Dawn of Adventure {Book One of The Paths We've Traveled}

Chapter Eleven: Settling In

"And here are your rooms, Lord Drago." Rurd stopped in front of a door, clasping his hands behind his back. He had already shown Lord and Lady Surge to their rooms farther down the hall, and now he was anxious to leave these nobles behind so he could continue his never ending work at the manor. Ashley stepped forward to open the door for her master and mistress, eyes locked on the ground. While Drago helped his daughter into the room, Rurd leaned closer to the young maid. "I'll send someone to fetch you after you've had time to settle in. If you have any questions, there's constantly people walking through the hallways. Any message you give them will make its way to me. Now I'll leave you to it." Without a second glance, Rurd swiftly turned and vanished through the halls.

Once he was out of sight, Lucy sighed, stepping into the room and pulling the door shut behind her. It felt nice to be able to relax and not keep up the act of the shy, timid maid. So as the door closed with a quiet click, she groaned, slumping against the wall and taking in the rich apartment.

The three of them stood in a large common room, plush couches and chairs arranged before an empty fireplace, equally velvety drapes hanging on either side of the enormous clear windows. The view out of the glass wasn't as pleasing, consisting mainly of the impoverished town and dusty countryside. But there was plenty more to look at inside the fabulous room. Art and tapestries hung from the walls, rugs covered the cold stone floor, and flowers rested in vases on the coffee table. Two doors stood on either side of the expansive room, and Lucy guessed they were the separate bedrooms for Wendy and Natsu. A brief thought crossed her mind, wondering where she was supposed to sleep. Then she shrugged, figuring she would be expected to stay with the other servants of the manor.

"This place is crazy!" Natsu's eyes glowed with glee, racing over to the closest door to peer inside. The bedroom was half the size of the common room and yet it was probably still bigger than Lucy's entire apartment. Another empty hearth adorned the far wall, two extremely comfortable chairs facing what was likely a raging fire in the winter. A huge bed took up almost the entire right side of the room, deep red pillows and silken sheets creating an enticing mix. Like in the main room, two giant windows framed by drapes stood on either side of the bed, letting in enough sun that no artificial light was needed. Two more doors led to an empty closet and a bathroom, both fitting with the theme of the rooms in their massive size.

He entered the main room again, figuring from Wendy's round eyes that the other bedroom was much the same. He also took in her trembling hands and frowned. She's been on her feet for too long. At least we're not in those stupid vehicles anymore.

Lucy pushed herself off of the wall, ready to spend the next few hours relaxing before she was thrown to the wolves and forced to work her ass off doing who knows what. But her prayers weren't answered. A knock at the door startled all three of them, filling Natsu's ears with the sounds of Lucy and Wendy's racing hearts as he raised his fists, gearing up for a fight.

Lucy straightened her dress, motioning with a free hand for Natsu and Wendy to relax and act natural as she pulled open the door. It was the guard from earlier; well, she assumed it was. The purple shade of his hair matched that of the guard she had spoken to earlier, but since she had never looked up into his face, she could only assume. Nevertheless, she dipped into a slight curtsy, assuming the mannerisms of the shy maid. "Good afternoon sir. What can I do for you?"

His brown eyes locked on hers, and while he didn't smile, Lucy saw the lightness in his gaze. "Rurd told me to deliver the contents of your wagon to the rooms of Lord Drago and of Lord Surge. I assume this is Lord Drago's?" Lucy nodded, scanning the hallway behind him for the piles of luggage Erza had insisted on bringing. "I'll admit, I'm not quite sure what belongs where. Do you suppose you could help me separate everything? Just tell me what belongs to your master and mistress and I'll bring the rest to Lord Surge. Me and a few of the others already brought the luggage up to this floor, it's just further down the hallway."