MY NIGHTMARE!

I was served a breakfast of tea and bread, and as usual, I found quite a comfortable spot to eat my meal in peace. The kitchen, like the hall of summon was filled with chatters and conversations of varied sort.

Pockets of maids continue to form at different cross-section of the room. You could literally tell they were still bothering their heads over the issue of the reassignment, making guesses amongst themselves over who might or might not get selected. 

I decided to keep myself away from such discussions and concentrated on my meal. In a few minutes, I was done with my food, and quickly commenced my day's task. I was never gonna get bothered by that which bothered again. I was confident I was never going to be selected for such reassignment. I was already at my desired place, and I would simply concentrate on my duties.

My task for the day was to work as a kitchen assistant alongside the rest that had been assigned to the kitchen too.

I joined in doing the dishes while the others were concerned with the cooking of the meals for the Royals, which comprised mostly meats. 

Soon, I was done washing the dishes, and then, lunch preparations began. 

Surprisingly, the talk about the reassignment to the King's Palace didn't seem to wane atall. It had become the gist of the day.

At this time, I simply began to feel pity for them as what seemed to be a thing of concern to them, did not scratch an inch of my mind again.

One such maid, who seemed to be a major propagandist of the gist was Phyna, who was charged with cutting the vegetables. 

Phyna had a cousin, who was assigned to the Palace last year, and who relates to Phyna her experiences in the Palace. 

And now, Phyna just wouldn't stop gushing to the maid beside her, how much of a handsome dude the King was, much as how the ladies that did serve in his court, both the humans and werewolves, drooled in infatuation, around him, craving for his attention.

"Honestly Dora..I know of all the fears and tension, alot of the maids have about the King, but if you ask me, I wouldn't mind being taken to the King's Palace". Phyna said, with a smirk.

'What?'. I exclaimed inwardly. 'Just what is wrong with these ladies?'. I thought. 'First, it was Sasha, and now, this one'. I thought, shrugging quietly in surprise.

"Honestly, Phyna, if I were you, I would shut up". Dora said, nudging her  in response, directing Phyna's attention, with her raised eyebrows and jaws, tilting forward, towards someone else. Clearly, the person was listening to their conversation, and she was no other person than Sasha.

Phyna sighting Sasha's cold-hearted gaze,  quickly shut up, removing her eyes from her.

Sasha's lips pursed in a deep frown, as a dead glare, stern look continued to focus on Phyna in a demeaning fashion.

I couldn't help but rolled my eyes in amazement. I mean, how could she be this dramatic and stupid at the same time?. Everyone knows that the selection lies with the prerogative of the head maid, and here she was laying claim to the evil King. How could anyone in her right mind drool over such a despicable despot, when they ain't even sure whether or not they would be selected.

Please, and please,  they should allow us have some rest. There is so much to bother us.  We don't want no more trouble than we already have now. I cared less anyway, whoever gets to be selected at the end. Atleast, we would not have to see that person again. I was beginning to muse with a smirk streamed across my face. 

"And you, Latifah.. What could be amusing?". Sasha's said, her cold tone got me back to consciousness. Eyes were already around, staring at me. Little did I know that my lips were raised in a smirk.

"Um…no.. nothing.. nothing". I responded in stutters, shyly looking around me as I cowered.

'Oh not again!.. How long will I continue to live in fear and cowardice?'. I thought.

I hated the fact that I was fast becoming a fearful woman who couldn't stand up for herself. I only ranted about it in my head. I had become a lone ranger in the midst of wolves and beastly humans. 

I didn't want to end the way my folks did, but hell no, I was sure I wasn't going about it the right way.

Was I?.

"Well..I guessed not". Sasha retorted and took one last cold stare at Phyna, before storming out of the room.

"Urggghhh…I hate her". One of the maids said aloud, staring at the door. "Who the hell does she think she is by the way?". The maid asked rhetorically, with a frown cringing her face. "I really think it's high time someone put a check on her excesses, and make her realise she's as much as human as we all are". She added turning her eyes towards the rest of us.

I wished I was able to speak with such a bold-faced confidence. But then, it seemed she too was not bold enough to stand up to Sasha whilst she was around. 

I bet she was expecting an icing on her rant, from another maid,  and she sure got it.

"I even heard from a reliable source that she sleeps with them and that a couple of  guards are at her beck and call". Another maid replied.

'What?!'. I exclaimed, wide-eyed.  'Now, I see where the confidence comes from'. I thought.

"Listen!.. I suggest we all get back to our duties, and forget whatever Sasha does or doesn't do. Don't forget we have a timeline for our task". An elderly maid, chipped in deliberately interuppting the gossip. 

I guessed she was more experienced than us all. Obviously, she's been a slave all her life. Looking at her, you could tell that nothing mattered to her.  As expected, her advice did put a full stop to the brewing gist.

We returned to our task and shortly before noon, we were done with the task. 

The bigle was sounded again for the second time, and we began to converge in the hall for a second meeting with Madam Fegor. 

Quickly we queued in line awaiting her arrival. We were accustomed to it anyway.

Now, our date was going to be decided in the next couple of minutes or more. Enough of all of these hassles and tussles between certain maids who wished to be taken to the King's Palace and those who dreaded the idea. 

While these thoughts raced through my mind, lo and behold, she walked in with the same persons she had for escort in the morning. 

While there was anxiety and apprehension everywhere, I remained unruffled and unperturbed, still confident that I was going where.

"Heads up". She ordered in her usual tone, and we complied at once. "Like I did promise to be back when the reshuffling was done, now, I am pleased to announce to you that the shuffling is done". She said with a raised brow, expecting perhaps an ovation.

But no dared smiled, let alone clap.

"A selected few would be reassigned to the King's Palace, while some other person gets to be assigned to special task, and then, the others would remain here". She stated, with that same scornful stare in her eyes as she gazed across the hall.

'Did she just mention special task?'. I thought. 

"A list will be posted on the door over there". She said, pointing. "You will all need to look over it and know the new area of posting, and report there first thing tomorrow morning. That would be all for now". She stated with a tone of finality, giving us one last disdainful look, and walked away briskly, her escort closely trailing behind.

The one and only lady in her team then walked to the door and did what she needed to do, before taking her leave also.

Immediately, we began to move in line towards the door where the list was hanging. Eyes narrowed up the door and began to stream down each column  of names written on the list adjacent to their new place of primary assignment.

As expected, reactions of grief and dissatisfaction began to be the order of the day for those whose names were written adjacent to the King's Palace which they dreaded.

Some of them literally began to sob and could not be comforted. At this point, my heart began to beat faster, even though I had managed to keep my cool and stay calm since morning.

But now, reality dawned on me as I began to peer through the heads and shoulders of the people ahead of me in the line, for a chance to glance at the list carefully, but it wasn't clear enough. So, I had to be patient till it got my turn.

Finally, it got to my turn, and I took a deep breath, tensely scared to check my name.

Tightly, I closed my eyes, and slowly began to peel it open. Using my fingers to support my search, I scanned vertically, for my name. There were a couple of  maids who went by my surname anyway as I got to discover during my search.

Suddenly, my finger found  the exact  line with my name..

Latifah Lakewood.

I gulped and traced the name to the right to check the place of assignment.

Then I gasped. 

"What?!". I exclaimed. "The King's Palace?!". I said aloud.

Hell no!

No..No.. No way. How?

Oh my gosh!.

I screamed inside my head, shuddering at the thought of what I had just seen. 

I was literally pissed right now. The thing that I greatly dreaded had just happened to me.

How could I be assigned to the King's Palace?. 

I can't be assigned to the King's Palace. 

This must be a dream, a very bad one at that, that is about to turn to my worst nightmare.