Floriane never released her grip on the reins. She continued to hear the thundering noise that the horse's hooves made. She kept her eyes closed so that the rain didn't blur her vision. She knew that she was going to end up sacrificing her life, but she couldn't let her mother do it. The family needs Saffi more than her. Out of the blue, the horse's hooves slowed down. The thunder became lighter until it ceased. When the thunder stopped, so did the horse. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at her surroundings.

There was nothing that she recognized for it was lightly raining and it was still dark out. She quickly remembered that she attached her lantern to the horse. She removed her lantern and lit it up. The light didn't reach very far; it was if something was preventing the light from reaching out. 'I have a bad idea about this, but I'm doing this for my mother.'

"Who goes there?" A voice said; Floriane turned around and saw a woman wearing a blue and red simple dress. She was also holding a lantern, but it was a little bigger and newer than Floriane's lantern. "What brings you here?" Floriane knew that she had to think of something.

"I'm here for my punishment." She said; then she pulled the bouquet of flowers off the saddle. She showed them to the woman, thinking it might help with what she was talking about.

"Oh yes." The woman said, "You're the one who rudely picked my master's flowers without asking." Floriane realized that her plan had worked. The woman thought Floriane was Saffi.

Floriane's plan was to disguise herself as her mother. She had some similarities to her mother, but the one big difference was their hair color. Saffi had black hair and Floriane had blond hair. So she poured coal dust on her hair; she also put her hood over her head so that the rain won't wash it away. She believed that it would be enough to make anyone believe she was Saffi. Floriane would rather lay her life down for her mother than have Saffi die-or marry a hideous monster.

"So, you've decided to come and face your punishment?" The woman asked, "Why didn't you have your daughter come?"

"A real mother wouldn't let her children suffer for something she did." Floriane said, believing that's why her mother didn't tell her.

"Hmm, you did the right thing for your children." The woman said, "Since you also returned the flowers, I think my master will take it easy with you. Right now, he's not here. This place is his son's home. The horse that brought you here belongs to him; that's why you were brought here instead of my master's cottage. This place was made to protect my master's son, but it's also a place of safety for everyone who lives here."

"Like you?"

"Yes, and my little one. Right now, I'll bring you inside before we get sick from the rain." Floriane just nodded her head and followed the woman. The lantern from the woman's lantern seemed more powerful than Floriane's little lantern. The light soon showed a flight of stone stairs. They walked up them and stopped in front of a large door. The woman grabbed the iron handle and opened the door. "Please enter." When Floriane entered, she was very shocked.

The entrance looked like a grand hall, as if this was a richly home. There were four hallways leading to different paths and a huge staircase in front. There were a few candles lighting the entrance. 'All right, there's more than what my mother and me first thought. It's obvious that no one could have a home with a beautiful entrance without having a lot of money.'

"I know this place is much different than my master's cottage." The woman said, standing next to her. "He wanted to give anything his boy could want." Hearing that made Floriane think about her father. She remembered how he would carve different things out of wood to entertain her and Tanner. Her father even made a small windmill toy for her. Now, she just hoped that her father would continue entertaining her big brother.

"Sounds like my husband." Floriane said, continuing her charade. Suddenly, they felt a chill and some of the candles went out.

"Oh dear."

"What?" Floriane said; resisting looking scared.

"He's coming down." The woman answered; Floriane looked at her. "My master's son." A deep growl pierced the silence and the floor shook by, what Floriane thought, by footsteps. In the darkness, two bright white lights appeared.

"Who's in my home, Kamila?" A male growled; Kamila swallowed her fears.

"This is the woman that picked the flowers that your father made for your mother." Kamila answered, trembling.

Considering how much Kamila was trembling, Floriane believed on how horrible this person was. Floriane kneed down and placed the bouquet of flowers in front of her, as if it was an offering. Another growl pierced the air as five long huge claws reached out. The claws swiped the flowers into the darkness.

"Get her out of my sight, Kamila." The voice said, "Put her in the servant quarters with you. Make sure she works on making sure my home is clean for my father's return."

"Yes, sire." Kamila whispered and the two white lights vanished into the darkness. The room started to warm up as the candles re-lit themselves, showing the empty staircase. Floriane saw that whoever was took the bouquet. "Oh goodness." Kamila said, falling to her knees. "I thought he was going to take matters into his own hands."

"Fearsome." Floriane finally said, after finding the courage to speak again.

"If you thought my master was horribly scary, his son is worse." Floriane's thought was true, now hearing it from someone who lived here. After seeing the claws, she knew that a monster lived here. "Come now." Kamila added as she stood back up. "I'll take you into the kitchen for a quick meal and then to your quarters."

"Very well." Floriane said, now seeing what Kamila looked like in the light.

Kamila wasn't a young woman, but she certainly wasn't old. She was wearing a red and blue simple outfit with a yellow coat. What was the most eye-catching was the necklace around her neck. It was made of black and white pearls with a red star in the middle. Floriane couldn't help but feel a strange energy that seemed to be coming from the necklace.

After a few minutes of following Kamila, they approached the door to the kitchen. Kamila opened it and Floriane entered and saw the huge kitchen. What also caught her eye was a small table that had six people around it: Two women, three men and one child. She noticed that all of them were wearing the same necklace that Kamila was wearing. One of the women stood up with a very angry look.

"I can't believe she's here!" She said, but Kamila got between Floriane and her.

"She brought back the flowers, Eleanor!" Kamila said, "She came back to face her punishment." The other servants at the table stayed out of the way of the ladies. Kamila and Eleanor argued with each other until Kamila slapped her. Eleanor groaned as she held her face.

"Stay out of the garden if you know what's good for you." She warned and then left the kitchen. Floriane quickly thought that Eleanor was the woman that recused her mother from the rainstorm. Despite the other servants didn't react to the argument, the child stood up and walked up to Floriane and Kamila.

"Is there anything I can do, mother?"

"Do we have anymore dinner?"

"Just the soup."

"Very well." Kamila answered, "Lacey, get a bowl of soup for our new...'guest'." Lacey curtsied to her mother and went over to the stove. Kamila then brought Floriane over to the table to introduce the other servants. "This is Sawyer, Hadley, Tarrant and Nelon." Floriane curtsied to show some respect.

"What's your name?" Tarrant asked, almost shaking.

"Saffi." Floriane answered, not risking revealing her real name. She knew that once she says her real name, her plan will all for naught. She already figured that Eleanor knew about the situation before anyone else. Floriane would rather lay her life down for her mother than have Saffi die. She certainly wasn't going to become a monster's bride, especially with the attitude he and his father has.

After the introductions, Lacey brought over Floriane's dinner and sat down with her mother. Everyone went back to eating as Floriane slowly ate. She really didn't have an appetite after everything's that happened, but she knew that she'd need the energy for later. The soup had a unique taste, as if it was made with other ingredients she wasn't aware of.

Dinner was soon done and everyone, including Floriane, went to the servant quarters. Kamila opened the door to an empty room and told Floriane to enter. There wasn't much in the room: only a table, a clock, a dresser and a bed.

"I know there isn't much, but it's enough to keep someone comfortable." Kamila said as Floriane stared at the room. "I'll wake you in the morning to get you started."

"Fine." Floriane said, "Have a good night." She then closed the door. She walked over to the other side of the room, where a small window was placed. The small curtains were open, but there was no light coming from outside. All she saw was darkness and the reflection of the glass from her small lantern.

'Don't be angry with me, mother. I chose to come here. I couldn't let this monster harm you because you were thinking of me. I don't what the future will have for me, but as long as you're alive, it will be worth it.'