A few hours later, the car veered off the highway and onto an old, paved two-lane road. It snaked through the dense trees, the moonlight unable to penetrate their canopy. The only source of light came from the headlights of the town car they were in. Autumn gazed out into the night, her heart heavy with the thought of the new life she was being forced into.
"We're here," Thomas murmured.
Autumn's eyes widened in shock as she looked ahead. Illuminated by lights in the darkness stood a massive palace. Its exterior was white with stone accents on the columns and various parts of the house. It had to be at least three stories, maybe even four. Ornate masonry designs framed the incredible number of windows, and Autumn couldn't help but think about how much she would hate to be the person responsible for cleaning them all.
Immaculately trimmed hedges and flowering bushes lined the base of the building, while a large garden boasted a maze of flowers and bushes in front, complete with a sizable fountain at its center. Autumn watched in awe as they drove past the front of the house, having never seen anything like it before.
The car pulled up to the side of the palace, stopping at a small alcove. "This is the servants' entrance," Thomas explained as he opened the car door. "You will only ever enter or leave the palace from here. NEVER use the front door."
Autumn scowled in response as she followed him out of the car and into a dark hallway. It was late, almost ten o'clock, and most of the servants were already in their rooms for the night, except for the head maid.
Thomas gestured toward Autumn. "This is Autumn. She's a new maid, the payment for High Mountain's treason." He turned to her and offered a small smile. "Welcome to the palace." With that, he walked away, leaving her alone with the woman.
"I am Mrs. Timmons, the head maid," the woman said, her eyes scrutinizing Autumn from head to toe. "Follow me," she huffed, turning around and walking down the hall.
They climbed three flights of stairs to the top floor. "This floor is the servants' quarters. Everyone who works in the palace, aside from the cooks, lives up here. You will bunk with Marie; she's about your age. Curfew is at ten unless you are instructed otherwise for work. I will not have you wandering around the palace at all hours."
They stopped in the middle of the hallway, and Mrs. Timmons turned to face Autumn. "This is your room. Since you were sold and obviously don't have any clothing with you, I will see about having your things sent from your old pack. Tonight, you may borrow clothes from Marie, and your uniform will be given to you tomorrow morning. We begin work at six, and being late is not an option. Goodnight."
Autumn offered a small smile. "Thank you. Goodnight."
For a moment, Mrs. Timmons's hardened expression softened. "You'll find that several of the servants in the palace are here because of a situation similar to yours. I'm sorry you had to leave your home. Let's make the best of it."
Autumn smiled, grateful for the kindness, before knocking on the door and entering. "Hello?"
"I'm concentrating! What?" a girl, who she assumed was Marie, snapped.
"I'm Autumn. Mrs. Timmons said I'm your new roommate."
The girl's face transformed into one of surprise. "Oh! I'm sorry!" She leaned over and offered a hand to shake. "I'm Marie. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too," Autumn replied.
Marie gestured to the bed across the room. "That bed is yours. Give me a minute, and I'll give you the lowdown on the palace."
Autumn smiled and sat on the bed, watching as Marie carefully glued what appeared to be a small box back together. Once she was finished, she placed the box gingerly on the table beside her bed.
"So, are you here by choice?" Marie asked, sitting down beside Autumn.
"No," Autumn frowned. "You?"
"I'm sorry to hear that," Marie said, her face filled with sympathy. "For me, it's a little of both."
Curiosity piqued, Autumn looked at her, and Marie continued. "My family was killed in a raid a few years ago. I didn't have anywhere else to go, so I got a job here."
"I see," Autumn replied. "I understand. My family is gone as well."
Marie smiled. "Well, let's get you something to sleep in, and tomorrow I'll see if I can have you work with me to get the lay of the land."
"Sounds good, thank you," Autumn whispered.
That night, she silently cried herself to sleep, feeling a whirlwind of emotions: anger at the pack for what they had done, sadness that she would be here for the rest of her life, and disappointment that she would probably never find a mate or a new home as planned.
Marie's alarm went off at five-thirty. Autumn stretched and wiped the sleep from her eyes before sitting up with a yawn.
"You get used to it," Marie said as she stood from her bed to get dressed. She pulled on her uniform just as Mrs. Timmons knocked on the door.
"Here is your uniform, Autumn. Change and meet me downstairs in the servants' hall where you came in last night."
"Yes, ma'am," she replied before shutting the door. Autumn changed into her uniform and walked downstairs with Marie.
"Mrs. Timmons," Marie spoke as they approached her. "I was wondering if I could be the one to show her around today. Make sure she knows what to do and where she's going."
Mrs. Timmons nodded. "That's fine." She turned to Autumn. "Tomorrow, I will give you your list of chores and duties."
"Yes, ma'am," she replied before following Marie down the hall and through a door to the main palace. Autumn looked around in awe as they entered. "This place is amazing…," she murmured.
Marie shrugged. "It's pretty nice. The magic wears off after you have to clean it every day."
Autumn nodded. "Makes sense."
They strolled across the marble floors, their shoes clicking as they crossed to the study.
"So, what do you do?" Autumn asked as they walked into the room.
"I'm in charge of cleaning the study and the library, and I'm the handmaid to the princess."
"The princess?" Autumn asked curiously.
"The king's younger sister, Lydia. She's the sweetest thing. That box you saw me fixing last night was hers. She dropped it, and I thought I would try to repair it."
"That's nice of you," Autumn said as they began straightening up the study and spot-cleaning around the room.
Next, they moved to the library. They dusted the vast shelves of books and put away the ones that had been used.
"This is nice," Marie said as they finished. "My chores went by much faster, having help!"
Autumn chuckled. "Glad to help. I wonder what my assignments will be."
Marie shrugged. "Not sure. She might assign you to my rotation until you get used to things. Or maybe you'll do the bedrooms?"
Autumn nodded. "Maybe."
They walked back through the house, and Marie showed her different rooms and where to go before the bell for the princess rang, and she had to go upstairs to get Lydia ready.
Autumn followed, and Marie walked her through the second floor. It was all the living quarters for the king and his family, along with an apartment for the beta.
They entered the princess's room, and they both bowed their heads. "Good morning, Miss Lydia," Marie said quietly.
"Good morning," she sang sweetly. Autumn looked at her. They seemed to be about the same age.
Lydia looked at Autumn curiously. "Who is this?"
"This is our new maid, Autumn," Marie replied, nudging her forward.
"Hello, Princess Lydia," Autumn said with a smile.
"You must be the girl from High Mountain I heard about," she said, smiling back. "Such a nasty business. I'm so sorry for your situation."
Autumn lowered her head. "Thank you."
Marie clapped her hands together. "All right, let's get you ready. Do you know how you'd like to wear your hair today?"
Lydia shook her head. "I don't care. Surprise me."
Marie got Lydia ready for the day, and they made their way back downstairs for breakfast.
"How was your first morning, Autumn?" Miss Timmons asked as they sat down at the table for breakfast.
"It was interesting. This is such a big place. I'm not sure I'll ever know where I'm going," Autumn replied.
She gave a tight smile before they all began eating.
At the end of breakfast, Marie introduced her to the three other maids before they all went out to clean up the royal family's breakfast.
Autumn strolled through the palace, wondering if she would even have the time to think about trying to escape this place. It might take some time, but someday, she would leave here.
