Part I|II
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The week passed by far too quickly, and before Serena knew it, Lady Aphros had returned. Following the noble’s advice, Serena attempted to pack only the essentials, not that she grasped what that actually meant. After some helpful advice from her mother and several downsized suitcases later, Serena was left with the bare minimum. A few changes of clothes, standard toiletries, her wallet, and her phone.
“Is this really it?” Serena had asked her mother the morning of.
“That is it,” her mother had nodded. “Now you’re more than prepared.” It was a strange statement to Serena, as she had never felt so unprepared in her life. Especially as Aphros landed in front of her house with a noble’s hovercraft.
“Ready to go?” Aphros popped out of the vessel. “I hope you’ve said your goodbyes. It could be quite some time before you see each other again.”
Serena turned to her mother as the older woman still clutched her left arm in unease. The two shared a knowing glance before hugging. “See you later,” Serena said, “I promise I’ll keep in touch.” Her mother said nothing and only nodded. Her strained features betrayed the presence of the flood of tears she held back.
“I want to thank you again for your family’s service,” Aphros approached Serena’s mother and held out a hand. “I promise to watch over your daughter.”
“Thank you,” Serena’s mother accepted the handshake as she put on a brave face.
Lady Aphros led Serena to the hovercraft; the vessel superficially resembled an early 21st-century car. It had four doors, the driver sat up front, it possessed a radio, air conditioner, and cupholders and shared the same vague shape. Beyond that, the two vehicles couldn’t be any more different.
As Serena was welcomed into the passenger seat, she noted the vehicle’s distinct difference from any she sat in before. It wasn’t that it was luxurious. The concept had lost all meaning in her society; what was once considered luxury had become the universal standard. Regality, on the other hand, had remained much more special. The symbol of the royal family was emblazoned on each surface, while every panel, button, and knob seemed custom-crafted. It not only felt decadent, but it also felt safe, as though it could tank a direct hit from a missile or bomb.
Naturally, the sensation of taking her first step into an entirely different world sent Serena’s head for a loop. It didn’t even feel right for her to sit in the vehicle, yet it still lifted off with her in tow. The young woman took one last look out the window at her mother and home. The 500 square meter structure was considered modest by her society’s standards, yet it was still home to Serena. Alas, even a building of that size seemed relatively small as Serena watched it and her mother disappear into the distance as they flew away.
Lady Aphros flew the craft high into the sky, granting Serena a perfect view of their lovely city of New Celene. It was sometimes easy to forget they lived in a kingdom crafted from gemstones, but the bird’s eye view quickly reminded Serena of that fact. The many structures that dotted the skyline shone with a rainbow-like hue. Buildings of ruby, sapphire, emerald, and crystal shined from one end of the horizon to the other. At the back, towering above all the others, was the royal palace, where the Queen and her family lived and ruled, where Serena would soon spend the rest of her life.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Lady Aphros asked. “Not many have a permit to fly this high, but working with the royal family comes with its privileges. Even though you’ll just be a maid, you’ll get a share of them too.”
“Y-yeah,” Serena nodded, remembering what she was here for.
“I get it. It’s a lot to take in,” Aphros comforted the younger woman. “Don’t worry, we’re not flying straight to the palace. Your training will be in that fort next to it,” Aphros gestured towards a building sat next to the palace. The structure was easily missed amid the palace’s eternal majesty, but it was there if you looked. It was a sturdy-looking building, and Serena could barely make out the sight of dozens of figures running about its courtyard.
“Wait, isn’t that a military base or fort or something?” Serena inquired.
“Yes,” Aphros confirmed. “It’s where they train the palace guards and some elite soldiers.”
“I thought you said I was training to be a maid?” Serena pointed out.
“You are,” the blonde affirmed.
“Then why the military base?” Serena exclaimed.
“You’ll see,” Aphros assured.
‘Oh lord, what have I gotten myself into?’ Serena groaned internally.
~--~
Serena collapsed into her new bed if it could even be called that. It was more of a cot stuck into the corner of a hastily cobbled together bedroom. It was obviously an unused supply closet in its past life, so it wasn’t exactly structured to house a person in the long term. Lady Aphros assured she’d find the young girl better living arrangements soon, but that was two weeks ago. Two long, grueling weeks ago.
The grand question of why Serena was here still hung over her. What exactly did the royal family expect of their maids? When she first got the news, Serena assumed the maid training would involve etiquette, housekeeping, and an outline of her duties. Nothing particularly exciting to the young woman, but things she firmly believed herself capable of learning. So, Serena wondered, why was she being put through a military boot camp? From dusk till dawn every day, she’s done nothing but train alongside the fort’s new recruits. Not just exercise, but combat training as well.
Unfortunately, Serena hadn’t gotten a single moment of Aphros’s time since they parted ways the first day. Thus, she hadn’t a single chance to get a real answer as to why she’s been subjected to such training. Being the one regular person amid many people who were a little older and in much better shape did little to strengthen Serena’s confidence. At least the weapon training hadn’t been that bad. Serena’s handle on the firearms and melee weapons was adequate for someone of her skill level. Which is to say, she didn’t manage to humiliate herself. As for the question as to why her kingdom was still so obsessed with swords, spears, axes, and shields, Serena couldn’t say. Firearms had existed for centuries, and the full answer was something Serena didn’t pay enough attention in history class to know.
‘At least swinging around that halberd was fun, at least the few times I could,’ Serena admitted to herself while dozing. Alas, her body was so sore and ached so badly she couldn’t manage to relax. The uncomfortable cot did her no favors either. It also didn’t help all these odd sensations wracked her body. These indescribable sensations were felt just below the soreness, and they made Serena dizzy if she so much as thought about them too hard.
“Is this the-” A young man burst into the small room. His eyes were a pale blue, and his hair an equally pale, almost silver, blonde. “Sorry, wrong room!” He shut the door hurriedly.
“Who was that idiot?” Serena wondered.
~--~
Another painful week and a half of basic training passed by, and Serena began to wonder if she was being left out in the lurch. She frequently spied the “idiot,” as she decided to call him, out of the corner of her eye. He was young, probably not even a year older than her, so he was likely also at the fort for training. Not that Serena ever saw him training, but he looked exhausted all the time, so he must have been doing something.
At the end of the week and a half, by some miracle, Lady Aphros had returned. Serena saw her talking in the courtyard with the idiot after training one day. The blonde woman looked less than amused; Serena chalked it up to the idiot screwing something up. Then Aphros saw Serena and called her over.
“Her?” The idiot pointed at Serena.
“Yes, her,” Lady Aphros snapped. “Serena, how has training been going?” Her tone became more chipper.
‘Well, I’m sore all over and have managed to humiliate myself at least once a day, but other than that, it’s fine,’ Serena thought. “It’s been going great, Lady Aphros.”
“There’s no need to grin and bear it. I know it’s hard on you,” Aphros put her hand on the younger girl’s shoulder. “Honestly, I just had you here to build a foundation and get you in a little better shape before the real training starts.”
‘Oh lord,’ Serena nearly blurted out. “Ahem, I mean wonderful,” she put on a solid front. As it turned out, a military base was a great place to learn how to hold one’s tongue.
“Of course, you would’ve known that sooner if someone could get their head on straight!” Aphros snapped at the idiot.
“I’m sorry, Lady Aphros, but I-” The idiot defended himself.
“Orion, I told you what she looked like and where she was. Did you need a map?” Aphros continued her verbal assault.
“Well, I mean, I did find her room, but I thought I was in the wrong place,” Orion explained.
“And why’s that?” Aphros inquired.
“Well, I was expecting…” He looked back at Serena, “Someone different?”
“Different how?”
“Well, you said she was from the Diane family. So, I was expecting someone like Victoria or Anne, not…um,” Orion looked back at Serena and bit his tongue.
“Orion, 100 laps around the fort, now,” Lady Aphros ordered.
“Lady Aphros-” the blonde man tried to plead his case.
“You heard me, soldier!”
“Yes, ma’am,” Orion saluted and ran off.
“Um,” Serena muttered uncomfortably.
“Oh, sorry you had to see that Serena, Orion is a bit of an airhead, among other things,” Lady Aphros explained.
“I see, so what exactly does he do?” Serena asked.
“Well, technically, he works for me, but he’ll be personally attending the eldest princess one day soon,” Aphros revealed.
“So, does that mean-?” Serena stuttered.
“Why yes, he is a distant cousin of yours…sort of, it’s complicated,” Lady Aphros shrugged. “You’ll be training alongside him soon.”
“Okay, um, if you don’t mind me asking?” Serena changed the subject.
“Shoot,” Lady Aphros smiled.
“If I’m going to be a maid, what’s with all the combat training?” Serena asked.
“Hmm, why wouldn’t you…? Oh right, you only know maids through books and TV,” Aphros laughed. “To be a servant of the royal family, you must strong as well as dignified. You must be ready to defend the princess with your life, slay her assassins, keep up with her, and so on.”
‘Keep up with her?’ Serena’s mind caught on the last point. The first two points weren’t exactly minor, but the fact they were mentioned in the same breath as the third gave the young woman pause.
“Keep up the good work, Serena,” Lady Aphros complimented. “I’ll return at week’s end to begin your formal training.”
‘Finally,’ Serena breathed a sigh of relief.
“And even better than that,” Lady Aphros beamed, “I called up Lady Ze, and she agreed to assist in your combat training. I heard you liked halberds. That’s her specialty too.”
‘Lady Ze? The captain of the royal guard? Training me? Why me?’ Serena tried her best to hide her horror and failed.
“I know. I’m excited for you too,” Lady Aphros beamed again.
To Be Continued…
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Adjusting to a new job can be difficult, especially if there's a lot of training.
Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy
