"What!" Evadne asked of her step-mother. She had no idea what she'd done to make the woman hate her so or be so unnecessarily cruel to her.
"You heard me, we don't have a lot of money, and I've had to let a lot of servants go. We need someone to do the work. Now scrub!"
Evadne opened her mouth, then shut it. This wasn't fair, she wasn't a servant! She numbly walked to the kitchen.
"What are you doing here, Darling?" Beth asked.
"Lady Addelin told me to scrub the floor," she said slowly.
The maids all looked shocked.
"But you are the lady of the house!" Katie said.
"No, Lady Addelin is," Evadne replied solemnly. "She has control over us all."
They all cast her sympathetic looks as Beth got her some water in a bucket.
"Here you go, Darling, and use this to scrub," she said, handing her a sponge. "I'm terribly sorry you have to do this, but I think it's best if you just go along with it for now. Mistress would likely have our heads for doing it for you. But if you need help don't hesitate to call any of us."
Evadne nodded and took the bucket and sponge. She went and slowly began to wash the long halls of the manor. It was exhausting and back-breaking work. The hot water scalded her hands and her arms burned from the scrubbing motions.
When she was at last done, and sitting on the floor just resting, Lady Addelin came by.
She gave a thin-lipped smile. "Good. Now get to the yard work," she said connivingly, as she turned on her heel and walked away.
Evadne stared after her. This was ridiculous! She was hardly more than a child, and a noble one at that! She should not have been working like this, she was not a slave. But in the next few years, a slave she was to become.
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People said that Avalon was a magical place. It was times like this that Evadne believed it. She stood in a field of rye that stretched out far before the forest rose like a dark, emerald wall. Wild flowers mingled among the rye, dotting the field with bright yellows and pinks. The sun shone brightly, yet small drops of rain fell to the ground. It was exhilarating.
In the years since her father's death and her conversion to a servant of the Lady Addelin, Evadne had grown up lovely. Her skin was fair, even fairer than Lady Addelin's, and her eyes were a pale, iridescent blue. Her hair was a light blonde, with an almost silver gleam to it.
She took in the sights, of the rain and the sun, and let herself just breathe. She needed this, this time away from chores, away from Lady Addelin. Time to just think. Of her father, of life, of everything.
"Evadne!" she turned her head in the direction of the call. One of the servants, Marcus, was running towards her.
"What is it?" she asked.
He stopped when he reached her, breathing hard. "Evadne, you must leave here, leave Avalon forever."
Evadne frowned. "Why would I do that? This is my home."
Marcus shook his head. "She, Lady Addelin, she wants you dead. She told me to kill you. But I can't do it, Evadne. You must leave."
"She—she wants to kill me?" Evadne stammered. She knew Lady Addelin hated her, but actually killing her...that was something different. "Why?"
"I don't know, she just wants you dead. You must leave Avalon, Evadne, and quickly, before she finds out that I'm not obeying her!"
"But why Avalon? I can leave here, but entirely leave Avalon, Marcus, I can't do that! Where would I go? This is the only place in the world that I know. I would be lost anywhere else."
"She'll find you anywhere in Avalon, Evadne, she's—she's not natural. You need to go—now."
"Marcus, I think you're overreacting. Avalon is my home. My father lived and died here. I willn't leave him and all of my memories here. I'm staying in Avalon."
Marcus shifted his weight from foot to foot. "Evadne, I hate to do this, but I have to," he said. He brought his gun up, and before Evadne could move, he had smashed it on her head. Everything went black.