Alina

Klara was no lady. She was the house stewardess. Alina realized that just a few moments after she had entered her new home. It was a large stone house with high gated walls and a vast courtyard that could accommodate a small army. It could have even passed as a small castle, Alina mused as she followed Klara, looking around her at the endless gardens that surrounded the grand building, bathed in red hues of a setting sun.

Tall arched windows and vine-covered pillars greeted them on the outside, while an impressive great hall greeted them on the inside. It was not as large or as high as Nordenvania's great hall, but it was generously furnished with long red tapestries hanging from the walls. A few balconies overlooked them from above, but there were no hanging swings or benches like there had been back in the North.

The hall was still quite spectacular for a house, but the one thing that shocked Alina most was the wide set of stairs that stood at the opposite end in full display. Thick red carpeting covered the whole flight of the perfectly aligned steps and fine floral engravings adorned the impressive railings. To give much attention to stairs, furthermore building them right in the middle of a great hall, was something she had never seen before. Back in the north, stairs were crudely built for the use of slaves, always hidden at the back of the keep within the sky tower.

Alina followed Klara silently, still wondering why the stairs were so grand. Perhaps the Lord had a broken wing, or perhaps he was too old to fly...

They went down another flight of stairs that led them to the basement. Alina's heart started to pound as she followed Klara through a dark passage where the faint flames of distant torches barely showed them the way. They stopped before a large wooden door, and as it opened, Alina was greeted by a sudden wave of warmth. The next moment, Klara had grabbed her inside and shut the door behind them.

Thick steam enveloped them and the trickling sound of water surrounded them from every direction. Alina squinted, and through the heavy clouds of vapor, she could finally see the large pool that lay before her, filled to the edge with steamy hot water that promised to wash away the most terrible of pains.

"Wash yourself." Klara ordered abruptly. "And be quick."

Even back in the North, Alina had never experienced such a pleasant bath. They didn't even have such a facility. Her only option had always been a small bathtub in her room filled with heated water, and she had to hurry before the water grew cold. How did they keep all the water in this pool here running hot, Alina wondered in awe as she lay with her head leaning back against the pool edge, indulging in the warmth that soothed her terribly abused body. She closed her eyes and let out a long breath as she started to relax. Whoever the Lord of this house was, he must be very rich, and definitely of nobility.

"Don't slack!" Klara's cold voice brought Alina back to reality. "And wear this once you're done."

The bath had helped Alina overcome some of her earlier dread, but still her mind was not completely functioning, and sometimes she thought she was walking inside a very big dream, that nothing happening to her was real.

Alina frowned at the ridiculous dull olive green dress she was forced to wear, apparently a servant's dress, buttoned up all the way to her neck. The only sense of beauty it held were the small ruffles that adorned the ivory apron wound around her waist.

Alina followed Klara up the stairs and through more passages. Loud giggles and chatter reached her from the end of a corridor as they approached another large door. It was wide open already, and just as Klara stood at its entrance, all the sounds inside had died in an instance, as if a sudden silencing spell had fallen over the place.

Alina stood timidly next to Klara at the entrance to what appeared to be the kitchen, watching the horrified girls inside as they scrambled like chicken and hurried back to their tasks. That was the kind of effect Klara had on them.

"Attention." Klara said and the girls all stood straight at once, facing her with raised heads and downturned eyes.

"Miss Klara!" A blonde plump woman greeted Klara with a smile. She was the only one not wearing a servant's dress and the only one who didn't seem intimidated by Klara. She must be the kitchen head, Alina assumed.

"Abby," Klara nodded in response, "a new girl is joining you as of today. Teach her everything necessary. And if she makes trouble, report her to me at once." Klara instructed before she pushed Alina inside.

Alina stood in the middle of the kitchen after Klara left, unaware what she should do. Whispers started to rise as the girls eyed her curiously.

"Come here sugar," Abby said with a kind smile that made her flushed round cheeks look even bigger. "What's your name?" she asked, but Alina didn't answer. "You must be hungry." She smiled, placing a generous plate of hot stew, fresh out of the cooking pot, unto the kitchen table.

Alina was dead with hunger. She had only eaten dried crumbs for the past few weeks yet she struggled not to run at the food, keeping what little dignity was left of her. She walked slowly to the large kitchen table and sat down gracefully before her plate. She could feel the girls' curious eyes still carefully watching her.

But just as Alina touched the spoon, all thoughts of dignity and grace fled her, and she found herself digging into the plate, devouring the food like a hungry beast. For a few moments, she was in heaven. She had never eaten anything that good before, not even at the most lavish parties back in the North. Or perhaps her famished body gave her that illusion. She only snapped back to reality when she heard rising giggles behind her. She stopped eating at once, realizing what a sight she must be.

"It's fine. We've all been there," one of the girls said as she took a seat next to Alina, placing her own plate unto the table as well. Alina looked up cautiously at the girl. She was probably the same age as Alina, but her short brown curls made her look younger. "We know the slavers are not usually very generous with food." The girl smiled before she started eating as well.

"So where are you from?" another girl asked as she too joined them at the table, flipping her long black hair behind her back. Alina only glanced over her quickly, still giving no answer.

"She doesn't seem to understand what you're saying, Maggie," another girl, a plain blonde said as she took a seat as well.

"She doesn't look like a Vausterian, so I assume she comes from the North," Maggie said with a mischievous glint in her black eyes. "Northmen speak the same tongue as we do, so she definitely understands!"

Of course Alina understood them, but she only continued to eat in silence, ignoring their useless chattering about her origin. She was not going to have a little chit chat over dinner with some slaves. And most importantly she was not going to open the door for endless questions. Where do you come from? How did you come here? Why? And all the questions that she did not want to answer. All the questions that would lead her to one answer. Julian. Tears threatened to rise as she barely thought of his name. She quickly gulped another spoonful, trying to block away anything that would make her break.

"What is your name?" Maggie asked, insisting on making conversation. "I'm Maggie," the girl continued, smirking as she pointed at herself. "At least you can understand that?"

But Alina just continued to eat silently, giving no response. 

"Well, guess I'm just wasting my time! She's probably mute." Maggie shrugged.

"Or deaf!" the plain blonde girl giggled.

"Stop being mean!" The girl with the short brown curls interfered.

"Why Mira! Are you so desperately lonely that you are willing to make friends with a mute Northerner?" Maggie teased, and more laughter filled the place. Alina clenched her fists beneath the table, doing all she could to ignore the insults.

"Girls! Knock it off, will you?" Abby interfered with a reproachful frown as she placed before them a large tray filled with freshly baked cookies. And the girls squealed at once, forgetting all about Alina as they dug into the dessert.

"Careful, they're still hot!" Abby warned, but no one listened as they eagerly snatched away cookie after cookie. Mira took only two, placing one before herself, and the other before Alina.

"Abby makes the best cookies in Vausterland." Mira smiled hesitantly at Alina, and Alina accepted the cookie without a word.

After dinner, she was instructed to follow the girls to the servants quarters, located at the other side of the house. Alina felt her chest tightening as her eyes fell on the many beds that filled the room and she realized with horror that she was going to be packed here with the slaves. And the reality of her being a slave only seemed to get clearer every moment. She tried to control her breathing as Mira showed her to one of the beds.

"This bed is vacant and it's right next to mine!" Mira said excitedly. "So you can easily call over to me, in case you need anything."

Alina only nodded at her in acknowledgement and Mira's gentle green eyes sparkled with joy.

"It's good to know that you understand what I say." Mira smiled widely.

Alina looked around the room. It was a bit pleasant after all. A few tapestries hung from the walls, along with a large cream curtain that covered the glass terrace doors. A slaves' chamber with a terrace! That was definitely a first for Alina as well. The floor was covered in several rugs to keep away the chill of the stone tiles. The mattress was soft, the bed sheets snow white, clean and unpatched, and the brown woolen blankets heavy and warm. Several chests stood against the walls, apparently for the girls to put in their belongings. Slaves with belongings. Alina mused. A wooden night table stood by each bed, accommodating a small lamp and a water pitcher. Very considerate.

Alina was so absorbed in observing the unusual slaves chamber that she did not notice when the girls had huddled eagerly around Maggie who seemed to be saying something very interesting. Even Mira had gone to sit close to them, but not too close like she was part of the group. She definitely wasn't part of the group.

"Girls, listen! It seems that Lord Tristan had come home again last night," Maggie said as she sat regally in her bed, like she was announcing the most important news in the world. "Merina kept talking about it all morning!"

"She's back to that again?" one of the girls said in exasperation.

"Well, I wouldn't take the words of a three year old who had just woken up any seriously." A calm blonde girl, apparently not one of Maggie's flock, said in a steady voice.

"That's right, she was probably just dreaming. Or making up imaginary stories like any three year old would do," Mira interjected, and Maggie sneered at her.

"Oh Mira, use your mind for once! Merina has been talking about seeing Lord Tristan in her room at night for a whole moon now!" Maggie said. "She can't possibly be having the same dream every day. And if it were an imaginary story she would have probably got tired of it and invented a new one."

"It just doesn't make sense that Lord Tristan would come sneaking into his own house every night to see his daughter and then disappear before sunrise," the calm blonde girl said. "If he wants to see her he would just have to come through the front door, in the middle of daylight."

"Come on kitty Kat!" Maggie sighed in exasperation. "We all know Lord Tristan had likely lost his mind, ever since Lady Olivea died. So I would expect anything of him."

Several girls gasped.

"Careful what you say, Maggie!" a girl warned.

Alina sighed as she lay in her bed, turning her back to the girls who still argued about their Lord. She couldn't care less. All she wanted was to rest. She hadn't slept in a bed for several weeks. Her bones ached and she was grateful for the warm bed that welcomed her, even if it wasn't exactly the most comfortable bed to sleep in. At least it was a bed with clean sheets and a warm blanket. Alina closed her eyes and put the pillow over her head to block out the girls' voices.

She woke up at the taste of a passionate kiss. It was dark, but she could still see the gleam in his deep brown eyes.

"Alina..." he whispered, his breath brushing against her lips. She dug her fingers into his brown curls and kissed him deep. The kiss was so real, so warm and wet that she did not realize it was a dream.

"Julian..." She whispered back. He looked very handsome in the dark, more beautiful than she had ever seen him. She traced her fingers along his youthful face. He devoured her with passionate dark eyes. She could feel his warm breath on her lips once more, before their mouths closed in another hungry kiss. Alina wished their kiss would last forever. But nothing she loved ever lasted forever.

Julian suddenly broke the kiss. She felt something warm and wet drip into her hands. Blood. Alina looked up at him in horror, but his eyes stared back at her blankly. His face was pale, his lips blue, his eyes lifeless, and a deep gash that gaped across his throat was spurting blood all over the place.

Alina woke up with a loud scream. Mira was suddenly at her side, and a few moments later Kat approached them calmly with a candle. The other girls whispered and muttered as they were woken from their sleep in the middle of the night, while Mira and Kat calmed Alina down. She cried and trembled, unable to block Julian's dead face out of her mind.

"Julian..." She whimpered helplessly, burying her face into her hands. Mira wrapped an arm around her shoulder and rocked her gently, assuring her that she was not alone.

***********

So, how do you feel about Alina's new home? Do you think her life will get better or worse?

If you like this chapter, don't forget to comment and vote!