Heart of the Wolf Prince

Chapter Six (a)

I woke up this morning feeling numb. Well, afraid and then numb.

In my dreams, I was back in my old room, watching the sun rise as Sarah braided my hair. I felt at peace, feeling her nails against my scalp as I sat in the familiar comfort of my old home.

And then I woke up in an unfamiliar room, wrapped in wafer-thin sheets and laying on an uncomfortable bed. I then remembered everything – being sent to the Gahndor Palace as a maid, the ride here, the First Feast, meeting the royal family, the insults from Gertrude, the threat from Prince Kohl.

I twist my sheets to look towards the girl in the corner of the room, kneeling on her bed as she folds away her pyjamas. I remember that at least one good thing has come out of this.

She turns to me with her hazel gaze. Her eyes light up when they meet mine. "Morning, Naomi! Sleep well?"

"Yes," I lie. Truth is, I barely slept at all, and the moment I did I had a dream that left me feeling broken and empty now that I was out of it.

She smiles as she looks back at her clothes. She's wearing her maid outfit, only without the boots. They sit at the foot of her bed.

"Good. Today is the first training session. We need to accompany Gertrude there and bring her water and towels when she needs them." She turns back to me, and I can see the twinkle of doubt in her eyes. "The royal family is going to be there to watch. Head Maid Greta wants us on our best behaviour."

I nod and step out of bed. Attending to Gertrude this early in the morning doesn't sound desirable, but it's what I signed up for. Well... more like what I was forced into. Then again, it's not like I had a choice. "Do we get to have breakfast first?"

Macy's lips thin into a grimace as she shakes her head. "No... we have to wait until lunch. The ladies will have breakfast while we set up the training equipment and everything."

I grimace and resist the urge to rug my aching belly. I haven't eaten much these past two days, and now my stomach is a grumbling mess of knots. It didn't bother me yesterday that I only had a small lunch break in Greta's lessons, seeing as only the royals and ladies can dine during the First Feast. Now, however, I want to eat, and I'm not sure if I can wait until noon.

In silence, I slide into my maid uniform as Macy slips out of the room to use the communal bathroom. I make a mental note to have a shower after lunch as I tug on my boots and throw my hair into a low ponytail. A part of me hurts as I think of how Sarah would scold me for wearing such a plain hairstyle, but I push it away. I'll never have my hair braided for me anymore. If anything, I'll be doing the braiding.

I'm ready to leave as soon as Macy gets back. Together, we walk down the halls as other maids begin to emerge from their rooms, all prim and proper but plagued with black bags under their eyes. They mustn't have slept much either. I suppose this is as much a shift for them as it is for me.

Macy takes us down a few foreign corridors in a side of the palace I have yet to explore. She points out a courtyard off to my right, and I manage to catch a glimpse of the vibrant flowerbeds as we pass by an archway. Eventually, we find a room with two wooden double doors, both propped open with doorstops. As soon as we make our way inside, Head Maid Greta stands before us, chattering silently to other maids who arrived early.

We linger around until the room is full of thirty-or-so maids. The numbers add up, because I recall there being at least fifteen girls in the competition. Once everyone is settled, Greta assigns us different jobs. Macy and I are tasked with setting up the mannequins, which are basically leather models of human bodies stuffed to the brim with hay and cotton.

We all work in silence, some girls setting up towels and pitchers on tables as others, such as us, set up the mannequins. Before long, I hear a flock of feminine voices drift down the hall, and Head Maid Greta quickly ushers us to stand against the walls.