Very early in the morning. New maidservants gathered at Lord Steven's resident, in the lobby. The maidservants stood side by side of the lobby, facing each other. They were grouped according to the type of maid they would be.
Before the Mistress showed up, they were all familiarizing with each other. Eleanor abstained from whatever was happening in the lobby. The way she ignored her fellow maidservants made them think she has a narcissistic behavior. Even as that, a brown hair young woman kept on staring at Eleanor, she wanted to be Eleanor's friend.
Eleanor knew she had a mission to accomplish. She had no intention to pursue wealth, the reason she decided to be a maid was more than wealth. Saving Abothorn.
Once the Mistress showed up in the lobby, the maidservants bowed their heads, no one dared to look at her.
The Mistress looked unpredictable, one might not be able to tell if she was meek or cold-hearted. The look on her face seemed strict, yet some people might call it amiable. She walked with grace and elegance. Her appearance commanded honor, she looked splendid that one must know she was a member of the peerage. She was followed by her lady-in-waiting and a housekeeper.
" Hmm," she stopped in the middle of the maidservants, scrutinizing them. " The royal family has decided to employ new servants. You all got lucky. Let me remind you that wherever you are standing, is the group that represents the duty you are assigned to do." she started moving from the first group. " The parlormaids." she reminded the first group. " The scullery maids." she reminded the second group. " The chambermaids." she reminded the third group. " The laundry maids." she reminded the fourth group where Eleanor stood. She stopped in front of Eleanor.
Eleanor noticed she stood before her, but didn't dare to raise her head. She cupped Eleanor's jaw with her index finger to make Eleanor look at her. " A flawless damsel." she commended. " Introduce yourself." she demanded.
" I am Eleanor. Eleanor of Abelak." Eleanor introduced.
On hearing Abelak, everybody fixed their gazes on Eleanor. Even the Mistress was glad to hear Eleanor say that.
" Blue eyes. The women of Abelak, very precious class of women." the Mistress said.
" Would you be comfortable being a laundry maid?" she asked. The Mistress was willing to change Eleanor's duty if Eleanor desired to because the people of Abelak were special.
" Yes, Your Highness." Eleanor agreed. The Mistress nodded, and focused on what she was doing.
" As you have become the royal servants, there are countless rules and regulations you must follow. Rules pertaining to how you must behave. What you must do, and what you should not do." she paused. " You must be loyal to each and every one of the nobles, and everything that breathes in the castle. Respect is needed from you, and you must give it. Read your manners every day, and try not to forget them. Put on your best behavior, and let your manners guard you, just like the guardsmen secure the boundary wall. Be buxom. Be docile, and not defiant. Stay within your limits. Do not let the riches you see corrupt your mind. Do not let your beauty get in between your legs. Keep your chastity intact. Only the obligations of a maid shall you do. In no account should you breach the rules of the kingdom." she cautioned. " Have I made myself clear?" she asked.
" Yes, Your Highness." The maidservants chorused.
" Whether you fathom the words I say or not, the chastisement is yours if you deviate." she told. The whole place remained silent for some time. " Go to work." she ordered, and then took her leave.
**********
Because it was morning, the castle seemed much busier. All servants were on duty. King Demetrius' valet, Zahir carried a gift in his hands, approaching towards Uriah's bedchamber. This gift lay on a medium size tray and was covered with an expensive red velvet fabric. Zahir was the king's loyal valet. However, Zahir was easily distracted by little things.
Eleanor carried three folded bedclothes in her hand, heading for the queen's bedchamber. The brown hair young woman saw her and approached. Eleanor didn't stop walking, so she trailed Eleanor.
" I am Vivian. Vivian from Abothorn, and I would like to be your friend." the brown hair young woman spoke in an undertone as if she avoided being heard. On hearing Abothorn, Eleanor halted. An Abothorn entered Messea unscathed?
" What do want?" Eleanor asked, sounding a bit cold.
Vivian stared at Eleanor for some time. Could Eleanor really be aloof and narcissistic, as every maidservant thought? Eleanor thought Vivian was just another attention seeker, so she continued walking. Vivian still followed her.
" Do you have a place to stay, a place except for the attic? I have a place, there is an empty room at my house. Perhaps, you can stay there. I would like to be your friend…
" Vivian." Eleanor halted and called Vivian's name, staring at her. " Never should you make your feelings known to people, many people are there to take your feelings for granted." she advised.
" As for your offer…" she paused, making Vivian think she would disagree. " I appreciate." she said.
" Is that a yes?" Vivian asked. Eleanor smiled and nodded. A happy smile crossed Vivian's face.
While Zahir was approaching towards Uriah's bedchamber, an eighth year old boy suddenly hit him from behind. The boy was being chased by two other children. Zahir got aggravated, especially because he almost lost grip on the item he held. The nursery maids made no attempt to stop these children, not even the wardens did. But Zahir took it upon himself.
" Children! Have you no manners!" he yelled. He turned to Eleanor, who was walking beside him, and handed over the gift to her. " Take this to the crown prince. It is a gift from the king." he ordered. " Do not take me for a fool, I know your face. Even if I eventually become sightless, I can recognize you." he warned. Then he went after the children.
For some time, Eleanor and Vivian wondered how a man could easily be distracted from his duty. Eleanor couldn't imagine a valet abandoning his duty just to chase after little children. She looked at the item she held.
" Let me have the bedings. You go deliver the gift." Vivian collected the bedings from Eleanor and headed for the queen's bedchamber.
Staring at the item in her hands, Eleanor's mind drifted to the person who the valet had mentioned earlier. ' The crown prince' Eleanor's mind became uneasy. She felt lackadaisical, and apprehensive about going to the crown prince's bedchamber because she feared being recognized by him. She stood motionlessly, looking anxious.
It was Eleanor's plan to get closer to the crown prince, and going to his bedchamber would be a great chance. However, awe was the overall feeling in her, the fear of being recognized as Princess Matilda. She tried gathering the momentum, after all Uriah would not kill her. Imperatively, she needed to somehow get her medallion back.
She took a deep breath. Without much contemplation, she started approaching towards Uriah's bedchamber with temerity.
Uriah stood by the window, leisurely staring outside. The brightness of the morning beamed down on his face, causing his green eyes to glow beautifully. The brightness of the day added more attraction to Uriah's appearance. While he stared, he also drank from his tea cup. Shortly, Eleanor knocked on the door.
" Come in." he ordered, not staring towards the door.
A bit nervous, Eleanor opened the door. Walking into his bedchamber, Eleanor's heart continued to throb in apprehension. Uriah didn't look any approachable, yet he was the man she needed his attention.
Eleanor was thankful that Uriah wasn't looking her way, rather he was looking outside. Supposing he was looking her way, she would have collapsed to the floor. Eleanor took the chance and walked up to him. She knelt before him, then she bowed her head in a way Uriah could only see her head. She then rose the tray to his easy reach.
" Your Majesty, a gift from your father." She drew his attention.
Uriah turned around to look at her. He wondered why his father sent a woman instead of his valet. He shoved off the thoughts, and opened the velvet fabric.
Behold, it was a in an expensive golden sheath. He collected the sheath from the tray and lay it on his hands. He took the sword out of the sheath, and rose it to the air. The sword shone strikingly as it came in contact with the sun rays.
The light which emitted as light hit the blade of the sword was capable of blinding a person in the first sight of it. For this reason, Uriah looked away from the sword as soon as he took it out of the sheath. When he could look at the sword, he admired it with a shrewd smile on his face.
" The Sword of Peace and Justice." he said.
On hearing him mention that, Eleanor's heart fluttered and her eyes widened. The Sword of Peace and Justice!
The sword had been in Messea all these years? The sword which prompted the suffering of her people. Could King Demetrius be so fiendish that he purposely hid the sword so that Abothorn would suffer? Or was hiding it a way in which he wanted to make King Jooper pay for swindling Messea?
Could it be that both Messea and Abelak knew about the sword's whereabouts and pretended not to? After all, those kingdoms share a good relationship. What exactly could be the real truth? Eleanor took a quick glance at the sword, and then bowed her head again.
As soon as she bowed again, Uriah held her jaw with the base of the sword. He caught her raising her head after she heard about the sword. What does she know about it?
He used the central ridge of the longsword to crane her neck in order to see her face. Staring at her face, his expression contorted in familiarity. He was certain that he had seen this woman before. But where exactly? He started thinking. What Uriah can never do is to doubt his instinct. He was sure that he knew this woman who knelt before him.
Eleanor already got buried in fear. The look on his face was enough to make her know that he was mulling over where he saw her face. She knew, and was sure that Prince Uriah would never forget her face. He didn't even seem like someone who forgets easily. Now she had to face the consequences.
" How can you deny the fact that I recognize you?" with an apoplectic look on his face, he asked.