THE MAID

Sarah

Iceland, eleven years ago.

There was a girl lost in the woods. It was winter and her coat made of sheepskin wasn't enough anymore to protect her from the cruel winds. Her thin legs dressed in seal boots are shivering and shaking like leaves on the wind. Her small pale body now scratched and beaten,from the frost and the thornes of the cold forest. "Faðir. (Father.)" she screams in despair. Scared and petrified. The only thing that keeps her alive is hope. Hope and a map and a letter from her heart. A letter from her loving sister. Hope. Hope...untill the beast appears from the shadows with blazing eyes. A wolf. A dark hungry wolf. Her bones are small can feed him well. There's no escape now as the beast coming around in circles. Run..
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The maid steps are quick. She have no time to lose. Quickly she stops on the market to get the basket full for the kitchen, all the goods and all the best for the table of the Duke.

On these holy days, she had to make everything smell good. The baked buns the melt on the bone meat,the fruitful wine aged since summer was mostly needed for the holidays table. Especially now that there's a guest in the house. Victor. That snake. Undoubtedly, he wasn't a bigger evil than his cousin, Caroline. No, she was far worst but things would come to her as she spread them ahead.

But her duties must be done. The maid had a house to clean, floors and silvers to polish. Windows to open and let the fresh air of the morning winter set a new age in the house. The chilling breeze will clean the poisonous warmth of the past. Cold was soothing. Cold was home for her. Ice and fog was the bed where she was born and reborn. As the memory comes again, the eyes of the wolf watching her. The hands of deaths holding her but she dodged death so many times she became familiar with the idea. Too familiar, perhaps.

Back in the Blackwood house, some time later when Sarah returned to clean up and prepare everything for the table there was a peaceful quiet in the house. She knew soon it will be ruined when Caroline will come downstairs to complain about Alfred who was absent in the festival. And indeed it happened, Sarah was in the kitchen when she heard her lady whining to Alfred. "They needed to see their Duke, Alfred to shake his hand to exchange a word or simply just see your presence there. It was a big fistep to now appear in a gathering to honor your traditions." Caroline mattered almost sternly towards him.

"Our.." he grunted turning to see her serious. "Our traditions, unless ya don't see this land as ya own."

Caroline stirred up on that and blinked in discomfort. She looked down for a moment and clean her throat. "Of course, I do."

"Good." Alfred says. "Then their lady's presence was enough, yeh?"

"People hardly talk to me." she disagrees.

"Perhaps because ya don't talk to them, Caroline." he remarks. "When was the last time ya walked out of this house to see the land? To talk with the women? To hear what they have to say."

"The peasants?" she huffed almost disgusted. "What can I talk about with these women?"

Alfie narrow his eyes on his daughter in law and shakes his head disapprovingly. Sarah walked quietly in the room to serve the tea. Alfred's glance falls on her as she leans down to put the cup of tea on the small coffee table next to him. Their eyes met in brief and Sarah looked down. "My lady, your cousin Victor is here." she informed Caroline when they heard the carriage halting outside.

"Goodness!" she sighed standing up. "And as always James is nowhere to be found." she shakes her head.

"I'll go open." Sarah said quietly and rushed to answer to the door.

Once she open the man didn't even greet her just walk inside and throw his coat on her hands. "Caroline!" he smiled brightly as she came to the parlor to greet him. "You look stunning as always." he smirked.

"My dear, I'm so glad you came." she kissed his cheek. "Please, come inside to see Alfred. We've been waiting for you." when they walked inside Sarah hang the man's coat.

After she served the tea she heard from the kitchen that lord James joined them soon. But now, she was occupied with the food. The quail need to be cooked and roast for long. As the lady requires it, it was an appropriate meal for royalties as she noted. And Sarah did her will. She cooked the quails carefully, with lots of seasoning and clear thick salt.

The whole dining room breathed warm meal and delicious essences. From the dark buns to the roasted potatoes with butter and cheese. The meat was served as well as the red wine.

Sarah of course stood behind Alfred just in case they'll need anything else. James glance at her over his father's shoulder while Victor was tossing on the new year giving the never-ending wishes for fortune and luck.

Both Caroline and Victor were a bit numb and uncomfortable after the failure of the first attempt to get rid of Alfred last night. "I must admit, Alfred. I thought we'll be honored by your presence last night."

"Wasn't feeling that well, lad." Alfred grunted taking a sip from his glass.

"Going out will help your health as well, Alfred. You aren't that old either." Victor remarks making James look at him sternly. "In fact you could get married again." he suggested. Caroline almost wanted to slap her cousin that moment but she knew that it was all just an act for the sake of the occasion.

Alfred from the other hand snorts. The idea sounds silly and surely unnecessary. "What for? I already have a son and he's already a spirit maker like his father. Me legacy is on good hands."

"Undoubtedly." Victor nods glancing at James. "When your time will come for an heir then cousin?"

"Are you here to ask about such matters?" James looked at him sternly. His eyes as cold as clay.

"Oh no, forgive me if i sounded inappropriate, cousin. It wasn't my intention." he replied to him.

"I'm not your cousin." James croaked sipping on his wine.

Caroline takes a sharp breath and turn to see James. How dare he? "James, I believe your attitude is mostly inappropriate not my cousin's who is yours as well words."

"Let's calm down, yeh?" Alfred calmly suggests. They began to eat but Victor of course couldn't hold back his tongue and started to bubble.

"I know, we had no time to know each other over those years, James." he says. Lord James seems unmoved by his words. "But I'm a believer of new beginning and on this bright day we can come closer as a family." Arrogantly he grins with the same extended confidence his cousin always carries.

Meanwhile Sarah returns in the kitchen while everyone was listening to Victor's plain words. Sarah knelt down before the ashes of the stove. She push her hands on the ashes and mold it on her palms. "Come to me, almighty sea." she whispers. "Come to clean the dirt from me."

I'm the dinning room Victor continues endlessly. "In our family each member is precious and mostly valued." he said as he takes the quail's wink and bites it. "We don't have this so called distant relatives. We love them all equally." he murmured and cough suddenly.

"Come to feast, oh bird of death. Come to put in grave a wreath.."

"Victor." Caroline gasp patting Victor's shoulder who seems to be unable to stop coughing spreading tension on the table.

"For fucks sake." James stood up and Victor grab his own neck turning blue.

"Come to me, oh sweet moon to put the seal on this man's doom."

"He's fuckin' chokin'." Alfred walked around with James who grab Victor from behind and push his chest so he could spit the piece that stack on his throat. But it was too late for that. The small piece is stack on the lungs and Victor falls on the floor dead and blue.

When Sarah heard Caroline's screams she smiled.