basement. With sauerkraut and cucumbers in the bag, first he pushed all his staff through the basement window, and then started getting out himself. He almost made it, when he saw feet in front of his face, he looked up and met guards, they were standing and grinning with thunder faces. The guards seized him and threw into a cell, and in the morning, the king ordered to hang all the slaves and made the man watch it. His daughter and wife were forced to watch as well to make everyone understand the price for violating the king’s laws.
The cart drove across the square, then Edwin ordered to stop and unload the cart, then he left and told that he would find Albert and would be back. The square was full of different creatures Sophie had seen in pictures and read about in books. There were small dwarves, no taller than a meter, they had large ears and huge noses and were always arguing. Elves were taller than a man, they had pointy ears and long hair. Sophie’s attention was conquered by beautiful crystal chariots drawn not just by horses, but by white unicorns of extraordinary beauty There were wizards and witches boasting about their brooms and wands. The druids were standing around a huge pot, whispering and raising their warders to the sky, one of the druids looked at Sophie and Patrick and smiled. Fairies were flying over the square, their wings were of unimaginable beauty with different colors and patterns, they were flying so fast that it was hardly possible to see them, only thing that one could see was pollen slowly falling from the sky to the ground. The creatures were very different and unusual. Sophie heard the robust discussion of three dwarves.
“I still don’t quite understand,” said one of the dwarves, ‘the reason why King Louis invited everyone to the castle.”
“I am not quite sure myself,” said another dwarf, ‘but rumor has it that King Louis wants to marry his daughter, the Princess Milena, but no one knows who the groom is.”
“I heard that the king wants to marry Princess Milena to Adviser Florin,” the third dwarf said, ‘he is his chief adviser known for his cruelty.”
Princess Milena was the only child of King Louis. The king doted on her. Princess Milena was an arrogant, self-obsessed egoist. Her mother, the Queen Navina, died giving birth to her. The king never married again after his wife’s death, he endlessly loved Milena’s mother, and he decided to dedicate his life completely to his daughter. Growing up, Milena realized that her daddy would allow and forgive her everything. Once, while her father was hunting, Milena ordered to take her to a ball in a neighboring kingdom, of course, her request was declined, since no one was bold enough to disobey the king. The thing was that the king had forbidden Princess Milena to leave the castle when he wasn’t there. If he found out that someone had helped Princess Milena to leave the castle, everyone would be hanged. Princess Milena did not make a habit of being contradicted or rejected.
“I’m a princess! It is your duty to follow my orders!” she screamed.
When she understood that no one would disobey King Louis’s orders and anyway she would have to stay in the castle, Milena called the guards and ordered them to gather all the slaves to the square and whip them until she orders to stop. No one dared to disobey this order. All the slaves were brought in the square, guards ripped their outer clothing off and set out whipping them to death, while Milena stood still counting strikes. When the number reached twenty, the Princess stopped the guards and went to her chambers smiling.
Sophie and Patrick were in a cage. They couldn’t believe that this was really happening to them. After a while, Edwin walked up to the cart where Sophie and Patrick were contained. A bald man in Golden armor and a huge scar on his face from a sword was accompanying Edwin. He cast a thunder eye at Patrick and Sophie. As it turned out, it was Albert, a well-known slaveholder. He asked Edwin:
“You told me the rat could talk.”
“Yes,” Edwin said.
“So, make it talk.”
Edwin moved closer to the cage and said, “Say something!” he ordered Patrick.
Patrick did not utter a word pretending that he cannot talk to make a liar out of Edwin. Edwin came even closer and whispered
“If you don’t talk now, I’ll cut the girl to pieces and make you watch.”
“I’m not a rat, I’m a mouse!!!” Patrick said at the top of his voice.
“How much gold do you want for this rat?” Albert asked Edwin.
“Ten thousand gold coins, my Lord. And this girl goes for free,” he said.
“Good! I’ll take them,” said Albert, the slaveholder.
He handed Edwin ten thousand gold coins and ordered the guards to take Sophie and Patrick to the house next to the castle and lock them up. As ordered, Sophie and Patrick were taken to the house, locked in a basement, in a while, guards brought them a jug of water and a couple of bread slices.
“What are we going to do now?” Sophie asked Patrick.
“I have no clue, we have to come up with something and get out of here,” he said. “I’m sorry, Sophie,” Patrick said, “I’ve dragged you into this, I shouldn’t have talked you into going to the lake and getting on that old boat. I have no doubt that we will find a way out of here, we just need to figure out how.”
No one will help us,” said Sophie sobbing. “How will my mom and dad live without me now?” she said crying even harder.
The basement was huge, it was almost dark there, the basement was lit just by a candle that was barely burning dimly illuminating the whole area. Dampness and high humidity that filled the basement making all the clothes damp, froze everyone there to the bone. After a while, the guards went down to the basement. They opened the cage with Sophie and Patrick, ordered them to get up and follow them. The bright daylight hurt their eyes, they barely could walk, as their feet were placed in iron, so they could not escape. The guards brought them to a small wooden bridge leading to large castle’s entrance doors. The bridge linked two rocks together hiding a huge gap between them. One of the guards warned them to follow their orders unless they want to be thrown off that bridge into the abyss. Dreadfully scared Sophie and Patrick looked down and stepped back from the edge, coming close to the guards. There were four more guards at the entrance, enormous and strong, they carried axes and large metal shields. The guards opened the door, and Sophie and Patrick entered the castle in their company. There were many portraits in the long and narrow hall, King Louis and his dead wife Queen Navina were shown on some of them, there was also a portrait of Princess Milena. These portraits frames were in golden colors, the walls were made of red carved wood, large crystal chandeliers with candlesticks inside hang on the white ceiling along the hall. There were a lot of doors along the walls, but the guards took Sophie and Patrick down the hall to the door leading to a laundry to meet Robert, the butler. He was of average height with a grey head and thick black beard, he was in charge of everything in the castle. Robert’s family had served the kings of this castle for many centuries. His male ancestors had been butlers, blacksmiths, or carpenters, and the women had always been maids. Robert was very strict, he could put in a dark cell for a week without food, having allowed the guards to give just water.
“Follow me!” Robert commanded Sophie and Patrick in an arrogant tone.
The guards removed their shackles, and they followed the butler into a small room with large and small wooden troughs, brushes, rags, and brooms in a corner.
“You are to take these troughs, rags and brushes,” Robert said in a commanding
