I woke up in the morning from a knock at the door. Someone opened the door and light from the hallway illuminated our room.

I yawned.

Caroline climbed out of her bed and turned on the lantern.

“Get up everyone!” she exclaimed as she shut the door again.

After a few moments we were all out of the bed. But the place for the four of us was rather limited. Milly pulled me back on the bed.

“Get yourselves ready. There is not enough place for all of us at once.” she said.

“It’s early.” I stated. “but it seems to be the normal wake-up time.

“We were late yesterday.” Milly replied. “There will be schedules for the day.”

I nodded “Let’s look how everything is organized for the first days.”

After Tilly and Caroline were dressed we changed places and soon we were ready for the day. We left our room after turning of the lantern. As long as the door was open the light from the hallway was enough to see.

We walked over to the refectory. All the maids, and there were more than doors in quarters sat at the tables on the right side, where the door to the kitchen was. The most of them were humans. There was a cat-beastfolk at one table and an elf at another. All were busy chattering. At the end of the room was a free table where we sat down.

After a few minutes Miss Tessa entered the room. The chattering stopped almost instantly.

“As announced we have four maids-in-training now. They are Lilly, Milly, Tilly and Caroline.”

“Come over!” she ordered.

“Yes, Miss Tessa!” we piped and went over to Miss Tessa.

“In the morning they will accompany one of us learning the ropes being a maid.

In the afternoon they get a share of our normal chores under supervision.

The supervisor will report to me about their progress.”

She looked at us. “Failing to finish as task in time will be punished.”

“Yes, Miss Tessa!”

“For the next weeks you will be assigned to our kitchen. Osara. They are yours.”

An old a bit rotund maid, who sat beside the door to the kitchen got up and approached. She had gray hair, braided into a bun and green eyes. She not much taller than we were, definitely smaller as Miss Tessa.

She put her hands onto her hips and gave us all a cold glare.

“Follow me!” she ordered. “Let’s continue with the breakfast preparations.”

We followed her into the kitchen while Miss Tessa talked with the other maids, assigning duties.

“Tomorrow I expect you to directly come to the kitchen after wake-up.”

“Yes.”

“That’s Miss Osara for you since you are mere maids-in training!”

“Yes, Miss Osara!”

“Normally Lumi and Esira will be serving the meals. They will show you what to do today. Since it’s not that complicated I expect you to take over serving as long as you have kitchen duty!”

“Yes, Miss Osara!”

Then she put us to work to finish everything for serving.

A few minutes two younger maids came into the kitchen and together we started to set the tables and then to serve everybody the breakfast. The tables at other side had filled with male servants in the meantime. We avoided slip-ups. The other maids were much faster than we were and the trays looked like they were glued to their hands, including everything they carried.

After about 15 minutes breakfast was done and everyone went to fulfill their various duties. We cleared the tables after that and had breakfast with Miss Osara ourselves.

Washing all the dished was the next we tasked with. Milly dropped a plate, and got herself a few smacks with a large wooden spoon on her butt.

After we finished Miss Osara started to explain the kitchen and it’s implements for a while. We got the task to keep the oven burning. There was a small stack of logs beside it. Then she took us into one the corridors we passed as we entered here and loaded us with new logs which were stacked in one of the rooms.

We got reprimanded for sullying our attire and she gave everyone another ten slaps on the butt with her trusted spoon. After that she had us clean ourselves.

“A maid always has keep her attire impeccable! Remember that!”

“Yes, Miss Osara!”

My butt stung a bit for a while. While we were busy cleaning the kitchen in general, three maids arrived with baskets full of vegetables and a bit flesh as well.

The next hours we were occupied cutting everything in small pieces. Miss Osara was not satisfied with our workings speed, so she gave out occasional slaps with her spoon. My butt started to protest after a while.

On lunch we were on service duty on our own. We were way too slow. There were no major incidents but after all others were gone we got ourselves a barrage of slaps with the spoon for dawdling.

Limping, we cleared the tables. The dinner was bad, as Miss Osara insisted we had to sit while eating. Thereafter came washing the dishes. After that we cleaned the refectory and the kitchen completely.

Then preparation for dinner started. We were all tired already, and I got me a few more spanks with the spoon.

We had dinner before the rest of the servants. Thereafter it was serving time again, which wasn’t to Miss Osara’s satisfaction.

“You need an incentive to work faster!”

“Yes, Miss Osara!”

“You have an appointment with Miss Tessa now. Follow me.”

“Yes, Miss Osara!”

We went through the door in the direction to our quarters and took the door to the left. It was an office. Miss Tessa sat behind a large desk, some paper in front of her. After a while she looked up.

“How did they do, Osara?”

“They need to work faster, and have much to learn!”

“We talk later, Osara.”

“Yes, Miss Tessa!” she said and left the room.

“Time for some extra training!”

We groaned.

“I expect excitement!”

“Yes, Miss Tessa!”

“Go to your room, and wait there for me.”

“Yes, Miss Tessa!” we piped and left the room as well.

We went to our room and I turned on the lantern with some difficulty. Caroline gave me some hints, fortunately. Electric light was quite the innovation.

Nobody sat down, thus we crowded near the entrance.

“The day was horrible!” I stated.

Tilly nodded.

“I’m completely wiped!” added Milly.

“My butt kills me!” groaned Caroline.

After a few moments, the wall at the backside of our room opened! Miss Tessa stood in the doorway.

“Hello, it’s time for some training!”

We looked at each other and paled.

“Come.” she said and stepped back in a the lighted room beyond.

“Yes. Miss Tessa!” We followed her in what was her room.

The room was quite large with a few lockers at the wall an comfy looking large bed at the other wall. Miss Tessa walked a few steps along the wall and opened a well hidden door leading out of her room.

“This is a secret training area. Only people training here know about the rooms behind that door. You won’t tell anybody about this area!” The ring flashed again with all gems.

We went through the secret door and were in a large ten by five meters room. A bit to the left, in the center of the opposite wall was another door. To the left in the same wall the entrance was, there was a second door. There were a few benches and lockers in the room.

“In the lockers are clothes for training. Redress”

Miss Tessa went to one of the lockers and handed each of us a neatly folded stack of clothes.

Sighing we started to change our clothes. The training clothes were a pair of white long pants and a simple long sleeved white shirt and some black flat soft shoes.

“Follow me!”

Miss Tessa left through the other door in the same wall where the door to her bedroom was. We entered a hall, about 12 m by 30 m. There was a rim about 2m wide of stone slabs. The center of the hall was filled with sand. There was a second door in the same wall as the entrance was. We entered through a short wall. The hall stretched behind the kitchen.

“Let’s start with running on the stones for a while.”

“Faster!”

“Yes, Miss Tessa!”

We trotted around the hall one round after the other. Miss Tessa left and came back wearing a shirt and pants combination, just like ours, but in black.

My butt stung like hell. I grid my teeth and kept running. Slacking would certainly lead to more attention to my backside.

“Now 20 squats!”

“After the squats and everything else I tell you, start running again!”

“20 push up!”

“Caroline, 10 additional push-ups! Do them correctly. It’s not about wiggling your ass!”

“Yes, Miss Tessa!”

“20 sit-ups!”

“Now run as fast as you can as long as tell you to stop!”

“Now a little break.”

We were all panting heavily. Miss Tessa left the room for a few minutes an came back with a jug of water and five mugs. We drank, as we were all thirst.

“Now up again!”

Clumsily we got to our feet.

“Run the rounds in the sand now!”

Dry sand is nasty to run on. My legs felt like lead after a short time. First Caroline broke down, followed by Tilly, Milly and myself. I simply hadn’t the power to move my legs anymore.

While we were laying on the ground panting, Miss Tessa opened the other door and pulled out a simple rack which she secured with long poles through the base.

“End of break! Move your asses!”

“Yes, Miss Tessa!”

She stood by the rack. “Come here!”

We went over to her reeling.

“Pull-ups! We have to give your legs some rest.”

“Lilly. You’re first. Do as many as you can!”

“Yes, Miss Tessa!”

“One! Two! Three! Four! Five! Six! And out! Caroline pull her aside!”

“Yes, Miss Tessa!”

“Milly!”

“Yes! Miss Tessa!”

I don’t know how long she tortured us with various drills, interrupted by occasional breaks.

Eventually.

“That’s enough for today! Tomorrow we continue this! I expect progression!”

“Yes. Miss. Tessa.”

“Follow me.”

Reeling we followed Miss Tessa back to the room with the lockers. She went through the last door.

To left was a sizable pool. The floor was covered in tiles. To the right there we six bath tubs.

“Strip and put your clothes in the basin over there.”

While we removed our clothes Miss Tessa did something with the tubs. I heard the sound of streaming water and after a while wisps of steam came out of five of the tubs.

Miss Tessa stopped the water while picking us up one after the other and put us in the warm water.

Then Miss Tessa began to hand out soap and rugs. After that she entered the fifth tub and started cleaning herself. After she was done, she left the tub and started to wash us, too. I must admit, I didn’t do much washing, since I was too fatigued.

After we were all clean Miss Tessa picked me up, went to the pool and send me flying in the water.

“AAAAhhhh!” I squeaked.

The water was cold in relation to the tub! As I came back to the surface, Miss Tessa stood at pool edge laughing. The water was to deep for me to reach the ground, barely. While I swam to the nearest pool edge, Milly came flying into the water. She seemed to know how to swim, and came over to me. Tilly had no real problems. I think she didn’t swim often, back there.

Caroline couldn’t swim. Miss Tessa rescued her after jumping into the pool as well.

“Well done!” Miss Tessa praised us.

“We will keep training daily in the evening.”

I groaned and got a light pat on the back of my head.

“Caroline should learn swimming eventually. But not today. We have an hour for relaxing and after that it’s bedtime.”

We loitered in the pool for some time. I swam a bit and get a feeling for floating with this new body. It was a nice feeling floating in the pool after the last hours. My body felt like a bag of jelly, but I already started recovering a bit. I would find my way into bed alone.

Eventually we left the pool, dried off us with some towels.

We went back to our room just carrying our normal attire. After dressing for the night I fell asleep just after my head hit my pillow.

I slept on my stomach though. It wouldn’t be the last time for the time being.