It was amazing how my situation improved with Dulane's favor returned. The damaged clothes I'd done my best to patch with scraps of cloth were quickly replaced with new garments of sturdy cotton. My mother's handwritten recipes were returned to me in a fine wooden box where I might store them safely.

While Madam Rin's displeasure at my Master's usurpation of her power lingered at first, I made every effort to serve as the most loyal of slaves. Though I suspected she would always look on me with distrust, it was not long before her frigid demeanor towards me relaxed. She was receiving praise once again from Dulane for the meals coming out of her kitchen and though she would never have directly credited me for my efforts towards that result, she was nonetheless aware of my value.

    Now that my standing with the kitchen overseer was more favorable, Everett too was thwarted in his attempts to punish me further. I did my best to continue to please Madam and worked hard to avoid being caught out if the kitchen alone where Everett might find me and attempt to drag me away for his own pleasure.

    Further protection was soon granted when I was ordered one morning to report to the breeding sheds to meet my new mate. Though my entire body shook as I walked towards the part of the estate that held so much trauma for me now, I knew that a pregnancy was the only way to truly secure my renewed status. If I could not reproduce, my talent in the kitchen would not be enough to spare me and my place would soon be among those marked for cull. Stomach churning with fear and discomfort I entered the breeding shed with a male I had not yet lain with before. I was grateful when he proved to be far gentler than I could have hoped, going about his task in a perfunctory manner, taking what he wished without causing me any particular pain or discomfort.

    When confirmation of my pregnancy followed a few weeks later I was elated. Some part of me had feared that Everett's abuse might threaten any chance to produce offspring, but fortunately, this was not the case. My condition meant the cruel overseer would officially be forced to search for another plaything. Future stock was a precious commodity and he couldn't risk harming the child growing in my womb. Truly safe from his hands after months of suffering, I felt as if I could finally breathe again.

———————
   
With the baby growing in my womb I threw myself into my position of favor with all the more gusto, intent on keeping my Master's love. No more did I attempt to use my station to help others. I kept my head down, fully prepared to play the part of the perfect obedient human. Madam Rin kept close a close eye on me and I couldn't afford to let her catch me at anything that might be considered overstepping my bounds. My commitment to survival overtook all else, especially when my pregnancy became more advanced.

    "You are carrying quite high," the kitchen overseer said one day, staring at my ever-growing belly. "I have heard some say that, in humans, this is a sign the offspring is female. Let us hope you can produce another useful worker to whom you can pass your skills. You're not getting any younger after all."

    My heart jumped in my chest as the baby kicked. Could it be? This pregnancy had indeed felt different than the rest. Of course I had been more nervous with this child. I was terrified I might lose the baby and tumble down from Dulane's favor once again. If I could not bring the pregnancy to term, there was a frighteningly high possibility that he would send me back to Everett or sell me to the butcher. I was only twenty-one years old and, with life bearable again, I wanted to survive! But now a new prospect emerged in my mind. What if this baby was not only healthy but proved to be a female?

    "I will see to it that your rations are increased and vitamin supplements provided in your portion," Madam Rin said. "I want my new assistant strong and healthy." She gave me a tight-lipped smile which I forced myself to return. But inside my head, my thoughts were jumbled. A baby girl... would my Master let me keep her as my mother did me? Rin seemed eager for a potential new assistant.

    It was disturbing that our kitchen overseer might already imagine my future baby as a slave. The poor creature was not even born yet. In that moment, a part of me prayed that it was not a female child I carried. How could I bear subjecting another to the life I had lead? To a world where her existence would be marred by unending pain, her worth measured by how long and well she was able to survive in spite of that suffering. All that to one day end up on the menu for some hungry sibla. But still, as selfish as it might have been be, I knew that another part of me wanted a child desperately.

    Without my mother, Lexia, or any true companions, I was lonely. The idea of raising my own offspring was too tempting a prospect to reject so easily. My temples ached as the dichotomous thoughts wrestled in my head. As my time drew nearer, I still hadn't yet determined my true feelings, vacillating back and forth until my stomach tied in knots and I could barely sleep, my mind too preoccupied with worries for my future and that of the child growing in my womb.

    I went into labor in the wee hours of the morning on a bright spring day. By sunset, the cries of my healthy baby girl rang out loud and clear. When the attending slaves placed the wriggling wet bundle into my arms I wept as I never had before. The tears might have a bitter lacing, but it was joy that pulled water from my eyes. There was no longer any doubt in my mind. She was mine and I would do anything to keep her.

    My daughter was beautiful, born with a full head of dark hair, and blue-grey eyes that reminded me of my mother's. Once she was cleaned and suckling peacefully in my arms, my Master was summoned. I held the child close, savoring the warmth of her little body against my skin as I prepared myself for the reality that she might be ripped from me just like all the rest. But how could he take her away? My mind protested as I stared at her delicate features, relaxed as she fed with her eyes closed, breath smooth and measured. She was perfect.

    "Alice."

    I looked up to see Dulane himself there in the doorway.

    "They say you have given birth to a female. I would see her."

    Closing my eyes for the briefest moment I channeled the spirit of my mother, praying to be possessed of her strength. I forced myself to smile at my Master as he walked towards the bed, pretending as if I had not a care in the world while my heart pounded in my chest.

    "Master Dulane, behold the newest member of your flock," I said, holding my breath as I passed her to his large grey hands.

    Dulane looked down critically at the wrapped bundle that was my baby girl. I watched him examine her small form wishing desperately I could grab her back. Protect her from the evil that owned us both. I remained still.

    Luckily, my restraint was rewarded. As my Master reached out to stroke her cheek, my daughter's eyes opened sleepily. She blinked at the monster holding her and did the unimaginable. She smiled reflexively, her tiny hand reaching out to clutch at his finger. A sigh of relief passed through my body as my Master smiled back.

    "She is lovely, Alice" Dulane said. "I see so much of your mother in her."

    I swallowed the bile that came to my throat at his comment. I knew the agony he has subjected my mother in her lifetime. I knew how easily Dulane had thrown her away when the time came.

    Dulane offered the child to me and I held her close again, grateful to have her back in my arms.

    "What do you call this little one?" my Master asked, a smile still visible on his lips.

    It was incredible. With his question, my greatest wish manifest. He was giving this girl to me. He was even allowing me to name her!

    I stared down at my infant child, cradling her head carefully in my hand, staring at her in awe.

    "Mary," I said, the name coming to me in a rush of inspiration. "For Mariana."

    Dulane nodded approvingly. "Let us hope then that she lives up to her namesake," he said. "She will be your responsibility, Alice. Train her well. Help raise her to be a true and loyal member of my household and I promise you will be rewarded for it."

    The smile that came to my face was genuine. I had been given the same promise as my mother was so many years ago at my birth. This child would be mine. In that moment gave thanks to my mother's spirit and vowed that I would do everything to protect this young life and keep her safe. I was certain that with Mary by my side, my darkest days were now behind me.

*A/N *
Things are looking up for Alice! Mary's birthday marked a key turning point in her life. Of course her reality hasn't changed. Nothing on Dulane's farm is easy. Another character will reappear in the next chapter though who might just be able to help...