Draco's quest

7. a happy day

Draco pov

“Wake up you imbecile! Who the f**k told you to sleep for more than four hours? You better get your damn ass out here. You have work to do!” 

I woke up startled by the sound of Volga screaming and cursing at me. I looked at the doorway with wide eyes, only to find him seething in anger. His chest heaved as he took deep breaths, his eyes were wide with anger, and he was already clenching his fists. 

“I am up, I am up.” I stood up, not thinking much and the blanket fell to the ground, revealing my n*nude body. 

“f*****g hell!” Volga bellowed and turned around. 

“Wear your stupid clothes slave! Otherwise, I will make you walk around the palace like that!” He threatened.

I wanted to retort. I wanted to scream at him for being such a pain in my ass. But I rather not. I was not interested in being beaten up or humiliated in front of everyone.

“Yes. I’m sorry!” I replied meekly and hurried towards the toilet to wash my face and wear the clothes I had hung last night.

Sighing in despair, I wore the clothes which were now unsuitable for anyone to use. It was torn, and dirty. It still had stain patches of blood and dirt which were too stubborn no matter how much I tried to remove with plain water.

That’s right. I didn’t have any access to soap or any other toiletries which I could use. At least I had running water in the toilet. I hastened to meet Volga, who was tapping his feet impatiently on the white marbles.

“You took exactly 7 minutes in the toilet. Next time you must come here within five minutes or else you will be punished.” He warned in a low voice.

I stared at him blankly. I was too stunned to react. I knew that being a slave meant I wouldn’t have an option except to obey them. But why can’t he give me a break?

Volga then grunted gruffly, gesturing to me to follow him. Was this how s*****y felt like? Was this how those who were enslaved in medieval times were treated? Perhaps they had a worse time than this. I had heard that during the Roman empire, their slaves and condemned criminals were gathered in the empty arena where some criminals were sent flying 15feet in the air while others met the teeth and claws of lions, bears, wild boars and tigers while the rulers and citizens watched for fun. They had watched gleefully as starved wild animals devoured the people right in front of them. The crowd would laugh and cheer, as they witnessed the brutal death of the condemned, watching and wondering who would die first and who would last the longest.

Well, at least my fate was better than that. At least all I had to do was do their work. I mean, all the hard and tiring work and perhaps bear with some insults here and there.

Volga led me towards the kitchen and pointed towards the stove. Yup, it’s time for me to make breakfast. Lord help me with this.

I tried my best to use whatever ingredients I could find. Volga’s angry insults somehow taught me what to do. Making their food was not too hard. It was a lot like making normal food on earth. But the ingredients were new. 

I patiently did what Volga wanted me to do and finally, I was able to make something that he was satisfied with. 

Once again Volga took the food to be served in the dining room and then, he took me to the bathroom that looked like it was used numerous times without cleaning.

“Clean this s**t!” he ordered and pointed towards the cleaning utensils on one side of the room. I looked around. 

What the hell was this place? It surely was bigger and better than the one I use but who could live like this? I saw yellow and green stains on the white tiles of the bathroom. The tub was clogged and I saw mould growing on the walls. The stench coming from the place was unbearable. 

Trying not to hold my breath, I entered. I could feel how slimy the floor was and just couldn’t hold back my gags.

“Pathetic human. Clean this before they finish breakfast. Or else....”

Ok, that was a warning. I didn’t waste another moment and quickly poured what looked like a cleaning solvent all over the place. I grabbed the brush and my first instinct was to scrub the floor. It was so yucky to step on all that slime.

****

I had scrubbed the entire bathroom for God knows how long. Finally, it was clean enough by the time my back was begging me to stop. I got up from my crouched position and stretched. Who knew what awaited me today? I must use my wit so that I don’t exhaust myself doing all this hard work.

After washing my hands, I walked outside to look for Volga. I thought I heard voices from behind a thick pillar. Perhaps Volga was there. I strolled absent-minded, hoping to go back to the kitchen. I was famished. Perhaps there were some leftovers. 

“He is scrubbing our bathroom.” Volga’s voice chuckled mockingly.

“Good. Make sure he sees hell.” Another voice muttered.

“Of course. I sure hope this one lasts longer. The last one was too weak. He died when I made him kneel for 24 hours without food.” Volga said, shocking me. I pressed myself against the pillar trying to listen attentively to their conversation.

“Humans are weak. They can’t go without food for a long time.” The other voice murmured. “But you made him kneel after beating him a thousand lashes with your whip. He was bleeding profusely already.” The other voice replied.

“Well. Don’t blame me. He continued to make mistakes. I hate it when I have to supervise him all the time. Well, guess what, I think this one is a little better. His work is satisfactory.” Volga grunted. 

“He must be done by now....” he murmured, making my heart skip a beat. Volga must be coming to inspect my work! 

“Hey wait!” the other guy called.

I saw it as an opportunity to secretly tiptoe back to the bathroom and wait for Volga. I didn’t want to be caught eavesdropping on them. Steadily, yet cautiously, I returned to the bathroom and took a moment for myself to calm my erratic heart. 

So it meant that several humans had come here in the past. And most probably they had met their end in here, unable to bear the harsh treatments of these cruel beings. 

Just then, I heard Volga’s heavy footsteps advancing towards me. I made a silent prayer and hoped for the best while I tried my best to act as if I had heard nothing. As expected, Volga was satisfied with my work and we walked back to the kitchen where once again, a pile of used dishes waited for me in the sink. 

“Hurry up! I have to take you to the king.” He sounded harsh. 

I hastened my pace and made sure that I gobbled up bits of leftovers on the plates. I had no guarantee that I would be fed. So those leftovers would do just fine. At least I wouldn’t starve to death. As soon as I placed the last plate in its place, Volga grabbed me by the collar of my torn shirt and brought his forefinger to my face.

“If you disappoint my superiors I swear I will make sure that you see hell.” He murmured in his gruff voice. I would say that he was making sure that his facial expression was intimidating enough for me to piss myself. 

I gulped anxiously and nodded timidly. This guy was dangerous. And I wouldn’t want to be on his bad side. But that was almost impossible. I already was his enemy. Now, the best I could do was, use my wit and stay out of trouble as much as I could. 

“Follow me. And keep your eyes on the ground all the time. Only look up if you are asked to.” He ordered solemnly and started to march out of the room. Soon I found myself in the grand room once again. But I dared not lift my gaze. Instead, I kept my eyes on the mesmerising fish I saw through the transparent floor. This was a sight I wouldn’t have even dreamt of. 

“Your majesty.” Volga bowed down and I followed his suit. 

“How do you find him?” asked the familiar voice of the king. 

“He is better than the last one. His work is satisfactory.” Volga replied. 

Well, that was good. 

“I see.” There was a pause. 

“Slave!” he ordered. I felt Volga give me a slight punch on my side. 

So that was my cue to react?

“Y...yes....your majesty..” I stammered. 

I could sense his smile. 

“I see what you mean.” He was pleased?

“Yes. I like him. I see he has improved. Good job Volga. For this, you deserve a raise.” Said the queen. 

“Mamma, his clothes are torn and tattered. His clothes are even stained with blood. Don’t you think he deserves a new set of clothes for being such an obedient slave?”

Wait. That was the sweet voice I had heard yesterday! The girl who healed my nose! The ethereal beauty with deep red hair with silver streaks. She had just addressed the queen as mamma. That meant that....she was the....princess? Oh, God!

I was so tempted to look up and look at the owner of the voice so that I could be sure of my suspicion. But hell no. I was not interested in risking my life for that. 

Hmm “....You do have a point.” Muttered the queen. 

“Why do his clothes have bloodstains Volga?” The king’s powerful voice made me want to submit. 

What the heck! He was not my king. Why should I submit it? But I don’t have a choice. Right?

“He broke his nose yesterday, your highness. I had to punish him.” Volga wasn’t ashamed to admit that he broke my nose.

“I don’t want any bloody messes, Volga. The last slave also died because of his injuries. If this one is obedient and his work is satisfactory as you have said, there is no need for such violence.” 

Ordered the king to my relief. 

“Use any other method of punishment.” He added. 

Well, that was ok I guess. At least I wouldn’t get a busted nose anymore. And perhaps I will get some new clothes too. Yay! This is a happy day!