History of Fictitious: Volume Two

Chapter 3

I was placed in a room that could easily fit half of my house inside. The bedspread was made of silk and white lace. Everything about the palace was clean and made of white marble.

Although the castle was mostly white, it had all sorts of bright colors. The tapestries and windows were the best part. Every tapestry was of scenery from around the kingdom. Some were even in the same place but in different seasons. The windows on the other hand weren't vivid colors even if it was stained glass. The glass was mostly clear besides the caramel brown used to create an image of a doe, Amishi's symbol along with a white daisy.

Upon my first day at the castle, I rarely saw the king all day long. Soon it was night and dinner was served to me in my room. Some maids then prepared me a night dress and after that, showed me a white day dress for tomorrow. It was the first dress of many that I would be wearing compared to the yellow work dresses I worked in and the stained apron. The other difference would be that the corset would be tied in the back instead of the front. And my corset was always a dark brown color.

Once I was ready for bed, the maid left and blew out all the candles. I crawled up into the huge bed for the night only to be awakened again by the faint glow of a candle coming from where the door was. I sat up to see it was Ronald, and my eyes didn't conceal my concern.

"The king has requested you," he said smoothly.

"At this late hour?" I questioned.

"Indeed, or do you wish to disobey him after all he has given you? A pretty face can only go so far for a miller's daughter."

Afraid that what he spoke of was the truth and not knowing any reason why Ronald would want to hurt me, I slipped out of the bed and put some shoes on. He led the way through the castle that was no longer as white as it had been in the early daylight. I watched Ronald carefully for sudden movements.

Fear encompassed me as my mind spun. I was foolish to think the king would want me as his wife. No, I was to be a mistress. Why else would he ignore me all day and seek my company in the dead of night?

Not being able to see too well in the darkness and not knowing the layout of the castle, I didn't recognize we were approaching the plainer side of the palace. As soon as we reached a very tight set of stairs that weren't as wide as the others, I panicked and rushed to further conclusions.

"What is this? What does this lead to? The king must live in the better areas of the castle, surely."

Ronald looked at me and before I could run far enough, he grabbed my wrist. I screamed but he stuck a wad of cloth in my mouth. Then he forced me down the stairs until he led me to a secluded cell from the others in the dungeon. The cell was large and instead of bars around the room, it was polished stone. Despite being a cage, it was clean and had a mural on the ceiling. In the room were two things, a spinning wheel and a pile of straw. He pushed me inside.

Now that my hands were free, I dug the cloth out of my mouth, saliva lingering on the material. It left an earthy taste behind as if I had swallowed clumps of dirt.

"Turn at least half of the pile into gold by morning and I'll give you a day with the king. If not, then I'll make sure you don't eat that day," Ronald said.

I was shocked, "Is that what you were talking to my father about? How I turn straw into gold? And he said a spinning wheel! Are you insane? My father tells lies about me all the time, even to the king. I can't do this!"

Ronald held up a finger as he went to the door, "I don't believe you, witch. Besides, if you are telling the truth, then you're a waste of my time and therefore the king's time. And if you try telling anyone about this, you will surely pay." He slammed the door shut.