Jack the Giant Slayer
The knight who had found me was now dragging me through the town, making a spectacle of me and him. In any other circumstance, I would have found this terribly exciting. A knight in shining armor, and handsome beyond belief, was taking me with him to some unknown area. It sounded like one of my mother's books that she had never let me read. But after she passed away, I had full access to all of those books and boy do I wish I hadn't looked inside. But I'm getting off topic.
The knight walked in front of me while keeping a firm grip on my wrist. I was shaking slightly, worried about what would happen to me once we arrived in the castle. My stomach twisted in knots and I couldn't build up enough courage to ask him what his plan was for me. Every time I slowed down slightly to look around, there was a sharp pull on my wrist to remind me that I was still in trouble. After what felt like years, we finally made it to the castle.
"We're going to go see the king, but I have an idea in mind for you already." he said, making me look down. What could he possibly want with me? But he didn't elaborate on his words. That was all he said to me.
Guards stared as we made our way through the castle corridors. Cracks and stone were everywhere, not yet cleaned up by the workers. Although I couldn't get a good look at everything, due to sir pushy, I still could see that there was a lot of damage done by the giants. I say we should've made the giants clean up the mess they made before we sent them back up to their prison between heaven and earth. But my thoughts on the subject were rudely interrupted as the knight pushed me down into a kneeling position. It took several moments for me to realize that I was in the king's throne room, or whatever it is these people call it. I didn't dare look up to see if there was in fact a throne.
"Elmont, what have you brought with you today?" came a deep, gruff voice, which I assumed was the king.
"Sir, I've caught this woman stealing from our market." Although I was still kneeling down, I could practically hear the frown on his face. There were murmurs across the room, and to avoid being anymore humiliated than I already was, I tuned them all out.
"Stealing, you say? What exactly was she taking?"
"Anything, your highness. Just look." He walked over to me and pulled me to my feet. Ripping open my cloak, he revealed to all in the room everything I had stolen that day. And it was a lot. It all came tumbling down onto the castle floor, the fruits, the meats, the vegetables, everything. I hung my head in shame as a quiet gasp was heard throughout the room. To my complete surprise, the king chuckled lightly.
"You fit a lot in there, young lady." I didn't want to answer, in fear of offending anyone. But the knight, whose name I now knew was Elmont, pushed my back lightly.
"Y-yes. I'm so very sorry, your highness. Please forgive me." I bowed my head again, knowing that I was asking for a pretty big favor. Silence was the only thing to be heard in the room. My breathing quickened and the knots in my stomach grew tighter by the second as I waited for my fate to spoken.
"If I may, your highness?" Elmont was the first to speak, making me jump as his voice cut through the quiet. The king nodded at him and he continued. "She has stolen a lot of money's worth of food from our kingdom, and yet she doesn't have any money to pay for it. But the way many people get money is through a job, no?" The king nodded yet again. "So why doesn't the little girl work here at the castle to pay off what she owes us?"
My eyes went wide, as I looked at him in surprise. Was he serious? Me? Work at the castle? That was ridiculous! I didn't know the first thing about castles. I laughed inwardly to myself, waiting for the king to tell Elmont that that was a stupid idea, but it never came.
"That's actually not a bad idea, Elmont." My jaw dropped. Was the king really that stupid? Did he think I could do anything for them? "We do actually need help with the cooking and cleaning while the men and servants are away rebuilding. Tell me, girl, what can you do?"
"Well, your highness… I can… Well… I can cook, and I can clean…" I figured lying wouldn't help me at this point. I told him the truth, as that was really all I could do.
"Excellent. Then starting today, you are a maid to the kingdom." With a clap of his hands, it was done. My eyes stared, disbelieving, as the king turned to Elmont. "Take her to her room, will you?"
With a stiff nod, Elmont grabbed my wrist again and led me out of the room. I was still in a state of shock, so I couldn't really make any conversation. But we when stopped at a door, I finally let it sink in.
"You had planned for this?" I asked, mentally hitting myself for asking a stupid question. He simply nodded, unlocking the door. "But why? Why not just punish me like the others?" He turned to me, irritation flashing in those beautiful eyes.
"Why don't you just get in your new room, and be grateful that I didn't end your life!" he snarled. I frowned at him and stepped into the room, and he followed in slightly.
"No. I want to know why you did what you did!" I growled at him. The leather on his gloves squeaked as his fists clenched. I regretted being so forceful, but I kept my scowl to not appear weak in front of him.
"I don't know!" And with that, he slammed the door shut, leaving me alone in my new, dark, unfamiliar room.