THE MAIDEN AND THE BEAST KING

." The Second says, giving us all a pointed stare. "There is to be no chit-chat between slaves, a

e severe. You steal then you lose your hand. Speak out of turn and we wi

, looking for some comfort. They avoid my gaze though, and w

f we hear about you disobeying these rules, your reproductive organs will be removed. Remember, you are

Richard encouraged it, and while I'm not exactly planning on having children anytime soon, I liked having the option. And if we

room. His eye colouring is flickering, a sign that his inner Beast is fighting

g is visible. I quietly put them behind my back and drop

est? I did my best to keep my face steady while the Second was going over the rules, purposely making sure not to express any negative

continue to stay still, not wanting to show any disrespect to the King. Minutes pass and still no noise i

for less than a second before I drop my eyes again, internally screaming at myself for looking at him in the first place. If he

ow that the King's inner Beast is very close to surfacing. I force myself to b

ing with fear, a scent I'm sure

d swiftly exits the room. The Second follows after him, and once again we are

into the castle, steps out from th

rcasm heavy in her voice. "We will

d were just moments ago, and motions for us to

w you all to the servant's quarters, and there you will be assigned your jobs." She say

here is a good distance between us and the Royals, before ins

nally came in with is long forgotten as we group together like a flock of

xt to me with a lar

you do to make him so mad?" He whispers to

on't know," I admit, walking quickly to make sure I don

You need to behave here. This isn't

was careful to keep my face and body still. The only slip up I made was lo

ho snuck a peek at him. I was ju

e a turn, and immediately I can tell that this is the servant's corridor. The paint on the walls is chipping, and there is a musty sc

"The door on the left is where all the men will sleep, on the right is the female

be located inside. There are only 2 per r

n besides the sleep room when not working. It's also where you will eat your meals. There's a paper on the co

wding around each other to see what our jobs are. I can't see over the

ck for you." John

lance up to see him craning his neck to read over every

oticing him purse h

us to know what's ca

t the paper once more. Seeming to want t

quarters again. That's your only chore though. I'm

back at King Richard's, but panic still flares up within me. After the incident with

ts never last long, always doing something to make him angry. Given how you've already anger

comments. How cruel does somebody have to be to

son who spoke. There's a boy standing in the corner of the room, a large piece

around much. Don't listen to anything Gwen says, she's

're in there though." John follo

ating his conce

him a small smile. "T

om. Most others follow, eager to get to bed after such a long day. I sh

oom and wake any others. We head back down the

ay that I'm shocked is an understatement. I'm not sur

fifty bunk beds in here, each one with a small chest of drawers next to it. There are absolute

ut of the drawer next to it and tie it around the bedpost. The drawer and bed are yours. Don't touch anybody else's

I didn't imagine that all the women would sleep in the same open space.

out of the closest drawer to claim it. Being next to the bathroom isn't ideal, and I worry th

o figure out what the sleeping clothing is around here. Back when I had my own room, and even when I shared with others, I would just sleep naked. We didn't have a

't quite tell. Deciding to play it safe, I slip off my pants, leav

eyes are drooping shut. Tomorrow start

Gwen asks, mouth ov

nd giving me shit and making me nervous for today. Constantly saying things like 'bet you you won

e other servants to join in, but

turning and flopping down on the mattress. Lea

earing?" Gwen speaks up again

I answer calmly, not wanti

wing that I wouldn't get away with wearing them here. Deep down I kn

n charge of servant orders and there's no way she would approve it. Given her curr

me as I slip on my sho

!" She suddenly says, throwing her

as a shocked expression on her face, but I can

d to be at the King's chambers in-uh" Gwen looks at her wr

od run

ask, my voice comin

se? I don't know what I ever did to her to cause her to act so coldly toward

you should reall

make myself presentable, but hopefully no Beasts will notice and I can quickly tidy myself up when alone in the King's chambers. I

ilt similarly to King Richard's, then it will be on the top floor. I continue r

diately slow my pace and move closer to the wall, drop

Both are tall and elegantly dressed, adorned with jewels. They look to be a mother an

ou'll definitely need to redec

re to keep my steps even and face blank

mom a playful push, bringing

e even accep

d breaths even. My heart pounds in my ears as I n

hey don't acknowledge my presence and continue dow

, pleased to see one up ahead on my left. I scurry over to it

asily, but by the fifth I'm panting

. I stop behind the door leading to the hallway to take a quick second to collect myself. My

big knots before throwing it in a low pony. I'll take more time to clean up

r is completely silent, not a soul to be seen anywhere. I'd expect the King's chambers to

ple of doors up ahead, all very large and imposing, and regret not asking anybody to show me where to go. It was foolish

y similar to the ones at King Richard's. I carefully walk up to the first one on

roat behind me. Spinning around, I see King Heloix standing at the e

doing?" He ask

or his chambers to clean them, but nothing comes out. In

me, annoyance clear

?" He

r chambers. I'm looking for them." I finally stamm

eyes looking over my whole body

e turning on his heel and walking d

a window with the intention of throwing me out of it. My stomach suddenly lets out an angry growl, angry a

is not exactly doing that. Although I guess at this point it can't get much worse. I've been here for less t

look at him. To say he's an intimidating man would be an understatement. His whole per

into him. I hadn't realised, but I was accidentally following too closely

the right. "I will be inside my office.

uickly slams shut behind him. I wait a couple of seconds, wanti

ing's quarters, come to mine." A

I was so distracted by the King that I hadn't even noticed he was there. He's weari

sly smirk, eyes loo

walk backward. I heard whispers that slaves are often used for

m me. His hand snaps up, faster than I can register, an

tears start to well up but refuse to let them fall, knowing that crying will only cause me

lly says, releasing me. "Come direct

the floor, face

s,

ack to his post along the far wall. I turn to King

oulder against the door, and with one strong push crack it open just wide enough to slip inside. Getti

tely into the living room, and the entire apartment looks to be one large ro

in, but to the right is a grand kitchen space and centre island. I

and I'm honestly shocked by the taste of the decor of this room. Most Beasts prefer a darker, muted

he kitchen, which I assume lea

long to clean. Usually I would be ecstatic about this, but knowing

ght happen, and that the best thing to do is just

d that it wasn't awful. Painful at first, but eventually you just get nu

much tidying up I need to do, so I'll just give the place a good base clean. Dusting all the fur

nto the dryer I feel the blood rush from my head and my vision tunnel. Careful not to make too

utes. The first time I fainted was so dramatic. I tried working through the dizziness and ended up dropping on the kitchen floor in fr

before going to bed. I was so concerned with finding a bed and not bothering anybody else, but it wouldn't have really made a difference to any

its place, but it's manageable. I wait another minute or so before getting up, stumbling slightly as I r

en avoiding going into his office all day, hoping that at some point he would l

esist the urge to push my ear to the door to hear inside, knowing that I'v

is office matches the rest of his place, with large windows and bright-colored furniture. The enti

sign to continue on with what I'm doing. I do my best to

all ladder the next time I come. My mind continues to wander to the task I

anywhere. I chant this to myself in a mantra, desperately

mmediately, but do notice that the King is watching me. I freeze momentarily, bef

ntly, I make my way over to the King and walk around him. I can feel his eyes

it as I finally spot the garbage behind th

room. I reach forward quickly and work on removing the bag from the bin. It co

the door, but he doesn't move or say anything to me. His

escape from the room the

nges adjusted so you can open it easier. I don't want to have to listen to you slam your b

he is no longer looking at me, instead sta

relax. Bringing my fingers up to my temples, I gently mass

took me a couple of minutes to finish. I hesitate as I look at the pile of folded laundry sitting atop the washer, not s

iding to leave them out. If they are still here tomor

at I needed to today. A part of me is upset by this, hoping to have found something that would require me to stay here long

The door to the King's office stares at me, taunting me to go inside, but I decide to try my luck with th

next to the door and use that as leverage to pull harder. Still, no movement.

The King is in the same place, a pen in his hand a

roat. "Sir, I

or to show my respect while I wait for him to finish up what he is doing. Given th

s he pushes his chair back. The second he is on his feet the room feels

his way and stand pressed against the wall, holding the door open for him. H

e opens the front door with ease. The muscles in his arm bulge as h

quickly grab the garbage before he punishes me for being disrespectful. My body is tense

ith another Beast. I was worried that he would be here waiting for m

ly above us. I'm not sure which room is his, but I assume that there will

y way down the hallway, prepa