There is no love like the first.

Do you ever truly forget your first love? There is seldom something more powerful than first love. Is it because it happens when our hearts are still innocent and pure — before that inevitable heartbreak? Or is it because once that huge flame dies out, a few embers remain to keep the memory aglow?

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Days pass silently, uncaring of the ache in his heart. He knew there could be no salvation. She was unreachable, locked away safely behind doors of wealth, power and class. He was a slave. He had nothing apart from memories of warmer times, of times when he had a home he could call his own; Of times he could say he owned himself.

Isan, accompanied by guards, continued to attend his races. He knew she was there only for Equs, to see him in all his glory. But he liked to believe that she was there for him too… He knew he was only deluding himself, but it didn't matter. He wanted to hold onto it. He wanted to feel loved, it had been a long time since he had felt it.

Isan would come to Equs after each race, trying to pet him, and Equs would reject her unless she removed her veil. Her eyes continued to fascinate Arran, those Sea-green orbs of determination and strength, they were pearls amidst a sea of rocks.

She had caught him openly staring at her many times. He couldn't help but tremble when she looked directly at him. He would be the first to avert his eyes then, fearful of angering her. More importantly, his inexperienced heart, thumping away in his chest, did not know how else to react to that piercing gaze.

Equs had gotten more accustomed to her as the days progressed. Isan also started setting her veil aside whenever she visited Equs at the races. This did nothing to help Arran’s heartache. It would burst forth with renewed vigour every time he saw her around the estates or at the racecourse.

Arran loved spending his time with Equs. Stretched down on the hay in Equs’s stall, his back resting against Equs, a book propped up in his lap, he couldn't have asked for much more. Arran rested there, his face content, blissful in this moment of peace.

He was enjoying his moment of peace, like he generally would when he was interrupted one day. It was Isan, accompanied by her usual escort.

This was a first. She had never come to the stables before, maybe because she hadn't been confident enough about being around Equs.

Equs shifted slightly, trying to reach her without moving from his position. Isan smiled at the horse’s laziness before moving into the stall, petting him while he nudged her affectionately. Arran got up, trying his best to not stare at her.

“I didn't know slaves could read” she commented drily, noticing the book Arran had dropped to the ground in his haste.

The comment bridled him. “We were humans once my lady, with our own pasts, even if your nobleness refuses to acknowledge it” he retorted sarcastically.

“Know your place slave!” Isan’s escort roared, not missing the sarcasm in Arran’s voice.

Isan quickly raised a hand, halting the brute. “Pay no mind” she said, addressing him “besides, don't you think I can handle myself?” she added, a hint of annoyance creeping into her voice.

“Yes, my lady” the brute responded, still glaring at Arran.

“You are dismissed, go rest or do whatever you guards do. You earned it” Isan told the guard. He looked like he would argue back but looking at her expression, he acquiesced.

“I am sorry my lady” Arran apologised, trying to minimise the damage.

Isan dismissed it with an offhand gesture, moving towards Equs absentmindedly, nestling her head against his and rubbing his neck.

The sight captivated Arran once again, his heart jumping around wildly at the beautiful sight. Isan looked at him then, her gaze encompassing him, challenging him.

He would not back down now, he had done it enough times. He would not give in to his heart’s cowardice. He stared back at her, meeting her gaze with his own.

She smirked then, snorting slightly in a very unladylike manner before turning back to Equs.

“He is beautiful, as always” she said, rubbing Equs’s neck. “There is something different about him,” she continued absentmindedly, “I don't understand what drives me to him…”

“The eyes” Arran ventured, understanding what she was getting at. He knew exactly how she felt.

Isan looked at Arran, raising an eyebrow in interest, before turning back towards Equs. She looked him in the eyes then, deliberately, trying to grasp their meaning. A look of shock crossed her pale face, her composure breaking momentarily as she covered her mouth in surprise.

“Eyes truly are the windows into the soul” she exclaimed. She moved back then, away from Equs, before turning towards Arran. She was surprised at Arran’s insight. It was wise, something you would not expect from a slave, someone who was treated as the bottom rung of society. She took him in completely for the first time then, his tall and lanky build, his rough homespun clothes failing to hide the strength within, honed through months of hellish training. His eyes! she had dismissed him hundreds of times before, without even glancing at him. But his eyes! their inky black irises burning with a fire so deep, not willing to give up. She was unsettled once again, looking into them. Twice in the same day, she had been unsettled, her usual mask of composure and confidence cracking slightly. Once, when she gazed upon Equs, once, when she looked at Arran’s eyes.

“Eyes truly are the windows into the soul” she repeated softly. “What is your name?” she asked, a question more than a command.

“Arran, my lady” Arran responded, refusing to break eye contact.

“Arran..” she mumbled softly, before turning back and exiting the stall. She paused then, “Be well Arran” she wished, before leaving the stables.

She had seen him for the first time, truly seen him. As someone more than a slave, as a human. All her life, she had been taught the importance of class, of social hierarchy. Slaves had always been treated like livestock. But this encounter with the slave named Arran had unsettled her. She could not see him as a mere slave after she had seen those eyes, she could not see him as anything less than human after that encounter.

I haven't written about Arran's daily life as a slave, how he and Ermic make do with what they have, how they use their cunning to get what they want, like Arran's books etc. This was because I wanted to progress the story. I would go into them in more detail when I redraft the chapters. I would also go into more detail about their training. Equs's and Arran's companionship would also be properly detailed, the gradual strengthening of their bond, shown rather than just plainly stated.

As always, point out any mistakes I might have missed.

Thank You.

PS: please do rate and comment. :)