A Chance Encounter

Locked Away

The door slammed shut, leaving me sprawled on the floor in complete darkness. I squinted my eyes trying to make out any details of the room I was in. Nothing. Just darkness surrounded me.

I crawled around until I reached a corner and pulled up my legs so I was embracing them. Looking around did me no good as my eyes still hadn't adjusted to the lack of light in the room. I could feel dust under my feet on what I knew was a cold stone floor. I felt a cobweb brush against my face so I madly shook my head combing my fingers through my hair, feeling nothing, but I couldn't stop.

Some time later I had finally stopped panting and could think clearly. Aunt had locked me away. She had seen Rob's warm jacket in my arms and had assumed the worst. She had assumed I was a common whore. She had immediately smacked me across the face so hard tears fell from my eyes without warning.

"How dare you! I took you in when your bitch of a mother and her sorry excuse for a husband were...when they died. I cared for you out of the goodness of my heart and when finally I manage to get King Geoffrey to marry you to Prince Edmund you respond by whoring yourself out like a -like a, like your mother to any man who is desperate enough to even look at you!" Her words stung worse than the blow she had dealt me.

After her harsh words she pulled me towards her by grasping my forearm with her skeletal hands.

"I have worked on you tirelessly ever since you were pushed upon me, trying to build up some resemblance of attractive qualities and despite my very best efforts you have always fallen short. When the King said you were to marry the Prince I thought to myself that maybe all my work had paid off. I thought so, but it looks as if you are your mother's child after all. I don't know what my sister thought when she allowed her to be raised so unruly and wild. From now on I will not be making the same mistake,"

She had shaken me so roughly and gripped my arm so tightly that I had bruises. I knew that her intentions were to lock me away where she thought I could cause no more damage. Apparently all this had come about because of my over active imagination and free thinking. At first I tried to tell her the truth, that I had done nothing to jeopardise mine and Edmund's future, but I knew that wasn't true. Even if I had not given my maidenhood to Rob it didn't mean that I hadn't given him my heart and my heart was soon to be betrothed to the Prince.

Aunt's plan was simple. I was to be locked away. Locked away from my books, locked away from company, locked away from the meadow and anywhere except a room she had prepared for me, Worst of all I was to to be locked away from Rob.

So that is what happened and I knew Aunt would not let me leave until I had to begin final preparation for the Prince.

From then on, time moved forward at a sluggish rate. After two days spent in near complete darkness with only a canteen of water to tide me through I was allowed candles for eight hours a day. My food was simple, unflavoured and in small proportions as Aunt had decided that my body would be found more pleasing to the Prince if I was noticeably thinner. I was allowed only water again in rationed amounts as Aunt did not want any bloating to take place. She had decided that the darkness would make my completion paler and more attractive. After a while I became ill from lack of sunlight, so she decided that for an hour a day one shutter was to be opened as long as my skin was coated in a lotion to prevent tanning. My hair was tied and re-tied in tight scalp-pulling plaits to encourage growth. Aunt and one of the older maids were the only people I saw. The room was in the east wing and near to the servants quarters so I regularly heard their chatter as they passed my locked door. Some spoke disapprovingly of my treatment. Some, but most sneered my name and condemned me to whatever treatment Aunt saw fit, it was after all going to be my fault if shame was brought upon this household.