Chapter 9

Two sharp knocks on Kellen and Nalani's door woke them up. The two women stretched and woke up lazily from their sleep. It was way too early for them to wake up. This was certainly something they have to get used to. As business owners they would wake up at six thirty since they close their businesses late but now they were employed and in the castle of all places, they had to wake up early like the rest of the servants.

They washed quickly and wore the uniform given to them yesterday. Blue dresses with a white apron. They both made sure to tie their hair in a ponytail before they left for breakfast. They found the rest settled and already eating. The dinning area was silent unlike last night. Some people were barely awake. They followed suit and ate their breakfast silently.

One by one people left to perform their chores. Kellen and Nalani were confused as to where the so called throne room was. The most friendly people they have met were no where to be seen. They decided it was safer to look for Mrs Smith, she would should them where it is.

They didn't have to wait long before Mrs Smith came looking for them.

" I see you have had breakfast, you will need all the energy" she said

" Where is the throne Mrs Smith?" Asked Kellen.

" I am here to take you there. If you could follow me" she instructed.

Nalani and Kellen followed Mrs Smith out of the dinning area, through the kitchen to the corridor. When they reached where the corridor branches to their living quarters they proceed ahead. As the walked further away from the kitchen the corridor became bigger and more beautiful. Flowers vases were placed on the sides while lanterns were still on since it was early morning.

The corridor joined with a much bigger one. This one was well lit, full of huge vases, paintings and an expensive looking red carpet that was endless.

" This is the main corridor in the castle, it connects the whole castle together. "

" Wow!" the two women exclaimed in wonder.

" To the far right, the corridor leads to the king's quarters, never go there, if you value your lives"she warned

" Yes Mrs Smith " they bow their heads in understanding.

They followed Mrs Smith who was going on the right towards the king's quarters but took another corridor, with a few doors. They walked straight until the end where they found golden doors. A new corridor joined the one they followed.

" This corridor is the one the king uses" she pointed at the corridor before them.

The castle was huge with so many corridors that the two friends wondered how often they will get lost. They tried to memorize their steps ,which turns they took and where. This was not the place to make mistakes.

" Behind the golden doors is the throne room. You will start cleaning it early as court days start at eight. Make sure you are done by then. Try to be as invisible as you can, getting spotted can cause problems. Remember you are here to work and survive, avoid making mistakes that will cost you your life"

" My life?" Gasped Kellen.

" The king does not tolerate mistakes, this is the easiest job I could find where you won't have to interact with the king. Remember, make sure to finish before seven thirty and you might be safe "

" Yes Mrs Smith "

She proceeded to open the heavy doors of the throne room. Despite their weight, no sound was produced. The two ladies followed her inside, dumbstruck by the elegance and riches in the room. A thick red carpet covered the path to the throne which was magnificent. The throne was set on a stage higher than the rest of the room. The throne was made of gold but the cushions were bright red.

On either side were statues of two knights in full armour and besides them two large vases of a beautiful purple flower. The king must love purple since it was the most dominant colour of flowers in the room. All around the room were paintings and large windows that lit the room perfectly. Beside the throne, not far from it was a glass that covered an expensive looking sword.

The pomel was decorated with a lion's head. The sword was engraved in words Nalani couldn't read but she could guess they have some sort of meaning to the king.  The room was splendid but large. Who would have thought the throne room would be this big. No wonder they were asked to clean it together. This was not a one person task.

" Now that you have seen where you will be working lets go get the stuff you'll use"

Yet again the two women followed Mrs Smith to a wash area not very far from the throne room, although it was well hidden. They carried the supplies they needed to clean the throne room.

" Time is not on your side, please go and clean quickly. It's already six am" instructed Mrs Smith.

The two carried everything they needed back to the throne room. The floors had white tiles, so it will probably take most of their time to clean them. The two divided the room into two and each worked on their side. Nalani got the side with the throne, thus she was able to look at it closely. Wow! the chair looked beautiful, certainly made for a king.

However not the current king. He didn't deserve that throne. He was a murderer in her eyes. She didn't mind meeting him as soon as possible but she also didn't want to put herself in position where she will loose her job. She had just started this job, she might not care for it but she needed the money. Like every adult, you backle up and make a living even if you hate it.

The two cleaned silently and in no time they were done. As they arranged things how they found them, Kellen dropped a vase. Not just any vase, a vase that was unique.

" Aah! What am I going to do?" She gasped

Nalani went to comfort her even though she didn't know what to do. How are they supposed to find a vase that looked exactly like that one.

" Shit!" Cursed Nalani

They were already in trouble and worse it was their first day. What will they do? Kellen started crying as she knew she would be punished. However Nalani felt bad since she was the one who dragged her here. Kellen didn't want to come to the castle from the start.

They straighted out the rest of the room and went looking for Mrs Smith. She was the only person who could help them. They found Mrs Smith supervising in the kitchen. Nalani quickly released Kellen's hand and rushed to Mrs Smith. She whispered what happened to her and Mrs Smith's eyes widened in shock.

No one has ever broken anything in the throne room before. How was she supposed to handle this? She wondered if there was a vase that looked like the broken one. She asked the girls to sit in the dining room and wait. She knew the appearance of the vase that was broken so she searched in another storage room where the vases were stored .

She searched for one that looked exactly the same but she couldn't find any. That vase was one of a kind, there were only two made for the former king and queen. Since the other one was in the queen's quarters which are locked ,she choose a vase that had a big resemblance to the one that was broken.

She carried it to the kitchen. She asked Nalani to go to the garden and cut flowers that looked the same as the ones in the destroyed vase. The garden could be seen from the king's chambers, so she asked Nalani to be careful. Nalani was shown  which path to take . Kellen was still distraught and was crying, Mrs Smith wondered how this girl would survive the castle.

Nalani followed Mrs Smith instructions until she found the entrance of the garden. She opened the gate as quietly as possible and walked inside. She wondered which flowers were on that vase.

'Was it red or white? ' she wondered

" The throne room had so many purple flowers so I will go with purple" she said to herself

She spotted some purple flowers and she cut the stem without hesitation. She didn't exactly remember to bring a knife due to the urgency of the situation but her hands will do. By the time she was done, the purple roses thorns had sliced in her hands and they were stained in blood. A little blood won't kill her.

She raced back to the kitchen, helped Mrs Smith arrange the flowers inside the vase and returned the new vase in the throne room. She was relieved that she wasn't caught. It was so close. She did a small dance of celebration. Although she felt victorious, she was not out of danger yet.

" What are you doing?"