A World Among Thieves: A Humble Beginning

Chapter 4

I wake up and notice that I'm once again lying in a bed. I sit up and notice that I'm still at the inn. I meander down the stairs and see the innkeeper standing in his usual place. He smiles once he sees me.

"You fell asleep soon after you sat down. I carried you up to one of the rooms so you wouldn't have to sleep down here," he explains.

"Thank you, sir," I mumble.

"A man came by a few minutes after I put you in the room. He asked me to tell you to go to the castle as soon as you can. Something about work," he mentions.

I nod. I thank the man one last time and exit the inn. I am starting to feel significantly better, even though the pain of losing my family still looms over my head like a cloud. I reach the castle with no trouble and I am immediately greeted by a man in a suit.

"Are you the new worker?" he asks.

"Yes, sir," I say as confidently as I possibly can.

"Follow me," he orders.

I follow closely behind the man until we reach the throne room.

"M'lady, the new child worker has arrived," the man says, motioning to me.

"Thank you, Pierre. You may go," the voice says.

Pierre bows deeply and leaves the room. With him out of the way, I can see the queen herself. She is very beautiful. Whisps of auburn hair frame her face while the rest is neatly braided and wrapped around her head. Her golden crown sits elegantly atop her head. She is wearing a long emerald green dress that contrasts perfectly with her pale, blemish-free skin. 

"Come closer, my child," she orders.

I approach slowly. When she seems satisfied with the distance between us, I get on one knee and bow my head to show respect.

"What is your name, dear?" she asks.

"Allison, m'lady," I answer.

"You may rise, Allison," she orders.

I rise and look up at her. She stands from her throne and approaches me.

"You have elvish features, but I can tell that you are no elf. You are very intriguing," she mutters, circling me like a predator to its prey.

"My grandmother was an elf, m'lady," I reply, looking straight ahead.

"Interesting. So tell me, why has your family sent you to work for me?" she asks.

Tears begin welling up in my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall.

"I no longer have a family, m'lady. They died two nights ago in a fire," I respond.

She gasps, "You poor dear!  Come with me."

We walk down one of the winding hallways until we reach a door. She opens it and reveals a small room. Inside the room is a bed, a wardrobe, and a desk.

"This will be your room. You are more than welcome to work here. In that door is the bathroom. Go in there and wash up, I'll send someone to fetch you in about an hour," she says, motioning to the other door.

"Thank you, m'lady," I say, bowing slightly.

She smiles and leaves. I go through the door and reveal a fairly nice bathroom. I take a quick bath to wash all of the dirt and grime off. I go back into my room and open the wardrobe. Sadly, there are no spare clothes inside. I sigh and put my old, dirty, and ripped clothes back on. As soon as I do, a knock erupts from the door. I open it and another servant is on the other side.

"Hello! The queen requested that I get you fitted for some new clothes and your uniform! Come with me," she says.

I close the door behind me and follow her down the halls. We end up walking into a room with multiple mirrors, wardrobes, sewing materials, and various other items.

"Okay, go and stand on that podium," she says.

I go over and stand on the podium with four mirrors behind it to show multiple different angles. The servant hands me a linen smock to put on instead of my ripped garments. She turns around and allows me to put it on in partial privacy. I pull it over my head and put my arms through the loose, wrist-length sleeves. I tell her that I am done putting it on and she turns around. She then walks over to one of the many wardrobes and pulls out various child-sized kirtles. I remember seeing these in my mother's laundry pile, but I never knew what they were. The servant glances at me, then finally decides on the proper kirtle. She hands it to me and I put it on over the smock. It is a slightly heavier fabric, which is mainly used to keep us warm. The sleeves go once again, to the wrists. She reaches over and grabs a small belt, and helps me put it on. She wraps it above the slight curve of my waist and fastens it. She then hands me a pouch and instructs me on how to attach it to my belt. She then hands me a petticoat that ties around my back. The petticoat has two pockets that allow access to the pouch but hides it from view. She hands me a shawl that goes over my shoulders and should be tucked into the front of my smock. She then hands me a pair of stockings that go up over my knees. I put them on and the servant hands me two garters. She instructs me on how to properly tie them. I tie them above my knees and put on the leather shoes that were placed in front of me.

"Put your hair up in a bun. We cannot have you working with your hair in your face," she instructs. 

I tidy up my braid and begin twisting it into a bun. I fasten it in place and she hands me a scarf that goes on my head. The servant helps me pin the scarf to my hair and then stands back.

"There, you're all ready. I hope you paid attention because no one will have the time to teach you how to properly get dressed," she explains.

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you," I chirp happily.

"You are supposed to go to the royal study now. The queen has been waiting for you," she says.

She leads me down more winding halls until we reach the study. She motions for me to knock and walks away, down the hall. I knock on the door and wait for a response.

"Come in," I hear from the other side of the door.

I open the door, walk in, and close it behind me. I approach the desk and the queen looks up and her eyes widen.

"Well, look at you! You have cleaned up rather nicely!" she exclaims.

"Thank you, m'lady," I say.

"Have a seat, we need to discuss your responsibilities," she says.

I take a seat across from her at the rather large desk and wait patiently.

"So, you're going to be going with me to meetings, reminding me of important events, getting me my tea, help me organize files, inform other servants of what I need, etc. You will need to wear that outfit every day and be standing outside my chambers at five in the morning. Any questions?" she states.

"No, ma'am! I got it!" I say.

"Wonderful! Now, would you like your payment at the end of every two weeks or every month? It will have the same rate either way so you won't get more money at the end of the two weeks," she explains.

"Every two weeks, ma'am," I answer.

"Perfect. Now you will be getting five gold for your pay every two weeks. Sound good?" she asks, raising her eyebrow.

"Th-that works I guess. I don't know much about money," I say.

"We'll work on that. I saw when you walked in that you have a sword. Where did you get it?" she asks.

"It was my father's sword. It somehow survived the fire," I explain.

"Do you know how to use it?" she asks.

"I know the basics. My father trained me ever since I was little," I say.

"That's good. It's always good to know a trade. Once you're older, we might have a spot open for guards," she explains.

"Thank you, ma'am!" I exclaim.

"You're welcome, sweetheart. Now, let's get started."