THE sun had fallen by the time it was our turn.

We'd eaten a bread bun each from Daisy's basket. It felt impolite to ask for more, especially when they didn't have too many, so hunger gnawed at my stomach as we walked.

Slowly, the line diminished, and we finally reached the gates.

"I hope you get in," Daisy whispered, right before it was their turn.

"You as well," Maple said. We waved as they walked up to the guard.

"Don't shows any signs of nervousness," Terran murmured, almost too quiet to hear.

I swallowed, trying to hide my nerves. The closer I got, the more likely it seemed that we would caught, though we were disguised.

Daisy and Jonquil went in. The guard waited for a few minutes, looking at the castle, before turning and beckoning us.

Maple grabbed my hand as we strode towards him.

"More servants," he said, sighing.

"Yes, sir," Maple said, nodding.

"Your names," he said dryly. Maple told him, and he wrote on a piece of parchment. It was a wonder his hand wasn't swollen with all the writing he must've done.

He narrowed his eyes, looking at us carefully. Finally, he grunted. "Go in."

We gave him grateful nods before walking through the gates and into the main hall.

I sucked in a breath, struck at once with the familiarity. This was home. And hell.

We were led down another corridor, where several elves were waiting in front of closed doors.

"Wait here," the guard said, gesturing at a door.

Daisy and Jonquil were standing in front of the door beside us. Daisy gave us a small smile and waved.

The door in front of them opened, and Jonquil murmured something to her before going in.

I wiped my slick palms on my dress, my heart pounding faster. Then our door opened.

"I'll go first," Maple whispered. I watched as she walked through, the door shutting behind her.

"Do not worry," Terran said softly. I nodded, unable to form words. The door opened again — Maple didn't come out. "Go," Terran said. I swallowed and curled my fingers into fists as I walked through the door.

It was quite plain, with only a table and a chair. A guard stood at the door I'd come from, one from the door on the opposite end of the room.

Hopefully Maple had exited through that door.

A short, plump man sat behind the table, gesturing for me to sit.

I forced a smile as I sat down, the chair creaking terribly as I pulled it forward.

"Good evening, Miss — " He said, raising an eyebrow.

"Calla," I croaked.

"Miss Calla." He nodded. "You are here for work as a servant, no?"

"A maid, yes," I said, clearing my throat.

"I see," he said, "Well, Miss Calla, do you mind answering some questions?"

I shook my head.

He cleared his throat again, and began, "Why have you come to the palace for work?"

"My mother was caught in a rebel attack on the soldiers near our village — " I broke off, looking down, "We couldn't stand to stay there. We sold our house and came here."

"That girl who just came in, Miss Tulip, she is your sister, no?"

I nodded.

"If you would not mind moving his dirt here," he said, gesturing to a tiny pot on the desk, brown dirt packed in it.

I swallowed. "I'm not very powerful, sir."

"Not to worry — take your time," he said, leaning back.

I closed my eyes, feeling.

When I opened my eyes, some of the dirt had spilled out of the pot, onto the desk.

The man nodded. "Very well. Please, go out the back door. You will be led to your chambers," he said, gesturing behind him.

I nodded and stood, walking to the back. The guard opened the door, and I slipped through, letting out a breath as it shut behind me.

Maple was waiting beside the door, her face anxious. Her eyes widened when I walked through.

"Calla!" She exclaimed, drawing the attention of the guard beside her.

"Tulip," I said, forcing a smile.

"I'm so glad you got through," she said, subtly taking a few steps away from the guard, "Now we just have to wait for father."

I nodded, following her. The guard didn't so much as glance at her.

"Thank Nalvia they haven't realized out appearances don't change if we use the dirt," Maple whispered.

"Thank Nalvia," I exhaled, leaning against the wall.

If Ivy had found out...we would have been caught.

For some reason, our disguises wouldn't fade if we used the dirt or soil — the kind of magic Ivy was used to. If we did what the rebels had taught, we'd look like our original selves again.

Finally, Terran walked through, giving us a nod. "They have taken me as a soldier."

I glanced at Maple. If he was a soldier, only Aster would be with us in the castle. The soldiers stayed elsewhere. She pressed her lips together and turned to the soldier.

"We can go now," Maple said to him. He nodded and led us down more corridors.

We reached a shabbier part of the palace, and led us through hallways, finally stopping before a split corridor, one hall running to the left, one to the right.

"Those are the men's quarters," the guard said, pointing to the left. "And those are the women's," he said, gesturing to the right.

"Thank you," I said. He nodded at me and stepped back.

Terran turned to us. "I doubt we'll have much time to talk. So, three weeks — remember." We nodded. "Nalvia be with you," he said, and joined the soldier as they walked away.

Maple took my hand, "Come."

We walked down the corridor, down the stairs, finally stopping in front of a large hall.

I inhaled sharply, looking around. It was nothing more than a huge, empty room, where bed rolls and straw beds were laid on the ground, clustered near the fireplaces. Despite the burning fire, there was a definite cold draught in the room.

Women in uniforms chatted and laughed, sitting on the rolls.

It was little better than my dungeons.

"Why did you never tell me you lived like this?" I murmured.

"It didn't seem important, with everything you were going through," Maple said softly, looking at me.

I squeezed her hand. "I will change this, when we win. Proper sleeping arrangements — "

"I know, El," she said, before a woman walked up to us.

Her black hair was tied in a tight bun, pulling her skin at the edges. Her uniform was different slightly — black with a white apron, immaculate and sharp, unlike the brown dresses and white aprons of the other maids. Her face was wrinkled, but her eyes showed no sign of old age.

"New maids?" She asked.

Maple nodded.

She surveyed us carefully. "Well, we do need scullery maids. Go, talk to Sakura, there. She'll show you around." She pointed at one of the girls in a group.

"Thank you," I said. The woman grunted and walked away quickly.

Maple sighed as we walked to the girl. "A scullery maid is the worst position."

"What were you?" I asked, curious.

"Kitchen maid. Not that good, but better than scullery," she said, as we reached.

The group fell silent as we approached.

"Are you Sakura?" Maple asked one of them.

The girl nodded. She was delicately beautiful, with pale skin and dark hair tied in a perfect bun below her bonnet, her warm brown eyes reflecting the fire. "New maids?" She asked, smiling slightly as she stood up.

Maple nodded. "Scullery maids."

This incited a general groan from the group around us. "You poor things," one of them murmured.

Sakura grinned. "Well, not much we can do there. Did Mrs. Anise send you here?"

"Who?" I asked quickly, as Maple opened her mouth to answer. We weren't supposed to know who she was.

"Rubia Anise — she's the head, she keeps the castle. We all report to her," Sakura explained.

"Yes," I nodded.

"Alright — we'll put you to work tomorrow. You two, bring them bedrolls," Sakura said, looking at two of the girls. They rose and walked away.

"Well, Vanilla and Lotus are scullery maids as well, so they can show you around," Sakura said, gesturing to two others.

"I'm Lotus," one of them said. She was petite — dainty, with black hair curling prettily at the tips and bright pink eyes. "That's Vanilla," she said, gesturing to the other.

"Hello," Vanilla whispered, her dark eyes timid.

"I'm Tulip Wisteria, and this is my sister, Calla," Maple said.

"Well, we hope you'll make a worthy addition to the scullery maids," one of them said, grinning.

"We won't be scullery maids too long," Lotus said, grinning at the girl.

"I'm sure," Sakura said, sitting down again. Lotus huffed.

The other two girls came back with our bedrolls. We thanked them and spread them out, sitting down.

The girls started talking again, overlapping each other's sentences and including us in the conversation as well.

Eventually, Mrs. Anise came back in. Her voice cut through all the commotion as she ordered us to sleep.

The bedrolls rustled and scratched as everyone laid down. They offered no protection from the hard, stone floor, and the fire's heat didn't quite reach us.

But still, tiredness overtook me, and I dropped off to sleep.

So, they're in the palace! It's just occurred to me how much shorter this version is than the original — also because I have longer chapters. Do you know, this is about five pages on Word and threeish pages here XD Don't forget to:

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