The hushed voices in the dimly lit room wake me, but I don't get up.
"So it's decided then, she'll be going over to live there." I shudder at the words I hear, 'who will be leaving to live where?' I shrug, deciding not to think much about it, and slowly, I drift back to sleep.
...
"Griselda. Zelda, wake up." I rub my eyes and open them to see my brother, Alan's face right before me. He helps me sit up and hands me a cup of water. I gulp down the water and stare at him in confusion.
"What's wrong, Alan?" I ask as a sense of foreboding fills me with his grim look.
"I promise you that this won't be long. You won't spend your life there forever working as a mere maid. I'll do something quick to make our lives more comfortable, I promise you that. Just know that I'm not in support of this act, I never was and will never be. I'll work harder till sunset to earn more, and together we'll run away, yes, we'll run away to a better place wherever you decide and I'll give you the comfortable life you deserve.
You don't deserve this, Zelda..." he trails off, and his words are choked with his tears.
I stare at him now more confused as I cup his face.
"I'm not going anywhere, Alan. Only if you can make me under..." My words are cut off with the slamming of the door, as my father walks in with a mad look.
"Get yourself up and go outside. The Garcias' guard is out there already, so don't keep him waiting. Your bags have been packed, so just get up."
I frown as I look at him and back to Alan. Maybe this is all a dream, and if I go back to sleep and wake up, everything will return to normal.
For Mark, my father, I'm already used to his bad facial expressions and anger always directed towards me, but the question 'why?'' lingers. I'm not dwelling on that now.
"She's not going anywhere!" Alan says as he quickly gets up and stands before me like a shield. My confusion increases as I stare at his back.
"Alan, stay out of this. I thought we'd discussed this over and over again. Having this girl here will leave more mouths to feed and…. " my dad says before being cut off by Alan.
"You've been taking care of her for so many years. What's a few more years then she'll be married or will be able to cater for herself?"
My father gives him a death glare at his retort, grabs my arms, and drags me outside. I struggle to free them, but it proves abortive as he's stronger, and he successfully drags me outside.
There I see my mom silently sniffing, I run to her, grip her shoulder to ask her what was happening.
"Mother?" I ask, looking at her and the bulky figure now beside me.
"My apologies for this." My father says to the man as he furiously grabs my arm and pushes me while roaring incomprehensible curses.
"You haven't gotten it yet, or you chose to be slow?! We've decided that you're an extra burden to us, and we've decided to sell you off to the Royal family. Getting rid of you in the appropriate way and also making quite a fortune from it. That's killing two birds with a stone, isn't that right?" He shakes my limp body while saying.
I pause, my mind reeling with shock at what he just said. So, the discussion I overheard last night was about me? How pathetic! He has never been much of a father figure to me, but he deems himself fit to claim ownership of me, handing me off like some cheap commodity...
"I don't...." My eyes brim with tears as the reality sinks deeper. I can't protest or do much at this point. It's quite useless. I can't escape or set free even if I plead. Once sold in Balcroft, you certainly can't get your freedom back. You're certainly done for.
I stare at my mother first, who quickly averts her gaze, I can tell she's been crying seeing her eyes; how puffy and red they are. I look at my brother, who stares at my father with such intensity as though his eyes could kill, with his knuckles clenched and teeth gritting.
Slowly, I look at my father, and the tears flow freely. Since the age of reasoning, I haven't experienced what fatherly love felt like, I'm aware he doesn't like me but I was oblivious to the fact that the hatred was deep-rooted to the point of selling me off.
I sigh and go towards the carriage. What use is my misery? The guard opens the carriage door and gestures that I go inside.
Still in a trance of not fully understanding the situation at hand, I don't hear the words my brother says to me while giving me a light kiss on my forehead. I hug him and step in the carriage and stare at my family as the carriage starts moving. I keep staring at them, the villagers and passersby that stand at far places watching the scenario. With a bent head, my cheeks are wet again with tears. I should've held him longer. Who knows if we'll ever meet again.
I sniff as I hear a voice in the carriage, which startles me.
"Don't cry for those who don't deserve it."
I had no idea that someone sits in the carriage with me. I thought I was alone with the guard who's out. I slowly lift my head up and meet his gaze, feeling his imposing aura. His eyes are the calmest I've ever seen, light blue eyes that seem to caress without contact. His high cheekbones and square jaw. His hair is combed backed with about four or five strands settling on his forehead. His look screams perfection.
Slowly, I lower my gaze to his royal blue coat, which on the chest has a golden embroidery of a horse with raised fore hooves, 'The Royal family's insignia'. My eyes slowly lift up and linger a little more on his lips before I notice his intense gaze on me with squinted eyes.
I swallow unconsciously and swiftly shift my gaze to the window to watch the passing trees. His gaze, which I can feel, lingers on me a little while before he shifts them to the paper on his laps, asking without looking up.
"Name?"
"Zelda… Griselda Capell." I answer fiddling with my nightdress, which I didn't get any chance to change before my father dragged me out. I clench my knuckles relieving the incident that just happened.
"You shouldn't get yourself hooked on things and people of irrelevance, Griselda." He says calmly with his eyes still glued to the paper. One thing I love right now? 'The way he said my name. It felt just right and natural, like he's calling the name for some time.
"What?" I ask, with my eyes looking up at him swiftly.
He totally ignores me, exhales, and begins, "The Queen's maid was found stealing, and she was executed, leaving the position vacant. Your father approached with the intent of selling you off as the Prince's mistress, a maid, or anything your use might be needed for. The Royal family bought you, and now you're their property and would be working for the queen as her temporary maid."
I clench my fists in anger at the thought that my father sold me off as a prince's mistress or anything they deemed fit. Am I really that worthless to him? Does he hate me that much? My eyes brim with tears as I look out at the window.
"Those feelings will lead you nowhere so perish them. Anger, sadness, revenge, whatever it maybe, perish it." He says without sparing me a glance.
With trembling lips, I keep my eyes on the window, not saying a word. I wanted an outlet where I would cry out my feelings. With muffled cries, I mumble an incomprehensible 'okay'.
The ride stretches out as the sun begins to make an appearance. The wheels move swiftly, avoiding potholes and all. It's been two or three hours, I guess.
I yawn in hunger, close my eyes, and rest my head on the glass window as my hand fumbles with a loose thread on my gown.
He glances up at my yawn and continues scribbling. After a few minutes, he taps on the window, and the carriage comes to a halt. My closed eyes jerk open as I stare at him. He tosses a wrapped bread smeared with butter and an apple to me and places a bag of water on the seat next to me.
"Eat this and stretch your legs a little bit before we continue our journey." He says, opens the carriage door, and steps out.
I drink some water first before gobbling up the food and drink the remaining in a swift manner. It's much better than what I would've had for breakfast at home. The mild taste of the butter still lingers on my lips. It's obvious that the rich do eat well. The butter at home... It definitely didn't taste so well. Or maybe it's the bread?
In about forty minutes, we arrive at a narrow path with trimmed flowers on the sides leading to a large gate. The carriage arrives slowly to the gate, and after a few seconds, the gate is opened to reveal a large, mighty, glorious mansion.
It's not the common type of mansions that the elites live in. This is a different type. In all its glory and splendour, the sun reflects on its creamy white colour, giving an imposing magnificence.
The surroundings are so spacious that one could get lost in it. Different flowers, lawns, and water fountains are arranged neatly. The carriage suddenly comes to a stop a bit farther than the entrance. A guard quickly runs and opens the door, while another stands beside him, both with bowed heads.
The man in the carriage who I didn't get to know his name steps out of the carriage in a stylish and graceful manner. I follow behind sheepishly.
He arrives at the entrance and walks in, but I hesitate, looking at his retreating figure, not sure what to do. He stops in his steps, faces a short stout man, possibly the butler, and says something I can't hear while the butler removes his coat. He finishes up and walks farther away without sparing me a glance.
The butler walks to me and stands for a while.
"Follow me!" He says, already leaving and I do so.