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aplacetosharemyfics · 5 months

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The Servant in the Corner: Chapter 11

“When my ship sank,” Alcie started.

Behind them, servants were dismantling the party, struggling against the wind. Alcie was leaning on the balustrade, her dress rippling around her, staring at the wild waves. The Queen stood beside her, oddly still.

“We were in the middle of the ocean.”

Her hand clenched, fingernails digging into the stone of the balustrade.

“It should have been impossible for any of us to survive.”

Her parents had been on that boat. She swallowed.

“But I did.”

A miracle they’d called it.

“That song …”

She swallowed.

“It was a mermaid.”

The Queen reached forward, covering Alcie’s hand with hers, smiling as it relaxed at her touch. She looked out at the sea where, somewhere on the turbulent waters, was Eric.

“So,” she said, absentmindedly. “I have mermaids to thank for …”

She trailed off, horrified as she realized what she’d been meaning to say.

“We should head inside,” she said, turning quickly.

Thankfully, Alcie didn’t notice how pink her cheeks were.

The wind battered at the shutters on the windows, trying to pry them open. Seated at her desk, the Queen stared at the spot where Alcie normally stood, massaging her head. The room was empty. The mermaid’s song seemed to hang in the air.

It was a slip of the tongue, she reassured herself. To suggest that her two precious people were saved by mermaids. Eric was her son, the heir to her throne, the boy she’d raised. Alcie was a servant whom she only realized existed three days ago. How could she even compare them? And yet.

Pushing back her chair, she started stubbornly pacing around the room. She shouldn’t be thinking about such menial things. Her son was somewhere in the ocean, battling the storm, chasing a mermaid. Surely that was much more important right now.

“Your Majesty?”

And, even after all she’d thought, her heart still leapt as she heard the door open. But, when she turned around, her smile dropped. The servant standing there was not Alcie.

“Can I help you?”

She raised an eyebrow. Though she couldn’t remember the name of this particular servant, she’d seen him before in the courtyard. From memory, he was energetic but overzealous.

He grinned.

“I’m going to be serving in your office from now on.”

The Queen’s time stopped. She stood perfectly straight and composed but inside was reeling. Only one servant worked in the Queen’s office. If this boy had been assigned – she felt nausea rising up her throat – that would mean she would no longer see Alcie.

The servant’s smile grew wider. His eyes betrayed an underlying greed.

Something wasn’t right. The Queen slowly drew an eye over him, suddenly calm. Sir Grimsby would never have assigned someone without at least informing her of the change. Also, they were weathering out a storm, meaning all low-ranking servants – as this boy appeared to be – were required to stay in their rooms. And, finally, this boy looked a little too smug.

“Who gave you this order?”

The boy’s smile faltered a little.

“It was Sir Grimsby.”

His eyes twitched.

“How odd. He would have informed me before sending a servant.”

She narrowed her eyes, watching as the colour rose to the boy’s cheeks. But he didn’t break yet.

“He sent me to inform you too, Your Majesty.”

He performed a quick bow, eyes flicking up to her face to check if she believed his blatant lie. The unconvinced look answered his question. He tried smiling. The Queen still continued to watch him with an unimpressed expression. The colour of his cheeks darkened. The Queen raised an eyebrow. The boy cracked.

“I’m far better than her!”

His face was bright red at this point, and the shout echoed off the stone walls.

“I should be the one serving by your side, not that pathetic wrench!”

In a manner, she’d been expecting such an outburst. But the venom in his voice surprised her. The Queen nervously took a step backwards.

“Whatever she’s doing,” the servant weaselled, “I can do it better.”

He lunged forward, aiming for the Queen’s hand, missing only because she managed to put the desk between them.

“You don’t need to be coy, Your Majesty.”

He smiled, slowly circling the desk. A shiver of disgust ran down the Queen’s spine as she recognized the lust in his eyes. It was quickly washed away by the horrifying realization that he believed … he thought her and Alcie … that Alcie was …

Wordlessly, she stepped backwards, pulling the cord to alert the guards. Within seconds, armoured personnel were filling the room, dragging the offending boy away from the Queen, checking all corners so no more harm could befall their leader.

“I believe he no longer wishes to work in the palace,” the Queen said.

Her voice was surprisingly stable, given how hard her heart was thumping. She didn’t want to explain further, just to never have to see him again. The guards could draw their own conclusions. As the servant was hauled away, kicking and screaming, she slowly sat down at her desk.

“Are you okay, Your Majesty?”

Sir Grimsby was standing beside her, discretely not looking. The room was empty again. The Queen swallowed. He wouldn’t question her actions. She let her shoulders drop.

“He …”

Sir Grimsby waited.

“He wanted to replace Alcie.”

Sir Grimsby nodded. He didn’t have all the details, but if it was against the Queen’s wishes, he would fight it with all his might. The insults the boy had spat across the room were beginning to make more sense now. His face paled as he recalled some of the more specific threats, and he glanced towards the Queen in worry.

“Wouldn’t Alcie have opposed this decision?”

Of course, she would. But that wasn’t what he was asking. The Queen slowly raised her head, meeting his eye. How was the boy so sure of himself?

“I’ll check her bedroom,” Sir Grimsby decided.

“I’m coming with you.”

It would have been faster to divide and conquer, rather than both heading to the same location. But, with a quick look at her face, Sir Grimsby kept his thoughts to himself. Instead, he quickly led them through the quiet corridors. The servant’s quarters were not an area the Queen often visited. But she didn't even glance at the unfamiliar surroundings.

"This is it."

Each servant was given their own room, even if that room was barely big enough to fit the bed inside. Behind the aged wooden door was Alcie's bedroom. The Queen paused. What if she was worried for nothing? What Alcie had already left?

In the end, Sir Grimsby stepped forward and opened the door. They stepped in, glancing around the quiet room until their eyes fell upon the bed.

"Alcie!"

The Queen rushed to crouch beside the bed, pushing aside her insecurities. Alcie was unconscious, ropes binding her wrists and ankles.

"I'll get Lashana."

Sir Grimsby quickly left, closing the door behind him to give the Queen privacy, as well as keep out any unwanted visitors.

Slowly, the Queen leant forwards. Alcie was lain on her side, her face to the wall. From the back, there were no obvious injuries. But, when Alcie's face came into view, the Queen gasped and stumbled backwards, biting back sobs. A large bruise was forming on her cheek, matching the shape of a fist. Was the second time Alcie had been hurt because of her? She couldn't bear to look any further. And yet she couldn't stay away. Blinking away tears, she focused on the ropes. The knots were surprisingly tight. Her attempts to unpick them with her manicured nails only resulted in the rope fraying. It was only the steady rise and fall of Alcie's back, a sign she was still alive, that kept her from breaking apart completely.

"Your Majesty."

Lashana paused in the doorway, any other politeness cut short as she spotted the girl tied up on the bed. Sir Grimsby had only told her that the Queen needed her - and that she should bring a knife. She hadn't been expecting anything like this. Pulling the large cooking knife from her belt she started at her job immediately. The thick rope cut quickly under her deft skills and sharp knife, falling away from Alcie to reveal harsh red marks. The Queen turned away.

As royalty, she had had to become accustomed to others being harmed to protect her. Guards would throw themselves into battle, place themselves between her and an attacker with little thought to their own personal safety. But Alcie wasn't a guard. She wasn't supposed to get hurt.

The Queen paused. Draped over the bed, lying under Alcie's limp legs, was the dress. Checking the others were still occupied, she drew it out, holding it up to the light. It was like a memory from the past, all those days ago when mermaids were mere stories and Alcie was a mere servant. The beautiful fabric had been stained with black ink, the splash pattern suggesting it had been thrown from close quarters. She swallowed. Had Alcie been being bullied behind her back?

"She's waking up."

The Queen whipped around, hovering in the background as Alcie stirred.

"What's going on?" Alcie muttered.

Her dazed eyes slowly took in her surroundings. This was her room, but the collection of people gathered was not normal. It wasn't until her eyes fell upon the Queen that she truly awoke, sitting up and attempting to bow.

"Your Majesty."

Lashana quickly pushed her back into the mattress. The Queen could wait. Firstly, she needed to check that the girl hadn't sustained a concussion from being forcibly rendered unconscious.

"Can you tell me your name?"

The questions were simple, and she watched the girl's reactions as she responded. Everything seemed to be fine. Which left the final question.

"What happened here?"

She turned to glare at the Queen as well. The most obvious answer to why a servant was found tied up and beaten would be that a security risk had occurred. But she hadn't seen a single soul in the corridors. Not even a guard standing outside the room.

It was Sir Grimsby who replied.

"Ethan decided he was better suited to be working directly with the Queen."

Lashana nodded. She knew about Ethan's visions of grandeur. But how the Queen and Alcie were carefully avoiding looking at each other suggested there was something more.

"So, he targeted someone low-ranking so the Queen wouldn't notice?"

The Queen's face immediately paled at her jab. Lashana smirked.

"That's not …" the Queen started. But she couldn't find the right words. "He thought …"

She wanted to explain the misunderstanding the boy had, and how she would have never allowed him to replace her. But not in public. Not like this.

"I wouldn't …"

Lashana sighed. She'd been hoping for a little information, not to see the Queen panicking over a servant.

"Your Majesty, if she's someone precious to you -"

She paused, allowing the Queen the opportunity to complain, to deny it, while desperately trying to avoid hurting Alcie's feelings.

"You should promote her to a higher position so something like this doesn't happen again."

There was a viciousness in her voice, not directed at the Queen or Alcie, but rather at the pathetic people who would even consider such a cowardly move. Along with that was the motherly glance towards Alcie that suggested she would never let anyone hurt her anymore.

The Queen noticed none of this, reeling from the shock of having her preconceptions swept aside. She'd been too lax, enjoying the fact that she could see Alcie every day, that she didn't even consider the fact that it would never be forever. If she did nothing, Alcie would eventually be assigned to a different job, or she would be attacked again if someone else saw her as the Queen's weak spot.

But then she had to consider Alcie's feelings. Did she want to live a life tied to the Queen, unable to pursue her own dreams? The Queen's orders were absolute. If she commanded it, Alcie would do anything she wanted. But - she was still holding the stained dress, and twisted it in her hands as she thought - all she really wanted was for Alcie to be happy.

"If you wanted," she started, stumbling over the words a little, her cheeks flushed. "You could become my companion."

She wasn't brave enough to look into Alcie's eyes.

"Or."

She swallowed.

"Or, you could move to a job in a different area of the palace - or even outside the palace - where you'd never have to worry about any of this again."

She'd rushed over the last part. The thought of Alcie choosing to leave made her chest constrict and she prayed it would never happen. Silence fell over the room. Sir Grimsby and Lashana were carefully not looking - giving the two the privacy they needed. Slowly, the Queen raised her gaze to Alcie's face. It wasn't angry or disgusted, as she'd feared. Rather she seemed to be considering. Which meant - the Queen could suddenly not breathe - she was thinking seriously about leaving all this behind. Tears pricked her eyes. Of leaving her behind.

"I can find you a job doing whatever you want," the Queen offered.

She had resolved herself. Wherever Alcie ended up, she would make sure she remained happy for the rest of her life. Her own happiness was no longer important. But Alcie looked at her, meeting the Queen's eyes, and smiled.

"I was already doing what I wanted."

The Queen blushed.

"Can I continue?"

Her eyes twinkled, a laugh at her lips as the realisation hit the Queen. Alcie wasn't leaving her. She wanted to stay here. Just as the Queen had chosen her, she had chosen the Queen.

That is where the story ends. As readers probably know, Ariel and Eric are still battling Ursula in the middle of the ocean, fighting for their freedom and for the greatness of their respective kingdoms. Presumably they will return in time.

Whether the Queen and her companion will go down in history, or they will disappear in a footnote in the books, depends on their actions and, in part, the imagination of the reader. Either way, they live out the rest of their days happily together.

#little mermaid #the servant in the corner #queen selina

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