The rustling of leaves and singing of birds could be heard drifting through the cool air. Opening my eyes, I was momentarily blinded by a beam of sunlight streaming in through a small open window. A gentle breeze caused me to shiver as goosebumps broke out on my skin.

Confused, I looked around the small, empty, white room. It was the size of a prison cell. With my blurry vision, I could make out the small open window located high up high on the wall, like those found in basements. It was to the left of where the twin, metal-framed bed I lay on was pushed into the corner. A small oak desk with a wooden stool was located under the window. It doubled as a side table as it was pushed up against the bed. There was an oak dresser that matched the desk against the left wall and a door located on the wall opposite the window.

I shook my head that felt like it was filled with cotton. Reaching out my arm, I blindly patted the desk in search of my glasses. My movements felt strained and sluggish like I was trying to move my arm through maple syrup. When my fingers came in contact with the cool plastic frame I was searching for, a lazy smile formed on my lips.

I couldn't remember the last time I smiled.

Putting them on brought the bare, empty room into focus, as well as the white bandages covering my arm as I moved to put it back down. Patches of brown identified where blood had seeped through and dried. That was going to hurt when it came time to remove them.

I pushed up against the stiff mattress to sit up. That was when I felt the first twinge of pain shoot through my side and chest. Slightly panting, I leaned against the painted concrete wall behind me once I was able to sit up. My whole body felt heavy and weighed down. Whatever drugs were in my system made everything seem like a hazy dream, but I was glad for that because it kept me from waking up in pure agony.

I look down at my bandaged arms. I was wearing a large, white, cotton shirt that I didn't recall ever seeing in my limited wardrobe before. It was too clean, new, and big to be mine. It went down to mid-thigh. I was only wearing a pair of underwear underneath it. What happened to my bra? I always wore one, it added a layer of protection against his assaults. Not that it helped much.

I looked back around the room and furrowed my brows in confusion. I didn't recognize it. Did he decide to move me? Usually, when I woke up covered in injuries, it was on the floor in the same place where I lost consciousness and I definitely wasn't cleaned up and bandaged. I had to do that myself before starting on my chores.

I gasped. Chores!

My eyes darted towards the window. The sun made it clear that I was far beyond a little late.

I pushed the thin, scratchy blanket off my legs and discovered they too were bandaged. I probably looked like a mummy.

Swinging my legs over the side of the bed, I sat up with a groan. Taking a deep breath, I gripped the corner of the desk and the edge of the mattress to support myself as I got to my feet. It took a few tries but I managed to stand on the cold concrete floor. A thin layer of sweat covered my forehead and my bare legs shook from the exertion.

Pants. I needed pants. I looked over towards the dresser. All I needed to do was take two or three steps to reach it. I could do this. Letting go of the desk. I took a step forward. The moment I transferred the weight between my legs, my knee buckled. Panicking, I dropped my bodyweight forwards and grabbed the edge of the dresser as my knee hit the hard ground.

Hissing in pain, I strained to pull myself up. Wrapping an arm around my aching torso, I looked down. I grimaced at the sight of the lost layer of skin on my knee, one of only a few unbandaged areas on my leg. Taking a deep breath, I pushed the creeping pain that was resurfacing as the drugs wore off to the back of my mind. I didn't have time to wallow in pain. The longer I took to start my tasks, the worse his punishment for me would be. I didn't think I would be able to survive one in my current state.

The thought made me pause.

No. I shook my head. He wouldn't let me die. I've wished so many times that he would accidentally kill me, but he always knows when to stop.

I pulled open the top drawer in search of pants. Finding it empty, I tried opening the rest. Empty.

Releasing a groan, I stumbled back onto the bed. Fingering the hem of the shirt I wore, I sighed and braced myself for more movement. It was long enough to cover everything essential.

It took me longer than necessary to reach the door. It was only a few steps from the bed, but now as the drugs numbing my pain wore off, it was clear my body wasn't in any condition to move, let alone complete my never-ending list of tasks.

What did I do to end up with such a severe punishment this time? The last time I was this close to death was when I pushed his roaming hands away in front of his guests.

I opened the door to a dimly lit hallway. The temperature rose slightly as I stepped out of the room. Trailing a hand along to the wall for support, I limped in the direction that had a set of stairs leading up at the end.

Multiple doors lined the unfamiliar hallway. I ignored them as I looked down to keep from tripping over my unsteady, bare feet. They were most likely rooms similar to the one I woke up in. Living quarters for the servants. I'm surprised he would let me sleep here. Last time I asked if I could move into the servant's quarter instead of staying in the corner of his room he designated to me I was lashed until my skin split. I shuddered at the memory.

A sudden gasp drew my gaze. At the end of the hallway, a boy holding a stack of sheets was looking at me with his mouth hanging open and eyes wide.

"Lady Riar!" he exclaimed before rushing forward.

Lady?

I flinched back at his sudden approach, but he didn't seem to notice as he adjusted the sheets he held.

He hesitantly stopped a few steps away from me. Shifting his feet like he was nervous or scared, he kept his head bowed and eyes down. "W-what are you doing, my Lady? You should be resting."

I ran my eyes over his face which I could see even with his head lowered because he stood a head taller than me. He had a head of mousy brown hair, tanned skin, and his wiry body was on the slimmer side. His clothing was in far better condition than any I'd seen on a servant that wasn't working as a server before. He wore black trousers with black leather shoes and a white, collared, cotton shirt that matched the one I wore. He couldn't have been older than 16. I tried to remember if I had seen his face before, but was coming up with nothing. He had a lot of servants in his home and excluding the few who bullied me, most kept their distance. They didn't want to unwilling to draw his attention to themselves, not after what he did to Jack.

"I-" I paused to swallow and clear the fuzzy sensation from my mouth. "I was going to complete my tasks." My voice sounded hoarse.

"T-tasks?" He asked, nervously glancing at me. "W-what tasks, my lady? Lord Ezra did not inform me of any task assigned to you. He said to let you rest and to administer the tonic he provided me with every four hours. I was just coming to give you your next dose."

Lord Ezra? The name sounded familiar, but my mind was too muddled to place it. It was probably a friend of his. I shuddered. Was this Lord Ezra the cause of my current condition?

I tilted my head as I looked at the boy. He seemed different than the rest of the servants, his eyes weren't dulled by the same shadows. A small hope rose in my chest. Maybe we could be friends. He hadn't been hostile in any way yet nor was he avoiding me like the plague.

I smothered that thought. No, I couldn't put him in danger just because I was desperate for companionship. I wouldn't let him become another example like Jack.

"Kai!"

Flinching at the booming voice, I glanced behind the boy where I found an older man standing at the foot of the stairs. He was taller than the teenage boy in front of me. His dark eyes were filled with annoyance and his black hair was peppered with grey. The deeper tan and wrinkles on his face seemed to be a result of sun exposure. His body was bulky and tall and his crossed arms accentuated the muscles that lined his upper body. He wore similar clothing as the boy, who I was assuming was Kai since the man was looking right at him, except they fit his muscular body better and he had boots on his feet.

Kai turned to look at him. "Henry?"

"Tell me why I just wasted half an hour waiting for you to come for training when you're prancing around in' here?" Said the man, Henry. His voice held a slight irish accent, but there was something that seemed slightly off about it, like it had a hint of another combined with it.

Kai winced. "Sorry, I forgot to tell you that Lord Ezra assigned me a new task."

Releasing an annoyed sigh, Henry started walking down the hallway towards us. "I'll help you, lad," he said while shaking his head. His words said one thing, but his tone implied the opposite. "You need to train before your next trip to the market. Can't have those prissy shits thinking they can pick on members of our household because they be looking weak. I will make a man out of you, lad," he said clamping a hand on his shoulder as he reached us. Kai stumbled forward from the force.

Shifting his eyes from Kai, Henry stiffened as he caught sight of me. Kai and his stack of sheets had kept me hidden from his sight until now.

Clenching his jaw, he bowed his head. "Forgive me, m'lady. I failed to notice your presence sooner."

His words sounded strained like it hurt to speak them. The sternness in his voice earlier sounded like that of a father teaching his son, now it was replaced with forced respect and anger that was thinly veiled.

I tried to swallow past the lump of fear that started forming in my throat. The harsh features of his face along with his height and bulk would strike fear into anyone, including me. Henry was a scary man.

I took a nervous step back as he continued to hold his bowed position. It made me feel discomfort that was slowly morphing into fear as his body continued to tense further the longer he stood there. His jaw ticked and his fists tightened until his knuckles were white.

I took another small step back. "I-It's okay." My voice sounded small and I was afraid I'd have to repeat myself.

Like my words were some sort of signal, Henry lifted his head but kept his eyes lowered. I glanced at Kai and found him looking at me strangely. He diverted his eyes to the ground when they met mine.

"Please excuse us as we should finish our assigned tasks-"

"Actually," Kai nervously interrupted. "Lord Ezra tasked me with taking care of Lady Riar while she recovers."

Henry narrowed his eyes at Kai before looking towards me. His eyes slightly widened as he noticed the bandages wrapped around my limbs for the first time and how the wall I was leaning against was holding me up.

"Damanea," I said.

Kai glanced at me in confusion as Henry lifted an equally confused brow.

"Call me Damanea."

Kai's eyes widened comically before he bowed his head lower than before. "I-I wouldn't dare forget my place and do so, Lady Riar," he said, sounding panicked.

My brows drew together in confusion. Forget his place? If we're talking about places, he would hold a higher rank than me. He was a servant. He got paid, even if it was barely enough to live off of, and could leave if he so desired. I was a slave. I didn't own a cent to my name and had no free will. He worked for him, while I was owned by him- property.

I looked at Henry and found surprise on his face. It quickly turned into suspicion before he looked towards the ground again.

"Please, I insist. I'm definitely not a lady like your referring to me." I thought my words would have reassured him, but they just caused him to pale.

"You are married to the Lords, of course you are a Lady!" He said.

Married?

"No, I'm not..." Then it all can back to me.

The memories flashed through my head one after the other. The forest, abandoned building, five crazy men, strange city, the girls, silver eyes, forced marriage, punishments, and then the one that explained the current state of my body, jumping.

My heartbeat increased and I started to breathe heavily. No. I did not risk everything to escape from him only to become the property of five men instead of one. No. Panic began to set in.

"Lady Riar?" Kai asked hesitantly as he took a small step towards me.

Hearing the words felt like a hot poker being driven into my chest. "No," I gasped out with more force than I meant to. "I'm not married, I'm not a Lady!" I was beginning to hyperventilating. "I'm Damanea, call me Damanea!" The only thing keeping me on my feet at this point was the wall. I tired to mentally go through multiplication tables in my head, but I was spiraling too fast to focus.

A heavy hand landed on my shoulder. I flinched and tried to jerk away, but another hand grabbed my remaining shoulder and turned me until my back was flat against the wall.

Henry bent down until he was eye level with me. "Okay, Damanea, we won't call you that anymore," he said calmly while my breathing continued to increase. Black spots began to appear in my vision. Tears started to fill my eyes. Why couldn't I just be free? It's all I'd ever wanted.

Henry gently shook me, drawing my attention back to him. "Follow my lead, Damanea. Take a deep breath in," he said, demonstrating, "now out. In. Out."

I stared a hole through his chest as I tried to follow his instructions. Tears that I had been fighting to hold back started to stream down my face. Breathing became even more difficult as I couldn't help but hiccup every time I breathed in.

Henry didn't let go of me as I spiralled. He kept a firm grip on my shoulders, grounding me while making me breathe. After a few minutes, I was able to breathe along with him at his pace.

Once I calmed down enough, I looked into his eyes. "Thank you," I quietly said.

His eyes widened in shock, but he didn't break eye contact and look down like before. He simply gave me a small nod.

"Damn, I underestimated you, Princess. You move fast. Already working on getting husband number six before your bond marks have even healed fully, huh?"