"Karellan´s Mishap" by Jessica M. Jordan

It was really rather silly to have tried to climb the gate, she realized. The guards were on duty all day and night. But she had finally realized that it had been stupid to try it when a jolt of pain shot through her body the moment she was on the other side of the gate. The ring burned on her finger and she screamed.. It was a sound heard all the way to Turil's quarters. A truly awful sound. It was somewhere between a howl and a death cry. She suddenly lost her hold on the bars and plummeted to the ground, a good ten feet away.

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Karellan absently toyed with the simply golden ring on the middle ringer of her right hand. Such a pretty thing. Amazing it could have so much power. It was the weapon by which she was kept in confinement. Her master, Turil, had placed it on her finger the night she became his slave. He had told her of it's affects. She hadn't believed him. Now she did. Remembering the pain the ring had given, a shiver ran through her entire body, causing a twinge of pain that forced her to remember the fall she took . . . She looked up as the door opened, and Turil walked in.

"You shouldn't have climbed the gate.. What reason did you have to want to run? I've treated you better than any other slave in my household.. And you aren't even an Ettern." He muttered the last sentence under his breath. This sent Are's temper off.

"What difference does it make? I'm not an Ettern! I don't have wings! Why is that so wrong? Why does everyone think I'm not worthy of their company?" She got up and gestured wildly while she was talking. "It's just not fair!"

"Nothing is fair. Not when you're a slave. And if you were any other slave, I would have killed you where you stand for being so insolent. Yelling in my presence is not a good thing to do." He too had risen and caught her wrist in a viselike grip. Etterns had powerful hands.

"I...apologize, sir.. Master. " She knelt down before his imposing figure, her wrist still caught in his hands. Inside, she was seething.. She hated being subordinate to anyone, especially men. There was already a plan forming in her mind to get the ring off her finger.

"Very well. You will not be punished, this time. Go to your quarters. You are to remain there until I call to you tonight." She got up silently as he released her hand, and then walked out.

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Are's head was full of plots and schemes. She needed some way to get the confounded ring off her finger. As she was thinking, she was not paying attention to her progress down the hallway, and bumped into a servant. He swayed and dropped the platter that was carrying three glasses of wine. Are frowned and knelt down, starting to pick up the pieces of glass.

"Hello, Are." She looked up at the mention of her name and tilted her head to the side, unsure of whom the man was.. He had skin of a deep gray, like the rest of the Etterns, and wings drooped down from his back. Why was an Ettern a servant? His sculptured featured affected an amused look.

"How did you know my name, servant?" She demanded, even as she sliced her right index finger on a glass shard and sucked in her breath. She had never been one to cry.

"Now look what you did. Lemme see it.." The Ettern held out his hand and Are reluctantly put her finger in it. As he examined her cut, she looked him over. His clothes were far to expensive looking for a mere servant. The deep gray skin was in fact, too deep for a servant. Only those with royal blood had that shade of gray skin. "And, by the way.. I'm not a servant. The wine was for my mother and her guests." Are's eyes widened and she snatched back her finger..She immediately put her head down in a submissive pose, recognizing the prince's royal bracelet, which happened to be on the hand that previously held her finger.

"Forgive me, sire." She would surely be punished for speaking to the Prince in such a manner.

"Stop groveling, get up." He sounded a tad irritated and she immediately got up, a little baffled at his behavior. "I hate having people scraping around me.." She noticed he was looking over her body..and became a little embarrassed. "That's better. Now, go get three wine glasses and bring it to my mother's rooms. The guards will let you in.." He nodded to her, gave her a quick grin, and walked towards the royal wing.