Ok, hi! Idk if I am actually going to keep going on with this song fic after this, but w.e. I can start, right? I know this may be a bit weird, but I am thinking of not continuing my other stories. NO ONE REVIEWS, and I am not sure I like them. The only ones I like are the ones I am doing with INUcarott1, and those have been getting pretty difficult to do!
Anyway, onto a more brighter note, this is a songfic to the song Breakaway by Kelly Clarkson, and is about a girl named Cecile, or Ceci for short. (That's pronounced Sissy.)
So, I guess I will start it with a disclaimer: TAMORA PIERCE IS A GENIOUS. I own NOTHING except for Ceci and maybe the plot. Maybe.
Grew up in a small town.
And when the rain would fall down,
I'd just stare out my window.
"Cecile! Look at you, you are a mess! Go get cleaned up, before my Lady sees you like this!" I looked up from the window I had been staring out of to look at the headmistress of the maids, or as I call her, the Fat Ring Master. She leads all of us younger maids in the small palace of Pirate's Swoop with an iron fist. Her real name is Mistress Leah DiaCapra, but no one calls her that. Not even the kind Baron George Cooper of Pirate's Swoop, or his wife, Lady Knight Alanna of Pirate's Swoop, Olau, and Trebond.
"Yes Mistress, right away Mistress." I said with a monotone voice.
"Now Ceci, stop that! And cheer up, Veralidaine Salmalin is visiting with Sarralyn and Rikash tomorrow, and Lady Alanna is already here. You shall be kept on your toes, no doubt. Now go and get changed. And brush that hair! You look like you just crawled out of a dungeon, for Mithros's Sake!"
I bowed and left, my extremely long, red-blonde hair falling out the many clips I had thrown it in that morning. I ran up the spiraling staircase and into one of the many second-level floor rooms, which held 5 small beds, 3 dressers, and a large room with a tub and all sorts of things one would need. I walked to one of the dressers, the one I shared with the older maid Rea, and took out a clean shift and a long, crimson over throw. Placing them on, a also donned a light pair of leggings and my least-worn boots. I walked into the washing room where I took out all of the pins and brushed my straight hair, while looking into my light hazel eyes.
People say my eyes are more gold than hazel, but seriously they are not that special. They are no good to stare with, because they always look soft and modest, though my high arched cheekbones gave my face a feline look.
"Ceci? Where are you? I heard Mistress say you had gone to get cleaned up." Rea had come in, and I smiled as she entered the washing room.
"She caught me lookin' at the rain." I said, the slight lilt in my voice catching. Right then I was country raised and brought here about a year ago to work, after my parents had mysteriously vanished, but more on that later. I shrugged it off and added "Besides, she tol' me that Alanna is here, and Daine be on her way all ready with the lil' ones!"
"I know all that already, Ceci, and so would you if you had actually gone to breakfast for once!" Rea grabbed my hand with a disapproving look. "You are already pole-skinny, and George will have the Cook's head if you faint from hunger. You know how he thinks of us!"
There she had caught me. George always looked after the maids and commoners like we were Nobles, making sure all of us were fed and groomed proper.
"I'll tell him off, if it come to that. Which it won't." I retorted as Rea dragged me out of the room and into the kitchens, on the next floor down. She started cutting vegetables for the Noble's lunch as I prepared the Broth and spices.
"Course it won't, but still." Rea said with a dubious look in her eye. Suddenly a twinkle showed through, and she threw a piece of carrot at me.
"Don't waist food." The Cook said. "We won't be getting much more after this month, with all of the farmers storing it for the Big Freeze." I shuddered. As much as I loved the country and it's changing weather, I hated winter and Big Freezes. It meant ice and snow and days of shoveling both out of roads and way of Nobles.
"Sorry Cook." I said and threw the piece of carrot into the stew.
"Good girl. Now, I hear that Sarralyn is coming soon. Tell me it to be the truth!" Cook loved little Sarralyn, who for all of her five years was the best cook anyone had seen.
"Yup. And Rikash." I said. We all laughed as the picture of Rikash as we had last seen him popped into our heads. The little three year old had been trying to follow his mother into the woods to see some sort of animal, and had some how gotten himself stuck in a tree! Poor little thing had balled for hours before someone had found him, and then he had begged us for sweets to numb his shock.
"Poor thing. How big is he now?" Another cook, this time younger than Cook's 40 years of age, yet slightly older than my 13 looked over at us.
"He's 4 now, and his sister is nearly 6." Rea said as she dumped the last of the vegetables for the broth in. It was so calm in the kitchens, and the talk so fun, I nearly forgot that I was planned for punishment that afternoon. I glanced at one of the candles and saw that an hour had gone by since I had come to the kitchens.
"Mithros, I have to go." I said and climbed off of the stool I had been sitting on.
"Good luck." Rea said, and Cook and the young helper nodded.
"What did you do this time?" Cook asked.
"I was watchin' the rain." I said. "It be so peaceful in the stables, I couldn't help it." They all laughed and I took my leave, letting the door swing shut behind me as I raced to the staircase. Up three flights I went, took a left down a long hall, and entered a long passageway the led to only one door. The door. Her door. The Mistress was always hard on us when it came to slacking off, and though she never hit us, sometimes I wished she did.
Dreaming of what could be,
And if I'd end up happy,
I would pray…I would pray
"And to think the shame of what you did, what if Keladry of Mindelan was here? Or if Alanna had had walked in, or Baron George? I would be held responsible for your careless actions…" Mistress's voice went in and out of my head as I sat in front of her desk, pretending to listen to what she was saying to me. "And the dishonor, if a Noble were visiting and saw you slacking off…" I had heard this thousands of times, first she would start with the "your sooo bad," then move to the "what ifs," and finally the "don't do it again(s)." Finally, after an hour of torture, she allowed me to leave. By now lunch had come and gone, and I had had nothing to eat all day. I walked down the stairs, my boots clicking a rhythm out and I started to hum. It was a useless, petty hum that wouldn't even be counted as a song, if anyone cared enough to judge. Which they didn't.
When I got to the ground level, where people came in and out, maids passed me bearing trays to unaccountable rooms and flustered scholars swept passed, carrying scrolls to Noble's in meetings or those who were interested enough to read them.
I felt weird, like a puzzle piece being put into the wrong slot or something. I couldn't really name what I was feeling, but I just didn't belong here. All my friends, which included Cook, Rea, Alanna and George and their children, Daine and Numair and their children, and some other people I had met once, all seemed so-so- fit into there lives. I felt I wasn't, it was hard to explain. Though I had just gotten finished being yelled at for day dreaming and watching the rain, I sat on a lonely stool and looked out at the winter storm that was hitting big outside. It would probably be the last rainstorm, seeing as the temperatures were dropping and snow was sure to fall soon. I shivered and dreamt of what it would be like to live as a noble.
People would ask me what I wanted for breakfast, or lunch, or supper. No more shifts and over throws, but gowns and jewelry. No more hiding my secret…no more staying me…I was snapped out of my dream by a slap and a pinch. I looked into the eyes of Rea, who mouthed "sorry" but then cocked her head to the other side of the room. Alanna watched them, with something like a grin on her face. I smiled back, but then turned to Rea and said casually,
"Yeah, them windows do look a bit dusty." and started to wipe them with one of the many handkerchiefs I keep in my sleeves. "Thanks, Rea." I whispered.
"No problem. Just stop your silly dreaming. It is getting you no where fast, and Mistress is losing patience with you. I heard my self she wanted to slap you last week."
"She always says that, never does nothin' though. I ain't worryin' till she does." I replied, figuring the window was spotless enough. "Gotta go, Rea. Promised George I'd help him with the Grand Hall. He's a-gonna have a ball tomorrow, you wait and see!" I said happily.
"Of course there is going to be a ball." Rea said, and shoved me towards the door. "No go, before Mistress comes again." I ran to the other end of castle, where George was talking to a scribe, who was making plans for how the tables were going to be set up.
"Oh, Cecile, good good. I have a mission for you." George said, his eyes kind as he showed me the plans. "See, I want the Nobles and Hot Heads at the opposite side of the door, but that would be where the servants usually stand when they are waiting to be called upon. If ya could be so kind as to move the servants' chairs to the area 'round that door, I'll take care of the table." He said with the same lilt in his voice as Ceci had, though less of one.
"Course, Master." I said with a sly smile. No maids had to call George anything but George, but it was their little game.
"And once your done, the table where Joshua, my head of guards, is to be moved to the left, sort of where we had the Ambassador sitting when he came to visit." He added.
"Yes'm." I said, and got to work. Three hours later I sat in the washing room, awaiting my turn to use the tub. I had worked up a sweat, moving chairs and tables to make room is the great hall, but so had everyone else. Out of the five of us, I was third in line. When Amily hopped out, Rea hopped in. I was next, and often told Rea that.
"Hurry up, Rea. You take forever!" I said and squealed when she splashed me with warm, soapy water.
"I am out." Rea said, and I happily sunk into the tub. The warm water was soothing, and I soaked there for a moment before Lara, the girl who was to get in after me, poked me.
"Hurry now, don't want to take forever, do you?" She asked and we giggled. Another hour later, all but Sarah, who had been the last one in to the tub, were in bed sleeping. I lay awake, hearing Sarah brush her hair, and fix her glasses, and finally hop into her cot. Soon the only sounds were the four girls breathing, and my own pacing heart. 'This is it.' I thought.
Slowly, trying not to wake anyone, I got out of bed and into the only dress I owned. Walking into the wash room, I looked at my appearance and snorted. The dress was blue, which didn't look good with my red-blonde hair. I closed my eyes and set to work fixing that. When I opened them, my hair was pure blonde, and my cheeks held the rosy-red my hair had had moments before. I then changed my eyebrows form the gentle curve and semi-plump red that they had been before, to slim, blonde, extremely curved little ones. My eyes took on a more blue-ish hue, and my mouth softened and turned cherry red. There! Almost done, except…I looked at my body, which had not changed much in anyway from my childhood…if you get what I mean.
After going through some changes, I walked out looking like a thirteen year old Noble daughter, except that I had no proper shoes. Shrugging, I walked out of our room and down a couple halls, then up one floor to the ground floor. The doors had been shut against the rain, but I swiftly opened them and walked outside. A sentry looked at me oddly, and then walked to me.
"Hello dear. Do I know you?" He asked, a smile creeping on to his face.
"No, I don't believe you do. I am with the delegation that is coming tomorrow, but was sent ahead with some of the Mages that came today. I hope you don't mind, but I couldn't sleep, so I decided to take a walk…in the rain." I said in a sweet, high pitched voice. The lilt in it was gone, and my walk no longer was that of a country born.
"Why of course you may, though it seems a bit wet to be walking. May I ask your name?" I didn't hesitate in saying
"Renai."
"Renai of where?" He asked, walking just a bit closer.
"Renai of the Doi, and if you don't move I shall have to magic you." I teased, and he knew it wasn't true, anyone would. Instead of questioning further, he let me pass, and I walked calmly away from him. Out of the palace walls, the city was dark and quite, for no rapists or pick pockets lived in Pirate's Swoop. 'Which should be renamed to George's Swoop.' I though, for the only pirates who came here were the ones that tried to fight George, and hardly any did these days.
About an hour later I went back to the palace, making sure not to be seen by the same guard. It helped my disguise, especially because there was no Renai in any of the delegations coming in.
I soon was back in my cot, falling asleep listening to the rain hit the hard stone of the palace wall's.
Yay, end of chapter one! I'll try to keep all of the chapters at this length, I like it. Anyway, as I said before, Idk where this story will go, but I hope it will turn out good!
R & R A LOT. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!!!