Changmin PoV

A deafening noise woke me up. Wailing and people shouting at others.
I opened my eyes slowly, as the sunlight hit my face. I brought a hand to my eyes and felt a numbness.

I remembered very little, except that I seemed struck by one of the guards, then nothing.

"They will have dragged me here ..."

The guards never used the delicacy, for them the common people were nothing but beasts to keep at bay, savages.
Those who served were the powerful and not all, as they believed.

Who was not poor and trying to survive even by stealing? My mother had not taught me that, but ... my mother ... Sooyeon.

At the thought of the two of them, I got up and approached the bars, looking for some guards. I had to explain to them that there had been a mistake, that I was innocent.

The corridor was dimly lit by torches and some prisoners complained, begging for mercy and who
instead them shouted to shut up.

I heard a door open and a glimmer of light illuminate the gloomy corridor.

«Shut up!»

A group of guards entered and walked along the corridor. They were dressed in red and, on the side, they held a sword, except for one: he had a pistol.

There watched and stopped right in front of my cell, looking at me from head to toe.

«Would this be the boy who stole a lot of silver from the slave merchant?»

« Yes, my Lord. We found it with the open bag and coins on it, while he trying to escape. »

I opened my eyes. It was not me, but that man who had framed me.

« No ... no, there was a mistake. I'm not the man who stole that bag of coins! I was not- »

« Not a word more. It can be used against you, scoundrel. »

The head of the guards looked at me, saying those words. I knew it was useless to go on pleading, but my mother and Sooyeon were waiting for me at home.
Who would have paid for my sister's medicines? Who could have kept his studies and the house where we lived? My mother could not do it alone and I could not abandon them.

« Please, please. Let me go. It's not me, I'm innocent, I've been stuck! My mother and sister are waiting for me at home. I beg you ... »

« Ah, do you have a mother and a sister too? Well, I think the slave merchant will like to know that he can get something from you. If they are both good-looking they will be a good fortune and your debt and sin will be forgiven. »

« No .. NO, YOU CANNOT! YOU CANNOT DO THIS, PLEASE! »

The head of the guards was about to open his mouth, but was interrupted by another voice that reached them.

« Is it possible that you will not be able to ask people for mercy? »

I looked at the newcomer.
He was a young boy with long, straight hair. He was thin and his clothes hid his body perfectly, but those features were also feminine. If it had not been for the voice, I would have mistaken it for a young lady.

« Sir, he was looking for a way to save his family. He should have thought twice about robbing you. »

What was meant to be the slave merchant, he looked at me for a long time and then licked his lips. This made me shudder, his look made me shiver that I took two steps back.

« To be a thief is pretty, well put on physical and has two beautiful eyes. They remind me so much of a frightened fawn. »

The boy laughed and I did not stop for a moment to look at him.

« I will tell my men to capture his family. »

I shook my head and looked at them, but the young man raised his hand and did not stop looking at me.

« No, it's not necessary, he is enough for me to pay for the damage. »

The guards looked at him and he gave a strange, almost perverse smile.

« Free him and bring him to my carriage. And hurry up, I have work to finish. »

That said, he left and two guards opened the cell, pulling me out of there, as I tried to think what he would do to me.

They pushed me out, having tied my hands and also putting a blindfold. I got into the carriage, which did not even look like that, given the nauseating odor inside it. He heard a lock close and the carriage move.
I had to crouch in a corner and wait, while my heart pounded in my chest in fear.

It seemed like time did not want to flow until the carriage stopped and I kept my ears wide open to hear any kind of noise.

Someone opened the door and two strong hands pulled me up, making me go down badly.

« Careful. It must be handled with care. »

It was the merchant's voice, I had no doubts.

They dragged me along with them and in the end they no longer felt the warmth of the sun caressing my skin, if not more laments and supplications, while the merchant made them shut up, yelling at them, along with two other people.

Only when we were far from those complaints, they took off my bandage and I find myself in a well-appointed room, a bedroom.

It was rich and well decorated, arranged properly. A huge bed stood in the middle and I thought about how soft it could be, until a voice brought me back to reality, making me turn towards my interlocutor.

« So, do you like the room, sweetheart? »

The merchant approached me with a strange smile, while I backed away.
That boy put on me a strange fear, in fact, it was scary, that face did not reassure anything good.

« The trip must have shaken you a lot, but now you'll be fine ... very well, little fawn. »

He was so close that he swallowed to his sight.

He reached out, caressing my cheek and letting his fingers down my neck, to the collarbone he discovered.
They were long, soft but cold fingers.
I put my hands to cover my chest, moving away from that guy a lot.

« No ... no, please ... Sir, please ... »

« Do not call me Sir, but call me Sir Kim. »

I did not have time to say anything else, that he came up and moved my arms, almost ripping my clothes off me.

Startled, I turned to escape, but he hit me on the leg and I fell to the ground, stomach down, feeling the coldness of the floor on my cheek.

« I told you that you'll be very well, why do you complicate things? »

There is nothing regretted in his voice, but I knew he was having fun. He felt his hands on my back as they descended lower and lower.

Tears ran from my eyes, knowing what would happen, what I did before
sell me, but never got a point, because the door opened and he stopped, holding me stuck to the ground.

« My Lord, excuse me for disturbing you, but Lord Jung is here. »

« Did not I tell you to tell anyone that I am not there, stupid fool ?? »

He shouted, getting up and leaving me on the ground, with tears that no longer stopped.

« He has now entered. We saw him and he even saw your carriage outside, Lord. »

« curse... »

I heard him get up and head for the door, but I did not move.

« I'm going to see how to make it go away. You and Goria keep this deer here and ... change his dress. I want it naturally and you know what I mean. »

« Oh, yes, my Lord. »

He left and the door closed as I heard footsteps approaching me.

I got up before two hands could take me and ran away from a table.

They were two, two huge men with a perverse smile on their lips.
One of them had a rope in his hands.

« Come on, come here and let we prepare you ... »

They were surrounding me and, without thinking about it, I climbed onto the table to escape, but one of them stopped me for a piece of the shirt, tearing it just a little more.

« LET ME GO! LET ME GO, PLEASE! »

I did not want to end this way, I did not want to be violated and even deprived of what I had. I made a huge effort and wriggled, running to the door that opened, while they followed me.
I ran down a corridor and found another door, thinking it was the exit, but I was wrong.

I was wrong only when I found myself in the arms of another man, a man I had never seen before.
He was talking to the merchant, because as soon as I turned around with frightened eyes, I saw him there, amazed, while his henchmen arrived in the room.

Another boy stepped back when he saw them appear and I could only hold myself to the body that was sheltering me, asking him my freedom to get out of that place.

I raised my eyes to his face and our eyes met.

They were not evil eyes, they were not eyes full of malice like those of the merchant.
they were more human.

« ... You're sorry he arrived before you took him home. »

His voice was also calm.
The merchant approached, but he moved me and looked at the two men, almost with a stern look that the two stopped.

« I think I can go now. Thanks Jae. I will also let you know then, if it is at my wish. »

What did he mean?

He held me close to him and walked towards the door, coming out of that place, followed by the other boy who just kept his eyes on me.

From how he was dressed he looked like a slave, but he was kept well, very well.
I did not wriggle out of those arms and let myself be led to the market, while he covered me with his cloak, coming towards a real carriage. A luxurious carriage, nothing to do with that others.

He kindly let me go up and I did not resist, as the other boy helped me to get up too.
When he was on it too, the carriage departed and moved away from the market, from the village.
He put his arm around me and held me close to him, still looking at me, which I did too.

« Do not worry ... now you're safe ... »

He stroked my cheek in a delicate touch and only when he felt his fingers wipe away my tears, I fainted in the carriage, losing my senses from the tiredness and the fright I had gone through.

 ___________________________

I woke up only when I felt something on my forehead.
I opened his eyes and saw the boy who had accompanied the one who had saved me from the clutches of the merchant, putting a damp cloth on my forehead.

I got up suddenly and backed away, also feeling a terrible headache.

I soon realized where I was: in a large luxurious bedroom and on a soft bed, with clean, warm and soft clothes, also covered by a heavy sheet of silk, white.
The room was well lit by the rays of the sun and, inside, there was an intense bouquet of roses. Delicate, but at the same time intense.

« Good afternoon, little Fawn. Excuse me, I did not mean to scare you, but the Lord said that your cloth had to be changed. You slept for soooo time. In fact we have washed you a little and changed clothes. »

The boy smiled, telling me those words, but I was still frightened by what had happened to me and I still had to understand what I was doing there.
Obviously he had noticed and put the cloth inside a small basin of cold water, looking at me with a friendly smile on his lips.

« Oh, I'm sorry, I did not show up ... My name is Kyuhyun, but you can call me Kyu or Kyunny too! »
He held out his hand and I looked at her, without stretching my own and returning to look at his face.

« Where ... where am I? »

I said, bringing my legs to my chest and tightening them.

« In the Jung's residence. He is a very famous and rich merchant. It was fortunate that you ended up in his arms. He is not like the slave merchant Jaewho... »

From how he spoke he made me smile a little and did not go unnoticed.

« I know you're scared ... but now you can smile more! Lord Yunho is not like him, I can assure you ... »

« So ... So will he let me go home? » I said with a hint of hope in my voice and eyes that gleamed slightly.

Kyu looked at me and sighed, shaking her head and looking down.

« No ... but you will live here ... as his slave. »

I was speechless and looked at him, incredulous of those words.

Freedom was far from now.