Deirdre’s (Deer-Dree) PoV (Point of View)
If there is one thing I’ve learned these past eight years of existence, it’s that my life treatment is akin to dirt: No one wants me around, but I’m also not worth the hassle to get rid of.As you can tell, its great fun having me around at parties. Not that I’ve ever been invited to one, but still…
The surroundings hatred of me has gotten to the point that servants employed by my step-father’s royal family ignore me as if I am a waft of an unpleasant smell. I would probably laugh at how unrealistic everything is if I wasn’t already crying about it.
I woke up today from my straw bed with a stinging sensation, as the light poured down around 6:00 AM through the cracks in my outhouse that’s also known as the Gardener’s tool shed.
As always, my back ached as the hard ground does not show mercy when slept upon. I groaned and regretted staying up late last night, as when morning comes I can’t go back to sleep till it’s night.
I walked out of the shed and quickly left the vicinity before the Gardener came to work today and decided to use me as his excuse to buy a new shovel. I mean, how many shovels does he need to replace just because I slept in the same shed?
I laughed the first time he used that excuse as I expected him to be scolded for stupidity. Something along the lines of “Are you an idiot? Why the hell would a kid sleeping in a shed warrant a new shovel?”I quickly shut up when he showed up the next day with a brand new shovel apparently blessed by the “holy spirits” so I wouldn’t corrupt it with my presence. As to how I could possibly corrupt a shovel, I can’t say.
As I walked away from the shed I heard an unsettling and familiar sound. It sounded like flesh being pressed down and squeezing out air like a balloon. In other words, my stomach was rumbling from both the lack of dinner and breakfast.
Typically, I would eat the scrapped up leftovers from servant’s dinner, but apparently they were having a party for a pregnant coworker and wasted no expense (No food either).
When such occasions happen, they kick me out of the Kitchen until the party is over, for fear of me causing a miscarriage. Once more, as to how I could possibly cause a miscarriage, I can’t say.
The following day, I must travel down to the market square of the capital and hope to either find work for food or a kind fellow outcast to offer what little food they have to me. Of course, from the two options available, the latter has never worked, thus leaving me with only one option.
You may be wondering why I don’t shoplift or steal. That’s simple; while I will never consider myself a completely honest and upright person, I do my absolute best to not fall to the depths of depravity and villainy most accuse me of.
While I won’t look down upon those who have fallen upon hard times, I don’t see the need as I have other options. After-all, what would those few who love me think if I committed crimes simply because the same happened to me?
The garden shed is located at the back of the palace, with a hedge maze leading out to the Royal Guards training grounds. Contrary to popular belief, the Royal Guards are called as such not because they guard the Capital palace and thus the King’s family, but instead because all Royal Guards are noblemen with connections to get them comfy positions.
As such, almost all Royal Guards are arrogant pricks who sexually harass the servants, and almost always get away with it. The only time sexual harassment is properly punished is when the victim in question is another nobleman’s concubine.
This is because the country of Uafasach is a patriarchy to an extreme degree; most females cannot take any governmental positions nor can they join the army. The highest position you can acquire is to be the wife of a nobleman.
I navigate the hedge maze and quickly make my way to the exit. Before I leave however, I peek around the corner and see if I can sneak by without being seen. I note the placement of the Royal Guards and take a deep breath.
If I get spotted it often ends up with more bruises and black-eyes than I’d like to have on a daily basis. Just as I’m about to head out behind a bush to sneak by, I feel a hand on my shoulder holding me back. I look behind me and see a brown haired and brown eyed 1.8 meter giant with a grin on his nasty mug. Crap.
[???] “What’re you doing here, Deirdre?”
[Deirdre] “J-Just trying to get to the market square…”
[???] “You know better than to go through our practice grounds. You’re going to distract hard-working guards with your selfish actions, you know?"
Liar! If that was true, then you’d just let me pass by. I really do not have the stomach to be treated as a punching bag today… Although I guess I won’t puke all over the place?
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
[Deirdre] “Come on Bulai (Bull-Ay), I’m sorry for distracting, I really am. I’ll leave right away so can you please just leave me be this one time?”
Bulai laughed.
[Bulai] “Sorry Deirdre, but bad kids need to be punished”
Bulai immediately pick me up by the scruff of my neck and immediately threw me down from the stairs leading to the hedge maze onto the dirt grounds inside the training area. Bulai immediately yelled out to the surrounding Royal Guards.
[Bulai] “Look what we have here, boys! It’s our favorite rat! Anyone want to take the first turn teaching this kid some proper manners?”
Several people laughed and immediately answered “Me!” as if they were asked who wanted to taste the premiere candy first. I dreaded what was to follow. Each and every Royal Guard at the training grounds took turns kicking me in the stomach, eyes, nose, legs, arms, and even my groin for the next hour.
[Bulai] “Alright, brat. You get the idea, right? Don’t come back here again or we’ll start using our swords on you. Now get out of here before I stick something up your ass”
My god, can’t he take it easy for a minute? Why doesn’t he see how it feels and tries getting up after all that? If I was anyone else, I would be sent to the royal physician. I sighed under my breath while I got up.
It hurts like crazy, and I’m sure a few ribs were broken, but I don’t want to wait around while a potential sword goes where I never want one going.
Not many people would be able to get up after this, but thanks to Bulai and friends I’ve gained astounding resistance to pain. Whether or not this was a blessing in disguise was quickly dismissed when I realized how obviously crazy it’d be to thank someone for beating them unless they’re masochists.
I made my way across the training grounds to another part of the garden that you can’t access otherwise unless you go through the servant’s quarters. Seeing as how the servants wouldn’t open up the door to me for the next eternity, I have to go through the training grounds to reach this part of the garden.
Typically I can sneak by Bulai and friends 9 times out of 10, but I got unlucky this time. The reason this part of the garden was so important is because there is a secret passage here that led you right outside the capital within a few hours if you keep walking.
I was strictly forbidden from leaving the palace from the front, for fear that people somehow associate me with the royal family. As such, I searched for months on end a few years ago to find a way to bypass the noble district to reach the market square.
I stumbled upon this secret path by complete accident while running round. The passage is completely dark, so it’s incredibly easy to trip. But walking in the dark for a few hours is needed if I’m going to eat, so I got to do it.
Besides where the secret pathway is located and where it takes me, I know next to nothing about its purpose or when it was built. I’m likely the only one alive that knows this path exists, let alone its location.
If you twist all four statues of a griffin located throughout the garden to the East and knock on a hollow brick wall located in the west part of the garden, you can find a hidden lever which opens a hole with a ladder. Climb down the ladder for about 10 minutes, you’ll finally reach the ground in the passage.
Of course, you can’t even tell until you hit the ground because of how dark it is after the entrance closes. I learned that when it closes, the statues reset to their original position, leading the gardener to infer that the garden is cursed by the ghost of a previous king.
After a couple hours of walking, you finally reach the end of the pathway. The pathway ends with a staircase with a giant boulder. This giant boulder is a strange magical gate. While you can effortlessly walk through it if you enter from the secret pathway, once you pass through, the boulder is completely physical and acts like a normal boulder.
In fact, the secret pathway completely disappears no matter how you move the boulder. You must instead arrange a set of griffin statues one again to erase the illusion. The illusion returns after a minute. Unfortunately, I haven’t heard any funny rumors of ghosts haunting a giant boulder, so I suppose the pathway is completely unknown still.
Around 9:00 PM I finally exit the secret pathway. I squint as the sun pierces my eyes and cover my face with my hands. No matter how much I use the secret pathway it always stings to leave pitch darkness for complete light. Nevertheless, I’ve reached the outside of the capital walls.
I can’t enter from the front entrance or else it may very well take all day just to enter the normal way. Instead, I go to find my friend Mr. Reaul Bogsworth, also known as the stable-master.