The Princess's Revenge Chapter 82

Valencia’s POV

I helped Maya walk out of the workshop, her weight barely anything against my shoulder. Behind us, Finn and Greta followed.

The guard was moving now. Not much, just his mouth enough to speak.

"You fucking bitch!" he slurred, spit flying from his lips. "When I can move again, I'll—"

I let go of Maya for a second, walked over to him, and slammed my fist into his temple. His head snapped to the side and he went limp.

"Valencia!" Echo gasped.

"He was getting annoying," I said, shaking out my hand. It hurt, but I didn't care.

Greta stared at me with wide eyes. "You just... you knocked out a guard."

"He'll be fine." I went back to Maya, wrapping my arm around her waist. "Come on. We need to get you upstairs."

The corridor felt longer going back. Maya could barely walk, her legs shaking with each step. Finn wasn't much better, using the wall for support.

"How long have you been down there?" I asked him.

"Six months," he said quietly. "Since my mother died."

"And you?" I looked at Greta.

"Two years."

Two years in that hell. My stomach turned.

We reached the stairs. Maya stopped, staring up at them like they were a mountain.

"I can't," she whispered. "My legs won't—"

"Yes, you can." I adjusted my grip on her. "Echo, help Finn. Greta, can you manage?"

She nodded, though she didn't look sure.

We started climbing. Every step was torture for them. Maya's breathing got worse, rattling in her chest. Finn had to stop twice, sitting on the steps to catch his breath.

"Almost there," I kept saying. "Just a little more."

When we finally reached the first floor, two servants carrying linens stopped dead. Their eyes went from my silk dress to the three walking skeletons beside me.

"What—" one started.

"Keep walking," I said sharply.

They hurried away, but I could hear them whispering.

More people saw us as we crossed to the main stairs. A guard frowned, his hand going to his sword.

I didn't stop. Didn't explain. Just kept moving.

The second floor felt like a victory. Maya's room was at the far end, a tiny space she shared with others. I pushed open the door.

Eight narrow beds. Three small trunk. A cracked mirror on the wall. That was it.

"Sit down," I said to Maya, guiding her to one of the narrow beds. "All of you, sit. You need rest."

Maya collapsed onto the thin mattress, her whole body shaking. Finn sat on the bed next to hers, and Greta took the one across from them. They all looked lost, like they didn't know what to do now that they weren't working.

"Echo, can you get some water?" I asked.

She nodded and hurried to the corner where a cracked ceramic pitcher sat on a small table. The water looked clean enough.

"Here," Echo brought the pitcher over, but Maya's hands were shaking too badly to hold it.

I took it from Echo and held it to Maya's lips myself. "Small sips."

She drank carefully, then started coughing. The sound was harsh.

"The fumes," Greta said quietly. "They destroy your lungs after a while."

I moved to Finn next, helping him drink. Then Greta. They were all so weak.

"We need to get you cleaned up," I said, looking at their clothes. The fabric was stiff with dried chemicals and sweat. "Echo, are there any spare clothes here?"

"I think so." She opened one of the small trunks, pulling out some worn but clean tunics and breeches. "These should work."

I grabbed a cloth from the washstand and dipped it in the water. "Let me help you wash off the worst of it."

Maya flinched when I reached for her. "You shouldn't... you're going to be Luna. You shouldn't be touching us."

"Stop that." I knelt in front of her, taking her damaged hands gently. "Look at me, Maya."

She lifted her eyes reluctantly.

"I know what you're thinking," I said, starting to clean the chemical burns on her hands. "You're thinking I'm different now. That because I'm wearing this silk dress, I'm not like you anymore."

"But you're not," Finn said from his bed. "You're going to be Luna. We're just..."

"You're just what? Servants?" I moved to clean Maya's face, wiping away the grime carefully. "A week ago, I was in the dungeons. I was beaten, starved, treated like an animal. I know exactly what it's like."

"But now you're—"

"Now I'm what? Special?" I laughed, but there was no humor in it. "I'm still wearing this collar. See?" I pointed to the iron around my neck. "I'm still technically a slave. The only difference is that Alpha Logan chose me."

Echo helped Greta change into clean clothes while I worked on Maya. The burns on her hands were bad. Some were infected.

"I lived the same life as you," I continued, carefully cleaning each wound. "I scrubbed floors until my knees bled. I was whipped for looking at someone wrong. I went days without eating because someone decided I didn't deserve food."

"For fifteen years." I moved to help Finn next, cleaning the chemical stains from his arms. "I know this pain. Every single part of it. That's why I came for you."

"Most people forget," Greta said quietly. "When they rise up, they forget where they came from."

"I won’t." I helped Finn into a clean tunic. "Even if I wanted to, this collar reminds me every day. The scars on my back remind me."

Maya started crying. Not the desperate sobs from before, but quiet tears.

"I'm not here to save you," I said, moving back to her. "I'm not some noble lady doing charity. I'm here because we're the same. Because Maya shouldn't lose her hair and hands just to make soap. Finn shouldn't be skin and bones. Greta shouldn't have to spend two years in that hell."

"What if the other servants hate us for leaving?" Finn asked. "What if they think we're getting special treatment?"

"Then they're wrong." I sat on the bed next to Maya. "This isn't special treatment. This is basic human decency. No one should work in those conditions."

"But someone has to make the soap and candles," Greta pointed out.

"Then we'll find a better way. Better ventilation. Shorter shifts. Protective equipment." I looked at each of them. "When I become Luna tonight, that's going to be one of my first changes."

"You really mean that?" Maya whispered.

"I promise you." I took her hand carefully, mindful of the burns. "But I need you to understand something. I don't know how to be Luna. I don't know how to lead or make big decisions. I'm learning as I go."

"That's more honest than most leaders," Greta said with a small smile.

"I can't fix everything overnight," I continued. "I can't suddenly make all the suffering disappear. But I can start with this. With you three. With making sure no one else ends up in that workshop."

"What will happen to us now..." Finn asked.

"First, you rest. You eat. You heal." I stood up, looking at their thin faces. "Then we find you work that won't kill you. Work that lets you keep your dignity."

"Any work is better than that place," Maya said.

"No." I shook my head. "You deserve more than just 'better than hell.'"

"Slaves don't get to deserve things," Greta said, but there was something like hope in her eyes.

"Yes, you do." I felt something shift in my chest. A kind of strength I'd never felt before. "You deserve safety."

"You sound like you actually believe that," Finn said.

"I do believe it." And I realized I meant it. "Look, I know you're scared. I know you think this is too good to be true. That I'll change my mind, or someone will punish you, or you'll end up somewhere worse."

They all nodded.

"I can't promise everything will be perfect," I said. "But I can promise this - I will protect you. As long as I have any power at all, I won't let anyone hurt you like that again."

"Why?" Maya asked. "Why do you care so much?"

"Because someone should have protected me." My voice cracked slightly. "For fifteen years, I wished someone, anyone, would stand up and say 'this is wrong.' No one did. So now I'm going to be that person for you."

Echo wiped tears from her eyes. "Valencia..."

"This is my responsibility now," I said, feeling the weight of it. "Maybe I'll make mistakes. But I'm going to try."

"That's more than anyone else has ever done," Greta said softly.

They were looking at me with something I'd never seen directed at me before.

Trust.

They trusted me. These three broken people were putting their faith in me.

My heart was warm and I felt like I might cry. "You need food," I changed the subject. "I will go to the kitchen and get you something to eat."

Echo smiled at me. "I'll come with you."

I nodded and reached for the door handle.

BANG BANG BANG!

The violent knocking made everyone jump. Maya gasped. Finn pressed himself against the wall. Greta's face went white.

My heart hammered in my chest. That wasn't a polite knock. That was someone angry.

BANG BANG BANG!

"Open up!" A man's voice, harsh and demanding. "By order of the Pack Guard!"