His Royal Maid

ppled with muscles, and his voice seemed to carry the fo

peak, youn

isible hand had held her tongue, and frozen the ar

voice just a tad, "what is

She stutte

out what has been going on. He was

he matter?

ions," he replied, still glaring at Susan as if he want

r in," the Commander said.

mander Andrew and an older woman started to divide the prisoners into various groups. From what the captives could gather, many of them

to the tavern. Andrew had looked at her lecherously,

der woman who had been with Andrew, whom he

to the group. "Hold o

iselda?" He ask

rl," she said p

d, furrowing his brows.

moving closer to the group,

augh, a belly deep laugh that

between his laughter, "I'

lda was p

I want that girl,

couldn't understand Griselda's

, Griselda?

omething about how soft the girl's eyes were, h

ds in the palace

he said with the wave of a hand. He held Susan by the arms and yanked from the gr

ld meet Susan's. Susan could see that Griselda was a

" she said to

and together, they walked the

Ceiptu. The kitchen was a buzz of activities and looked like a small kingdom on its own; G

vant girls resided. With a key that hung and jangled from her wa

e," she said, her voice e

ponse. She felt like

ng over to a small window to open it. A slice of the afte

e responded, h

selda waving her hand around. "

by the side, and a bed - more like a fold of clothes - on the floor

said, her voice hardened. "Now is the time

m, while Susan sank to th

some food was sent afterwards. After she'd had her bath and eaten, she lay

r mother dying kept replaying itself every time s

he girls were like her - same age, same clothes; they were all servants in the palace. She couldn't be

en staff was a hive of bees. The clanging of cutlery and the shouts of orders suffused th

tive steps towards other parts of the kitchen. Then, she was drawn by the smell of freshly baked bread in

us