CHAPTER FOUR

I watch all three servants cautiously before I step off the bed. Even when my feet touch the floor, I still pause for several seconds before making any effort to move forward. None of the servants ask me to hurry but they also do not rush me. They just stare at me in silence as if to say I can take as long as I want because they know I have no choice but to still follow them wherever they are taking me.

“Why can’t I just go to this feast as I am?” I ask.

All three servants examine the makeshift attire I fabricated out of the bedsheet and I feel them judging me with their eyes. “This will not do for Master Alden,” Herb says.

“Okay,” I say with a sigh as I finally begin to walk towards the door. So, this is my life now. Just a few hours ago I was safe in my own home. I was the one who called all the shots. I chose my clothes, chose my food and could go wherever I wanted. Now, I’m in the home of some monster called Alden and have only the extent of freedom available to a prisoner. 

Outside the door, I enter a hallway lit only by lamps arranged on either side of the wall also in an equidistant manner. The hallway’s lighting and setup remind me eerily of a section of a terrifying and elaborate escape room I participated in about two years ago. It was at the behest of Brad that I went as I am not the kind of person who voluntarily takes part in activities whose sole purpose is to terrify me but I’d gotten to the place only for him to not show up at the last minute because one of his friends got them courtside tickets and ‘couldn’t I be more reasonable?’ I wait for the servants to come out of the room and lead the way. I follow them when they head down the hallway, confused and slightly afraid but hopeful that this might all end well, although what that might mean exactly, I’m not so sure.

As we walk down the hallway, we walk past several doors much like the one I came out from and I find myself wondering what might lie behind those doors. Perhaps Celia and Laura live in two of those rooms. At the end of the hallway, we turn left to another shorter hallway that is connected to the previous one so that they both form an L. This second hallway ends at a large brown door. When we reach the door, Teon pushes it open and it creaks. One by one, we step into the next part of this bizarre world, they with the confidence that comes with familiarity and I with the awkwardness of apprehension. 

However, the moment I step through the door, I am faced with so much beauty that I momentarily forget my fears. We are in a garden designed like a royal courtyard. Flowers and ornamental plants of various kinds fill up most of the space here as far as my eyes can see and they are separated into sections by narrow walkways that have been created between them. I spot lilies, roses, lavenders, and dandelions and take in the beautiful mixture of colours that they all form. When I breathe, my nostrils are filled with fresh perfumed air. However, the radiance of all the plants baffles me as I look up at the very high ceiling and see no source of sunlight. How is this even possible?

I follow the servants down the straight walkway directly leading from the door and when they make any turn, I do so too. Not once does any of them even bother to look back. It is almost as though they are confident that I will not attempt to flee or that if I do, finding me would be too easy. In the end, we stop at the edge of a pool bubbling with warm water, the sight of which I have to admit gladdens my heart.

“You must be cleaned before you can attend the feast,” Knox says.

“Okay,” I say. “Leave so that I can do that.”

“It is our job to clean you up,” he replies with a blank expression. 

“Clean me up? No,” I say with as much finality I can muster but they are unfazed by neither my words nor my tone.

“Master Alden will not entertain you at the feast or meet any of your demands if you do not allow us to clean you as properly as he would prefer,” Knox says. 

If I look as livid as I feel, they do not react to it, but I shift from one foot to another, hoping that perhaps if I am silent for long enough, they will laugh and I will commend them on their brilliant joke. When they continue watching me though, I weigh my options. Alden has promised to set me free if I attend his feast. That attendance is all that is required to obtain my freedom. It is, therefore, necessary for me to fulfil all of the prerequisites to that requirement, even ones that are as odd as this is. 

“Fine,” I say. “But if anything makes me uncomfortable, you stop it.”

“Very well,” Knox says and he gestures towards the pool. 

I unwrap my sheet dress from my body and let it fall to the floor. I kick it a little further away from the pool to protect it from any splashing so that I can wrap it around myself again for this strange feast. I take a deep breath and dip one foot into the pool, testing the temperature of the water before settling in. It is a highly comfortable warm that swallows my body in a matter of seconds. As I settle into the comfort of the water and the sweet smell of all the flowers, soaps and ointments that are laid around the edge of the pool, I turn around to face the servants. Then, I catch them as they all eye me up and down with a hunger in their eyes that instantly sends tingles around my body. For the first time since I woke up in this place, I feel very different than a prisoner. I feel like the centre of attraction, as though I am a princess whom they have to cater for. It is a feeling that is weird in a way I cannot quite put my finger on. 

They give me about a minute before they also step into the pool with me. Their sizes make how they float in the water a little comical, eliciting a chuckle from me that I quickly stifle lest I anger them by making fun of them. If they hear my laugh, they do not react to it. Knox positions himself to my right, Herb to my left while Teon fetches the soap. He examines about five different kinds as if trying to select the perfect one before settling on a whitish liquid in a clear jar. Teon returns with the soap and stands in front of me. Although they have flanked me on all my sides and the edge of the pool is pushing at my back meaning there is no way for me to move away from this, none of them makes any attempt to do anything until I look into Teon’s eyes and give him an approving nod. Immediately, he puts some soap on his right hand and begins to lather me up.

Together, they wash every part of me, stroking every corner gently and pressing on all my spots as they take notes of the places that make me shiver and shudder. They fondle my breast, tickle my belly button and trail their fingers along my slender neck. 

There is something still bizarre about being washed by these little creatures so for the most part, most of my body remains tense. However, the mindful way in which they touch and caress my body is so soothing that it tricks my muscles into relaxing. Soon, I lean my head back and just allow myself to enjoy the experience of being catered to in this manner.

I don’t know how long I remain in this position – eyes closed, blinded by the euphoria of relaxation, and floating on the surface of the water like paper – but when I open my eyes, I am alone in the water and the three servants are standing outside it watching me patiently.

“Sorry,” I say when I realize I must have been keeping them waiting. 

Herb provides a towel for me which I use to dry myself as I step out of the water. Much like everything else I have seen so far, the towel is clean, warm and sweet-smelling. What is this place?

Knox tells me that I am allowed to choose whatever ointments I wish to use and apply them myself. I say okay but a little disappointment flashes through my mind over the fact that they won’t be doing the application of the ointment which I quickly push back. I cannot seriously be enjoying being touched by these weird creatures enough to want more of it. I select an ointment whose smell and consistency remind me of an essential oil I used to own and rub it over myself. In the corner of my eyes, I see that they keep their eyes glued on me as I rub over my breasts, my legs, my neck, between my thighs and all over the rest of my body. It is as if I am on display or performing for them. I don’t hate it. 

Once I have applied the ointment to my satisfaction, I walk over to where I dropped the sheet and pick it up to wrap it around myself again.

“What are you doing?” Knox asks. 

“Covering up myself?” I say even though it comes out like a question.

‘That won’t be necessary,” he says and I swear there is a tinge of amusement in his eyes.

“I am not going to this feast naked. I don’t care whatever strange plans you and your master have schemed, okay?” I say.

“We have prepared an appropriate attire for you,” he says, again in that tone that tells me there isn’t much room for argument. I do not intend to argue though. If they are offering me clothes to replace this ridiculous sheet, I can only be thankful.

“Alright,” I say. “Where is this appropriate attire?”

We return in the same direction that we came from so I know that they are taking me back to the room I am being held in. As we walk, I am reminded that despite the pleasant nature of this washing experience, I am still a prisoner being held here against my will. When we reach the door to the room, the servants do not walk in as I expect them to. They stop a few steps before it and gesture for me to proceed. I wait for a few seconds, unsure, but Teon gives me a nod which I take as encouragement. I open the door and step in. 

Spread neatly and carefully on the bed is a coral-coloured dress that is so eye-catching it is impossible not to notice it. Next to it is a pair of red flat shoes. First, I wonder who put them there. Did Alden come to drop a dress for me by himself? Or perhaps, and more likely, there are other servants of his that I have yet to meet. I walk across the room to the bed and pick up the dress, careful not to cause any wrinkles, and I examine it. 

The dress, much like everything else here, seems to be the choice of a person whose taste is stuck in an era that existed two centuries ago. Maybe this is the reason this dress is, by far, the most elegant and fashionable dress I have ever seen in real life. I waste no time in putting it on. Although I require some help with the closing, I notice a mirror on the left side of the bed and walk to it to check if the dress fits. It does, a little too perfectly. The dress’s Bertha neckline exposes my collarbone and the top of my shoulders and makes them prominent in a manner so flattering, that I wish I could take a picture of myself. The bodice, despite not being fastened yet fits around my frame. Below my waist, the rest of the dress is not bulky and not too layered but there are flowers in a slightly darker shade than the rest of the dress embroidered on its sides. I look stunning. 

I put my hair in a bun and make sure to tighten it, accentuating my neck, collarbone and shoulders even more. Then, I put on the shoes which are also a perfect fit. I have several questions as to how any of this could have been arranged. Besides the unfastened lace of the dress, I am ready, so I walk out of the door, ready for whatever this feast might entail.

When I step outside, the three servants are still standing in the same spot and in the very same manner they were standing in when I left them and walked into the room. 

“Can I get some help fastening this dress?” I ask.

They look from one to another as if there is an obvious joke which I am not privy to. 

“I’m afraid none of us is tall enough to help you,” Knox says. “Maybe the Master will.”

The master. I swallow the lump in my throat and nod in acquiescence. “Okay, let’s go.”

“Very well,” Knox says and once again, they turn away from me.

We head down the hallway one more time except this time, we do not make it to the end. We stop at a door to our right halfway through the hallway and Teon pulls it open, revealing an arched stairway that leads to a lower level. This immediately makes me uncomfortable as most of what I have seen in this place already feels like I am underground. I cannot imagine that there is still a lower level to this level.

“Lead the way,” I say when I see that they are not attempting to move.

“I’m afraid this is where we leave you,” Knox says.

“What? No.”

“At the end of these stairs is a door. Behind that door, the feast awaits. Good luck,” he says.

I take in a deep breath. I have heard the word feast enough times in the past few hours that it is beginning to sound weird in my ears. That coupled with the fact that he just wished me luck for some reason I do not know cause my heart to quicken. I turn away from the servants and make my way down the stairs. I hold my dress up and take careful steps so that I do not trip and fall. When my body feels light, I realize that I have not eaten anything in hours and hope for the sake of my metabolism that there is at least a fruit edible to a human like me behind the door at the end of these stairs. I stand in front of the door for a minute, maybe two, contemplating whether or not I am ready for what might be behind it. Eventually, I take in a deep breath and I push.