Will was a 17 year old boy having a quiet moment. That was quite rare considering his daily routines. But today was different. Lord Damien, Geoffrey and all the knights had decided to go hunting in the forest that bordered the village. They’d almost completely emptied out the stables, giving Will the time for his well earned respite. The stable master Rowan had gone home a while earlier to see his wife Mary. He promised he’d be back before the lord and his entourage returned home from the hunt.

Will was a stable boy in the employ of Lord Damien Faustad in the village of Lamia. Lord Damian had 35 horses in his stables and it was Will’s and Master Rowan’s job to make sure they were in tip top shape. This involved getting up at the crack of dawn and feeding, watering and grooming the horses before their daily workout. Grooming was one of his most important duties as the health and appearance of a horse depended on it. After he finished grooming the horses, Master Rowan would inspect each of them carefully checking for cuts, swells and all. If he was satisfied, Rowan would give an approving nod that told Will that everything was okay.As stable hands it was their duty to make sure the all the horses in the stable were ready and prepared before the everyone in the manor woke up. The horses had to be ready at all times for the needs of the Faustad family.

Will plopped himself down on top of a huge stack of hay and stretched his body, enjoying the satisfactory sound of his joints popping. At that moment he felt so at peace and happy, which was a rare occurrence for Will. As he spread his limbs on top of the haystack and took a deep breath, he could almost forget the stench of horse dung that was ever present in the stable.

Today was a good day. The feeling of spring still lingered in the air. It was neither too hot nor too cold. ‘I could lay here all morning’ thought Will. He really hoped Master Rowan would make it back from his wife before the Lord and his retinue made it back. There was a lot to be done with them after they got back. He had to groom them again and Rowan would inspect all of them carefully to make sure that the horses suffered no chafing under the saddles and reins.He also had to inspect the shoes on horses to make sure everything was in order before putting them back into their stalls. There was no way he could get it all done without Rowan.

But for now, he felt completely at ease laying on the haystack with his limbs spread out. 

“Enjoying the day, are we, cripple boy?” a high mocking voice asked accompanied by giggles.

The elation that will was feeling was instantly replaced by a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He’d recognize that voice anywhere.

Will got up on his feet, feeling the usual light pain on his crippled left leg as he put his weight on it. He faced the entrance of the stable, bowed and said “Yes, Lady Messenia”.

At the entrance to the stable stood Lady Messenia, accompanied by her usual minions Agnes and Alice. Messenia took a few steps closer to Will and surveyed him with a look that conveyed her utmost loathing for Will.

Lady messenia was the 15 year old daughter of lord Damien. She stood a head shorter than Will with her golden hair neatly parted and braided falling on her shoulders. She had a pale complexion with way too many freckles and a nose that made her appearance remarkably similar to an overgrown pig in Will’s opinion. She was a little pudgy as she spent most of her time sitting idly in the manor with her maids fawning over her and the rumor was that she had a bit of a sweet tooth. She was wearing a yellow gown with a thin leather belt around her waist that further accentuated her bulging tummy.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Some people might find her appearance comical, but there was nothing comical about this situation for Will. As Messenia stood there with her hands on her hips, she radiated an authority that she was utterly confident about wielding. Her two maids Agnes and Alice stood on either side of her with expectant faces. This was a show they’d frequently seen and enjoyed.

“It’s fine weather today isn’t it agnes?” Messenia asked.

“Indeed it is my lady.” replied agnes sycophantically.

“Yes, I think I’ll take lavender out today. Fetch Lavender for me cripple boy” Messenia said with an amused smile on her lips.

“I’ll prepare her right away my lady” said will with another bow and mover towards the stall.

Will knew where this was going. Lavender was Messenia’s horse, a beautiful 7 year old mare with a chestnut coat. Messenia knew Will wouldn’t have much work today since her father was out on a hunt and so she had decided to remove her pudgy arse from the manor just to make sure he never had a moment’s respite. Will moved to Lavender’s stall slowly wishing Messenia a painful death with every step.

“Move faster cripple, I don’t have all day” yelled Messenia, much to the delight of her companions.

Will bit down the retort that swelled up in his mouth and instead said “ Apologies my lady”.

“He’s quite tame these days huh? I think I liked it better when he talked back” Alice said with a derisive snort.

“Of course, I think he’s learned his lesson on how to behave properly” agnes quipped.

“And in case he forgets, he has a daily reminder” said Messenia pointing to his lame left leg.

The two maids laughed as if lady piggy had made the cleverest joke in the world.

Will bit the insides of chin to stop himself from retorting. He felt hatred so powerful it was a wonder it wasn’t oozing out of him. Will wasn’t born a cripple. In Fact he was a perfectly healthy boy until 2 years ago till his stepfather decided to beat him so badly that Will lost the partial use of his left leg. His stepfather Walter was a drunk and used to beat him often, but that day 2 years ago, he wasn’t drunk. That day he had beat Will with steady hands and a purpose. That one day was all it took to ruin his life forever.

Will fetched lavender from her stall and brought her over to the steps. “Will lady piggy ever be able to mount a horse without climbing these steps” he wondered. Messenia strutted forward with the air of the most proficient rider in the world. Will stood to the side holding lavender steady so that messenia could climb. She managed to accomplish the task with some difficulty and didn't forget to hurl some curse words at Will for doing a poor job of holding the damn horse steady.

“It’s a shame an accomplished rider such as lady Messenia has to put up with such an awful excuse for a stable boy” Alice said. Will really had to stop himself from snorting at this comment. Calling lady piggy an accomplished rider was like saying Walter was a warm, loving step father to Will. Lady piggy rarely ever ventured out of her manor house unless it afforded her the pleasure of torturing Will. Messenia’s riding skills comprised of her sitting awkwardly on top of a horse with either Will or master Rowan walked beside the horse with their hands on the bridle. Today would be no different. “The bitch is going to make me walk around all day”thought Will.

He was sure that his guess was spot on from the evil smile that played on Messenia’s lips.

Sighing heavily, Will resigned himself to his fate and led beautiful lavender and the ugly pig perched on top of her out of the stable.