Chapter 13

Two weeks ago when the mysterious disappearance of young women started in the town of Forger. The most common traits of these women are they were all young and beautiful. Three women have gone missing and none is found yet. A witness saw one of the women missing willingly following a man with a cloak.

"She's very pretty." A fat man said as he touched Luna's hair.

She's standing in the center of the room. Her face shows no emotion and her eyes look empty. She's in a trance.

"Please let my sister go now as you promised." The young man behind the fat man said. He's wounded and weak but his eyes are pleading.

The fat man turned to him. His smile shows greed.

"Your sister is not here yet but I'll tell you once they arrived. You will be together soon. Go back to your quarters for now."

It's been more than three years since her sister Nora lend money from Mr. Bigly to buy him medicine. Her older sister saved his life when he almost died of his sickness. Since they can't pay him back his sister is sold into slavery.

"But Mr. Bigly!-"

"Tsk, tsk. Peter, if you really want to see your sister you should be patient. It's not easy to take her back after being sold to slavery. The women you gave me were not that valuable. But this one is quite pretty. You should use that ability of yours to practical use."

The young man's face is full of misery as he recalls the women he had kidnapped by using his ability. It's the ability to hypnotize women once he touches them and looks them in their eyes. They were young maidens sold into slavery or prostitution. His conscience is creeping him but the life of his sister is his top priority. Mr. Bigly said that his sister is now a slave of someone powerful and they have to pay him back ten times for his sister's freedom.

He gazed at the woman standing in front of Mr. Bigly. She is the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen but she is pretty stupid. Who would have thought she would break the fence, which is protected by magic from outside intruders, to help him when he pretended to pass out?

Before he hypnotized her, he apologized to her for the sin that he was about to commit. Although he knows it's unforgivable. Desperation drives him to be evil. He worked for Mr. Bigly for years to pay off the debt and prevent her sister to be sold into prostitution. But Mr. Bigly discovered his hidden ability and used him to take women. If he doesn't agree, his sister will be endangered.

"Bring this girl to the auction house! We will sell her tonight." Mr. Bigly commanded the servants.

*******

Luna opened her eyes and saw the unconscious bodies of men in front of her. There are splatters of blood on the floor. Not far from her is a man standing holding a sword in one hand. His familiar silhouettes move in the dark room. He walked towards her. A dim light from the window exposed his face with spots of blood. His eyes are red and fierce in anger.

"Grey... " She uttered in a hoarse voice.

Is this a dream?

His eyes became gentler as he hears her weak voice. He reached out to her when her knees started to shake. He caught her and held her in his arms.

"Luna." He uttered her name in a voice full of concern and worries.

She gazed at the man in front of her. The distance between them is very close.

Why does he look at me with eyes full of emotion?

"You are safe now." He said.

Her sight started to fade.

"Luna?" He called her again and again until everything went dark and silent.

Her head throbs as she opened her eyes in her room.

"Georgina!"

Luna turned to her bedside and saw Sebastian with blood-red eyes and dark circles. It seems that he hasn't slept for days.

"What happened?" She asked.

"You're finally awake. You've been asleep for two days. We tried to break the hypnosis but it weakens you." He answered.

Luna tried to recall everything but all she remembers is the young man she tried to save. She even broke the fence to help him in a hurry. But the man suddenly grabbed her. She remembers he touched her face and stared into her eyes before she lost consciousness.

Luna turned back to Sebastian. He looks wrecked.

"What happened to you? And why did you call me Georgina?" She asked.

"I'm sorry... Let the healer examine you first." He then called the maids and the healer.

After the health examination, Sebastian and the healer left. Mira and Mina made her a warm bath and changed her clothes. They also prepared a hot soup for her.

"We are very glad that you are safe Lady Luna. " Mira uttered as she was brushing her hair in front of the mirror.

"Yes, if something bad had happened to you, our heads are rolling right now," Mina uttered in fear.

Luna turned to them with a surprised expression.

"Why?" She asked.

"The Prince and lord Sebastian were very angry at us and the guards because we left you alone in the garden," Mira answered.

Exaggeration. We are friends now but they will never do that just because of me, especially Sebastian. They would cut their heads just because I insisted on being alone?

"Sebastian said someone abducted me?" She asked.

He only told her that Grey saved her when she was abducted two days ago but she has no memory of what happened. The hypnosis is affecting her brain according to him.

"Yes, the majesty the Prince brought you back from that place where women are auctioned like objects. They stripped your clothes and were almost naked as the men tried to bid you. The prince almost killed them all out of anger. The knights arrested the rest of them."

Luna's eyes went round and her mouth hung open as she heard Mina's narrative.

"What did you just say? What happened to me?" Luna asked the maids.

"The majesty the Prince saved you from the auction house where they sell young chaste women."

Luna is cursing internally as the words of the maids started to sink in.

Holy cow!

"It's a good thing that the Prince arrived on time or else, you will be..."

"Mina!" Mira scolded her sister.

What exactly happened? That young boy lured me and sold me to the auction house.

*****

Grey stared at the familiar ring on his hand. The royal ring of their family.

"It's her. I'm sure of it, your majesty. I would like to bring her back to our family and open an investigation of what happened to her 3 years ago." Sebastian uttered.

"I understand. I also would like to know what happened to her. When are you going to tell her about her real identity?" He asked.

"I'm not sure yet. I don't even know how to tell my parents and brother that she is still alive. We mourned her, we were in the dark and tried to accept her death. We tried to forget her. We didn't even search for her. We dismiss the possibility of her still being alive. Could she forgive us, her family? Wouldn't she feel betrayed once she found out?"

"I don't know but Luna has no memories. The only memory she might have remembered is her name. Luna, her middle name. Everything seems like a coincidence but we just failed to acknowledge the signs that she's your sister."

"Then this time I have to gain her trust first. I will make her remember." Sebastian uttered.

This is something Grey disagrees with unconsciously. The idea did not please him. He knows what Georgina was like. For him, she's a different person but Luna is like a new person in the same body. If she remembers, would she turn back to her old self?

Grey gazed at the ring in his hand. Even without this ring, He already realized she is Georgina but did not like the idea.

The moment he saw her on the platform with her wavy ginger hair and her familiar face. He couldn't believe it at first. So many questions in his head but it was only for a second as he watched the event that unfolded his eyes.

The abductors were very good at covering their tracks. He was almost late when he witnessed Luna being sold to a wealthy man with a servant that could teleport.

Luna was in the center of the stage and was in a trance. She was just standing there but not moving or speaking. Her face is void of any emotion. She was like a doll wearing small clothing that only covered her private parts and a mesh cloak over them. Men around the auction house looked at her with lust as they bid to win her first night. Grey could not control his anger at what he witnessed.

Before the wealthy man could touch her, his immense power filled the room. Everyone falls on their knees when heavy pressure hit them. Only Luna was standing, unaware of her surroundings.

The guards tried to attack him when they saw him walk by but they were no match to him. He effortlessly sliced them with his sword. Blood splattered on the floor and the bodies covered his tracks.

There are a few men with mystical abilities that tried to attack him but he's fast and very strong for them to fight back. No one could beat him and destroy his shield.

One by one he fought them with his sword.

The guests of the auction house that recovered from the intense pressure ran outside but were surprised to see the knights who caught them and arrested them.

After defeating all his enemies, he looked back at Luna. She still standing motionless at the center of the platform.

Her ginger hair flows down to her waist. Her figure is striking in the little clothes she wore. Everything about her is exquisite and fascinating to the eyes. She was once a teenage girl with a bad temper but now she's a woman.

He was furious to think that men tried to touch her and own her like an expensive item. He wanted to annihilate them for even thinking of prurient things to her. She's innocent and pure and had been through a lot. He will never let anyone hurt her again.