Chapter 5
Azam popped his head into the living room. ‘She’s staying!’ Sonya heard him call.
‘Good!’ Kiri called back and Dania screeched in excitement.
Sonya smiled to herself, and Azam turned back to her. ‘Well, that’s settled,’ he said. He seemed relaxed now. ‘Unfortunately, I must get to work. They’ll be expecting me and I’m already running very, very late.’
‘Oh.’ She didn’t want him to go, and he must have sensed it. He gave her a soft smile.
‘I’ll be back by the evening,’ he said. ‘I’ll try and slip out early, if they let me.’
‘You work in Castletown, you said?’ she asked. ‘As a tailor?’
‘Mhm. I’m an apprentice. It’s the same tailor my mother used to work for before she opened up her own shop.’ He gestured to the closed door on Sonya’s left. ‘That used to be her shop.’
He sighed, then, a little sad. Before Sonya could think of something comforting to say, he shook his head. Then he dashed up the stairs, returning a few minutes later.
His hair was wet and combed, though already drying in waves, and he had changed into breeches. His shirt was properly tucked in and his waistcoat was buttoned up to his neck. He held a pair of boots and socks in his hands, which he sat down on the steps to put on.
She stood by the door, watching the way he moved. When he leaned forward, a lock of hair fell over his forehead, and she found herself strangely mesmerized by it.
He pulled the leather boots up, where they stopped just below his knees. They were streaked with dried mud.
‘Kiri will show you around while I’m gone,’ Azam said, standing.
She nibbled on her lower lip. ‘Okay.’
He walked past her, heading for the front door. Hand on the doorknob, he stopped, turning back to her. He gave her a kind smile. ‘You’ll be alright,’ he said. ‘You’re safe.’
With that he left, shutting the door behind him. Sonya let out a breath. She was safe, thanks to Azam. There was no need to worry.
Sonya returned to the living room, where Dania had finished eating her breakfast and was playing with a doll that was missing one of its button eyes and had what looked to be dried jam in her cut yarn hair.
Kiri was by the table, picking up the breakfast dishes.
‘I’ve got it,’ Sonya said, going over. She took the plates from Kiri’s hands. ‘That’s what I’m here for, after all.’
She wanted to be useful. Especially as she had spent her whole life being the opposite.
Kiri gave her a smile. ‘Thank you, darling,’ she said, taking a seat on the sofa by the fireplace. She poked at the logs, throwing another one in. ‘It’s good you’re here, actually. I am old, which is why the place is in such a state, and I have my hands full watching this one.’
She gestured at Dania, who was too young to be going to school.
‘I’m happy to be here,’ Sonya said, and she realized it was true. The idea was a bit funny to her, really. A princess hired to be a housekeeper.
But it was nice to have a purpose, to have something to do.
Tasks that she was entrusted with. At the castle, she wasn’t allowed to do anything, and while it was a luxury not to have to work, it was stunting.
She could stare at the sky and watch the sun move across the horizon, day after day, and still her life would remain unchanged. As if it had never really begun.
And now, it felt as if it finally had.
Dania set her doll down, then skipped past Sonya in the kitchen, throwing open a door that led to a garden. Dania ran out, then returned inside, heading straight for a basket of stuffed animals. She grabbed as many as she could carry and took them outside.
‘I’m going to have a tea party!’ Dania announced, words a little lisped. ‘Gramma, bring cups!’
Kiri stood. ‘Alright, little monkey.’
‘I’ll get to cleaning,’ Sonya said, placing the dishes in the sink.
‘Good luck,’ Kiri said, squeezing her shoulder as she came over. ‘I’ll keep Dania out of your way. The cleaning supplies are in the cupboard there.’ She pointed to a narrow door at the other end of the kitchen.
Kiri laid a tray with a few teacups and a tin of biscuits, then headed outside, closing the door behind her. Sonya nodded, rolling up her sleeves. It was a good thing the uniform was already dirty; she wouldn’t have to worry.
Alone in the cottage, she felt a little excited by the prospect of this undertaking. For once, she was in charge. There was no one telling her what to do; how to behave; what she was and wasn’t allowed. She could do as she pleased!
Sonya looked around, mapping out a plan in her mind of where to begin and how to proceed. She opened doors to acquaint herself with the area, finding the cupboard, another bathroom, a coat closet, and a storage closet.
She took out the cleaning supplies and got to work.
Sonya started at one end of the room, moving everything, even the furniture, sweeping and mopping and wiping and tidying as she went.
She gathered all the garbage together and decluttered the closets, which helped to make space for the extra things that were lying about everywhere.
She organized everything into baskets and closets, putting things in specific places.
She did the kitchen last, washing the dishes until they were sparkling, then rearranging all the kitchenware until things were set in a proper order, in a proper place.
Hours later, when she was done, the little cottage looked brand new. Everything was fresh and clean, scented by soap and lemons, shiny and polished.
Fatigue had caught up to her by then, and Sonya was quite sore as she poured herself a glass of water. She took it to the couch in front of the fire, sitting down to rest. After drinking her water, she closed her eyes, and a few minutes later, she heard the garden door open.
‘Oh my!’ Kiri exclaimed. Sonya opened her eyes and looked over to find Kiri’s jaw had dropped. ‘This is …’ She trailed off, in awe.
Sonya gave her a small smile. ‘I did alright, then?’
‘Darling, you did a fantastic job,’ Kiri said. Dania entered behind Kiri, and Kiri grabbed her off the floor, lifting her up. Her bare feet were covered in dirt. ‘Come, let’s get you clean before you make a mess of all of Sonya’s hard work.’
‘I not even dirty,’ Dania protested, but Kiri carried her up the stairs.
Despite being tired, Sonya got up off the sofa, heading for the garden door.
She took a basket of the clothes she had gathered, then washed them in a bucket.
She wished she could have washed her own dress, but she didn’t have another one to wear while it was washing and drying.
With a sigh, she set about washing the other things.
When she was finished, she hung them up on the clothesline, then sat back on a wicker chair, angling her face to the sky.
The sun was bright and warm, a balm on her cheeks.
It was a warmer spring day today, and the birds were chirping happily in the sky.
She glanced around. Where there were buds growing on the bare branches of trees, leaves and flowers would soon return, coming back to life after a long and cold winter.
Sonya took in a deep breath of fresh air, admiring it all. She did go for walks through the castle gardens, but even then it was always with an escort. She was never able to just stop and breathe, like she was now.
A little while later, Kiri came out and handed Sonya a bowl of sliced fruit and a plate that had a piece of bread and cheese.
‘You must be exhausted,’ Kiri said, sitting on the wicker chair beside her.
‘Yes, but in a good way,’ Sonya replied. Her arms were aching even as she popped an apple slice into her mouth. It was satisfying to know that she had done something with her time, that another day hadn’t simply passed her by.
‘Thank you for this,’ she said, taking a bite out of the bread. It was fresh and warm, the crust nice and crunchy while the inside was soft and fluffy. ‘This is divine.’
‘It’s the magic,’ Kiri replied with a wink.
‘You’re a kitchen-witch!’ Sonya exclaimed, realizing.
Kiri nodded, smiling.
‘That’s wonderful,’ Sonya said, hoping Kiri didn’t catch the wistful note in her tone. ‘What is it like?’
Kiri described it to her, and it was similar to what Arabella always told Sonya. Magic was a core part of a witch, as intuitive as breathing.
Sonya finished her light lunch, and when Kiri saw that Sonya was done, she stood.
‘I was going to the market to pick up some things for dinner,’ she said. ‘Are you too tired to come along?’
While Sonya was tired, the prospect of exploring was exciting. She got up immediately. ‘No, not at all!’
Kiri smiled. ‘Wonderful,’ she said, adjusting the shawl around her shoulders. Sonya followed her inside where Dania was sitting at the table, paper and coloring pencils spread out around her. Kiri collected the market baskets from where Sonya had stacked and put them away by the kitchen.
‘Our garden has some vegetables and herbs, but we get most of our groceries in town,’ Kiri explained, handing a basket to Sonya. ‘And, of course, we get meat straight from the butcher.’
Sonya nodded, looking around. The downstairs of the cottage was clean, and even Dania was sparkling. The little girl was hunched over her paper on the tabletop, drawing vigorously. With a smile, Sonya walked over to her.
‘What are you drawing?’ she asked.
‘No! Don’t look!’ Dania shouted, covering the paper with her arms.
‘Oh, I’m sorry,’ Sonya said, heart beating fast. Guilt spread through her as she moved away from Dania, back to where Kiri was standing by the door.
‘Don’t worry,’ Kiri said, seeing the aghast expression on Sonya’s face. ‘Children and their mood swings. It’s nothing personal.’ She turned to Dania. ‘Come, now, we’re going to the market.’
‘Wait!’ Dania cried, not looking up. Her coloring intensified. ‘I almost done!’
She quickly finished, then threw down the yellow coloring pencil, looking down at the paper. A slow smile spread across her face at the sight of her own handiwork.