Tense

7 - Welcome to the Palace

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Don't be afraid
Honey, one day this will fade
So put on a smile, do it in style
Make them all desperate to be you

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We were lead into the halls of the palace by the bald robed man who introduced himself as Sir Varkis, the head of staff and court advisor. He was a very strict man, who didn't talk much and only gave curt responses in a domineering tone. He was very tall and thin like a stick figure, who was more focused on getting through the halls as quickly as possible reprimanding us harshly for staring at the beautiful ancient statues lining the path we were walking on, instead of making haste. He lead us to a beautiful bath house which was decorated in mosaics depicting nature behind glass doors with steam thickening the air. Two elderly looking women were standing in front of the doors, maids who were there to assist us, as Varkis explained shortly. "Make sure they are presentable. I will be back in two hours." He spoke curtly to the women who nodded eagerly before he turned around again, making his robe flutter in the process, disappearing behind the wooden doorway once again. "You must be quite exhausted from the journey. Please follow us so we can make sure you feel as good as new again." One of the women said before the other one instructed us to take of our shoes and clothes. When I took of my shoes my maid instantly noticed the bandage. "Oh my, are you injured?" she said crouching down to take a look at the bandage and even Yana turned her head towards me, instead of removing her other shoe. I quickly explained the cut to the four onlookers. "Poor thing, I hope it's really not that bad. I will make sure to take good care of it." The maid told me, pushing the plush bath slippers closer to me and I thanked her for her kindness. As Yana got help with opening her dress I just loosened the knot of my frock, taking it off and handing it to the maid next to me, who was already holding onto my coat. The same procedure with my shirt and undergarments, before I was given a fluffy white towel with a rose embroidery. I stepped into the bath house before Yana and waited in the warm steam that surrounded me taking deep breaths of warm air. "Let's get you started." The maid piped up in my moment of peace as she had come back from depositing my clothes. I nodded and followed her to an ornate green circular bench in the middle of the bath house. "Let's first get all that dirt off you." She said with a determined look as she started to wash my feet, legs and arms with a herbal smelling soap. Yana was instead lead to a bathtub at the side of the bath where she happily chatted with her maid as she began to wash her hair. "My, my, not the easiest life you must have had." The old lady grabbed my attention again as she was carefully eyeing the scar on my arm which a bullet had left there all these years ago. "I can tell you already, Lady Charlotte will not like that at all." She murmured as she switched the rag for a brush to clean my hands. "Such rough hands for such a young girl. Where did you work at? a factory?" She asked bewildered. I tell her the callouses on my hands were mostly from a rope burn which happened when I was young but couldn't treat it well. Which was the truth, just not the entire truth. My hands were definitely far from soft these days, as cuts, burns and scrubbing laundry had definitely left their permanent marks. I didn't tell her anything about my life. I didn't feel comfortable making any small talk at that moment. When she was finished with my hands she lead me to another bathtub the opposite side of the room, where Yana's laughter was only an echo. Stepping into the bath and upon feeling the hot water embracing my skin I let out a sigh of relieve. My muscles began to relax, and my mind also began to feel relaxed once again. The maid began to wash my hair, simply discarding my hair tie to the side and began to wash my hair. She began to hum as she massaged my head with shampoo, making me close my eyes in bliss. This is exactly what I needed. I thought to myself enjoying the warmth that surrounded me. All will be well from now on.

When we were scrubbed clean with our skin as soft as a peach, our hair like silk, and smelling of fresh herbs and flowers we were dressed in plain white linen dresses which reached our knees, each another pair of slippers and a long white robe to keep us warm in the suddenly cold halls of the palace. Sir Varkis was already waiting in front of the larger wooden door hiding the bath house behind it. "Better." He stated after eyeing us, especially me. "Lady Charlotte is already waiting for you in the Ladies' House." the strict man continued without much information before starting to walk ahead, expecting us to follow. The fancy bright halls stretched out into an atrium which held a small courtyard inside. A fountain splashed happily in the centre of it while small green birds were dancing around it. Pink and orange hibiscus bushes gave the greenery a more tropical feeling. Sir Varkis clicked his tongue as he caught us girls gushing over the sight and we had to hurry to catch up to him. Stepping through a glass door we found ourselves on a red stone path with bamboo following it's way, obscuring the sight of what might lay behind it where running water could be heard close by. When we stepped through another glass doorway the Interior changed from polished black and white marble to floors inlaid with heat tempered glass, metal sculptures and modern art. The bright light emitted from the milky glass ceiling gave a good look on the indoor garden which had a river running around bigger tiles of concrete. In it's middle was a big sitting area carved into the ground where women were lounging in colourful light organza dresses chattering to themselves. Yana stopped to stare at the scene in front of us, but taking her hand, I gently nudged her to go on with me. Flashing me a quick smile she whispered "Can you believe this?" In a shrill voice unable to calm her excitement. "This is so insane." I agreed with her as we almost ran into Varkis. He told us to go into the doorway, which a footman held open for us.