"All of that was real?" I asked myself for a moment before getting up off of my wooden bed. I got up and headed towards the barn. "Maybe I am just still dreaming." I tried to tell myself but the growling of my stomach told me otherwise. "So this is really all real. The magic and this young person I have become, are actually reality?" Again my stomach growled bringing me back to my newly discovered reality. When was the last time I had eaten?
"Not Asha!" Penny's voice cut me from my own thoughts. "You didn't eat yesterday right? You didn't pick up your meals I brought them for you."
Instantly she had become my favorite person. She handed me three small loaves of rye bread. We walked to the barn together as I stuffed my face with the most amazing stale bread.
"Dang you were hungry weren't you Not Asha?" Penny asked rhetorically.
"You can just call me Asha now." I mumbled between bites.
"Ahh finally come around have we? Does that mean you remember everything now?" Penny asked.
"No... I just, this doesn't seem like something I can wake up from anymore." I tried to answer; but saying that, this is how it always was, didn't seem right either. I had no memories as Asha, I didn't even know what she... I, looked like until I saw my reflection.
Penny could see how difficult it was to explain; so she decided to drop further questions.
"Okay, well for future reference you get two loaves a day, pick em' up at mine and Hilda's shed. There is also a barrel behind your shed for drinking water." Penny told me. I smiled a bit, everything was still new, but I knew they were only going to get easier. After all I had already managed to wake up before even having to see the master, and I got bread.
We got to the chickens and began doing our chores; Penny talking to all of the birds, and me cleaning everything by tracing the odd symbols that I was growing comfortable with.
"Hey Penny, why don't we have emblems like these at the pond or in our huts?" I asked, as I began tracing Still on a cow's hawk, thus starting the milking process.
Penny leaned on the cow, and pretended that she was talking to it, rather than me, her face turned towards the cow's head. "Little good it would do us, none of us can read or write, and you are the only person with the magic touch. Only reason you can even use your power here is because those symbols were already in the barn when the master's grandfather bought the place." She said while waggling her fingers at me, teasing about the magic I somehow cast with my fingers.
I chuckled, my gaze was focused only on the task at hand "What? But I can read them." I looked at her then back to the cow "I can't imagine writing them would be too difficult" I said that confidently, but in all honesty had no idea if there was skill needed to make the symbol.
I traced pulled my chaffing hands back from the cows teats, blowing on them trying to ease the soreness. My discomfort didn't seem to bother Penny though.
Penny's eyes widened and her eyebrows raised "What? Since when could you read and write?" she asked, quickly forgetting about her pretend conversation with the cow. Amazement and disbelief were written all over her face.
"Uh since yesterday I guess. Since I can't remember anything before that." I stood up with a bucket full of milk and pointed to the brand on the cow. "See here, that says 'Still'". I stood up and pointed to the symbol I was about to trace. Her curiousity was not sated with my short response in the least.
Penny trailed after me, firing questions like a machine gun: How could I read? Could I do math too? How do you spell Penny? I smiled as I answered, but inwardly groaned. I had milked twelve cows, and still Penny followed me asking more questions still. I was politely answering her seemingly endless barage of questions, but in all honestly wanted nothing more than for her to shut up.
"Penny, have you spoken to a single cow?" Hilda asked Penny as she marched towards us. A full bucket of milk in each hand.
"No" Penny answered looking down, though her attitude went straight back to excited as she tried to give Hilda her excuse. "but the cows never talk about much, and Asha she can..." Penny started.
"I don't care what Asha CAN do as long as she does her work like she has been doing. Now shoo. I am sure there is a heifer in need of a consulation around here somewhere." Hilda told Penny. Penny gave a frusterated sigh, but did cooperate.
"Thanks Hilda." I said, hoping that this would be the begining of a friendship with this prickly woman.
"Just keep working, and don't fill your mind with useless fantasies." She said as she turned to walk to the metal canisters that held all of milk that we had gathered.
I rolled my eyes and kept on. Penny had disappeared at some point, and I assumed she had made her way to Duchess. I finished my last cow, and headed towards the unicorn's stall. Though halfway through I spotted Penny pressed against a wall with the young master standing in front of her.
"You know you are almost pretty. You can stay that way if you help me get with that slave that is actually pretty, not to mention she absolutely loves me. Of course someone will have to distract mother, that is where you would come in." The teenage boy said, intentionally sounding threatening. Today he seemed to be more than just a cocky teenager, he sounded almost scary.
Penny once again had her gaze towards the ground and her fists balled. I could tell she was a strong willed woman, who would openly speak her mind, but even she had restrictions on what she could say to the young master.
"I am afraid I can't do such things young master." She said respectfully through gritted teeth. This was as rebellious as she was willing to go.
"No actually, you can do anything I tell you to. I could embarrass you or hurt you with no consequence. Hell, if I wanted you to strip right now; you would have to obey. Actually let's see what you look like undernea..." the boy started to threaten her again. Though this time he had gone too far. If Penny wouldn't step in I most certainly would.
"Step away from her you little prick!" I yelled, instantly regretting it.
"Oh what's this, I thought you were still out in the field. Did you get jealous? Don't worry I am not attracted to this one." He said as if this was completely normal, "Though I can't say I will stand being insulted by a slave." With a smile on his face he walked over to me and slapped me across the face. I could instantly see stars. My face was still so tender, just being flicked yesterday was excruciating, but this was so much worse. I couldn't be weak though, I knew he would do worse if I kept on. My vision was blurred through tears, but I did what I would have done in my past life. I swung and punched him as hard as I could. This seemed to stun him enough to let us make a getaway. I grabbed Penny's wrist and we bolted out of the barn through the field and finally stopped by the pond.
"Are you okay?" I asked Penny.
"Am I okay?! You are the one who just got hit. Even worse, you hit the young master! What were you even thinking?!" Penny yelled, she had tears streaming down her face.
"Duh I was thinking I couldn't let my only friend get humiliated or worse, by some teenage psychopath with a superiority complex. And I won't just let someone hit me, I always hit back." I told her. I wasn't sure why, but I suddenly felt dread deep within me.
"You have no idea what you did wrong do you?" she asked.
"I didn't do anything wrong he started it." I said proudly, though unsure.
"Who are master and madam going to believe is in the wrong: their son who can do no wrong, or a slave? You will get a beating for sure, maybe worse." She said, the last two words spoken in only a whisper.
That is when it really hit me. That man from yesterday was terrifying, and the only thing I had done wrong was sleep in. How would he react to me hitting his kid? That is when that small amount of dread turned into a full-blown panic. My face went white. I knew I couldn't risk adding more fuel to his anger than I already had, I needed to finish my chores...now. Once again I grabbed Penny's arm; this time running to Duchess so I could finish my chores, and hopefully lessen my punishment, or at the very least, not make it worse.
Penny filled Duchess in on what just happened, so she would understand why we were late again. This time though Duchess wasn't angry, instead she was just happy to hear gossip, or so Penny told me. I traced all of the symbols in the stall summoning two dehydrated apples again, to compensate for us being late. I worked in a daze, the only thought in my head was my impending beating. With every breath my anxiety grew, and suddenly I found myself wishing I had more chores; if only just to put off my punishment a little longer. Just thinking about my future sent a chill down my spine.
Instead of going to the pond after work, I walked to my shed where I knew my beating would happen. I figured better to get it done with, putting it off would only drive me mad. I sat in there, and waited for the pain that would walk through the door soon. Penny assured me that they wouldn't kill me because I had been expensive; but that brought me no comfort. The only thought in my head was that he would just make me wish I was dead. I had read so many books in my past life, where prisoners or villains wished for death after being punished. Was that going to be me? I now found myself wishing I had gone to the pond as time went on.
Soon I heard footsteps coming towards my shed. The sound of gravel crunching under someones feet had never felt this ominous. Then my door flew open, hitting the back of the wall where it swung.
To my utter surprise and bewilderment, the master didn't come in. Instead a middle aged woman that was about my height tromped in, the young master a few steps behind her.
"You dare hit my son?!" the woman said, her frizzy black hair seeming to get bigger, reminding me of an angry cat. If only for a moment I believed that this woman would be more gentle with me than the master had been.
Before I could really assess what was going on; a leather belt hit my face. I dropped to the ground holding my cheek. Though that proved to be a mistake as it put my abdomen at kicking height. Her boot slammed into me, causing pain to explode through my stomach. I hit him... I hit him, and this is what happens. I cried out, my body not knowing what else to do.
"Don't whine you brought this upon yourself!" the woman yelled, as she continued to kick me. Each kick seemingly set on hitting the same bruise.
This was how I met the madam. I looked towards the young master, who was standing behind her. He had a bruised cheek and an evil grin. That kid wasn't just a jerk, there was something evil about him, something I didn't want to find out about. I now knew why Hilda was so adamant about praising him yesterday.
A kick to my head caused the room around me to fade in and out. My ears were ringing, but before I passed out I still managed to hear one thing.
"No food or water for two days!" Followed by my door slamming.
And just like that everything dissapeared.