Marley opened his eyes slowly and groaned. His entire body ached from head to toe. He even had pain in places he didn't know could hurt. He tried to take a deep breath and was cut off by a sudden cough followed by a sharp stab of pain in his chest. He moved to hold his ribs and caught another stab of pain in his shoulder. He grunted and cursed loudly as he slammed his head against his mattress. "Wait!" he thought, "where are my pillows?" He looked around the room he was in, trying to take stock of his surroundings.
The room was small with few furnishings. The walls and roof were made of wood and straw, there were many places the morning lights shone through. The floor and few windows were covered in thatched-together animal hides. There was a fireplace with a spit for cooking and large pots of water on tables in the corner that he assumed was for washing. The bed he was laying in was surprisingly soft given the state of the rest of the room.
Just as Marley started to wonder where in the world he was, the door swung open, and a young woman entered carrying a tray with a clay cup and some clay bowls. She smiled brightly and rushed to his side. Marley was captivated. The woman coming toward him was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life. Her eyes were a mix of gold and brown, like a sunrise, that he had never seen before. Her smile was so joyful and full of life, it was as if there was not a cold bone in her body. Her hair, jet black and shiney, she wore in small neat dreadlocks that went down to her slender shoulders. Her tattered, tan, sleeveless dress covered just enough of her ample bosom to make him wish he could see more. As his eyes traced over her wide hips and soft but muscular thighs, Marley couldn't help but notice, they were the same deep rich shade of brown as the logs that made up the hut they were in, as well as his own skin.
As she knelt next to his bed, she placed the tray she was carrying on the floor and grasped his hand in hers. Marley caught himself staring at the similarities in their skin tone before slowly lifting his eyes to her face. She stared back at him smiling brightly.
"I'm so glad you're finally awake, my Prince." she said warmly "I started to fear the worst."
Marley began to speak but his voice caught in his throat and became a dry cough. The young beauty quickly grabbed the cup off her tray and held it to his lips while holding up the back of Marley's head. He brought his hand up to meet hers as he greedily gulped the cold water suddenly feeling drier than he had ever felt.
"someone's thirsty!" the woman giggled causing Marly to stare at her again. It was easily the most genuine laugh he had heard since he was a small child. There was no sense of malice or ill intent in it.
"Who... are you?" Marley rasped wincing as he spoke.
The woman continued smiling and placed a hand on her chest "I am called Omnira my prince, and I have been waiting to meet you my entire life."
Marley's eyes widened, startled by the bold statement. Flustered and blushing inwardly, his words all came out in a rush, unsure of what he should actually say.
"Wait, what? What do you mean? Where am I? How did I get here? What's really going on?"
Omnira's face became a mix of a smile and a grimace as she tried not to laugh out loud. She placed her soft hand on Marley's chest, calming him almost instantly.
"Be calm my prince. All is well. You are still terribly injured, too much excitement might cause you greater harm." she picked up a bowl and dipped her fingers in the contents. She spoke softly as she began to rub a soothing salve on his chest and ribs. She spoke slowly as she explained while applying the medicine. "Three days ago, my sisters and I were checking on the new crop on the east edge when we were attacked by a pair of bearcats. It's strange because they usually stay near the river where they can get fish, plus they were incredibly angry. Bearcats are normally pretty docile. My sister twisted her ankle trying to get away and then all of a sudden here you come, swooping in on your hoverbike looking so strong and handsome. You actually stood up to bearcats! I couldn't believe it; you were so brave!" She beamed ear to ear as she spoke, resting her hand on Marley's abs. "But then, I guess you got distracted or something, because just when I thought you were going to do something that bear just swung once and slapped you into next week!" she said laughing "A couple of men that were still out picking heard the noise and came over. They were able to kill the bear and helped us bring you and your bike here."
Marley laid his head back and winced as he chuckled "Well that explains why even my soul hurts. Where are we?"
"Your people call it 'The slave slums', we call it 'Trenchtown'. It's where we live, all of us slaves. We had to build everything ourselves, even had to gather the raw materials ourselves.
"What happened to your homes from before the invasion?"
"We were made to repair them so the Rednasi could move in."
"I... I'm sorry" Marley stammered, unsure of what else to say."
Omnira smiled with a sad grin. "It's not like you had anything to do with it." she shook her head "Enough of that, rest for now, I'll go tell Mother you're awake." With that she hopped up and skipped out of the hut. Marley watched, mesmerized, as she left.