The castle was more grand than anything I had previously expected, anything I could’ve dreamed up with my wild imagination. It was far beyond any manor house I had seen and it was so much more elegant than the shack my owners called a home. For a brief moment I couldn't fathom going back to sleeping in the barn, nestled in straw. Even just seeing the palace was enough of a taste to drive me mad with envy. It seemed impossible that such glamour could exist in the same world as my poverty.
But here it was, with no expense spared. It had glorious gardens with flowers of every colour and variety and fruit bearing trees I had never even heard of which delighted me. It was a sensory overload almost immediately and I quickly became dizzy when my eyes darted from the gorgeous stables filled with gleaming horses, to the the glittering statues that dotted the perfectly green lawns, and all of the other girls who arrived just as I had, crowding the space.
But as the initial wonder wore away I took a better look at the other young women my heart plummeted. Ladies held out their gloved hands with dainty importance as men and servant rushed to help them off their horses and their large gowns glittered with all the gems that had been sewn on and opulence. Even their horses were prettier than my masters’. They had mares and geldings of the finest breeding with well-formed bones, and fantastically fit bodies while the plow horse beneath me was nearly napping after the long strenuous journey. I almost felt defensive of the poor beast and my flimsy dress.
And even if the king did not care about having a financially independent, socially stable wife there were women here that were far more breathtaking than I. Some women had corsets that made their breasts nearly touch their chin and their waist appear tiny. Others wore plain dresses like mine, but had lovely hair that flowed down past their shoulders, gorgeously full lips, or bright, sparkling eyes. Optimism and warmth just rolled off of their beings, making the approachable and sweet. Just looking at all these women made me feel terribly insecure and I could already imagine the awful things that the king and his men were going to say about me.
"Get down girl, what on Earth are you waiting for?!" my owner snarled.
His words startled me out of my unpleasant thoughts and I shook my head, effectively scattering my thoughts then tried to slide off my horse with the grace of the ladies I had watched earlier. It certainly didn't work and I was fortunate that my master was there to catch me; otherwise I would've fallen directly on my face. Though that might’ve been better than having the vile man touch me. My master just grunted and thrusted me away from him.
"With any luck this god awful event will be over before the sun goes down so we can ride home. If not, I'll have to leave the beast in the stable so you can return home by yourself when you get disqualified." He muttered, "I'll leave word with the guards that you are not to go near this horse until you are sent home and you best come straight back, men know that women will be travelling alone. I can assure you that you'd much rather have the life you live now then a life they would offer you." He warned.
When my face became clouded with fear he just howled in laughter before leading both our horses over to the stable.
After we passed the horses to the stable hand we had to wait nearly an hour just to get into the palace. I stood in line with hundreds of other girls and their servants or masters and we all slowly shuffled up the grand stairs to the entrance of the palace. I had still not been able to get over just how astounding the whole building was. Huge stone pillars, tall spires, daunting statues. It was like nothing I had ever seen before in my life and I tried to take it all in and engrave it into my memory. I had a very strong sense that I would only see this palace again in my dreams. And what a wonderful dream it would be.
The idea broke my heart at first. How could such a lovely thing be kept away from me? How come all of this belonged to one person? Not only was I barely able to live from one day to the next I saw many other alongside me that must’ve been in the same position.
But then I reminded myself of the consequences of becoming a queen. Never mind the social standing with all of the societal pressure, or all of the women who would envy me so deeply they would try to kill me, or even the men who hated my ideas and wanted me hung. I would have to be married to a werewolf. My husband would be more beast than man with awful desires that I could never fulfill. He would be violent and animalistic in ways that even the worst man could not be. Now, from the whispers around me I had deemed the rumor that his previous wife had left him to be true. How awful this man must've been to make a woman of grace run away into the night with all kind of fearful creatures and humans lurking about? He must've been a horrendous man if his previous wife had decided that facing bears, cougars, and thieves alone while being exiled from society was better than sharing a bed. I shuddered at the thought just as we finally made our way into the palace.
I was breathless for a moment. Just stricken by all of the beauty that surrounded me. Everywhere I looked there was a mirror, or a grand clock, or a stunning painting. I could not turn my head without spotting something of luxury and tremendous value. And every one of those things was worth more than my master could ever bargain for my life. It was impossible to fathom and so crippling all at once.
But before I could fully take it in and appreciate all of the art and technology a large man placed a gruff hand on my elbow and dragged me towards a door. I looked around, immediately feeling panicked but saw other men doing the same, even to women of finer birth. I was oddly comforted by the fact that my master took quick steps to keep up with me, even though he was already out of breath. He might've not cared about me personally, but he certainly did care about my value which would drop should any harm come to me.
I was strung along into a small room that was hardly decorated which surprised me, the whole palace seemed grand, why skimp out on this particular room? But I said nothing and neither did my master. We both just stood very still while the large man shut the door behind us and turned to face me.
"Is she a virgin?" The large man demanded, looking at my owner.
"Of course." He answered.
"Very well, remove your undergarments." The man ordered, now turning to me.
"You're absurd!" I shouted.
"Do it." My master hissed out from beside me. His face immediately became reddened with embarrassment. "My apologizes, she is a young slave and knows nothing but her life on the farm." He murmured, before glaring darkly at me.
I knew there was a good chance I would be punished later for my outburst, and his punishments could be quite brutal so I decided to not make it any worse for myself. Even I was not brave enough to instigate a lashing with the whip across my back. I silently grasped my undergarments through my skirt and wiggled them down my thighs. It probably looked ridiculous but I was doing my best to save my dignity at this point. Finally, my body was bare underneath my dress and I kicked the clothing off of my shoes.
"Very good." The large man approved.
He stalked forward with purpose clear in his eyes. I was about to take a step back in fright, but my master held my arm tightly, preventing me from moving and warning me without saying a word. I was to behave and keep my untethered mouth shut. An instant later my dress was hoisted, revealing all of my bare flesh and before I could protest my master placed his fat hand over my lips.
A soft scrapping sound drifted upwards from the floor and my eyes darted down to a small piece of glass that was being pushed underneath my exposed body. And on the smooth surface I could clearly see the reflection of my most intimate region. Then the man withdrew the mirror.
I could do nothing. I stood there, horrified over the event that had just taken place. I was panting and I didn't know if I should start attacking the large man for doing such a vile thing to my body or go after my master for letting him do it. But in the end I did neither. I just stood there in shock with my mouth open and my chest heaving with heavy panting.
"Her hymen is still intact, you may proceed to the ballroom, there the king will have his first selection." The man explained.
He moved towards the door and opened it without a word of apology and my master guided me out of the room just as silently.
All the pleasant feelings that I had originally had about this place vanished and I deeply wished that I had never left the barn this morning.