The Warrior Inside

Chapter 1

"Mia! Hurry up and clean those pots and then dry those clothes outside! You there! Why are you lazing about!" Miss Mary started barking orders to the other serving girls. Mia muttered under her breath as she finished washing her last pot. She dried her hands and grabbed the basket of clothes, rushing out the door before Miss Mary could find another reason to scream at her.

Mia took a deep breath of fresh air as she hung the clothes along the clothesline at the back of the palace. Being a serving girl in the royal palace was no easy feat. One had to wake up before dawn to start on her chores to be able to complete them at the end of the day. For the first few weeks, the older maids took advantage of their seniority to give all the dirty work to the newbies, which of course included Mia. They took great pleasure in pushing her around, seeming to dislike the sight of her more than the other new serving girls. That was especially so in the presence of the handsome nobles who resided in the palace. Mithros, those girls went berserk whenever a male noble smiled or waved at them. Showing a near saintly amount of tolerance, Mia was barely able to get through those particular weeks, persisting in her brilliant performance and gaining the respect of the palace staff and approval of the higher echelons.

It was also here where she met Jasmine Paladin. They instantly clicked when they were roomed with each other. She was born in the Copper Isles but she came to Tortall to look for a better life and a job that has a decent pay. Mia finished hanging the laundry and rushed back to the kitchen. As she walked through the corridors, Mia came across a large window overlooking the courtyards where the knights were doing their routine drills where she came to a halt. She looked wistfully out of the window, not realizing that just around the corner, someone was about to come into a collision with her at the pace he was going.

Wham! He crashed into Mia, who was caught unaware, with such force that her entire body could only fall to the ground helplessly. Thud! "Ouch! That hurt," Mia brushed the hair out of her face with one hand while the other rubbed at her aching hipbone. She looked up angrily. "Hey! Watch where you're going!".

The boy, having barely gotten control over himself in time to avoid crashing to the ground with her, said sheepishly, "I apologise, I am at fault for not being more observant of my surroundings. Here, let me help you." He then offered his hand to her.

Mia gratefully took it and used the momentum to get up on her feet. As she brushed the dust of her clothes, the boy graciously picked up the laundry basket and passed it back to her. Mia muttered her thanks as she took a closer look at the boy. He had striking green eyes that were a shade darker than hers and brown-black hair in messy waves that framed his face.  He wore a simple pair of breeches and a shirt, with an easy smile on his face. Realizing that she had been staring at him for a while, Mia abashedly lowered her gaze and took the basket quickly. The boy grinned at her, "So very sorry about that. I hope I didn't hurt you. I'm Liam by the way".

Mia composed herself before looking up, giving him a small smile and said,"Mia Swift. Nice knowing you but I really have to go." And with that she walked briskly in the direction of the kitchen, not noticing Liam's lingering gaze.