Clara was only eight years old when her father died, leaving only her, her brother, and her mother. The family lived on the outskirts of Castle Town but were regularly seen in the center of it, trying their hardest to earn ends meet. Clara's mother, Lindsey, became a waitress at a bar, usually gone the entire day, the kids needed to take care of themselves. No later than a year her brother, Issac, became of age. On the day of his 16th birthday, he enlisted in the royal army. This left Clara alone. Her family had grown distant, and she hadn't heard from them in months.
She couldn't doubt that years of working at the bar had changed her mother. Once a kind and sweet soul had now turned into a drunken mess with a cigar always hanging in her hand. Along with her brother, the busy hours had left her now 17 year old brother tired and when he did come home, he slept and took care of his wounds.
When Clara turned 14, she applied for a job in the castle as a scullery maid, of course she would be working for the "lower nobles," but at least she would have a nice room in the castle instead of her crumbling home.
April 15.
It was the first day of work for Clara. She woke up as early as she could to get ready. She put on a green dress with a blue scarf. The outfit was a gift from her brother all the way from the Tabantha region. She combed her brownish reddish hair and wore it in a tight ponytail. She brought a leather bag with her packed with a few rupees, a handheld mirror, some makeup, and a few wrapped up pastries. She then packed a trunk, packed full of her best dresses and a few bonnets.
As she walked up the hill to enter the castle, two guards stopped her.
"State your business."
"I'm here for work."
" Never seen you before, what do you work for?" The guard said, taking a few steps closer to her. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder, pulling her away from the guard.
"She's a maid. The new maids start today in case you didn't know. Now step away sir." The woman demanded. The guard looked at her in astonishment then opened the gate to the castle.
" Thank you for that." Clara said, turning to the woman. She had dark skin, with black hair pulled into two buns. She wore golden circular glasses, and wore a blue floral dress with a white apron. "Are you a maid too?"
"A maid for the Princess herself! I was just visiting home for the weekend."
Clara hummed in response. " What's your name?"
"Sophia, and yours?"
"Clara!"
" What a beautiful name, but may I ask, how old are you?" Sophia asked.
" I'm thirteen, I just turned forteen a few days ago on the 13th. I was going to wait to sign up, but the house was crumbling so I decided to sign up to work." Clara explained. "How old are you?"
"Nineteen, and you're our youngest maid yet, I'm sure they'll put you to work. Don't worry though I'll make sure you'll-" Before she could finish, an older looking woman pushed the two girls into a group or around 5 other girls. The woman was dressed in a long black dress with poofy sleeves and a tall hairdo.
"That's Madame Zimorski, she's the head maid."
"Oh-"
"Shh..."
" Well... this is a smaller crowd than usual. I guess no one wants to work anymore. Shameful. Anyways, I will be calling out your names and telling you the Noble you will be assisting. Got that?"
A collective "yes" came from the small group of Seven.
"Allie Ghallager, you have Lord And Lady Huntingdon," and the girl rushed off.
"Clara, you have Lady Kathrine," Clara turned back, and met eyes with Sophia, who gave her a reassuring smile. Then she rushed off, entering the first entrance she came upon.
As she entered the actual castle, she stood in awe at the large ceilings, the crimson red carpets, the stained glass windows, and the surprisingly busy halls. She kept standing, mouth gaping, until a guard walked up to her.
"Oh! I'm sorry, do you mind telling me where I can Lady Kathrine?"
"Go up three floors, walk until a table with blue and gold flowers, then take a left, it's the first door on the right." He sighed.
"Right."
After 3 more times of asking for directions, she finally made it to the door. Hopefully.
Three knocks.
One
Two
"Hello!" A woman opened the door with a smile gracing her lips.
" Hello, are you Lady Kathrine?"
"Why yes! Are you the maid?"
"Also yes!"
"Come in darling, come in!"
Lady Kathrine was wearing a blue dress with white lace. Not forgetting the large hat with feathers. Her dress was complete with frills and lace, poofs, an immense amount of tulle, and baby blue heels. She had fair pale skin, and light blonde hair. Her lips were as red as roses in the summer.
Suddenly, Lady Kathrine pulled out a Royal looking dress and held it up to Maria's body.
"Name?" She asked, an accent gracing her voice.
"Clara ma'am."
"Hm. Well Clara, there's a gala tonight. The Princess, my cousin, will be attending, and I want my new maid to accompany me!"
"Oh ma'am, I would love that!"
"Great! I have tons of dresses for you. Princess Zelda will be bringing her maid so you can mingle with her!" She smiled, pulling out more dresses, corsets, and shoes.
Clara smiled at the thought of new friends
"Plus you could meet some boys!" She sang.
Clara rolled her eyes when a thought popped into her head.
"My Lady, are you sure? It is only my first day."
"Then it sure will be an exciting first day!"
Throughout the day, Clara had helped Lady Kathrine put her makeup on, do her hair, and tie a corset so tight she could hardly breathe. She washed her clothes, and ran errands for her all the way up until the gala.
Then the time came, it was 6:00, two hours before the gala started. Since Clara was the maid, she helped Lady Kathrine get ready first. First putting on a cleaner corset. Lady Kathrine had Clara pull it so tight so her waist was no larger than 9 inches. Lady Kathrine picked out a light pink dress with long sleeves, the dress had a square neckline traced in white lace, and ruffles ran down the side of the dress. Kathrine wore pink heels and a straw hat with a light pink feather to match. Her hair was styled in a tight braid bun, just low enough to let the hat go over it.
Then she picked out a gown for Maria. She picked out a baby blue dress, also with a square neckline, right in the middle sat a pink rose. Katherine also had her put many petticoats on so the skirt puffed out just perfectly. There were barely any sleeves on the dress, just ones that went halfway down to her elbows. It made her feel scandalous. Same with the neckline. Sadly, she did have to wear a corset with it. Kathrine took her hair out of the ponytail and brushed it out.
By the time they were finished, it was almost 8:00. Kathrine grabbed to hand fans and handed one to Clara. The two rushed down the stairs to make it to the ballroom.
A/n: I really hope people read this, and if someone is, hello! I just want to announce that updates will be irregular due to school, but I will try to update as much as I can!
Thanks!
- Mei:)
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A Maid's Tale
FanficWhen a young girl, who has had an awful life, becomes a maid for The Royal Family of Hyrule. DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY CHARACTERS EXCEPT THE ONES THAT ARE NOT IN THE GAME!
