Something Beautiful

Chapter One

Chapter One:

(Elle)

I adjust the plain, gray, working dress I was wearing, pulling down the sleeves. The dress, of course, had belonged to another servant at Alexander Palace, and didn't me well. But I'd manage, like I always did.

I look at myself in the mirror, and gently undo my chocolatey, red hair from its tight braid. My hair cascaded down my back in waves, and I longed to wear it down. But because I wanted to look professional on my first day, I wore it up in a bun.

"Are you ready, Miss Meridal?" Mrs. Cooper, the head of the Servants Department, asks.

"Yes, ma'am," I say, tucking a stray piece of hair behind my ear. With one last tug on my dress, I follow her out of my tiny servant's bedroom.

"You'll be working primarily for Princess Maria," Mrs. Cooper says. "I want you to help her dress in the mornings, draw her bath, do her hair, and whatever else she needs done."

"Yes, ma'am," I repeat mildly. It's not like you told me this a few minutes ago, I think sarcastically.

"And Miss Meridal, if you're not always on time for your work here and aren't working up to our standards, you will most certainly be dismissed from Alexander Palace."

"I understand," I nod. "Should I begin now?" I really just wanted to start as soon as possible, and not have to listen to Mrs. Cooper's boring lecture.

"Yes, I suppose that would be okay," Mrs. Cooper says, thinking it over. "I'll show you Princess Maria's quarters."

I follow her down the hall. The hallways were lit by elegant and clearly expensive chandeliers, and portraits lined the walls. I assumed the paintings were of the Royal Family, the Alexanders.

The Alexanders ruled Maris, a warm country by the ocean. I had lived here my entire life, but my home was in Idalia, a poor town in the outskirts of Maris. This was the second time I'd been in the capital city, Stella. The first time was when I'd actually gotten the job. I was looking for work, since there weren't many jobs in Idalia. That was when I saw the sign, advertising a servant position in Alexander Palace. If you were interested, you were supposed to meet Mrs. Cooper at some hotel dining room on Second Street. Eventually I found it, but because I was walking in the rain, my shoes were slightly muddy.

As I entered the dining room, Mrs. Cooper looked me over, evaluating me.

"Name?" she asked, clearly tired.

"Elle Meridal," I said politely, trying to give a good impression.

"I expect you to look more presentable if I give you a job," she said, an edge to her voice.

"Ma'am," I said, somewhat annoyed. "It is raining outside."

"I'm not blind, Miss Meridal. Of course I know it's raining. And a true lady must certainly have been able to get a carriage ride from a young gentleman, couldn't she?"

So much for a good impression, I thought. "Just because I'm not a flirt doesn't mean I won't be a good servant," I told her.

"Hm, not afraid of me, I like that..." Mrs. Cooper trailed off. "So, back to business: where have you worked before?"

"Tons of places," I said, happy the subject had changed. "In the Idalia Hotel kitchen, a maid in Count Ludwig's estate, a gardener in -"

"That's enough," Mrs. Cooper interrupted. "And why do you think you deserve this job over the other girls?"

"I've had more experience," I said plainly. "I'm here because I need a job, not because I'm trying to get engaged to the prince or whatever."

I was serious. I didn't want to get married yet. Many of my friends in Idalia had a crush on Prince Will, a boy (as I'm told) that has the "dreamiest blue eyes" and the "darkest hair ever seen." And now that he was preparing to rule the kingdom, many of the eligible teenagers all over the country had a faint hope that he would choose them. I, however, was not one of them.

"Oh, yes," Mrs. Cooper sighed. "So many young women, like yourself, have applied for this job in the hopes that they'd be meeting Prince Will. Not that Prince Will isn't a wonderful person, but the girls practically faint every time they see him."

"That must have been a problem. Is that why there's a position available?"

"You're most certainly right, Miss Meridal," she says, and pauses for a moment. "I like you. I'm inclined to give you the job right now..."

"I'm happy to wait, Mrs. Cooper," I say, though I needed the job.

"No," she says thoughtfully. "Congratulations, you've gotten the job! I expect you to be at Alexander Palace at six a.m. next Monday, do you understand?"

"Yes," I say, very surprised. "I'll be there. Thank you." I was happy that I'd gotten the job. The pay was great, and I was even given a dress. It was a boring gown, but I was glad to have something, that's for sure. I didn't really get many new dresses at home.

Finally, we reach the end of the hallway. Mrs. Cooper approaches a door, knocks once, and says, "Your Highness, your new maid is here."

"Bring her in," a soft, feminine voice chimes. Mrs. Cooper opens the door, and I walk inside. She closes the door behind me, leaving me with Princess Maria. She was probably about twelve, and sat at a vanity, brushing through her light brown hair. Her light gray eyes were definitely her best feature, and her emerald green dress accented them.

Although I wasn't exactly a "proper" lady, I did know to curtsy to those in higher authority than me, so I curtsy deeply before her. "Good morning, Your Highness," I say.

"Good morning," she says disinterestedly. "You are Miss Meridal, I suppose?"

"Yes, but please, call me Elle," I say.

"Of course," she says, obviously focusing on her hair.

"Would you like me to do that?" I ask her politely, watching her struggle.

"Please do!" she smiles. "I've not been able to do anything remotely good with my hair today."

"Sure," I say, smiling slightly at the young girl. I take a nearer to her, and gently brush through the knots. I braid her long hair down her back, and then twisted it back up into a bun, securing it with a few hair pins. "Do you like it?" I ask her.

"I love it!" she grins, and I watch her finger her hair. It was the first note of emotion I'd heard in her voice since I'd gotten here. "How did you learn to do that?" she asks.

"You're not the first girl I've done hair for," I say simply, and then ask, "Would you like breakfast, Your Highness?"

"Yes, please," Maria says, and gives me directions to the kitchens.

"I'll be back in a few minutes, Your Highness," I tell her, and exit the room.

Hi, everyone! Thanks for reading the first chapter ever of my first Wattpad story! I know this was probably not the most exciting chapter, but I definitely wanted to pintroduce some of the characters. I promise, the next chapter will be more interesting.

Note: This story will be broken up into Points of View, but most of the time it will just be from Elle's perspective.

Also, I rated this book PG-13. It should be rated somewhere in between PG and PG-13, but I wanted to go a little higher, in the case of younger readers.

Thanks, and please comment! :)