Bound by Fate

Chapter 11

Sara squealed, her back arching back in pain and discomfort as the strings on her corset were yanked even tighter by the maids.

"S-stop!" She gasped as the laces suddenly got too tight for her.

The maids however, as usual, ignored her, pulling the laces tighter than they usually did.

"It hurts!" She shouted pulling.

Her body was roughly grabbed and she was pushed back and winced in pain.

"Hold still girl!" She was ordered with a slap to her face, the impact of which sent her crashing into a wall and falling to the ground.

The doors immediately burst open and two men were in an instant at her side.

"Milady are you okay?" One of them asked her, gently sitting her up.

"Who dared to slap the Lady," the other guard said growling like a wild and dangerous wolf in defence of his future queen and the maids stepped back not uttering a word.

"Answer me women or you will all be arrested for treason!" He shouted demanding answers.

"If none of you shall speak I shall have to get the King in here," the guard threatened again.

The maids trembled in fear at the mention of the man that Sara had repeatedly defied.

"S-stop. I'm sure there is no need to involve him," she said.

"Milady, this is the proper protocol. He has welcomed here and taken you as his charge and responsibility and therefore should harm befall you it is taken as an act against him, an act against him being an act against not only him but also our kingdom, and that can't be seen as anything less than treason," the guard helping her explained leading her to her bed and lying her down.

"It was a slap. It hurts a bit but this is not necessary!"

"We'll see what the King has to say about that since no one is owning up and thereby are conspiring with the traitor," the other guard declared sneering at the maids as he walked out of the room to fetch the King.

The maids talked quietly in soft whispers amongst themselves and Sara stayed quiet in the bed. She didn't want them to get hurt it was only a slap and she understood they were probably just angry that she was being treated like some sort of rich person when she was not even part of their society and didn't want to be there.

She knew whatever he was going to do was going to be harsh. He treated her like a possession and had once or twice hurt her and he claimed to be trying to be nice. She wondered if that was his nice then what was his not so nice.

Sara didn't need to dwell on her internal questions for very long since it had not been even five minutes before the doors flew open and an angry king was storming into her chambers looking as enraged and terrifying as an angry king could be.

He made his way to Sara first and she let out a small and scared squeak as his hands touched her throbbing cheek.

He turned his head to glare at the maids.

"Who injured what is mine and why did no one help her when she was injured?!" He growled loudly, his dominance over everyone being as clear as a bright and sunny day.

A trembling woman stepped forward, unable to lie or hide from her king's commands.

"You will be executed for treason and the rest of you will be punished with twenty lashes, resistance will only increase the punishment. Guards take them to the dungeons and issue the date of the execution for tomorrow at midday, the lashings as well," he ordered.

"No! Stop!" Sara screamed sitting up and trying to get up to stop the guards.

"This is their punishment not yours, do not interfere," the King said speaking with a tone of authority.

"No. The death penalty is illegal a-and even if it isn't here- that's someone's life! Someone's life for a little slap. Please don't do this. P-please. I'll do whatever you want. I-I'll be a good little f-female for you. That's what you said you wanted me to be. Please- I'll behave and I'll cooperate," she said forcing the words out of her mouth with tears in her eyes.

"As tempting as your offer is, I do not accept sacrifices in these situations. There are rules and there are consequences for those who break the rules. Not even you can change my mind," he said.

"P-please don't let this happen. I was only asking them to stop pulling my corset too tight. I-I must have annoyed them. Please don't-"

"I see nothing wrong with your waist. It has no need to be pulled any tighter than what it is. Turn around, I'll finish dressing you since those maids are so incompetent," he said.

She turned around and his fingers began to work on her laces and he tied them and helped her into a dress ignoring her when she asked to do it herself.

"Now rest, we have time before dining," he said and she gently lay in the bed.

His hand stroked her head as her eyes softly closed and she fell asleep in her canopy bed.

"You have such a beautiful heart my love, it's a shame how it makes you plead for the unjustly," he whispered in the sleeping girl's ear.

His hand continued to softly stroke her hair in longing for the maiden that ought to have been his.

He found some fun in her innocence and naivete. He could kiss her and call her "love" and yet she could not grasp the entirety of his affections towards her.

She was his beloved and fated woman. He knew that was a concept that she would be unable to come to by assumptions with her being blind to everything. It had not been too long since they had met and she had spent most of her time cooped up in her chamber, she had not had a lot of time to notice his love or that they were Lycans. He secretly wanted her to be curious, he wanted her to want to find out more about what he was and even about himself.