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Warning: This story will eventually end up being F/F. If you don't like it, move on please.
Author's Note: This chapter is rather short, being only the first chapter, but I promise they will get longer.
Author's Note (2): I actually started this story a couple days ago for no reason. It hasn't been pre-planned because I just started writing whatever came to my mind. I have started to develop a possible plot, but for now... we'll just see where it goes. ;)
"Come on then, girl. I'll show you to your room. Then we'll get you out of those rags and have a look around." The sound of her escort's voice pulled her out of her thoughts and directed her attention to the finely dressed man standing next to her. It wasn't hard for her to pick up on the insincere politeness in his voice when the grey-haired man addressed her once more. "This way, if you will." Following after him as he began walking ahead of her, the awkward feeling of not belonging crept into her mind. She wasn't meant to be in this place. With its decorative paintings that were worth more than her weight in gold hanging on the walls and the ornate rugs that she was bound to trip over while she was there, she felt very out of place.
"I take it you have already been informed of the duties that are expected of you?" the man asked, not bothering to look behind him to talk to her. She thought about it for a moment, trying to remember what her brother had told her while they were waiting on the docks. After a few moments, she nodded her head. Noticing that he hadn't seen her, she carefully reached out and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned his head and glared at her.
"I would appreciate it if you would keep your hands to yourself and provide an answer when asked a question." She rolled her eyes at the man but he ignored it as he prattled on about what tasks she was supposed to perform, assuming that her silence had meant that she did not know why she was called to the royal home.
"You are to be the princess' bodyguard. You must protect her no matter what the cost." His words were slow and loud, making her feel like she was an idiot. A scowl marred the smooth features of her tanned face as he continued to talk to her as if she were some child from another country that could not grasp the language he was speaking. "Do you understand? Body. Guard." She nodded to show that she understood, grateful for the silence when the older man turned back around and began to lead her through the twisting corridors once more.
"Now then. This is where you'll be keeping your belongings during your stay," he told her, breaking the silence as they reached a plain, wooden door. She sighed to herself, wondering if she would be able to remember her way through the halls when ever she needed to get back to her room. "You do have belongings, don't you?" her escort asked her with a raised eyebrow. She politely nodded, although what she really wanted to do was slap him across the face and beat out the condescending attitude that he had towards her.
"Well then, someone will be bringing your things in later. For now, lets get you out of those peasant clothes and into something more... presentable." She glared at him for that comment. She found she would be just as presentable in her white tunic and brown pants as she would be in any fancy clothes they could give her. She was covered, wasn't she?
"Oh, don't give me that look. You want to make a good impression when you meet the princess, don't you?" he asked her as he pushed open the door and shoved her through it before calling a servant over and sending them to fetch one of the seamstresses.
She watched as the door closed, thinking of her coming meeting with the princess. As much as she hated to admit it, she really did want to make a good first impression. Now nervous, she began to play with the bottom of her tunic while sucking on a braided strand of her light brown hair. In her mind she was laughing at herself. She would never be able to understand why she could protect her village from raiders without the fear of dying; but even the thought of interacting with another person caused the hand of fear to wrap itself around her heart and not let go.
"Alright then, Dearie. Let's get you measured, shall we?" She jumped at the sound of an unfamiliar, feminine voice that had entered the room. She hadn't heard the door open. The voice belonged to an older, although not by much, woman that had a remarkable resemblance to her escort, minus the grey hair and plus a few curves. And while she wasn't as condescending as the man, she wasn't very gentle. As the woman tried to measure her, she found herself continuously being pushed and pulled in every direction by the woman. She had to admit that the seamstress was strong for someone her size. Quite talkative, too.
"All finished, Dearie." She sighed in relief when she heard those words, glad that the torture was over. "I should be able to find something in your size in no time," the slightly older woman bragged before exiting the room, leaving her with only her escort for company once more. An uncomfortable, almost stifling silence filled the room. She strangely found herself missing the sound of the seamstress' voice.
"I apologize for Lilly. She can be a tad bit pushy sometimes. I don't know how her mother ever managed to convince me she was my daughter," said escort told her apologetically after a few minutes of the awkward silence. Before she could respond, the blonde haired woman walked back into the room carrying an armful of clothes.
"You aren't talking bad about me, are you Da?" she heard Lilly ask as the woman pushed the clothes into her arms. She had to agree with her escort when he said that she could be pushy.
"Of course not," Henry said, shooting a look in the younger girl's direction, almost daring her to say that he had been talking about his daughter. She merely raised an eyebrow, mimicking the gesture from earlier, before crossing to the other side of the room and looking through the clothes the seamstress had brought her. Finding something she liked, she pulled off her own tunic and began to pull the grey shirt over her head. She smiled at the awkward coughing sound she heard Henry make before changing into a pair of dark black pants and a pair of boots that stopped halfway to her knee.
"That will have to do for now, I guess," her escort said when she turned to face them, earning another glare from her.
"Oh don't be silly, Da. She looks just fine. Princess Willa will absolutely adore her." She frowned when she heard Lilly's words. The seamstress made it sound like she was supposed to be the princess' pet, not her bodyguard. An uneasy feeling began to creep up her spine. What if she was supposed to be the princess' pet? For some reason, that idea did not seem very appealing to her.
"If you say so, Lilly," Henry said with a defeated sigh before gesturing for her to follow him. For a moment, she thought of ignoring him and staying in her new room. That idea flew out the proverbial window when the blonde haired girl grabbed her by the wrist and practically dragged her out of the room.
"Before we meet with the princess, we need to show our new staff member around the castle. I'm sure she is anxious to find out where the practice grounds are," Henry told his daughter, not bothering to take his eyes off of the hall ahead of him. Lilly frowned at the suggestion.
"Why can't we just take her to see Willa now? It's not like the princess is doing anything at the moment anyways," she asked with a slight pout. Henry couldn't help but think her mother may have babied her a little too much while she was growing up because of the expression.
"Because I'll be too busy later to show her around. And I wish you would talk about the princess with the respect she deserves. At least attach the princess title to her name," Henry told her with a scowl. Lilly frowned before beginning to talk once more.
"I could show her around later. I'm done with my sewing for the day," she offered. The blonde stared at her father, knowing that she would have her way once more if she simply tried hard enough. After a few moments, the older man gave in and said they would take the new member of the castle staff to meet the princess right away. Said member being discussed continued to glare at the backs of the two of them. She did not appreciate being talked about as if she weren't walking right behind them.
"Here we are. Now, do try to be courteous," the older escort said when they reached a wooden door with an ornate design etched into it. To her, it appeared to be a giant bird. The gold that filled the carvings etched into the wood made it remind her of the mythological phoenix that her father used to tell her about. "After the princess is done getting to know you, find Lilly. She will give you a tour of the castle." Henry's voice pulled her out of her thoughts once more and she soon found herself looking over at the smiling blonde woman. She mentally groaned, not sure if she could handle the chatty woman all on her own.
"I'll go tell her you're here, Dearie," the woman practically squealed before opening the door and walking inside. She watched after her, wondering how someone older than her could act so childish. She also had to wonder why the woman was so excited that she was here. She found that she had no time to ponder those thoughts, however, when Lilly opened the door once more and roughly pulled her into the room. She felt her jaw physically drop when she saw the princess inside.
The woman had dark black hair that was styled in a braided pony-tail. She wasn't surprised to see that the long locks went all the way down to the small of the princess' back. The woman's pale skin contrasted greatly with the dark strands of hair, but she seemed to pull it off nicely. She was wearing a slim green dress that stopped at her knees. The brown haired guard-to-be was sure that the garment probably cost more than a fortnight of food for her whole village.
"I found her, Willa! She was still hiding outside," Lilly exclaimed triumphantly. The future bodyguard glared at the older woman while the princess merely chuckled and nodded her head.
"Thank you, Lilly," she simply said before directing her attention on the new member of the castle. She had to admit, the guard wasn't what she expected. Mainly, she was lacking a few key parts. It seemed that flirting wouldn't be an option to get out of the castle anymore. 'Damn. It seems father has figured me out,' she thought, hiding her frustration behind the royal mask that seemed to be getting used more and more with each passing day.
"If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to get to know her a little on my own," she said, hoping that the talkative seamstress would catch the hint she had thrown out. Luckily, Lilly wasn't completely dense, and quickly made herself scarce; which left Willa and the slightly smaller woman all alone.
"Hi..." the princess said after a few minutes of silence ticked by. Her greeting was met with silence. She was unsure of what else to say, never having a female bodyguard before. She also had never had one that hadn't been trained in the castle, which made her wonder where the other woman was from. When she asked, though, she was once again only answered with silence. "Well, will you at least tell me your name?" Willa asked, quickly becoming exasperated with her new guard when she didn't answer.
"You know, it is generally considered polite to answer someone when they ask you a question," she told the guard, crossing her arms over her chest. For a split second she saw a shamed look cross the brown haired woman's face, but it was instantly covered by an angry glare.
"Unless... you can't talk, can you?" Willa asked hesitantly. She got all the answer she needed when she saw the woman turn her attention to the ground. Immediately feeling guilty for getting angry at the other girl, Willa quickly crossed over to her new guard and placed an apologetic hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry. I... Father didn't tell me. If I had known, I wouldn't have been so inconsiderate," she apologized with a sad smile. The other woman shrugged her off, but Willa could tell that her words had meant something to her by the surprised look that passed over her face.
"Let's try this again. Do you have a name?" she asked once more, hoping to get an answer. The shorter woman seemed to think for a second before shaking her head no. Willa raised an eyebrow, wondering what kind of person didn't have a name. "Well, I can't just call you 'guard' while you're here. Would you find it terribly degrading if I gave you one?" she asked. 'At least until you're willing to give me your real one,' she added on mentally. She smiled when she saw the other woman shake her head. Thinking hard, she tried to come up with a name that suited her new guard. After a few moments, Willa's eyes brightened as she came up with something that she thought would work well.
"Ciosa sounds good, don’t you think?” she asked. She waited until the other woman gave her a hesitant nod before continuing. “Okay then. It’s very nice to meet you, Ciosa. I’m Willa,” she introduced herself, sticking her hand out. The brown-haired woman looked at it for a moment, almost appearing unsure of what to do, before grasping it with her smaller, calloused one. Willa found herself pushing down a fluttering feeling in her stomach when she was rewarded with a shy smile from the tanned woman.
“I think this may be the beginning of a wonderful partnership, Ciosa.”
