The Serf

Chapter 9

"Where are you going?" Alston asked.

"I'm going to see Riley."

"Why?"

"I want to see how Lila is doing."

"Why?"

"Because I need to."

"Why? Why are you always looking out for the servants?"

"Because I promised I would."

"Who did you promise?"

"Her mother." I lied. I promised Lila. I promised her. I took off and ran out of my room.

I ran down the hall and quickly went down the steps. There was no one in the halls as I ran to Riley's room. If it wasn't bad Lila would be with Riley in the infirmary, but if it was bad Riley would have went to Lila's room. I'm praying that they are in the infirmary. I turned the corner and came to a stop. Brenner was walking my way. No. No. No. I looked around for a way to go that he wouldn't see me. Instead I just ducked behind a curtain of the large window. It wasn't long enough to cover my feet so I stood on my tip-toes and pressed my body against the window. I could see Brenner dark silhouette slowly pass the window. Just as soon as I thought it was safe for me to go down the hallway he turns back and comes to the window. I slid to the opposite side of the window. He tugged the curtain away from the window. He just looked at it. He didn't even seem to notice that I was pressed against the wall next to the window. He was just staring out the window. He was holding something in his hand. It looked like a letter. It had a seal on the top and bottom of it. I wonder who sent him a letter. It was probably from his parents back on their manor. But there was one thing that I didn't understand. If he had gotten a letter from his parents why would he have tear stains on his cheeks and shirt. The glow of the moon that reflected of his skin made it impossible not to notice that he had been crying. He slammed his fists on the wall next to the window. His head sank down and he pushed himself away from the window and headed back down the hall.

I watched as he walked away. He turned the corner into the hallway that led to the door to the stables. I turned back to the way I was headed and began to run to Riley's room. I kept hoping that they were there instead of in Lila's room. I came to the end of the hall where the infirmary was. I opened the door quickly and walked inside. No one. This is bad. If a servant is ever hurt then they have to come here. I can only remember one time when Riley had to go to a servant's room to help them. Oh no. Oh please no. Let it be anything but that. I turned and ran for the servants quarters. I finally made it to where the servants stayed and I found Lucy sitting on a barrel with a pen and paper in her hand. She looked up at me a bit startled.

"Oh. Hello, Ellie." She gathered up all her stuff quickly and stood up.

"No. Don't stop. I actually was looking for Riley. Alston and Hiram said she was with Lila. Is it true?" She nodded her head.

"Yes. Riley is with her. Lila... she, well... I will just take you to her. Follow me." Lucy set her things back down on the barrel. She motioned for me to come next to her. "There is something you should know before you see Lila."

"What is it?"

"This isn't the first time it has happened here. There have been incidents of it before. All the servants know about it. It spreads around fast. Whenever it happens it has to be reported to me, but your mother and especially your father never find out about it. It's like a completely different world down here that none of you know about." We stopped walking in front of Lila's room.

"Lucy, what has happened?"

"I shouldn't be the one to tell you. You'll know when you open the door."

"Lucy?"

"You'll know." I was scared. I was scared of what I might see.Scared to know what had been happening.

"One thing you should know is that she was asking to talk to you. You and someone named Cy. She wouldn't tell us who he was, just that you would know him. Do you?"

"Do you know this Cy?"

"I do."

"Do you know where he is? I could go get him for her."

"He would not be able to come no matter how much he wanted to the guards would refuse to let him in."

"What? Why?"

"He's a serf."

"You know a serf?" surprise all over her voice.

"Yes, we met at the Easter celebration."

"I see. Well why don't you go in." I nodded and Lucy opened the door.

Lila laid there on her bed trying to hide herself under her thin blanket. Her small tan dress was strewn across the room in a crumpled mess on the ground. Then there was rope around the head posts of the bed. Riley was sitting on a barrel next to Lila trying to calm her down. I walked over to Riley and knelt down. Riley looked over at me with sadness written on her face.

"Try and talk to her. She won't talk to me." She stood up and went to stand next to Lucy by the door. I took Riley's seat.

"Lila, I'm here." She looked up at me. Her eyes were blood shot and her cheeks were red and wet. "What happened?"

"Where's Cy?" Is all she said.

"He's not here. He can't come. He can't come to the castle."

"Why?"

"Everyone believes that he did this to me." I motioned to my arm under my dress. Lila's eyes widened and she shook her head.

"No! No, he wouldn't do that to anyone. Not even to a fly." She was sobbing and shaking her head furiously.

"Calm down. I didn't he did this. I know he didn't do it. But others think that he did." She nodded and began to calm down. "Lila? What happened to you?"

"A... Someone... They... Um... they tied my arms to the bed, and th- they pulled my dress off and climbed on top of me... and they they they..." Cries of terror over came her words and she could no longer talk.

I moved to sit next to her. I set her head on my lap and ran my fingers through her hair. I slowly rubbed her back and tried to calm her down. I looked up to where Lucy and Riley had been standing and they were no longer there. I looked down at Lila. She was shivering under her blanket and had no clothes on underneath. I then got chills down my back and from the freezing cold air that had began to settle on my skin.

"Are you cold?" I asked her. Such a dumb question to ask but I already had so. She nodded and I slowly lifted her head off my lap and on to the bed. I stood up and began to search the room for anything that could give this poor girl some warmth. I opened the small wardrobe where three more dresses hung. I pulled out one and looked above and the shelf. There were two blankets stored up there. There was a thick woolen one and another thin one. I pulled them both down and walked back over to Lila. I wrapped the woolen around her bare body. She squished her body up into a ball. She pulled the covers up to her chin. I sat back down on the barrel next to her bed. I was not going to leave Lila her.

Cy took care of her all her life. Then she is pulled away from him and her mother. With her mother dead Cy is really the only family that she has. Now she can never see him again. I feel like she is now my responsibility. To take over where Cy left off. To keep her safe. I need a way to protect her at all times. I want her to know that I will take care of her. She is my age yet she is much smaller and more vulnerable than me.

I wrapped the thin blanket around my shoulders. I laid my head down on Lila's bed and quickly fell asleep next to her.