I wake with a start, sitting straight up in my bed. It has been a long time since I thought of that day. Longer still since I’ve dreamed of it, the day I lost my mother. The day they threw her lifeless husk onto the flames.

She didn’t even get a proper burial. Then again who would want to mourn a woman that was sentenced to death by the king and revoked by her husband. My mother, she didn’t have to die, she could have avoided the whole thing, but she hadn't even tried.

She did it for me. Did it so that I wouldn’t have my tongue cut out. The irony that she died so that I who doesn’t speak anymore could keep their tongue doesn’t escape me.

What a horrible joke the world has played. 

Tears start to sting my eyes at the memory and I drag my knees up to my chest, curling in on myself.

It shouldn’t have happened, if I hadn’t spoken up to the king then, it wouldn’t have.

But then the girl would have been... Harmed. My brain so helpfully reminds me.

I shake my head in exasperation and let it drop back until I can see the ceiling. Why does life have to be so hard? Even when you make the right choice it still turns out to be the wrong one. Is there even a way to do good in this world?

I let out a soft sigh and unravel myself from the tangle of limbs I’d worked myself into. Life really sucks. I think as I turn my head towards the small window above my bed so I can watch the maids scurrying about in an attempt to complete their tasks as quickly as humanly possible.

Speaking of which there sure are a lot of people out so early in the morning. Usually there are only a few people out and about in the early hours.

That's when it hits me. My eyes quickly flick to the sky, then back down at the bustling courtyard, then back at the sky where the sun hangs, nearly halfway to the center of the sky.

Oh shit. I think oh so helpfully, as I leap from my bed and frantically begin searching for something to wear. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit... Shit...

Holy crap, It’s not morning. Its fucking midday and I’m late.

Clothes thrown on rather messily, I burst from my chambers and race down the hallway. People give me funny looks as I run past them and more then a few stop to glare, but I ignore them. I have more pressing matters to attend to, like my emanate demise at the hands of the Head Miss.

I round the final corner and barrel down the hall until I reach the door at the end. The doors fling open at my touch and I barely have time to register that there are stairs on the other side before my foot lands on the first step.

I have just enough forethought to mostly catch my balance before I am leaping down them, two at a time. There is no time to slow down as the bottom of the stairs comes into view and I land on the ground below rather hard, thankfully still on my feet.

However there is no time to register the slight pain in the soles of my feet before the sour face of the Head Miss fills my field of vision. She scowls at me and sends a spoon hurtling down at my head, to which I deftly dodge.

“You ridiculous child!” She screeches at me. “Where have you been? What time do you think it is!” She yells, one hand moving to her hip. “Never mind, I don’t care, you won’t answer me anyway.” She scowls and I send her a sheepish grin.

“Let me guess you slept in again?” She says a bit softer and I raise one eyebrow at her. “Oh don’t look at me like that, I’ve known you since you were a child.” She says and I smirk at her. A smile rises on her lips and she attempts to stifle it, but fails miserably.

“Oh you’re lucky I like you.” She says with a shake of her head and I give her an innocent look. “Don’t think that means you can go unpunished.” She scolds me and I give her my signature puppy dog look which draws a soft laugh out of her.

“That won’t work on me anymore, remember I’ve known you since you were a baby, I know all your tricks.” She tells me indignantly and I shrug my shoulders in a worth a shot kind of way.

She rolls her eyes at me but continues without comment. “You are on late night dishes duty for the rest of the month and because this is the third time you have been late this week, you have to do the royal laundry on your own, for the next two. So have fun with that.” She says and I gape at her in bewilderment. When she doesn't say anything more I give her an exasperated look that I hope reads, I thought you said you liked me!

Instead of responding she just hits me on the top of the head with her spoon, which I unfortunately neglect to dodge and points down the hall with said spoon, eyebrow raised and one hand on her hip. She’s too damn old to be so sassy. I think as a low groan escapes my lips.

“If you’re going to complain, do it while you’re working.” She scolds me before waving her spoon menacingly at me. I let out another groan before turning down the hall in the direction she pointed to, not at all looking forward to the amount of work ahead of me.