The dark cold room Elin was locked in made her feel small. Much smaller than she ever felt. It was a familiar room, one she was sent to on a regular basis during her childhood, but not the last 8 years or so.
The last time she slept in that room, she was only 12 and the reason for being locked there was that she refused to let her older half-sister loan her necklace. The one her mother left before being send away due to her sickness. The only thing which was reminiscent of the few happy moments in her life.
It was definitely worth it then for she kept her treasure and her hope for a better life. On day of her mother's departure, she was only a small child, but she gave her word to never give up hope.
First, she thought she could leave the mansion when she came of age, find her mother and live together. But as her 18th birthday passed by, nothing changed, and she was unable to take her leave. A prisoner in her own house. A servant to her own family. A low mistake in her father's eyes.
The duke of the west had always thought of himself a noble above others, a honourable and just man. His blow-by with a lowly, but attractive servant told a different story.
The only good part was that he did not send the maid away when she came heavy with his child. He even took and raised the child under his own roof. Not glad at the beautiful girl with blonde wavy hair and deep green eyes so like her mother's. Not even impressed by her learning skills at such a young age when the little one still aspired to please her father. But proud and arrogant in his own blood which he believed was superior.
Yet the blood that his daughter Elin inherited didn't stop him nor his wife from abusing the girl. In the beginning they were only taunting the two, mother and daughter. However, after remaining alone, she was often punished. Rarely beaten but locked away in the dark room she learnt to know so well.
Only a straw mattress in the corner which became too small now for her was in there. No pillow, but a mouldy blanket could be found on it. The smell almost made Elin puke. Instead of lying on it, she choosed to crouch on the dirty floor furthest away from the chamber pot which was thankfully cleaned daily by the maids.
There were no windows and no way to know the time. Elin counted the days depending on when she received her food. A meal meant a day. A meal was not enough to give her any energy and she spent most of her time in the same spot, dozing off.
The last time she was there, she promised herself to never make any more mistakes. To please the duke and duchess, as well as their offsprings. Their son was still a boy of 5 who couldn't be held responsible for his parents' deeds. Their daughter, on the other hand, was a nightmare always finding new ways to torture her half-sister.
Lately, her eyes were fixed on another prey: the crown prince of Stuehkie, Ludvig Sundqvist. Aurora Elsher waited for a proposal from the royal family, therefore she had to behave, not to stir up any strange rumours. That worked wonderfully for Elin who became free of the sweet love of her sister.
So, for the last few months everything looked fine and Elin thought that soon the time to leave would surely come. She was certain that time was near.
Two days ago, though, the duke announced her engagement to the duke of the east. According to tradition, a bride should be sent to one of the other dukes if any of them were unmarried. There were only two left at that time. One was a baby who was born not even a year ago.
The other was duke Wilhelm Burundi, the duke in the east, her now fiancé.
His fame went over the borders of the kingdom and even across the sea as the bloody knight. From the age of 16 he went to war after war fighting more enemies one can count, dirtying his hands with their blood. And when peace was achieved, 10 years passed by, and he returned to his land that needed its lord. First, he had to find a duchess.
Duke Burundi found his duchess in Elin Elsher. Except she did not agree and opposed this marriage, but her father didn't want to hear a word about the matter. So, he closed her daughter in that dark room as a way to shut her up.
Suddenly, the door was pushed open, letting the early sunlight into the room. In it stand the housekeeper.
"Come girl, your punishment ends as of now. The duke sent me to make you ready."
She took Elin by her arm and raised her from the dirty floor, pushing her outside. Her body protested, crying from every joint. She stumbled on her way in the maid's arms. The woman studied her in the light, her lips forming a thigh line on the face.
"We have to clean all this dirt off you. And feed your well. My God girl, you've got no meat on those bones."
Elin wondered whose fault was that as she only received a portion of cold soup a day during her punishment. She did not dare to express her thoughts, not ready to return to the dark room.
Instead, she let herself in the hands of the housekeeper and two other servants who came to assist. They bathed her in warm rose-scented water, much to Elin's surprise.
Later she received a meal worthily for a king. Hot potatoes with melted butter, salted meat and smoked fish were cramped on a plated bigger than her head. On another one there were grapes and cherries with whipped cream and a considerable portion of cake.
Elin stared at the food, her mouth salivating, begging her to dig in. But it didn't make any sense. Why would anyone feed her such luxurious food.
"Is this really for me?"
"Yes, my lady," one of the maids responded. "All the food was ordered for you by the duchess."
'My lady' was definitely not something often address to the younger daughter. It only increased her suspicion.
"What is the occasion?"
"No occasion, just that duke Burundi is scheduled to visit my lady later today."
Suddenly, the food looked tasteless.