Serenity (The Child Catcher/OC)

Chapter 8

"How long has it been?"

"Five hours, at least."

"I'd say seven."

"I bet nine."

"Has she even eaten?"

"Hasn't left since the catcher brought her here."

"It's one thing to do your job. It's another when it's an obsession."

"You would know all about that, now, wouldn't you?" The group of women gasped and stepped away from the door they huddled in front of. Reuben made his way towards them with an irritated expression. "I wonder what his excellency would think if I were to tell him you all were harassing his new seamstress." Comically, the women all glanced at each other with fearful expressions before speeding off.

He smirked rather proudly and turned to the door, carefully opening in to prevent any disturbance. There Mary sat at a desk, hunched over a barely made dress she was working on. Eyebrows knit together as she focused, she hummed as she worked, not taking notice of the man just yet. It was quite obvious to him that she was in her true element. She was relaxed, comfortable. Dare he say at peace. It was a pleasant sight to him, especially after all she had been through in the recent weeks.

She stopped when she heard the door close lightly and turned towards it, eyes lighting up when she saw him.

"Reuben!"

"So sorry, it appears you were being eavesdropped." He spoke in a slightly agitated tone as he made his way over to her.

"Eavesdropped? By whom?"

"The other seamstresses." He rolled his eyes. "No matter, I got rid of them."

"Oh..." Her eyes downcasted in realization. "Well, thank you." She offered a smile before returning to her work.

"I must say, you work rather quickly."

"It's amazing what one can accomplish when left undisturbed." Silence followed, and only then did she realize how what she said sounded and looked up at Reuben with wide eyes. "I - I'm sorry, that's not what I meant at all."

"I know, dear." Mary sighed in relief and returned to what was in front of her. Then she felt her face warm at the new nickname. "Though, you do need rest every so often." He spoke as if he was talking down to a child, looking at her with a knowing expression.

"I'm fine, Reuben."

"You haven't eaten since you've been in here for who-knows-how-long, so I find that hard to believe." Mary avoided his gaze guiltily. "As far as I'm concerned, you haven't eaten since I brought you to the castle which, at this point, would be two days."

"I'm sorry..." Mary spoke softly. "I just got excited." Reuben sighed and removed what she held in her hands.

"Understandably so." He patted her shoulder to get her to stand up. "It's time I showed you the kitchen."

Mary's head spun with all the twists and turns it took to get to the said kitchen. The castle was large, yes, but walking through it felt like a maze more than anything. If all goes well, she wasn't sure how long it would take her to memorize what led to where.

The kitchen itself was large, naturally. Everything was pristine, clean as can be. Multiple stoves lined one side of the walls, the most she had seen in one spot probably. Men and women scrambled about, however in an organized manner. It seemed they had a routine that worked for the lot and it took her by surprise. Then she remembered where she was.

"Kochin!" Reuben raised over the chaos that was the kitchen. A short, plump man began speeding in their direction, exasperated.

"Yes, sir?" He asked hurriedly as he wiped a rag over his forehead, whipping it back over his shoulder.