Chapter 3 Emily POV

~Emily~

"Get up! Get up!" Thorn roared, hitting the iron cage, his voice echoing in the room.

"Arghh!" I groaned, rubbing my eyes weakly as they flickered open. I had barely slept for an hour and the sun was already up.

"Wake up bitches, Hey!" He barked, hitting the iron window more aggressively. Steph was still deeply asleep, her breathing erratic and slow.

"Steph! It's morning," I muttered, tapping her slightly. She grumbled, her eyelids fluttering as she opened them weakly.

"Move out," the guards yelled, grabbing our chains as they dragged us outside, into the scorching sun.

"Take it easy on her," I yelled, eying the guard as he pulled Steph's chain. She was barely awake and unable to voice out her pains.

The guards kept on pulling our chains, deeper into the castle until we stopped at the courtyard, just outside the main building.

"Sit," Thorn growled, his voice laced with disgust as his eyes darted back and forth.

"Ouch!" Steph whimpered, her lips quivering as she sat. "Take it easy," I muttered, patting her hair slowly.

We were all ladies, lined up like sheeps ready to be castrated. It was our second day and we still hadn't seen the leader, the great, infamous Zayne as they called him.

As we sat together, murmuring and sobbing, suddenly, the door burst open, revealing a chubby, short woman dressed in maiden's in a blue flawless gown.

Her eyes were bloodshot red with a smile on her face that barely reached her eyes. Her movement was smooth and quick.

All eyes were fixed on her, following her every move as she came in front of us.

Thorn, the evil guard, was standing beside her, his face twisted in a frown as he glared at us.

"Good morning nitwits," she rasped, her voice laced with disgust and urgency. "Today is your lucky day," she said, smiling widely.

She glared at us one last time before bringing out a long piece of paper she had hidden in her bag.

"Some of you might stop being slaves starting from today, but first, you have to pass a test," she said, her eyes darting back and forth as she scanned our faces.

The whole slaves went mad with frenzy as everyone began to murmur and mumble incoherently.

"Silence!" The maid roared, her eyes blazing like a burning furnace. "I'm Crystal and I'm your boss," she said, her voice harsh and cold.

Although her appearance tend to undermine her, crystal was surely a hard nut to crack and the slaves knew it as the crowd fell silent immediately after her outburst.

"Now that I have your attention, I want everyone to line up in three lines," she demanded, gritting her teeth.

As though controlled by a controller, everyone stepped up immediately irrespective of how tired they were.

"What's going on?" Steph asked, holding onto my hands as I stretched them towards her.

"Get up," I muttered, pulling her up gently. "What's going on?" She repeated weakly, her lips trembling.

"Three lines! Form three lines, fools," Thorn growled, his long whip shining brightly in his hand. He quickly turned, his eyes fixed on me.

"Get in line bitch," he spat, his face twisted in a frown. "I'm try-ying," I stuttered, pulling Steph.

She could barely stand, her legs were bent making it impossible to lift her up. "Fuck!" I groaned, filled with frustration. The other slaves were already in line, murmuring within themselves.

"Let me help you," someone muttered behind me, before grabbing Steph's other hand. I immediately turned towards her direction.

"Huh! You?" I mouthed, my eyes widened in shock. It was the slave from last night. She looked different this time, it was as though she was a completely different person.

"Could you grab her other hand," she snapped, jolting me out of my thoughts. With her help, we were able to get in line.

I had lots of questions to ask but I couldn't, all that mattered to me was nothing other than passing the test.

After settling down in three lines, we were led to a hall, right beside the king's chamber.

"Move your sorry asses down there," Thorn barked, his usual cold and intimidating voice.

The maiden who helped me was still beside me, she was probably tired of running. "Come with me," she muttered, grabbing Steph's arm as I followed behind.

As we limped to the hall, with Steph's hand on each of our shoulders, I couldn't help but steal glances at her, the maiden from last night.

"Tha-nk you for last night," I muttered, biting my lower lip nervously. Then it dawned on me, I didn't even know her name.

With a final resolve, I summoned the courage to ask her, unsure of what her reaction might be. "Wh-hat's your na-me?" I stammered, my gaze drifted away.

"It's irrelevant and don't thank me yet," she muttered. "You have no idea what you just got yourself into," she added, her voice cold and urgent.

Her expression was void of emotion, her eyes darting back and forth. It was as though she knew more than she was letting out.

"What do you...."

"We are here," she muttered, interrupting me.

"No freaking way!" I exclaimed, my eyes widened in shock as I stared at the most beautiful man made structure I had ever seen.

"Is this real?" I stammered, my eyes darting back and forth as I scanned the room.

The walls were painted white, with red shiny crystal-like ornaments on each side. The chandeliers were a hue of red and white, turning slowly above us.

"Enough with all the weird stares, you look stupid," the maiden said, her face clearly twisted in disgust. Everything I did seemed to piss her off.

"I'm sorry," I began to say but she waved her hand dismissively, cutting me off. "I don't want to hear it," she snapped.

I immediately kept mute, biting my lips nervously. After what seemed like a minute, we were lined up with the other maidens.

"I guess you guys are settled in now, I have to go," the maiden muttered, her eyes fixed on Steph with a glint that I couldn't decipher.

"Where are you going?" I asked, my voice barely audible. "What about the test?" I added.

She stared at me, a small smile on her face as she held my shoulders. "No matter what you do, make sure you pass the test, your life depends on it," she muttered, nodding her head slowly. "My name is Scarlett by the way."

And with that, she turned her back on us, walking away as she disappeared into the crowd.

I watched her leave, my eyes fixed on her blue gown until it was out of sight. I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I didn't realize when a tear dropped from my eyes.

As much as I hated her guts, Scarlett saved my life twice already. She might act cold but I loved her regardless and her departure made my heart drop like ice on a warm floor.

"Can I have your attention please," The speakers blared noisily, jolting me out of my thoughts. Crystal was on the Podium, her green eyes piercing into the crowd.

"The king will address all of you soon but before then, listen to the rules," She said, bringing out a blue scroll from her bag.

"First on my list, there should be no cheating," she said, her words echoing in the air. "Secondly, only six maidens are chosen after every maiden's test."

After saying the second rule, she stopped, raising her head up a little as though she was scanning our faces. "Third rule, no humans are allowed in the maiden test."

"Huh?"