The True Tale of Thousandfurs

Fifteen

Thousandfurs wasted no time in rushing back to the kitchen from the stables as soon as they returned to the castle from their ride. Her small feet tripped over the ends of her skirt as she scurried through the corridors. The stone walls echoed off each tapping of her clogs, her huffs of breath coming out in clouds of smoke.

The warmness of the kitchen was calling her, her cubbyhole safe from anything and anyone. She wanted to go in and hide beneath her ratted blankets and cry into her cot, hoping the day would pass and she would make it through.

Her heart was twisted in so much confusion, questioning why she allowed him to catch her and find her. Why did she want to dawn another dress and dance with him again tonight? He terrified her and yet she was thrilled. Every dangerous step he made closer to her petite body, dwarfed in comparison to his monstrous size, made her stomach flip and her legs quiver. Even thinking about it now made her want to press her thighs together and bite her lip, trying to calm the fire that was slithering up her legs and into her loins.

Dinner time was approaching and she prayed that she would be able to convince the Chef to allow her to view the festivities once more. She couldn't stop her smile when she thought about his hands gripping her waist and guiding her across the ballroom floor. How his eyes captured hers and kept her locked in his gaze until he decided to set her free.

When she was a princess she could speak to him with little fear of being punished for her words but as a beast, she had to be mindful and watch every step and see how he would react. Today, in the woods, she wanted to scream and cry in his arms for it almost felt as though he cared, but how could he?

He was a prince and Thousandfurs was nothing to him.

So why did it feel as if he were the only one who could understand her? Perhaps because no one else had tried and that alone spoke enough volume to make her doubt herself.

When Katerina found her way back to the kitchen, she was shocked to find two girls were standing outside of her cubbyhole. Their faces were pinched with annoyance as they halted their gossip and looked over at her.

"Finally." One of the girls muttered.

"The queen has requested you take a bath before you serve food tonight." The other explained, her tone flat and bored. Not giving Thousandfurs any chance to respond they grabbed an arm each and dragged her off down the hallway of the servant's passages to the dark bathroom.

When they entered, the first servant lit a lantern and hung it on the wall, filling only a small corner of the room, but it was enough to allow them to see the outlines of the others.

"Take off your clothes and get in the tub." The second ordered, tugging roughly at the string that tied the heavy cloak to Katerina's body.

"Y-yes- yes- I will." She stuttered, her shaking hands taking over and undoing the cloak, allowing it to fall to the ground. She quickly stripped out of her dress and as awkward as it was to be bare and exposed in front of others, she much preferred this dark room with other servant girls, in place of the prince.

"Get in." One of the two, she could no longer tell, pushed her between her shoulder blades and she yelped, tripping and almost falling headfirst into the basin of a tub.

Water filled only the bottom third of the tub, but what was there was freezing cold to the touch and seeped down to her bones. She shivered, her teeth clattering together as she waited for the two girls to leave.

In the glow of the single lantern, she saw them raise a bucket and without any warning, ice water was poured over her head, leaving her gasping, unable to find words or understand anything beyond the frozen shock that had taken over her system.