The Truth

Chapter 7 - The Most Beautiful Day in a Woman's Life

The sun was high up in the sky when Cassandra woke up. She stretched out yawning in the soft bed where she was lying, then she opened her eyes and realised she is in yet another unfamiliar place.

Suddenly she remembered everything that she heard from Frederic about Meddard Zenon in the forest, and her nightmare. She instinctively reached between her legs, but she felt neither pain, nor anything else. She just realised that someone must've changed her clothes. There was no sign of the clothes of yesterday, she was wearing a comfy nightgown. She kicked off the duvet over herself and looked around in the bedroom. It was a small room, only featuring an ancient wardrobe, a standing mirror, a small table with a chair, and the bed she was sleeping in. The floor was ancient too, from wooden floorboards. And the walls and windows reminded her of a castle. In fact the whole place reminded her of a mediaeval castle. She stood up and stepped to the slim window. It was pretty high up and cold air seeped into the room through it. In the distance she saw huge lakes. Where am I? she asked herself. Her gaze wandered to her own hands. The ring she got from Frederic was removed from her finger. It made her sad. It seemed like they took +all her belongings with the bag he got from Vladimir. In her anger she'd gladly hit the wall, but then the door opened with a loud creak behind her. A young woman entered. When their eyes met she instantly looked away. She held a tray with bakery goods and a glass of juice. She put it down, then stepped to the bed, to lay down a dress, underwear and a towel. For a quick moment she glanced at Cassie then spoke calmly to her.

"There's a bathroom beyond that door." She muttered, then left through the other door.

"Wait!" Cassie called after her but she could hear the door being locked behind her. "Wonderful, another prison!" She exclaimed, then entered the bathroom. It was just a normal bathroom. Compared to the room it looked modern, and it had a bathtub, a toilet and a sink. Quite spartan. "At least no one tied me to a bed this time," she groaned.

* * *

She didn't even remember the day she arrived. She counted the meals for the first two days but as the young women, possibly the maids, brought her fruit and snacks between meals, she lost count quickly. Soon all of the fruits and snacks that could be kept there accumulated in a bowl on the table.

On that day, she didn't dress up. She sat utterly bored on the dusty old floor in her long nightgown, which was provided to her on the first night. She was wondering how long she'll have to wait and what will happen after.

She thought that her captor would marry her the they he had taken her, or at least tries to rape her, as the first one as soon as he gets there. The fact that it didn't happen that way surprised her.

She stared at the wall and picked on the skin next to her fingernails. In the past few days without having anything better to do she would do this a lot; leaving deep wounds on her fingers. It wasn't the first time in her life she did this but she thought she'd stop it for real so many times, she did not even remember how good it felt, and how badly it hurt afterwards. She did not care either way.

The door creaked behind her back again. Lunch, she thought. However, it wasn't a young woman she knew, who stepped in, but a middle aged woman who entered with a big smile on her face. She was shorter than her and a bit rounder, but it suited her.

"You woke up just now? Hurry up!" She rushed to Cassie and grabbed her hand. Rather enthusiastically than violently, she dragged her after herself: Out the door, through the mediaeval looking corridor; into another room, where there was another girl, standing next to a tub of steaming hot water with a sponge in her hand. Cassie thought her to be somewhat younger than herself, however she was twice as shy. She couldn't swear but she was almost sure she had seen her before. Maybe she was one of those who brought food for her. The older woman wasn't shy at all, she removed her nightgown and pushed her into the water. She hissed at first from the feeling of the hot water on her skin, but she quickly adapted to it. She lied down comfortably, still not understanding anything that's happening.