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I peered around her shoulder. Perhaps Ms. Trapsbury didn’t understand the meaning of the word small. A toilet, grand porcelain bath, and sink filled the space, and yet there was plenty of room to move between all three. I’d straddled the toilet while washing my hands at Darryl’s place, so this was a very big upgrade.
My tour guide didn’t pause to let me take in much more before she headed to the main room again, opening another set of doors toward the back, across from the beautiful gold-draped windows. She pulled the doors open to reveal a closet full of plain yet plentiful clothes that all looked to be made of cotton. I ran my hands along them. Cotton and soft linen I hadn’t had the luxury of owning before.
I didn’t turn to look at her as she spoke to me. “These are what you’ll wear from now on. You can fold your current attire and place it at the bottom of the closet. There should be no occasion that these dresses and linens wouldn’t suffice for.”
I pulled out an olive-colored dress. There was plain with no design. Still, it would cover everything. I’d half worried I’d be expected to lose my clothes altogether.
Which brought the question to my mind once more: what was a feeder?
I cleared my throat and stepped away from the closet, turning to face Ms. Trapsbury. “I'm not sure what to say. This is all wonderful. Thank you.”
“It’s nothing. All of Prince Noah’s feeders have stayed here.” She clasped her hands together and moved toward the door. “One more thing.” She pointed to my face. “I’m not sure what you think counts for fun, but there is an ointment in your bathroom that should clear up that bruise by morning. Thankfully, Georgette informed me of your appearance upon your arrival so that I was able to garner a few necessities. Apply it tonight so you’ll look presentable tomorrow.”
I blinked, my brain working rapidly to process her extremely ridiculous idea that I could somehow remove a bruise with just a bit of ointment.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me,” she said.
“Wait!” I cried. I held out my hands toward her and moved closer. “Please,” I added.
She frowned, looking at me with her lip curled in a way that said being here with me was not high on her priority list.
“I just…I need to know,” I said as I brought my hands slowly down to my sides. I clenched them into fists as if preparing myself for a negative answer before I even asked the question. “What’s a feeder?”
“Oh for goodness sake. Didn’t they prep you for this?” she scoffed.
I shook my head slowly, waiting for the answer, which I needed but was terrified to receive. “They just sort of…took me.”
Ms. Trapsbury continued staring at me, her stern gaze softening and the nasally tone with it. “Took you?”
“They processed me after finding me outside the town, and no one really talked to me. It happened really quickly.” I inhaled a deep, long breath. “Some guards dropped me off at the castle. Captain Coltrain took me to an office, and then I waited for you. I don’t have any more information than that.”
I swallowed the lump forming in my throat. Yes, I’d been through much in my life, but this was unprecedented. I wasn’t prepared for this weird and unexplainable situation. Cruelty, I knew. The things my mind couldn’t comprehend was what troubled me here.
“An hour ago I was walking through a park near home. Now I’m in this strange new world that doesn’t make any sense to me.” I hadn’t looked up from my hands the entire time I’d spoken.
When I did stop talking, I glanced up at Ms. Trapsbury. Her eyes deceived her momentarily and she almost looked sad. But the haziness snapped away as suddenly as it had appeared.
She pursed her thin lips. “I hadn’t realized no one had spoken to you about where you are now. No matter, you’re here and you’ll learn quickly. You have no other choice.”
I stared at her, waiting for more to her statement, like where I was, perhaps?
“No other choice?” I repeated.
“Of course not. You’re a human. Once a human learns of our world, you can never return.”
Her words hung in the air as sharp as if I’d been stabbed with them. My hand clutched my stomach. What world?
“Besides,” Ms. Trapsbury walked around me, slowly looking me up and down, “from what I read, you’re on probation from the Royal Guard. You either serve the sentence or you’ll be cast out. To the streets. On your own.”
I followed her through most of it. The frown on her face was fraught with curiosity and concern, if I was reading her correctly.
“It is strange you were sent here,” she murmured quietly, almost to herself. She stopped in front of me and made eye contact. “Most palace feeders, especially those for the royal family, are heavily tested and prepared for their position.”
She took me by the hand and walked me over to a chaise lounge chair at the foot of the bed. The rose pattern wrapped around elegantly, and sitting on it almost felt like I would ruin it somehow.
“Your job here is one of the most important there are,” she began. “You were hand-picked to serve his royal highness in a role that is vital for his survival, which means you are critical to the kingdom.”
I looked down, noticing that my hand was still in hers. I pulled it back, trying my best not to offend her with my sudden movement away. I wasn’t used to attention like that and certainly didn’t need it from this stranger telling me I had no choice but to stay in a strange world doing strange tasks.
