Chapter 5
A Reason for Freedom
It was noon the following day after the festival. The door to Adolpha's cabin was closed. Sam and Mike were in the house drinking. The maids worked on cleaning it. Wolf was out patrolling the island. Sam brings up their situation.
He wants to know their plan so they don't get in trouble. Mike felt nervous and paranoid. He drinks to forget. Sam looks at him and also feels anxiety. Some maids walk into the living room to clean.
They see Mike and Sam nervously drinking. They, too, feel afraid of what might happen. The head maid comes in and talks with the girls. The head maid tells them that she will hand Lord Michael. Mike looks at the head maid.
"What do you have in mind."
The head maid told him that she would only help the girls. Mike gets mad, but Sam stops him from saying anything wrong. Mike gets up and heads to the kitchen. Sam follows. Mike goes and gets some water. Sam tries to cool him down. Mike was mad and talked badly about the head maid.
Sam told him to forget what happened and focus on their problem. Mike continued to be angry. He looks outside and sees Wolf walking by the cabin. In anger, Mike talks about how it's Wolf's fault. Sam then has an idea.
He gets Mike to listen. Sam tells Mike that they should blame Wolf for everything that's happened. Mike listens and like the idea. Mike looks at Wolf again and smiles. He tells Sam that they should work on their story. Sam feels some relief.
The maids go over to feed Adolpha. One of the maids takes out the bracelet. She draws Mana and activates it. The cabin door does not react. They look confused. They try it again, but nothing happens. The other maid reaches for the door and opens it.
The door easily opens. Adolpha was cleaning the cabin when she heard the door open. She turns around to see the maids. The maids walk in, confused about the whole situation. Adolpha sets up the table. The maids could now hear and smell the ocean.
Once Adolpha was done with lunch, the maids cleaned up and left. They close the door and go. They walk back to the house and report to the head maid. After hearing about the door, she talks to Sam and Mike.
The head maid talks to Sam and Mike about the broken door. Mike told her that they did not know how to fix it. She then asks about a crystal in the doorway. Sam and Mike didn't know what she was talking about. The head maid was disappointed in them.
The head maid leaves and gathers the girls. She explains about the cabin door being broken. She tells them to make sure the door is closed before leaving. They ask about bringing Adolpha into the house. The head maid thinks about it.
She has them get back to work. Later at dinner, the head maid goes over to the cabin. Adolpha was eating, and maids were waiting. She comes into the cabin and talks with Adolpha. The head maid asks Adolpha about living inside the house.
Adolpha stops eating and gets upset. She gets up and goes over to her bed. The head maid tells her the good things about living in the house. Adolpha does not want to go. The head maid noticed Adolpha shaking from fear. She lets it go and has the maids get her bath ready.
Adolpha takes the bread and hides it. The maids wash and dry her. Another maid comes in and has a new blanket for her. The maids close the door and leave. Adolpha waits for Wolf, who now patrols longer. Adolpha feels safe every time she sees Wolf.
Several days passed, and everything looked normal. The head maid was worried because they were running low on supplies. They had no contact with Lord Michael. Mike and Sam followed Lord Michael's order to stay on the island. They were scared of messing up more.
The following afternoon Sam was walking to his room when he heard a knock at the door. Sam got scared and when to look for Mike. Mike was outside relaxing by a tree. Sam franticly ran out of the house to Mike. The maids saw him and followed to see what happened.
Sam reached Mike, and he told him about the knock at the door. Mike gets up and follows Sam to the front door. The maids look from a hallway. Mike acts bravely and opens the door. There was no one. Mike looks around and notices a letter on the ground.
Mike tells Sam that there is a letter. He looks at it, and it has the seal of Lord Michael. Mike becomes nervous about it. Sam tells him to open it. Mike, unsure about it, take a deep breath and opens the letter. He reads it to all to hear.
"Good day, gentlemen; how has it been. I'm sure you have had an exhausting time suck on the island. You might be almost out if you haven't run out of food. There were some problems here in the capital but rest assured it's dealt with…."
The head maid came down from upstairs. She saw Mike and Sam standing by the front door. She sees the letter Mike has. Mike tells her that it is from Lord Michael. The head maid wants to know what it says. Mike rereads the first part and continues.
"My princess should be safe from what I have learned, but that does not mean that you gentlemen should relax just yet. King John has the nobles under investigation for corruption. It will take more time for me to leave this place…."
Mike becomes upset after reading that. The maids talk about it. Sam was confused until Mike told him. Sam becomes upset about the whole deal. The head maid only listened and told Mike to continue.
"If you haven't heard, we are in an altercation with another nation. King John still does not know with whom…."
Sam didn't know what the word meant, so he asked Mike. Mike was also confused about the word. The head maid told them what it meant. Sam and Mike learned that the kingdom might go to war. The maids also discuss this topic. One maid brings up the church and the incident with Queen Annabeth.
The head maid tells them to be quiet. They stop talking, and Mike gets scared. The head maid tells Mike to continue reading. Mike looks at where he stopped and continues to read the letter.
"Either way, this matter does not mean anything to me. I only care about what is important to me. Things should be normal, so you may start returning to the mainland…."
Everyone in the house gets excited after hearing that. The maids talk about sending letters home to their families. Mike and Sam talk about going to the bars. The head maid seems happy too. Mike clears his throat and continues.
"Continue to do your jobs. Don't draw attention to yourself. I still don't know if someone is checking on my affairs, so be cautious."
Mike stopped reading and told everyone that it was all. Sam wanted to read it, but mike refused to let it go. The head maid looked at Mike, who was nervous. She told the girls they could go to the mainland after finishing work.
The maids get excited and go back to work. Mike went back to his room. Sam follows while the head maid goes to the kitchen. The head maid checked on their job before permitting them.
Two maids were in a hurry after giving Adolpha her lunch; they quickly cleaned up and left the cabin. One of the maids closed the door but did not check to see if it closed properly. They head back to the house. The head maid gives them the okay, and Sam and Mike are called.
Mike was still nervous after he read the letter. Sam notice and asks him about it. Mike tells Sam that everything is okay. Sam did not believe him. Mike caves in and tell Sam about the threat against them.
"Lord Michael said in the letter that he will kill us if the girl is touched. He also said not to write to him and that he will contact us. He ready will kill us after he comes back."
Sam was afraid; he then remembers that they would blame Wolf for what happened. He reminds Mike about the plan. Mike slowly calms down. A knock at the door scared them both. Sam opens the door and sees one of the maids.
She asks them for a ride to the mainland. Mike and Sam become happy and get ready. Mike gets called by the head maid. She gives Mike a list of supplies they need to buy. She also tells him that she will stay and look after Adolpha.
Sam, Mike, and the maids left the house and got to the dock. They boarded the boat and departed. Wolf watched from a distance as they went. The head maid headed to her room and sat on her chair. She relaxed for the day.
In the cabin, Adolpha was drawing on the wall. She was sitting on the floor. Adolpha gets up and knocks a seashell over. The seashell broke when it fell. She gets sad about it. Adolpha goes to pick it up. She hears a creek and looks at the cabin door open slightly.
Adolpha reaches and touches the door. The cabin door opens up. Adolpha sees the cloud-cover sky. Adolpha walks closer to the door. She sticks out her hand. She immediately brought it back it. Adolpha sticks her hand out again and waves it.
Adolpha was scared. She wanted to step outside but couldn't. Adolpha looks at the window. She then sees the pictures she drew. In one of the pictures, she was with her family out under the sun. Adolpha looks out the door again.
Adolpha closes her eyes and steps forward. The breeze of the chill air makes her open her eyes. Adolpha looks back at the cabin entrance. She looked around and realized she was outside. Adolpha became excited she began to run around.
Her laughter reached Wolf, who was making his way to the cabin. The head maid had fallen asleep. Adolpha touched the ground and picked up dirt. She got close to the trees and picked some leaves. Adolpha remembers some childhood memories.
Tears began to fall from her eyes. Adolpha heard a noise, and she turned to it. Wolf was standing there. Adolpha smiles and runs to him. She jumps into his arms. Wolf caught her and placed her down. Adolpha told Wolf about the door being open.
"You need to go back."
Adolpha becomes surprised by what Wolf said. She lets him go and stands back. Wolf stares at her; he shows no emotions. Adolpha becomes emotional. She yells at Wolf that she does not want to go back. Wolf reaches to grab her. Adolpha becomes scared.
Wolf saw that she began to tremble and cry. Wolf remembers some old memories. Wolf was younger, like in his preteens. Lord Michael has him locked in a cell. He laughs at Wolf. Wolf kept hearing Adolpha crying. He steps closer to her.
"If you stay close to me…."
Adolpha looks at Wolf. She has a sad expression. Wolf looks at her and gets embarrassed. Adolpha sobs and asks Wolf to repeat what he said. Wolf looks away and tells her.
"Stay close to me. You can stay out here for a bit, but then you need to head back."
Adolpha gets excited. She jumps on Wolf, who becomes even more embarrassed. Wolf told Adolpha to follow him. Wolf took Adolpha to the dock. Adolpha was excited looking at everything. Wolf stared at her and briefly smiled.
On the mainland, Sam and Mike head to the bar. The maids separated and headed to different places. Some go to the messenger store to have letters delivered. Some maids go to various shops and stands. The festival decorations were still up.
Mike and Sam enter the bar and have a seat. A man sees Mike and calls him out. He tells some people with him about what happened. The people begin to laugh. Mike gets upset and has a seat. Sam told him not to listen to them.
They order some ale and food. They ate and ignored the people. After eating, they head out and walk the streets. They were both a little drunk. Mike checks his pocket and pulls out the supplies list. They go to shops and order what's on the list.
Mike and Sam walk to another shop when Sam notices the stand where the woman worked. Mike didn't want to look at it, so he told Sam to hurry. Some maids met up with them. It was getting late, so they started to head back.
Mike, Sam, and some maids waited for the rest at the docks. Sam heard some fishermen talking about some missing boats. Sam didn't care much about it. Talk about soldiers marching by the town was also talked about.
The last of the maids arrived, and they got on the boat. They departed back to the island. The fishermen and orchard workers waved to them. They knew that they worked for Lord Michael. Everyone in town Knew about Lord Michaels's house on that island. That is why they never question when they see them.
The townsfolk have always seen Sam, Mike, and the maids. When Lord Michael came to town, news spread quickly. They greeted him and the people he was with. Lord Michael told them about some business he had and the people attending.
The town respected Lord Michael. They also respected his privacy, so they never checked on the island. They knew he had maids cleaning it. They did not see Wolf and Adolpha. They didn't know they were on the island. When stores make order deliveries, they leave them on the docks. Mike and Sam usually get them.
Back on the island, Wolf and Adolpha were on the far side of the island. Wolf looks out to the sea and surrounding areas while Adolpha plays in the water. Adolpha was the happiest she's been so far. Wolf notices the time and tells Adolpha that they need to go back.
Adolpha becomes sad but understands. They walk back to the cabin. Adolpha has collected more seashells for her room. She smiles as she looks at them. They get to the cabin, and Adolpha stops. She looks at it and saddens. Memories of herself locked up in rooms resurface. She also remembers coming to the island blindfolded.
Wolf looks at her and tells her to go in. Adolpha is hesitant about going back. Wolf tells her that she needs to go back in. Adolpha looks at him. She tells him that she doesn't want to. Adolpha tells him that she wants to be with him outside. Wolf doesn't want to force her back.
Wolf thinks about what to do. He sees the door open. He tells Adolpha she can come out if the door is not fixed. Adolpha looks at Wolf. She becomes happy hearing that. Wolf explains that it will only be at night when everyone is sleeping.
Adolpha was excited about what Wolf told her. She agrees to it and walks back to the cabin. Adolpha looks at Wolf again and thanks him for letting her experience freedom again. Wolf didn't say anything. The head maid woke up and looked outside.
The door to the cabin was closed, and Wolf was passing by. The front door to the house opened, and the maids walked in. The head maid stepped out of her room and walked to the stairs. The maids saw her and greeted her. The head maid welcomed them back.
Sam and Mike entered and saw the head maid. They greet her and walk to their room. The head maid came downstairs and helped the girls unpack. The maids began to get to work. Some took personal items back to their room.
It was time to take Adolpha her dinner. The maids walk to the cabin. They open the door and walk it. They see Adolpha sleeping on her bed. The maids wake her up. Adolpha slowly gets up and sees them. Adolpha said nothing and went to eat.
After eating, they bathed Adolpha and changed her. They noticed that she was more cheerful than usual. The maids finished and left. They close the door and walk back to the house. They also talk about Adolpha's mood.
It had become late, and everyone was going to bed. Adolpha patiently waited for Wolf. After some time, Wolf walked by the cabin. Adolpha saw him and went to the door. Wolf opened the door and saw Adolpha smiling. He tells her that they will only be out for a short time.
Adolpha agrees, and she steps out. Adolpha gave Wolf the bread she always gives him. Adolpha began to run around and look at things. Wolf followed behind her. They take Wolf's patrol route. She was having fun even if it was the same thing she saw the previous day.
They end by the beach and watch the waves hit the land. Wolf shares the bread and fruit from the trees. Adolpha thanks Wolf again, and they head back to the cabin. Adolpha has flowers and more seashells. Adolpha gets tired and goes to sleep in her room.
The following day Adolpha wakes up to eat her breakfast. Sam and Mike were outside enjoying some coffee. The sound of a horn scared everyone. Adolpha didn't know what it was. The maids run out to see.
Wolf ran to the beach and saw a fleet of ships. Everyone on the island could see a massive ship mast. The head maid came out and saw it. They all go to the beach and see the fleet. Other people from the islands also come to watch.
The head maid notices the flags that were waving. Sam asks Mike if he knows who they were. Mike tells him that the ships belong to the kingdom. The phoenix on the flags. They see the navy soldiers working.
After they pass, the maids go to feed Adolpha. Adolpha, still scared, asked them about the noise. One of the maids told her about the ships. The ships were traveling south. Adolpha asks them if they know why.
The maid told her about what she heard in town. She said that the human kingdom was at war with another nation. Soldiers have already been seen marching south. The other maid told her to stop talking.
The left Adolpha thinking about things happening outside her world. The day becomes like any other day. At night after eating and everyone going to bed, Adolpha waits for Wolf again. Adolpha leaves the cabin and explores.
Adolpha plays guard with Wolf. She laughs and smiles. Adolpha opens up to Wolf about her village. She tells him about her people and culture. Wolf listens to her. The cold air gives Adolpha some chills. Wolf gathers sticks and makes a fire.
Adolpha warms up and falls asleep. Wolf stared at her before picking her up. He takes her back to the cabin and places her on the bed. He then leaves her and heads to his cage. Wolf takes a quick nap.
Adolpha wakes up the following morning and gets upset. She was upset about falling asleep. The days become routine, like when she first started to live there. The only difference was that she sneaks out at night and enjoys freedom. The maids have also noticed that Adolpha talks to them.
Adolpha told them a little about herself, and the maids did the same. Mike and Sam have visited the mainland more frequently. The townsfolk also began to prepare for the new year. The maids told Adolpha about it.
That night Adolpha told Wolf about the things the maids told her. Adolpha was excited about the new year. She then begins to talk about her family. Adolpha looked the happiest talking about them. She then stopped.
"I want to see them again."
Adolpha becomes sad and tears up. Wolf tries to comfort her by telling her that she will meet them again. Adolpha slowly cheers up, and they continue to walk around the island. Adolpha then heads back to her cabin.
The following morning Adolpha waits for the maids. They bring her breakfast, and Adolpha eats. They were talking when suddenly Adolpha felt sick. She gets up and runs to a small closet-looking room. It was a small toilet. She began to vomit. One of the maids ran to the house.
Moments later, the head maid and the other maids walk to the cabin. They wanted to know what was happening. The head maid told everyone to wait outside. She goes into the cabin. She hears Adolpha and goes over to her.
Adolpha sees the head maid. Adolpha was scared and crying. The head maid goes to her and tells her everything will be okay. She talks to Adolpha while the other maids listen in. Once done, she tells two of them to take care of her.
At the docks, Mike and Sam come from an overnight stay on the mainland. They were both happy. They walk back to the house and tell jokes to each other. As they continue walking, they see the head maid standing by the door.
Mike makes a joke, and Sam laughs. The head maid looks at them displease. When they reach her, Mike tells her that he knows that they did wrong. Mike doesn't want to hear her complain. Sam laughs throughout all this.
The head maid gets mad and yells at them for being irresponsible. Sam stops laughing and gets scared. Mike just listens to her yelling. The other maids could hear all of it. The head maid then calms down. Mike, in a disinterested tone, asks her if she is done. The head maid focuses and gets her composure. She looks at Mike with a rugged look. This scares Mike a little. The head maid tells them.
"I have led my tongue about how you have handled your work. I let your selfish antics run on long enough. Today you will listen. This matter cannot be overlooked."
Mike and Sam didn't know what the head maid was saying. She had scared them both. Mike told her he would be serious. Sam follows by agreeing with Mike. The head maid then continued.
"Okay, well, listen. The young girl is pregnant. This whole ordeal has now become a huge problem for us."
Mike and Sam laugh. They think that the head maid is scaring them. Sam looks at the head maid. She was not smiling. Sam gets scared and tells Mike to take it seriously. Mike told Sam not to buy it. Mike looks at the head maid. He then sees the other maids.
The other maids were shaking their heads. Mike began to realize that it was a real problem. Mike clears his throat and asks the head maid about what happened. The head maid told him it must have been the night of the attack.
Sam told Mike that Wolf was there. Mike thought about the whole situation. He asks the head maid if there is a way to remove it. The head maid gets mad but then tells him what he told Adolpha. All the maids had worried expressions.
In the cabin, Adolpha was in thought. She was thinking about what the head maid told her. Adolpha found out she was pregnant. Adolpha was confused as to how it happened. The head maid explained to her how it happened. Adolpha didn't know how to respond.
The head maid also told her how bad it was that she got pregnant. She said Lord Michael would punish them for it. Adolpha became sad and scared. The head maid offers her a solution. She told Adolpha to get rid of it. Adolpha didn't know what to say. The head maid gave her time to think.
In the house, Sam and Mike were panicking about what Adolpha might choose. They wanted the head maid to choose. The head maid gets mad. She tells them to figure out what to do if she keeps it.
The head maid leaves and goes to the backyard. The other maids follow. She calls Wolf. Wolf comes after some time. The head maid stares at him. Wolf said nothing and knees. She tells him about Adolpha. Wolf was surprised by the news.
The head maid began to express her disappointment in Wolf. She told Wolf about the trouble they were going to get into. She said to him that Lord Michael might kill him for it. Wolf just listens and says nothing. After a while, the head maid calms down.
Adolpha was listening to what was happening. She was scared for her and Wolf. Adolpha teared up and thought about what to do. She looks around and notices one of her pictures. It was a drawing of her family. This made Adolpha remember her mother.
"Adolpha, come here. Have a sit."
Adolpha sat on her mother's lap. They were in the village looking at the villagers. Adolpha's mother then sees a newborn and her mother. Adolpha sees her mother smile, and she asks her why. Adolpha's mother told her about her happiness when Ardolph and her were born.
She comes back to her senses when she hears Wolf speak. He told the head maid that he would accept any punishment they had for him. Adolpha cries hearing this. The head maid shakes her head. In pity, the head maid told him it would be better if he escaped.
Wolf said nothing, and the head maid left. Wolf gets up and walks to the cabin. Adolpha goes to the window and sees Wolf. She was crying about what had happened. Wolf stares at her. He thinks about it.
"escape, hmm."