Hali

"Hey, stop, you witch." As Aella began to toss the fish back into the water from the bucket, a man yelled. "That's my huge money." He approached her at full speed. Aella stood up, threw the bucket into the river, and fled as she caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye.

"I'm sorry, but you should do it the right way." Screaming, Aella raced off as quickly as she could. She turned around to see the man and a few more males begin to chase her. Aella turned at every corner as she hurried through the congested streets without knowing where she was heading. "Oh no, someone please save me." She sprinted while repeatedly yelling "I'm sorry!" as she pushed through anybody in her path. With surprised looks on their faces, onlookers watched her as they wondered why and from whom this girl was rushing. From behind, they heard a lot of grunting and shouting, and they turned to see a few angry-looking men chasing after her. From the four-sided crossroads, those men dispersed in different directions. Aella looked around when she noticed there was no shouting and nobody was there. To catch her breath, she leaned against the closest wall. Her panic and continual running caused her body to tremble. She took a deep breath and thought she had escaped them when a man screamed from her right.

"There she is." He said with a finger pointing at her. Aella's eyes widened as she spotted the man, but she was unable to flee because her skirt became hooked in the nail of the wall she was leaning against. Her blood froze with horror as the stranger drew nearer to her. She wished she had accompanied Ignacio or George on their brief excursion to the markets. However, it was useless because she had no idea where she was. Aella made an unsuccessful attempt to free her skirt from the nail. She did what she imagined and tugged her skirt as the man drew closer. Despite a small amount of tearing, she was able to release the piece of cloth. Once more, the man shouted, "Stop right there!"

Aella began to go in a different direction, but her movement was stopped when a second man stood in her way. A minute later, she was surrounded from all sides. She had little chance to flee as the men steadily drew near her while chuckling. As she was now in a dark alleyway far from the busy market, she was unable to call for help. "You have caused me considerable loss," exclaimed the man whose bucket she dumped in the water. "Those were the rarest fishes, found in the deeper end, you have to pay for this you witch." As he completed his sentence two men grabbed her by her arms harshly, Aella tried hard to get their grip loose but to no avail. The man finally stood face to face her, grabbing her chin harshly.

"I'd do it again if I have to." Aella said, her voice muffled as the man had grabbed her cheeks, the insides of her cheeks got cut and she could taste the iron like blood. The man grunted and left her cheeks with a yank. He ran his fingers through his air and thought for a minute.

He laughed and made a fist out of his fingers. He raised his fist, "You deserve this." Aella closed her eyes and braced herself for the blow, but it never came. She heard the man grumble instead. She peered and noticed Ignacio had his fist in his hand. How did he get here? The tight hold on her arms relaxed as she gave it some thought. She turned her head to find their bodies entwined with green vines and George standing nearby.

"May I inquire as to why you are raising your fist at a helpless woman?" Aella scowled at Ignacio. He calls her helpless, how dare he? She thought. Aella gave George an angry stare when he simply giggled on the other end. "It's quite impolite and unmanly."

The man glared and wrenched his fist out from Ignacio's hold, saying, "You. What do you think of yourself?" Ignacio's only retort was a chuckle. "That woman of yours threw my bucket of fish in the stream and ran." The man said and Ignacio diverted his gaze to where Aella was standing.

"Did you?"

Aella gave a nod. Ignacio sighed and prepared to speak, but Aella spoke before him. She murmured gently and shifted her line of view to her feet, "He was dealing those fish that were forbidden for hunting purposes illegally."

The man started to say, "That's none of your business you filthy-," but was interrupted by a hard punch to the face, which caused him to lose control and fall to the ground. The strong punch caught the other men off guard. Ignacio had scorching rage in his eyes. The man attempted to rise up while spitting blood. When Aella noticed the punch mark on the man's cheek, she gasped with her mouth gaping open. "You-."

Another blow.

Ignacio tightened his teeth, "Don't you dare speak a word against her." His fingers clenched into a fist as the veins on his neck swelled up. Blood was oozing from the corner of the man's mouth as he held up his cheek. In light of the fact that what you were doing was unlawful, my woman acted morally. Aella's eyes widened as she gazed at Ignacio. My woman? She muttered to herself, then turned her look to George, who was stifling a giggle. "So I advise you to walk away peacefully. I don't want to hit you again." Ignacio's look frightened the man enough to cause his legs to tremble even though he was enraged. When George clenched his hand, the vines around the other men relaxed. The attackers began to flee swiftly.

"You have no idea who you've caused trouble for." As he made his way back, the man spoke. "Hali won't be kind to you, take my word for it." The man turned his head and walked away, leaving two bewildered and one fearful stares behind. Despite noticing her terrified glance, Ignacio and George remained silent.

"I'm sorry," Aella gently muttered. Ignacio responded with a huff before beginning to leave.

"Are you alright?" George asked, to which Aella simply nodded. Ignacio was scowling, his fingers clenched into fists, and Aella and George walked behind him the entire way home. Ignacio sat down on the chair as soon as they got back to George's hut, and Aella and George stood there motionlessly, like two kids waiting for their mother to scold them.

"I was only-." Aella began, but Ignacio interrupted her.

"Who is Hali?" She gasped in panic as he turned to face her. Ignacio beckoned for her to take a seat, and Aella dragged her feet to sit in front of him. "Aella?" Ignacio spoke calmly, but his voice was commanding, sending shivers down Aella's spine.

"A pirate." She answered. "I ran into him while passing through cities; he's a vicious pirate and someone I don't like to think about."

"What happened?" Aella gave Ignacio a look. She trusted him despite the fury in his eyes. Aella sighed as she closed her eyes to reflect on the past.

"Release the anchor. We'll be here for a few days." A man with powerful features stated, his muscles flexing as he tightened his grip on the ship's railing. His face was covered in what appeared to be cut marks, and his shoulder-length, raven-black hair flowed easily in the breeze. He wasn't all that old, perhaps in his early twenties. His red robe flowed with each step as he strolled along the dock.

"Hello, my friend, Hali." As an elderly man approached him and reached out his arms, Hali raised his hand to stop him. "Welcome, a room has been provided for you by the council." The man brought Hali to a large and well-equipped inn. The room had a large stone bed with plush cushions and a mattress atop it, as well as a desk next to the bed and a window on one side. He had spent weeks floating through the waters while standing on a wooden deck, so the ground felt great beneath his feet. "Get some sleep." The man exited the room, leaving Hali alone in there.

"Huh. They're done with one stare. How pathetic." Hali sighed and mumbled. He was regarded as the most dreaded pirate in history; his ship never went down, and water flowed at his command. Despite his ability on the water, he was the most vicious human being that no one wants to meet. All the pleasantries and hospitality in order to avoid being beheaded. Hali's belt was hung with a sword that was constantly thirsting for some blood to guzzle, and Hali's veins were filled with the youthful blood menace. Oh, how wrong Aella was when she believed she could avoid him. And Aella had the same thinking.

"Our clients will be coming shortly, so get her ready." A man spoke as he pushed a girl into a room filled with girls getting ready. The girl was barefoot, wore damaged clothing in some areas, had unkempt hair, and her hands were bound behind her back. She also appeared battered. She had the appearance of having spent time in the dungeons. Despite having severe bruises, the girl snarled, rose up, and stared at the man who had pushed her. ""You're lucky I didn't give you to the council because otherwise you'd be spending the rest of your life behind bars for stealing." He gave the girl the filthiest grin while providing a head-to-toe glance at her. "They'll pay a lot for this gorgeous face of yours," said the man. Then, with a loud bang, he shut the door as he made his way outside. Although he didn't lock the door, the girl was unable to flee because the armed guards were standing just outside the room.

When the girl turned to look, she noticed that she was being observed by several eyes. Some of them gave her the garbage look—and she certainly gave off that impression—while others gave her a pitying expression. All of the other girls were attired to impress the customers the man was referring about. One of them approached the battered girl; she appeared to be a little older than the others. " Hey, how about we get you cleaned up?" There's nothing she can do about it, and the girl seemed nice, so she followed her into the room where various clothes were placed.

"I am Sierra. What is your name?" The woman took a sponge and a bucket of water. She added a couple of drops of Essence oil and soaked the sponge completely in it. The ropes that tied the girl's hands had been removed, and she was now seated on the stool with only a thin cloth wrapped around her body. She probably stared at the woman and wondered if she could tell her name. "It's okay if you don't want to, but we have to call you something." The woman smiled at the girl's nervousness. She squeezed the sponge and began wiping the dirt off the girl's arms. "Let's do this. "You tell me how you got here, and I'll come up with a name for you." At her generosity, the girl nodded. "So, what did you do to piss the already pissed man?"

"I needed food and had been starving for days, so I stole some bread from the market."

"I doubt they'd send a girl here for stealing in this mad world," The woman washed her feet and said.

"Well, when I raced away, a couple men pursued me, and I just so happened to run into the man who threw me here," As she spoke, the woman nodded as she listened. " He grabbed my hand and demanded to know why I was running. When I attempted to escape his grasp, the men who were following me quickly came over and told him everything. I would be given to the council, the man claimed. I tried to tell them that I was hungry, but they ignored me. "I don't know what hit me, but I hurled the closest item my hand could grip onto." she added. The woman examined her burned palm, which appeared to be a few days older.

"What did you toss, exactly?"

"A hot water pan." They exchanged long glances before laughing out loud. The woman gave the girl a tender glance as she tucked a hair behind her ear.

"How old are you, you're so beautiful and young."

"I—I'm not sure," The girl turned her head away and got to her feet. Her body was now nice and clean and shimmered brilliantly; as she took out the hairpin holding her hair up in a bun, her hair fell gracefully. "For a very long period, I've been a lost soul."

"Not anymore. You have a purpose; I can see that." The girl gave her a baffled expression. She seized a piece of clothing and began to wrap the girl's body. She looked like a cloud in the blue sky because the dress emphasized every curve in her body and was colored blue. She combed and half-braided her hair, letting some of the strands naturally fall on her shoulders. She had natural pink lipstick on her lips and appeared as though she could steal everyone's breath away. "Venn, short for Venus, goddess of beauty." The younger girl felt at ease around Sierra, an older sister whose likeness she mimicked. However, her sense of comfort was only momentary as the man stormed the room. "Disrespectful, pervert." Sierra sighed and mumbled. The girl attempted to suppress a chuckle.

"What did you say?"

"I told you Venn is ready." With a disgusted expression, the man smirked and regarded them. The young woman, who was now going by the name Venn, attempted to conceal herself because her outfit woefully failed to do so.

In a pitch-black chamber where they couldn't see anything, the man escorted the females—including Venn and Sierra—along with other girls. "Stand still here." The man grumbled, the room was dark, and quiet murmurs could be heard coming from a distance. Despite knowing things would not turn out well, Venn managed to hold back her tears as she stood there. She understood why she was here and what was about to occur. "Good evening to all of you. We take our work seriously, and you'll be happy to know that we have some brand-new services for everyone gathering here." Venn recognized that voice since he was the one who brought her here into the insane world and led her into the shadowy room. She and the other girls were being traded by him. Her worst nightmare was about to come true, and she was powerless to stop it.

Sierra had been holding Venn's hand the entire time when suddenly an iron rods rustling together sound could be heard. As two large, thick drapes were pulled apart, the dim area suddenly began to become illuminated. The girls' eyes were blinded by the intense brightness, so they covered them with their hands. As they adjusted to the light, Venn noticed a lot of males sitting on benches drinking beer, harassing the other ladies serving them, and flinging their hands at them. When the curtains were entirely drawn, the men burst into sudden hooting and shouting.

As the other females were owned as slaves by those men for a day, a week, or a lifetime, fear began to set in. The most unexpected aspect, though, was that some of the women appeared to be delighted to be sold and really desired it. Venn was devastated as she saw Sierra try to smile as she was auctioned like a trophy. As she turned to look, she noticed a man sitting on the backside wearing expensive clothing and staring directly at her. She clasped and unclenched her fingers, squirming in dread and wrath. "Venn, this is our newest piece," the man said. Venn felt her blood turn cold as a girl shoved her forward. One of the men was sitting calmly watching at her, and Venn felt so little as the others began to scream in an aggressive manner. One by one, the men began to voice their amount, and just as the man was about to strike the stone with the hammer a third time, a deep voice stopped him.

"I'll give one hundred gold coins for her." Venn turned to face the man who was currently standing. He had a strong aura despite being young. He was the same man who had been watching her for the entire time and was now the center of attention for everyone. Although people began to talk among themselves, he continued to look straight ahead without even once lowering his gaze.

"And sold to Hali." Venn's eyes widened when she heard his name. Oh, how she resented her fate; she had heard of him but never imagined facing him in person. The aforementioned man grinned as he threw a pouch full of coins onto the dealer's hands. The man began to add up the coins.

"Take that as a tip; it's even more than a hundred."

She never would have dreamed that fate would deliver her right into the hands of the most feared pirate ever. The girls were taken to a tiny room where they changed into more sober attire when the auction was over. With anxiety gripping her, Sierra hugged Venn. What will happen next? Venn searched the room for a way out as there was still some time before they were transported to their individual buyers. Although she didn't know how she was going to get out of this, she wasn't going to do nothing. Being powerless, everyone obeyed the man's request to follow him as he entered the room and ordered the girls to follow. Venn observed that they were being led by a single guard. She pulled a hairpin out of Sierra's hair since she felt she had to attempt something, which caused a gasp. She stepped forward toward the guard while concealing the hairpin under her dress' sleeves. She resisted the temptation to strike until they were at the front entrance, where most likely all the customers were waiting, and then she took a gamble.

"You bitc-." A sharp object punctured the man's neck, causing him to groan in agony. He tried to attack while grabbing his injured area, but he was a little slow due to the injury, so Venn pulled the sword out from around his waist. The guard slowly slumped to the ground, gasping for air as the other girls began to scream at the scene in front of them. The females soon began running in erratic directions as numerous footsteps quickly drew near them, and Venn was standing there with a sword. Standing next to Venn, Sierra approached her with a frightened expression. The main door was still shut, and she couldn't walk out to all those filthy beasts. Venn instantly looked about and discovered a window. She seized Sierra's hand before sprinting to the window. Fortunately, they were able to unlock the window and exit before the guards arrived racing.

"We have to leave." While clutching Sierra's hand, Venn said as she sprinted. They escaped the guards and others by running as quickly as they could. The crowd was now yelling and searching for them, dead or alive, when Sierra abruptly came to a stop. "Sierra, we have to go. What are you doing?" Her arm was pulled by Venn. After releasing her hand from Venn's hold, Sierra turned to face her while sobbing. "Sierra?"

"I'm afraid I can't go." Sierra gave Venn a gentle shove while shaking her head. "You need to leave. This is not where you belong."

"And you?"

"Me." She gave a dry chuckle. "I was born here, and this has been my life since I became an adult, but I see you don't belong here; you should leave." Venn was hesitant to abandon her. "Don't worry about me, they wouldn't kill their golden chicken, would they?" She laughed and pushed Venn once more. " "Go, go before they get you, and never look back." Her eyes began to fill with tears. Venn was going to hug her when she was halted by a piercing hiss sound, followed by a gasp. The girl in front of her, whom she had just met and who had been nothing but kind to her, was coughing up blood. Two sharp arrows pierced her body—one on her stomach and one on her chest. Sierra slowly collapsed to her knees and passed away there. Venn was startled, and she struggled to think clearly until she heard another hissing sound and the arrow grazed her right arm despite missing her by a few centimeters.

"Catch her." A voice came, and Venn started to run into the dark forest. She didn't care if she got battered by a wild animal or fell into a pit or cliff; all she cared about was getting away from those people. For once, she turned to look behind her, but all she saw in the distance were tiny figures sprinting toward the trees. However, it was a red cloak that attracted her attention; it was sparkling in the fire light, and she didn't need to look any further to figure out who that person was. Hali, her buyer, appeared calm, and as she went farther into the trees, the gleaming red cloak vanished from her eyesight.

"And I ran off without turning around." As she narrated her encounter with Hali and the kind of person he is to Ignacio and George, Aella tightened her fingers. "They murdered her right in front of me; we could have escaped together; she was an idiot. A fool." When she started crying, George went over to her to comfort her. Ignacio's jaw was clinched, his eyes were blazing with rage, and he was too shocked to speak. "And Hali, he's a monster. I'm still a part of his bid."

"No." Ignacio's tone was stiff as he said. " He doesn't own you; you are a free person, not a thing." He continued as he got out of the chair and walked over to Aella, who was trembling from her constant sobbing. "You are Aella. That day, Venn disappeared." George nodded and held her shoulders as Ignacio stated this. "I believe the time has come."

"What are you going to do?"

Ignacio pulled out some paper and ink. As Ignacio scribbled on the parchment, Aella and George gazed at him, puzzled. He placed the paper inside an envelope after neatly folding it. "I'm making use of my privilege as a prince." As he inscribed the address on the envelope, he smiled.

"Do you believe they'd help us?" George enquired.

"They have to." He sighed as he took a glance at the envelope.