The Perfect Kingdom

Chapter 4

She slept fitfully. Nightmares came and went. Flashes of orange and red punctuated the darkness of sleep. Cries and screams assaulted her brain, but the words were forgotten as suddenly as they came. She felt her legs jerk wildly as she shot upwards and sat on the foreign bed with tears flowing freely from her eyes. She hurriedly wiped them away as her eyes darted around the room.

It hurt. Everything was real. The killing, the humiliation, and the auction – everything did happen. She hugged her knees to her chest as fresh tears flowed uncontrollably and painful sobs shook her entire body. Even though her life didn't end up as dire as she expected it to be, the past was still traumatic and unchangeable. Her family was dead, their home was destroyed, and she was alone.

There was a knock on the door and she panicked, seizing the blanket and pulling it up to her chin. Was it another kidnapping? Was Shane and Gwen lying to her the whole time?

"Jessica? Are you awake? It's me, Gwen."

She remained silent. It must be trap. It had to be! Why would anyone, a lord especially, be this kind to her now that she was a slave? He must be expecting something from her in return.

Another knock came and she fought the urge to scream at Gwen to go away.

"Jessica, I know what you're going through. I know you must be feeling so scared right now. Can you let me in? I think I can help you feel better."

She forced herself to remember all the good things that Shane and Gwen had done for her. The coins in her pocket rattled as she relaxed her grip on the blanket and moved to stand up. She straightened the clean tunic that covered her body as she slowly walked to the door and opened it, revealing Gwen wearing a look of concern that she changed to a warm smile.

"I'm sorry, Gwen," Jessica said, apologising for making her wait, outside her own room no less.

"Nothing to be sorry about," Gwen brightly said. Jessica stepped back and allowed Gwen to enter. Gwen sat down on the bed and Jessica joined her.

"I feel like I should introduce myself. I come from a long line of blacksmiths," Gwen began.

As Jessica did previously, Gwen hugged her knees to her chest, making the tough young lady seem like a vulnerable girl as she continued speaking.

"For as long as our lineage, we've always had male firstborns and the profession was handed down to them. Then I showed up. I was the first female firstborn. It threw the whole family into disarray. Can you believe it? Grown men were panicking because a girl was born."

Gwen laughed, but Jessica knew she didn't find it amusing.

"My grandfather then urged my father to make another child, and so my mother conceived my first younger brother – I eventually had two younger brothers and one younger sister. But things weren't fixed yet," Gwen continued. "My grandfather kept pressuring my father over the passing of the profession. He insisted my younger brother should be the successor, because the family name would be lost when I got married. But my father simply said that he didn't mind teaching me as well and giving me a chance to prove myself."

A tear rolled down Gwen's cheek at the mention of her father. Jessica, having taken care of her siblings, knew what to do and pulled Gwen into a warm hug.

"My brother, under the influence of my grandfather, believed that he was the true successor as well and became lazy. I worked hard with my father every day at the forge while my brother worked only when he wanted to and made poor-quality pieces. We had a competition once to see who was better. I forged an intricate battle-axe while he forged a sword with the secret help of our grandfather. They judged me as having talent that was hampered by my femininity to make beautiful weapons that were unnecessary. They deemed him superior because his metalwork was better due to the help he received."