Ad Astra - Chapter 7: Chapter 7

I stir in the morning when I hear Maria shifting in bed beneath me. Judging by the pale cast of light entering through the window, it must still be early. I sit up groggily and glance down at Maria, who is making her bed below me.
"Good morning, Fe!" she says with a smile, noticing my waking. "Did you sleep well?"
My back aches terribly, and I spent a majority of the night tossing and turning as I thought about what the probationary period would mean for the success of my mission. I open my mouth, ready to claim I slept well, but the bed is creaky. Maria must have heard me rolling around in the night.
"I slept fairly poorly. Still getting used to the new bed," I admit.
"Understandable," Maria responds. "I miss my old bed in Okchester every now and again."
I begin to descend down the ladder of my bunkbed. "Okchester? Is that where you're from?" I ask.
Maria nods. "Have you ever been?"
"Afraid not," I respond. "I served in Magewell for a while."
Maria's eyes light up. "Magewell?! Oh, I've always wanted to visit! What was it like? Did you have any close contact with the other members of the royal family?"
I falter in my response for a moment, not expecting an influx of questions so soon after waking. "I served a wealthy family there," I explain. "Magewell was...big and busy." I try to think back to the stories Taika used to tell from serving there, but it is too early for me to form a coherent thought. Thankfully, Maria doesn't pry any further.
"No wonder you were chosen to serve the princess, then!" she exclaims. I watch her retrieve a stack of clothes from the top of the dresser. "I'm off to bathe. Alba wants us to both go help the cooks clean up this morning's breakfast after the princess has eaten. You should go get something to eat. I think Josie already ordered breakfast to be delivered."
I nod and thank her. When Maria leaves, I get dressed for the day. The uniform is still not to my liking, and I itch aggressively at the fabric digging into my skin, but I at least have dressed myself more quickly than the day prior. However, I spend the extra time finagling with my hair as I struggle to twist it into a bun due to its long length.
I briefly glance at myself in the mirror, no longer recognizing the young woman from Landiani I was only a few days ago. If it weren't for my Landiani features, I would easily pass as a Magnuvian maid. I glance at myself with fierce determination. Starting today, I will give it my all. I need to pass the probationary period as quickly as possible if this mission is to succeed.
True to Maria's word, there is a spread of pastries in the kitchen for the maids to enjoy. Josie and Zofia are both absent, most likely already attending to their chores to the day, which leaves Arabelle, who sits quietly at the table and nibbles on a pastry. She glances at me briefly as I enter.
"Good morning," I say.
"Good morning," she responds quietly.
I eye over the breakfast options until eventually I settle on a berry tart. Arabelle keeps quiet, although I notice her pace of eating has sped up. Nevertheless, I take a seat across from her and begin cutting into my breakfast. I take a bite of the fruit tart, admiring its sweet and sour flavor. Perhaps it is not as exquisite as what the princess is served, but it is still not a bad breakfast option.
"What are your duties today?" I ask Arabelle.
"Laundry," she replies simply.
I nod. "I believe Maria and I are helping clean up breakfast this morning."
"That'll be good."
I take a few more bites of my pastry, watching Arabelle quickly devour the rest of her breakfast. Before she can finish her last few bites, I interrupt.
"So...you're from Flumensia?" I ask. "Where in Flumensia are you from?"
"Fehrbridge," she responds.
My knowledge of the geography of Flumensia is limited. I know that it holds some of the largest freshwater lakes, which Magnuvia continually harvests magic from, but other than that, I have limited knowledge of the towns and cities there.
"We must have some things in common then, growing up in the colonies," I say.
"Magnuvia is my home now," Arabelle says. Her plate is now empty, and she stands from the table to go wash it.
I decide to keep my mouth shut from that point forward. I had hoped I might be able to form an alliance with the one other maid from the colonies, but besides Maria, Arabelle seems as equally content on disliking me. I finish my breakfast quietly after Arabelle leaves the premises, hoping I did not overstep any boundaries this morning.
Maria thankfully returns from bathing not too long afterwards. I pace around in the living room as she changes, wondering what the day ahead will have in store for me. I am thankful at least that I won't be going through it alone. Maria dresses quickly, and we promptly head off to the main estate building. I hold out hope that I'll manage to get a glimpse of Princess Asteria leaving breakfast, but when we arrive to the dining area, no one is there save for the cooks and Alba, of course, who is ready to give me my instructions for the day. Though my eyes are still droopy from a night of restless sleep, Alba looks quite energized at such an early time in the morning.
"Good to see you are on time, Miss Fe," Alba says.
"I always plan to be," I respond.
"I did not even have to wake her this morning," Maria adds.
I grin slightly, thankful for her supportive words.
"Well, there's no time to waste. The cooks need help cleaning off the table. The tablecloth could be washed as well," Alba says. "Fe, you'll stick close to Miss Morgan today. Miss Morgan, I hope you don't mind that I've taken you off the princess's nightly duties for this evening in order to help train Fe. You'll resume those duties later this week."
"Not at all," Maria says. "I would be happy to help Fe get acquainted."
"I'll be back later to check on your progress, then," Alba says.
With that, she promptly leaves the dining room, and we get to work. I hope to be able to talk to Maria during our chore, but she works diligently and quietly, so I mimic the same energy, hoping it will bring me closer to finishing my probationary period as quickly as possible. We spend the next hour cleaning dishes and silverware, folding tablecloths, and ready the dining room for the next meal that will occur in a few hours. There is a break for lunch, and in the afternoon, Alba assigns us more tasks to do, ranging from dusting the portraits and sculptures in the hallways to cutting some flowers in the garden for the vases that line the halls of the estate. I return from the work day exhausted, forcing myself to stay awake to at least eat some dinner, and then promptly pass out.
The next day, the cycle repeats.
I work alongside Maria or one of the other maids, depending on whomever Alba has assigned to me that day. For the next few days, I perform my chores diligently and carefully, making sure I make no mistakes that would unnecessarily prolong my probationary period. I try to read Alba's facial expressions each morning to get a sense of if she is satisfied with my work from the day prior, but she is an enigma, only giving me my instructions for the day and saying nothing else.
Finally, I am given my own solo duties one morning. Alba visits me in the early hours, when I am still eating breakfast, to explain my schedule.
"Fe, today I will trust you to help set up the dining room for today's breakfast. Once you've completed that task, you can join Miss Morgan on the balcony to help her fold laundry," Alba announces. "Eat quickly. The chefs will want you there as soon as possible."
I nod, devouring the rest of my breakfast in nearly one bite. With those words, she leaves me be. I am hoping taking on independent duties means I am doing a good job, although I suppose it also could mean she wants to test me further. Not wanting to displease Alba by dillydallying, I quickly wash my dishes and head to the dining room.
In the past few days, I have memorized nearly the entire layout of the estate, save for where the princess resides. I find the dining room easily, and immediately I get to work laying out plates, utensils, and napkins. I nearly burn myself twice on hot dishes as I carry hot dishes to the table. I step on my maid's uniform twice as well, nearly falling over, but thankfully, I finish preparing the dining room for breakfast with no major accidents.
My heart leaps in my chest when the doors to the main entrance of the dining room finally open. I anticipate finally seeing the princess, but the shadowy figure of Alba greets me instead. Quickly, I stand straight.
"The dining room is set, ma'am," I say.
Alba nods and circles the room slowly. Her eyes shift back and forth as she slowly gazes over the room, admiring how well I've done my job. I hold my breath and quietly pray that she will be satisfied.
"Thank you, Fe. That will be all," is all she says.
I nod, silently wishing she had given the slightest inclination of how satisfied she was with my work; however, only a few days of serving as a maid in Esterpool has taught me that Alba never reveals how she feels, especially to a maid as new as myself. The waiting game will have to continue.
"Do you remember what is next on your schedule?" Alba asks.
Having been used to my mother's pop quizzes, I am able to recite my next task perfectly.
"Yes. Aid Maria with the laundry on the balcony," I say. "I'll head over to her shortly."
"Good," Alba says.
I stall for a bit as I depart from the dining room, hoping the princess may arrive before I leave, but the doors remain shut. I depart frustrated, though I recognize I must abide by Alba's rules if I stand any chance of gaining proximity to Princess Asteria. I head upwards to the balcony on the east side of the estate and open the glass doors of the balcony slowly. Maria is already standing out in the sunlight, humming as she gently folds a bedsheet into the laundry basket. The gentle morning wind swings the clothes slowly, and while there is still an element of cold to the outside, the sun feels warm on my skin. I suddenly crave being back on the beach in Landiani and feeling the ocean breeze tousle my hair.
"May I help?" I ask Maria.
She startles, clearly not having heard the doors open.
"Oh! Fe! Yes, of course," she says. "You can start bringing some of the remaining sheets down."
I nod and begin to retrieve the extra bedsheets. Maria and I normally keep our quiet when working together. On the surface, I believe she is just trying to be diligent, but I wonder if she's afraid Alba may not like us getting distracted by talking. Still, Alba did want me to get along with the other maids, and my plan will not succeed if I cannot form a relationship with my colleagues. Maria will be the easiest to start with.
"The weather is warmer today," I note.
"Isn't it?" Maria agrees. "I love the springtime. Don't you?! The hills turn such a nice green out here. The flowers will begin blooming in the meadow soon, too."
The view from the top of the balcony grants me a better look at the land beyond the estate. Maria is right; the rolling green hills are beautiful to witness, and I can make out the tiniest drops of yellow and orange from newly-blooming flowers.
"We don't have seasons back in Landiani," I admit.
"Really?!" Maria exclaims.
"It's warm year-round," I say. "The sun is usually shining, although we do have our fair share of rainstorms. The weather is more varied in Magnuvia."
"I can only imagine," Maria says.
A pause settles over us again, and I fear the conversation has been lost, but suddenly, I hear Maria inhale.
"How has everything been?" she asks.
"The work is busy, but I'm adjusting," I say. "I'm thrilled that Alba is letting me work more independently. You've been an excellent teacher."
"I'm happy to hear that, and I'm glad to hear everything is going well," Maria says.
I pause, being careful in my next choice of words. I debate not saying them altogether, but Maria seems naïve. Surely she will not see through the deeper meaning of my words.
"Although, I must be honest...this probationary period is taking its toll," I say sadly. "Did you have to go one as well?"
"Oh, yes. All the maids do. It's how Alba knows who is best suited to serve the princess. You'll get through it though, I'm sure."
I nod slowly. "What is the princess like? I've only ever read about her."
"I do not serve her as closely as some of the other maids," Maria explains. "But I find her kind and agreeable. She can be timid, but I doubt she shows her true feelings to any of her maids, except maybe Alba. Mainly, she is perfectly polite and pleasant."
I let out a long and dramatic sigh. "I just wish I could meet her," I say longingly. "It's always been my dream to serve her, but this probationary period is dreadful to endure."
I watch the gears turn slowly in Maria's head. I do not expect my tactic to work in the way I expect, but I want to test to see how far she will go for me.
"It would be against Alba's wishes for me to take you to her," Maria says quietly. "But..." She slowly sets down the last folded bedsheet into the basket. "Why don't you follow me, Fe?"
I nod, trying to hide the excitement growing inside of me. I doubt Maria is actually taking me to meet the princess, but I wonder if perhaps she'll make sure we cross paths, so I can at least get a glimpse of her face.
Maria does not take me to the west corridor like I secretly hoped she would. Instead, we descend to the first floor of the estate and head toward the western end, as if we are returning to the maid quarters. I walk in the halls quietly beside her, not daring to ask where she intends to take me.
"This way," Maria says, turning a corner and leading me toward a nearby window. Quietly, she tells me, "The window outlooks the garden, and the princess often likes to sit outside, especially at this time of year."
I approach the window with her, realizing it is the same one I glimpsed out of when Alba was first showing me around the estate. That day, I only had the trimmed hedges and blooming flowers to look at. Today, there is something, or rather, someone, new to see.
"I'll take the laundry back to the princess's room. You can join me upstairs in a few minutes," Maria whispers.
"Thank you," I say.
As her footsteps decrease, I turn back toward the window and rest my hands on the sill as I stare outward into the garden. My heart pounds in my chest. I have seen portraits of Princess Asteria before, and while I had an idea of what she looked like from them, they pale in comparison to seeing the real, living person.
The princess is taller than I initially envisioned, probably towering me by six or seven inches. She sits daintily on a bench in the garden, watching some sparrows chirp in a nearby tree. The wavy blonde hair that hangs down her back is so light it's almost luminescent, and the light blue gown she wears is surprisingly quite plain for what I expected a royal to wear.
Her head turns as she watches the sparrows fly off, allowing me a better look at her facial features. She appears pensive as she smooths out her dress. Her eyebrows are furrowed in thought, and her plump pink lips are pursed. Her eyes though are what shock me most of all. Even from a distance, I can tell how brightly blue they are, nearly blending into the sky.
Her gaze, once turned at the sky, now turns toward the window, where I stand. I gasp and freeze, unsure if she can see me from outside. Before I can see the princess's reaction, I quickly step to the side, hopefully out of her view. However, I don't feel ready to leave just yet. I wait a minute, then sneak one last peek to see the princess rise from her bench.
I decide now is the best time to leave, as she will probably be returning into the building. I turn and head back up the stairs to the balcony. As I walk up the steps, I pause and grip my hand tightly onto the stairwell railing.
I am angered thinking of it, but the thought passes through my head anyway. Princess Asteria is stunningly beautiful.