Five months had passed since the day Sir Alfonso had protected Julia from the ill treatment she received from the head maid; many things had happened in that short period of time, some for the better and some for the worse.
Just as he had said, King Raphael returned to his sister's room to receive the answer of his choice. For Elena, that decision was the most difficult to make in her short life as a princess. Putting Julia's well-being above all else, the weight of her choice led to the doom of ten souls in one fell swoop.
The servants of the dukedom of Valera who worked on the family estate, between men and women, were persecuted throughout the kingdom until they were taken prisoner along with their families.
Taking them handcuffed to a scaffold that was set up in the middle of the main square of the capital, the crowd cornered them with shouts and disjointed faces full of fury, as if they were the vilest criminals.
Before the eyes of their relatives who were at the front of the stage, one by one they went to the stocks with their hands tied behind their backs. The executioner sharpened his heavy axe, while his assistants passed the scissors over the hair of the women to uncover the nape of their necks.
Pleading as if waiting for an act of divine intervention, King Raphael was sitting on a throne while holding tightly to his sister's arm, squeezing firmly ordering her to keep her eyes on them; unless he wanted to, under penalty of sending Julia to share the same fate.
The heavy ax was raised over the first condemned, to the roll of drums as if it were a military execution. When the chords were finished, the executioner dropped his instrument with force, cutting off the head of an elderly man.
Don Federico, the main foreman who had control of the farm, saw reflected in his eyes for one last time the face of his grandchildren who were in the crowd. Silenced by the overwhelming sea of screams from the crowd, the little ones drowned their tears as they watched their grandfather being mercilessly executed.
Thus the parade of blood continued before Elena's eyes, who felt each death she witnessed was as if she were raising the ax and ending their lives. When the moment of the last sentence arrived, the blood had already impregnated the wooden planks of the scaffold, to the point that crimson threads slipped through the cracks in the boards.
"It seems to me that this person is too special for someone. Don't you think so, sister?" - Resting his face against the back of his hand as he reclined on the back of the throne, Rafael snapped his fingers, sending for one of his officers.
-"Bring my slave here at this very moment"
- "Raphael, don't you dare!"
"Just keep quiet and keep watching. It's the only thing you should do, if you know it suits you" - With a calm tone of voice, as if he was bored waiting for something to entertain him, Rafael did not take his eyes off the condemned woman who remained waiting on the gallows.
A few minutes after the soldier had left in the direction of the castle, the sound of a galloping horse echoed its hooves on the cobblestones of the square. With his face bandaged and his hands tied; Julia was being carried by the officer who, as soon as she arrived, lowered her from the horse, being careful not to hit her.
The bustle of the crowd that was heard like the echo of a mighty river, hit the ears of the young woman, who clumsily walked barefoot through the rocks staggering because of the bandage on her eyes.
"Put her on her knees and hold her hands against the ground" - Obediently, the guard did as his master ordered him, placing Julia against the floor of the dais in the direction of the scaffold.
Approaching slowly while holding a dagger in his hand, Rafael leaned down to Julia's face and whispered something strange to the slave in her ear.
"This present that is before your eyes, is from your dear friend Elena" - Passing the edge of the knife over the bandage, the fabric fell to the ground letting the light hit Julia's eyes making her see everything blurry.
As her vision cleared, the harrowing scene in front of her hit her so hard that she couldn't stop crying loudly. The blood that had pooled on the scaffold reflected the sunlight, while, on straw baskets, the heads of the servants with whom he lived for much of his life, lay inert with lost expressions.
When she was able to recover her senses from the shock of that massacre, Julia looked at the old woman who was waiting for her head to be cut off as well.
"Nana? Nana Mireya? – After her mother, a woman had been present in Julia's life as if she were another member of her family. As if she were her real grandmother, Mrs. Mireya took care of the young lady from birth. Spending much of her childhood taking care of her when the lady of the Valera house was convalescing.
"I'll give you a chance. Until the drum roll ends, you can choose to lose a part of your body to save her. If it is to my liking, I will tell the executioner to release her" – Throwing the dagger against the rope that held Julia's wrists, they broke freeing her from her bonds.
The temptation to take that dagger and plunge it into Rafael's heart was too much, to take revenge on the man who had killed her family, was a unique opportunity that presented itself to her. But seeing Mireya brutally subjected to the neck on the stocks, made the young woman desist from that impulse, who took the dagger with her hands and thought that it would be the best to satisfy the sadistic monarch.
The drums began to roll in anticipation of the execution signal, causing Julia's heart to pound to the point of collapsing with anxiety. Trying to make a decision that would be useful, he remembered Rafael's words when he took the vow of knighthood.
Bringing her hands up to her face, the slave pointed the dagger and without further delay, furiously pierced her right eye causing her to fall to the floor screaming in agony.
The crowd, which until recently had been cheering euphorically at the execution, fell silent as the young woman writhed in pain with that dagger embedded in her face.
"Enough! Stop the execution." – Raising his arm in the direction of the gallows, Rafael leaned quickly to one side of Julia's body, trying to hold her to prevent her head from continuing to hit the ground and prevent the blood from flowing faster.
Taking her in his arms, he ordered his guards to bring the royal carriage as soon as possible, while his assistant gave instructions to clear the way and prepare the palace doctors.
"Your look makes me sick, nothing would make me happier than tearing out your eyes myself" – The day the crown guards were taking the oath, Rafael had said these words leaning into Julia's ear. Those present, seeing him, confused that signal with the traditional kiss on the temple that tradition marked as proof of choosing a personal guard.
The prince during the years that followed from childhood, kept great suspicion against Andrés. Feeling uncomfortable since that day of the snowy sphere incident, unable to understand what was the origin of those mixed feelings he had experienced when looking into her eyes.
"Sir, the carriage is ready!" – Escaping from that trance in which he had been enraptured watching Julia's face, King Rafael walked with the maiden in his arms along the dais until he reached the small staircase. The crowd that could not believe what their eyes saw, could only be expectantly stunned at the volatile behavior of the monarch.
"Coming!" - Mounted in the carriage, Julia remained unconscious with cold sweat running down her skin. Rafael tried not to move the dagger from the eye socket, trying to prevent the young woman from bleeding to death. His hair was soaked with blood, and his white skin was dyed the crimson of life.
The single vulnerable image in which the slave could be seen on the king's lap, gave the appearance of a pious act. But the truth behind that gesture was none other than the curiosity that moved Rafael; why he had followed his order, taking even his life as something disposable.
The palace doctors when they examined Julia were horrified at the extent of the injury, having only seen something similar on battlefields, where hope of survival always hung in the hands of the scales of death.
Fighting for hours to stabilize the young woman, they could do little to save her eye, which had practically been crushed by the force with which the dagger pierced it.
That was how Julia remained unconscious for two weeks, being frequently visited by Elena, who came to stay by her side even at night, being upset more than once by her maids.
When the month ended, Julia had recovered the vitality of her body and was put to work that did not imply great physical effort for her. Taking care of carrying the baskets with dirty clothes, sewing or helping in the kitchen.
Those who came to observe her for a long time, saw a change in the countenance of her face. Beyond the loss of his right eye, his face reflected the essence of someone who has stopped fighting to live. Moving mechanically as if it were just an empty shell.
"Girl, take this bucket to the cistern and bring water to wash the dishes! Hurry up" – Dinora, the kitchen manager, was a woman with a pleasant character who rarely lost her composure. Always with her shoulders stiff from work, she sat from time to time at the kitchen table massaging them while she watched the pots boil on the stove.
Taking the bucket in both hands, Julia headed for the cistern near the stables. The shade of the trees cooled the warm air of the season, dropping small flower buds by the swaying of the wind. Giving impulse on the lever of the cistern pump, Julia lost herself looking in the direction of the tree where she had been rescued by Sir Alfonso. Who had already been out of the palace for several days, fulfilling a patrol mission on the eastern border.
"Where will your footsteps be guiding you now, Sir Alphonsus?" – Absorbed by the warmth of that thought, she did not notice that the water inside the bucket began to overflow.
"Big sister, you're spilling water!" – A shrill voice with an energetic tone woke up the distracted Julia, who, looking for the source of that sound, raised her eyes without being able to find someone.
Suddenly she felt a slight tug at the hem of her skirt, forcing her to lower her gaze to realize that it was a little girl, no more than six years old, who was pouting, puffing out her chubby cheeks a little.
Brown hair tied in two braids, with slightly thick eyebrows and honey-colored eyes that contrasted with somewhat long eyelashes. Margarita, a little girl who not long ago started working as a maid-in-training, served in the palace near the kitchen.
"A maiden must not waste her time daydreaming! It's what Miss Gertrudis always tells me" – Moving her hand with her index finger raised, bringing her left hand to her hip while repeating the head maid's gestures, her behavior made Julia laugh. Having time not to put a smile on her face, the innocence of that creature made Julia's broken heart feel relieved.
-"Oh I see! So you are very diligent in your duties as a maid?"
-"!Of course!"
-"So I suppose that basket with red fruits has collected them just to pass the time, right?"
-"The raspberries for the cake! My mom is going to scold me again!" – With her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, Margarita took the basket and ran towards the kitchen. Colliding on his way with a maid who came out with the basket of freshly washed sheets to hang.
"Well, I'd better get to work too" - Carrying the bucket with some difficulty, Julia felt a small sting under the bandage that covered the right side of her face. Remembering the doctor's instructions, I try to make less effort when carrying the bucket of water, so as not to open the wounds.
-"How many times have I told you that you should not run through the corridors of the palace!"
-"I, I'm sorry… mom!" – Listening behind the closed door of the kitchen, Julia realized that the girl she had met a few moments ago was being strongly reprimanded by the voice of an older woman.
Crossing the threshold of the door, Dinora showed a stern countenance as she leaned against the table as she called Margarita's attention. The little girl turned out to be the daughter of the maid in charge of the kitchen; despite being so small, Dinora was forced to introduce Margarita to the palace because the friend with whom she used to take care of her had recently married.
At first, Mrs. Gertrudis was reluctant to allow the girl to enter the palace to accompany her mother. But thanks to the intervention of Princess Elena, Margarita was able to stay with her mother, serving in small tasks that did not imply a major problem for her.
"Mom, it's her! It's the sister who was doing her job wrong and I had to admonish her! If I hadn't messed around with her, I…" – Taking a wooden spoon that was on the table, Dinora shook it against the girl's hip while raising the arch of her eyebrow.
"I've told you that you shouldn't point with your finger, it's disrespectful" - Feeling a small sting where she received the blow, Margarita rubbed her hands to the place while crying to hide behind Julia.
"Mom is bad! I behave well" – Snuggling firmly on Julia's hip, the girl sobbed with those expressive eyes looking for comfort in the person whom until a moment ago she had blamed for her tardiness.
"But what a hard face of yours. Isn't she the one you were blaming for your tardiness?" – Laughing at the situation, Dinora sat on the chair and signaled for her daughter to come to her. Still suspicious of her mother, she took small steps until she took her in her arms and stroked her head.
For the young slave, that emotional image reminded her of her late mother. To the point of being moved to tears, causing a little burning on the wounds where his eye should be.
"Come young lady, sit down and let's talk a little" - With a warm tone that bordered on the maternal, Dinora asked Julia to accompany the two while she finished making the afternoon meals.
Sitting at the table with Margarita, Dinora served a couple of plates with the leftover beef stew that had been served for the king's meal. Taking a piece of barley bread, he plunged it into that thick broth and taking the first bite, he felt the tears roll down his cheeks as he continued to hide, bringing the spoon to his mouth.
"Calm down sister! I have enough with my plate, you eat slowly" – Margarita did not understand that those tears came from a heart that was freeing itself from a great weight. Thanks to the kindness that both mother and daughter showed her regardless of her status as a slave, they made Julia see herself as a human being again. Someone who deserved to be happy even in the face of tragedy.
"Lady, when the duty shifts are over, come meet me here in the kitchen. I would like to talk to you calmly" – Kindly taking her by the hand, Dinora looked directly at Julia, who nodded silently as she finished taking bites of her food.
After sweeping the floor of the corridor leading to the main entrance of the palace, the slave gazed out the window at the sunset on the horizon. Hearing the town crier announce the time the servants were to finish their shifts, she hurried to the kitchen to meet Dinora.
Meanwhile, on the eastern border where the sunlight had already given way to night, the fires of the fires gathered Sir Alphonsus's knights to warm up food and have some warmth in the middle of the cold night.
The faces of the soldiers reflected the tiredness in the dark circles under their eyes, without having had a single night of good sleep in a bed, they camped under the sky without something to protect them from the inclement weather.
The eastern border abutted the kingdom of Tigris, a region surrounded by towering snow-capped mountains with little vegetation, reflecting the hostility of the tundra climate. The howls of the silver-tailed wolves kept the soldiers with one hand on the hilt of their swords, expecting to be attacked by those wild beasts as soon as they closed their eyelids a little.
Sitting apart from his men, Sir Alphonsus sipped some hot brown sugar liquor to warm his body, clutching a small locket as he thought of the woman who had given it to him.
"My lady, I pray to the goddess that he is out of all danger" - Gently kissing the jewel to keep it again under the breastplate of his armor, Sir Alfonso was alerted by the creak of fallen branches in the thick darkness.
Rushing violently against the silhouette that was a few steps away from him, he drew his dagger and was only a few seconds away from piercing the throat of a man who could barely utter a word due to exhaustion.
When the moonlight lit up his face a little, Sir Alfonso realized that it was Archibald. An officer who performed infiltration functions between the border of the kingdom of Tigris and Antioca.
"My lord, it nearly made my heart stop with fright!"
-"Stop wasting time and give me a report on the situation" – Keeping his dagger in its sheath, Sir Alfonso sat down to listen to his informant. Who brought unfavorable news for the kingdom of Antioca.
-"As the report of our spies in the palace of Tigris told us, King Archimedes has begun to form a regular army despite the peace agreements he had signed with King Edward. It seems that he does not trust the new king, considering him an immature and arrogant young man.
-"Certainly not wrong"
-"Sir Alfonso! What he has said can be considered treason! Don't say it out loud" – The informant looked around hoping that none of the men on the expedition had heard the lieutenant. Feeling a lump in his throat loosen, he continued his report to Sir Alfonso. Who maintained a sober posture when listening to every word from that man's lips.
"Mrs. Dinora, I'm here" - Holding an oil lamp, Julia entered through the kitchen door observing how the place was immaculate with all its belongings in order. During the day, the kitchen was a bustling space that was filled with all kinds of aromas and servants who moved from one place to another to attend to the orders of the royal family and guests.
But at night, even the sound of a pin hitting the ground was easily audible to Cook's keen ears.
"Thank you for coming young lady. Please take a seat. I'll serve you some hot milk with honey" – Taking a small pot that was still warm on the stove, Dinora poured the drink into an earthenware cup that she extended into Julia's hands. Who, thanking the gesture, took a sip of that nectar that delighted his palate.
"In this kingdom slaves are seen as nothing more than simple objects. Even many of us as commoners forget that nobles are no different in how they treat us. We can have houses, marry whoever we want or have the children we want. But at the end of the day, if a noble decides so, all that becomes nothing" – With her head bowed without looking up from her cup, Dinora talked to Julia as if she had a heavy heart; as if a secret was trying to get out, looking for someone to trust.
"I had a younger sister, her name was Angela. She was so young and beautiful with her honey colored eyes, her smile captivated any man who saw her. She had so many suitors that she became jealous of her at times.
She lived in the province of Asores, she went to live there when she married a boy who was an apprentice blacksmith. My parents were against that marriage, but young people are impulsive. And they do a lot of crazy things for love" – With her eyes clouded with tears and a melancholy smile sketched on her face, Dinora continued telling Julia that memory of her life.
When that young couple brought their first child into the world, Angela's husband was going through a rough patch with his newly formed blacksmith shop. With the low demand for jobs, income was so meager that she could barely cover the daily needs of the small family. Being forced to ask for a loan from a moneylender who was a lender for a nobleman, who, seeing that the blacksmith could not pay the high interest on the requested loan, proceeded to take him and his family as slaves.
Both he and his wife, and even the little two-year-old girl, received the mark of slavery on their arms making them the property of the nobleman who duped them.
Seeing Angela's beauty, that noble fabricated evidence of a crime framing her husband. Provoking thereby that he was sentenced to be beheaded, since, for slaves, the least of the crimes was the greatest offense that deserved death.
With tricks, under the promise of sparing her husband's life, that man took Angela as a concubine. Threatening her to serve him as much as she wanted, if she wanted her husband and daughter to stay alive.
But that vile man, far from keeping his word, gave free rein to his depravities with the unfortunate woman for a month. Time in which she never knew that the same night she agreed to enter her bed, her husband had been executed in the property's stables.
"The maids said that when she left the mansion, her eyes were dead! She walked naked to where her husband's body was hanging, while the dogs continued to devour him. Seeing her those beasts threw themselves at Angela and her, she did not resist. He let himself be killed by the dogs" – Bringing her hands to her face, Dinora cried softly trying not to wake up Margarita, who was asleep in the small room off the kitchen.
Taking Julia by the hand, Dinora asked her to accompany her to the room to see the girl. Lifting one of her sleeves revealing the mark that horrified Julia to the point of almost dragging her to the grave.
"Margarita is the daughter of my sister Angela. A maiden friend of mine who worked on Count Solera's estate helped me bring her to the capital. When that bastard ordered her to throw her to the dogs, my friend wrapped her in a blanket and threw a little pig for them to devour.
Thanks to her, my little niece was able to survive and I have passed her off as my daughter. I pretended to have a daughter out of wedlock to allow her to live free. How weird is that word? Free! It is a mere dream, with the mark on his arm, being free is something that can never be while he is alive" – Dinora exclaimed bitterly, cursing the sky for such a cruel fate to which she had thrown such an innocent creature.
Turning to Julia while squeezing her hand tightly, Dinora pleaded with her to keep an eye on her niece at all times so she wouldn't expose her identity as a slave.
The maiden knew of Julia's noble spirit, who took part of her sight to save a commoner from execution. He felt that in her, he had found someone he could trust with his niece's life, someone who could understand the horrors of being a slave in that kingdom without judging him.
Looking at the innocent and defenseless Margarita sleeping in bed hugging a rag doll stuffed with sawdust, she thought to herself that this girl was the opportunity to redeem herself from guilt for not having protected her servants, who were executed by the Raphael's tyrant
"I promise you! I will protect her" – Making a solemn vow in front of the maid, Julia left the kitchen to go to her room to sleep. That night when she rested her head on the pillow, the young woman could not fall asleep at the revelation of such a horrendous crime orchestrated by Solera.