Captive

*TW- Rape, pedophilia, assualt, minor.*

Mila -

“Mila!”

I wake with a jolt at the anger in Annabelle’s voice.

I look around my dank, stone room in a mild daze for a moment and try to gather my bearings.

“What are you doing?! Get up!” She snaps from my doorway, tray of food in hand and dressed immaculately as usual. Not even a singal hair out of place.

“S-sorry.” I stutter and leap from the harsh metal cot and rummage for my cleanest smock and begin to pull it on my naked body. She scoff’s displeased at the sight before heading off to arrange the table upstairs and get it ready for breakfast.

I sigh and drop to the floor to the broken mirror shard that leans in the corner of my room as I start pulling up my hair using it’s crackled reflection.

There was no point in trying to defend myself as to why I had over slept. It was no excuse, I should have been up regardless of my late night visitor from the night before.

They never believed me anyway… or they just didn’t care which was a more plausible reason.

Fastening the last pin in my hair I sigh and take a closer look at the fresh split in my lip and prod at the fresh lump gently. The last one had only just healed. I shake my head and hold back the tears that threaten to break free. I reach for the pinafore on the hook and wince at the pain in my ribs, cursing under my breath as I clutch a hand over the bruise I know is there.

Taking more caution this time, I carefully slip it over my head and fasten it around my waist before sliding into my woven daps.

I was surprised they’d lasted this long actually, considering I made them myself using an old hessian potato sack. They weren’t waterproof and offered very little protection but they kept a barrier between my feet and the cold stone floor so it was still something.

I can hear the hustle from the kitchen and quickly dash out of my door and down the cold, open corridor.

“You’re late.” The head matron state’s acidly.

“Sorry.” I mumble and she snorts before pointing to the giant stack of unpeeled potatoes.

“Get to it.” She spits and I nod, dashing to my corner of the kitchen and grabbing the knife to begin peeling.

This was my place. I stayed down here, all day, everyday with my rank. The staff was split into two. One half were the ones who worked above us in the palace. They were the maids and butler’s, cleaners and wait staff. They were the chosen few who actually knew what it looked like within those immaculate walls. They got to be around the royal family and take care of all their needs. They also had a separate wing of the palace that was, even for a servants standards, much better condition than the ones below. If I’m honest, I doubted they even knew the rest of us existed down here or they just didn’t care.

We were the other half. We worked tirelessly, day in, day out. We made the food mostly but also handled the deliveries and washed the clothes, bedding and pretty much any other nasty chore we were asked to do. We were the lowest rank of servant’s, not to be seen and not to be heard. That was the way the King and Queen demanded it.

We had rooms but most of us shared them and they were nothing but 4 thick, damp stone walls and a small metal cot for a bed. I was the only one who was alone in my room. My old roommate had been sold to serve another household a couple of years ago and that was when it all started.

The King and Queen had five sons. Five! But I’d only met one… a horrible fate indeed.

Xade had come down to collect one of the garments that a maid had taken from him by mistake one day while I was in the kitchen at the time, doing as I was now, when he stormed in burning with rage.

*flashback*

“Narla!” He bellowed into the empty kitchen and I flinched, almost slicing my hand open when the knife slipped. My eyes darted to the door to see him stood in it’s opening, shoulders heaving and fury flooding his face when his eyes landed on me. The only being in the room.

His brow creased a little as he looked around the room to see it empty. Looking back to me his shoulders relaxed a little as he growled under his breath.

I hadn’t met any of the other maids or servants but by the way he looked, I knew he wasn’t one of us. He was too clean, presented perfectly, even if he was bright red with anger.

“Where’s Narla.” He demanded and tried to avert his eyes.

“B-by the river s-sir.” I stuttered and shrank into myself as his eyes burned into me and he slowly stepped forward.

“Sir?” He questioned but I was confused. Wasn’t that what I was supposed to call a man above me? “Do you have no idea who I am?” He asked. Both annoyed and curious as he stopped before me.

I kept my head bowed down and shook it a little.

“N-no… sir.”

Snorting to himself a little he stood towering over me for a moment before grabbing my jaw painfully and yanking my face up to look at him. Turning my head side to side and looking over my angle’s, he frowned a little.

“How old are you?” He asked and I blushed nervously, his hand on me was terrifying, no one had grabbed me like this before and it was so big it could of covered my whole face and suffocated me.

“T-twelve. Sir.” I squeaked and he groaned a little while looking down over me once more.

“Birthday?” He asked and I tried not to let my fear show but I didn’t do a very good job.

“April.” I whispered and he hummed before pushing me away from him a little as I stumbled a step back.

Turning quickly he marched back to the door but paused and looked over his shoulder at me one last time. An emotion crossed his face that I didn’t understand but it wasn’t my place to ask. I couldn’t question a grown up. Turning back to my pile of potatoes I got back to work before Matron returned and when I looked back to the door, he was gone.

*present day*

I shiver with the memory and try to get back to the task at hand. My life hadn’t been the same since that day, 4 years ago.

Nothing happened at the beginning, sometimes I’d wake in the middle of the night to see him sitting in the corner of my room. He never said a word, never made any move, even when he knew I’d woken and could see him. He’d just stare into my eyes as I laid there, naked and shivering against the cold metal frame.

I knew it wasn’t right, I was a child and I think he knew that too. The older I got, the more I could see it in my minds eye. The depravity that laid in his black, soulless eyes terrified me every single time I saw them.

I don’t know why he waited until my birthday but he did. Every night he had sat in the corner of my room until the night of my birthday. That was the night he decided to do more than just sit there.

*flashback*

I woke with a jolt, bathed in the light of a full moon as I looked out of the windowless porthole in the wall. Rolling on the hard metal cot, I tucked my body against myself, jumping once more to see Xade sat by the door.

“Happy birthday.” He murmured and took a deep drag of the lit cigarette between his lips. It looked unlike any other I had seen before as the ember glowed a bright purple that made me squint.

“Th-thank you.” I whispered back through chattering teeth. I hadn’t a clue how he knew the date of my birth but once again, I didn’t question him.

“Are you cold?” He whispered and I nodded as he stood from the small wooden stool that groaned under his immense size. Keeping the cigarette lit between his teeth he moved towards me and started to unbotton his shirt. For a brief moment, relief had flooded me that I was to be offered my first gesture of kindness.

I forced myself to sit up to face him as he stopped in front of me and lowered himself down to crouch by my feet. A small smile pulled at my lips but slipped the second he dropped his shirt onto the floor and no where near me

I looked over him, unable to comprehend that even in the darkness of the night you could still see his sheer size and thick masses of muscle.

He smirked when I did.

Reaching forward he took my hand away from where it was covering my body and pulled it forward to rest it flat on his chest.

“Warm isn’t it?” He whispered and I nodded. “Come here then, I’ll keep you warm.” He added.

It didn’t feel right but I was so cold.

Carefully, I shuffled forward a little closer to him as he reached for me and wrapped his huge hands around my waist, pulling me forward to straddle his lap and wrap me around him like a koala.

He groaned and stood to turn and sit himself on my cots edge as he held me close. His rough hands smoothed their warmth over my back and shoulders, then down over my thighs and across my backside, giving a small squeeze as he did.

It didn’t feel right but he was so warm and I was so desperate for it that I clung to him without question, even when his hand had moved from my cheeks and slipped between them, probing around my delicate areas.

I wanted to move but somehow couldn’t as my limbs became heavy and I sagged against him while he snickered to himself.

“Mmm you’re so fucking small.” He groaned when his fingers pressed against me.

“N-no…” I slurred as he hushed me quietly.

“Relax. It won’t hurt that much now.” He whispered before breaking through my barrier, taking what he wanted and leaving me crying on the cold stone floor… covered in smears of my own blood.

*present day.*

Now, once every fucking month, I was paid an unfortunate visit.

The older I got, the stronger I got to resisting the intoxicating smoke he’d bring to try and knock me out, which meant he had to use other, more violent matters that usually ended with me getting a backhand to the face like last night or a punch to the stomach to stop me from fighting.

Admittedly, it was getting harder to fight him. The bigger he got, the more malnourished I had become and I was barely able to throw even a slap anymore.

“Mila!” Matron snaps and I jump a mile as I turn to look at her and she’s glaring between me and the pile of potatoes I’ve barely made a dent in. “Get a move on! What is wrong with you today?!” She barks beside my face before going back to storming around the kitchen, preparing the rest of the royal’s breakfast.

I don’t bother apologising and force myself to focus on the tast at hand and push my memories to the back of my mind.