The question reminded Danika of her burning scalp. Impulsively, her hand went up
to her hair. It also reminded her of the things she’d said to the mistress and her cheeks
turned red. She couldn’t believe that she’d spoken to her in that way.
“Oh, Sally.” She exhaled in defeat. The mistress would just tell the king about it,
and she’d be punished for it.
“What happened?” Sally asked worriedly.
“The mistress almost scalped me, so I yanked her hand away from my hair and
said some things to her. Not mean things,” she added. “Just things a slave should
never say to a mistress.”
Sally thought about that, and her brow knitted in worry. She didn’t want anything
to happen to her princess, but then again, that Wicked Witch of the West was just
too… wicked.
“Don’t worry about it, Sally. We’ll cross that bridge later.” She went right ahead,
reassuring Sally when she saw the worry.
Sally nodded. She even smiled. “Don’t mind that mistress. I don’t know why she
hates you so much that she almost whipped you to death. Even the king never did
that!”
“I wonder too.”
Sally smiled. “Let’s go wash clothes, my princess, before they come to call us.”
“Remeta will be awake by the time we’re done. Then we will go to the library.
You, Sally, need to continue your education,” Danika said with a smile.
Sally pouted. “Reading and writing is wasted on me, my princess. You’ve been
trying to teach me for ages, but I can’t learn.”
“One thing about life is that we don’t ever give up, Sally. I want you to know how
to do these things. You’re just not a slave to me, Sally. You’ve never been.”
Sally’s cheeks flushed red, and she threw her arms around her princess’s middle. “I
love you so much, my princess.”
Danika massaged her head lovingly. “You know I love you too.”
“Oh, my princess. I really hope the time will come when you’ll stop suffering like
a slave. My princess doesn’t deserve this life. My princess doesn’t deserve this filthy
life at all-a life where everybody can just beat her, order her around, and drag her by
the hair whenever they want.” Her voice cracked and tears filled her eyes as she
continued. “Once upon a time, none of them would have been able to look my
princess in the eyes. To walk on the same ground she walked on, let alone put their
filthy hands on her. It hurts me, my princess! It hurts me so much!”
Danika kept stroking her head as Sally’s tears soaked her clothing, covering her
left breast.
“Please, stop crying, Sally. That’s all in the past now. Let’s not look behind. Let’s
keep looking forward. Who knows?” She smiled in reassurance. “My future might get
bright like the king, like his people’s future suddenly got bright five years ago.”
.
.
Sally pulled away from Danika and wiped her tears. “You’re right, my princess.
You’re right.”
Danika helped her wipe her tears. She kept smiling at Sally until Sally gave her a
watery grin. “That’s more like it.” Danika encouraged, still smiling, “Let’s look on
the bright side. We live in the royal quarters now. Away from noises and troubles. We
have a bigger bed and a bigger room. We have a beautiful rug and exquisite cottons
on the window. With a little work on this bedroom, we might be able to get it to look
like my former bedroom in Mombana.”
Sally brightened instantly. “Oh, yes! I like that thought, my princess! Just leave
that one to me! I’ll make this room look like that.” She grinned and whirled around
excitedly. “Ahh, the day is suddenly looking so bright, my princess!”
Danika’s smile turned to a full-blown grin. “The only person brightening up the
day is you, Sally.”
As she walked to the bathroom, Danika was still happy. She was happy about a lot
of things: the king talking to her, embracing her, sleeping in her arms. She was happy
about having a friend like Sally. And now, Remeta had joined her family, and she was
happy too.
It didn’t matter what the future held. What mattered was that she had a small
family that loved her. She would do everything within her power to help Remeta get
better.
She just wished that there was a way she could help the king, too.
As Danika took Remeta and Sally out of the palace, the people resumed looking at
them in that strange, uncomprehending way.
Sally skidded her way in front of them, smiling happily and greeting everyone.
They returned her greeting with the same enthusiasm.
Danika was holding Remeta’s hand, while the girl pressed close to her, afraid of
the crowd of people as they passed. After staying indoors for so long, she wasn’t used
to them at all, especially the way they looked at her.
They had just cut through another route when a small child suddenly ran headfirst
into Danika. The child pulled back and looked up at Danika. He looked to be five
years old and was dirty from head to toe from playing. From his tattered clothes,
Danika knew he was the child of a lowborn family. Danika stared at the spot where
the child bumped into her, and he saw the dirt on her white gown.
“I’m so sorry! So sorry!” The boy bowed repeatedly, obviously scared that she’d
punish him.
She recognized the mother of the child as the woman suddenly started running
close to them. She snatched her child and pulled the baby protectively behind her
back. The woman knew who Danika was, and she also knew that even though she was
now a slave, she was still a king’s slave. She could easily get the king to punish her
baby.
“Don’t hurt my son, please. He didn’t see you or he would have never run into
you!” the woman pleaded, even as she gazed at Danika loathingly.
Although she was now a slave, Danika still stood proudly, like the princess she
used to be. She held her shoulders back, her nose was in the air. Her stance screams
royalty in capital letters, the woman thought miserably. Also, she is the late King
Cone’s daughter, and she would never have mercy. Just the thought of it almost made
the woman want to tear up and start crying.
It surprised the woman when Danika touched her shoulder soothingly. “It’s alright,
ma’am. There is no harm done.” She even gave her a little smile before she walked
past the woman and started down the road in her usual elegant steps.
The woman’s mouth hung open with disbelief. Hers and almost thirty other
women.