"The King of Lafenia is a vile man who has committed all forms of misdeeds. He has to be stopped; he needs to be stopped!" the man in the darkness spoke.
"But the King of Lafenia is too powerful! How can he be stopped?" A short boy with curly hair asked. "The king is fierce and has won many battles. Everyone knows that."
"Silence!" the man in the darkness shouted. "Faithless little tramp! Do you not have any zeal in you to fight the man who has reduced you to this? Who attacked your family and your homes? Who killed your parents?" The place became silent. Everyone was thinking, and no one decided to speak.
Finally, a young girl with black hair responded, "We want revenge... but we do not think it is possible to accomplish it."
Before she could finish the sentence, the man in the darkness flung his whip right at her, and it wrapped around her in curls. The whip seemed to squeeze the girl, and raised her feet off the ground. She began to pant.
The man in the shadows stepped out. He was tall and lean, with a bushy beard. He was wearing a black cape. "Have I wasted my time training and feeding you all? You all are orphans from the battle of the great cleansing. I saved you and kept you here, and I have continually taught you. I only vanished for about two years, and when I return, I come to find cowards who are afraid to act! I am disgusted! What is the need of all I have done then?"
"Master, please!" the girl wrapped in the whip begged. Her face was red, and tears poured from her eyes. He twisted his whip, and she was flung to a distance. She fell and hurried away.
The master took a seat. "Leave! All of you leave. I am so disappointed."
A voice spoke from the cluster of young people, "I will go on this mission!" Everyone except the master gasped at her words and turned.
Red-haired Patricia stepped forward and repeated, "I will go. I am afraid, it is true. The King of Lafenia is a powerful man, it is true... But I am too full of revenge to let all he has done to me and my family be swept under the carpet! I will go. I am no coward. Let the rest cower, I will not. Master, I am at your disposal; let me have your instructions."
Her master smiled, "This is good to hear, Patricia. Your training begins now."
Another person spoke, a male this time. He lifted a hand and said, "I will go with Patricia. I am also not afraid of the king." The master's smile widened as he said, "This is good. This is very good."
All this had happened two years ago, and eighteen-year-old Patricia and Philip still remembered their master's words. They were sent to infiltrate the household of the noble Minister of Rites in search of the Green power gem. According to their master, the gem was one of the ingredients to create the Sword of Destruction that could end the King of Lafenia, and his lineage completely.
In Patricia's heart, she was determined to endure anything and everything. And even this very moment, where the niece of the Minister of Rites was bent on making her life, and that of the other servants' working with her, a living hell.
The following day would be the birthday of Minister Rites. Minister Collin was his name. The place was already looking festive, and lots of dignitaries would be in attendance. His niece Margaret was put in charge of kitchen duty, and she was indeed a pain.
"You there, are there nuts in your brain? I told you to slice the carrots more carefully, and you slice them as if the family is having lunch! What good are you for heaven's sake!" Margaret told one servant.
She went to another and yelled, "Oh! You can be a cook only for pigs. What are you doing in my uncle's kitchen with such worthless pairs of hands?" Margaret had a complaint about every dish, and for every cook, she had an ugly remark.
As Patricia worked in the kitchen, she hoped Margaret would stay far away from her. But her wish seemed a luxury. Margaret walked up to Patricia, and used her hands to fling off the table the dishes Patricia was preparing.
"How ugly they look. I bet they would taste worse. Useless maid who is not even worth a penny! Tell me, how much did my uncle buy you for, huh? 20 pennies, I guess, looking at the way your brain malfunctions."
Okay, Patricia believed she had heard enough. She was boiling with rage, and she knew she had to do something about it. At that moment, someone called Margaret's name from the door. Margaret turned away from Patricia, her back now facing her. Patricia smiled.
There was a stove near Patricia where she had been cooking. So, Patricia took some coal and placed it some distance away from herself, knowing Margaret would pass that way to check the other cooks. She did it stealthily and with such speed that no one around noticed what was going on. No one around, except... Patricia almost thought Mabel, a fellow cook, saw her and turned away. She was not sure.
She wanted to be cautious and keep the pieces of hot coal back where they belonged in the stove; maybe she would take revenge on fluffy Margaret some other time. But it was too late. Margaret was done talking with the person who was calling her from the door, and now Margaret was walking towards the coal.
Patricia turned her face to her work and pretended not to know what was going on. It was too late to change anything now. Besides, she had wanted this, right? Margaret was not looking where she was going. She was used to walking confidently and stomping on anything in her path.
A few more careless steps, and her voice rang like the loudest bell. Her screams pierced through the air.
Margaret kept rolling and running around the kitchen, scattering plates, pots, and pans, and anything in sight. It was a funny sight. Patricia almost burst out laughing, and she caught other people doing the same.
Patricia regained her composure and began to yell, "Someone help! Her lady, Miss Margaret, is in such agony. Only God knows what must have happened to her!"