Chapter 6

The next day, Elaine woke up as early as she could to begin cleaning. Ignoring the ache that had settled into her very bones, she went on to fetch her cleaning supplies and promptly began to clean the hallways.

The pain in her limbs was even more excruciating this time, but she pushed through, too afraid of the whipping that would be her punishment should she fail. Through sheer determination and will, she managed to clean the hallways just a few minutes after the clock struck midday.

Laying sprawled on the ground, her entire body soaked with sweat, she tried to catch her breath when Madam Margaret came to inspect. Standing up quickly, she bowed her head, waiting with bated breath for Madam Margaret's response.

All she received was a satisfactory nod of her head. "This is fine. Now, it's on to the next task," Madam Margaret's voice rang out. Elaine snapped her head up with surprising speed. Surely, she didn't hear that right.

Another task? But Madam Margaret was already moving, so she followed behind her. Margaret led her out of the castle, down to the maids' quarters, passing by a throng of people who would stop and stare as she walked past.

A few people who had guessed who she was, judging by the collar on her neck, looked at her with disgust and anger, while others seemed surprised by her beauty. Elaine ignored them all, her heart pounding in her chest as she wondered what her next task would be.

They finally stopped in front of ten huge tubs, built to hold thousands of liters of water. "You are to fill each and every one of these tubs to the brim," Madam Margaret began, passing her a decently sized bucket.

"All before the end of today. Failure to do so would attract punishment." Elaine stared at the bucket in her hands, then at the huge tubs, and her hands started to tremble.

She realized Madam Margaret was still speaking, so she forced herself to listen. "The well is down this path. You can't miss it." She said, and Elaine turned to the direction she was pointing.

There was no well in sight, which meant the distance was even longer. Tears filled her eyes before she could stop them, and she grasped the bucket tight. "M-madam Margaret, I can't do this. Please, it's too much work."

"The kings' orders," came the curt reply of Madam Margaret. Without another word, she turned and left, leaving Elaine standing there. Elaine stared at the huge tubs again, then at the path that led to the well.

She didn't know when she began crying. Won't it be better to just drop dead? This is too much! She took a step forward and another, till she arrived at the well. Of course, there was nobody to help her draw water, so she did that herself and trailed back, pouring into one of the tubs.

It barely made a dent. Elaine let out an exasperated breath and continued, ignoring the hunger that was clawing at her system. With the sun high in the sky and the ground hot beneath her feet, Elaine grew exhausted faster. She barely managed to fill two tubs when stars began to fly in her vision, and she stumbled over her own steps. Her throat was parched, and no matter how many times she stopped to drink water, she only grew more thirsty.

Time was also running out, as the sun had dropped significantly, its glaring rays starting to abate. She was coming back from the well, on her way to filling the fourth tub, when the road started to sway in front of her as she grew increasingly lightheaded.

The water balancing precariously on her head, Elaine stumbled over her own footing once more, and this sent her crashing to the ground. The water spilled, the bucket broke, and for a very long time, Elaine just lay on the ground, her body throbbing with pain.

Tears spilled from her eyes once more, but this time out of fear. She had broken the bucket. Would this attract another punishment? Elaine carried herself from the ground, wincing as the bruises she had sustained began to sting, picking up the broken bucket and sobbing.

She also realized she had twisted her ankle too. Things kept getting so much worse. She limped back to the castle, informing Madam Margaret of her dilemma. The older woman looked at her with disdain, staring at the broken bucket and her dirtied dress.

"I didn't mean to..." Elaine managed in a shaky, hoarse voice. "I'm going to be punished for this, aren't I?" Madam Margaret didn't say anything, just handed her another bucket. Elaine went back to her task.

She could only finish filling seven tubs when her muscles started to cramp, her ankle swollen to the point where she could no longer walk. Night had already settled, and people were beginning to retire to their rooms. Elaine gave up on trying to fill the rest and returned to her room as well, silently crying as she thought about her punishment.

She had resigned herself to her fate. There was no escaping this. She even lost her appetite for food. When she was summoned to the king's presence, she had to limp there, her body ready to give out on her.

Of course, when she arrived, Madam Margaret was already there, and so were the brother kings, eminently seated. She immediately lowered her head, dreading the way this meeting would go. Just like before, it was the scarred one who spoke, asking for her performance, and Madam Margaret responded with the truth, telling them she had broken a bucket and had been unable to fill up the tubs assigned to her.

Nothing about her falling and spraining her ankle, with the unimaginable pain she had to endure. Elaine felt their gaze on her, and she whimpered, shrinking into herself. "Give her five strokes of the whip," came the pronouncement.

Elaine flinched, her gaze darting up in panic and desperation. Her heart threatened to burst out of her ribcage as Madam Margaret stepped out of the study. When she returned, it was with a soldier and a three-striped whip.

"No, no... Please," she started to beg, but no one paid her heed.

"On your knees, bare your back," came the staunch order from the soldier.

Elaine's gaze flickered to her malicious audience, but seeing neither held any remorse, she bit back a sob and did as she was told, lowering her head to the ground while the soldier came up to her.

She heard him take a deep breath, the whip slicing through the air before landing on her back with a sharp snap. Elaine was too shocked to scream, her vision turning white and ears ringing. The pain was unimaginable, excruciating.

Another came, with a lot more force. And another. Till the five strokes had been delivered. When it was all over, Elaine could hardly move, her body trembling with pain. Small, pitiful sobs escaped her lips.

She curled into herself, crying. When she heard footsteps approach her, a hand reached for her chin, turning her face up till she was looking straight into a pair of gold eyes.

She blinked the tears in her eyes and realized it was the scarred one in front of her. "Does it hurt?" He asked, his voice low. Elaine sniffed, trying to hold back her tears. His nostrils flared, his gaze darkening.

"That's how it felt for us too. For fifteen years. Nothing but pain and suffering."

"I hate you. I hate the both of you," she muttered with the little energy she could muster. He seemed amused.

"Oh, this is just the beginning. You're expected to work tomorrow. And you better finish with whatever duty is assigned to you." How? She couldn't even walk!

"You better be thankful I'm just making you clean floors and fetch water." The scarred one growled. "If Ryker had his way, you'll be in his bed and the beds of thousands other men, servicing them. Is that what you want?" The words were like a punch to the gut. Her gaze flickered to the one still seated, and she caught the malicious intent in his eyes.

She shuddered as her mind conjured images of her being forcefully taken by these huge men as well as thousands of others. Yes, that was definitely more terrifying than what she was going through now. "No..." She choked out.

He let go of her chin then, stepping back. "So every time you get whipped again, thank me. Because we haven't descended on you yet. You are yet to know the extent of our fury and anger. Now, get out."

Elaine managed to raise herself up, limping out of their study to her tiny room. She collapsed onto the bed, and her tears began anew. She cried herself to sleep, her body still filled with pain, and neither of her injuries treated.

She woke up late the next morning, running a fever. Just great. Her ankle had swollen even more, and her back was worse. She couldn't move. Madam Margaret soon came, dragging her out of bed.

"You're late! Do you want to be punished today again?" But Elaine barely heard her. She sluggishly collected her tools and started to work, but her head began to spin. Her stomach twisted itself into knots, and she doubled over, retching nothing to the ground. The fever in her skin burned brighter, voices grew distant. The dizziness, pain, and nausea were just too much.

She fainted.

.

.

.

Elaine was dragged back to consciousness by the sound of someone's soft voice. When she finally forced her heavy eyelids open, she realized she was back in her small room, the scent of herbs heavy in the air.

Elaine looked around and discovered her swollen ankle had been treated, and so was her back, as the pain coming from that place had dulled. She turned her gaze to the window and saw the position of the sun.

She had yet to do her chores. She had yet to do her chores!!! She jerked up so fast from the bed, wincing at the shard of pain that shot through her body. She had to clean the hallways; she hadn't done her duties yet.She's going to be whipped again!

"Lay down now. You're in no position to do any strenuous work yet," a voice spoke, and she looked up to see an incredibly beautiful woman sitting in the only chair in the room, her arms crossed.

Her heart had begun to race. "I have to finish my duties. The kings will punish me if I don't. I don't want to be whipped!" Elaine hastily said.

"You'll need to be alive and well for that. You're currently weak, undernourished, and not physically equipped to do such work."The woman stated and Elaine opened her mouth to protest. "I order you to stay still," she said in an authoritative voice.

Elaine had no choice but to listen, laying back on the bed. There truly was no strength left in her body, but the fear of being punished filled her with so much anxiety she began to cry.

"I should have just let them kill me that night. By now I would have been joined with my nanny instead of enduring this torment. This is horrible, not at all what I bargained for. Would it truly be a bad idea to have them kill me?" Elaine said to herself.

The lady furrowed her brows. "You're giving up so quickly? You wouldn't even try to survive?"

Elaine sniffed, cleaning off the tears that had trailed down her cheeks. "What's the point? They are still going to kill me anyway? They have no mercy towards me." She said, her voice wobbly.

"To them, I'm just a monster," she continued softly, cleaning away more tears. "But I am not my father. I didn't even know that man. I never met him."

"That much is true. Now that I look at you, you don't even look like him," the lady said. Elaine turned to the woman, confused.

"Why are you helping me? What's your name if I may ask?"

"My name is Xinora. Princess Xinora if I had my kingdom, and I am one of King Ryker's mistresses," she announced with a small smile.

Xinora was a rather pretty name. That reminded her, she didn't even know the king's name yet. "Um, which one is King Ryker?" Elaine asked quietly.

"Oh, Ryker is the angry one. The expressive one," Xinora explained. The words didn't ring a bell. Both of them looked angry to her.

"The one without the scar?"

"Yes, that's Ryker," Xinora said. "King Marlon is the older brother." Eliane guessed as much.

"Wait, you don't know their names?" Xinora asked, sounding surprised. Elaine slowly shook her head.

"I've only heard tales of them from my nanny, and most of that were just fabrications," she explained.

"Oh dear... You're truly naive. How will you survive them? If you think their treatment is harsh now, what happens when Ryker descends on you? And he wants to." Elaine's heart skipped beats as Xinora continued.

"He wants to see you break. Surrender. Give up."

"I don't know... I honestly don't know," Elaine confessed, despondent. "But I'm scared. No one here likes me. I need help." She confessed, her voice breaking. "I don't know how much of this I can take. And this is just the beginning."

They fell into a tense silence afterwards, but Xinora broke it. "Stop worrying and get your needed rest. Food would be brought in later," Xinora informed Elaine.

"Okay..." Elaine trailed off. Food was indeed brought in, and it looked so much better than the ones she used to be served with. Elaine ate, her appetite slightly improved. She hadn't eaten at all yesterday.

Afterwards, she was administered more herbs, and soon she started to feel drowsy. She tried to ward it off, telling herself that there's no guarantee the woman can save her from the wrath of the kings, but she fell asleep instead.