Once again, the women were forced to stand together in the centre. Upon the mention of the word ‘auction’, many cries and shouts, some even suggesting they would rather die instead of participating, were heard. Brian and the other men appeared troubled when receiving such a response. Meanwhile, the men split into two large groups.
Deertes, despite observing such a situation, still had the thought of Cassar in her head. The type of name that would be unforgettable for Deertes, yet…
“Cassar? I’m afraid I have no idea which family you’re from…”
“…”
She was embarrassed and had wanted to ask back but the man named Cassar had not spoken a word for a long time. Then, he gestured for Deertes to go to the side where the women were at. Throwing on a cloth to cover her head, she followed him. The new fabric used in the cloth smelled of sand and wind.
Cassar. It was a name that she had never heard of in any of the newspapers that she has ever read or in any conversation between people.
While Deertes was lost in her own thoughts, the men talked amongst each other for a while. Especially Brian, who was walking around and passing something to them. Whenever that happened, the men’s eyes would travel to her and stop for a while.
Brian approached where the women were standing, wanting to access the extent of suffering that they had to endure. Now in front of the women, he greeted them in the same manner as he did to Deertes. His actions seemed to bring about a few cries.
The fact that this time around, the people seemed to be a bit more commonsensical and have basic decency as compared to Alex’s gang gave the women a slight sense of relief.
“Despite all the hard situations that you have been put through, I’d like to congratulate your survival. I know how difficult it must have been for you to get here. I am the Brigadier General of the Ramedes Saul Special Forces, Brian Greenwood, Endeavour.”
Almost instantly, the women’s faces brightened up when he revealed his affiliation and name in a comforting and light voice. Even Deertes too was surprised by Brian’s words when she heard them.
Brigadier General? His rank was higher than she had originally thought as she looked at Cassar who was standing far away. If so, the who is Cassar? Considering he is someone who even a Brigadier General has to treat respectfully.
Moreover, he is a soldier of Ramedes and no matter how hard she tried to remember the stories of Saul, she has yet to hear of such a man of a mixed-race and or has a higher ranking than a Brigadier General.
If there was such a person, she would have definitely heard of them from the words of the social circles in Ramedes. At least once, Serene would have mentioned their name in passing, yet no matter how hard she tried to recall such a memory, there was not a single trace of Cassar’s name.
Meanwhile, Brian continued on.
“First, I’ll have to inform you of our upcoming plans. First, we shall be heading towards the nearest town from here without a break for the next few days.”
“Will you be taking us there?”
A woman in the crowd asked carefully. When asked the question, Brian scratched his head, clearly stressed as he quickly corrected his words.
“The amount of food we have is only enough to sustain one person’s way back.”
“That… What are we going to do? Are you implying that you’ll be leaving us here?”
All around them was sand that stretched for long distances. During the day, the sun was burning hot and likely to burn flesh. Whereas during the night, the temperatures would drop so low that chills would sting the teeth.
There was no way they would be able to survive without any food or water in such a place.
Upon hearing his words, the women soon burst out in whispers as their noise volume increased. Brian stepped forward once again.
“We shall be taking you with us, but…”
It was so silent and tense that the sound of a pin dropping could be heard. Everyone waited to find out what he would say next. After a long while, his voice was heard above the deafening silence.
“Only those who we choose…”
“What? What do you mean?”
“It’s exactly what I’ve just said. A while ago, we mentioned how an auction would be held. However, it will be slightly different from the auction that you have all been through.”
Brian responded and pointed towards the men standing behind him.
“The people that are in front of us are still unmarried. From here on out, we shall be asking you to marry them. A few questions will be asked, such as what is your age? How old are you? How much wealth do you have? How determined are you to cross this desert? What kind of life will you plan to live once you cross it?”
His words seemed to fuel the confusion among the women. The soldiers standing in front of the women seemed to already have gone through or past the stage in life where they get married. Noticing this, a woman muttered.
“If they have yet to be married… Isn’t there a reason behind it?”
The women were agitated as they recalled what had happened in Alex’s group. It was as if there was a voice in their heads saying how these soldiers are left unmarried as they are no different from them. Embarrassed by all the mummering, Brian hurriedly tried salvaging the situation.
“It appears that there’s a misunderstanding. They are not problematic people. On the contrary, as you all have suffered from the bullies you’ve encountered, they too have been hurt a bit.”
He could understand the women’s concerns and anxiety regarding this whole situation. In Ramedes, a soldier is regarded as a popular choice amongst those looking to wed. Hence, most of them are expected to get married latest by their early 20s, making it extremely suspicious as to why such a large number have yet to be wed.
This largely due to their home countries sending women to Bernst instead of Endeavour, leading to many complicated relationships to be formed that would take far too long a time to explain. The moment one steps foot into Endeavour, they would find out about it eventually.
Urging the women, Brian continued to speak.
“So you’ve got the chance to choose from all potential choices here.”
Experiencing such a sudden situation, the women were left speechless. They have to pick one of them?
“If you were to make up your mind and choose, we’ll pledge to risk our lives to take you into town. After all, it is the right thing to do for your wife.”
It was at that moment the women realised how the situation seemed to go.
As Brian had mentioned, this was indeed an auction. However, this time around, the women’s role changed from being the products sold to being the buyers who are buying.
One person stepped forward from the crowd of women, humming. It was Cinder Redhill, the one who did not hold Deertes’ hand. She glanced at the unmarried man standing in front of her before turning to look at Brian with her arms crossed.
“The numbers do not match.”
“What?”
“There are more women here as compared to the number of unmarried men. What will happen to those who are unable to pair with a man?”
As Cinder asked her question, another woman shouted out towards Brian.
“I-I am already married. My husband is waiting for me in Bernst!”
“I have a husband back home too! He’ll be arriving here on the next ship!”
“If you are all soldiers of Endeavour, then what about the soldiers’ vows? Besides, our original destination was Bernst! Do you think they will stay put if they were to hear about this?”
In a harsh manner, the women stood forward, explained their situation, and pointed at Brian. As if expecting such an outcome, Brian calmly replied.
“Us Special Forces of Endeavour swear a little differently as compared to other places. Moreover… Women who arrive here from their home country will belong to the location at which they first get off. In your case, the place you all got off is under Endeavour’s jurisdiction and hence, your disposition shall be decided by Endeavour.”
Almost instantly, the women shut their mouths. The women were ignorant towards the fact that Saul was different from home and such customs at home may not be followed here in Saul.
Again, Brian sighed and continued.
“We have no intention of forcing you to choose who to be your husband.”
Hearing that line, sighs of relief can be heard among the women. Although they were in a completely unknown situation, they were relieved to hear how they were not being forced to do anything they did not want to such as getting married. But, Brian said again.
“If you do not want to find a husband, then you’ll have to choose among the men behind you who already have a wife.”
He mentioned, pointing towards a larger group of men standing further back.
“However, the catch is that they’ll instead demand three years of hard labour in return to help them survive in this desert.”
“Three years?”
“Yes. Three years. That is the minimum time for contract periods on this land.”
“Hold up, if we refuse to choose from either of the two options then…”
“That is a possibility. In that case, we shall simply leave you here in the desert on your own.”
“What? How is that fair?”
There were cries of protest upon the mention of leaving them behind in the desert. Brian’s face remained unchanged as he looked at the women. The woman who had shouted how her husband was waiting for her stared at him.
“Is that all a Ramedes soldier has to say? Are you planning to forgo God’s teachings and abandon your human principles?”
The words wiped off the smile from Brian’s face. He could see the woman standing in front, staring at him with a serious face. Even the woman who had caused his sudden change in expression was silent.
“This is Saul. Where you have no money nor help. So you’d be better off throwing away all thoughts of Ramedes here. There is no such thing as a free drop of water or a single potato. If you want any hope of surviving on this land, try to sell off what you have at as high of a price as possible. And, of course, what you have right now is…”
“The only thing I have is my body.”
It was Cinder who answered. Approaching Brian, she circled around him once before standing in front of him again. Cinder looked at Brian for a long time before speaking.
“You’re looking for a wife, aren’t you? You mentioned your name was Brian Greenwood… a Brigadier General is a pretty fine role… How old are you?”
Realising what Cinder was planning to do, he replied with a smile.
“Thirty one.”
“Assets?”
“A two-story house, 90 acres of land, four contract workers, around three horses, 50 sheep and numerous chickens and ducks. Those I’m not too certain as I have yet to count them.”
“Your body and face is also not too sloppy, why haven’t you gotten a wife yet? Do you have a disability where it’s hard to say?”
“My ex-wife passed along due to high fever two years ago, leaving behind no children.”
Questions and answers came and went in a flash. After hearing all of Brian’s answers, Cinder moved forwards and approached him, raising a hand to touch his face. The corners of Cinder’s lips lifted up, seemingly satisfied with her choice.
“Alright, I’ll choose you. Is there anything else I need to do?”
“Once you’ve made a choice, then that’s the end of it. When we get to the city, then we shall go to the church and government offices to register our marriage.”
“Then, do take care of me until I get to the city, husband. Being a wife is much better than being a slave.”
Cinder commented, kissing Brian on the cheek. Brian accepted Cinder’s actions without avoiding any of it. Regardless of what anyone says, Deertes could see the establishment of a contract between the two now. Brian gave a light kiss to Cinder before he pointed out.
“And it’s not a slave, but a contract worker…”
“It is what it is. Isn’t it useless to replace such a word? I do know that prisoners of this land will have to work three years in order to get out of prison. So what is the labour obligation, I, as your wife, will have to fulfill?”
“All wives of the soldiers, excluding wives of junior soldiers, shall be relieved of their labour duties. So, your duty is waived.”
Upon hearing his answer, Cinder smiled brightly, satisfactorily, as she turned around and shouted.
“What are you all doing then? If you miss this opportunity to be a wife of a soldier, you’ll have to live as a slave for a considerable amount of time. Aren’t your heads functioning? Pick a useful man who can allow you to cross the desert!”
Cinder’s words were the ignition that sparked off chaos.