Junkenstein X Reader: Right Hand Man

Part Two:

  "Still a mystery why the king keeps him around."

The rushing sound of dumping water into another bucket silenced her momentarily.

"Quiet the entertainment considering he is yet to find a fool,"  another one commented as you dragged the bucket of laundry close to you.

"Finally lost it." A maid sighed.

Each maid had their own collective chores to do in the cold room with you, and though probably unintentionally, they left you with the cruelest job. Cleaning the fabrics in the cold water only stiffed your hands and made you sneeze. The numbing sensation almost distracted you from what they said.

"A awful man deserving a spot in hell after speaking to his majesty that way."

The strings of your heart tore a bit but the works of your mind kept you in a trance. For some reason you couldn't seem to stop thinking about him and the past event. Even for the slim chance you were focused your thoughts would drift off.

"Y/N how did you enjoy the show?" They asked as you passed the heavy sheet to dry. You only hummed in response. "Did he grab your attention?" The sudden question caused you to almost stop what you were doing.

"What?"

"He's strange isin't he? He's ridiculous." Her words came out bitterly and you starred at her blankly. "The man's voice is quite irritating too, right?"

"O-oh." The small phrase slipped out without thinking. You wanted to curse her after connecting the dots.

"He's just not exactly how I imagined him. The way you all described him...I was imaging someone older and closer to the king's age, or more...deranged." -You lied- "He just seems so young and I believe that caught me off guard." Hearing your voice ring out in the stone room ached somehow. The words you spoke felt like you might've doomed yourself and silently you prayed that it wouldn't cause much attention or questions. They felt personal and painfully honest, but the maids didn't seem to view the comment to be one of such vulnerability.

"The old madame does tell him in way that he seems monstrous....the sudden outburst reveals he is however," she chuckled. The maid referred to the eldest and one to have practically teach you everything you know. Raising you when no one else would and until now feeding you lies about the man who lived behind the door you were to never go through.

Struggling to lift another heavy sheet you ignored the comment, focused on passing it and moving on to the next the maid.

"I mean, now I can put a face with the stories."

A nice face.

You chuckled and the conversation continued to flow.

"He's no longer a wrinkly hermit roaming around the castle walls."

He was someone who was a probably a child when you were. Someone most likely hard at work building whatever he promised the king and that, for some odd reason, brought a smile to your face. You had to focus back on your work.

Washing the fabric you starred into the water and wonder....what was he doing?

It was strange feeling this way. Growing up behind the castle walls you've never felt such a thing. Such raw and bizarre emotion. Even in your earliest memories you couldn't recall anything close to it. Were you even close to being happy? Before being abandoned there wasn't anything there to feel for. Any emotion after that was a weird numbing or faked for the sake of it. Like the water. For a moment you felt how cold it was. Putting your hands in, it felt something, until becoming nothing but a numbing pain. It was temporary. This time felt special. It was different, a feeling that hadn't disappeared yet and it had your brain going.

Nothing could ruin it but-

"Someone has to care for the old lady upstairs. She's afraid she may end up bed ridden for sometime. This may lead to someone having to talk to that foul scientist."

Them.

Maids denied, sighed and mummered, making it clear no one wanted to deal with him. "I'll do it." You spoke up and relieved everyone in the room. Some maids thanked you while others pretended to pray for your soul considering you were the youngest in the group.

Falling back into a friendly routine, they changed the topic as you silenced yourself. While washing the clothes a little faster the special feeling you had died down. It lingered but a dreadful feeling slowly covered it. The dread of knowing you had to see the old woman instead of walking up the scientist's door after the laundry. But that  excited you. The though of knocking on the old wooden door which really looked like it needed some repair. In the past it held great mystery to you and you didn't necessarily fear it as child unlike the other maids. You could finally give in into your curiosity.

It didn't take long to show up at the maid quarter's. The cold unwelcoming air greeted you first, reminding you how unforgiving the conditions could be living in the basement. On the other side of the room the old lady slept. Her soft snores echoed out as you closed the door behind you with a subtle screech. Walking past the beds on your right and left you made your way as she slept. Looking down at her you could see her pale complexion. Her nose was the only thing holding colour on her face and dark circles began to form under her eyes. Her wrinkles molded her face into one of sweet caretaker of many years. No, that was a facade and it pained you to think you believed her at one point. She tried to help you become closer to the rest of the maids, taking you in like another daughter. At times you'd play along but your emotions were hard to grasp. You reached out to wake her.

"Y/N." She seemed happy to see you.

It felt upsetting.

"How did the event go?" She chuckled. Any good you saw in her disappeared again. "I wanted to attend but I fell ill as you can tell. I'm glad you came to see me. Tell me, what did you think? I always enjoyed watching those strange gatherings. Seeing if there'd be an explosion or a joke." Her words now were  cruel unlike the past despite the cheery tone they carried. To everyone else she was held close in their hearts as a mother or mentor but to yourself...she held no position. Simply a woman who helped you but there was a missing connection between your relationship with each other.

"It was interesting. He presented some good ideas."

"Y/N don't say that, you'll sound mad." She lightheartedly laughed.

"He did end up getting angry though-"

"As he does."

"Bursting out in front of everyone-"

"He does do that."

"-and cursing the king." Her eyes widen before she let out what she could muster as a hearty laugh before a coughing fit.

"But what really caught me off guard was he seems young. Madam, is he my age? This whole time I expected something else." She gave you a curious look, as if his age being close to your own didn't matter.

"A few years older but yes...have I ever told you?"

"If you had I wouldn't have asked or pictured a old man while listening to your stories. You've always told me to stay away from the scientist's door because it was dangerous but if he was a child too-"

"An unnerving one with strange parents too before they passed. Even as a kid he didn't belong here. He was only kept around for his advance knowledge in things we didn't know." Growing up was difficult because there was rarely any children around you. Only those too old to connect with, but even then there was difference in social classes. His parents passing too. You had never seen them or heard anything meaning they must've died young. The stories began when you were twelve. Some told a  little earlier but mainly when you were twelve the more serious ones were told. They were more insults and remarks when his name was mentioned. The stories of the meetings...constant rejection...they started short after. Had everyone really been cruel from the start of his childhood?

She coughed.

"Kept around for times like now. Other remedies I know won't work. But the doctor has something stronger. Not only that but I should be checked on to not risk anything."

"We don't want another plague. I'll get the medicine and some soup too. I'll be back." Checking her temperature you could feel a fever rising. You said your farewells and left the room. At least now you can finally satisfy that past curiosity.