Steve I had zoned out, only thinking about the work that needed to be done. This is how I dealt with my issues, I worked them away. I had noticed partway through everything that the belt was not working. The other workers took this as a chance to stop and sit. In my experience, this was the time to figure out why it was not working. I followed the belt down a tunnel. It took a bit of walking but I soon found the cause, there was a clog. I began to use critical thinking to find a way to solve the issue. With the tools that I had at hand, I started to spread the waste evenly. It took a lot longer than I had thought it would. Finally, everything that I was doing was starting to work. Once the belt was working again, anything that had needed to be cleaned up, I threw it on the belt. I was thrown off to find a handful of soldiers and the princess surrounding the location. The princess stomped over to me, “why were you not where you were told to work? Who gave you permission to leave this location?” She was furious with finding out I was not here when my shift was over. My head was lowered when I spoke to her, “the belt had stopped moving and there was still work to be done. I knew that there was something wrong and figured I would fix it instead of wasting time.” It was the truth, I never liked to sit around when there was work to be done. “What was wrong with the belt?” The princess still was crossed with me. “There was a clog,” I began to explain myself, while my head was lowered. “I believe that I had been working faster than what the belt was moving.” Which was the only explanation I could think of. I was pretty upset with how the Princess had changed her attitude towards me after I left the cell, still am! The Princess still was questioning me. “How long were you in the tunnels?” She snapped! I cleared my throat, and without a clock on the wall, the concept of time was an illusion. “It took me a while to find the clog.” The walk-in partial light was difficult. “Spreading the waste out took even more time.” I would have explained to the Princess that at a point the hole that the belt goes through narrows. And when the pile of shit is bigger than the hole, things start to get clogged. But I figured that was a detail I would keep to myself unless I was asked for more detail. “I am sorry if my work was not to your liking!” I could hear the Princess shuffling her feet around, “Your day is done, you will bathe and eat!” The princess told me. “Take the others to their cells!” She told the soldiers. “Follow me one hundred and fifty-one.”I placed the shovel near the belt where it had been at the beginning of my shift and followed the princess in silence. I kept my head low as she took me to the bathing room. “Get yourself cleaned and make it quick. I have other things that need to be done and do not want to waste time on your tardiness!” She barked her order at me. It was not until I got into the fragrant water that I realized how badly I stink. I made sure no waste touched my skin, but that did not stop the fumes from clinging to my skin. In record time I had cleaned the filth off of my body. I had entered the water smelling like death and stepped out smelling like the rainforest. A female who had her head lowered handed me a cloth to wrap around my waistline. It was second hand but it was better than walking around with nothing on. Though it is not like I had anything to hide now, they removed my manhood and the princess to the last bit of hope I had. Both appeared to be a waste and not to be. Without saying a word, the same female led me to a vanity table and handed me a plate of food. There was meat, bread cheese and a glass of water. For the amount of work I did today this was the least I could get. Leaning into me the female whispered, “I have been ordered to shave your face. The master's daughter wants your face cleaned!” I placed the food down that I was ready to eat and waited for the female to complete her task. In truth, I preferred to have a clean-shaven face. At this point, I had a jungle growing on my face. I kept my eyes on the mirror as I watched the Princesses intensively. Every time the female got too close the Princess’s eyes started to glow red. Why she would display this temper, I am not sure. To be frank I do not understand the hostility behind the Princess’s temper altogether. After the female finished shaving my face, she placed this cream on me and whispered, “it will stop your hair from growing back. Put it on after each time you bathe. You do not need a lot!” I nodded my head in understanding of what she had told me. Once the female stepped away I glared at the Princess waiting to see if she had any command for me. Would there be anything else that she wished? She motioned her hand toward the food that still sat on the table. Without a word, I began to eat the food that was given. In silence I ate, controlling every muscle in my face to not betray the turmoil that was activated in my soul. I was the chained-up dog, the princess was the one who told me what to do. And if I was a good boy I would get a treat for performing every trick she asked. No, I would not bite, I would not run, I would be the obedient mute that my parents brought into this existence. This is how one like myself exists! It is not living but at least I am alive. The princess snapped her fingers, “Five hundred and eleven you can leave now!” The female that had shaved my face was scurrying out of the area.I kept my head lowered as I shoved the food into my mouth. Moments earlier I was starving now all of a sudden it was hard to eat. The food tasted fine enough but it was the company that made things difficult to handle. The princess waited for the female to leave before she started to talk to me. “Tell me about your female companion with red hair!” Her eyes flared red, her tone sounded more like an order versus curiosity. “I do not know much about Merna except we should have listened to her warning when she told everyone to leave.” “Why did you not leave?” She still sounds cross. “My brother … I should have listened to Merna, she was right, she kept on telling us we needed to leave. And none of us listened!” I was choking back the need to cry in my misery. “I never believed a thing! It was to be hocus pocus! My father always told us that anyone who does witchcraft is nothing but a fraud!” I started to hysterically laugh, “Looks like the joke is on us! Merna was right, she told us we should not be there and none of us listened to her!” The Princess huffed, “Why did it not just up and leave then?” “Merna said something on the line of needing to protect her friend, our hired guide, Pierre.” I started to chuckle at the irony in everything that was going on. “What is so funny?” She did not seem to see the humour as I did. “Pierre told me that Merna was different, that she knows things, that he should have listened to her the first time instead of taking the money.” I remember the look on his face, “I truly believe he did not give two flying fucks about us, but Merna … that is all he cared about.” “Did she do anything that seemed odd to you?” She asked me with a weird expression. I thought about things for a second, “Merna can talk to the land! She said the land was trying to help her but to only a certain extent could the land help us because of the Master of the land!” “The mother of all mothers!” The princess whispered, “The charm … it can speak with the mother.” She seemed to be speaking to herself so I just allowed her to speak while I finished the plate of food. “That is it!” The Princess clapped her hands together, “That is what makes her different, she has the mother of all mother's protection. So why would my father not send her back? Father does not need it!” The Princess started to move closer to me, “are you friends with it?” “I only knew of Merna for half a day, that does not make us friends.” I could see that she was studying me to find out if I was lying to her. A smile started to form on her face as she realized that I was telling her the truth. Watching her as I looked into the mirror, the princess started to move her fingers in my hair, “I do not like your hair!”I started to chuckle, “It would make things easier if my hair was not in the way.” In truth, I liked the style, but if I protested at all, there was a good chance she would make my life even more difficult. At this point, the Princess’s mood switched faster than I could figure things out. Just agreeing to her desires is the best thing for me. “Finish your food and drink, and I will get rid of it myself then.” The Princess said as she studied me. Slowly she cut my hair close to my scalp. I schooled my features not to give way to afflictions that were going on in my mind. A piece of my hair fell to the floor, “Do you have a name?” I dared to ask the princess. “Anatu! And never mention the name anywhere where there are eyes and ears. It will earn you a hefty beating for the both of us.” She spoke above a whisper. More of my hair landed on the floor, “You are a princess!” “That means nothing when you break the rules. If you break the law, that is a death sentence.” She slid the blade along my head slowly, not once cutting me. “Why do you look so sad?” “Taking accountability for my actions, it does not settle well. Every time I try to break away from the chains that bind me,” I had to pause to stop the crackling in my voice. “I find a new set of chains that are just as heavy as the ones before.” My voice only crackled once giving way to the pandemonium that was going on in my mind, body and soul. “My father … he can be cruel with no forgiveness, I have never known a time where he did not get what he wanted. There is another side of him as well, he can be compassionate." She placed the blade down and started to rub lotion into my skin. “You were to be sold to a fair owner. Father saw the life you had been given. He told me that even though you tried, things were always built up to be against you from birth. Father said if it was not for bad luck you would have no luck at all. Then a serf tried to run away and a spot was opened up for you.” I thought about what Anatu had said to me, things still did not add up, “So then why are you here with me when I should be working and in the cell, like the others?” “Father believes your transition will best suit his needs if I was the one to train you. I am a lot more gentle and compassionate compared to my siblings. Father said I am more like my mother in temperament.” Anatu studied what she had done when she was satisfied, “follow me!” “Yes princess!” I started to smile, then I remembered how cruel she was and the smile disappeared off of my face. “Things here can go one way or the other, if you obey you will go up the ranks and soon you will find pleasure in this new reality.” Anatu was leading me towards the door. “What about the plate?” I pointed to it as I got up from the stool. “Leave it, a female serf will pick it up.” Anatu waited for me to be behind her.