Days of the Forbidden

Chapter 8

We reached the castle, and it was at this point that the king threw me out of the carriage and onto the ground. I landed hard, a pain jolting from my arms. I was yanked back upwards, and I saw as the small amount of bread I had left came tumbling out of my pocket.

"What is this?" the king asked angrily.

He requested that one of the guards pick it up, and when one did, he reported that it was a small portion of bread.

"Stealing? I knew you were up to something, servant. How dare you go against royalty. You are really going to pay now."

I became petrified, but the guards pulled me so acrimoniously that I was forced to move very quickly. I was already in great pain from the violent treatment given to me by the guards, and now I was not looking forward to the whipping. Of course, I wasn't looking forward to it before, but I'm especially nervous now.

They dragged me into the throne room, ordering the few servants doing their daily cleaning to exit the area. They forced me down to my knees and ordered me to look upon my ultimate master, and king. I did so, sure to oblige to every order. His face was stone cold, an enraged look struck across his face.

"Quit your crying. You will only make more of a mess for your fellow servants to clean up."

I didn't even realize I was crying at this point, but then I felt as tears streamed down my face. I tried to slow them by thinking about random things. I struggled to think about other things to keep my mind off of what was to come. It failed, however, and I continued to cry.

"Bring me my whip!" the king ordered.

The guards obeyed, bringing forth the thickest of whips.

"Perfect," the king said with a smile. "Now remove your shirt, servant."

I did as he asked, and then bent forward in the required position that the king favored. I covered the back of my head with my hands, gripping my hair tightly. I squeezed my eyes shut as I heard the king raise the whip. Crack! He brought it down once, twice, then I lost track. He enjoyed it too much because soon the only thing I could feel was the blood dripping down my back and the tears down my face. He whipped me again, and this time I cried out. Loudly.

He grabbed a handful of my hair, despite my hands being there, and pulled me upwards.

"You keep your mouth shut, you hear?"

I nodded to the best of my ability, afraid what he would do if I continued to make noise. He threw me to the ground, and then pulled his whip upwards once more. I strained all of my muscles, the pain finally coming to me once more. It was agonizing, and I silently begged him to stop.

"Father? What is going on?"

I opened my eyes but refused to relax. The voice was Clyde's, there was no doubt about it. All that was to come next was whether or not he would protect me, or lie to keep himself safe. I wished not to put him in danger, but I truly hoped that he would save me from this misery.

"Ah, Clyde. Come over here closer."

I heard as his footsteps slowly approached.

"I thought you were to be away for awhile?"

"It ended earlier than I expected, which is a good thing. I caught your servant out and about on the streets."

"What has Melvin done to deserve this?"

"I caught him with bread that he stole. Plus, he was on the poorest side of town."

"W-what was he doing there?"

"Probably stealing. Did you perhaps send him out today, my son?"

"N-no, sir. I did not."

I could tell that Clyde was hesitant to say this, but I understood. I now only worried what more the king had in store for me.

"Your servant must be punished then. You are his owner."

"It looks as though you punished him enough, if I may say-"

"You may not," the king interrupted. "Take the whip, and show him who is in charge."

"But father-"

"Take it!" the king screamed.

I heard as Clyde slid the whip out from his father's hands, and into his own. The king moved away from his stance, and then took the time to make sure Clyde was in position. I heard as his father brought his son's arm up the correct way, and then it was silent. I could almost hear the struggle that Clyde was faced with. I wanted to cry, but I suppressed and choked sobs down.

"Father-" I heard Clyde say with a whine.

"Do it now!"

Clyde raised the whip once more and then brought it down with little force. The crack of the whip didn't hurt as bad as the king's, and for this I was thankful.

"Put your whole weight into it, son! Make him really pay for it!" I heard the king say with enjoyment.

Clyde raised the whip again and struck with more force. The king ordered him to strike harder, and harder with each blow. This was even more painful because the inconsistency was overpowering. More of my warm blood began to pour from my back, making small pools on the marble flooring. I became dizzy as I no longer heard the king ordering Clyde. He took it upon himself to really strike hard, and he certainly made me pay.

"What in the world is going on here?" I heard the sweet, familiar voice of the queen.

I immediately felt her presence wash over me, and I allowed myself to collapse on the floor. I breathed heavily, allowing soft, pain-filled moans to escape with each breath.

"This servant was caught in the town without being ordered to go. Not only that, my queen, but he was caught with stolen bread."

"How do you know this bread was stolen?" the queen asked. "Did you catch him in the act?"

"No, but nonetheless, he was where he was not to be."

"Or was he, my king?"

"My lady?"

"I told him to go wander our lovely town in which our castle resides. I should have told you sooner, and it seems poor Melvin has paid for a crime he did not commit."

She walked closer, and I could tell that she took the whip into her own hands. I opened my eyes and saw a glimpse of her as she gently touched her son's cheek. She handed the whip to a guard, who then put it away.

"Let him go clean up," the queen ordered. "I apologize, Melvin. Please go to the nurse."

I nodded as I slowly picked myself up. With a hunched over back, I made my way to the nurse's station. Hopefully, the damage was not as bad as it seemed.