Chapter 20

"Once upon a time, a man with a gift from God to heal and help people moved into a beautiful small village. The villagers welcomed him at first but when they discovered his ability they turned against him, accusing him of witchcraft and black magic. The man who only wanted to help got tortured then thrown into an empty well to starve to death. Little did the villagers know that the man would come back, to get his revenge, as the well-monster. Every night the well-monster would crawl out of his well, take one of the villagers back down with him and feast on their flesh until the whole village was drained."
"They should never have starved him to death."
"You are right, my dear."
"But grandma, why did they kill him in the first place? Didn't he get the gift from God?"
"Yes. But people always fear what they don't understand. Anyway, I don't want you playing near the well from now on, do you understand?"
"Yes, grandma."
"Good girl. Now go to sleep."
Elle went to her bed that night but she was unable to sleep. All she could think about was the well-monster and she wished for the morning to come soon. When the sun went up Elle was relieved that she had survived the night. She was really afraid of this well-monster.
After eating breakfast Elle went outside to play with her friends. They were playing near the well as usual.
"Grandma said we shouldn't play near the well or the well-monster might take us." She warned her friends.
"There is no well-monster, Elle."
"Grandma wouldn't lie. She told me about him. He eats people, you should be afraid."
"I am not scared." One of her friends Sam shrugged.
"I am not either." Veronica agreed then leaned her head into the well. "Hello! Well-monster are you there? Come and take us! Hello!" Turning around. " See there is no well-monster." She said.
"Still we shouldn't play near the well. Grandma said..."
"If you don't want to play with us just go." Veronica interrupted, then ignoring Elle she continued to play with Sam.
Elle got sad. She wanted to play with her friend but she didn't want to be near the well. Leaving her friends behind she decided to play with her cat instead when she heard the screams of her friends.
The well-monster was the first thing that came to Elle's mind. She had to save her friends so she ran back to the well. Her friends were nowhere to be seen. Had the well-monster already taken them? Elle's heart began to beat wildly inside her chest as she took small steps toward the well. Maybe her friend just fell inside and she needed to save them, or... maybe not.
Elle stopped in her tracks as a hand came out of the well. Clutching the stones, the hand got followed by another one. Elle panicked as she noticed the long black claws that seemed to belong to an animal, but she couldn't move. She just stood there frozen as a head slowly rose from behind the wall of stones. Long black worn-out hair covered the face and thick, jagged scars covered the arms. Slowly the monster lifted his head and Elle saw his eyes. Dark, lifeless black eyes that stared right back at her.
A scream erupted from her throat.
A month had passed since Lucians death, but it was only yesterday when I had accepted that he was gone, gone forever. I didn't know how long I had cried but it was the most painful thing I had gone through, even more painful than Pierre's torture.
I remembered the day he died. I had woken up in my chamber after losing consciousness. Pierre stood next to the bed and stared down at me with an ugly smirk on his face.
"Snow White is finally awake!" he said.
"Where is Lucian?"
"Your husband is dead!"
I shook my head as I sat up. "No, he is not! He will come back...I know he will come back."
"Oh really? Tell me how a dead man will come back? I am curious." He taunted.
Lucian was a demon, he couldn't die.
"You will see for yourself when he comes back!" I spat.
Pierre's ugly smirk turned into an even uglier smile.
"Well then, until he comes back you belong to me, princess." His eyes traveled down to my neck and further down to my b.r.e.a.s.ts.
I grabbed the sheets and covered myself but he yanked them away. I did an attempt to run away but he grasped my ankles and pulled me to him.
"Let go of me! I will never belong to you!" I yelled as he placed himself on top of me while I struggled to free myself.
He was strong, pinning my legs down with his and my hands at the sides of my head.
"I decide who you belong to!" He growled. "But don't worry I won't force myself on you. Taming the wild cat that you are is more fun."
Where was Lucian? Why wasn't he coming to save me?
Pierre removed himself from me then gave me a hard glare. "Fight as much as you want, princess. In the end, you will come begging me to do with you as I please." He said then left me alone in the room.
I collapsed on the bed and started crying. Why was Lucian not coming? He wasn't dead, couldn't be. I was not going to accept that.
I felt a hand on my back, stroking gently. "My Lady, please don't cry." It was Lydia.
"Where is Lucian?"
"My Lady, calm yourself first."
"He is not dead! I know it, Lydia, I know it."
She just nodded and continued stroking my back until I calmed down and fell asleep.
I woke up from someone splashing water on my face. With a gasp, I sat up and wiped the water away with my hands.
"What is..." I looked up and found princess Elsa. She looked angry but right now I was angrier than her. How dare she?
I rose from bed hastily. "What's wrong with you?"
"Stay away from my husband!" She snapped.
"I don't want your ugly husband!" I spat.
Her face turned red with anger. Crossing the distance between us she slapped me across the face.
"He is your King now! How dare you call him ugly? Guards!"
Guards barged into the room. "Yes, Your Highness."
She looked at me and smirked. "Drag this woman out and give her ten lashes."
My eyes widened. What?
"You can't do that!" I said.
She raised an eyebrow. "Yes I can and you will see what I can do!"
She nodded toward the guards. "Don't you dare touch me!" But they ignored my warning and grabbed me by the arms before they began to drag me out of the room. "Let go now!" I yelled and tried to free myself.
"What are you doing?" An angry voice spoke.
Pierre!
I stopped fighting and looked up. He gave the guards a questioning look. "It was an order from Her Highness." One of the guards explained.
"Let go of her!" He ordered looking angry. The guards realized me immediately. "Leave!" He told them and they left.
I looked at Pierre. What was he trying to do?
"See princess..." he said coming closer to me. "If you have me by your side nothing and nobody can harm you."
Oh, right. Nobody could harm me except him. If he thought I would throw myself in his arms in exchange for safety then he was dead wrong.
"I rather take the lashes," I said with clenched fists.
He clenched his jaw and looked like he was about to slap me. He brought his hand up in the air, I didn't flinch but then gestured for the maids to come.
"Take her to the kitchen and give her some work to do. No work no food and if she tries to steal cut the arm of one of her maids." He said with an angry expression.
"Yes, Your Highness."
I followed the maids without fighting but it seemed like they wanted a fight. They would give me a push now and then as we made our way to the kitchen and once we arrived they turned my life into hell.
"This is what we do everyday princess. Your life of luxury is gone, now get to work."
I would wash dishes, do laundry, scrub the floor, deliver things to different places and help in general with cooking food and other chores. For someone who had never done any kind of work before this was worse than a nightmare. On top of that, I didn't get enough sleep or food. Lydia and Ylva would sometimes steal some food for me but I would scold them.
"Don't do that if you want to keep your arms."
I wasn't endure all this so that they would lose their arms at the end anyway. Besides this wasn't forever. Lucian would come and save me from all this misery soon. I just had to endure a little longer.
But a week past and there was no sign of Lucian. They maids gave me more and more work for everyday that past by along with insulting comments. At first I used to get angry but then I realized why they hated me so much. People like me lived a luxurious life while people like them had to work very hard to make a living. I had no right to complain when this was their daily life since they were young.
"Wash these as well." I maid said throwing more clothes at me. "And stop being slow and hurry now!" She ordered.
A few maids giggled as they watched me from a distance.
"Would you mind helping instead of giggling?" I called.
They stopped giggling and one of them came to me. "Of course!" She said then kicked dirt at the clothes that I had washed. Now all of them laughed.
Anger boiled inside of me but I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. When I calmed down I opened my eyes and stood up. This was enough and I would teach her a lesson this time.
"Jessica!" The head maid stood at the entrance her arms crossed over her chest as she looked angrily at Jessica. "Get back to work!" She ordered.
The maid called Jessica pushed past me bumping her shoulder into mine.
"Bye princess."
The word princess suddenly sounded like a disease.
I sat back down and continued to wash the clothes. It was almost sunset and I still had some laundry left. I couldn't take it anymore. Every part of my body ached , my head from the lack of sleep, my stomach because of hunger, my throat because of thirst, and my heart because of Lucian's absence. It felt like forever washing the clothes and my hands stung with pain. Anger, sorrow and confusion filled my chest. What was happening? Why was this happening to me? Tears filled my eyes blurring my vision. I wiped my tears with the back of my arm but the world was still a blurb. My eyelids feel heavy and it became difficult to focus. It was as if I couldn't feel the ground under my feet, as if I was drifting away, pulled into a world of darkness.
"Good morning, sweet wife."
Lucian. My husband. His hair as dark as ever and his smile brighter than the sun. He looked at me with those golden eyes filled with love.
"Where have you been. I have been waiting for you."
"I am always with, wherever you are." He smiled caressing my cheek with the back of his hand.
I leaned into him wrapping my arms around his waist but I grasped thin air. He was gone, just like that.
"Lucian?" I called carefully, fear creeping into my chest.
"Lucian where are you? Lucian? Lucian?!"
"Don't you understand? Lucian is dead. He is dead!"
I shot my eyes open. Pierre was towering over me, gazing down at me with annoyance.
"Lu...cian.." I tried to sit up but my body refused.
Pierre lay his hand on my shoulder and pushed me down gently.
"Don't exhaust yourself, let me take care of you now." He said nicely but that nice smile of
His was disturbing.
He turned to the maids. "What are you waiting for? Bring the best food you can." He ordered, "and bring her some new clothes."
I wanted to laugh. Was he now playing the caring husband? Really? I forced myself up from the bed which made me almost fall but Pierre grabbed my arms to steady me.
Disgusted I pushed him away. "Don't touch me!"
For some reason, he found that amusing. "You really are impossible. I am so going to enjoy the day you beg for my attention." He smirked.
And I am so going to enjoy the day Lucian tears you into pieces. But I didn't say that out loud as I didn't have the energy to fight. The little strength I had left I needed to use to get out of this room and far away from his disturbing presence as possible.
My legs wobbled as I stood up from the bed but I forced myself to walk. I took small steps but Pierre placed himself in front of me.
"You want to go the hard way I see."
Some maids came in with food and began to set the table,
"Take the food back. I think the princess here needs to do some more work to deserve some food. Take her back to the kitchen!" He ordered.
I didn't protest. I would rather work than stay with him.
The maids helped me to the kitchen as I could barely walk steadily but as soon as we reached they gave me a slight push and I lost my balance and fell to the ground. Laughing the left me laying there. I was used to this by now. The maids always came up with ways to torture me.
"My Lady!" I heard Ylva gasp. She hurried to help me up but I pushed her away.
"Don't! I don't need your help. I can stand up on my own."
Ylva looked at me confused and she seemed a little hurt, but it was for the best. If the other maids noticed that Lydia and Ylva were close to me they would make life difficult for them as well.
I forced myself up and looked Ylva in the eyes. "I can take care of myself from now on. Don't ever help me."
Her expression changed from confusion to worry, but she just nodded and left.
"Here!" Someone said from behind me. Turning around I found the head-maid Edith. She handed me a glass of water and a bowl of rice. "Eat then you can start with the dishes." She said then left.
I had a hard time understanding Edith. Sometimes she was nice to me and sometimes not. She would protect me from the other maids yet she would give me loads of work. Really, she was confusing.
The rest of the week I spent working to survive. Luckily I was getting more used to it now and it wasn't as difficult as before, yet it wasn't an easy job. It really made me understand the maids' anger toward me. Most of the time people like me didn't even treat the maids like humans, with feelings. No wonder they hated me so much.
Pierre only made things worse. Sometimes he would visit the servants quarters to see if the hard work had changed my mind and I was ready to fall into his arms, but he would always leave disappointed. Afterwards, he would make me suffer for rejecting him, like sending me to the stall to clean up horseshit or to cut the grass under the hot sun for a whole day or even worse make me wash his mistresses feet.
"Aren't you Prince Lucian's wife?" One of his mistresses asked while I cleaned her feet. I nodded.
"He was one exquisite man. Shame he died."
If she only knew. I would make sure he paid her a visit once he was back.
"How was he in bed?" Her question made me stop in my tracks. I was not used to speaking about intimate things.
"Oh, come on. Don't be shy. We are very open here." Another one of his mistresses spoke. "So tell us. Did he give you multiple orgasms? Is he the passionate type or the e.r.o.t.i.c and sensual type?"
"I bet he is all and more." Another one spoke and then they continued speaking about him. My mind drifted away, to the memories of him, his beautiful face, his loving eyes, his gentle smile, his calming voice, and his soothing touch. A painful longing crept into me and fear. Fear that he would never come back, that I would never see him again or never hold him.
No Hazel, he is coming back. Just endure a little longer and everything will be fine, I encouraged myself.
I was never the type who liked violence but the only thing that kept me going was the thought of Lucian coming back and ripping his brothers head off, after torturing him of course.
"I hear the crown prince wants you as his mistress but you are refusing. Is it more fun to wash his mistresses feet?" She looked at me with genuine curiosity.
I could understand her. Many women fought for that position and here I was refusing, but she couldn't understand me. I wasn't all those women. I was Hazel, Lucian's wife.
"I must tell you how stupid you are. Men use women, they use us for our bodies and you, my dear need to be smart. Use them back, for their power, for their money."
"I am not interested in money or power." I said.
"I can see that. I wonder what kind of man your husband was that you are so loyal to him?"
Why was she so interested in me?
"Magdela, you are giving her too much attention." Even the other mistresses noticed.
"Leave now!" She told them, raising her voice.
Suddenly there was tension in the air and the other mistresses glared at Magdela with distaste while leaving the room. I guessed Magdela was the favorite mistress since the other ones left without protesting.
"So why are you not sad?" She asked when all of them left. "Or at least angry since your husband died?"
"I just think of something that makes me happy and I focus on it."
"And what is that?"
I lift my gaze and looked into her eyes. "I think of when my husband comes back and creates hell on earth for all those who wronged me and him."
It became dead silent for a while then suddenly a guard informed Pierres presence and shortly after he entered.
Magdela pulled her legs away and stood up quickly. "Your highness." She curtsied with a smile.
"You may leave." He told her as he fixed his gaze on me.
Magdela curtsied one more time and left the room. I didn't need to see her face to know that she was disappointed. The guards closed the door behind her and I was left alone with Pierre. Lord, how I hated this man. If he was here to convince me to give up again then he would be disappointed again and I feared what kind of punishment he had in store if I denied him this time.
"So...how is it going? You know...with washing other people's feet." He asked with a shrug.
"It is going very well. I am actually good at it."
Don't anger him more Hazel, I told myself but I couldn't stop myself. Just thinking of him made me sick and angry.
He crossed the distance between us then grabbed my jaw harshly. "I thought I would go easy on you but you know what?" He asked bringing his face close to mine. "You are so stubborn so I changed my mind.Guards!"
Oh god! What was he going to do to me?
The door opened and two guards entered. Pierre let go of my jaw and turned to the guards. "Take her to the dungeon!"
The dungeon! What?!
"Once you change your mind feel free to tell the guards until then enjoy sleeping with rats."
"Is he dead?"
"No. He is alive, but poor soul what happened to him?"
"Did you say he crawled out of the well?"
"Yes."
"That's impossible."
"It's true mother. I saw him, he looked like a monster."
Lucian could hear the voices but he could barely speak or move. He couldn't even open his eyes to see the people talking about him. Crawling out of the well had taken the last amount of strength that he had left.
"He is breathing."
Lucian could feel someone touching him, even trying to lift him up.
"Help me! We should take him home and tend to him."
"We can't just take a stranger home."
"Are you suggesting we leave him here to die?"
It was quiet for a moment. "I didn't think so. Now help me."
As more hand began to grab him the voices slowly became distant before they disappear completely and he fell into the darkness that he was so used to by now.
Light. Light poked his eyes and forced him to open them. He had to blink several times and rub his eyes before he could see clearly.
Lucian looked around. He didn't recognize were he was. He found himself in a little room, surrounded by dark wooden walls. To his left there was a small table and a chair, and just right above a small window from which the sunlight peeked through. In front of him stood an empty bookshelf and to his right there was a door and a old cabinet covered with dust.
The bed he lay in could barely fit him. His feet dangled outside the bed and if he tried to turn, he would probably fall down.
Lucian made and attempt to sit up but to no avail. His muscles gave in and he fell back with a groan. Every part of his body ached and he could hear the unsteady rytm of his own heart. Was he going to die? Because it certainly felt like he would.
Lucian closed his eyes. The pain, the tiredness, the confusion was too much and he didn't have the strength to fight it, so he let the darkness sweep him away once again. After that everything was a blur, he kept falling in and out of consciousness not knowing how many days passed since he came to this place. Sometimes he would hear voices and one day when he woke up he even found a little girl observing him. She had the most innocent eyes he had seen and they widened when she realized he had woken up. Before he could speak to her she had run away.
Another day he could feel someone tending to his wounds. "This man heals very fast." It was a woman speaking. "I mean he had several injuries over his whole body now all of them are almost healed."
"Maybe he is the well-monster." A little girl's voice whispered.
"There is no such thing sweetheart." The woman assured. "It's the dirt that makes him look like this. He could use a bath but he is not waking up."
"Did you examine his head?" It sounded like an older woman.
"Yes. No injuries there. I wonder why he is not waking up."
Lucian tried to listen to the rest of the conversation but his frenemy darkness came to take him and he followed obediently. Next time he woke up he was surrounded by people. Strangers.
"You are awake." A woman to his left said with a smile. "How are you feeling?"
Lucian looked around. A middle aged man, two young girls, a little girl and an old woman stared at him with curiosity.
"How are you feeling?" the woman to his left repeated. He turned his head to look at her. She looked back at him with a frown.
"Maybe he is a foreigner. Maybe he doesn't understand our language."
"I am fine." Lucian replied with a guttural voice.
The woman sighed with a smile. "Thank God. We thought that you were almost dying when you never woke up."
Lucian just looked at the woman.
"We should probably bring you something to eat." The woman said nervously when he didn't reply. Then she nodded toward the others and they left him alone in the room.
Lucian pushed himself up and strangely this time he could sit up without any problem or pain. A strange feeling washed over him, a feeling of energy and power. He felt somehow strong, as if he could do anything he wanted and it scared him a little.
Getting out of bed he looked down at his body. He was covered with dirt and was wearing nothing but a piece of clothes on his lower body. There were no wounds on his body, he had healed completely. The people who tended to him would probably wonder how he could heal so fast and why he didn't have any scars. What would he tell them?
Before he could think of something the woman came back with a tray of food and laid it on the table. "You should eat something then probably take a bath." She said turning to him. "I'll bring you some clothes." She smiled then left.
Lucian slowly made his way to the table then looked at the food. The first word that came to mind was poison. He was poisoned. Pieces if his memory came back. He remembered being poisoned, stabbed, thrown into a well. He remembered the pain, the physical one, the one of being betrayed and the one of...the one of... something else he couldn't remember.
He shook his head. He didn't want to think of all the pain right now. Right now he was hungry so he sat down and began to eat. The whole time he was eating he knew that the little girl was watching him hiding behind the door.
"You can come in if you want." He said without turning back.
He heard her gasp. She was clearly afraid of him.
He turned around slowly and she peeked from behind the door. "How did you know I was here?" She whispered afraid.
He shrugged his shoulders.
"Are you the well-monster?" She spoke the last word lower than the others as if she was afraid to say it.
"No."
"Then why were you inside the well?"
"I fell inside by accident."
Lucian could feel that she was contemplating whether to believe him or not.
"What's your name?" He asked.
"Elle."
"Elle, why don't you come inside."
She hesitated for a while before slowly walking in, but she kept a good distance between them.
"I am Lucian." He said extending his hand. Elle stared at his hand for a while then approached him slowly before placing her little hand in his.
Lucian couldn't help but smile at her. She was a brave one to come near him even though she was very afraid. Lucian knew that she wanted to appear unafraid to him.
"How old are you Elle?"
"Seven." She drew back her hand and stared at him calculatingly with those innocent brown eyes. "Did you see the well-monster when you fell inside?"
Lucian shook his head.
"Then who hurt you?" Elle asked curiously.
Lucian tried to come up with an answer.
"Elle, don't bother him with your questions." The woman from earlier came back with some clothes and put them on the bed. "Why don't you show him where he can take a bath instead."
"Yes mother."
Elle seemed less afraid as she showed him the way. It wasn't far from their home, but the people staring strangely at him, some even disgusted made it seem like forever.
"Here." Elle smiled as they arrived.
Lucian looked around was confused. This place looked nothing like a bathroom. In fact it wasn't a room at all, it was just an outside place with walls.
"You can take water from there." She said pointing at a pumping faucet. "and you will find scr.a.p.ers in that box." She explained then ran away.