To Bewitch a Devil

”And that said, she won’t be working in the kitchen anymore; she’ll be working in my chambers.”

”You must be joking!” Freya chuckled, her face red with anger. She couldn’t believe her ears.

”Let’s see if I’m joking or not. ” With that, he turned away from her; ”Get some servants to come and sweep this mess you’ve made here. ”

Freya fumed as she stared angrily at her brother, then she turned around and walked out of the room, banging the door after her.

”Where is that little witch!” She cursed, walking to where the maids were gathered. When the girls saw her, they panicked. Whenever she was this angry, someone was in huge trouble.

Beatrice sighted her, and walked to her;

”Who do you ask for, my lady?”

”Where is that girl, what’s her name?” She fumed as she walked toward them. They looked at themselves, wondering who she was talking of.

.....

”Neera?” Beatrice asked; well, that was the only maid that had been on her mind for the past week since the king left. She had scolded her over and over for letting Neera go with the king. Beatrice tried to make her understand that she sent her in case she would get killed by the soul eaters, then they would have her off their backs for good, and that was only when she calmed down.

But seeing her fuming like that after just being with the king, she was sure that something had happened.

Neera, who was carrying a bag on her head, dropped it and walked forward when she heard her name.

Freya turned in her direction when she saw her.

”Come here you bitch!” She puffed as she walked to where she stood, before anyone could tell what was happening; Freya had landed a very dirty slap on Neera’s cheek.

Neera’s face flew to the side, and she heard echoes in her right ear. The maids gasped as they wondered what she had done. Before Neera could lift her head upright, another slap had landed on her other chin.

”My lady!” Beatrice screamed, trying to stop Freya.

”You dirty little thing! How dare you?”

Neera blinked, as tears poured from her eyes. She couldn’t see clearly as the ground beneath seemed like it moved. Her cheeks were hot, too hurt that she knew Freya’s five prints were plastered on both sides of her face.

”I’m sorry; ” without a second thought, she knelt and apologized. She did not know what she did, but it was clear that Freya was mad at her. There was no use wondering; the only thing she could do was plead for mercy.

”Freya gritted her teeth as she glared at her;

She couldn’t kill her. Her brother would not forgive her, and she couldn’t send her out of the Castle either. She should have gotten rid of her when she had the chance; now it was too late.

She was stuck with this thorn, and she didn’t know what to do.

”Beatrice, give her all the bedsheets to wash, and after that, she should clean all the louvers in the castle, without food or water. ”

With that, she turned around and walked away, leaving the servants staring at themselves in bewilderment, wondering what Neera had done to attract the wrath of the King’s sister.

Everywhere was quiet for a second, and then Beatrice walked to Neera.

”Stand up. ” She said, and Neera tried to stand, but her feet wobbled. Beatrice held her hand, helping her stand on her feet. Her face was still bowed, and tears fell from her eyes.

”What did you do?” She asked her, but Neera couldn’t respond. She did not know what she did. But if the king’s sister was this mad at her, then she was sure it was something concerning the king.

Neera bit her lower lip; more tears fell from her eyes.

”You all, go back to work immediately!” Beatrice ordered, and they quickly turned back to what they were doing.

Using her index finger, she tilted Neera’s face upward, and she gasped. Her face was red and swollen with fine fingerprints on both cheeks, which had a faint bruise on them.

Beatrice breathed. Should Freya find out that she tended to her wounds, she would get in trouble, so she decided to ignore it.

”Follow me,” She said and turned around, and Neera followed her. She walked to the laundry room, where heaps of dusty bed sheets were kept. Some maids were carrying basins to get ready to wash them, but Beatrice stopped them.

”You may all leave,” she said to them, and they looked at her in surprise; their eyes turned to Neera, who was standing by her side with a swollen face. She had just come back to the Castle and she was in trouble already?

”Did you not hear me?” Beatrice asked, and they hurriedly left the laundry room. The heaps of bed sheets were too many for one person to wash. Beatrice’s tongue was tied, as she couldn’t bring herself to ask Neera to wash them, but Freya had given the command; she did not have a choice.

”You know what to do. ” She said to Neera, and the girl nodded slightly. Beatrice sighed and then walked out, leaving Neera standing there and staring at the heaps of sheets.

Neera blinked. Just by looking at the bedsheets and duvets that were heaped on the ground, her hands grew weak. Tears blurred her vision, as she thought of what she did to deserve this. Was it her fault? Was it her fault that she looked like a queen she knew nothing of?

What is a crime to be alive?

Neera stood there and cried for a long while. When her eyes began to hurt, she walked forward and started loading the bedsheets into the basins.