Lela-of-Bast and HottStuffMelv, I just want to let you know how much I needed those two reviews! My stupid mid-terms and projects and homework… anyway, that day was miserable, and then I read your reviews, and I was so happy!!! THANK YOU!

PLEASE KEEP MAKING MY DAY AND REVIEWING MY STORY, PEOPLE! I REALLY APPRICIATE THE COMMENTS!!! (PLUS, REVIEWS GET ME MOTIVATED TO UPDATE SOONER, TOO!)

Also, Elisa sleeps in the barn, and so does John. However, they are NOT sleeping together, but just in the barn. Just an FYI so no one gets the wrong impression, k?

Jonathan offered to help me onto a horse, but I shook my head and vaulted on with ease. Jonathan, looking slightly impressed, got on and we galloped off. I didn't even look back at the mansion. I didn't want to.

We trotted through the crowded streets of Frell, then we galloped across a long and deserted field. Neither of us said a word. I was brooding in my own thoughts, picturing Amelia's downfall with joy.

We went through a gate, and then I saw stables for horses and goats and cows, barns for milking cows, pens for sheep and goats and pigs, coops for chickens, everything! I looked further and saw apple orchards and vineyards, and fields where the cows were kept. So this was how they made their living. (Although they didn't work for it, I had a feeling that Aunt Sarah's husband had bought that before he left or died. That way, his wife and children could get their money from selling the fruits and animals, but still be able to live grandly. How pathetic.)

I would have loved to work here of my own free will, but without Emma and with a curse, an evil… sister? , and a silent escort, it was just as bad as the mansion.

We both slid off, and the horse was taken to the stables.

"Um, follow me, and- well just follow me." Jonathan stuttered. He seemed to have lost his silent, confident air. He took long strides towards another mansion, smaller than Aunt Sarah's back in the middle of Frell, but still enormous.

"This is their summer home. They'll come here in two months. I don't know where you'll be working now, but, um, would you like something to eat? I uh, heard you guys didn't have breakfast."

I hadn't realized how hungry I was. I nodded. He dug into his pocket and pulled out an apple and a roll.

"It isn't much, but, uh, our lunch break is over." He handed them to me. Although I had only been with him for a short while, I could tell this was definitely not the Jonathan from back at the mansion. We sat down against the warm barn and I ate.

After I had quickly finished the apple and the roll, a man ran up to us.

"The Mistress Amelia has come! She wants you and that girl, John! Quickly!"

John leaped to his feet, grabbed my hand and sprinted off towards the gate. He was very agile, but… why would he want to run to Amelia? I certainly didn't want to! With his other hand he held onto his hood. He didn't want anyone to see what was under there, whatever it was.

Amelia was standing impatiently in the entryway.

"I'm here to make you in charge of this girl while I'm not around, Jonathan. Here's the list of the things she will be doing. Don't be nice about it. She needs to learn some discipline, understand?"

"Yes, Madam."

"I'll come back tomorrow with Lou. I want him to see this place. Goodbye, Elisa." Amelia sneered at me. I glared back and said, "Good-bye, Mistress Amelia. Have a good time telling a lie to Lou about this!" Then, from rage that had built up for so long, I swore at her with every word I knew in several different languages, including Kyrrian, so she would understand every word. The outburst only lasted thirty seconds or so, but I felt slightly better saying that all to her face. I am usually not one to swear, but no other words could describe my hatred.

John stifled a burst of laughter and surprise.

Amelia ruffled up and said, "Hush. I don't want you to speak again until I say so, you inconsiderate, rude little thing! Maybe that will teach you to never speak to me like that again."

Oh, that really taught me a lesson! I didn't care. I didn't have Emma here to speak with anyway. Plus, I didn't know what to think of this boy beside me, when all I could see were his gleaming eyes.

When she left, John coughed. "Well, I guess we can start now. You are doing everything I am, except for a few details. At this time of day the horses are herded into the pasture. That's my, well, our job, now. You can pick a horse to ride. Then we'll do the other things. Wow, she gave you a lot of pointless stuff to do!"

I noticed he did not stutter now. I wondered why, but then I snapped to attention when I heard a high-pitched, angry neigh.

Moonlight. I sprinted towards the neigh, and saw a servant being tossed off Moonlight's back. The servant flew over Moonlight's neck, and landed ten feet away. I was glad that Moonlight had never bucked me off. That servant would be sore in the morning! Five other servants came running. They had ropes, whips, and a halter.

I could not say stop, but I ran to the angry Moonlight, and grabbed the reins. He saw me, and immediately stopped and nuzzled me. My "magic" with animals was working.

The servants stared at me.

I smiled, and took the saddle off his back. Then I took off reins. He would listen to me without them. I hopped on his back, twisted my hands into his silky white mane, and we trotted towards the amazed John.

"You have magic. Like me," he said slowly, stilling staring. I looked at him questioningly. Then he straightened and grabbed a cinnamon-colored horse. He hopped on. The horses were all gathered together, fifty of them, I guessed (I began to wonder how he could herd all these horse alone) at the edge of the field. I knew what to do. We did not need a whip to get them started. John yelled at them, and they began to gallop. The only noise I heard was the thunder of the horses' hooves; it was beautiful. I forgot all of my troubles. I was one with Moonlight, with John, and with all the other horses. I wanted everything to be like this forever. I thought to myself, maybe working here won't be so bad. I was wrong… again.

"Now you milk the cows, but only the ones that are on the left side. The others are females and bulls for meat." John said after herding the horses out and a little while later, herding the cows in.

I didn't know how. Of course, I couldn't tell him that, but he showed me, and the cows didn't seem to mind at all and didn't whip their tails in my face or kick the bucket over. There were fifty milking cows, and there were only three other servants milking them. (I found out that it was the apple picking time, so that's why there were so many people here. I also found out that there were only sixteen other servants that worked with the animals, including John and, unfortunately now, me. Aunt Sarah probably didn't feel like using more money than she had to.)

I milked so many cows that my fingers were rubbed raw. After that, I herded the goats in from their pens and milked them, too, then put them in their stalls for the night. I had raw skin, and I felt tired and sore. Then a little after midnight, with candle-lit lanterns in our hands, we herded the horses back in for the night. John said he usually herded them in sooner, but no one had ridden any of them that day. Then I had to clean a few of their stalls, and after that my jobs were done.

I had nowhere to sleep. John said he slept in the hayloft, so I had to sleep there too. The other servants had quarters in the mansion. What a coincidence that I was left to sleep in the hayloft.

But that was only the beginning.

The next day I was waked up a little before dawn to herd the cows back out to the fields. I had barely gotten any sleep, and I ached all over. Then we got the goats back out into their pen. After that, I helped with feeding and getting the eggs from the chickens.

I skipped breakfast (on Amelia's orders that I was only to have lunch and dinner with nothing in between for the rest of my stay… what was she trying to do, starve me?). After no breakfast, I fed the horses and the goats. I had a short break, and then we herded the horses into the pasture. That was the only time when I enjoyed my work (it was too late at night for me to enjoy herding them back).

I ate a quick lunch (a hard boiled egg, a roll, a chicken leg, and an apple from John), then another short break, then back to the routine from the other day. During the short break, Amelia came over to show Lou the villa. Amelia saw me leaning against the barn not doing any work, and I could tell she was furious, but she smiled sweetly in Lou's presence.

"Well, look's like my sister has already found the villa," Lou smiled, and hugged me. I hugged him back, enjoying his company.

"Did you and Emma have a fight? I saw her back at the house without you."

I shook my head. I still could not speak.

"That's all? Just a no?" Lou stared at me. "Speak to me, don't just shake your head."

"Yes, that's rude to merely shake your head. Speak to him, Elisa." Amelia added quickly.

"No, Emma didn't want to come." I lied. I wasn't about to tell the truth when Amelia was glaring at me behind Lou's back. (Besides, I didn't want to tell Lou what was really going on, and that his true love was forcing me to be her slave. I figured that with Amelia being his true love, she could do nothing wrong and he wouldn't believe a word I said.)

"Oh." Lou shrugged. "Well, would you like to take me on a tour?"

I didn't know what to say. Then John spoke up (I had forgotten he was watching us).

"I believe that Elisa was going to help me herd the cows in. She seems to like them almost as much as she likes the horses. So she volunteered to help milk the cows."

Lou laughed. "I'm not surprised. May I help?"

"But Lou, you-"

"It's all right, Amelia. I want to."

I mouthed my thanks to John, then I beckoned to Lou to follow John and I.

With Lou there, I felt almost free. Almost. But then after milking the cows, he had to leave. I hugged him, before he stepped into the carriage.

Amelia hissed in my ear, "I'll deal with you later."

Then she too stepped into the carriage, and they drove off.