The Real Cinderella, S. G. Ricketts [children's ebooks online txt] 📗

her, dammit!” I writhed, trying to get out of the woman’s reach. It felt like my skin was being shredded. He stood dumbly at the bed then, blurry through tears. I had no idea how he’d gotten there but I didn’t care. Her grip was tight on my arms, the pain momentarily stopped. “Liam, hold her

!”
I jerked forward, eyes shut, and someone else grabbed my arms, forcing me belly-down onto the bed. The feathers stabbed through the mattress and into my skin. My shoulders ached from his grip. I twisted harder. The pulling had started again. Were they skinning me alive? A weight settled on my legs and I shrieked. “Stop! Stop moving,” he hissed.
The woman snarled a curse. I screamed, the cloth muffling me. My shoulder was on fire. “Shaddup, man, an’ jus’ hold her. She’s not listenin’ now.” Hot water seared my back. It burned! Oh by the Three, it burned. I sobbed, slobber running down my chin. He kept my arms pinned and my legs still. I couldn’t escape their torture. “Careful now...” I could hear it, hear my skin ripping from my back. “By the Queen...This must be days old...” And then it was done. Sobbing, I collapsed on the bed, shoulders and back spasming. Someone pulled the cloth out and I dry-heaved. They dabbed at my mouth, gentle. “I need to get her clean, Liam. Ye’ve seen the state she’s in.”
“Aye.”
Sobs still wracked my body, the pain rolling through every inch of me. “If ye expect to have a slave tomorrow, ye best be helpin’ me with her.”
The weight shifted off me. “Do I have a choice?” He sounded tired. “What do you need?”
The woman snorted. “Get the basin and a clean shift from the line. Poor thing’ll be swimming in it, but she’ll be dry.” I tried to breathe through the sobs. “And grab ye one of old Robert’s shirt and pants, will ye? No use gettin’ yer finery covered with any more muck.” He walked out.
The room grew still. Gradually my sobs shifted to gasps. I opened swollen eyes and saw the outline of a person kneeling by the bed. Firelight flickered behind her as she watched me. I was exhausted. After a moment, she stood and my eyes drifted away from her to focus on my sprawled arm. My mind was slightly clearer from the pain and I licked cracked lips. I could see each bead of sweat clinging to the hairs. I blinked. Was it possible to feel every single part of my body all at once? She appeared before me again, this time with a cup. “Drink it, girl.” I obeyed, grateful for the liquid, even while gagging at the taste. Now sleep, little Kat.

The warmth spread throughout, dulling my senses, and I wasn’t sure if the woman or my mind had spoken. Sighing, I drifted off into the darkness.

I woke screaming. Thousands of burning feet clawed their way up my back. Liquid splashed my face and I sputtered, gasping for air. “Hand me that cup.” The horrible drink was shoved against my lips and ran down my neck as she forced it on me.
“What did you do to me?” My voice was barely a croak. Tears slid down my cheeks.
Liam’s face came into focus just before my eyes. “Saved your life.” I squinted, already losing focus. Just barely, I heard him mutter, “If it weren’t for those damned royes...”

I winced at the light. “Ungh...” Weakly, I shaded my eyes, startled by how little strength I had.”
“Awake, are we now?”
I raised my hand slightly so I could peer into the darkness. A stout woman stepped into the sunshine, closing the shutters. “Who are you?” I rasped, my throat dry.
She chuckled, pouring water into a cup. I eyed her suspiciously as she handed it to me. “Well go on, then. I’m not going to poison ye now.” Warily, I took a sip. The water slid down my throat, soothingly cool. Quickly, I drained it. She refilled it again and I drank it slower, savoring the slight taste of earth. “Better?”
I nodded. She was plain, mousy brown hair pulled severely back from her face and hidden under a plain coif. She was a big woman, face rosy with sweat and cheeks plump. I handed her my cup and she set it gently on the table, watching me. Green eyes... I sat up, wincing at the tightness in my back. “You’re the witch!”
She chuckled again, bemused. “So you remember, then. Aye, I’m your ‘witch,’ girl.”
Hastily, I pulled the neck of my shift out and stared down at my body. Fresh bandages wrapped tightly around my torso from collarbone to hip. I flipped the sheet down and yanked up the bottom of the shift. Another bandage wrapped awkwardly around my hip. I sat back, in shock. “So it wasn’t a dream. And I didn’t die.”
She pulled the chair closer and tugged the sheet gently up, patting my hand. “Ye’re very much alive, m’dear.” Leaning back, she rested her elbow on the table. One chubby finger ran circles around the rim of the cup. Her eyes sparkled. “Not for lack of trying, mind ye. Ye scared me half a dozen times.”
I smoothed the sheet over my legs, watching the veins move under my hands. “So this is all real.” She stayed silent, letting me process. I pushed a curl behind my ear. A log collapsed in the fire, the only sound other than my rapid breathing. Finally, I cleared my throat, choosing a safer question than the one I wanted to ask. “How...how long was I asleep?”
She sighed. “A week, love. From the looks of ye though, ye ate more unconscious than ye did before. Which reminds me -” Grunting, she heaved herself to her feet and went to the fire. I watched numbly as she slid the lid off a pot, the smell of stew reaching my nose. My stomach gurgled mutinously and I bit my lip. She shot me a knowing glance, ladled a fair portion into a bowl, and set it before me. For a big woman, she moved remarkably gracefully.
We sat in companionable silence as I ate. She had picked up a stocking and was darning it. I watched her needles click together, savoring the mild broth. It was almost as good as Liza’s stews. I pushed the thought away, the idea still raw. I swallowed the last of the meal and set it down on the table. “Thank you.” She mmed, letting the silence stretch. I picked at a loose thread on the sheet, not sure what to say. Finally I could bear it no longer. I swore I saw a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “Liam...um...am I still..am I...”
“His slave?” Her green eyes danced and I nodded nervously. “Aye, girl. Ye be his ‘til he says otherwise. And after all he’s spent to keep ye alive, I doubt he’ll do that anytime soon.”
I blanched. How much had

he spent? And how was I at all worth keeping alive? I remembered his words from the first night and rested against the wall. Payment for the woman’s services had been by far cheaper than what he’d paid for me. Better to treat the dog than shoot him for a broken leg. In light of the situation, I couldn’t blame him for his disgust. I nibbled my lip, thinking.
The chair scraped against the ground, jarring me out of my thoughts. “Queen’s spirit, I lost track of time. He’ll be here soon!” The woman, Martha I faintly remembered, flapped a hand at me. “Cover yer face, dear. I need to open the windows. Can’t have a Royal visiting a house that smells of stew and sweat, now can we?”
I squinted at the sudden light, slightly amused that she didn’t wait. She fluttered around the room, clearing this and that from the shelves. Shading my eyes again, I watched her frantic shuffling. “He’s coming to visit?”
“Oh aye.” She grinned over her shoulder. “He comes every day at three precisely. I reckon--” The caller cried from the street the time and her grin widened. “Right on schedule.”
The door opened and my master stepped inside.

Chapter 4

He paused in the doorway and I caught my breath. Sunlight slanted across his face, leaving half of it in shadow. Slowly he shut the door and stepped fully into the room. “You’re awake.”

I nodded dumbly, mesmerized by the man in front of me. I hadn’t gotten a good look at him that first night. Other than his profile and a few chance glances, I had had no idea what he looked like. I bit my lip, nervous. He was exactly what I imagined a Royal to be. Dark brown hair fell to his shoulders in soft waves, the faintest flashes of red catching in the sunlight. His beard was more auburn, trimmed close to an angular jaw and fading into the lightest of tan skin. I pulled the sheet higher and his eyes flicked down at the motion. I flushed. “M-my lord.”

He glanced back at me and I felt myself freeze. His eyes were dark, almost black beneath thick brows. But, they weren’t unkind. I swallowed and dropped my eyes, unsure of how a servant was supposed to greet her lord. My hands twisted the loose thread over and over again as the silence stretched.

Finally Martha threw up her hands and sighed in exasperation. “For the love of the Queen, Liam, ye’re scaring the girl. Sit, sit.” I heard the chair pull back from the bed but didn’t raise my eyes. It creaked as he settled in it. I’ve been bought by a giant. His legs stretched in front of him and I remembered the length of his cloak. Short I might be, but his head had brushed the doorway. My lord Liam was at least six feet tall, a good foot taller than I and several inches above most other men. I stared intently at his boots. “For the love...” Martha chuckled and I grew redder. “Well, I’ll leave ye two be then. I know when’s I’m welcome and when’s I needs to get out.”

“No, please-” Liam’s look silenced me, and I returned to anxiously staring at my hands. “Thank you, ma’am.” She shut the door softly behind her and the two of us were left sitting in silence. After several moments, I dared look up. His face was stormy, eyes boring into me. “T-thank you.”

He blinked as if just realizing I were alive. He leaned back and crossed his arms. “For what? Saving your life?” He arched one perfect eyebrow.

“Well...yes,” I stammered. I tried to hold his gaze and failed miserably. Instead, I stared out the window. A woman hung her laundry out her own window, stockings and shifts blowing in the afternoon breeze. “But...more than that... thank you for buying me.” I glanced at him and both brows rose. “A-and for saving my life. You didn’t have to spend so much, and I apologize for