The Maid and Her Princess [On Hiatus]

She Did What? (Fall 2)

II.

"You are to return to your duties here until Her Highness is free," a guard instructed her. Even though she walked and cleaned these hallways before Madoka missed the Estate's. Not that they required less work and were not as ornate as these Palace hallways but because she felt more free.

"Understood," Madoka curtsied. She was a slave never to be free as she was at the Estate. She knew better than to ask when Elise would be available to speak with again. She followed the guards when one of them stopped her. She chose to be this.

"Hey, I remember you!" The guard said. Madoka did not remember him although his face reminded Madoka of a squash. "You were the princess's slave!"

"Y-Yes, sir," Madoka confirmed. Squash-face laughed but then drew closer after looking around.

"Is she every bit of insane that they speak about here?" Squash-face whispered. Madoka was worried about those rumors. Things were much more scarier here than her time with the princess suggested. What should she say? Squash-face withdrew and patted her shoulder. "It must have been hard dealing with her. But now, you're here safe and sound! With us!"

"Oh, y-yes I suppose so, sir," Madoka said politely. The guard nodded assuredly before entering through the servant quarter's doors. Madoka wondered what became of the princess's Royal chambers but she hardly had enough time to think before her fellow maids surrounded her. They were asking her questions and showering her with awe and attention.

"What is life like outside the Palace?"

"Was it hard to live in such a drab place?"

"I hear monsters and Cherish people are nearby, that must have been terrible for you."

Madoka was apprehensive about answering. Sure, the walls shook when a rainstorm crossed over the Estate. She knew she did not have the time for idle chatter. There was a familiar shadow approaching, though it did not seem as tall as it once was before.

"Madoka."

Madoka heard the old maid's voice first. It was the Head Maid, of course.

"I am glad you are well," the Head Maid gave a rare smile, causing the other servants to murmur. She immediately turned to them. "Get back to work!"

The observing servants scattered.

"You have grown so much," the Head Maid embraced Madoka. "You look much better."

Madoka felt awkward in her hold but the old woman let go of her.

"But you mustn't let it get to you," she warned. "The nobles prey upon women your age. Keep your head down. Now what of the princess?"

"I do not know what will happen to her," Madoka said honestly. "There seemed to be business here for her."

"She hasn't hurt you or anything, right?"

The Head Maid held her shoulders and gave her a good look over as they took to the princess's Royal Wing. Madoka could not even begin to count all the exercises and strange things the princess put her through over the last months. She said nothing instead and shook her head.

"I'm glad," she concluded. "Now get some rest. I am sure the princess will still require your duties soon."

Madoka agreed and retreated into the quarters next to the princess's room. Everything seemed pristine and tidy, just as Madoka made it. As of now, Madoka did not know when the princess will be free or if she will be free at all. The twin moons above slipped light beneath the cracks of her door as her company.

As she took her dress off she instinctively reached for her ax and only felt her hip. That's right, Madoka thought to herself. Her ax was left at the Estate. The exercises and training were seemingly meaningless since she was simply going to be here performing her duties after everything is said and done.

After flopping on the bed, Madoka wondered if things would truly be over. Madoka groaned. Her restlessness was going to be the death of her. There was work to do early and she was awake worried about things way over her head.

She prayed to any of the kind gods out there that it was not over. Even the one in that forest, she prayed to that one even if she could not fully understand English. If Elise were to go away she would never be able to understand the gods, would she? The maid sighed and rolled over in bed.

I pray for you to be safe, Madoka silently stared at the moons. And I hope your visions are wrong.

Later, Madoka did not need to be woken up because she did not sleep. Despite this, she still hurried along with her morning routine and exercises before rushing to meet with the maids for their assigned duties for the days.

In the palace, maids were to quietly and quickly clean. May the kind gods help them if a greedy noble took a fancy to one. Still, Madoka was ready to get back into it. She saw no sign of Elise but as she lined up with the other maids she knew she should toss the idea out her mind. Once she was out of the gathering with her assigned rotations she kept an eye out for the princess.

There was no shortage of things that needed cleaning, Madoka thought. Her hands swiftly remembered their cleaning, although with her newfound strength she found cleaning a lot easier than it was earlier in the year. Madoka also realized she must have been growing taller, since she could reach places like the top of Royal curtains with her duster without much trouble. She moved quickly to the other hallway after she was satisfied with the results. It was time to join the others to wash laundry.

The process was arduous. A large washroom sat below in the Palace's underbelly for this purpose. It was filled with bustling maids laying out various clothes, sheets and curtains seemingly every which way. It appeared to be a chaotic mess but it has remained the same as far back as Madoka remembered fondly.

The most difficult part was rounding up several maids to carry a large wooden tub for water outside. Madoka could lift it all by herself which shocked the servants. She smiled to herself since this could provide a distraction from her thoughts about the princess. However, that peace seemed to not last long when she heard a commotion brewing at the front entrance.

"Get outta the way!" Barked a familiar voice.

"B-But, Your Highness," another guard's voice came from behind the door. The servants and maids looked at each other and then eyed the door nervously. The chaos outside continued. "The sights in here are for slaves! They might make you uncomfortable—"

"Outta the way, you potato! An awkward car ride with Brother and a near death experience with Father cannot stop me!"

The door swung open wide and Elise emerged triumphantly. Squash-face crumpled to the ground beside her. It was evident that his resistance in letting her through proved futile.

"Now where is my maid?" Elise scanned the room before she locked eyes on Madoka, who dropped the large bucket onto the ground in disbelief. "You are really wet!"

Madoka was too stunned to speak. She thought the princess outgrew her antics but it seemed like she picked them back up right where she hid them before. Elise contemplated for a moment and a grin appeared on her face.

"BEHOLD! BUBBLE!" She shouted. A shimmer in the air manifested above the bucket Madoka dropped. A water orb floated over the bucket and began to fill it with soapy water. "WITNESS ME! WOO!"

"Elise Fiara," Madoka said after the servants gawked. The coldness in her voice froze everyone in the room. The bubble of water vanished. Elise shifted nervously with not a trace of mischievousness on her face.

"Uh oh," she said.

"What did I tell you about making noise?" Madoka grabbed her princess by the wrist and nearly dragged her outside. She did not care if the princess got soaked all the way to her chambers. Madoka swore she will clean the foolishness out of Elise once and for all.