The Dragon King's Bride

Chapter 2 : Nineteen

Zofia's nineteenth birthday was around the corner. On her birthday Zofia would have been faced with two choices, slavery or marriage, or both. She could either marry a man who was rich enough to care for her, or she could go into slavery like most women did. She already knew how to do everything, cooking and cleaning, sewing, ironing, washing. She had learned from hard work over the years, from doing things a mother should have been doing. Zofia didn't have a mother. She left before Faye could speak. Zofia had been sure that it would be her own decision to make in the end. Not something she would be forced in to. She had chosen to sew and embroider, for her father to sell her work. It was a form of slavery, with her doing all the work and her father drinking all the money out. Her nineteenth birthday was less than a week away and she was worried sick of what would come of it. Worried sick because she had thought that her friend, Niklaus, would have asked her to marry him already. Instead, she was snatched by the dragon king, for ten gold pieces. 

Zofia did not know how she would manage living in the castle. She was not a spoiled child. She would make her own bed, fix her own hair, bathe on her own, and she would occasionally do her sister's chores too, just to keep busy. She woke up in a strange bed, her new room being bigger than her father's entire house. She didn't want to get up, clinging to the covers as if they would shield her from reality, from the choices she had been forced in to. She couldn't say no. She had no choice but to marry this man she didn't know, or like. He seemed cruel. Zofia knew that there was no point in sulking, in laying in bed all day. What if he came in to scold her and saw her in the nightgown Juniper had dressed her in? She pulled her arm out of the covers and stared at the bruises, which were in the shape of the king's hand. She didn't want to get up, so she wrapped herself up in the blankets again. Juniper eventually came in with some tea. She threw the curtains open and hummed as she got a dress ready for Zofia. She loomed over the future queen to see if she was awake, then left after giving a satisfied nod. If the maid was happy, perhaps Zofia could find some happiness too. She got ready with what she had. Everything felt expensive and thick, nothing was cheap and thin like she was used to. Perhaps there was a way out, a means to escape. She plotted different ways of getting out, deciding on at least three good ways. The first idea consisted of her simply running out through the front door. She could wait till everyone was looking away then she could make a run for it. The second was to pretend t have drowned in her bathwater and wish that she would just be thrown out with it. She was unimportant enough and would most certainly not expect a proper burial. The last was the most far fetched of all. She could find places to hide, in the large castle, and stay hidden till they forgot about her. She could just hide it out till she was able to make a run for it. Zofia felt her ideas could work, as long as she believed it could. Of course, she didn't believe they would at all. 

"What can I do?" Zofia begged as she stood in the kitchen. Everyone bustled around her, refusing to give her something to keep her hands busy with. She was frustrated and the very last thing she wanted was to sit and do nothing the entire day. 

"Get to know the castle, your grace. It will be your home soon." Juniper told her happily. Zofia balled her fists.

"You are using too much flour." she pointed out to someone. "Try kneading it with butter instead." She tried to get her hands into the bread dough that one of the ladies were busy with, but Juniper grabbed her and steered her out of the kitchen. She closed the door before Zofia could go back inside. 

"Don't be worried, dear. We have it under control." Juniper said from behind the door.  

"If this life fails, there is always the next." Zofia reminded herself in a growl as she smoothed her fresh dress out. Today she wore a light blue piece. She decided to wander the castle after all. It was basically all just grey stone walls, and marble floors. Zofia marveled at the statues and the walls and floors, everything fascinating her. All while she was admittedly looking for hiding spots. She heard the bell chiming once she thought she was lost, but when she followed the sound she found her way to the dining hall. The king was already seated. Zofia's eyes scanned the table for her place, but the only other setting at the table was all the way on the other side. There was just about ten chairs between the two plates. She hesitated as he sighed.