The Ignoble Adventures of the Supporting Character

“Hey wench, get up! Get a move on. We brought ya supper!” A gruff voice barked out to a ragged figure curled up in a dark cell. The figure stirred before uncurling to show the form of a grubby girl. She looked down at the tray that was shoved into her cell. Her eyes widened at the fancy platter of meat, stew, fresh rolls, and mead that was slipped under her door. “Hey! Hey wait! What is this?!” She yelled, quickly rushing up to the door. Her dirty hands tightened around the ill-fitted bars of the small window in the thick, wooden door separating the guard from her cell. This small room had been her home for the past year. With only a small pile of moldy hay in the corner as her bed and a rusty pail for a bathroom, she has rotted away slowly in this tiny room with only the occasional guard visit to let her know that time has passed. The light from the guard’s torch reflected on her face. Her cheeks were sallow from the lack of sun, her eyes sunken from poor rest and nutrition. Her black hair hung greasy and limp from the lack of care. The pot-bellied man paused but didn’t turn back as he called out, "Like I said lassy, that’s supper! Consider yourself lucky the Princess is kind and decided to let ya eat well today!” She paled at his response before taking a hesitating look at her food. “You guys ignored me for the past few months. Barely feed me. Forgetting to empty my bucket. Taunt me that any day now the Princess will decide my punishment. Now all of a sudden you bring me this?!” She gestures to feast in front of her. “Is this supposed to be my final meal?!” The guard cackled as he walked away, the light in the hallway dimming as his torch moved further down the moldy, stone hallway of the prison. “I wouldn’t worry about that now, girl. She is too busy planning that wedding of hers to what’s-his-name. That knight who brought you in here. I’m sure her slave dealer is the last person on her mind today since tonight is her engagement night and marks a new national holiday. Daddy dearest made sure no man went hungry, including our most notorious prisoners, on such a joyous occasion.” The girl’s hands slowly fell back to her side as darkness crept back into her cell. She can barely make out the outline of the food on the floor. She can’t remember the last time she ate something other than dirty water and hard bread. Her stomach growled, and she could only clench her hands in embarrassment. “So they’re getting married…” A snicker filled the cell until it turned into full-blown hysterical laughter. It took her 30 seconds to realize that it was coming from her as she leaned back against the grimy wall of her cell and slid down to sit on the floor. “Funny to think that a small-time slave dealer like me ended up playing Cupid to the nation’s only Princess and her Knight sweetheart,” she muttered, “I guess only heroines get happily ever after a after all…” A deep sense of self loathing overtook her as she swallowed back the saliva in her mouth. She hesitated only for a second before diving into her meal. As she messily stuffed her face, she just had one thought, “You just wait until I get out of here! I’ll show you ‘happily ever after’!”