Alfheim

VI. The Prince

I followed an elf that resembled a nun. She guided me to a wing downstairs. It was the floor above the dungeon she had told me. There I found several rooms with nameplates on them. Some plates said 'female servants' and others said 'male servants'. I stayed at the room called 'female servants 03'. The nun told me my roommates would inform me about the schedule and my tasks. She wished me good luck and left me in front of the door with the key. I took a deep breath. I knocked on the door before I opened the door. No one answered. I slowly opened the door and saw there was no one there. I only saw two bunkbeds and two drawers on each side of the room. I could see which bunkbed was occupied. The ones that were occupied had wrinkled sheets on them. My bed was the left bunkbed. On the bottom bed I found two little stacks of clothes. I held one piece up and saw that it was an uniform. It was a pine green cotton dress with wide long sleeves. I also found a white apron and a maid hat on the bed. The second stack consisted of a long Bordeaux nightgown (also with wide long sleeves), a red ribbon and a pair of white socks. I had no idea what time it was, but it felt like it was around noon. So I decided to change into the uniform and look for other servants. I locked the door and went upstairs. In the distance I saw three servant girls standing behind a large pillar peeking.
"He is so handsome," I could overhear one girl say.
"I wish I can marry him in my second life," the other said. "Lady Sierra is also looking really gorgeous today," the third girl said. I followed their gazes and saw they were looking at Sierra and the mysterious stranger I met earlier. They were standing before the king. The king was sitting on his throne. Sierra bowed and the stranger kneeled. There were also two middle aged women standing behind the two. They were saying something, but I couldn't make out what they were saying. So I walked towards the servant girls and silently stood a few centimeters behind them. I didn't mean to scare them, but somehow they noticed my presence and started to scream. We immediately grabbed the attention of the people we were watching. The servant girls immediately apologized and ran away. I froze. I knew I had to run away, but my body disagreed. For a moment I locked eyes with the stranger. Before I could look away, Sierra recognized me in the servant uniform.
"Ivy, is that you?!" she screamed as she ran towards me. She gave me a big hug.
"I'm so sorry my father is treating you this way," she said.
"Honey, what are you doing with this pesky servant girl?" the women behind her asked. "Mom! How could you say that. She is my best friend!"she shouted.
"What's the meaning of this?" the king asked me.
"Were you spying on us?" the stranger asked with a grin on his face.
"No, of course not!" I answered.
"How dare you talk back like that, you ignorant girl!" Sierra's mom said resentfully.
"Honey, I believe she has amnesia. Let's cut her some slack shall we. She probably has never met Prince Gideon,' the king said. "Ivy, I would like you to meet prince Gideon." Since he's a prince you are supposed to treat him like a prince,' the king explained. I nodded. "My apologies for my ignorant behavior, My Lord," I said as I bowed.
"It's okay. You can return to the others," prince Gideon said with a friendly smile.
"No it's not. I think she should be punished," the queen (Sierra's mom) said sternly.
"What do you suggest?" the king asked. It fell silent. We patiently waited on her suggestion. "Off with her head!" she shouted. After the queen spoke, my body went numb. I started to hear a bleep in my ears. "That's absurd!" the other middle aged woman commented. "Don't make any haste decisions, your majesty. You haven't even confirmed her title yet. "Unless someone has a better idea this will be her punishment," the king added. I had no words. "Dad!! How could you! What about the other servants?' Sierra shouted with tears in her eyes. "Sorry, my dear. Rules are rules. Servants who don't follow the rules are going to be punished for their sins. I have to agree with your mom. Your mother knows best. Servants can't go around breaking rules. The other servants will receive their punishment too," the king explained. Their voices sounded so far away. I felt myself getting nauseous. The room began to spin. What is happening to me?