Huff, huff, huff...
The servant runs as the sound of a slap rings through his ears. It has been years since he has seen a new face within the manor's walls. The newcomer kneels on the ground a bright red print on her skin. She cries silently on the ground, her previous cries of anguish silenced.
The girl is pulled to her feet and instructed to follow the servant.
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The servant matches her slow stride as they walk down the hall hand in hand. The child looks down as she grips her dirty dress, she looks wholly out of place in the manor full of gold and silver.
They reach the servant quarters and the maids take the girl to freshen her up. It was through them that I found out that she was to be the little master's playmate.
Days pass, not a word is uttered by the child. The servant watches over the girl, who comes back to the servants' quarters dirty every day. The girl clings to the servant, content with listening to what the boy tells her about his chores for the day. She still does not speak.
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The servant walks up the steps when he hears it, a voice, faint but there. But whose-, his thoughts stutter.
There the girl was once again kneeling on the ground, mouth screwed shut with tears streaking down her face. The young masters surround her pushing her around and whispering insults so it is only them who hears.
The servant runs forward, "Stop it."
The young masters stopped, frightened from the volume and surprised by the bystander. The servant then carries the crying girl back to the servants' quarters. She falls asleep on the way there.
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The servant now accompanies the child whenever she is summoned to the young master's side. He watches and chastises them the moment he sees the bullying starting up. The girl gets called less as the days pass and the lord of the manor notices.
Both the girl and the servant walk towards the lord's office, their audience was required. They stand infront of the desk as the lord speaks.
"It has come to my attention that the girl is no longer satisfying my son as his playmate."
"Therefore, she will be resold to the slave market perhaps we can sell her for a high price."
"No, sir. She will not be sold," the servant protests as he holds the girl behind him. He stands firm as the lord whirls around to stare at him, the height difference clear between the two.
"It is the young master who was unpleasant, he bullied her verbally almost everyday. If anything he should be punished not her."
"You dare to lie to me! If you find my son unpleasant then leave, see if you find a job elsewhere. Take the girl, too, I have no need for servants who do not please their masters."
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The girl and the servant walk the dirt path, passing trees in differing shades of orange and red. It's fall, the servant thinks as an orange leaf falls on the girls hair. She turns to him and gives a small smile. A surge of warmth resonates in his chest.
"Thank you," the girls utters, the very first words she has ever said to the boy.
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