Her Maiden

Chapter Six: Truth

One day crept by, then two.

You marked it by the times when either Bela or Cassandra would appear with a bowl of cold, flavourless porridge for you.

You were exhausted. Aside from the issue of there being no bed within the cell, you felt that you had to keep a wary eye on Daniela at all times.

So far she'd been alright. Kind of annoying, creepy and intermittently singing strange foreign folk songs, but alright. Not murderous. Yet.

You wonder what would happen when she got really hungry.

You begin to think about what was going to happen if and when Lady Dimitrescu decided to bring you back upstairs. Daniela had mentioned that lying to her was impossible and that the previous maiden had made the same mistake. Now what was left of her remained in a bottle. 

You didn't want to meet that fate. To be some strange, forbidden aphrodisiac for the next maiden to indulge in as she sat on your mistress' lap. 

You close your eyes for a moment, trying to make sense of the strange, conflicting feelings which seemed to tug your heart one way and then the other with unforgiving force which left your head utterly spinning. 

She was a monster. A murderer. Evil. 

So why then, was there a tiny, undeniable part of you that enjoyed her attention? Enjoyed being her plaything - her personal toy to do with as she pleased? Even if that meant draining you or ultimately adding you to her wine collection. 

You think hard. 

She was beautiful, that was a part of it, certainly. Her stature, the elegance in the way she moved in steady, smooth waves whenever she entered a room. Her delightfully decadent smile which flirted the line between amusement and maliciousness. Sunlight eyes that seemed to burn into your very soul without even so much as flinching, even when they surveyed the parts of you no one else would ever get to see. 

It was more than her beauty, though. You knew there had to be something more to her than just evil. She loved her three daughters - that was evident. 

She was capable of being loving, you were sure of it. 

You had known people - normal humans, incapable of love or compassion. You understood the emotional void that they carried with them. 

You thought of your parents, the miserable years spent under their roof, until finally deciding you'd rather die homeless and starving than spend another minute in that place. 

She wasn't like that. She was complicated, unreadable, aggressive and domineering - but something deep inside you told you that there was, underneath it all, a real person, with real feelings and desires and passions that you wanted  to know. 

You realised, with a strange wave of surprise and unease - that you missed being in her bed chamber with her. 

Then you wince in confusion. 

This was all wrong and yet your feelings were real. For better or worse, you felt drawn to this woman whom you barely even knew - who had treated you like a pet. 

Yet still, you were transfixed by her. 

You snap back to reality when you realise Daniela has stopped singing. In fact, she has stopped in her tracks. She cocks her head, as though listening to something, but as far as you know - there's nothing to be heard. 

"Mother wants to see you now. Good luck." Daniela smirked, now looking directly at you. 

You look up at her in confusion, before that sickening buzzing of a thousand flies begins materialising around you again. You hear distant cackles from Cassandra and Bela, as once again you were swept away in a flurry of darkness.