Chapter Five

Lisha POV

Skyla and I follow Athena down a cobblestone lane; on the left are a dozen rundown cabins. Athena turns back toward us and says,

“These are the servant's quarters. Under no circumstance will you enter the palace grounds unless you are fulfilling the Queen's duties.”

When we reach the last cabin, she stops, 

“You will share a cabin. You have this afternoon to organize yourselves. I will return at sunrise to take you to the palace, do not keep me waiting."

Once Athena is out of sight, I slowly open the cabin door and peer inside. The interior is filthy; dried blood has stained the floors and parts of the walls. I turn to Skyla, shaking my head, and ask.

“Where do we start?”

Skyla puts her arm around my shoulders and chuckles nervously to try and hide her fear from me as she says,

“Come on, Lisha, it won't take us long to clean this mess up.”

I sigh, turning and walking toward the windows and opening them to let fresh air in so we can breathe. I look around. There is a small wooden table with two chairs. Flint and candles have been left out for us. A  double bed sits along one wall under the window. A filthy pitcher and a basin are on a bench against a wall with a mirror above it. Next to that is a wardrobe, with a door hanging on its side; looking inside, I notice clothes precisely the same as we are wearing now. Laying on its side in another corner is a bucket and broom. It takes most of the afternoon and early evening to clean the cabin. Once we have finished, we sit quietly at the table, lost in our thoughts. Skyla speaks first, 

“We need water for drinking and bathing.”

Standing tiredly, I walk to the window.

“Listen, Skyla. I think I can hear running water. Let's look while we still have a bit of light outside.”

Skyla stands, picks up the bucket, and follows me outside. The sun is starting to set; we must hurry before it gets too dark, or we won't find our way back. We follow a path that runs behind our cabin. It leads into the forest behind the cottages. After a couple of minutes walk, we enter a clearing. A stream runs through the middle of it; the water is fresh and crystal clear; Skyla fills the bucket with water and motions for me to follow her back the way we came; as she whispers,

“Come on, Lisha, we need to get back inside before dark.”

The closer Skyla and I get to our cabin, the louder the male voices become; we rush inside, putting the bar in place to lock the door and close the windows. Skyla places some water on one side for drinking, then we wash the dirt, grime off our bodies and climb into bed. Trying to distract me from my thoughts, she asks.

“Where are you from, Lisha?”

“The Unseelie realm, what about you?”

“I lived with my father on the outskirts of the Seelie realm,”

“What happened, and how did you get here?”

“I woke up hearing fighting. My father didn't stand a chance being human. The intruders killed him and knocked me out. When I woke up, I was in the dungeon”.

I shudder, remembering my mother's screams.

“Did they say anything to you?” 

“No,” she sighs. I roll over onto my back, looking at the ceiling.

“My story is similar to yours. Only they killed my mother, goodnight  Skyla.”

“Goodnight, Lisha.”

I toss and turn all night dread fills me, not knowing what will happen to us. We wake up hearing screams in the middle of the night. It's close, only a couple of cabins up from us. We huddle close together, not making a sound until we see the sky has started to lighten with the approach of dawn.

At sunrise, we are waiting for Athena when she arrives. Skyla and I are separated during working hours, only meeting at our cabin. I follow the standard set by Athena, asking no questions. After a couple of weeks, I went to the kitchen to help prepare breakfast before the palace occupants woke. As I enter the kitchen, I bump into one of the palace guards. Looking up, I say,

“I am sorry,”

At the same time, his knuckles connect to the left side of my face. My knees buckle, and I crumble in a heap on the floor. Snarling at me, he sneers,

“Watch where you are going next time, you stupid bitch.”

Then he steps over the top of me, laughing as he walks away. Seline, the cook, rushes over to help me up, whispering,

“That was Gabriel, one of the Queen's guards. You must keep as far away from him as possible, Lisha.”

I smile as I touch my face, cringing when my hand comes into contact with my skin, and mutter,

“Thank you, Seline,” 

She places her hand on my shoulder and pushes me into a chair, handing me a plate with bread and honey.

“Eat, Lisha, and then you can start work.”

Once breakfast has been served, I help clean the kitchen. I enjoy my time working under Seline. She is happy if I work hard and do what she tells me. After finishing my morning duties in the kitchen, I walk to the laundry room. I work under the laundress until it's time to return to the kitchen to help Seline prepare the evening meal. Seline has a small bundle of food ready for me to take home and share with Skyla. Walking home quickly as the sun sets, I watch for any of the guards. It didn't take me long to realize why it wasn't safe to be alone after dark. There is never a shortage of female servants covered in bruises or broken bones on the palace grounds during the day. Skyla is waiting by our cabin door, and I smile when I see her, she frowns as she asks,

“What happened to your face Lisha?”

“I bumped into a guard, Skyla.”

Skyla shakes her head, saying nothing as I place the food on the table. Then she picks up the bucket and says,

"Come with me, Lisha; we need more water."

The water looks so inviting. I walk into the stream, laughing when the water reaches my chest and sink below the surface. Skyla pulls me back to the surface and asks,

“What are you doing, Lisha?” 

“I only need a couple of  minutes in the water, and then I will hop out, I promise.”

She walks back to the river's edge and waits patiently until I get out and say,

“Thanks, Skyla; I am ready now.” 

We walk home, eat our supper and crawl into bed. My mind and body are exhausted; as soon as I fall asleep, the constant nightmares of my mother's death return.