Cadha (#wattys2016)

Oops!

I slowly turned my head and looked straight into the eyes of my very angry Master. "Oops," I said quietly.

"Oops is right ya lazy girl!" the Master muttered angrily in my face. "What happened to finishing the preparations for today's luncheon? The rest of the poor maids are working their tail ends off to make up for you." As he raged spittle flew from his mouth and hit me in the eye and on my cheek. I wiped it away with the back of my hand.

He must've thought I was tearing up for he said, "Stop your pathetic crying. It won't make me be any more kind to you. For your disobedience I will have you sent to the city dungeons. If a few nights in there don't teach you a lesson then I don't know what will." Then he grabbed my wrist and proceeded to drag me back through the secret corridors and out into the main kitchen.

He burst through the side door to the kitchen, causing a few of the kitchen maids to jump in fright, but Margaret, who was standing in the front corner of the room, just looked at me with a most horrible glare. I knew she would give me a horrific punishment if she got the chance to do so.

"Margaret," called Master Dunbar, as he walked across the room, dragging me behind him.

"Yes, Sir," she replied calmly.

"Take Cadha to the village prison. She will spend the next few days in there in order for her to learn her lesson."

"Yes, Sir," she said again. She quickly grabbed my arm and whisked me out the back door. She ordered two horses to be prepared for the short ride into town square and then smirked at me. "I always knew you were trouble. I wondered how long it would be until the Master would realize it."

I shouldn't have been hurt by her comment, I didn't normally care what other people said about me, but in my heart I wondered if I really was just a bad person; maybe I was just destined to live a bad life.

Just as I finished my train of thought, the horses were brought to us. We got on them and trotted off into town. I think Margaret was in a rush to get there, because she kept urging her horse to go faster and faster. We reached the square quicker than I had hoped for, and Margaret brought me into the town hall.

She walked up to a rat-like man sitting at a desk and I followed. "This girl is to stay in the prison for the next 3 days. Make sure she is securely guarded; she can be a handful." Then she turned to me and said, "Stay here. You are in the jailer's care now. Not that they'll treat you kindly where you will be staying." Then she smiled smugly and went out the front door.

A guard, that I hadn't noticed before, came up to me and herded me through a metal door and down a long set of stairs. We finally stopped at the bottom level and he stepped through an open passageway. As we walked through the door I saw that there were barred cells lining the hallway.

The guard brought me to a cell close to the archway and opened the door with a ring of keys he produced from a leather pouch around his waist. He motioned for me to step inside the cell and I went in.  At least he was nice about it. Then he swung the cell door shut and locked it again.

It smelled horrible down here and I realized that there was no place to do our business. I didn't know how I would make it even a single night in here. I had lived in bad situations before, but I had never lived anywhere this retched.

I looked around and saw that there was no cot or blanket for me to sleep on. There was only the filthy straw that barely covered a small patch of the cold stones which made up the floor. "I can't believe it," I said to no one in particular. "I'm stuck in a stinky dungeon while probably half the girls in the kingdom are on their way to the Airdiere."

I moped for a little bit, but I finally settled down against the back wall of the cell. I looked around and noticed that almost all the other cells were empty.  I wished that someone would be put into one of the cells next to me so I could at least have company, but as the night wore on I realized that there would be no one else coming down here.

The guard brought me a small portion of dry bread and cup of broth, but that was all the dinner we were given. Even in Master Dunbar's house we were given more to eat than these meager portions.  I soon grew tired and found a clean spot on the straw covered part of the cell.  I guess all the trauma of the day had gotten to me, because as soon as I put my head on the floor I fell into a deep but fitful sleep.

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AN:

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