Chapter 4 Four

After her meeting with the Brother Kings, Elaine was dismissed from their presence and shown her quarters. It was a small room at the far end of the floor the Kings occupied, stripped of any decorations. Just a small bed sat in one corner, and a small desk and chair stood on the other side, with a tiny window overlooking the bare courtyard.

Looking at this room, Elaine realized that the tower she grew up in was much bigger in comparison. She understood that her current quarters were strategically located so she could be heard when summoned and for the Kings to have easy access to her.

Now alone in the desolate space, Elaine ambled towards the bed, dropped onto it like a bag of sand, and allowed the floodgates to open. She sobbed, producing heart-wrenching, soul-crushing cries that had her ears ringing and nose running. She cried for the life that was taken from her, the one she was currently living, and how things would turn out in her future.

Her fingers reached to touch the collar on her neck, and she jerked it away as if it burned her, crying again. She was so scared. Those men looked like they wouldn't spare her any cruelty they possibly had. She didn't know what to do. Running was clearly not an option, as every place she looked, there was a soldier.

Food was brought later, and though Elaine thought she had no appetite, the moment the warm and savory soup touched her tongue, she began wolfing it down, already starved. It was definitely more appetizing than the grub they had been feeding her for the past ten days in the dungeons.

Swamped with exhaustion after her meal, she lay on the bed, tossing and turning for hours before finally falling into a listless sleep. She woke up just after dawn to the shouts of men training at a distance below. Blinking her bleary eyes open, she allowed the fog to fade from her eyes and sat up.

Disoriented, she tried to recall what had happened to her, and the memories came rushing back, making her wince. A new day had begun, except now she was no longer a prisoner but a slave. She stood to her feet, heading towards the window and peering out from it. Even with the sun yet to rise high in the sky, people were already going about their duties, working hard.

Elaine swallowed the lump in her throat. What was she supposed to do? Normally, she had to wait until she was summoned by the Kings, but she doubted that her only job would be to attend to them. Her suspicions were confirmed when a knock came on her door, and it burst open before she had a chance to answer.

A middle-aged lady stood before the threshold, her expression colder than ice. Her eyes narrowed as she met Elaine's gaze. "Um, Good morning..." Elaine greeted, not knowing what to say.

"My name is Margaret, but you will call me Madam Margaret. I am the head maid of this castle, and you are my new recruit. Come with me, let me show you your new duties," she stated in a curt tone.

Elaine immediately followed the woman, who led her through some corridors before stopping at a huge archway. Some maids who were standing there promptly came to drop buckets of water, several cleaning rags, brushes, and brooms, and stepped aside. Elaine watched it all, her confusion mounting.

Then Madam Margaret turned to her. "This entire floor belongs to their majesties, starting from this huge archway to their fortified personal chambers at the end of each wing, with a joint one in the middle. Your duty is to clean all hallways every day. By yourself." She stated, and Elaine's jaw dropped.

"B-by myself?" She stammered, glancing at the long hallways. "But that's too much work for one person!" She protested.

Margaret continued as if she never spoke. "The King's orders. Failure to clean all of it before the end of the day will warrant punishment - 10 lashes of a thorned whip. Only when you complete your task will you be allowed to eat. So, if I were you, I would begin immediately. You have the entire day."

Margaret started to leave but stopped and glanced back at her. "And if you do a terrible job, I am obligated to report to the Kings, and that too will attract punishment. Your time starts now." Then she left, her footsteps receding.

Elaine stared at the long hallway in disbelief, tears prickling her eyes. She hastily blinked them back. She refused to cry again; she'd done enough of that already. With a deep, yet shaky breath, she began her work.

Thankfully, she knew how to clean, as her nanny had taught her, and it was her favorite thing to do to pass the time in her tower. However, being the only one doing this made it feel like too much. Hours passed, but Elaine had just finished cleaning one hallway. She still had three left. Her hands ached, her fingernails were worn down from scrubbing the floors, and her stomach wouldn't stop growling.

She wanted to stop and rest, but she knew that wasn't an option. When Madam Margaret returned to inspect her work, she was appalled by the amount she had gotten done. "You're still here?" She said in a scalding tone. "Even a snail is faster than you!"

"I'm working as fast as I can!" Elaine snapped back, irritated.

"Slaves do not talk back. Do you want to be whipped?" Madam Margaret taunted. Elaine hastily shook her head, fear filling her.

"Then work faster," she spat and walked away. Elaine wiped the sweat that had gathered on her brow, blinking back tears, and tried to work faster. But she was already so tired. She remembered her nanny, and the ache in her heart worsened. A tear dropped, and then another, until she was silently crying.

She missed her nanny so much. She wished she was here with her. Indeed, it took her the whole day to clean all four hallways, and by the time she was done, Elaine could scarcely walk, let alone speak. She was so exhausted.

Her meal was brought to her quarters, the first and only meal of the day, and she tiredly ate it, wanting nothing more than to go to sleep. Her entire body would ache like the devil's tomorrow, and she was already dreading it. How would she survive like this? She had to wait till the Kings retired for the night before she slept, and that was a struggle. For one, she didn't want to see them at all, and the other, she dreaded what Madam Margaret would tell the Kings. If she was as cruel as Elaine imagined, she could say Elaine did a terrible job and have her whipped anyway.

The Kings returned late at night, and moments later, she was summoned to their study. Filled with adrenaline, she hastily tried to put her appearance together and followed the soldier who came to call her, leading her to the Kings' study. The door was opened, and after taking several shaky breaths, she walked in.

She immediately bowed, greeting them. "You summoned me, your majesties," she said, her voice merely a croak. She heard the flipping of paper and someone scribbling something down, but no answer or acknowledgement came. Too afraid to look up, she kept her gaze on the ground, heart pounding, the tension making her nauseous.

A while later, another knock came on the door, and the door opened. Madam Margaret walked in, greeting the Kings, and they answered her.

"Tell me about her performance today, Margaret," a voice spoke up, and Elaine raised her head then, her eyes widening, goosebumps breaking out on her skin.

She glanced at Margaret, but the latter wasn't looking at her as she began to speak, keeping a respectful stance. Would she talk about her badly to the Kings? These men wouldn't hesitate to punish her.

"She did well in her duties today. But she was very slow. It took her the whole day for her to just clean the four hallways," Margaret announced, and Elaine forgot how to breathe. Her body shook, sweat pouring out of her body even though the room was cool. Both men glanced at her, an indecipherable expression on their faces. It was the scarred one who spoke.

"The next time, reduce her time to just half a day to complete all tasks. If she fails, give her ten strokes of the whip."

"Yes, your majesty," Madam Margaret answered, bowing. He nodded.

"You're dismissed."

Madam Margaret turned and left, but Elaine still stood, unsure if the command applied to her as well.

The scarred one continued to scribble something on the parchment, while the other arranged documents on the table, barely paying any heed to the surroundings. Then, the scribbling stopped.

The scarred one peeked at her through his lashes. "What are you still doing here? Get out."

Elaine scurried away.