The first time I met Domino, I was four years old and he was nine.
I stood behind his father, King Kylsan, who had bought me from an auction the day before. My hands were clenched tight around the pant sleeve of his left leg, the fabric as soft as the foreign pink dress I wore.
It fit me perfectly, having been tailored when I first arrived at the castle. My wings strained behind me, the ends grazing the floor.
King Kylsan had a maid strap them down to my back, keeping me from stretching them. They flexed against the leather and I winced at the sharp pain that spread through them. It was a foreign feeling, and not being able to see the rose gold of my wings left me in a state of angst.
For the first time in my four years of life, I didn't smell of sewage. With the dirt washed away, my pale skin almost glowed in the dimly lit room. My long pink hair was washed and brushed out, a task that took one of the maids hours to do without ripping clumps of it out. My natural pink hair smelled of flowers and honey.
The sound of voices came from another room yards away, drawing my attention to it. A bulky man in a red and white uniform stood beside it with his arms crossed over his chest.
His dark eyes were glued to me, and when I stared a little too long back at him, his eyes flashed a burnt orange. A warning that made me shrink into myself.
I tore my eyes away, head ducking down.
"Father?"
I peeked around my new master and peered up at the older boy. He looked so much like the man I hid behind.
He stared at me with wide blue eyes, his dark black hair styled neatly. His cheeks were chubby, his nose sharp. He wore a red tunic lined with gold, black trousers and boots to match.
"Is that a fairy?" He asked, his blue eyes flashing a molten gold, his voice filled with an awe.
It sent a shiver down my spine.
There was a softness to his voice, one so unfamiliar to me that I ducked behind the King's body once more.
He chuckled, a deep baritone I haven't heard before. "She is." He reached behind him and put his hand on top of my head as he guided me to stand beside him. I released his pants and instead fiddled with a loose pink ribbon that adorned the gown. "I bought her as a gift for you,"
Subconsciously, my hand drifted to the matching pink bow tied around my hair. The silky texture was the same as the fabric of my dress and my new masters pants were made of.
A gift? I thought, peering up through my lashes to take in the boy once more.
Before being sold to King Kylsan, my master before, had warned me that they were monsters. A beast worse than any wolf or vampire. I had never met a wolf or vampire before then, so I had nothing to compare them to.
Yet standing there, with both their gazes focused on me, I couldn't help but wonder what had made them monsters, for all I saw was a man and a boy and nothing more.
"Happy birthday, Domino." King Kylsan nudged me forward and I stumbled in the shiny flat shoes. "Treat her well, and when she's older and her wings are larger than they are now, you can clip them and hang them on your wall."
I frowned and shrunk into myself at his words, my small pink wings moved to curl around me but the straps held them down and I was left feeling cold.
Clip them? I thought to myself, what did he mean?
"They'll bring you endless fortune." King Kylsan walked forward and patted the boy on the head as he left, abandoning me to stand there with no other protection from his son's curious gaze.
I flinched when he moved to stand closer to me. I tilted my head up to look at the older boy with striking blue eyes. Eyes that turned into burning gold.
"My name is Domino, but you can call me Dome!" He smiled, revealing sharp pointed teeth.
I whimpered and hugged myself.
"What's your name, Little Fairy?" His eyes stared at my strapped wings with burning curiosity. His fingers twitched.
"I don't have one." I whispered. My old master had called me girl or fairy.
"Hm," He hummed and rubbed at his chin, "I'll have to give you one then." He tilted his head and took me in from head to toe, "Everything about you is pink, but pink isn't a very good name is it?"
I peered up at him, was he expecting an answer? "No." I murmured, diverting my gaze to the door that muffled the voices on the other side. I frowned when I saw the man guarding the door was still looking at me.
"How about Violet?" Dome's voice brought my attention back to him. His eyes narrowed in thought.
I bit the inside of my cheek and bowed, "Yes, master."
"Silly Violet! My name is Dome, not master," He snorted at me. His fingers twitched again. His arm rose and he reached forward. His fingers grazed against my wings.
They shuddered behind me, and a memory of my old master pulling at them with a harsh grip surfaced to my mind. Before he could hurt me, I slapped Dome's hand away. The sound of me hitting him echoed in the spacious room.
The silence following after was eerie.
"My Prince!"
A rough hand grabbed my upper arm, fingers dug into my skin. I yelped out when I was yanked backwards.
I fell on the marbled floor and winced at the impact.
"You little brat!" The large man that guarded the door sneered down at me. His eyes flashed orange. He crouched down before me and curled his fist into the front of my dress. I could feel his knuckles digging into the bones of my chest and I cried out.
"How dare you hit the Prince," He hissed at me. I stared up into his orange glowing eyes, my lungs tightening at the harsh stare. Panic wrapped around my heart, I couldn't breathe. The edges of my vision blurred.
Desperately sucking in gulps of air, I lashed out.
"Let me go!" I screeched. I kicked his legs, my hands clawed at his arms and my wings wiggled in an attempt to escape the straps. Instead of freedom, they ached.
"Why you filthy-" He grabbed me by the hair and dragged me away. I glanced back, eyes desperate and pleading as the boy watched the man pull me away.
I was foolish for thinking he would help. No one ever helped.
Before he could enclose me in a dark and separate room, I noticed a girl around the same age as Dome peeking out through the door on the other side of the room.
Wide green eyes stared at me, blonde hair framing her round face.
Then the door shut and both she and the Prince were gone.
I was whipped on the back that night. The first pretty dress I was given that day was torn to shreds, covered in blood as it hung from my shoulders like a rag.
I never touched the Prince again.