Impaler

Ease

Angelina had never felt so miserable; Minah was worse than anticipated. The noblewoman was rude, spoiled, and terrible-tempered. She made many demands from her ladies-in-waiting but went after Angelina the most. Angelina was given the worst duties, such as cleaning after her many pets, which consisted of ten dogs, fifteen birds, and two horses. Whenever a mistake was made, the consequence was being beaten with a rod.

She wanted to fight back, but nothing could be done since Minah was Vlad's wife. It was night, and Minah was being prepared to go to bed. She wore a beautiful white nightgown; her pregnant belly was noticeable. Angelina watched as Sorina undone Minah's braids; Minah looked at Angelina through the mirror. "You have made many mistakes working for me; I shall tell my husband."

"Go ahead, you damn wench! I would rather be put to prison than work for another instant!" Angelina thought to herself. However, she couldn't break character, or else she would get another beating. "As you wish, my Lady."

The noblewoman slowly turned to face her and noticed that Angelina had her hands together while looking down at the ground. "You will not beg for mercy, servant? My husband will not be pleased to hear that a servant hasn't been up to standard."

"No, my Lady. I know I have not met your standards, and I do not want to cause you even more disappointment. I will accept my fate, even death."

The ladies-in-waiting glanced at her. Sorina was shocked at what her new friend said but couldn't help but admire her courage. Minah bit her lower lip, but she wasn't able to break her spirit. "Very well, if that is what you want, expect your punishment tomorrow. Leave."

The young woman bowed and left the room. While out and far from view, Angelina lay by the wall but flinched when she felt a sting from her scars. She knew that Minah was angered, but Angelina couldn't help but feel a sense of pride for not lowering so low as to beg. "Angelina," said a feminine voice.

Angelina let out a quiet-like squeal. "Oh, Ioana. S-Sorry, I did not see you. I-"

"The Voivode wishes to speak with you in his study; follow me."

Neither woman said anything to the other; Angelina felt her heart beating rapidly. "Ioana probably told him how poorly I was doing!"

Ioana stopped and slowly turned to her. "I have witnessed your many mistakes throughout the day, and I had to speak to the Voivode since he ordered me to keep an eye on you and to report to him."

"I understand, Ioana. I need to prepare whatever is coming to me."

The older woman sighed as she crossed her arms. "If you expect a grueling punishment, rest assured that it will not happen. You see, our Voivode knew that this was going to happen." This surprised the young woman, who felt at ease; her legs quivered momentarily. "I know Lady Minah is troublesome to work for; I heard what was said before finding you. I do not know if you are plain brave or reckless. Lady Minah loves to inflict pain on women she views as threats."

"She views me as a threat? Why? I don't want to bring harm to anyone."

Ioana cleared her throat. "Come on along. We mustn't let our Voivode wait any longer." The women arrived at the top level of the castle, where they stood before the door. "Once finished with your meeting, rest at the servant's quarters; I will tell Sorina to help you with your bath. Ioana left Angelina alone.

Angelina took a deep breath and tried to regain her composure. She knocked on the door. "Enter." She slowly opened the door and peeked inside. Vlad was writing before his desk. He didn't look up as Angelina entered his study. She closed the door and slowly approached him but stopped midway, leaving a distance between them. "I heard what happened; how was it?" Vlad asked while chuckling.

This made Angelina feel annoyed, making her squeeze her hands together. "I think you know. If I have to be honest, you have a sick sense of humor." This made Vlad stop writing as he slowly looked at her. She felt her skin crawl as his beautiful blue eyes made her uneasy. "S-Sorry if I offended you, but y-you gave indications that you knew how your wife was going to treat me; you even think it is funny."

Vlad laughed humorlessly while standing from his seat and slowly approaching her. He stood before her; Angelina felt his hot breaths on her head. Never in her life has she felt intimidated by such a man. His laughs stopped; his smile died down. "Whether or not I knew, you should hold your tongue, woman. I have no hesitation in silencing a woman if they speak such words to me."

"I-I know and s-sorry about that. It's just that...I have never done something like this before. I also have never been treated like this." Vlad's stare never dissipated; he noticed slight blood on the back of her dress. Vlad knew that his wife had beaten her. "I wanted to let you know that your wife might tell you of my failings. Please know that I tried my best to do what was asked of me." 

The Voivode eventually returned to his seat; it was noticed that he took out her bag and then her phone. "The reason I called you here is for you to show me more of how this thing works. I have been hearing the same song repeatedly, but it got tiresome. Also, a noise has been coming from it." He motioned to come forward while motioning out the phone. 

"He called for me just to show him more of my phone? Unbelievable!" The young woman got the phone and realized that the battery was low. "The battery is dying because of the constant usage. I need to charge it; I have a wireless charger that might last longer. I need to get it out of my backpack." She motioned out her hand, but Vlad didn't hand her the bag. "I won't do anything rash; I don't have anything that will put you at risk. If the phone is not charged, then it will no longer work. You do want to know more of this, don't you?" Eventually, Vlad handed her her backpack, and Angelina opened one of the front pockets, got out her charger, and plugged it into her phone. "You need to let it charged until it gets to a hundred percent."

"Show me more of this, woman."

"There is no internet connection here. Internet is when data is sent from certain towers; it's complicated. However, there are game apps that you can play. Let me show you." Angelina showed him angry birds and how to play. She couldn't help but notice how intrigued he looked. "Now you try." Vlad did as he observed, and at the beginning, he was doing poorly, but with his determination and pride, he got the hang of it. Angelina watched quietly and couldn't help but notice that his once tense body fell at ease. "C-Can I leave? It seems that you are enjoying yourself."

Vlad stopped playing and gave her his attention. "Yes, and worry not for my wife. Her pregnancy is affecting her mind. You will still work for her. Now you may go." Angelina merely nodded as she walked out of his study, and as she closed the door, she couldn't help but hear the sounds of the game and his chuckles.

"Now, this might work." She went to the servant quarters, thinking about how her phone and Vlad's curiosity about her life might help her survive.