A sudden disturbance off to our left caused them and the guards to all turn and glance over in that direction. I kept walking forward though. I'm not sure what possessed me to do what I did, but it felt like the right thing to do and I didn't question my actions any further than that. My manacled hands separated apart and I raised a fist and swung at the girl's head hard, as her face was turned to the side.
I intentionally side swiped her left cheek, with the chunky metal protrusion of the manacles binding my hands instead of with my whole fist. Blood spurted from where the edge of my rough manacles caught her high on the cheekbone and lower down on the cheek ripping the flesh badly. The force of the blow, even though I had pulled the majority of the strength behind the punch off to the side, knocked her forwards breaking her mother's hold on her arm. She fell heavily into a muddy puddle of water, which splashed all over her dowsing her in the dirty water of the marketplace gutters. Complete shock at the unjustified hit had widened her eyes into a questioning gaze, as she looked up at me from where she lay in the muddy water. Blood trickled down her face in abandon and I mouthed two words.
"I'm sorry!"
I had barely gotten the words out when I was slammed to the ground, from behind by the guards. I was only pulled back up to my feet after I had been kicked and whipped several times savagely.
My aggressive actions got me placed in a group of other surly individuals, who were unified in their dislike of me. Hitting a woman was bad, a girl worse and a fellow slave even worse than that. No matter I didn't regret what I had done. They just didn't understand what I had done.
I watched as the girl and her mother were led up to the examiners. They pulled the mother to the side and shoved her towards a group of older women, who also had small children. The chief examiner grabbed the girl's chin and held it up examining her. He paused for a moment and then muttered something and shoved the girl towards an attendant who led her away. The attendant dragged her towards a pen that was filled with other attractive girls and young boys.
As they drew near the pen the girl's head had fallen forward her dirty hair shielding her face from view. The attendant dragged her past that pen though and on down the line of slave pens towards the pen at the very end of the line.