Three

Daphne descended the steps to the dungeon with a cruel smirk on her face, her heels clicking on the cold stone floor. She could hear the slave girl whimpering and moaning, which only fueled her delight.

As she approached the cell, she sneered at the girl, “Well, well, well. Look who's here. The little thief who caught my man's eye and stole his money.”

Aloha cowered in the corner, her eyes wide with fear. Daphne's dark expression curled her forehead, and she spoke with a mocking tone, “Good evening, I didn't mean to-”

“Shut up!” Daphne cut her off sharply. “I didn't come here to listen to your excuses.”

She strode over to Aloha and kicked her in the side. The girl cried out in pain, but Daphne didn't stop. “You think you're so special,” she said, delivering another kick. “But you're nothing. Just a worthless little slave and thief.”

Aloha tried to curl up into a ball, but Daphne grabbed her by the hair and yanked her up. “Look at me,” she demanded. “Look at Ragnar woman.”

Aloha slowly lifted her head, her eyes filled with tears. Daphne leaned in close, her breath hot on the girl's face. “I heard you were hungry,” she said, her voice dripping with malice. “So I brought you some food.”

She held out a tray of scraps and leftovers, the kind of food that even a dog would turn up its nose at. Aloha's eyes widened with hunger, but Daphne wasn't finished yet. “Of course, I wouldn't want you to get too comfortable,” she said, with a cruel smirk. “So you'll have to eat it off the ground.”

She threw the tray to the floor, and the scraps went flying, landing in a disgusting heap of filth and grime. Aloha hesitated for a moment, then started to crawl toward the food.

Daphne kicked her back. "Not like that,” she sneered. “Use your mouth. Eat it like the animal you are.”

Aloha hesitated again, then slowly leaned down and began to eat the scraps off the ground. Daphne laughed, taunting her as she did.

As Aloha finished eating, Daphne turned to leave, savoring the taste of power and control. But as she reached the door, the girl spoke up.

“Thank you, ma'am,” she said, her voice barely audible. “Thank you for the food.”

Daphne stopped in her tracks, turning back to face the girl. “What did you say?” she asked, her voice cold and dangerous.

The girl looked up at her, her eyes filled with defiance. “Thank you,” she said again, her voice stronger this time. “Thank you for the food.”

Daphne seethed with rage, and Aloha noticed the anger in her eyes, bracing herself for the worst. Suddenly, Daphne lunged forward and slapped Aloha across the face, knocking her to the ground. “You think you're so clever, don't you?” she spat. “Mocking me with your gratitude, you worthless slave.”

Aloha's eyes widened in fear as she scrambled to her feet. Suddenly, Daphne raised her hand to strike again.

But something strange happened. Aloha felt a strange power surging within her, which she tried to control, but it failed. An unseen wind knocked Daphne down to the ground with a thud, and she lost consciousness.

Aloha stood frozen in shock, staring at the fallen woman. She had not meant to harm her, but she was afraid that she had killed her.

Trembling with fear, Aloha approached the Mistress and tried to wake her, but she did not stir. She knelt beside her, tears streaming down her face. “Please wake up, Ma” am,” she whispered. “I didn't mean to hurt you.”

As she knelt beside unconscious Daphne, her memories flooded back of a similar incident that occurred when her father was still alive. On that fateful day, her classmate was also beating her, but then suddenly, a strong wind blew in and carried the bully, slamming her against the wall. 

Her father had comforted her, telling her it wasn't her fault and making her promise never to tell anyone about it. As it had only happened once, she believed her father's words.

But now, as the same thing happened again, fear consumed her. She reached out to her Daphne, hoping for a response, but all she heard was her own teary voice.

“Miss,” she whispered, barely audible.

The realization hit her that Daphne had blacked out too. The fear and confusion mounted within her, and she began to wonder if she was a monster. Had she somehow caused these strange occurrences? The questions raced through her mind as she sat there, overwhelmed by her emotions.

Thinking maybe this is her end since she has killed Ragnar woman.

*********

Aloha had been sitting in the same spot for hours, her face puffy from crying. She was no longer feeling hungry, rather, she felt anxious about what would happen to her. The thought of killing a human being like her made her shiver.

She couldn't stop thinking about what might happen to her now that she had attacked her captor woman, and the thought alone was enough to make her shiver.

Suddenly, a voice snapped her out of her thoughts. “Bring her out.” She raised her head to confirm the owner of the hoarse voice. It was one of the guards who had come for her earlier, with another masculine man beside him. She wondered if all the staff here were men.

She rose to her feet, her body trembling as she braced herself for what was to come. 

They dragged her out of the prison, and without trying to struggle with them, she followed them obediently. The last thing she wanted was to hurt another person. “Please, how is that miss, is she doing fine now?” She asked repeatedly, although she met a silent response repeatedly.

Eventually, they nudged her to the ground inside a hall, and she winced in pain. She raised her brows, scanning around, wanting to know what was going to happen to her. She could feel the tension in the air, and it made her heart race with fear.