Sara should have been suspicious when on the morning King Henry was supposed to return, Marion didn't make her get dressed. 

In her defense, she had only been in Tithia for a few days. She barely had enough time to figure out how she was expected to behave, and definitely not enough to set up a new routine. However, every morning after breakfast and every night after dinner, Marion would wrestle her into a new dress. It would have been more often too, if Sara hadn't convinced her that she didn't want to run out of new dresses to wear before the seamstress could see her! She couldn't even lounge around and read after evening tea without the maid asking if she wanted to change! So when the morning of dinner came and Marion didn't pull out a dress after bringing Sara her breakfast, she counted it as a blessing and curled up with 'A Child's Guide to Magical Creatures', still dressed in her soft, comfortable nightgown.

It was a trap. A dirty, chiffon-lined trap designed to lure her into a false sense of security despite her looming meeting with the King. Sara glared wordlessly, lowering herself further under the warm, floral-scented bath water as Marion hung her latest torture device on the bathroom garment rack.

"Don't get your hair wet," Celia chided, "It won't be dry enough to style." The second maid was behind her, laying out the makeup she had brought on top of the vanity. 

This, Sara thought, was the real downside to being kidnapped. No privacy. She couldn't even sulk without one of the maids chastising her. Sara sat back up, leaning on the lip of the freestanding tub instead. She propped her chin on her arms, watching as the maids works. 

Bathing with two other women around was weird. Weirder still was letting them work while she laid in the oversized tub. But every time she offered to help they would shoot her down, force her to stay still as one or the other scrubbed her hair or added soaps to the water. It was easier to simply wait for them to tell her what to do, rather then fight them on it. As if reading her mind, Marion turned around to do just that.

"So," she said, hands on her hips. "Father Gavric will be here in three hours. That should give us more then enough time to do your hair and makeup. Afterwards, we'll walk you through dining etiquette one last time, just to be sure you have it down."

The thought of dinner turned her stomach. Dinner, with an actual, real life king. A real king who believe Sara would be able to save his kingdom from a threat she only somewhat understood. Expectations on top of expectations, the idea made her dizzy with nerves.  

"Have either of you ever met King Henry?" She asked. Celia, who had moved from organizing makeup to getting towels out of the linen closet, paused.

"No, not personally," she said, "Though I've seen him during a few events I worked." 

"I met him once," Marion said, her expression thoughtful. "It was a few weeks ago, actually. He was helping Father Gavric prepare for your summoning." 

Sara bit her lip. "Was—" Her words caught in her throat. "Was he nice?" Her cheeks burned at the childish question. But the what-ifs spun in her head, drowning out more rational worries. What if he was mean? What if he was mad she broke those spells on her first day here? Would she be thrown out of the palace with nothing? She had no where else to go, she knew all of three people in this world - none of whom could help if she was tossed aside.

Marion's silence did not reassure her.

"He was..." Marion started, only to trail off. "He wasn't cruel," she finally said, "He is a king, Miss Sara, and kings rarely have time for servants like me. He did greet me though, after I was introduced as your primary maid, which is more than most nobles would do." 

Somehow, her words were even less reassuring than her silence. Marion could tell, as she turned to kneel beside the bath and take Sara's hand. She squeezed it, smiling kindly. 

"You have nothing to worry about," she said, "Miss Sara, you are not a servant. You are Tithia's hope, our savior. The King knows this, and he will treat you with the respect you deserve."

"You're going to blow him away," Celia added with a grin.

Sara's eyes stung at their words. Both of them were staring at her with such kind, gentle expressions. Like they truly believed she was their savior, and that she would succeed. No one had ever looked at her like that, not in her old life.

"Alright," Sara said, pushing it all down. Marion, Celia, even Father Gavric - she wouldn't let them down tonight. "Can I have a towel, please? I'm ready."

Hyacinthwrites

RIP, sorry for the wait. Normal updates will be back on Monday :)