Verum

two.

two

evelyn 

I woke to something wet brushing against my bare back. My thoughts immediately flew to the giant wolf with a deadly set of incisors and I jerked to full consciousness, ready to defend myself.

A hand clutched my shoulder securely, pushing me back into place. "It is alright, Miss. You can relax. You are no longer in danger," a woman murmured to me.

I blinked at my surroundings, disoriented. Nothing about this place was familiar. Nor was the lady currently washing my back.

But the cool metal locking my wrists in place was. "Where am I?" I asked. "I... I can't see very well."

"Does your human form need glasses, dear? I can have them ordered within the hour if you know the prescription," she claimed, pushing my hair over my shoulder so she could reach my skin beneath it. "You are at the palace. Poor thing, brought in covered in mud and stuck in your unnatural form. That pack is sick and twisted. Why they haven't disposed of them yet is a mystery to me."

"Y-you mean, the massive wo-"

"The King brought you here, yes. He took quite an admiration for you. I heard you tried to attack him. That is so brave. Lord knows none of us here would try."

I tugged at my arms in annoyance. Locked by one pack just to be imprisoned by another. "The King did not want you escaping."

"Where else would I go?" I grumbled. "My pack killed me."

I gasped as cold water was poured over my head, my fists clenching. "You would find a place, I'm sure." Apparently the cold water was the finishing touch to the bath, because I heard her drain the tub before a warm, dry towel was wrapped around me, tucked perfectly so it would stay up on its own while the cuffs were released from their secure place on the side of the tub.

"You will be attending the Royal Lunch today. So we must get you ready for that. But first..." the woman finally came around so I could see her, holding out her arm to shake. "My name is Malia, but most everyone calls me Ma. I'm the head maid and server here. It is nice to meet you, Miss Evelyn."

My cheeks flushed. "How do you know my name?"

"The King told me."

How did the King know, I wondered. And what's more, why did the King want me to attend a Royal meal?

Ma was a short and stout woman in her forties. She was barren and so was never married, but enjoyed her job here very much. Unlike the stereotypical view of servants and maids, she too lived luxuriously. The castle treated the workers well.

"Normally, formal attire is rare. But during a meal with the King, it is required. This dress is the only one in your size that we've received so far, so I hope you're alright with it."