Tjssjjs sisnei so is is did do did did sisnsjs bs jsj "You seem to be lost" he repeated seeing she had not given him any answers.

Of course he knew she was lost but it would not hurt to beat around the bush once in a while.

Fionna brought herself, out of fear of the man's nature and undoubtedly killing spirits, to look him in the eyes.

From what she knew, growing up that is, some people find it disrespectful when not looked upon while they direct their words towards you.

Disrespectful could likewise lead to a provoked and equally angered person...  She did not like the sound of any.

She spoke, not instantly, but after a while of brow furrowing gestures and pucked lips as though trying to conceal secrets from someone.

"Where exactly am I? What happened after I fainted?... Who are you?" She huffed out of tension. She had so many questions however, she was not to be discreet about them to anyone. Let alone this guy.

He searched for the simplest way to put things to her understanding since she seemed to be freaking out but as soon as he was about to, she questioned once more .

"And who do I take orders from?" The head maid could give orders, but she was not at the top of the food chain. If she ever was to leave this place, she had to know who was who.

At that moment, Fionna had just, without an aota of knowledge, broken the three so claimed rules of the old head maid lady.

Not to walk in his path... Not to look at him in the eyes, and... Not to speak with him.

" Kingdom of Astria... Jones "

Fionna could easily tell he was vague with his words. And avoided her second question.

"The head maid gives your orders" he had been half telling the truth when something caught his eyes ... Her hair. It appeared shorter. She had cut it.

" Your hair" he was not at all good with making small talks.

Fionna blinked... He had been walking away.

He obviously knew where she was to be heading giving that he told the head maid to have her add to the preparation of feast.

The kitchen, she recalled the question of utmost importance at this moment.

"How do I get to..." She stopped somewhere in between her words when she perceived for a surety that he had not been paying attention.

And even if he did, he was definitely not going to answer her.

Great, Fionna mumbles to herself as she continues walking a straight path.

She had not made contact with anyone. Male or female, other than him.

Just as she was about to give up and stand where she was till found by someone like she was some abandoned child, she heard clatters of utensils.

She quietly walked towards the closed doors and approached the metal doors.

Someone else had done as well.

Fionna instinctively moved backwards. They looked at each other for sometime but the young maid was the first to cut the gaze.

The girl looked pale in complexion and sad... Probably on the verge of tears.

"Excuse me" she apologized. Her voice spoke for her facial expression.

But Fionna had no intentions of asking her what happened or who made her feel this way.

She opened the metallic handled door to reveal faces which stared back at her.

There was a pure distinction between what everybody else in the room wore and what she wore.

She earlier thought of it as fine piece material only cause she sees herself as a slave.

Hers was more plain, a dirty blue and simple while theirs, the common black dress with a white peter pan collar. Exactly like those French maids.

None was above knee level and they each had a pair of black shoes.

She had not noticed this with the other girl she just recently crossed paths with.

A weird chuckle followed from out of her lips as she kept searching for the old head maid with her eyes.

"You're late!" she strictly scolded Fionna as soon as she was sighted.

It was all too surprising to Fionna cause, firstly, she was not given any directions and secondly, even if she was given any, she would still have gotten lost anyway.

She thought of apologizing even though she was not on the wrong. However, the apology was ignored.

"I'm sorry" even though it was more of a questioning apology

"Yeah, well, feel sorry for yourself" she fiercely placed the wooden stick she had been holding into Fionna's hand.

"Hope you know how to cook" she questioned with a mean stare.

As a princess, one is not obliged to be in the kitchen as the cooks prepared, but she was always intrigued with their every movement. Their way with the knife and the satisfaction she would always derive just from the aroma that would always wander about the castle.

As tempted as she was to say no, only to watch the head maid get angry, she told the truth, cause she was excited to actually put her skills to the test.

"I do... I have always been taught-"

"It is no time for chitchats a feast is going to be held this evening and we are a thousand dishes short"

That explains the rushing maids, Fionna thought

"and you are recommended to prepare a hundred dishes at the least"

Fionna also assumed her mind was playing games with her.

She was hungry and could eat a hundred dish as a notion. "Did you say prepare a hundred-"

"Are you also as deaf as you are bantering?"

What do you f*cking expect! Tis my first time here!!

"My maids shall prepare half of what you are to prepare. Just as each of their daily concern shall be minimised knowing you are available twenty four seven"

"No rest-"

"Twenty four seven" she repeated as she trotted off.

Fionna searched for an empty space and started dicing the ingredients set infront of her.

Her stomach grumbled as she fought back with raw tomatoes, onions and carrots. Even if the dish was done, there were too many eyes watching her.

She had lost track of time as she consecutively repeated the same procedures.

At last, she was stopped by the head maid who had brought a scroll along with her.

Fionna washed her hands and patted them dry using a cloth before taking the scroll that was being handed to her.

She asked no questions as she slowly opened it. As a way to avoid going back to work.

"Your duties, read them out loud so you do not give a meamsly excuse such as you never knew"

Fionna flickered at the congested set of words on the paper. It was presented in a way as though a single paper was what was left in their possession and had to manage with it.

"Thou shalt be present twenty four seven. Thou shalt major in any task which is not and has not been directed towards you by a soldier to a maid."

Are these commandments!?

She continued reading to the last. "Thou shalt not walk in the path blah blah blah" well what she wished she could say " talk to and look in the eyes of Arthur J. McNeill"

Fionna almost laughed out loud, the last one was being emphasized on a lot ... But what she did not know was, each and every duty on the list were to be taken seriously or rather, had punishments for disobedience.

"Since it is your first day and the feast is almost dawn, you may retire to your room." she had looked despisingly at Fionna before going her way.

Fionna's left eye twitched as she watched her leave. She later on cleaned up her space after finalizing her last dish.

She, at first had been keeping count, but stopped after her twenty something.

The dishes were immediately covered and taken out of the kitchen.

And Fionna all this while had not been giving an entitlement to a single cooked dish.

She sighed and she once more patted her hands dry with the resolve of not leaving the kitchen empty-handed.