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II. GETTING READY TO SERVE ROYALS

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DATE ─────── 1640
─────── BEFORE EVENTS OF DAMSEL

Alya was being led through the royal corridors of castle.

A servant struts behind her, mopping her footsteps as her steps make noticeable dirt marks on the marble floor. Two guards walk right beside her. Their chain armor clanks against each other as they walk with purpose. She looked around as she was being led. The polished marble floor, surrounded by walls adorned with intricate tapestries depicting the royal houses' historic battles and their noble lineage. She no doubt took notice of the one that had a shocking resemblance to the prince. He stood on the side of his mother, her majesty. She sat in an exquisite chair with her dress filled with gold and riches. Holding the possessions of a coronation, while the husband stood on the other side of the chair. It was a sight to see them made from wool, their faces exactly the same.

She trails her eyes off and looks ahead. The air had a natural smell to it. Exotic flowers filled the narrow yet long corridors. After every step she took, she saw chandeliers handing off the patterned ceiling, illuminating the path ahead with a warm, regal glow. The corridor seemed to stretch on endlessly, whispering tales of grandeur and her majesty with every step.

It would be an honor to step foot through the entire palace of her majesty if it weren't for her current dilemma. The two guards grip on each of her forearms would surely leave a dent by the force they held her with. They turned to another hall, but this one wasn't as grandeur as the others. The walls were in plain white, and the narrow hall only stretched six feet. The door was wooden and outlined in a crimson paint, which was peeling throughout. The guard to her left uses his other hand to pound the door repeatedly.

He kept hitting until the door opened swiftly as a woman leans against it. "Must you be a nuisance?" She asks, her accent rolled off her tongue with ease much like everyone else there. Her burnette hair was tied behind her head, and her brown eyes showed a young fire barely expanding.

Both guards grunt at her ill tongue. "Do speak like that again, I will have her majesty delay supper for all maids."

The woman looked to the guards nonchalantly and rolled her eyes. She then drifted to Alya, who stood still in her grimy garments. Her eyes widened, and she began to speak until she was gently pushed aside.

"Pardon my apprentice. She does not know her place yet." A woman who seemed way older than the previous one spoke diligently. She wore a red dress, with fewer riches, none at all. It was plain red mixed with white, and a white apron covered her neck to her waist. The dressed had no puff to it. It laid flatly against her sides.

Alya looked to her eyes and saw they were more narrow and had noticeable wrinkles. Yet she expressed herself with elegance. Her hands remained clamped together by her waist. "I apologize on her behalf."

The gaurds expression couldn't be seen by the armor he wore around his face, only his eyes could be seen. "Hmm...do make sure she does."

Alya watched as the woman gave a weird glance to the guard on her left. She didn't know what it was. It wasn't her place to find out, but curiosity struck through her, and she so wanted to find out. The guards demeanor calmed as soon as the woman showed up. Who wouldn't be curious? Or maybe it was the way she held herself that people were calmed automatically by her presence.

He continued to speak after they exchanged glances. "Her majesty has granted you yet another commoner to revitalize into your 'hospitality'. Have her changed at once. Her scent lingers among the halls, and it isn't a pleasant one."

Alya gives the man a scornful gaze and opens her mouth. "I'll have you know-"

The woman grabs Alya by her arm, away from the guards, and puts her behind her. Smiling at the gaurds and bows. "Of course, anything her majesty appoints me with, I'll see to it performs at its best and nothing less."

Alya watches from behind the woman and sees him agree, his amor chain making clanging sounds and his shifts in place. "Her majesty is having supper after sunset, have the commoner ready. Her majesty expects nothing but prestige performance."

At that, the door closes, and Alya stands awkwardly waiting on what the two woman would say. The younger one skips to a bed in the rectangular room and opens up a book. As if nothing mattered in the moment. The older sighs and runs a hand through her hair. She walks around Alya to a desk that has garments much like her own. "How many times must I tell you to address the guards in the most respectful way possible. Do I need to remind you that they decide on whether or not we are provided meals on our performance as a whole?"

"Well, they don't respect us." The younger woman retorts back as she has her face stuffed in a book.

The older woman sighs and comes to Alya with the dress. She places it in front of her body as she mentally took of each curvature and imperfections. Alya didn't know what she was doing and just stood idle. The woman spoke as she continued to cut and make adjustments on the dress. "That is because we are of less importance to the queen than them. Though we do address the needs of the princesses and the royal house, we mustn't forget whence we came."

Alya has yet to make conversion with either as they rant to each other. The younger one spoke again. "If they walked a mile in our place, they would know how important we actually are." The woman mutters as Alyas sees her shoulders slugg in defeat.

"We are fed just enough and clothed enough to get through difficult times, Eve." Alya saw the older woman's fortitude just by her wisdom and her pride in her work. She knew her place and did not take it for granted.

"Here," the woman finally voices to Alya. She pushes the dress on her chest and smiles. "Take off your garments."

"Uh," Alya voice was held back by her abrupt task. She took hold of the clothing and stammers over her words."Right here? In front- front of you two?" Alya was slightly uncomfortable with how up front the woman was about it.

The woman looked at her as if Alya's was the weird one. "Yes? I need to get rid of your clothing. Then, you are to make your way to the room past the wardrobe and tend to your body. Make it as presentable as possible."

"O-okay." Alya agreed. Was else what she was supposed to do? She couldn't run out of the door and leave. Her majesty would have her head. She began to strip her clothing off and held onto the handkerchief the prince gave her.

The woman looks at the piece of clothing she holds. "Is that yours?" She asks skeptically. A piece of clothing like that wouldn't be on a commoner randomly.

Alaya held it between her slender fingers and covered her breast with it, along with her arms. "The Prince gave it to me when I-" Was she allowed to speak of it to them? They were in apart of the royal house in some way. "When they found me." She ended up saying.

The woman humed and spoke no more of it as she threw Alya's clothing in a bin and picked it up. "Well the prince does have a natural instinct to care more than her majesty of commoners but never sought the action to give one a possession of his. You must have striken a liking to his eyes yes?"

"I guess." Alya didn't know. She begins to get more conscious about her naked body and huddles into herself.

The woman saw this and laughed. "Fear not, for it is nothing you should be ashamed of. We all have the things you possess on your body. You came at a fortunate time, most maids are doing task this time of night. You got lucky."

Their conversation them hushed into the silent air. Alya stood shaking, at her exposed body. The woman groans. "Eve will see to it your hair color gets changed, she's has redeeming qualities in that area. Now off you go."

Alya didn't need to hear it twice. She rushed into the room and saw it had no door. She placed the handkerchief on a nearby table and found a bucket of water by it. Multiple white rags laid presentable on the table.

After dabbing herself with water and cleaning the grime off her body she sees she was as polished as she could get and called out. "Hello?"

The younger woman peaked her head around the door and smiled. "You need something?" She asks politely.

"Yes um..." Alaya covers her body and spoke as calm as she could. "My hair."

"Oh!" She eagerly yells. She ran away then came back with a bucket of the color brown with an unknown utensil in her other hand. "My apologies, tend to drift off in my own world." The woman apologies and stands behind Alya. Grabbing her hair and lathering it in the coating color.

"It's alright." Alya announces to the woman. Shifting in the hard seat as it made her buttox uncomfortable. "Do you know why I must change my hair color?"

"Her majesty perceives it as a distraction," She begins as she gently held Alya's hair in her hands. Her words came out fast. It was like she spoke before thinking. "Commoners and servants are banned from having any hair color other than brown or black."

"Have any idea why it's considered a distraction?" Alya questions as she looks around the small room. It had a sink and the bucket she recently used to wash her body. It was relatively small compared to their sleeping quarters.

"She believes it gives them unwanted attention." She then stops and gets close to Alya's ear. "But you know what I think?"

"What?" Alya's pressed on. Curious as to why her natural hair color was banned.

She turns her head slightly and sees the woman smirking. "I think it's because her majesty doesn't want anyone to overtake her rarity of her blonde hair. No one else has it in the kingdom, it has to be the reason why."

"Very petty of her majesty." Alya commented.

"That's my exact thought!" She exclaims. She then huffs and resumed her task. "But Anita affirms it was so the woman of the kingdom don't get taken advantage of. Which I say in the most respectful but judgmental way, is bullshit."

Alya knew the Queen had her quirks but she didn't think the Queen was this picky. Alya reponds softly as she closes her eyes, the feeling of hands runnign through her hair near her nape relaxes her. "By lessening their natural beauty? Women still get taken advantage no matter the change."

The woman hums. "You so get me. Anita hasn't agreed with me on something in a while, she's always on the queens dick."

Alya's laughs with genuine interest. "Are you always this informal?"

"Only with freinds." She says happily, a gasp then comes out of her mouth and she stood right in front of Alya. With the utensil still in her hands, that were now covered in the colored liquid. "Which reminds me, I haven't introduced myself to you. I'm Eve Bennings."

Her hand is outstretched to Alya. Alya was against making freinds especially with where she resided currently. It was what she most likely was going to need in the long run. Alya smiles her, slightly tainted teeth showing as she did." I'm Alya Evings, a pleasure." She shakes her hand.

"Alright, now, I'm almost finished-" Eve's eyes wander and lingers on the handkerchief that sat on the table. Her eyes widen and she stalked to it quickly. "Is that prince Henry's!?" She held it into her hands and observed it.

"No. Uh- it's- it's mine." Alya lies through her teeth.

"Nonsense," Eve waves Alya off. "No offense but a commoner such as you wouldn't have something like this with much worth behind it."

"None taken." Alya's says dryly. "It also has my blood on it." She says eagerly at Eve.

"What?" Eve, gags and threw it back on the table. "Ew, what didn't you tell me that in the first place? Where'd you even get that?"

"His highness gave it to me." She states plainly, no use in lying at this point.

Eve scoffs and begins to picks up her stuff. "Yeah and I attend to his highnesses personal endeavors in his chambers." She then mutters something low but was heard by Alya. "Which I would love to do one day."

"What was that?" Alya pressure at her. She noticed Eve's attraction to the prince. She wouldn't blame her. The Prince possesses an effortless charm that draws people in like a magnet. He exudes an aura of mystery and allure that is impossible to ignore even by the smallest atom.

She finds Eve blushing in embarrassment as she stiffens up. "What? I didn't say nothing. Uh, oh- look, Anita is here. Dress is ready. Come on." She rushes out the room with the stuff she came in with.

Alya's looks down and laughs to herself. Her place here wasn't as bad as she thought. But she only experienced her place in the royal house not her job. Hopefully she wasn't treated differently than was she just been through. But knowing how she came to be here, her majesty might just have it out for her. Alya huffs and got up, making her way out the small room. Ready to put on the dress, and serve her majesty. She wasn't, but if it was how she kept her head on, then she wouldn't complain.

After getting help from the two woman with her dress and apron she looks herself in a nearby mirror and stares at it. It wasn't royal worth but it gave her a glimpse of what could be. If she was born into that world, she would wear more exquisite dresses. Her long white hair now brown and tied up felt and looked foreign to her. She was also too clean, it felt fresh, like their was a certain amount of pressure taken of her body. She didn't look like herself, she'll just have to get used to it.

"Are you ready?" The woman, Alya now knows by Eve's chattering mouth, Anita calls out. She finds her in the reflection watching her from behind.

"Yes." Alya whispers as she gets lost in the reflection.

Anita grabs her by her shoulders and squeezes it with comfort. "Then we must practice at once. They will call to us in due time, until then I'll show you what is to be expected of you when aiding the royal family with their supper."