The young girl, of about eleven, not even on the brink of womanhood, stood before her lord, her back straight and her clear features focused and defiant, as she waited for her punishment. On the outside she showed no flicker of fear or shame, but in the inside emotions were flooding her. Lord Hakilja, ruler of Gajuifen House and its surrounding lands, regarded his newest servant with a weary expression. This was the third time this month. Again, the girl had unknowingly done something - flung the cook against the ceiling this time - but he knew from experience when she was questioned, she would reply saying she didn't know how she had done it.
Privately he thought the girl was lying, or at most making up fanciful stories she convinced the staff to act upon, but this was the first time anything had happened to a staff member. This was different from wreaking a room, or causing furniture to float. This was harm inflicted on a person and not to be taken lightly.
Put how were the other servants swearing blind that the girl had done something, when before they dismissed the others as fanciful stories? Perhaps because the cook was well-loved and no one in their right mind would try and do something to her.
Lord Hakiljia sighed. His own man-servant had told him himself, that the cook had taken the young girl under her wing and she would have had no reason to harm her. He stroked his chin thoughtfully. Perhaps the best thing would be to interigate the girl. And if that didn't work, maybe sending her away would be best - the staff wouldn't easily forgive or forget this little incident.
"Kestrae," he said solemnly. "The members of staff report you have inflicted harm on a member of my staff, a workmate of yours, the cook. This is the accusation brought against you and the reason you are here. Is what they say true?"
She looked at him for an instant,and he inwardly shivered as he caught the full force of those strange eyes, those silver eyes the colour of frozen ice. No one would ever want the full force of those eyes. No one sane. Finally she said emotionlessly, "Yes. It is true."
Hakiljia stared at her openly, as did most of the other accusers. Did she just admit she had harmed the cook? Did she *want* a punsihment? He gaped at her. "I - I see," he said at last. "But - but why? How did you do it?" he demanded, getting his bearings back at last.
She shrugged. "As I have told you before, I have no idea why these things happen." Her eyes held his gaze for another moment, before dropping to the floor.
Hakiljia gulped, as he forced the room to stop swirling and his stomach to settle. Finally, he said shakily, "I see. I will consider all that has been told to me, and I will... you will come to my chambers later, when I will decide your puncishment." He blinked. "You are dismissed, all of you."
His advisors and staff gaped amazed at him. It was unlike him to juts dismiss a person and he *always* did a punishment in fron tof other witnesses. But they knew, just as well as he did that normality did not center around the young girl, Kestrae.
Hakiljia sighed and shaking his head went to his study. He needed to write a letter to a friend - an accquintance more like - and have it delievered as soon as possible.
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Kestrae sighed as the maid loaded cleaning appliances into her arms, while skillfully avoiding her eyes. "You will clean both the dining room and the hall, and when Lakila comes to inspect them, I'll expect them to be both sparkling. Off with you."
Kes trotted off, sighing. It wasn't her fault, she had thrown the cook into the air by glaring at her by accident. It had supposed to have been *her* she had been glaring at. Instead the cook had come into her line of vision at the last moment, unfortunately for her.
It wasn't her fault things kept happening to her, things that were unnatural and shouldn't be happening. It wasn't her fault, it never was, no matter how many times she insisted. They never believed her, no one ever did.
And now the cook was mad at her, and refused to speak or look at her, scared of her more than anything else. That hurt. The cook had been her only friend for the month she'd been here. It had bene her who had taken her and explained the rules of this place, while the maids and other servants gossiped about her and the fact she was in service so young.
Well that was my parents doing wasn't it? she thought bitterly, as she made her way upwards towards the dining hall. Couldn't cope with their strange daughter could they, with her peculiar habits and the strange things that happneed around her. So they took the easiest way out, didn't they, by putting me into service.
Usually girls and boys weren't put to service until they turned sixteen. Kes had been in it since she was ten. But in the last year she had been serving more than six different lords. Lord Hakiljia Gajuifen was her seventh lord. And from the sounds of things she would soon be meeting her eighth.
It wasn't fair, she thought savagely, as she dusted the huge curtains. It wasn't fair that her life was turning out like this. That she had no friends, and all people did was avoid her, gossip or jeer at her. It wasn't fair! She growled slightly under her breath, and yelped as the glass windows gently shook. She quickly calmed down, and as she did, the glass settled again.
Why did I get these damn powers?! she snarled silently, as she pounded the curtains viciously. They aren't useful, they only succeed in getting ,e in trouble and shifted to a new lord. In fact only two months and a half has been my longest time serving in *any* lord's house. Why can't things ever be simple?
She felt the tears well up, and quickly growled. I will not cry! I will not show weakness! I will not prove this is getting to me. I will not!
But how could she, when she was stuck with these.. things for life, and she was always in the receiving end?
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Kes stood before Lord Hakiljia, unknowingly wringing her hands together, as she stared at the ground. She hated being punished, even if they were her actions, half the time she didn't deserve the punishment. She never did. But they never listened and she always got it anyway.
Hakiljia looked at her and felt twinge of pity. Poor girl. She didn't deserve any of this, not at such a young age. He took in the pale skin, the thiness, the lank silvery hair. Poor girl. But Graegore was a fair lord, he knew that, even if he didn't know the man personally. He would treat her well.
"Relax girl," he said mildly. "I'm not going to beat you or anything such." He blinked to avoid panicking when he saw the obvious relief in the girl's pose. Apparently other lords hadn't been so kind. What has this girl gone through? he wondered.
"But, I do think it would be best for us all, that I send you to a new lord. The staff will not grant you ready forgiveness and I dare say they will ever forget what you have done." When she gave no immediate reaction, he continued. "I have sent a leter to Lord Graegore of Hellina. I do think he will take you. I will send you to him, once I receive a reply. Is that all right?"
Kes looked up at him and he shifted uncomfortably as he saw the strangeness of her eyes. Then suddenly, a smile spread across her face as she said softly, "Yes. I will like that very much." She curtsied. "Thank you my lord."
He nodded. "You are dismissed," he said curtly. He watched her as she turned and hurried from the room. Three hours later, he was till sitting there, staring at the door thoughtfully.
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Lord Graegore of Hellina, sighed as he gazed out of the windows, in his study. Normally he loved Hellina, and all that came with her, but lately he had found there was something missing. Something he couldn't identify.
His golden eyes flickered over the lands that were his, by right and by law, and for the first time, they did not give him pleasure. What was missing, what was missing in his life?
He received the answer, shortly afterward, as a servant knocked and opened the door. "A letter for you lordship," he said, bowing.
"Put it there," Graegore said, without turning around. As soon as he heard the door close, he turned and walked to his desk. Picking up the letter, he slit it open and swiftly read the letter. Frowning, he read it again, more slower this time. Finally he read it a third time, and by this time his eyebrows were furrowed together, and a slight frown marred his lips.
Then he sat down, grabbing a quill and a sheet of paper. He would take the girl, it would be considered rude not to, especially if Hakiljia was having such trouble with her.
Graegore tapped the quill against his lips slightly. Flung a cook into the air... extraordinary really. He finished the reply and sighed his name with a florish.
If it was just a girl, why was his heart thumping so hard, and why did he feel this was the missing part?
