Maeve

ChapterNineteen: Pain

"What happened after that?" The baker paled and started to mumble something weird for a while before finally telling the truth. 

"I asked guards to throw her out of the castle." She whispered and looked at the ground. How could she have known that the thief was the king's mate? She looked like a walking dead and not a queen. She had heard that the king's mate is a human, but she thought it would have been a civilized human and not a cavewoman.

Dominic stood up and walked away from the great hall. Cato stood there puzzled, but didn't let it show on his face, "Take her to the dungeon." He ordered and walked after his king.

***

Maeve had walked around the village for awhile before she found a small shack. It wasn't the warmest place but at least she had a roof on top of her head. She had sat in there for awhile and looked at her toes that were purple. They were so numb that she couldn't even feel them if she pinched them.

Luckily for her, that shack belonged to an old woman who felt so bad seeing her freezing in a pile of straws. She gave her a warm pair of shoes and a blanket and put her infant of a fireplace. She even cooked some food for her.

Maeve was so amazed that a werewolf saved her life, while the others of her kind were stepping on her and calling her by names. Well, of course, this old lady and Cory.

They were the kindest shapeshifters she has met while being in there, and both of them have saved her life in some kind of way. The old woman saved her life by letting her sleep in her house and eat her food while without Cory Maeve would have destroyed herself by thoughts. The human want's to introduce the woman to her best friend and tell her everything that has happened to her. 

She was almost asleep when she remembered her mouse friend. It made her feel anxiety for not knowing what he was doing and was he even alive. He could easily be frozen in some corner, but Maeve wanted to believe that he is fine and sleeping in her bed snoring in the warmth. 

"You okay?" The woman asked. 

"Yes, thank you," Maeve mumbled and smiled. She is okay, she has a warm place to stay and all her toes are on her feet. It could be a lot worse if the woman wouldn't have found her. She felt happy.

It came to her mind that has they even noticed that she is gone? And if they have, would they even care? Maybe in someday, they will find her and take her back to the castle. She knew that if she went to the gates and demanded that they will let her in, she would end up in the river an arrow in her chest. But that is a problem for tomorrow, now it's her time to sleep.

Few days went by and Maeve helped the woman, whose name she later found out was Elinor, in chores and cooking. It was actually very refreshing to do something by yourself and not have everything handed to you by a silver plate. This is what her life used to be and what her life should be. 

Maybe they will never find her and she could live the rest of her life with Elinor. She knew it was impossible because she is a human. The villagers will never accept her, it is a big surprise why Elinor is even helping her. Most of the villagers would probably have kicked her out because she is a human and not a shapeshifter.

"Eve? Can you get some water from the well?" When Elinor asked about her name she answered Eve, that is what her family members sometimes called her. And she didn't know back then if she could trust in Elinor.

"Of course." She smiled and took the bucket in her hands.

In the village, there were two wells. The first one is in the market square, but Maeve didn't want to go there after the whole execution thing. The second one is next to an abandoned house. Elinor told that it had been abandoned for a few years and how there used to live a father and daughter. The well is their private well, but the man let Elinor get her water from there and that is what she has been doing since they talked.