Aurelie's followed five servants to her chamber after the Queen had finished showing her just about every bloody room in the castle. She didn't talk much, only pointing and revealing the purpose of the rooms. Halfway through the tour, she met up with servants and made them show Aurelie the rest, instructing them to prepare her for dinner when they finished and, well, here she was. The girls, dressed head to toe in fur, didn't care much for conversation. One walked ahead and stopped in front of a leather covered door. She pressed her hip against it, and held onto the knob, pushing. The others walked inside and stopped, waiting for Aurelie to enter.
"Does the room please you, mistress?" said a woman farthest from the door.
The girl next to her bumped her arm with her elbow, and leaned over, whispering.
"Your Highness," the woman corrected and bowed her head. They wore different colors. The speaker was in black, the two next to her in white and the others in brown.
"It's perfect, thank you," Aurelie said before she had a proper look at her room. Animal skins were thrown all around the room as carpet. A wooden door on the far back end of the room was closed and right next to it was her giant bed and side tables.
"Then we shall fetch your bath water," said the woman in black. They filled out after her, white second and brown last. Aurelie had no idea how she'd be able to tell them all apart. The one speaking appeared taller, but that could have been the thickness of the fur she had on. Even the shapes of their chins were similar, all circular as if they were specifically chosen by their features.
The size of her room was bigger than the lounge area of the inn. All the fur was white, apart from that of her bed which was dark brown. It was cold and depressing. She had barely spent a day here and already wanted to go back to sleeping on Peter's couch in his crummy living room.
Aurelie sighed in relief of being left alone and walked to a bunk near an arched window. Three men swept snow off of a tiled path that led from the castle to around a large fountain and disappeared into a maze of tall bushes covered in snow. Not a single speck of color peeked out anywhere. Even the sky was grey. She wondered what Kirin was doing and how the others were handling the news of her departure.
The thought of her friends made her realize that she had to find a companion. Someone to trust . . . she used the word carefully. All the Royals were out of the question. Whatever the plan was, they'd be included. Honest information was not something that she would get out of them. Besides, it was the servants that roamed through every inch of the castle daily and had usually been so invisible to their employers that it was quite easy to let something slip around them.
The girls reentered, joined by six others, all but one carrying buckets of steaming hot water. The one in black opened the wooden door next to her bedroom and signaled for the girls to enter with the sweep of her hand.
"We'll be ready for you in a moment," she said, straightened her pose and looked straight ahead with her chin raised and her hands behind her back.
"What's your name?"
"Mrs. Jimble." She didn't move a muscle, not even her eyes.
"Sounds rather jolly," Aurelie said dryly. Jimble sure wasn't going to make it as Aurelie's trusty companion.
Water splashed, and a cloud of steam passed Mrs. Jimble. "Careful in there," Jimble warned.
Aurelie stood up from the bench and walked closer to the room where the girls were gathered. The water stopped splashing, and the sound of low whispers rose. She couldn't wait to get into the bath. Her toes were tired of clenching and aching from the cold.
"It isn't quite ready yet," Jimble cautioned.
"That's fine, I just want to watch." Aurelie stopped at Jimble's side. The walls and floor were covered with planks of redwood. The bath was wooden too but made out of a darker wood. It didn't contain a window. The steam created little drops of water that ran down the walls.
"Scared we'll poison you, eh?"
The whispers stopped, and the girls turned her way. The room went silent. A drop of water fell in the tub, then another. With that one sentence, Aurelie knew exactly what everyone thought of her presence.
She was taken aback, no doubt about that, and they'd seen it too, but damn that woman if she thought she'd get the best of her. Taking a second to recover, Aurelie smiled. "I'm making sure you do it the way I like it," she said and walked into the washing room. She knew that Jumble's eyes were on her without having to take a peek. It made her colder than the snow. "You want me to be comfortable here, don't you?" She turned in her step and eyed Jimble. "The queen specifically extended her appreciation for my visit. I wouldn't want to disappoint her with my disappointment."
"Get on with it," Jimble ordered the girls, her jaw clenched. "Did I ask you to stop?"
The girls passed glances. One lowered herself to pick up a bucket filled with herbs. She passed it to a girl on her right and picked up another bucket. This one was filled with milk. The girl poured it into the water. She rolled up her coat and placed her hand inside to stir. As she lifted her arm above the milky water, her blue skin had turned bright pink. When she retracted her hand, the girl with the bucket of herbs started to throw them about. The herbsâ lavender as far as Aurelie could tellâwere kept in some sort of dark oil. They floated in little oil bubbles all around the water.
They were stiff in their movements, being extra careful to do everything perfectly. Aurelie guessed that it was more Mrs. Jimble's presence that caused it than her own. She was an outsider and an enemy. The latter probably first.
"All done, Your Highness," said a girl in brown. Her white locks peered out of her hood. She hadn't noticed it before, but she was an exception among the others. There was a tiny ring of light green in her eyes. The cold hadn't taken everything away from her. In a way, she was victorious. Silly as it might have been, to Aurelie, it felt as if the girl had connected to her soul.
"Deborah," Jimble called.
The girl that spoke stood and wiped her hands on her coat. "Yes, Mrs. Jimble."
"Go on and fetch the Princess a change of clothing," she said and turned her gaze to the others. Deborah bowed and walked toward the door. Aurelie wasn't the only one to watch for a clue in expression, it seemed. Jimble couldn't have seen through Aurelie faster if she had been reading her thoughts. If she leaves now, they're not going to let her come near me again. "You stay here and give her a bath," Jimble told the others.
"No," Aurelie said and the room went dead quiet again. This time, however, the girls turned wide-eyed to Jimble. "Deborah will stay with me. The others can prepare my gown for dinner."
"One girl cannot bathe you alone," Jimble said. "That's ridiculous."
"Nonsense!" Aurelie beamed. "We'll manage, won't we?" Even if she didn't want to befriend Deborah, she needed help getting out of the dress. Otherwise, she would have made them all leave her.
Deborah lowered her head throughout the exchange. "If you say so, Princess."
"Princess Aurelie, with all due respect, Deborah isn't trained as a lady's maid. She is a server. That is not how things work in this castle."
Aurelie crossed her arms over her chest and darkened her expression. "Mrs. Jimble, with all due respect, after your careless question I feel as if I need a girl specifically to taste my food. And by girl, I mean, you. Now, if you would like me to query the Queen on the matter, I am more than happy to seek her." She hated acting like a spoiled princess, but Mrs. Jimble certainly asked for it. Some people waited for a glint of a kindness to signify weakness and then they put on their dirtiest shoes and tread all over you. Mrs. Jimble was one of those people.
"That's not necessary."
"Good," Aurelie said and looked at the other girls. "On you go." She gestured toward the door.
When the last one was out, Mrs. Jimble followed. "Close the door, please," Aurelie said, stopping her. With her head raised higher than possible without leaning completely backward, Mrs. Jimble appeared at the door, her fingers reached for the handle, turning white as they grasped it.
Deborah, still looking down, had a slight smile on her face, making Aurelie feel content with what she had done. There was a certain hierarchy in the castleâas there would be in anyâand Aurelie had to establish herself in it. Orken had been kind enough to teach her this when she first arrived at the inn. Since Jimble was the leader among the girls, news of her mistreatment by the foreign princess would spread quickly. Aurelie hoped that it would spread all the way to the top. Perhaps then, the Queen and her children would be less inclined to take her for a fool, if that was their plan.
"The room is sealed, but the water will cool soon, Your Highness. Shall I help you undress?" Deborah asked.
Aurelie nodded. "If you don't mind."
Aurelie had to bend so that Deborah could reach the strings of her corset. By the time they were done undressing her, they were covered in sweat. Deborah wasn't much bigger than her, and that made things quite difficult. She turned when Aurelie started to remove her undergarments. When she climbed into the bath, Deborah turned back.
"It must be exciting to be away from home," Deborah said. She placed a bucket against the bath right above Aurelie's head and poured water over her hair. "Though, I guess you miss your own ladies."
"I didn't have any," Aurelie said.
"Oh," Deborah said as she washed Aurelie's hair, pulling gently at the ends as her fingers passed them, attempting to loosen some knots. "Is that not custom in Highfire?"
"I don't actually know. It probably is." Aurelie took a rough cloth that hung over the side of the bath and dipped it into the water. "I wasn't brought up at the castle, and even if my aunt and uncle would have been able to afford to keep a maid, they would be too scared to in case she exposed us." She washed her arms and moved up to her neck. The cloth had a fresh, minty smell.
"Your King cannot afford a maid? How awful! I think we have too many here. Sometimes, I only get to make up one bed for the whole day, can you imagine?"
"The King didn't raise me."
"How strange your life is."
Aurelie laughed. "Indeed."
Deborah twisted Aurelie's hair from the top down to pour out the water that had clung to it. "Who raised you then?"
"My uncle and his wife."
"Then why would you not have a maid? Were you an ugly child?"
Aurelie rocked forward as she laughed.
"I beg your pardon, Your Highness." Deborah reached for a dry cloth stacked on a wooden block.
"I don't know if I was an ugly child but I doubt that it would have made a difference if I were. My father is after my magic. My uncle had to flee the castle with his wife to keep him from killing me for it." Since she was up already, Aurelie washed her legs.
"Would he really?"
"I think so. Though, I'm not sure anymore."
"Is that why you're here?"
"Yes."
Deborah began drying Aurelie's hair. "People say that you're here to rid us of winter."
"Do they now?"
She paused. "Is it not true?"
"I don't know, Deborah. The Queen won't tell."
Deborah stood, fetched a thick white cloth and stretched it out. Aurelie stood and Deborah wrapped it around her so that she could dry.
"I hope that you do. I'm sick of the cold."
Aurelie didn't blame her, she was sick of it too and she had just arrived.
"Are you ready?" Deborah moved the door and placed her hand on the knob.
Aurelie nodded. The door swung open and a gust of icy wind crippled Aurelie. She bent forward, all her muscles contracting.
"I best bring your clothes here." Deborah closed the door behind her. Half the heat left with her. She reentered seconds later with a green dress and Aurelie's coat.
"This one is lovely." Deborah held out the velvet dress and then handed it to Aurelie. "I wonder how they knew your size."
"I suppose they picked one that fit me," Aurelie replied as she unbuttoned the back.
"No, they made them weeks before your arrival."
"How many weeks?"
"Eight, maybe nine." Deborah turned red at Aurelie's frown. If she was smarter, Aurelie would hide her surprise.
"Ah, of course, silly me." Aurelie shrugged, attempting to save the moment. "That's about the time that we made plans."
Deborah relaxed.
Aurelie stepped into the dress and pulled it up so that she could push her hands through the tight sleeves. Deborah came up from behind and fastened the buttons.
"There's still sometime before dinner. You can rest before we do your hair. The journey couldn't have been easy."
Aurelie yawned at the mention of rest. "It wasn't."
Deborah helped Aurelie into the coat and opened the door. The chill still caused discomfort, but the clothing helped a little. Aurelie went straight to bed and wrapped herself under the covers.
"Careful not to crinkle the dress," Deborah said as she drew the curtains.
Aurelie was too tired to respond or care about wrinkles. She wrapped the covers tighter and closed her eyes. The bath had done wonders to relax her after the tense journey, and to save her toes from turning blue.