Destiny

Chapter Eight - Dawn

"I don't understand, what exactly are you implying?" Dawn asked, narrowing her eyes. Her hands were clenched at her sides, hidden in the folds of her muddy-brown dress.

"I'm not implying, dear, I am stating a fact. You may complete your full day, after what I will pay you five coins for this month, and, due to Madame Fairen's absolute generosity, a bonus of two coins," the housekeeper countered, an annoying smile plastered on her face.

"I don't want your coins, you can feed them to the pigs. I want to know why you are doing this? I have worked here for two years and I have never displeased anyone with the result of my hard work, why must you do that now?" Dawn asked, maintaining her self-control.

Her eyes were wider than usual, but she refused to let tears develop, let alone form in the corner of her eyes. Soft palms hurt from the way her nails dug cruelly into them.

Why would they do that?

Dawn had just started to feel more comfortable with the number of coins she was making; she needed that work. Just a little bit more for her to save up in order to move to Wolfbourgh. Just a few more steps to reach where she had wanted to end up.

But was it really what she had wanted or what she told herself she had wanted?

She felt lost. Or maybe it was a side effect of losing her job.

But she enjoyed her work, and her genuine adoration of the gardens and orchards had passed onto the beautiful vegetables and fruits that she cultivated. The cook had said Dawn's vegetables were the finest and her special ragout had never been more delicious.

A sudden realisation smacked Dawn right in her face. She straightened her back.

"If this is truly Madame's wish, then I shall head back to my village," Dawn declared, relaxing her facial muscles. Her face hurt from the tension she had felt throughout the day while gardening, and the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks were long gone.

The housekeeper looked taken aback, her brows knit together in a unibrow. Dawn shot her a quick glance and untied her dirt-stained apron, discarding it on the wooden floor. Plastering a tight smile, she moved towards the backdoor entrance, but abruptly spun on her heels and strolled out of the servants' hall through the corridor, which led to the front door.

The girl suppressed the desire to stomp upstairs and wrap her hands around Matthew Fairen's throat. It was him, and she was assured that he took the dinner rejection too close to his heart. Dawn wondered if he actually had a heart or was there a stone instead.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she saw the end of the long, dark corridor and the light at the end of it, where the foyer was excessively lit by all the candlelights. She stopped dead and held her breath, so deep that her chest felt larger than usual. Her eyes followed after a hooded figure that passed by the doorframe towards the front door.

Dawn took a deep breath and waited for the door to shut. Floorboards creaked as she proceeded to scurry through the corridor and emerge out of the house. Spotting the figure in between the trees that lined behind the tall iron-forged gate, the girl jumped over the steps and moved through the front yard as gracefully as a cat. Her watchful eyes never left the stranger's back; she was determined to find out who they were since no one wanted to satisfy her curiosity.

The girl spilt onto the street, which was paved with flat stones to facilitate horse carriages for Mayor Fairen. She moved down, trailing after the figure down the street into the forest and trying to place her heeled boots softly on the echoing stones. The stranger walked smoothly and swiftly, his cloak billowing like a serpent in the chilling wind. It howled and blew from the direction of the forest, it whipped at Dawn's braided hair and pinched her cheeks, leaving crimson patches on her fair complexion.