When Tayna's mother died, her life was turned upside down. She never thought she would be a maid, and while it's not the fairytale Tayna used to dream of, she's content with the life she has. Even though she doesn't have a high status or fancy dress...
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By the time my uncle dropped me in a heap on the ballroom floor, my head was throbbing. I quickly stood up in the posture that had been drilled into me at a young age. It was the posture of a lady. The way I glared at anyone who stared at me was not how a lady's face was supposed to be arranged, but I didn't care. Let them think what they wanted to.
The music abruptly cut off, and Lord Devaly was soon standing in front of us. Lady Devaly and Scarlett stood not far behind him. Scarlett's expression was sour, probably mad that some maid interrupted her dance with a rich suitor.
The rest of the nobles hovered in a circle around us, far enough away that they could act like they couldn't hear what was going on, but close enough that they could glare at me with disdain and catch snippets of conversation.
"I'm sorry if this maid acted out. I will have her disciplined." Lord Devaly glanced at me and turned back to Livton.
"That will not be necessary. I will take my niece off of your hands. I'm sure she was quite troublesome in her time spent here."
"Your niece?" Devaly's eyes widened. Lady Devaly looked like she might faint and Scarlett gasped. Her eyes hardened even more at the news that I held a higher status than her. "This is Lady Tayna then. I'm sorry that she hid here. You can take her."
"Thank you." As Livton started to pull me to the ballroom doors, I turned back around.
"May I take Alianna Jaunsdatter with me as my lady's maid?" I blurted out, looking hopefully at Lord Devaly.
"Is she another maid?" I nodded, and he thought over it for a second. "Yes, you may." He looked at me with pity as I was pulled away. Even though he was a strict person to work for, he took good care of his family. I wondered what he would do if it was Scarlett in my position. He was a smart man who probably figured out I didn't run away because I wasn't getting enough dresses or fancy things. It was interesting that he was so quick to hate a maid, and yet felt pity for the same person moments later when he found out that I was a lady.
When we were out of sight from prying eyes, my uncle turned to me and struck my cheek. The blow stung my face and brought tears to my eyes. I refused for him to see me weak, so I continued to steadily watch him.
"Go gather anything you need. Don't forget to bring your new little lady's maid along. If you are not back here in an hour, I will tell Devaly about how your little friends were so disrespectful to me, one of the most powerful people in the kingdom." He turned and left me without another word.
I didn't want to leave with him, but I wouldn't let Alianna or Ziva get hurt because of my actions.
As soon as I was in my room, I sunk to the floor. All of my worst nightmares were coming true.
"Are you okay my lady?" Ziva asked as she sunk down next to me, gathering me into a hug.
"No, don't call me that. It's just Tayna. We'll always be friends, remember?" I held back a sob and looked up. Ziva had obviously forgiven me, but Alianna didn't look so happy.
"You kept this from us for years. I thought there was something off about you at first, but I brushed it off. How could you?!" She was almost yelling at me.
"I...I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. At first, I didn't know if I could trust you, and then I guess I was just too scared to tell you. I didn't want you to treat me differently." The first tears ran down my face as I looked at them.
Ziva stood up and pulled me to my feet. "What can we do to help you?" She asked.
"I need to gather my stuff. Alianna, it's okay if you say no, but I got permission for you to come with me and be my lady's maid. I know you don't have much training, but I don't care. Your family lives close to Rosewood Manor, and I want you to be near them."
"I don't want to be dragged into this mess just because you're scared to go back to being a high and mighty lady again!" Alianna was fuming.
"I'm not doing it because I'm scared to go back there. I'm doing it because you barely get to see you're family, and I know how much they mean to you! I want to give you a chance to have something that I never really had."
"Alianna, it wasn't fair for Tayna to keep us in the dark for so long, but wouldn't you have done the same thing?" Ziva grabbed Alianna's hands.
"No. I could never imagine running away from a beautiful home where you have everything you could ever want laying at your feet." Alianna pulled her hands from Ziva's grasp and wrapped her arms around herself.
"I didn't have everything I could ever want! You don't know the reasons I ran away. You don't know what I've been through. Come, just for your family. I don't care if you're mad at me for months or years." The room was filled with a suffocating silence for a long moment.
"Fine, I'll come with you. I'll try to see it from your point of view, but no promises." I nodded and hugged Alianna.
"Of course. I want you to come too, Ziva, but Scarlett needs you, and I can only take one of you."
"It's fine. I get it." Ziva joined our hug. I was very thankful that Ziva was so forgiving.
Eventually, we broke apart and began to pack. It didn't take long to collect the few things Alianna and I had. I assured her I would make sure she got new dresses and anything else she would need, so she only took a few things. Ziva helped us put everything into a trunk, and together we carted it up the stairs. Music still drifted from the ballroom, and I wondered what rumors were spreading about me now.
The night was pitch black by the time we climbed into a carriage. It had my family crest on it, but I didn't recognize anything else about it. Alianna sat next to me, and Livton sat across from us. Our departure was quiet, and as I stared straight ahead, tears filled my eyes.
I didn't get to say goodbye.
I didn't say goodbye to Ada, to Mrs. Maylow, to Elayn, to anyone. I was leaving Ziva here alone. I was falling short yet again.
I would never be enough.
Alianna glanced at me before pulling me into a hug. I knew she hadn't fully forgiven me yet, but I hoped she would. I had a lot of people who would never forgive me.
My uncle's lip curled in distaste when he saw her hugging me. He had no respect for anyone he thought was below him. It was only one of the things I hated about him.
I slowly hugged Alianna back, staring definitely at him as I did it. He wouldn't destroy the important parts of my life. I wouldn't let him.
A/N: Look! Another update! It hasn't even been a month yet. :D
I hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter! If you have any feedback or questions, I would love to hear it!
Also, don't worry. You'll be seeing a lot more of Ziva! I'm working on a sequel to this book right now that focuses on her. I don't know exactly when I'll publish it, but it should be around the time this book is completed.
Every single one of you are amazing. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this book, it really means a lot to me! I hope you guys have a fantastic week!
