Dinzel

4// A Friend

{Rachel}
Tension rose in the castle. The type of tension that would make you run and hide in the garden. Bruce and mom, Bruce and the maid.. it was all Bruce.

Relaxing in the scorching sun, I lay reclined on a bench right in front of my favourite tree. There's nothing big on my mind, I try hard not to think about work.

I hear footsteps breaking the dry grasses as someone moves towards me. My eyes open to see a slender but curvy female figure standing far away from me.

The face is unclear as the sun behind her hits my eyes. 

I surprise myself when I get up and move closer to the figure. My eyes adjust to see her. It's the human servant. 

What's she doing here? Does she garden as well? I know she's supposed to take care of the Prince and I, like Bruce wanted. 

She takes a seat by another tree, oblivious to my approach.

"Hey," I say, noticing Bruce's favourite sweat pants in her hands.

Finally looking up to see me she stands in haste. "Your highness."

"Please sit down." I sit first to ease things up and she does the same. "What are you doing here?"

"I..." She doesn't finish. Hurt is written all over her pale face. The warmth in her eyes permits me to speak further. "What's your name?"

"N- ninety eight."

I chuckle lightly. "No, I mean your real name. The one your parents gave you." I don't know anything about her, or her parents, but I can tell she has been hurt and the damage is irreparable.

"It's...." She pauses, as though she doesn't want to say it to me. 

"Are you afraid of me? Or is it that stupid rule?" I try to at least make her loosen up. I know I said the rule is still a rule, but with the hate Bruce's body is emitting for this poor creature, she needs a friend.

"No, your highness..."

"Look at me." I say raising her chin up and feeling her smooth, warm skin. 

She is startled by my action as her weak eyes shift to mine, but she recovers almost immediately. 

I grin widely. "See, that wasn't so hard, was it?"

"No your-"

"Please, call me Rachel. Enough with so much formality." 

She looks away again. Wow, she is beautiful, undeniably beautiful, even with her weak eyes and pale face. 

"What are you doing with my brother's sweats?" I ask, not knowing how to create a possible reason in my head. 

"He told me to wash them and-" 

"Holy shit! What's this?” I cut her off, noticing her swollen cheek. How the hell did I miss the unmissable thing? “Who did this to you?"

It seems to be swelling by the second. 

"No... No one, I fell," she lies. There is no way in hell that this is a fall. Someone intentionally did this to her, but it could be anyone, no one likes the idea of having a human amongst us.

How heartless. It's bad.

"Look, I know most of the dinzel here want nothing to do with you but I think you need a friend."

{Marian}
Firstly, it's not that no one wants anything to do with me, it's that they want to hurt me badly. I see it in the way they look at me. I can't be safe here.. I can't be safe anywhere.