The Consort

Chapter 1: Announcements

Just as quickly as he arrived, the King turns and leaves the room, his Second following behind. The moment they are out of sight conversations begin to break out amongst the humans.

I spin back around to face the room, noticing that Vera has already left my side and is speaking with John. I swiftly make my way over to them, wiping my sweaty palms on my dress in an attempt to wick away the moisture that had accumulated while in the presence of the King.

"Who do you think will be chosen?" John asks Vera, nervousness apparent in his voice. "I hope it's not me. I've heard awful things about Ziad."

John catches my eye as I approach his left and shifts his body to the right, making room for me to join their conversation. His eyebrows furrow together as he thinks over her question, his bottom lip sliding between his teeth to bite at the dry skin.

"He said that only a small number are going, so odds are we should be fine." I chime in, trying to soothe his worries.

Vera frowns, looking just as stressed as John. She grabs a curl resting on her collarbone, pulling it straight and mindlessly fiddling with the ends.

"What have you heard about them?" She asks John, ignoring my statement.

"That they are cruel. That humans are treated like trash. That their servants are maimed and punished for the smallest of mistakes." John glances at me, "They would probably whip you for wearing such raggedy shoes around."

I frown, glancing down at my feet once more. Would I really be punished for such a small thing? I hear John let out a dry laugh, and can't help but to let some worry seep into my bones. I've never left King Richard's kingdom, and don't have a lot of insight into how the other ones treat their humans.

It's no secret that we aren't exactly loved by the Beasts, but our King treats us well. We are fed two meals a day, and are even allowed one day off a month.

"I've heard that the Royals in Ziad are even worse than the Beasts that came to visit last summer!" John continues.

Vera and I exchange glances, and she lets out a visible shudder. Her fingers continue to pull at her curls, an action she does whenever she is overcome with anxiety.

"We should get back to work," Vera says suddenly, her voice a higher pitch than normal. "I don't want to think about this anymore."

I nod in agreement, wishing the two goodbye, before turning and heading towards the kitchen. It's Tuesday, which means that I need to help with breakfast before rushing to the King's quarters to help tidy up with John.

The kitchen is alive with chatter by the time I arrive. Everybody is making guesses as to who will be chosen, and spilling all the secrets they have heard about the Ziad kingdom. I try to stay out of it, not wanting to get involved. Besides, I still don't think that I will be chosen to go.

My task of cleaning the King's quarters is a pretty important one. It signals that I am a trustworthy servant and, given that I have been doing it for years with no mishaps, proves that I do not pry or speak about any information that I happen to overhear while I am there. Given all the gossip that is being spread today, I would guess that that's a pretty hard trait to come by.

Breakfast goes by fairly quickly. I was not asked to help with serving, and instead was made to stay inside the kitchen and plate the food. This morning's meal was pretty simple, consisting of eggs, bacon, sausage, and toast.

I was told once that this was a dish commonly eaten by humans before the Beasts came. Apparently they adopted a number of our traditions when they took over, particularly the ones surrounding cuisine.