Charlie Wood raked a hand through his hair and trudged down port. It had been a tiring day. He had just been dragged around Marseille for the entire day for ‘Real-life educational purposes’, as his father put it.

 

…More like his father needed someone to throw at the ladies while he spoke business with the men.

 

Unfortunately for him, the Wood family was one of the oldest (richest) families in England - which resulted the entire day consisting of French nobilities ing their young daughters into his face with expectant eyes. What did they even expect from him...?

 

He kicked a pebble. His father definitely knew this was going to happen. Well, since he had honestly tried his best to please for the entire day, he was sure his father could cope for a couple more hours alone as he got some well-deserved fresh air. The intoxcating perfumes he'd been drinking in all day was making him nauseous.

 

He absent-mindedly picked his way through the bustle of the crowd towards the shipping docks. He spotted large warships and vaguely remembered his father mentioning something about warships landing in Marseille after a failed campaign against a country. Well that explains the lack of ceremonious events in the port – losers were losers afterall.

 

He stopped in front of the biggest ship. The Notre Dame. He watched in fascination as all sorts of strange pottery, gowns and exotic decorative pieces were carried out by the soldiers. He also saw what he assumed to be natives of the country being dragged across the deck. The crowd around him started to jeer at the natives’ presence. Charlie observed that they looked like the Spaniards in some ways, but at the same time, completely different. Their skin was too sandy; their hair and eyes too dark, their physique too small, and lastly but not least, they were wearing something completely non-european. The pieces of clothes all differed in colour and loosely hung on their petite frames. The women wore what seemed like long skirts and long-sleeved bowed gowns that were oddly cut just below their s; the men loose trousers and bowed gowns that gathered up at their ankles and wrists.

 

The one to be dragged along last caught his eyes. She seemed more extreme than her fellow captives – her long hair was verging on midnight, and her skin, although still sand, was milky pale. She could pass for a European, he thought, but at the same time, she was completely alien. A definition of exotic...

 

Interrupting his thoughts, the girl suddenly turned and met his gaze. Charlie stopped breathing for a moment. Not because her eyes were the deepest shade of night, but because he saw a deep terror in her tear-filled eyes. Such terror that he had never experienced. Her eyes widened a little, and then there was a flash of recognition. She opened to say something but was dragged downstairs before she could finish it.

 

Charlie’s feet were already moving on their own accord. He knew what happened to captives of war. He knew what happened to unprotected young girls.

 

First things first, he had to reach her before the slave dealer did.

 

 

 

 

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... Chanyeol Oppa!

Youjin's eyes widened as she met a pair of soft brown eyes - the colour was lighter, yes, but it was exactly like her brother's. Warm and strong. But before she could take a closer look, she was wrenched away from the gaze and was dragged downstairs.

She stifled a cry as she was thrown on the floor. Her eyes darted around the room and she saw a miserable group of bound Koreans in poor shape at one corner, and a man with dark skin at the other. The white man started talking to the darker skinned man in his strange flowing tongue, and she felt fear clutch her heart as she saw the second man's eyes scan her as if she was some animal for slaughter.

Creak

All conversation was cut and eyes were turned as  the shutter door flew open above them. A pair of black boots soon came to view, and a smallish figure rushed down the wooden stairs.

The boy seemed tall for his age; with ruffled light brown hair. He was white, but she could see that he was darker than the men on the ship.

The two men seemed confused and they spoke out to the boy. He didn't seem to bother replying to them, and just looked around the room as if he was looking for something.

Youjin gasped as his eyes met her gaze.

Soft brown eyes - Strong and warm. It was the same pair of eyes from before.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Second chapter up!!!