were kept for nothing but to works. He felt sorry for the slave, but he couldn’t do anything for them as he was fear too to his Father. He was the law in this house, no one would questioning His words. Sometimes Roan would come to slave house to see how they were going. How they live made him sick. The cells were simple and dirty, there was over thirty slaves sharing the same cell. Slaves were sleeping all over the cell floor, close to each other for warmth. Not only were there fully grown men and women there were also children. They had their own cells, not being allowed to even see their parents. Such a cruelty was going on right under the Lord Sheamon’s nose, and His father didn't even care that men, women and not to mention children, were being treated worse than a farmer would treat his pigs. Wish he could do something for them. And Roan felt good to make a friend with them. He had been best friend with Mark for 5 years, well, from the day Mark came to this mansion. Cruel bought him at slave market when he was ten.

Everyday Roan would meet Mark after his duty. And they would go to the lake not far from the house and stay there. Mark knew if Cruel found him hang out together with Young Master, he would be punished, but he seemed don’t care. He loved to be with Roan, as well as Roan. He even let Mark called him by his name, not young master.

“You really don't remember about your family?” Roan asked curiously. They were lying on the grass after swimming together.
Mark shook his head. “I just know I was born in slavery, then my master sold me to the market when I was ten. I don’t know who was my mother, neither my father.”
Roan sighed. “I don’t know my mother too. Father never talked about her. Who she was, how she was like, I never knew.”
Mark just looked at him, and Roan smiled.
“Thank you, Master, thank you for being my friend,” Mark said politely
“Hey, I told you don’t call me master,” Roan warned him. “We are no different, Mark, just our fortune. I never see you as a slave, Mark. I see you like my own friend, like with Nicky,” Roan smiled gently. Nicky was his friend he met on his boarding school. And he was a future husband of King Richard’s daughter, Princess Meredith.
“Well, well what do we have here?” A harsh voice shocked them. Both Roan and Mark’s heads whipped around to see Cruel.
Cruel, was a big man with black hair and had a red scar right across his face.
“You!” He said pointing at Mark. “You have duties to see to.” He said angry, grabbing Mark by the collar pulling him to his feet. Cruel pulled out a whip and was just about to lash it out on Mark when Roan stopped him.
“Leave him alone! It was my fault, Sir. I asked Mark to accompany me,” Roan tried to reason with the furious Guard.
“Get out of my way boy...” He warned in a dangerous voice. But Roan refused to move.
Anger flashed in the Guard’s eyes. How dare this boy defy him? He knew who Roan was. Roan was a slave too. Slave who rose by Lord Master. Rose by pity.
He gripped the whip handle harder.
“Step aside or you will taste the same treatment as the slaves.” Cruel’s voice was cold and harsh but Roan didn’t even flinch. This Guard had no right treating the slaves as animals; they were humans just like they were. And Mark was his friend!
Cruel lost his temper and hit Roan right over the face with the whip handle. The force of the blow knocked him of his feet. Blood trickled down his right cheek. He was roughly pulled to his feet by Cruel.
“What is going on here?” A familiar voice asked.
Cruel bowed as his Lord approached and reluctantly released Mark.
“Milord, Young Master Roan questioned my way of treating the slaves. I found this one in the lake talking, instead of helping his friends out on the fields. And for that he needs to be punished. Young Master, Milord…” Cruel said acidly. “Refused to step aside and that way he defied my orders.”
Lord Sheamon looked from Cruel to his son, who gave cold eyes on Cruel.
He noticed the raw wound and the blood running down Roan’s cheek. He turned to look at Cruel. Sheamon smacked The Captain of the Guards hard across the cheek with his gloves.
“Hurt my son again, Cruel, and I will have you hanged.” The Lord’s eyes flashed with anger. “Remember, he is your Young Master!”
Cruel had a hard time trying to control himself. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist together.
Sheamon turned and grabbed a hold of his son’s wrist and started to drag him along, away from the lake and into the house.

Cruel grabbed Mark by the collar and pushed him towards the slave’s house for his punishment. After eight lashes, Mark could hardly stand on his legs. The pain from the raw wounds on his back was too much to bear. He had been given the punishment of 20 lashes. Other slaves had been gathered around the place where two poles was placed in the ground, slaves who were going to be punished were tied to a pole with their back facing the crowd and hands above their heads.
“If I see you throwing away precious time like that again, I will not be as merciful as I was today.” Cruel shouted as he raised his whip to strike again.


At the manor...

“Foolish boy,” Sheamon gave a harsh look to his son. “Cruel is no man you should defy.”
Roan kept silent.
“Cruel is one dangerous man, you must not go near him again. Is that understood?”
Roan looked at his father, “But he was treating Mar... the slave badly!”
He said in his defense. “No buts. I heard you hang out with the slave quite often. I warned you, you will not go near the slave or Cruel again” Sheamon warned his young son.
“Why father? Why do we have to keep slaves? Why don’t we give them freedom? They are human, father. They need to free. Why don’t we give them?”
Sheamon gave his son a hard slapped on cheek.
Roan didn’t flinch. His father had done this before.
“Don’t you ever questioning me, again, son! And do not talk about slave again, or you will regretted!!” and he walked out from the boy.
Roan’s heart sank. Why his father should have this cruel? He had no heart! He hated his father!

Fergus looked from further. He could sense the pain of the boy. How hurt to see his son, his blood, being treated like this. But he knew what would better.
Slightly, he approached the boy.

“Are you feeling alright, Master?” Fergus asked the boy carefully.
Roan just sighed, “Yes, Fergus, I’m just fine.”
Fergus looked at the wound on Roan’s cheek, and brought a cloth and water.
Roan winced as the cloth came in contact with his wound.
“Stay still, this is going to hurt. Your father was right, Master. You know better for not questioning him.”
“But it feels wrong. So wrong. I hate slavery! You should have free by now, Fergus!” he snapped him.
Fergus stunned with the word. He was not expecting this word would come from Roan. His face fell and went pale. Roan felt bad.
“Forgive, me, Fergus. I shouldn’t say that. But you could have free. You stay because father kept you, didn’t you?” He knew who Fergus is. He was his father personal slave, served to his personal stuff on the bed. Roan knew every night Fergus would come to his father chamber and would be dismissed on early morning. And he knew Fergus was not happy with that. But what Fergus could do, he was just a slave. Lord Master chose him to be his personal slave. Roan felt sorry for him.
Fergus gulped. “No, Master, I’ll stay because my loyalty.”
Roan murmured, “How can you’ll be so loyal to a master who treated you bad like that? I should have run by now if I were you.”
Fergus even paled. He really didn’t expect this.
“Forgive me, Fergus. I’m just upset. Forget my words,” Roan didn’t mean to say all that.
“It’s alright, Master.”
Roan just sighed. “Thank you, Fergus. If you mind I need to be alone.”
Fergus just nodded, and leaved the boy.

Fergus cried slightly as he closed the big door. His son had grown now. His son knew what should be done and not should be done. He had raised his son well. ‘I made it, Pat, I made it. He’s not going to be a slave like us.’

TBC