[RainbowSky]

Ten

As I trailed through the house towards the kitchen, I realised the party was wrapping up. Most guests were gathered by the door saying final goodbyes to Livia’s mother and father. The twins were nowhere to be seen and the only people who didn’t seem to be leaving just yet were two men who were sat on a couch near the entrance way finishing a glass of wine. Keeping my eyes down and averted, I hurried through the entrance hall and down the stairs to the kitchen.

It was a hustle of activity as everyone was washing, cleaning, drying and putting away all the dinnerware and pots and pans. Alex was stood by the far door, keeping a close eye on the proceedings. He beckoned me over. “Out this door, down two flights of stairs and out the second door. You should enter a courtyard. Kneel in the centre of the courtyard and wait,” he told me. I nodded, following his instructions carefully.

I opened the door into a cobbled square. It was empty apart from a wooden pillar near the centre. I headed towards the pillar and kneeled on the cobbled ground just in front. I winced slightly as the cobbles pushed into my knees and shins. It was cold outside, and I shivered slightly. The air was silent and I wondered how long I would be stuck here waiting for Alex.

After what felt like hours, I heard the door open again. I could hear two sets of footsteps walk towards me. “Hmmm,” I heard the mistress think. “500 lashings should do the trick,” she said. I winced internally at that. 500! That was extreme. “To each hand and foot,” she added before walking away. I opened my mouth to protest but closed it again. I didn’t want to make it worse. The sound of the door opening and closing once again echoed around the courtyard.

Alex and I said nothing. We didn’t move. I think we were both in shock with the harshness of her punishment. “Alex,” I whispered after a few minutes, “Alex, just do it. Let’s get it over with.”

I heard his footsteps come closer and saw the birch rod in his hand. I held out my palms in front of me. There was a soft snick as he raised the birch and brought it back down on my hands. I gasped in pain and clenched my hands into fists before slowly opening them again. I wasn’t sure how I was going to cope with 500 of these. The courtyard door opened again.

“Leave,” the voice commanded Alex. Without a word, I heard his footsteps depart. I looked up from the floor where I had been staring and saw Livia’s father. He smirked. “What have you done to anger my wife?” he asked. I rolled my eyes, tempted to say “just existing” but realised that was his wife and that insolence wasn’t going to get me far. I stayed quiet instead. “Tell me!” he roared.

“I carried dinnerware up to the banquet room, and then rather than laying it out immediately, I went back for the second load of dinnerware. Mistress was in the room when I returned and was angry that the dinnerware had just been stacked up and not laid out,” I explained calmly.

There was silence and then he started chuckling. I kept my eyes firmly fixed on the cobbled ground. “Ah! My darling wife! So overdramatic,” he laughed. “And how many did Alex say he had been told to administer?”

“500 to each hand and foot,” I responded quietly.

He chuckled again. “Definitely overdramatic,” he said. He paused for a while. I could hear owls hooting in the trees nearby. “It’s funny, finding you here in my home after I almost kidnapped and murdered you ten years ago. Ironic really, that I murdered your brother yet here I am about to reduce my wife’s punishment, which could very well have killed you. I’m going to save your life. Because I have the princess of Greece in my home and you…,” he crouched down in front of me and grabbed my face, lifting it to stare into my eyes, “you are so very valuable right now.” He smirked again. “I will administer 10 to each hand and foot, you will thank me after each one. Then you will return to your room and go about your duties. But know that you will always owe me your life.” He picked up the birch rod from where Alex had left it.

I swallowed hard and held out my hands again. Crack! I winced. “Thank you Sir,” I mumbled. He brought it down again. Crack! I winced again, tears pricking at my eyes. “Thank you Sir.” Over and over again the rod came down with a crack and I grovelled at his feet. He then moved round to my feet. Over and over again.

When the sound of the rod finally died down, Livia’s father finally spoke again. “Leave now Eleni.” I scrambled to my tender feet, the cobbles pushing into the welts the rod had made. I winced my way out of the yard and back to my room. I flopped onto my hay bale and pulled a blanket over me, my body exhausted and aching with pain.