There Master, Dependent

Chapter one, {i/{The chance encounter}

I stand speechless beside the wreckage of what was once my home, what was once my everything. Now engulfed in flames and scattered remains of my now unrecognizable family, faces that would haunt every waking moment of the rest of my life. That is, if I decide not to end my now meaningless existence. What would seem like an escape is only loneliness and more suffering, it's not certain we all could be together again, they might be in heaven while I'd be sent to hell or the opposite. The only thing I can do is live. After all, wandering England's grimy streets as an urchin must be better than perpetually drowning in a sea of blood and sin. I've never cried so much, my eyes have never been so red. Maybe my words are drowning in my rivers of tears, since the I came home this day to find this waiting for me. Mother...Mother knew. She knew this was coming, Mother sent me to town to buy food...those bastards! I have to get away...get..away.

I ran, fast as my legs could bear. They were after all of us. I went deep into the woods, no one could help me now, I was all alone. My legs were giving up on me and I nearly collapsed from exhaustion, still able to move I crawled. Just be hind the tree was a small clearing, someone was torturing a little boy. His captors beat him repeatedly while discussing what price he wold go for. My instincts were starting to kick in as the pain in my legs seemingly melted away, I was taught never leave the house without a weapon at quick disposal. I knew I had to save him. I sprang behind one of abductors with one swipe fell to the ground lifeless. Upon my entry the abductors turned their attention at me and I was ready to strike any of them down. The boy gazed at me with weary eyes and clothes that told me he was no commoner, besides the raged mess of blood stains and countless other buses. I was his only hope, and I did not want to let him down. If I were more experienced i might have had a chance at granting his wish. All I can remember is one of their hands on me, after that everything went dark.

Somehow it felt like I was moving, I was awake but I couldn't feel the light over my closed eyelids. A blindfold blocked my vision, but I heard heavy breathing and weeping close to me on a hard wooden surface. It was that boy, I had a feeling being kidnapped was not the only adversity he had faced. I would be in the same boat if I had not already cried my last tear. I felt as if my emotions had been drained from my hart, now it is but a mere vessel keeping me bound to this miserable existence. Once we arrived at some estate or church of some sort all the captured slaves were given a number and thrown into a cell in the dungeon. Who am I? I can tell you what I'm not. I am not an urchin. I am not a slave. I am not No. 4. But I know what I am. I am a survivor. I am a lonely boy's protector. I am... Hamlet.

The hardest thing on that list is protecting the boy, I can't be certain what these people will have us to do. That's a promise I can and will not take back, the moment I came to his defense... I knew he needed me. I asked him his name, 'Ciel' he muttered between sobs. I wrapped my arm around him and let hem lean on me. "I will protect you no matter what." I told him while he nodded out on my shoulder. Ciel let one final tear steam down his cheek now feeling at peace. "I'm Hamlet," I whispered. I knew he was already asleep.

That morning the guards came for us both. Ciel was only ten, I already realized he wasn't going to go quietly. I however grasped the inevitable, the more you complain the shorter your life span. Ceil was sent to the sanctuary of the church while I was roughly undressed, the only thing I given to cover up was a silk sheet that almost reached my knees. A nun looking person guided me up a long corridor to a bed room with a man in a hooded silk robe. I was left alone with the man, at this point I had an idea what I was supposed to do. The man tossed me onto his bed and lunged himself on top of my scarcely clothed body, I was trapped under his enormous weight. His greedy eyes gazed upon me, a physically weak eleven year old girl with darker skin tone than native British and black hair. Those guards kept calling me 'an exotic find'. The only thing on my mind while I'm being molested, my only thought was Ciel.

"I will ask you once more, do you wish to form a contract?"
"I do!"

A piercing scream erupted from the sanctuary across the courtyard, what were they doing to him? The cloaked man released me as he gazed out the window quizzically, I took this opportunity to bolt out of the room grabbing a robe that was draped over his door. My instincts overwhelmed me, I never moved at this speed, did i learn this when I was younger? Well all that matters now is finding Ciel. I only had to follow the screams of terror from the sanctuary, if they all hadn't stopped the moment I reached the doors. Hesitantly I stepped foot into a silent abyss where saw Ciel led into. At the alter was a candlestick that partiality illuminated a dark figure, a face i did not recognize. In the mans arms lied a perfectly unharmed Ciel. I rushed to his side, I was still apprehensive of the man holding him but figured he would have done something if his intent was to harm him. The man released Ceil from his arms and the boys expressionless face boar a pentagram symbol on his right eye.

"Ciel, who is he?" I asked wearily. I tried not to ask as many questions I was thinking, instead I chose the one I couldn't ignore.
Ciel hesitated, then replied in a monotone voice, "He is a demon I made a contract with, he saved my life." He paused glancing sideways at the demon, "and once my vengeance is over, he will kill me and feast on my soul." He sounded too calm about this.
"I wont let you go through with this, I shouted only to hear my voice echo back at me. "Ceil... I said I would protect you, I fought for you.
"Well you lost, and we both would have died here. Ceil finished.

I didn't know how to react, he blamed me for not being capable. Yet I still could not hate him. Now my life truly is meaningless, no one needs or wants me. But if I die I will not be anything to this world but a corpse. Supposedly, Ceil was my last hope instead of me being his, the only way my family legacy would live on. I had failed. Although, Ceil had noted my skills seeing I had the strength to take out one or more of his abductors...
"Hamlet