美雪 × Beautiful Snow

[四]

A witch's servant. It should sound pretty cool because a witch is magical and all. At first I believed I was going to be something like a sidekick, going with her when she travels and does.. Witchy stuff?

But the job proved to be much more of a let down than I had anticipated.

I had been crawling around the mansion on my knees, water bucket on the side, a brush in my hand. I had been scrubbing the wooden floors the entire day. Tiredness had grewn over me and I felt like I could sleep right then and there on the floor.

She had thrown all her chores and household tasks on my shoulders the last few weeks and continuously waved me away with one flip of her hand. She was absolutely egoistic!
I felt like walking away, hiding somewhere, or just sleep on the ground..

But I couldn't.

A beautiful white wolf was keeping watch over me constantly when I was working. Whenever I started slacking off he would grip my clothes with its teeth and drag me back to my work, it was pure slavery.

I sighed loudly as the wolf nudged my arm and interrupted my daydreaming, I grabbed the brush again and continued my horrendous chore. But my mind drifted off again.

The witch, Xuemei, had a total of three white wolves. I had ran into them a while ago.

She sat on her knees and had pet their soft coats. The wolves seemed to love and trust the touch of Xuemei, and it was a first that I saw her genuinely smile. She loved those wolves, and the wolves loved her. So that meant she does have a heart! She just doesn't want to let me in and let me return to my home.

I growled as the wolf nudged my shoulder. I waved him off and stared in it's enchanting blue eyes, but they didn't captivate me like a puppy would a child.
Instead, I felt a heated annoyance and hate towards this slavedriver of a dog, and I stared at it with disgust.
"When I get the chance I'll be making a nice stew out of you."

The wolf just tilted it's head. Of course, the creature hadn't understood a single word.

"Not the best plan I have heard from you." The - now dearly recognised - melodic voice chanted through the hall.

Behind me Xuemei stared at me with one eyebrow raised, she had heard my stew-statement.
I scratched the back of my head lightly, nervous as I had just insulted her probably favorite living creature in the mansion.

"Sorry, just a joke."

"Mind your words farmer boy." She said, her words cold and sharp. Her icy eyes stared down at me, she looked menacing.

"These wolfs might not understand you, but they understand my commands, and they especially love the 'kill' command."
She had emphasized the word 'kill', causing the wolf to stand up, show off the tense muscles in it's legs and reveal its long and sharp teeth.

A cold shiver ran down my spine. It was as if the gaze of the wolf itself could freeze my heart and tear my flesh, it was terrifying and reminded me that I was here because I sold my life to her, I wasn't just any servant.
I gulped at the thought that one word was all it took to end my life.

"Rest."
She commanded to the wolf.

The wolf bowed it's head, relaxed its muscles and walked away.

I let out the tense air in my lungs and wiped the cold sweat from my forehead. I stared up at Xuemei with a frightened yet determined expression.
There hasn't been a day where I didn't ask for my release or atleast a visit to my family, and wolf or not, today wasn't going to be an exception.

"When can I ever see my family again?"

Her eyes narrowed at the words.
"I thought I had made it clear already, never."

I clenched my fist.
"Come on, I've been doing nothing but clean the mansion, cut me some slack and reward me for the work! Just one visit to my family is all I ask!"

"Family is NOT of importance!" She said angrily.
"Don't you get it, farmer boy? Family drags you down, it destroys your potential, it destroys your future! Your family is nothing but a burden, grow up and start being independent for once!"

I stared angrily at her. "That's idiotic coming from YOUR mouth. You're doing the EXACT same. You've done nothing but treat me like a slave!"

She swiftly lifted her fingers at me when I spoke those words, her eyes gleaming even brighter than before and magic swirling around her hand.
"You, are, my, possesion. I can do anything I want to you, besides it's because of your stupid little brother that you're stuck here."

I slammed the brush on the ground and lifted myself up. I stood face to face with her, my fear as if melted and anger was drawn on my face.
"Don't speak about him like THAT." I growled, my hands were clenched to fists and the anger heated my muscles.

"You're forgetting your place, Zeng Shau.".
That was the first time she called me by my full name.
"You forgot your place and your debt to me. I saved you AND your brother's pitiful life. You owe me TWO life debts. If you didn't want this to happen, you should have been the smartass and let your pathetic brother die right there." Her eyes gleamed with excitement as her words fueled my rage.

As if controlled by something, I threw a full power punch at her, which she blocked with the palm of her hand. She smiled at my careless use of violence, but before she could retaliate I ran off.

I had it.

This lady was cruel and respectless, yes she saved both our lives but she was the worst creature alive!

I shoved doors aside and once I stepped outside the frigid air of a blizzard hit my face, but I didn't care.
I stubbornly set off, walking for what seemed like ages down the mountain. Occasionally gusts of wind made my movement treacherous, and more than once had these gusts almost thrown my shivering body in the abyss between the mountains.

One severe gust was one I couldn't withstand, I got pushed off balance and tried to replace my foot, the ground I clumsily placed my foot on broke and I plummaged to what seemed to be my death at the cliffside, but arms had broken my fall.

Now we were falling togheter, me, the man, in the arms of a female, a witch. A dizzyness covered and clouded my mind as our surroundings swirled and switched to another place. We were standing in front of the mansion.

I blinked a couple of times, confused to what happened, Xuemei placed me on the ground, her eyes less bright, but instead were toned a darker shade of blue, with a more grayish hue.

She looked tired, even in this frigid cold a droplet of sweat was gleaming against her porcelain skin.

The snowstorm subsided and a light snowfall was what remained.

I stared at my surroundings, at the mansion, at Xuemei, who had managed to save me for the second time. Her fatigue was starting to dissapear by the minute, but it was still visibly there.

She spoke no word, but instead raised her arm, the familiar bells on her hanfu chimed as she pointed towards the door. 'Get in', is what she was implying.

I wanted to run away again, I missed my family greatly, and this woman was a tyran, I felt hate and disgust towards her, but something about her facial expression made me feel compassion and empathy towards her too. With my feelings confused and clashing I slowly pushed myself on my shaky cold legs, and carefully walked inside, the entrance doors slammed shut behind me by a cold gust.. But I knew it was Xuemei's magic.

There was something behind that porcelain mask of determination and commands that Xuemei wore. Something more graceful and kind. I knew that, if I want to get out of here, I had to smash that mask to bits and pieces and get her empathy flowing.
And with this task I had placed in my mind, I followed the wolf that had been patiently waiting for me to follow him back to my room.