It was a good opportunity. You would live in safety and relative comfort. The Prince wasn't as bad as his reputation made him seem.
These phrases were parroted to you in the days leading up to your induction into the cleaning staff of Castle Jalope. As you were led towards the castle, a Royal escort clearing the path through the streets for you, many looked at you with jealousy, others with pity. Most held a disdain for the Castle and all who inhabited it, even if they were given no choice like yourself.
As you approach the grey stone walls surrounding the menacing fortress, you have second thoughts, hesitating in your step. The heavily armored knight behind you simply keeps up his normal pace, steel chestplate forcing you to keep up or fall. The Royal escort notices and sighs.
"It's perfectly natural to be nervous, but the Prince chose you for a reason," he says. "Some call him a collector of beautiful things, and you should take solace in the fact that your God appointed Prince has found your beauty worthy. You will no longer love in that filth and squalor. You will serve your Lord as first his maid, then perhaps more, should he see fit."
You pass through the huge wooden gates, the inside of the Castle a stark contrast to the muddy, dirty city that lay outside. Green courtyards with perfectly shaped hedges and blooming flowers. White marble statues of heathen gods and goddesses, and a small river trickling through the whole affair, disappearing into the ground. You are quickly led inside, the dark stone floors echoing the sounds of the armored footsteps behind you. The escort stops in front of a small wooden door and opens it, walking inside.
"This will be where you stay once your work is finished. You can rest, bathe, whatever here. Your uniform is on the bed, and you must bathe every day to keep with the rigorous standards of the Prince," he says. "Do you understand?"
You nod silently, and he returns the gesture. "Right then, I have other matters to attend to. Tonight, the Prince shall come here to see you. Be sure to be bathed and prepared to receive His Majesty."
He turns on his heel and leaves, closing and locking the door behind him.
____________________________________
1 week ago
you lived a normal life. A young woman of marrying age, you had to deal with many suitors of varying caliber. But today was not about that. The Prince was coming out of his castle for the first time in over a year. The town was abuzz as vendors and merchants prepared for the wealth of the Castle to be spent in the surrounding city. Your own cart was the mobile branch of the family business. Early each morning, your father would go into the cellar of your modest home and return with several buckets full of assorted dried meats, smoked and aged according to his secret recipe.
Among the common folk of the town, it was immensely popular. Merchants would buy it as sustenance for their travels between lands, while rich folk often bought it as a snack. But today would be the ultimate test. Would it attract the attention of the Prince on his one day among the people.
The center of town is packed with people, no doubt all attempting to catch the eye of the prince and perhaps win a contract to provide their service to the wealthiest man in the land. You manage to set up your cart along a small alley, just adjacent to the main square. You barely get your sign up on the front of the cart before a line forms and dozens of shouting men and women all hand you coin for your goods.
Hours pass and your stores in the cart begin to dwindle with no sign of the prince showing. You'd been saving a decent sized portion in case he showed up, but as the sun begins to dip down, you realize he probably won't show. You turn to the customer before you and tell him to wait a moment while you get the last bit of meats for him. You kneel, opening the cart and grabbing the last small bucket, only a few strips of meat left inside as you bring it up, only to notice that the crowd has gone quiet. Standing in front of the cart is a Royal escort and another man beside him with a quill and scroll, the feather dancing as he furiously scribbles something.
"The Prince has heard of your product and wishes a sample," the escort says loud enough for the crowd to hear. Behind him is a large horse drawn cart with various goods piled inside, all presumably destined for the castle.
You wrap the meat in paper and hand it to him as he drops a single gold coin on the cart, turning and leaving, the noise slowly building back up to it's normal volume. You wheel your now empty cart back home where you present the coin to your parents who excitedly ask about the Prince, slightly disappointed that it was only an escort who arrived.
________________________________________
On the bed lay your 'uniform'. It was higher quality clothing than any you'd worn before, but it was so lacking in material; A lacy, beautiful garment that covered less than your normal underwear. The bath was already drawn and hot, if the steam rising from it was anything to go by. Stripping free from your old clothes, you quickly but thoroughly bathe, drying yourself off with a towel far larger and softer than any you'd held before.
Still eyeing the uniform, you put it on, unsure when the prince is supposed to arrive. You look at yourself in the mirror, trying to decide whether you like the way it looks, discarding the headdress. It was tiny, as if designed for a child, and must have been mistakenly given with this uniform.
The door unlocks from the outside and opens wide, startling you from the mirror as you turn around. In walks what can only be the prince, a tall man, dark hair and beard shining, either from recent exertion or bathing. A baggy white tunic covers his body, tucked into fitted brown trousers. At his hip is a belt with a sword sheathed, his hand resting on the hilt. His black boots click across the floor as he walks toward you, the difference in height becoming more apparent as he approaches.
You unconsciously back up as he shows no sign of slowing, but your back is against the mirror when he stops barely a foot from you, looking you over like one does a prize horse.
"Good. You'll do," he says after a moment, stepping back.
"See these spotless shining floors? I like them to stay that way. My boots squeak on them when I turn, and it is very nice. Your job is to make sure they stay perfect. Simple enough right?"
You nod, a bit confused by his fixation with the floors.
"Alright, a test then, to gauge your skill," he says, drawing his sword and slashing it against the stone, metal sparking as a long shallow scratch marks the otherwise spotless surface. "Sometimes there are accidents, and the floor gets scratched. I need to know that you have the skill to fix it in a reasonable time."
He points to a clean rag and polishing stone sitting on the table beside your bed, watching as you grab the tools and kneel beside the scratch, trying to figure out the technique.
He watches for a moment as you struggle, then says, "The stone doesn't polish without water," a slight irritated edge to his voice. You wet the stone with bathwater and begin polishing, the scratch fading into a dull smear. Wiping with a rag reveals a light grey line, clearly different from the surrounding stone. You look up at him for guidance, unsure how to proceed, fearing you may only make it worse.
"You are new, so I suppose I have to be a little lenient with you. But I also like when I don't have to tell my servants every detail of their jobs. I have other things to do."
You look back down at the grey scar, the rag and the stone, indecision staying your hands as you simply stare at the problem. The Prince evidently cannot stand such inaction, and groans.
"Absolutely useless. I ask my man to find me someone who can actually help, and he just sends me another peasant in need of punishment? Get up..."
He barely waits for you to get to your feet before turning you and pushing you face first onto the bed, your uniform riding up and exposing your naked bottom to him. He pauses for a moment, one hand on the small of your back, inching down before he apparently decides better. He grabs a fistful of your hair and yanks your head up, eliciting a startled cry from your lips.
"I can't have a useless maid. You are going to learn how to clean, or I will send you back into that rabble out there dressed like this." He pauses and his grip tightens slightly. "Where is the headdress? Your uniform is not complete without the headdress," he says, his body pressing against your behind as he speaks into your ear. At your silence, he moves back and yanks up your uniform slightly.
"You will--"
SMACK. An open hand descends on your bare cheek, hard enough to cause you to cry out in pain.
"Answer me--"