For Kingdom's Sake

Chapter One: The Castle (Part 2)

After going through the program in a manor close to the castle, I thought I had grown used to the sight. But seeing it from afar and actually walking through the halls were entirely different experiences. It was so much grander up close. You could see the individual stones used to build the walls. Portraits of important historical figures lined the halls, each with a golden name plate for the artwork. Some were hundreds of years old, though I saw a couple of recent ones of the current and late Kings. It was the first time I had actually seen what our current King looked like. Whoever was chosen to be Queen would surely be thrilled to spend the rest of her life with someone who looked like that. Thick, brown hair, focused green eyes, a sharp jaw almost hidden by his short beard. Though, I knew it wasn't unusual for portraits to be painted to ensure the subject was happy with it, accuracy be damned. So really he could be absolutely revolting and the portraits could simply be how he wishes to view himself.

I was shown upstairs to where I was assigned to a room. My main task would be to attend to any noble ladies who stayed in the room. Apparently there were multiple rooms in the castle specifically set aside for nobility who did not bring their own staff to stay. I also needed to keep that hallway and all the rooms in it clean. Stoke the fire in the hallway on cold nights, change the flowers in vases as they began to wither but only with the direction of my superior on that floor as she would ensure cohesiveness of the decor. Winnie was assigned to general cleaning on a lower floor, so it looked like we would not see as much of each other as I had hoped.

From what I was told, most new staff were given similar positions to Winnie and gradually worked their way up to working directly with the nobility. My previous experience and high level of competency in the program, coupled with a conveniently timed opening in the staff, allowed me to begin at a higher station. I was already closer than my initial expectations of being able to travel the Kingdom.

As I was shown past the balcony overlooking the atrium I smelled a whiff of something amazing. As soon as I smelled it though, it was gone. Maybe it was one of the plants. Or some kind of food that had been taken down a hallway below. I had no idea what the smell could have come from, just that it was the best thing I had ever smelled. I would have to investigate it later.

Deeper in the castle, overlooking a courtyard, was my section. I was shown into the room and where all the items I would need for attending to the ladies that did not bring their own items or misplaced them. Then I was brought to the closest storage cupboard for cleaning supplies. Water I would need to retrieve from a well in the courtyard downstairs, but that was pretty close, just a few flights of stairs.

"Now, let me show you to your quarters."

It was already evening by the time my supervisor, Miss Clementine, finished showing me around my work area. She led me down to the staff quarters where it looked like most of the others from my program were gathered with a few different staff members instructing each group.

We were all shown to our respective rooms where our luggage had already been dropped off. Each room was based on your job. The women working in the kitchen were paired off into rooms, the general maids were paired off into theirs, and so on.

"As an attendant you will have a room to yourself," Miss Clementine explained. "As your working hours can vary greatly depending on who you attend to at different points, we do not wish for you to disrupt the schedule of the other girls or for them to disrupt yours. Your room is smaller than theirs, but I will be honest, when I moved into the single room it was still much preferable. It is unlikely you will spend much time there anyway."

I nodded along, listening intently. She appeared to have worked here for at least a few decades based on her age and how seamlessly she moved around. I would have to ask her some time.

"If you move up to becoming a lady's maid you will move to the quarters assigned for that position near the Lady's own quarters to better serve her. These positions do not open up frequently as we do not have many Lady's residing at the castle and you will not be ready for such a position by the time the Queen is chosen."

"I could become the Queen's lady's maid?" I was surprised.

"No," Miss Clementine sighed in annoyance, patting imaginary stray hairs against her head where they were all tied into a sleek brown bun. "One of the current lady's maids is likely to take that role, however that will open their previous position, which would be more suited to you. However it will still take time for you to develop the skills necesarry for such a position, more time than it will take for the King to chose his mate."

I thought I detected a hint of annoyance in her voice at the end. Maybe she, like Winnie, thought the King should be finding his fated mate instead of choosing one. I reminded myself that it was not my business what she thought of the situation. Besides, she barely knew me and as a ranked member of the castle staff she would be expected to support and defend the decisions of the King irrelevant of her own views.

I'm sure he has staff to consult who can disagree with him privately though.

My room wasn't as small as I was expecting. It had a bed, a desk with a chair, and a small set of drawers. I would have two days off work each week unless there was a Lady for me to attend to. On the days I worked I would need to wear a uniform which I could retrieve at the start of the week from a nearby closet. I would then wear my own clothes on my days off.

"Spend tonight settling in. Staff dinner is at eight o'clock sharp. If you are not directly attending to a noble, you are expected to show up or miss out. Staff dinner times may be occasionally adjusted for special events, please check with myself, the kitchen, or another supervisor if you are unsure. I expect you on the floor at six o'clock tomorrow morning. We start early but as long as there are no guests that need attending, we usually finish early also."

With that, Miss Clementine turned on her heel and left.