Immediately, Chase leads me away from the crowd, which is quickly dispersing. I keep my eyes on the king, a mix of fear and hatred racing through me, mingled with pain. I catch Leandry's eye briefly before I am led into the section of the castle reserved for the servants. His eyes hold a mixture of disappointment and surprise.
"I might be bad as a royal's escort, but you are bloody awful at keeping your head down," Chase mumbles as we walk through the castle's kitchens. There is disappointment in his voice, but I don't stand down.
"What does it say of me that I am not offended by that?" I retort, glancing sideways at Chase.
He fails to conceal a small smile. "I suppose it means you're all right." He shakes his head. "You're going to get yourself killed one of these days, though."
"Life is dull without any risk, Chase. Don't worry about me." I feel myself beginning to distance myself mentally from him. A twinge of pain, not physical, spreads through me, and I suppress it.
We've reached what appears to be a laundry room full of servants, and Chase bids me good luck as I enter, looking for the head servant. A variety of faces, most slim, watch me as I traipse through the room, full of linens and other projects which the mute servants labor on. I grasp my bruised chest as I walk, surveying. The girls are dressed in a range of drab colors, and they all appear a little thin, with hazy glazes in their eyes. A fat woman I recognize as the cook appears suddenly, looking over me quickly with both concern and disgust.
"I told them you were castle material," she says, pulling a large apron over her head and passing it to a young girl who scuttles away with a quick glance at me. "Come along. We'll get you cleaned up. You'll meet the girls soon." Something about this woman immediately disposes me to like her. Her voice is gentle, although firm, and the girls around me look at the woman with a sort of respect one might give to their mother or grandmother.
"What's your name?" the woman asks me as I limp after her. Despite the fact that I am among only servants now, I attempt to keep my stride determined and strong as I can. I will not lose my confidence now.
"Onyx," I reply shortly, trying not to cough.
"You will address me as ma'am and you will address the princesses as 'your majesty'. Understood?" I nod, although I have no intention of respecting the princesses. "That is my first rule: respect your superiors. Disrespect is not tolerated, which is why I am surprised the king allowed you to live, let alone serve his nieces." The large woman leads me through a maze of linens and towels and tapestries hung out to dry. The air is warm and wet, but clean with the scent of lavender soap. I feel as if I am violating the atmosphere with my bloody garb.
Finally, we reach what appears to be the female servant's quarters. Immediately, I decide I have no intention of sleeping here at night. The room, although large, is cramped, mainly with beds, but also some smaller furniture interspersed throughout the room. There is a curtained section of the room that I am sure serves as the bathing area. The woman leads me to the back of the room where there is a closet big enough to walk in, full of servant's clothing. I follow behind the woman, listening as she speaks to herself.
"A servant of the princess." She shakes her head. "You'll need to be specially fitted for that uniform, and you'll need your injuries tended to before you'll be serving."
She leads me back through the women's quarters and I follow quietly, I make a mental note to find a hiding place for my old clothing later.
As we walk along the castle, I distract my mind from the pain by beginning to form a sort of map of the castle in my mind. Curiosity begs me to explore the entirety of the castle, but we have reached the dressmaker. Up a flight of stairs we climb, into a rather remote room in a corner of the castle. My entire body aches for respite by the time we reach the top of the stairs. I am not sure which wing of the castle it is located, having lost my sense of direction to pain, but it seems secluded from the majority of the rest of the castle.
