Her boss happily let her work extra hours as they did indeed have an influx of customers for the day. The day time server was starting to get overwhelmed. She manned the bar, mostly just refilling beer glasses but she preferred it that way. She was separated from the customers with a wooden barrier and that meant she wouldn't have any unwanted fistfuls of her body parts touched that day. Something about being in a bar and drinking made all the men think that they didn't have any boundaries and could do whatever they wanted.

The crowds came and went and then the regular customers started to pour in and with them came rain; an angry rain that raged and shook the tavern with thunderous booms. They would be in for the night and now it seemed so would she. The owner was nice enough to let his servers stay in the back if needed, and it seemed she and Stacy would be sharing the tiny mat and threadbare blanket later. She wanted to get a note home to her parents but she knew that there would be no mail carriers at this hour. She knew they would wait up and she did not want them there all night worrying over her.

There were a handful of men left in the bar, which was all that ever showed up on nights like this, and Addison tried to make them feel as homey as she could. No one would be leaving anytime soon. All of the men were older and unmarried or windowed. Their children had grown and they would be going home to no one. She felt sorry for these men.

She and Stacy dished out the last of the stew for the night and filled their beer mugs one last time before they had all settled in. The owner had a fire going and Addison was happy for the warmth. They sat around the fire and she listened as the old men argued about the same topics over and over again. Stacy had pulled the ratty old mat out from the back to sit closer to the fire and together they huddled on it wrapped it the blanket.

All the men took their turns discussing different topics and soon it turned into a sort of story time. They talked of old memories and lives and lost loves and Addison was raptured in the stories, almost like a fairytale in their own ways.

Hubert Jones was a man older than time. He had gray wiry hair wrinkles so deep they made his eyes look permanently closed. Most people shied away from him, but he was harmless. He had remained silent listening, or maybe he wasn't, but the talking had started to die down when a violent thunderclap rattled the windows and he decided it was his turn.

"You want an old tale. I've got one." The patrons turned their attention to him, listening intently and giving him his time to talk. "There used to be a gardener once upon a time ago who worked right inside the castle walls." Everyone leaned in, eager to hear more of the castle. When humans were recruited to work inside the walls, most of them didn't return. All anyone knew of what went on inside were rumors and the small snippets they heard on the news. "It was his job to oversee everything on the grounds and the Queen of the time, she loved her flowers. She said that they made the castle smell better and made her feel more alive than she really was."

He took pauses between his sentences like he was trying to remember. "She sent him out one day saying there was a flower that grew many miles away in a deep valley and she wanted one. She trusted him and no one else to retrieve it for her. So he set out with a bag and strict instructions to bring back the flower or never return. And he had to return, the money he received was too good. It was all that was feeding his family."

He took another long pause and Addison wondered if he had fallen asleep as there was no way to tell without seeing his eyes. "Did he find it?" Stacy asked, just as raptured as everyone else. "Oh he found it alright." He answered. "But that wasn't all he found. The flower was stark white and smelled of warm sugar. The most beautiful plant he had ever seen. But to get to that valley, one must pass through a wooded forest with trees so tall they almost reached the sun and so wide you could live inside of the trunks."

Addison had seen pictures of things like this in old books. The man continued on, "He was passing through with the flower safe in a secure pouch in his pack. It was turning late and he was going to need to set up camp for the night but as he stopped, he started to hear strange noises. Noises like those of a dog; panting and growling and howling. Oh the howling." He wailed the last part. "The howling haunts that man to this very day."

Someone else spoke up from across the room, "I know you're not trying to get at that old legend of the wolf people." Everyone shook their heads in agreement as if to say he was crazy for suggesting it.

"Wolf people are not what I would describe them as. They walked on twos like people but that's about their only people like trait. Brown fur and yellowed eyes and snarling snouts were all the man could see chasing him as he ran for his life. He was on the edge of the forest and could see the lights of the castle in the distance and knew if he just kept running he could make it before morning. But one of them," he held up a finger that looked as if it had been cut shorter than the rest, "one of them caught him and took out his left eye. This one was different from the rest. It was the biggest and although it had brown fur, it had streaks of white. White the color of your hair there young lady." He had nodded towards Addison who perked up a little at the call out.

"What happened next?" asked the same man that questioned the legend.

"Next? I'm not sure. Some say he died in the woods and others say he made it to the queen. They say he delivered the flower and a message." Another pause for dramatic effect, "The alpha stands all in white. The key for us to unite. The rest of the story is lost to history. Lost with the gardener and the only person she told, the queen."

No one said anything for a solid minute. The only sounds were the crackling of the fire place and the rain as it slammed against the windows. Addison rolled over the words he had spoken. Key to unite? What could that mean?

Another man suddenly burst out laughing with a few others following suit. "Oh that's a load of horse shit but it was a damn good tall tale." The man stood and drug his chair he had been sitting in to prop against the corner. "I'm going to get some shut eye. I suggest you all do the same." He got himself comfortable and leaned back against the wall to sleep, pulling his hat down over his face.

The other men followed suit, some sitting and some just lying on the floor. The old man who told the story didn't move. Next to Addison, Stacy laid herself down and got comfortable to sleep. Addison wasn't quite ready. She looked to the old man who still hadn't moved a muscle.

"Do you believe your own story?" She asked curiously. He took a deep breath and leaned down to get a clearer vision of her.

"Of course. I was there." After he spoke he raised his eyebrows to show his one good right eye and one glassy left with a tiny slash going down the center. He leaned back without a word and Addison decided it was time for her to sleep as well.

She dreamt she was being chased by the three headed dog from the night before. She was aware that Chad was somewhere, but she could never find him. The giant green dragon swooped down from above and rescued her from the dog, taking her to his castle.

—-

Addison woke when the first rays of sunlight shone through the window and danced across her face. She rose to find that everyone else was still there and sleeping except for the old man who had told the story about the wolf people. He was gone. She woke Stacy who agreed to stay and clean up, claiming to need the extra cash, and left for her house.

Her parents must have worried all night. She wondered if they were able to get sleep, possibly realizing that it was too dangerous for her to try and walk home in a storm. She found they were indeed awake, but promised her they got enough rest. She went to get cleaned up and maybe go back to sleep, she didn't have to go into work that day. She would be able to help catch up on some chores around the house and would probably go and help clean around Chad's house as well.

When she emerged fresh from a shower she walked into the tiny kitchen to find her parents sitting at the small table with a man, a zombie man. It was unusual for a zombie to come down into the human zone unless they had urgent business and Addison couldn't think of any reason for one to have business with them. He was tall and wearing a suit with a bow tie. Addison suspected he could have been a janitor in another life.

"Addison, honey, come and have a seat." Her mother gestered her over and stood so Addison could sit in one of the three chairs. "This man has some news for you, for all of us I suppose." She slowly, cautiously, approached and took a seat across from the man. Her mother turned to boil some tea on the stove.

"Addison Davis, human, zone 9, aged 19, unmarried..." He was listing stats about her, but why? "..barmaid.."

"Whoa whoa." She cut him off, "I am not a barmaid."

"What would you call your occupation then?" He snapped a pen and poised it to cross out the word and update her file.

"Um, well I do work in a bar I guess. But I'm not really a maid, more like a person who serves drinks and food and cleans up the place.."

"Sooooo like a maid then." He said, staring her down.

"Fine yes. Like a maid." She sat back and crossed her arms huffing before asking. "Am I in trouble here? Did I do something wrong?"

"Oh no ma'am. I just needed to make sure I had the right human before I brought you back with me."

"Uh, back where?"

"To the castle."

"The castle?"

"Yes, the castle. You know that big building made of stone, looming in the background." He pointed out the window.

She glanced out the window next to their table which had a clear view of the top spikes of the castle and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I know which one. Why would I go with you to the castle? Like I asked, am in trouble?"

"Addison please be more polite, this man is offering you a nice position." Said Dale who was finally speaking up.

"What position?" She asked.

"You have been selected to come and live in the castle and serve the royal family. An honor most human live for."

Was it an honor….really? "Thank you for the consideration, but I'm fine here." She answered and stood to leave but the man stood as well blocking her path with his tall frame.

"Sorry but this isn't an option. You've been selected and you will be returning to the castle with me, promptly."

"Why would they choose me? There's nothing special about me."

The man shrugged, "Look kid, I'm given a file and I go out to get the human. I don't know why you were picked and frankly.. I don't care."

Addison turned to look at her parents to gage their reactions. Surely he wasn't serious. Her parents looked ... excited. If she went to the castle they would never see her again. She looked at her parents, one face to the other. "Mom, Dad, you're really ok with this?"

They turned to look at each other before turning back to her. "Honey this is a big deal. You must be hand selected to work in the castle and to work right with the royal family, that's a once in a lifetime opportunity."

"But I'll never get to see you again."

"Actually," interrupts the man, "there are a few select days a year that immediate family members are allowed inside the castle grounds to visit."

It seemed it was inevitable. "What about Chad? We were going to be married! Today!" She panicked. She wasn't necessarily upset over not getting married, but it did mean she would never see him again. He wasn't an immediate family member and he was sure to be heartbroken.

The man just shrugged, "I don't have all day. You can come now or you can have the king's guards escort you, either way you're going to be living at the castle."

It seemed like she didn't have a choice. If she refused to go that would only cause problems for her parents and that was the last thing she wanted. The man said she had five minutes to say her goodbyes and come down the waiting carriage ride to the castle. She grabbed the few dresses she owned scrawled out a quick note for Chad. She wouldn't see him again. They didn't have time to get married, so he couldn't come, and he wasn't family so he wouldn't be able to visit.

In the note she said she was sorry for not saying yes sooner. Maybe all of this could have been avoided. She told him that even though she loved him and would always hold him in a special place in her heart, she wanted him to move on. She wanted him to find a nice girl to marry and have kids with and she had only one request; that he take care of her parents. That he checks in on them every now and then and make sure they aren't doing without.

She gave her parents a hug and told them she would try to write them if they allowed her to. One last look around her home and she left with one small tear trailing down her face.

The carriage ride was uneventful. It wasn't one of the fancy carriages that the royal family rode in and it didn't even have windows. She had no way of knowing how close or far they were. Besides herself and the zombie man, one other person was in the carriage with her. It must have been someone else that was selected and they were picking them up on the same day.

The girl seemed to be very excited, bouncing her knees and looking around the inside of the cabin. She was dark skinned with long dark hair and had on the same type of clothing as Addison, a dress that had seen better days. Unlike Addison however, this girl seemed well fed. She was a little rounder in the face and the belly.

The girl bit her lip as she continued bouncing in her seat and Addison could tell she was dying to talk. Maybe she was just shy and needed some encouragement and there was no reason for Addison to be rude. She might need friends to help her get through the rest of this life in the castle.

"Hi there, I'm Addison." She said reaching out to shake the girls hand.

"Oh my goodness I'm Bree and I'm just so excited to be here." She squealed. "Where are you going to be working? Maybe we're going to the same part of the castle."

"I'm Addison and I'm not sure. With the royal family is what I'm told." Addison really didn't know what that meant and the man didn't offer a better explanation. He seemed to be trying very hard not to even acknowledge the girls in the carriage with him.

"Oh wow your so lucky. I'm in the kitchens working with the royal chefs. My parents own a meat pie shop in district 7 and I guess they heard we're the best around. I bet it's because when they were riding past they could smell our delicious meat pies for miles. I could see the looks on their faces. What does your family do, do you own a shop too?" That explained why she seemed well fed. Her parents made meat pies.

"Um no, I worked in a tavern. I'm not really sure why I was picked."

"I bet it's your hair. It's so pretty and unique. I bet the King took one look at you and fell right in love." She said with a dreamy look on her face. Addison doubted that. Bree continued rambling on and Addison felt a little bad for tuning her out but goodness could the girl talk. But that explained why she seemed well fed. Her parents made meat pies.

The man rattled his knuckles on the wall of the buggy and Addison felt like the carriage moved a little quicker. He must be getting annoyed with them. She could see a vein starting to bulge in his forehead.

She chatted with Bree or rather she let Bree chatter at her for the rest of the way. She talked a little bit not as much as Bree. She supposed they could be friends if their paths crossed. She wasn't sure what her job duties would be but she was sure Bree would be in the kitchens and she most likely wouldn't.

They arrived at the castle and Addison was stunned by its size. It didn't look nearly that big from where she lived but they did have to pass through several districts to get there.

Beautiful tall turrets rose from the corners and flags of black and green flew from them. The stone on the outside that made up the foundation and walls of the castle had vines with roses and other flowers growing across them and there were more windows than one could ever count.

Addison didn't have long to look around because the man who picked them up was directing people where to go and Addison was quickly whirled away from the carriage, the man and Bree. Bree was pulled in a different direction and had hollered "See you around!" as she was pulled off in a flurry.

Addison was being led by a couple of humans who seemed to be a few years older than she was into a small wooden door tucked away into the side of the castle. They each had a hold of one of her arms and were pulling her down a stone corridor that had no windows or doors aside from the one on the end that led outside. The other end of the hall led into a giant room that had multiple hallways leading off of it in different directions. Humans of all ages and colors were hurriedly going from way to another. Some walked with purpose while others were carefully carrying trays or pushing carts.

The two people who were pulling her stopped abruptly and turned to face her. "Ok," said the girl, "I'm Lacey," she said putting her hand on her chest, "and this is Tracey." She said gesturing to the guy next to her. "And this is about to be a lot of information at one time so pay attention." She said firmly. Addison nodded in acknowledgement.

"This is Central. All these hallways lead somewhere in the castle." She explained gesturing around with her hands. "There are little metal signs letting you know where they lead to. All of the castle servants use these corridors to get around the castle quickly. It's like a road of sorts that can help you meet the demands of your job quickly and efficiently. Any questions?"

She paused. Addison shook her head and was quickly pulled along down a different corridor. She couldn't read the words the metal sign had printed on it. But thankfully next to that was a tiny symbol of a crown. She could look at the symbols and hopefully be able to figure out where they lead.

She was pulled down a corridor that seemed to go to the other side of the castle. They went through another door with a crown symbol and up a flight of stairs before coming out in a grand hallway. Addison noticed the door they had went through seemed to melt back into the wall like it hadn't been there in the first place. Now how was she ever supposed to find it to get back into the tunnel like corridors?

The hallway was lined on one side with giant windows with cream curtains and a view of the gardens. They tugged her down to the end of the hallway and to a giant ornate wooden door with gold inlays. This was definitely a hallway the royal family would walk down and these were definitely doors they would go through.

"I'm sure you were told you are here to serve the royal family and you are. Every morning you will lay out princess Zoey's clothes and help her dress then you will accompany her to the dining room. There along with Tracey and me, you will serve the royal family. It's really easy, just do what we do and keep quiet and you should be fine." She turned like she was about to push the doors open but paused and turned back to Addison. "One more thing, do not ever repeat anything anyone tells you behind these doors. The family likes their privacy." She pushed the doors open and ushered Addison inside where she was to begin her new life in the castle.