AUTHOR'S NOTE: Helloooo! I bring you a new chapter, a little earlier (and longer) this week. I hope you enjoy the new events between these two. As always, feel free to comment; every review means the world to me, so thank you for every word of support. I hope to update the next chapter soon, I keep my fingers crossed to meet my deadlines XD
P.S: You are amazing!
CHAPTER X (Piper POV)
I walked terrified to her room. With each step my heart raced more intensely, afraid to meet her after our previous encounter. Sylvie opened the doors of her quarters and I was aghast for what I saw. The room was completely shattered. Nothing of what was before remained intact. I could not help thinking that I had been responsible for her anger and the consequent destruction that I was witnessing. I did not dare to enter so Sylvie turned around when she noticed I was still standing at the entrance…
"What are you doing standing there? Don't you see that there's a lot of work to do?"
"Yes ma'am" I entered the mouth of the wolf unwillingly; there was no point on resisting…
"There has been a small accident as you can see…I hope you are able to clean everything up before dawn" before dawn? I did not know how that was going to be possible
"I'll do my best ma'am" I agreed obediently
"My lady is in the library, behind that door" I glanced at the door she had pointed out "be careful and try no to make noise…she doesn't want to be disturbed…" A shiver ran through all my body only to think that she was only one door away from me "I'm going to sleep, so I'll come for you before dawn…have fun" she finished saying with petulance, and with that, I was left alone in her room.
The damage was immeasurable; I did not know where to start…so I thought that the best idea was to begin with the larger objects. I fixed my eyes on the big wooden table, far from its original position. I tried to set the table up; it was very heavy and I wondered how did it got there, but after a lot of effort I made it, and then dragged it carefully to its original position. I rearranged the chairs that were all over the room around the table, to continue with the side tables and drawers…some furniture had become unusable, so I just piled them outside of the room, at the hall. Little by little I was clearing the spaces, picking up the curtains and sheets, to finally start collecting the thousands of pieces of glass scattered all over the floor.
At some point, I thought I heard her voice coming from the other room, so I was paralyzed with fear, paying special attention in case she decided to come to me… No...I heard her say…Shut up!...this time louder. I stood still for a moment, but I did not hear anything else. It was strange, as far as I knew, she was alone in there so, who was she talking to? I hurried with my tasks to get out of there as soon as possible.
Sylvie picked me up before dawn, just as she had said. She had the goodness of handing me a leather container with water. I drank the vital liquid desperately…
"Do not drink too fast…it should last you all day, so make good use of it"
I had breakfast in my cell. It consisted of a suspicious orange, a piece of moldy bread and a piece of a more than stale cheese. It took me quite some time to separate the pieces of cheese and bread that had not yet been contaminated with the green stain of mold. I was so hungry that I could not refuse even than awful breakfast. I took a couple of sips of water and made myself stop to save the rest of it, remembering Sylvie's words. I was exhausted, so I decided to take a little nap on my cot. My heavy eyes closed right away, but too soon I heard the authoritative voice again…
"Get up! Don't you even think you are going to get some rest…" Arrggh…How much I wanted to punch her in the face… She had prepared a round of tasks for that day.
The passage of days became eternal and what was worse, I was totally isolated, I could not even see Nicky again. The only interaction that I had was with Sylvie and she was driving me crazy. At some point I was not even able to discern how many days I had been in that place. I had hardly been able to get some rest because Sylvie apparently was very fond of playing tricks with my mind and I was completely disoriented; every time she let me get some rest, it was only to get me back on my feet to keep working almost immediately. Each time she ordered me to perform more and more arduous tasks, however, I was more and more determined to carry them out flawlessly…but she was managing to break my spirit and I did not know how much I was going to be able to stand it.
I could only hope to die of exhaustion, How much time would it take for that to happen? It could not be much, because each second I felt weaker. My legs began to falter during the most intense work…my arms could not carry much weight anymore, and my hands were so swollen that the skin began to crack painfully in every crease. I had to tear off a couple of pieces of cloth from the sheet that covered my cot to wrap them and protect them somehow.
One day, I had been polishing the great central stairs. It had taken me most of the day to do it, but finally, after so much work, I had only a couple of steps to finish. The sound of the big door made me turn my head and I saw her… we stared into each other's eyes. I had not seen her since she visited me in my cell, I did not know how many days ago. I almost felt that my isolation was not by accident, or by Sylvie's rejoicing; I could swear she had been responsible for keeping me secluded. Beside her was Nicky, awkwardly walking behind her. I made the effort to get up; after so many hours on my knees it was an achievement, but I helped myself with the railing. I wasn't sure of what to do. She was still staring at me with a cryptically look that I could not read; her gaze was so intense that it felt too intimate, and I had to look down. They walked in my direction and I had to pay my respects, although I did it grudgingly
"My lady" I bowed and took her cold hand to kiss it. There was an uncomfortable silence, and thankfully Nicky was the one to break it…
"Well ammm" although she was short of words at first "We better take off our boots…we don't want to stain the stairs with mud after your hard work…" she was obviously trying to keep a light tone in such a tense moment, and I appreciated her gesture
"Thank you Nicky" At that moment I realized how much I needed to talk to someone. She had been so nice to me…Nicky's eyes were full of shame and compassion. Surely she had been forbidden to talk to me. Nicky started to untie her boots but her companion did not seem willing to do so. I was suddenly filled with courage and I stared at her, directly in her eyes. I wanted her to feel ashamed for the things she was doing to me; I wanted to show her that despite my condition she was not going to bend me, but of course, she did not seem to care about it. She looked away and began to walk slowly and steadily up the stairs, messing all the steps with mud…
"Alex! What the hell!" Nicky exclaimed "I'm so sorry Piper" She said contrite, as If it were her fault. I could only nod because words did not seem able to leave my mouth. She made an apologetic gesture and went after her…at least Nicky had already taken off her boots.
For days, I had been enduring all kind of humiliations, and that one was the straw that broke the horse's back…or rather, my back. Tears of frustration clouded my eyes, and I could not contain them…I hate her…I hate her with all my heart…I went up the stairs tiredly and began to remove the mud stains mixed with the tears that fell from my eyes. I finished right on time; Sylvie came for me pointing out that it was dinner time. She left me in my cell and already in it was the tray with my dinner. I did not pay attention to what was on the tray and went straight to bed, tiredness eclipsing my hunger. My back and knees hurt like hell, and my hands throbbed painfully. But at the moment I did not care, I only wished that Sylvie would let me sleep, but I was not that lucky of course…
"Wake up!" her voice was a damn torture…I could not move…Just kill me…kill me now…I heard the sound of the keys opening the door "Come on!" she was very close… "My lady is waiting for you…" those words were enough to wake me up…I got up without delay and began to follow her…What could she want at these hours? I thought with fear. In the middle of our walk, I asked Sylvie…
"What does she want from me?" My words had hardly any sound
"You'll know when you get there…besides, I did not give you permission to talk…" As always, she was a peach. I armed myself with courage for whatever was waiting for me. We were already at her door…I took a deep breath and lingered timidly behind Sylvie
"Here she is my lady" Sylvie said. She was sitting at the end of the wooden table, full with food
"Oh…hello" She looked up at me but I said nothing in return… "Sylvie, leave us alone" it was an order that Sylvie did not seem to enjoy, but she had to obey anyway
"As my lady says" she said bitterly. Strange as it may seem, the idea of being completely alone with her was more frightening than the company of Sylvie. I stared at the floor and heard the door close behind me
"You can approach…" She said with the sweetest voice, which made my hair stand on end. With trembling steps I approached the table. I noticed with contempt the amount of food. While her servants, or should I say, slaves, had to settle for half rotten leftovers, she was feasting with a clear conscience… "Are you hungry?" I looked at her to see if she was serious…of course I am, I wanted to say with hatred "You can take whatever you like" Her offer seemed sincere, still, I resisted the temptation
"Thank you but…I…I already ate" of course it was a lie very difficult to deliver because my mouth was watering. Again, her face darkened by rejection, but she seemed to take it better this time
"As you like" She said, clearly making an effort to maintain her composure. She stared at my hands and asked "Is something wrong with your hands?"
"Ammm…no, it's nothing…" I lied again; I was not going to show myself weak in front of her, maybe that's what she was hoping for…
"I asked Sylvie to bring you here because I need you to do something for me…" I was puzzled. She got up and walked to the main closet. I watched her closely. She was wearing that black silk gown that I had already seen her wear "I have some clothes that require some arrangements" she went on while picking out some garments. She turned around and walk in my direction "I assumed that, as the high class girl you are, you must be very skillful with the needle…do you think you can do it?" she stopped a mere step away from me
"Yes…of…of course" I stretched out my hands to take the garments…
"That's terrific…I need them by tomorrow"
"Tomorrow?" I repeated in disbelief
"You said you could…right?" She asked defiantly
"I…I…" Yes, I could do it, if it were not because I was extremely tired and my hands…I didn't think it was going to be possible to do sewing work with my hands, or at least not so fast, but I only needed to see her face to accept the challenge "I can do it" I finally said, repenting almost immediately my obstinacy
"Alright…That'll be all" She dismissed me frigidly
"Goodnight my lady" I bowed before retiring. What had I gotten myself into? I thought holding the pile of clothes in my arms. I started walking towards the door. My eyes were itching to cry but they had run out of tears…I stopped short when I heard her voice again
"You know…" I didn't face her "Pride is a quality that I've always admired in people" I turned slowly towards her, without daring to look up "The right amount of it can help anyone to overcome any situation; it can make weak people strong, cowards to be brave at the right moment...a lot of pride in the other hand…" she moved towards me "I consider it to be stupidly reckless…" Those words made me lift my chin to lock my eyes with hers… "Show me your hands…" she said firmly. It was an order but my body did not seem willing to move, as if her gaze kept me tied in my place. She came closer and took away the garments from my hands, throwing them on the floor. I was suddenly very aware of how close she was, I could even smell her honeyed fragance to lavender; the air between us was chilly, as if the cold emanated from her skin. I felt her icy fingers curl around my wrists, forcing me to bring my hands into the space between us, with my palms facing up; she lowered her eyes to look at them, but I remained fixed on her face, unconsciously detailing each feature. Ever so slightly she began to unravel the bandages, leaving my skin painfully exposed to the cold air. A deep crevice appeared between her perfect outlined eyebrows and her jaw tightened prominently. After several seconds, she raised her eyes again; they appeared to denote immense pain
"I'm so sorry…" she whispered heavily with sorrow "I would ask your forgiveness but I am not worthy of it..." her velvety voice distilled pure grief "I know that I will not be able to forgive myself for what I have done to you, not even in a thousand years...I'm just, terribly sorry for my actions and I hope that some day you can forgive me" Is she really apologizing to me? My mind was numb; I could not register that change in the events. Strangely, I felt the need to forgive her, to soothe her tormented eyes, although she was right, she did not deserve my pardon; even so, the words escaped from my lips without permission
"I forgive you...and I'm...I'm sorry too" I said ever so softly, confusing her
"You are sorry too? For what?!" She exclaimed upset, startling me "I was responsible for you…I promised you would be treated with respect and humanity and look what I have done!" She raised my hands to make her point evident "So please, don't try to appease my guilt" She ended up saying with hostility, looking again at my hands "Let me get you something for your hands…" She left me no option to reply since she was already walking away from me… "Take a sit and make yourself comfortable" she said over her shoulder, this time softening her tone and disappeared through the door leading to the library. I took a seat in a nearby armchair, next to the entrance. She came back in less than a minute carrying a small container in her hand and clean bandages. She knelt in front of me…
"This is just an ointment…it should help you to relieve pain and to heal the wounds" She soaked her fingers on it and began carefully to anoint my hands with it. I felt an initial sting that made me hiss "Sorry…I should have warned you that it was going to itch" but her cold fingers seemed to ease the pain afterwards. Diligently, she rubbed every inch of my inflamed skin, making small and delicate circular motions with her thumbs "This will do it for tonight…" she began to rearrange the bandages "In the morning you must repeat the same procedure, if you want to I can help you do it…" she offered
"No...that won't be necessary…" I was overwhelmed by her sudden concern towards me. She looked disappointed with my answer. There was an uncomfortable silence…she remained kneeled at my feet and I did not know what else to say or to do. Unfortunately, and to my great shame, my stomach growled with hunger…although I think it was mostly attributable to the nervousness caused by her proximity. I could feel the heat of shame covering my face with a reddish tone…she smiled lightly, although it did not reach her eyes that seemed smeared in a perennial gloominess
"You already ate uh…?" She repeated my earlier words
"I was about to…" I began to explain
"And I interrupted you…" She adduced
"No!" I denied anxious...under no circumstances I was going to imply that her orders troubled me… "It was not like that I swear"
"Calm down…I'm kidding" She must have noticed my anxiety "So, if you have not dined yet…I'll ask you again" A faint smile lurking on her lips "Would you like to have dinner with me?" My heart was racing. All of a sudden I was too self conscious of my state; I had not taken a bath since day one, my clothes were dirty and ragged…I could not conceive sitting at her luxurious table like that "You can say no if you don't want to…I won't be mad this time, I promise" She took my silence the wrong way
"No, it's not that…" I was embarrassed to explain my real reason
"Then…what is it?" But I could not resist her intense gaze when she asked, so I had to tell her the truth
"I…I don't think I'm…presentable to share the table with you, my lady" I ducked my head to avoid her gaze
"Is that all?" I just nodded. She got up and offered me her hand, to help me get on my feet "Come on…I don't care about that" she smiled sincerely and I found myself out of arguments to deny her gesture, so I accepted her hand. She led me to the table and offered me a chair, to her left…Only then I noticed with suspicion that the table was already set for two…Had she planned everything? Probably yes, but at that moment I did not care; I had no reason to doubt her intentions since her apology had seemed genuine…
"Would you like some wine?" she offered while taking her seat
"Yes, please" I accepted shyly; a little wine would help me to calm down. She poured some wine in my glass, and then, without asking, began to serve me all kinds of food on my plate; a big piece of meat, roast potatoes, small caramelized onions, peas and baby carrots...I did not stop her because with the hunger I had, I would surely have to repeat…I did not start eating until she served herself; when she did she looked at me and raised her glass to toast. I had to grab my cup with both hands, fearing it would slip with the bandages. I took a generous sip of wine, letting it warm my insides. A murmur of delight escaped from my lips inadvertently "Mmmmm"
"Is it good?"
"Yes…It's delicious…" I had never tasted such a delectable wine. She surely had a very refined taste
"I'm glad…you can drink all the wine you want…"
"I don't think that's a good idea" Normally at home, I was only allowed to drink one or two glasses; a lady should not let alcohol to cloud her judgment that's what my mother always used to say…
"Why not?" she was puzzled
"I'm not used to drink so much wine and besides..." I hesitated "I probably have to get up very early…" As always, to work until my back is broken I avoided saying
"Absolutely not!" She refuted "You'll have to get some rest if you want your hands to heal, so don't think about that and enjoy your dinner…" she motivated me to eat, and I did not need to be told twice…I picked the cutlery awkwardly with my bandaged hands; I tried to cut the meat but it was impossible to achieve. She noticed my attempt and took away my plate…
"Let me help you…" she cut the meat with dexterity and returned the plate to me "there you go" I laughed lightly because I felt like a little girl who did not know how to handle the silverware properly. She looked at me mystified…making me feel self conscious under her intense stare
"Thank you" I expressed with great gratitude, for everything she had done for me that night
"Eat!" She insisted again for me to start eating
We began to eat in silence. I really did not know what we could talk about, so I tried to focus on the food, to avoid the fact that she had all her attention on me. Too soon, my plate was empty…
"I hope you left room for dessert" She was smiling at me in a way that stirred something deep inside of me
"I guess I was very hungry" I recognized embarrassed
"You have not been eating properly" Her face was now shadowed with sadness; How ephemeral her smiles seem to be I thought "It won't happen again. Your situation will change, starting now…I'll assign you a decent room, you'll even have a bathtub, and from now on you can eat in the main dining room…I don't know what else to do to make it up for you…" She said full with guilt "Ask me for anything you want…that I owe you" I thought of her words
"I guess you can't give me back my freedom…" I knew it was not going to be possible, but it was worth a try
"No…I'm sorry" she smiled sadly
"There's something…" I began unsure and she nodded attentively to my words "I didn't have the chance to say goodbye to my family as you know…" she frowned, which made me think that she was going to refuse my request, so I hurried to tell her "I just want to let them know that I'm fine…to tell them that I love them…it'll be only one letter" talking about my family caused a lump in my throat that kept me from talking, I could hardly sigh a slight Please at the end
"Alright…" She agreed on it "You can write them all the letters you want...so you can tell them how you are as often as possible…" I could not believe her words…she gave me more than I expected, I had just asked for a farewell letter. I found myself without words to let her know how grateful I was. I got up from the table and walked to her side and dropped on my knees
"Thank you so much" I smiled widely with tears of joy running down my cheeks
"Don't…No…" she turned on her chair and grabbed me by my arms "Do not kneel before me…" she said, while helping me on my feet, and standing up with me. We were standing face to face "Never do that again" She commanded with tenderness "Do you hear me?" she insisted and I only nodded while wiping the tears on my cheeks. We looked into each other's eyes for a moment before "Are you still hungry? There's a lot of food on the table" For some reason I was reluctant for this night to be over, but I was actually very full and tired
"I think I've eaten more than I can hold…" I joked lightly producing in her some disappointment
"If you say so…I guess I'm going to let you get some rest then" Neither of us seemed ready to move "Let me walk you to your room" Room, not cell...
"It is not necessary…" I did not want to bother her
"But I insist…besides, I'll have to show you the way" she ended the conversation and began to walk "Don't forget the ointment for your hands" she took it and opened the door for me. Once in the hall we found Sylvie
"What are you doing here?" Lady Vause asked her cautiously
"I stayed close in case you needed anything My Lady" her tone was very sweet and very different than when she spoke to me…what a witch
"I did not ask such thing…but since you are here, clean the table, would you?" Lady Vause commanded and continued walking. I lock my eyes with Sylvie's, and rejoiced on her sullenness
We walked side by side, surrounded by an awkward silence, only my footsteps could be heard, because hers seemed nonexistent. That night she had shown me a side that I could never imagine existed in her, still, I was intimidated by her proximity, to the point of not knowing what to say. She was the one to speak while we went down the stairs I had polished that morning…
"Don't worry about Sylvie…" Probably she also noticed Sylvie's face of hatred towards me "She will not give you more orders"
"Then…" she had confused me "What are my duties supposed to be from now on?" Sylvie was the housekeeper, the highest rank within the servitude
"I will think about it…for now, you must rest and recover" We did not exchange more words until we reached my new room. She took a lamp that hung from the hall and opened the door for me… "Here you are…I hope you feel comfortable here…"
The place was not very big, but it was a huge improvement from my previous cell. It was generously lit by candles scattered throughout the room. I walked in watching every detail; it had a real bed with a wooden headboard, a dresser with a mirror, a small fireplace and behind a wooden panel room divider, there was even a small bathtub. I was in heaven compared to that horrible cell
"Well…?" she asked after a moment of silence, wanting to know my opinion
"I…I'm out of words…" I sincerely said and she smiled fondly at me
"Would you like to take a bath? I can order someone to bring hot water immediately" Although exhausted, the idea of a bath was very tempting
"I would love to…" A bath was the thing I wanted the most, even more than sleeping…
"Alright then…I'll send someone with the water. There are clean clothes in the drawers, and if you need anything else, talk to Red, she'll know what to do…" she lingered at the door hesitantly "Have a goodnight" she was about to leave but I stopped her
"Wait…" her face was expectant. I walked closer to her, until I could feel the change of temperature in the air and register her scent…I looked openly into her eyes, this time without any fear "Thank you…my lady" I wanted to show her how grateful I was, and that I was still more than willing to fulfill my part of the deal, that I could be loyal and obedient just as we had agreed as long as I was treated humanely…
"Don't say it anymore…let's just start all over again" It was a great idea
"I can definitely do that…" I expressed with a smile and I could see her eyes shine
"Sweet dreams" it was the last thing she uttered before timidly stroking my cheek with her thumb, after which she left, leaving me with a warm sensation spreading all over my body from the cold trail she draw on my face
What had just happened? Am I dreaming? I asked to myself as I reviewed the latest developments. The more I thought about it, the less credible it seemed to me. What had motivated her to change her position so radically? I wanted to decipher her. Nicky's words echoed in my mind…She's not that bad…you just need time to figure her out…At that time I was more than reluctant to do so, but then, after the recent events, It was a promising idea, and I thought that, from then on, that could be a purpose to make my existence in that place more bearable…