THE NEW SERVANT

LIA BLAKE

"Wear this!" An older woman flimsily threw some cloth at me. Unable to catch it, the cloth dropped to the ground. 

She was putting on a servant's clothing and I knew at once she must be one of the elderly servants. 

"And you are not allowed to be clumsy here! Get your tiny self into them and get your arse down for some work! You stink!" She added, shot me a disgusting look before she walked out of the room slamming the door behind her shot. 

I stared down at myself, at the once extremely pretty wedding dress I wore that had now turned into a complete mess and stinking badly from the stench of the dungeon. Anyone would hardly believe it. 

I sighed tiredly and sank into the nearby seat. 

Well, it was actually the only seat in the somewhat large room. 

"You will be my wife…" the words of the Lycan King echoed in my head. Such good meaning words said with so much venom and cruelty. Cold shivers creeped my flesh and I shuddered. 

To any she-wolf, those words were pleasing to hear especially when it comes from your mate who loved and cherished you. But to me, what were those words supposed to mean to me?

I let out another heavy sigh as I got to my feet. I should at least have a look around the place I could possibly meet my death. 

There wasn't a bed in the room with all its largeness. A large locker demarcated into various locked sections stood at one corner of the room. 

The room was pretty decent. At least it wasn't leaking. That I hoped for anyways although it didn't look like it would leak.

I was wondering why they would let me stay in such a large room alone when the door barged open and a group of three angry looking girls barged into the room. 

"What do you think you are still doing in here? You bitch! Get your dirty self down for some work!" One of the girls barked. 

"Wait, perhaps were you hoping we get the whole work done all by ourselves?" The second one snarled as they made their way towards me, hands folded across their chests. 

I sighed within me knowing exactly what was coming next. I didn't think it would be the same everywhere…bullying. 

They stood before me and glared at me. 

All Lycans. No single chance for me. 

One of them laughed scornfully as they regarded me from head to toe. 

"She stinks," one of them muttered placing a hand across her nose. 

"Seeing as you are still looking fresh and your skin glowing this much, I bet your story will be an interesting one. Which part of the pack are you from?" One of the girls asked me. 

I didn't say a word and just held their gaze. 

"Meanie, look, look, she is glaring at you…stop glaring those ugly eyes of yours bitch!!" 

"Ah-ha, she must be crazy. I see…she must really want some beating, don't she…" the one I believed to be the Meanie said.

She shoved my chest roughly. "Hey! Get on your knees. Get on your damn knees this instant!" 

Before I could say a word the other two girls rounded me and brought me to my knees. 

"You dare glare at me! Hey, Bring me water. Make sure it's nice and cold. I bet our new roommate here will love it."  Meanie said to them and in a few seconds one appeared carrying with her a bucket of water. 

As she made to empty the bucket of water on my body, the door flew open. 

"What do you think you are doing right now!!" A voice roared from the door. 

I turned to see the Lycan King standing right at the door with a deep scowl in his face. But shockingly the scowl wasn't for me neither was the roar. 

He marched furiously into the room and glared at the three girls who fell on their knees and started begging to be pardoned. 

"Forgive us, my king!"

A  woman dressed in the servant's clothing came and saw what was happening. She quickly dashed into the room and fell on her knees too alongside the pleading girls. 

"My king, It is my fault that they turned out this way. I didn't teach them right. Punish me instead!"

The Lycan king glared at them and at the woman before he stepped backwards. 

"Have her dress up and see me in my chambers." He said, flashing a look my way. 

"Yes, my king. Right at it at once." The woman said and when the Lycan king left the room they all scampered back to their feets. 

The elderly servant faced the three girls and shot them a stern look. 

"What did I say about bullying new servants?" She queried them. 

They bowed their heads in shame and apologised. 

"No, that won't do. Now apologise to her at once!" 

The girls glared at me. 

"I said, apologize at once!"

"We are sorry…" They apologised halfheartedly.

Even I knew how insincere their apologies were, I couldn't escalate things and accepted it anyway. 

The elderly servant let out a heave before she faced me. "You must be…" 

"Lia…" I was saying when she cut me off. 

"Scratch that for now. You must dress up and go see the king at once. I will introduce you to the other servants and slaves after you are done with that."

I nodded and bent to pick the clothes the other elderly servant had thrown at me. 

"Here, wear this. You mustn't look shabby or tattered before the king. That is the servant's clothing."

She handed me a different dress. A fancy one. 

"Hurry up and I will be right outside waiting to take you to the king. The rest of you get back to work at once!" She ordered before she hurried out of the room. 

"Hey! Who do you think you are! Huh! Who do you think you are to make the king and ma'am Lucy pick on us!" Meanie turned and began to shove me once the elderly servant left us. 

She gripped my hair and pulled it roughly whilst kicking and cussing me out. Then she shoved me and I landed on the ground on my butt. I felt my butt bone crack. 

"Bitch! You are a servant just like us! And even if the king just saved your arse, it doesn't change the fact that you are an ugly servant bitch!" She yelled, breathing furiously. 

"And now you even have the nerve to appear before the king with your smelly body!" She snatched the dress from my hand and for a few seconds she struggled with herself between ripping the dress into shreds or not. 

"Let's go, girls. No need to watch your back, we will be here for you… and don't try laying your dirty fingers on any of my things. I will really kill you then." she added indignantly before she stomped out with the other girls. 

A sigh escaped my lips the moment they were out the door. 

I picked up the fancy dress and stared blankly at it for a while. 

I needed no soothsayer to tell me how my next days would be like. 

Recalling that the elderly servant had ordered I hurried up, I forced myself to my feet and began to undress myself. I located a door where the washing room was and got into it. I slid out of the wedding dress and there I scrubbed until I felt my skin peel. 

I dried my body and my hair before I slipped myself into the fancy dress. There was a mirror by the side of the wardrobe but I stopped myself from taking a look at myself in it. The last time I stood before one in a pretty dress, it hadn't turned out so well for me. 

I roughly parked up my hair in a ponytail without caring how neat it looked before I walked out of the room. 

"Well, fair enough…" the elderly servant commented when I stepped out. 

"Put this on, see if it will fit." she gave me a shoe which I slid my feet into and against how big it looked in my eye, it really did fit my feet. 

"Come on, let's go. The King must be waiting." 

She said and started to lead me to the Lycan king. 

Her steps was quick and light that I struggled to match her pace 

"I'm ma'am Lucy. That's what I'm called here." She said hurriedly as we walked. 

"I'm Lia…"

"Introductions about yourself can wait…When you meet the king, you must never forget your curtsey and your manners. You must not resist in any way or challenge his orders. Be sure not to look him in the eyes too."

"Why?" I dared to ask.

She glanced at me.

"You wouldn't need to be told soon enough." 

I shrugged wondering why she was telling me all these. 

"And when he  invites  you to sit with him and have a meal, you must be sure to know the right answer to that."

"And what is the right answer to that?" I was going to ask but I thought better of it and kept my lips sealed following quietly behind her. Ma'am Lucy didn't say much after that and just walked silently. I almost asked when we would reach the king's chambers but held myself. 

I was already in the bad books of everyone and couldn't afford to add myself to ma'am Lucy. She seemed kind. 

After several minutes of walking, ma'am Lucy announced we were finally there. 

"Don't worry you will get used to it." She said as if she read my thoughts.