Later that night when all servants returned to their quarters.

  Diana entered the quarter to find that the 'beds' were just light white sheets on the ground which barely protected against the cold stoned floor.

  Maria offers gladly to share her place with much-obliged pleasure. As expected from her, she was sharing even the slightest comfort with Diana. She was always the best friend indeed when in need.

  Having Maria in this dark time greatly boosted her morale. As her closest friend, Maria always had found the shining side in the darkest and most horrible times and places. She had a clean spirit just like Diana.

  The day slowly came to an end and Everyone went to sleep except Diana, who was lost in her thoughts. "How would I reach his cell?" Diana kept looking for a solution.

  While her mind was demanding an answer, suddenly a tall shadow crept in front of her.

  A tall woman with an angry face.

  "Why are you here?!" The woman asked with a firm voice clutching Diana's mind from her fictional world.

  Diana met the silky-haired woman with a confused look. "Ummm... I am sorry, are you talking to me?" she pointed to herself.

  "DO I LOOK A FOOL TO YOU!" she yelled, waking everyone in the quarter.

  Diana's confusion intensified and didn't find an answer.

  "I know you are not one of us, I know every girl here and you are new" she continued with confidence and a sly smile.

  When the awakened Maria saw what happened, she tried to intervene

  "She was captured today, calm down-"

  "Mind your own business, will ya?" she said with great hostility. She then faced Diana again. "Last time little girl, why are you here?"

  "I was captured by the same men that captured you, believing me or not is up to you" Diana fiercely stood her ground.

  The woman burst into laughter. "You just proved to me you are not one of us, I never mentioned that I was captured. Because I wasn't. You just proved my suspicious true"

  Diana paused. "Who is this woman and how did she recognize me as an outsider?!" She thought.

  "You didn't answer me, Fine with me, it won't change anything as long you keep your small hands away from trouble" she ended with a smirk and left to her place.

  Everyone exchanged questioning looks with each other yet none dared to defy the woman.

  Diana was boiling inside. "Who was that mad woman that just passed ?" She asked angrily.

  Maria whispered "Gunnora...she is the oldest servant here, some say that she has an affair with the commander, others say that he loves her"

  Diana gasped "So that's why she is talking with great confidence"

  "Yes, but Beware, no one dares to cross her. She knows every servant by name so she could have already known that you are an outsider at first glance"

  On hearing that, Diana took another look at Gunnora, who already was resting on her clean sheet. She was the oldest woman alright, judged by appearance, Diana gave her mid-30s.

  She had Diana notice how clean she was. All servants without exception wore dirty and had improper clothes while her clothes were oddly clean. Also, most of the girls were in miserable shape. However, for Gunnora. By looking at her physical form, it was obvious that she was in good shape and healthy all the time.

  "Guess, I won't be surprised if she has special treatment as well, right?" Diana presumed.

  "Oh please, Don't get me started, she once bragged that he would marry her, and then no woman shall be greater than her in that castle. She even told us that sometimes they spent time together and-"

  "I think I got your point" Diana interrupted her, she had enough hatred for Gunnora already. It wouldn't make her feel better to add even more.

  Then she had an idea!

  "Wait! Does the commander have a master key by any chance?" Diana asked eagerly.

  "Forget about it, even if he had one, Gunnora will never have a motive to betray him. Even if she did, the guards are 5 times our numbers, fully equipped and we are barely 2 dozen weak and young frightened girls"

  "Now now! Where are your high spirits, my friend!"

  Maria smirked. "Staying here for over a month, makes you think differently, bestie"

  Diana didn't fall for her friend's negative speech. She just needed to persuade the woman and somehow plant hope in the long-gone desperate hearts of those broken girls to break free from that castle.

  The next day morning

  Diana began subconsciously to understand the routine of the day, how many guards were in each room, and the paths should they take when they had the ultimate chance of escape.

  After the prisoners ate, the servants went back to their quarters to have their small meal.

  Gunnora was in a corner using a clean spoon to eat her luxurious food. The same food that had a scent that made even already stated person hungry again, while the lower servants ate a special lower quality food that was made for them. It was so special that some of them ate it mixed with the tears falling from their crying eyes.

  Diana was determined to somehow persuade Gunnora. she approached the woman with shaking steps, and she cleared her throat "Could I...."

  "NO"

  "But I didn't say anything yet! "

  "I don't care"

  Due to Gunnora 's cold-hearted behaviour, Diana changed her tactics.

  "It's about the commander"

  On hearing the word "commander", the woman was intrigued. "What about him?" She asked with an amazing intimidating look.

  "Listen to me, I have a plan to get us out of here. But I need your help"

  The woman smirked and slightly laughed "You are one goofy girl, are you? who told you I want to leave?"

  The girl was not exactly amazed. The bowl that gunnora was eating from alone made Diana's mouth water, making her enviously wonder what other privileges she had.

  "Sit down, Little bastard. I need to tell you something" Gunnora said.

  "When I was younger, my father married another woman after the death of my mother, after a couple of weeks of this tragedy, that woman kicked me from the house, my mother's house!

  Afterwards, I spent weeks lost in the streets, I didn't have a job, and people didn't accept me at any work, and my body wasn't exactly attractive to work in brothels"

  "That's when you met the commander..." Diana realized.

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  She nodded. "During the attack on Ontoga, one of the guards attacked me and was about to strap me of my virginity. That when's the commander came. He shooed his underling and offered me his hand.

  He took me to the castle, fed me, and treated me as the princess of this castle. I saw with him better days than that with my father and that woman who called herself a stepmother.

  One of those days, he told me that he loves me and one day we will rule this castle together! "

  Diana was irritated, "This castle was built over the blood of innocent men and women, your commander is issuing death sentences whatever he wants! How could you even find him attractive after he killed over 50 men of your country and his soldiers raped their women!"

  Gunnora seemed indifferent to what Diana said. "I really don't care, people are monsters inside, let them have some of their violence". She said while stuffing a large bite of the superfluity food she was eating.

  While Diana was trying to persuade the woman, she discovered how her past harsh life affected her. So, she softly bated Gunnora's shoulder, Diana then began to soften her voice as well.

  "Not all people are monsters, just because your father had no heart and your stepmother was a cruel woman, that doesn't mean that those non-guilty people deserve to be harmed, they include good men and merciful mothers and daughters, one of those people are my father, he is imprisoned in the dungeon below alone and shattered in this castle. Help me please"

  "I won't help you start a rebellion, child," She said while throwing her arms away from her. "I lived here 5 years and I won't let you destroy my home and my future husband because of your father, I am not going to bite the hand that took me from the streets, fed me, and gave me a home"

  "This hand is also responsible for causing orphanage to many children and death to many good men and women" Diana replied.

  "OK. Sorry. I still don't give a shit"

  She failed...Diana was so frustrated by the woman's tiring words that she gave up trying to conciliate the woman.

  "Maybe your father and his wife were cruel people, but you are by far much worse for supporting a deceiving, savage person!". Diana left with a disgusting gesture spreading on her face.

  Currently certain that Gunnora won't help her, Diana needs another way to unlock the steel door of the servant's bedroom. She kept looking towards the door and the keyhole with interesting and questioning looks but she didn't see how she would get a key for the door.

  "Wait, who needs a key?!" She exclaimed to herself. The blacksmith station could help her make a simple lockpick.

  For that to happen, she needs to persuade the prisoners working there that there is a chance to break free from the slavery of the castle and give them hope that they could return to their families again.

  She needs to spread hope and gossip between prisoners and servants that if they worked together they could escape, while her dream of freeing her father could be reality. She told Maria about her motives and then asked her to spread the word between the girls, but Gunnora needed to be kept in the dark about this matter.

  For some servants, it was a blunt idea, for others, it was the only hope they could cling to and It was high time that the prisoners knew it too.

  The Evening Comes

  While Diana was in the kitchen preparing the food during her night shift, she thought about how she would break it to Sebastian and the other men, and whether he would approve of the idea in the first place.

  The girls moved from the kitchen to serve the depressed men, they didn't want food, they wanted freedom, they wanted to hug their family members again, they wanted their destroyed and abandoned homes back, but most of all they wanted sweet revenge on those tyrannies! That was the chord that Diana would push.

  Diana's eyes were fixed on protector Sebastian's table, he was sitting with 3 strong-built men, and no one she knew was among them. While she was serving the food on the table, she began to speak. "I have the plan to get us out of here"

  The words had an instantaneous effect on the faces of the men except for Sebastian who was colder than usual. "How? This fortress is immune to such things, besides there is nothing I would return for". He paused. "My wife and my two girls are dead (his voice broke) I couldn't even bury them !"

  "Then How about you retribute for them so their soul could finally rest?!" Diana encouraged him. The protector faced Diana with sad looks, Yet, you can plainly see just beneath his griefing eyes, a scorching volcano raging inside with revenge and intent of murder.

  "Fine, what do you need?"

  "A lockpick"

  "No can do, I am not a professional"

  "But I can!" said one of the 3 men at the same table. Apparently, the men around were sharing more enthusiasm for the idea over the protector.

  The man's eyes filled with hope began to speak "I was locksmither before they captured me, I know how any lock is designed thus, knowing how the corresponding key or lockpick end shape is. but I do not know about making iron and steel"

  Before Diana could speak...another one interfered.

  "Well, that's butter cake for me lad !" another man began proudly. "I spent 18 years in blacksmithing back at my place, I know every little spec about it, just give me the drawing and leave its accomplishment to me"

  Diana couldn't believe how fate collected those oddly cooperative prisoners on one table.

  Different personalities...

  Different methods...

  Different villages...

  One Goal...

  "Enough talk for today. Let us spread the news, and DO NOT make a move until we meet again". Sebastian talked and the men nodded with satisfaction.

  She left the men with their small tasks, as gears operating in the process of seeking salvation. Soon one of the prisoners will rise to the leadership, leading the men to the light of freedom after days of darkness and misery.

  Now it was Diana's turn.

  Regardless of all the prisoners and servants that were hyped for the E-day. Diana knew deep down that Gunnora wouldn't help them. On the contrary, she could snitch everything to the commander, if she just heard the word 'escape' roaming at the quarters again. So in order for the plan to move on, the possible traitor had to be done with. The method, however, would be challenging to come up with...

  By the next day, all the captured people in the castle knew the plan. The lockpick was finished after a week during the resting hour of the guards. The servants managed to notice the design of the castle, how many guards and their shift schedule.

  After eating her disgusting dinner, Diana returned to her quarter along with her loyal friend Maria. Once they entered, Diana noticed something not usual. All of the servants were more energetic than usual, they were chatting loudly, and their sad faces were almost gone...except for one woman.

  "Look there, do you see her" Maria questioned her friend. Diana didn't take long to see who her friend was referring to.

  Gunnora was sitting in the corner but today, unlike the her normal proud self, her head was centred between her bent knees, her face drowned between her arms.

  "What happened to her" Diana was curious.

  "No one wished nor care to ask her, but whispers say that that the girls heard her crying"

  On hearing this, something inside Diana wanted her to go conceal her. It is not like anyone here would 'give a shit' about her. She was already loathed and for known reasons.

  She hesitated to speak to her, their first meeting wasn't exactly gorgeous and she was probably still hostile. But she can't help it, she was always a sensitive person.

  When her father cried once she was his pillar to support him, her hug meant all the world to him and she knew that her father would do the same for her. The same went for a good old queen she met...

  Back to Thinking about Gunnora who her father abandoned, she pitied her. Maybe the lack of father's love affected her personality so much that she couldn't see what was right anymore. However, that does not explain her malevolence to innocents who don't know her and never wounded her in any way.

  "Hey, where are you going?"

  Diana ignored her friend, approaching the so-called sad woman. "Are you ok?"

  She said with a loving voice as possible trying to forget her first impression about her. "Coming to gloat, bitch?" Gunnora said with a sobbing voice without raising her head to face Diana.

  "How I would gloat over you for something I don't know, I am not your adversary , you can trust me"

  "Trust is for the fools and weak" Her sobs were heard clearly.

  "Well said! That's the very reason why they need trust the most"

  The crying young woman paused for minutes, thinking through Diana's words of condolences. But her head kept buried between her legs.

  "W-While all of you were in the kitchen, he invited me to his room, we chatted, drank and he even kissed me. It wasn't our first kiss, he promised to marry me in time, till then I didn't mind his hands over my body a couple of times. I guessed that's how he wanted to express his feelings. But today he wanted way more than just a touch or a simple flirt.

  He wanted to ravish me.

  I politely refused his offer. I didn't think he would be so persistent in my answer, so I just backed away, and then... he punched me" The woman's cry were auditable, letting her emotions take control.

  She continued afterwards "He was drunk, and his appearance was more similar to an ape than a human. He picked me by my neck, and threw me to his bed and...and ...and...no matter how much I screamed...he didn't...stop" Gunnora's voice trembled, that's when Diana hushed her softly and gently patted her shoulder knowing that the next part was the ugliest one to hear.

  Out of the blue, the woman raised her face to meet the blonde girl, And Diana's eyes widened at the sight. Gunnora's left eye was completely purple and swollen, and the internal eye was half-closed and a few inches outside its place, there were scratches over her neck and small dried blood clot over the tip of her mouth.

  It was a full scale assault

  Diana was just speechless and stunned. Though her mind was urging to bark " I TOLD YOU SO!" all the time. Despite that, she refused to condemn the hurt woman.

  "Everyone here hates me, I don't blame them. If my parents rejected me why should anyone be any different? He was the only one who took care of me for 5 years, he never showed that other face of his. I am lost" she cried with sorrow all over her face.

  Unable to do anything else, Diana hugged the woman, letting her head rest on her left shoulder. Gunnora was confused and alarmed by the hug. Strangely, she accepted it with much pleasure as if she was begging for it.

  "You know that hugging won't return the past, right?" Gunnora mocked.

  "But it will heal the present, it worked once with another affectionate lady"

  Both of them smiled. As the spirit of sadness slowly drifted away from Gunnora.

  "Have you figured out a route to escape, yet?" Gunnora asked out of nowhere. "I heard some prisoners talking, do you really have a plan?" She continued.

  "Not quite, have you changed your mind?" Diana asked eagerly. The woman hesitated at first but eventually nodded solidly.

  "I will try to steal the key..."

  "No no! It is too risky now, especially if he treats you badly, we need to gain his trust again for the sake of the plan to work, try to win him over, if he LOVES your body as you said, he will return to take more of it. And then We shall make our move...I know I am asking the most disgusting bid...but fear not for freedom is near..."