Firstly, I want to thank you all for the incredible support of the first story in this anthology. It warmed my heart and motivated me greatly. Thank you all!
A bit of warning, this one-shot has a sad yet endearing plot to it as hurt and comfort are prevalent in this one-shot. When I set out to write this one, I wanted a direct contrast to the funny and romantic story that was Bloom Through Plushies. That's going to be the formula mostly, as I want to make sure each one-shot has its own identity, purpose, and tone. This one is going to be a two-part story as I ran wild with the initial concept and knew this one needed to be broken up. Oh, I'm already in story two and I'm bending the rules already.
I thought about making this its own story but with other projects, I couldn't devote too much time to making this a full-on multi-chapter story. Also, when writing this, I had this planned out to be a Coffee Leaf story and didn't want to deter from that goal. Please enjoy the story and let me know what you think!
Summary: An unfortunate turn of events befalls Enterprise during a practice session, and she must now take responsibility for her actions. However, she was not prepared for the crushing guilt that strips away all that makes her who she is, and she must now rise to a new calling to make right the wrong she did.
[The Head Maid's Maid Part 1]
In a secluded section surrounded by trees, a white-haired woman with a bow in her hands focus stared at a formation of dummy targets she had set up.
She was in an abandoned section of the Azur Lane Park that hardly any other shipgirl ventured. Mostly because of two reasons, it was out of the way from key locations like the shopping district and academy grounds, and it was rumored to be haunted.
Remembering Laffey and the Sakura destroyer named Shiranui talk about it in front of her had made her scoff at such humorful rumors. She didn't believe in the paranormal even though her fights involved foes like otherworldly Sirens that could manipulate reality and sow chaos. In her defense, the Sirens were a tangible threat that she had countlessly seen with her own eyes while ghosts forever remained in the realm of superstition.
Pulling herself out of her thoughts, she paused after she prepared her bow. In her firing stance, she reflexively yawned, and her aim deviated from her intended course. "Damn, have I been burning the candle on both ends?" Her eyes were less focused, and she expressed a tired gaze while looking at the dummies.
She brought her aim back on target and dispelled the sleep away from her eyes. These past few weeks had been nothing but mission after mission for her. She wasn't forced into them, but participated, knowing that her friends would be on those missions, and she wanted to make sure they would come back safely.
Call it what you might—acting as a guardian to her friends as she was one of the strongest in her ranks or maybe she lacked the belief that her friends were strong enough without her. In the end, she didn't want to lose anyone, that was her cut and dry reason for pushing herself, and she held that idea close to her heart.
Her vision grew blurry once again, which agitated her. A small voice in her head berated her for wanting to get some target practice in, considering that her shots had been less accurate recently. It didn't cross her mind that maybe sleep was what she needed more than practice.
Stubborn to the end, she pulled back her bowstring and that was when she heard rustling in the bushes next to her targets. "Huh?!" An eyebrow raised and her first thought was that it was a squirrel or some other wild animal. "Hmm, who else would be out here but me?" She no longer entertained the idea, and she was more than confident that her arrow wouldn't even hit the bushes.
"Aim. Aim. Just aim for the dummies…" She coached herself. She straightened her back and held a steady breath. Her attempt to stay awake was as useless as a truck driver going on three days without sleep while driving down a lonely highway night.
The sweet inviting presence of sleep's touch, slithered across her eyes, causing her aim to move more to the right while her head quickly bobbed downward. She made an annoyed startle and released her arrow before confirming where her aim had deviated.
What happened next, was a piercing howl of pain brought upon by a sound both human and feminine. She was wide awake now, dread and panic being her only two companions now.
Time advanced illogically, madly, and swift as the events that unfolded were too dramatic and rapid for her to properly process it all.
Through her dread and panic that scrambled her memories, she remembered the blood, the look of pain in her eyes, and the soul-crushing weight of what she did to her. To her…
She felt disconnected from the world, feeling like she was in a bubble as time washed over her like waves, hardly interfering with her as she was in her bubble of turmoil. All sound felt muffled yet a ringing that resonated from within felt deafening.
Eventually, she began to register her surroundings, realizing she was standing before three other women in a dark room with a spotlight above her. This room felt like she was in space and was designed to make her feel detached from the world. It was nothing short of an interrogation room, that's what her heart and mind told her. Her purple vacant eyes of hers finally refocused and the loud ringing began to die down.
"... Miss Enterprise! What do you have to say for yourself?!" An authoritative voice pierced through the corners of darkness around the spotlight, and a woman moved forward, looming above her as she seemed to be on some high platform.
Her sense of awareness fully returned, and she stared horrifyingly at Queen Elizabeth, the woman that was talking to her. Beside Her Majesty, Warspite, and Illustrious intently stared at the Eagle Union with silence and despondent expressions.
The Royal Navy ships waited for her response, yet she lowered her head with a noticeable frown on her face.
"Miss Enterprise, you do know that saying nothing will only implicate you further?" Illustrious tried to verbally reach her with a soothing and gentle tone that might have been more effective for a deaf person.
Enterprise shakily lifted her head, tears on her face along with blood on her cheek. That blood wasn't from her.
Warspite gritted her teeth, hating that the carrier hadn't bothered to clean herself from her crimes.
"I... I..." Enterprise looked out of it. One could tell as she had bags under her eyes that perfectly complemented the defeated gaze she held. Needing a ray of hope and salvation, her wishes were answered when the double doors that led out of the dark and imposing room opened.
"Hold this meeting!"
The three Royal ships and Enterprise stared at the newcomer that arrived. It was Vestal, looking determined and out of breath.
Queen Elizabeth leaned forward, hardly feeling angered that they were disturbed, considering it was Vestal herself. "Miss Vestal... what news do you have to bring?"
Enterprise silently waited for the news, feeling like a house of cards that would fall over any second depending on the news.
Vestal regained her breath and sternly released her words. "Miss Belfast is stable and the wound… though severe… was swiftly clean. Recovering from it will be possible. I urge you all, this was an accident from Enterprise!"
Warspite slammed a fist over something that sounded like wood. "Accident?! Miss Enterprise... were you or were you not using live arrows?"
"I was..." Grimly stated the Eagle Union carrier.
Queen Elizabeth made a sound of disgruntled worry. "Yes… arrows from your arsenal are quite destructive and you should have known better than to use them outside of seas combat."
"Yes, your Majesty. You get it all too well!" Said Warspite.
"Yes, you're right…" uttered the emotionally broken carrier, making Vestal gaze at her with worry and sadness that she was allowing them to form their conclusions without any solid input from the archer.
"Hmm, you're not going to defend yourself?" Urged the queen, looking sour and displeased.
The archer grunted softly, invoking a sense of soft cries under her breath. "Belfast… was hurt because of me. I take full responsibility. Nothing I say to defend myself will reduce the weight I have in my soul."
"Responsibility, huh?" Sorrowfully stated Illustrious, feeling sad and in some way, understanding the pain of the carrier.
Queen Elizabeth intently stared at the carrier; her hands intertwined while she pressed her mouth toward her joined hands. "So, I guess being thrown in Royal jail will suffice then?" She flatly stated in a dry tone.
Enterprise stared at the queen, yet she wasn't looking at her. Her mind went back to that moment her arrow flew.
(Flashback)
"Ahh!" It was too much. Everything that wasn't what she was seeing melted away, and the carrier urgently crouched down to the woman that had been crying like a banshee.
Tears and unparalleled shock graced her vision from the royal woman that stared at her with an emotionally shot face. "Belfast!"
The carrier inspected the arrow that was pierced inside the left shoulder of the head maid. It fluctuated like a controlled fire, maintaining the shape of an arrow while it glowed brightly. The royal light cruiser writhed in agony on the grass, her hair becoming undone and grass and blood staining her outfit.
Knowing she should focus on the injury, the carrier tried to numb herself and see past the shattering image that made her feel hollow. With a shaky breath, she immediately got to work mentally ordering the heat of her arrow to stop burning the maid and to maintain shape at all costs until she could pull it out and dismantle it properly.
The efforts bore fruit as the maid seemed to no longer feel the burn that accompanied the stabbing pain.
Despair washed over Enterprise as the notion that a few more inches to the left and a more ultimate and definitive despair would be her new reality. "W-Why were you here?!" Tears and anger poured equally, and the maid gazed at her with vacant eyes.
Belfast forced a broken smile while trying to maintain a brave face. "E-Enterprise... please don't cry..." Her pain won over and she suddenly fainted from the overall emotions of her combined pain, shock, and blood loss. The last thing she was aware of, was herself being effortlessly picked up by the carrier, feeling protected despite the obvious paradox to her statement.
(End flashback)
"No! You can't throw her in jail!" Cried Vestal with wide eyes.
Warspite expressed a disbelief laugh. "Why not? Belfast is Royal Navy and Enterprise broke Azur Lane protocol by using live arrows. I say that's enough reasons. Don't you agree, Lady Illustrious and your highness?"
The carrier frowned and continued her unwavering defenseless stance. "Vestal, you don't need to cover for me," she said with a monotone voice.
The medical ship gritted her teeth. "Will you shut up!? I get it that you feel soul-crushing guilt that you wounded Miss Belfast, we all see that! But… But—just admit that it was an accident! She would even say that it was if she wasn't unconscious right now! So, stop punishing yourself and take responsibility! Actually take responsibility!" She didn't mean to, but after exploding all her emotions, she slammed the palms of her hands toward Enterprise's chest which caused the carrier to stagger heavily back.
"I… I… responsibility… isn't that why I refuse to defend myself? I need to be punished…" The carrier's eyes were broken, and she seemed to already be half-gone.
Vestal sorrowfully sighed, disappointed in both Enterprise and her for allowing her anger to get the better of her. "You shouldn't hate yourself. You did an amazing job in keeping the arrow in its original
shape and not letting it explode while it was buried inside her shoulder. The mental strength of that is something to feel happy about, Enterprise. Because of you, I was able to remove it successfully to allow you to dismantle it properly."
Vestal's words seemed to have caused the three royal ships to silently pause and exchange hesitant looks between each other.
"It doesn't change anything, Vestal." Enterprise, like a zombie, slowly walked toward the queen who loomed over her like a warden. "Elizabeth..."
Warspite frowned and shot her a distasteful look. "Do you not have the manners to call her queen?"
Enterprise gazed at the angry battleship and then looked at the queen. "Last time I checked, she wasn't my queen," she said flatly.
Warspite grumbled under her breath while Illustrious silently sighed, finding no reason to try and win that argument.
There was annoyance expressed on the queen's face, however, she found it a breath of fresh air to have someone talk to her so honestly. "Settle down, Warspite. I don't enforce my titles upon allies and if she does say it, then I want it out of respect."
Enterprise made a face, understanding she wanted them to hate her for her punishment to be delivered swiftly. "I do not care what you do with me. I forfeit my life to your wishes and if jail is the only outcome, then so be it."
Queen Elizabeth frowned angrily at the carrier's complacency, and she was about to stand up when...
The carrier's lips quivered, and her shoulders shook rapidly, implying that she was crying under the hat that covered her face. "However, it can't be that simple. Jail would be... an inconvenience and not a true way to pay for my misdeeds."
Vestal, Illustrious, and Warspite tensed, sensing the grave undertones that the carrier expressed. If jail was too lenient, then what would she be referring to?
The queen, discarding the ramblings of a broken woman, moved a hand through her hair. "Yes... on that we agree. I merely suggested jail to see your reaction. I can tell that you care for Miss Belfast's future more than you do for yourself."
Her tears halted and she resonated greatly with that. "There's no doubt to that claim. She is... precious to me. It's because of her that I even have a future to call my own. I want to repay that back to her."
The queen glanced at Illustrious, who placed a hand on her chest, no doubt feeling heartwarmingly touched by that. She then looked to Warspite, who tried her hardest not to emit a soft gaze at how tender those words warmed her.
The queen focused her attention back on the carrier. "How... chummy." She had a better word for it yet held it on reserved.
Her two companions seemed to have formed an unspoken understanding, and soon, all three understood what page they all were on. The queen jumped down from up high and gracefully landed in front of Enterprise.
The height difference was gone, and Enterprise was the one that was looking down slightly to address the woman in front of her.
The queen victoriously grinned and pointed a finger at the carrier. "I'll have you know, Miss Enterprise. Death… is also an inconvenience, which admittedly, no one today suffered from it."
Enterprise paused and her mind ingrained the words that poured out of the queen's mouth. Her mouth finished moving and Enterprise only had one response to it. "Yes…"
While ecstatic, the queen did not like the lifeless look that still lingered in the carrier's eyes. "Starting today, you will be under my care and tutelage. I will show you a new strength, one that will shape you so that you may carry out your atonement. Is that all right?"
"Yes… nothing else matters now… your highness."
The queen could see that she meant it, yet coming from someone that had been pushed to the brink, could she truly enjoy it?
[Two Weeks Later]
A foggy city lay in the surrounding area of a lone flat apartment unit. While the gray and cloudy weather of the city promoted a gloomy tapestry to the surroundings of the lone flat on the second floor. It was inside that flat that the atmosphere was on a different level.
A woman inspected herself in the mirror, while her eyes stared at the woman reflecting back. The reflection she saw, was someone she no longer recognized, and it itched at the back of her mind.
She looked away and fixed her hair into a ponytail and donned a pair of red glasses that distorted the reflection that brought her discomfort. The woman she saw now, was still a stranger yet this stranger held the potential for a new start.
Sitting comfortably at the kitchen table, Queen Elizabeth sipped from her tea with closed eyes. "Hmm... trying to hide your identity?"
The woman next to the mirror stiffened and acknowledged the queen with a side glance. "There's nothing to hide. This is who I am."
The battleship blonde sighed and sat her cup on the table. "Is that so? Well, I'm sure that will come to resolve itself soon. Now, the real issue at hand. Do you still remember the promise you and I made?"
The woman didn't know it, but she smiled softly at what she visualized in her mind. "Of course. My mistress will be taken care of as it is my duty."
The queen playfully expressed a surprised face, with a hint of caution. "Your duty... you matured so fast and proper that it quite frankly scares me."
"Perish the thought, your Majesty. You were an excellent teacher, that is all. And besides, this is the purpose that my heart beats for. This is the moment that I devoted myself for... this moment?" She placed a hand on her forehead, feeling an itch of a memory that wanted to remind her as to why she wanted this.
"Hmm..." The Queen mouthed a name, yet it didn't register with the woman. She uttered it again and still, she refused to acknowledge it. "Is your hearing alright?"
The woman fully turned to face her and nodded. "It is, but that name... that's not my name."
The queen folded her arms like a child being told they were wrong. "Oh! Then what is your name?"
She paused and gazed at her reflection. She had become an ideal maid thanks to the help of the Royal Navy and the queen that stood before her, yet she didn't feel like a part of them. She never was a part of them. She knew this, and yet, her memory fogged up with only two words appearing before her like a landmark in the middle of a misty sea. The woman's head turned to the queen and mouthed a name that caused the royal to stare at her intently. What she said, was what her foggy mind had revealed to her; those two words.
The queen smiled with relief. "You know, I was expecting something more bombastic, but I like it. It dispels my worries and I now see that your true self is still there."
"What are you talking about?"
The queen opened one eye and smiled. "Oh, don't worry about it. Just please your mistress and try to find yourself again along the way. Now come on, the car is waiting for us."
"Hmm, you say the weirdest things, Queen Elizabeth."
(Sometime later)
At a different location within the foggy city, another flat lay waiting for the incoming weather that was looming from above.
The window of the bedroom to that flat was open, allowing fresh air to seep into the comfy bedroom. Outside didn't look particularly inviting as a rainstorm seemed to be brewing.
In this bedroom, the head maid lay comfortable under numerous bedsheets while two others graced her with company. She had a black sling on her left shoulder which was worth noting and was dressed in a midnight blue button-up nightdress. There was a look of weariness on her face that had many factors in play. The pain medicine that numbed her and made her feel jolly was one. Another was the heavy thoughts she had about a certain carrier.
"Ugh, this weather sure is dreary, and on the day you were discharged from the central sickbay of all other days." Wales, a blonde Royal Navy battleship proclaimed while sipping on her tea and gazing stoically at the gray outside world.
Belfast nodded silently while she listened to the calming melody of classical music emanating from a small radio near her bedside nightstand. "I don't mind. I like the color gray." She paused while reminiscing about a certain woman that she associated with that color positively. "Besides. Any view… no matter how gray, is better than no view. I'm happy to be out of that sterilized four-wall medical room with nothing to see but white."
Wales smiled empathetically, knowing how dull and soulless recovery there was. She had once been badly injured and had been forced to recuperate in that same place.
"Here, Bel, have some tea. It will surely speed up the recovery of your wound." The sister of the head maid, Edinburgh, lifted a cup toward her younger sister.
Belfast lightly smiled. "I hate to say this, but I don't think tea will help this time on what ails me. Only time is the true remedy."
Edinburgh frowned, knowing that her sister spoke the truth and her whimsical thoughts got the better of her.
Wales directed her eyes at the head maid and leaned on the wall with her attention toward Belfast. "Belfast... It's just the two of us. Will we finally get to know what happened to you? Not even the queen herself is aware of what injured you."
"That is true." An obvious lie for the head maid as only Vestal, Enterprise, Warspite, Illustrious, and Her Majesty knew what had truly happened. The element of secrecy had ultimately been on Enterprise's side as not many had crossed paths with her on the way to the medical wing. That's what Vestal had told her when she came too.
Wales could already tell the light cruiser was hiding something. "Hmm, I don't see why Her Majesty, Warspite, or even Illustrious would hide anything from me."
Edinburgh stiffened up and silently held her gaze toward her sister. Neither of them had been informed about what happened to the head maid to bring her into this injured state. However, there had been rumors yet none were verified and quite frankly, they didn't believe them, at least, not all the details to the rumors.
The head maid remained silent for a second, fiddling with the buttons on her nightdress before sternly guarding her expression. "It was nothing of importance."
The blonde didn't mean to laugh, but her upset tone was too great. "What gibberish. Your arm says a different story. It says that some angry goddess from the sky shot you with something similar to lightning. So, what was it? Some prototype rigging or was it from that Akashi techy woman from the Sakura Empire that happened to be visiting Vestal?"
Edinburgh connected her fingers shyly and summoned the courage to say what was on her mind. "C-Could it had anything to do with Miss Enterprise?" She said that because, like what Wales had said, her focus on Enterprise was another rumor they had heard.
Belfast lowered her eyes and her right hand trembled under the sheets. The report on her injury was public knowledge. It had been a foregone conclusion and they had lacked the time to deal with it when others started catching wind of the incident.
In the report, a sizable hole had forced itself through her shoulder with scorched burns around that said punctured hole. She had gone through a grueling surgery that had succeeded in replacing the lost portion of muscle and nerves in that area. It was nothing short of the miracles of modern medicine, and her Kansen biology that kept her out of the danger zone.
"Edinburgh, Miss Enterprise was the one that saved me. I owe her so much for her quick decision-making. She had nothing to do with my injury and was merely at the right time when I needed someone."
Wales walked over and sat on the bed with a worried and sad expression. "That still doesn't answer the question. Come on, why do you try to be so mysterious about this if you say it isn't nothing?"
Before the head maid could say anything else, they all grew startled when the bedroom door opened.
"Ah! Who are you?!" Her sister shot up and comedically did a fighting stance.
Wales raised from the bed, confusion, fear, and a serious gaze expressed. "How did you enter this apartment?! Who are you?!"
A woman, dressed in primary colors with white hair in the hairstyle of a ponytail stood before them. "I had a key to enter here. As to who am I? Only a lowly chambermaid and attendant."
This woman was dressed as a maid with a long blue dress underneath a red apron. She invoked the style of a kindergarten teacher and housekeeper, in the humble sense that her uniform was designed for her to freely be active while not worrying about feeling restricted. Perfect for cleaning and perfect for moving around.
Where her face was, her eyes were closed behind a pair of red glasses, and a red polka-dotted bandanna nestled above her hair.
Wales and Edinburgh looked puzzled while also getting a weird sense of DeJa'Vu.
Belfast was a different story. Once she heard that mature and monotone voice, she knew who this woman was before the mysterious woman had opened her eyes.
The self-proclaimed maid opened her eyes, revealing a sea of purple that incited hope and excitement inside the heart of the injured head maid.
The primary-colored maid gazed at all three of them, her face hardly changing from her calm and emotionless form. "Hmm, the queen hadn't told me that my mistress would have company." She took a step forward, and both Wales and Edinburgh suddenly felt their confidence leave them. "I'm afraid, you both need to leave and let her rest. It's going to rain heavily soon; I suggest you hurry home for the night."
The head maid stood in disbelief at what she was seeing. This woman was exactly who she thought yet she carried herself with an iron personality befitting of a maid. Her sister and Wales had put up a commendable fight yet were rounded up until they were being forced through the door in a prim and proper manner.
"Hold it! Who do you think you are?" Shouted Wales while trying to stay inside the room.
"I believe I introduced myself already. Please understand that my mistress will be in excellent care. You are free to visit tomorrow first thing in the morning!" Her voice grew faint as all three had moved to the exit door of the flat which was then followed by a slam.
Belfast subconsciously gripped her bedsheets and tensed, not knowing what was happening.
The woman entered the bedroom with a graceful nod and a warm smile on her face. "I'm sure once they get a hold of the queen, all of this will be sorted out. Please don't be afraid, mistress. I truly mean no harm and Her Majesty should really have informed you about me before our first introduction."
It was all going into one ear and out the other ear for the maid. She cared little about the reason she was here, and her mouth grew a happy smile. "Enterprise...!"
There was a pause from the woman, a series of subtle facial tells that faded just as quickly as they came as if wondering how to respond. She looked to process that name with a blank stare that ultimately manifested. She then placed a hand on her chest and spoke. "Hello, I do not know who this Enterprise is. My name is Madam Eagle Union sent by the queen to oversee your recovery for the next series of months."
"The Queen!?" Belfast was not having it and her eyes grew worried and stern. "I don't know what kind of joke this is, but it isn't funny. Enterprise... we have so much to talk about." Her final words oozed with a desperate plead that did not reach the eyes of the self-named, Madam Eagle Union.
"Mistress, you have the wrong impression of me."
Belfast started to get agitated. "This is bloody madness if what you say is true. You're a walking paradox! You call yourself Madam Eagle Union, yet you don't even know who Enterprise is, and you serve Her Majesty!?" She tried to get up. That was a grave mistake as her shoulder burned painfully and overshadowed the numbing effects of the pain medicine she was on. Feeling lightheaded, she dropped her head back on the pillow.
"Mistress!" The purple-eyed woman reached her and gently moved her until her head was resting on her lap while on the bed.
The head maid hazily gazed at the woman that proclaimed to be someone else entirely. Why was she doing this? And why did she truly sound and acted differently? "Enterprise, it wasn't your fault..." She spoke from her heart, the one thing she wanted the other to know before she fainted from the pain.
The lowly maid gazed at her with strained eyes, her words shattering something within or at the very least, damaging some form of mental barrier. With a shaky voice, she spoke. "Rest, Mistress."
Belfast could not deny the soothing words that eased her soul and mind. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.
Hours went by and she had slept through a harsh storm that blanketed the city. When it was morning, the sun greeted a new day. "Ngh..." She moaned in her sleep while feeling a burning pain in her shoulder.
Light footsteps moved across her bedroom floor, causing her to flutter her eyes open at the presence in the room. She was usually an early riser but due to the pain medication and injury, her body craved more sleep to further her healing.
The curtains separated and the blinding sun that shined through forced her to tiredly move her body into an upward position. "W-Who's there?" She could just make out the shadow outline of a woman that was bathed in the light coming from the window.
"Mistress... I hope you haven't forgotten me from last night."
The warm and soothing voice of the Eagle Union's strongest perked her ears. "Enterprise...? So, I wasn't dreaming..." Despite the lack of familiarity from last night, she remained happy to see the white-haired woman here in her homeland of the Royal Capital of all places.
The other woman stepped away from the blinding light and approached her mistress. Her features came to view, and she was still dressed in the color primary maid outfit composed of blue and red. "It was no dream, Mistress. Although our first introduction was a bit shaky, I'll admit. Let's just start over as friendly strangers. My name is Madam Eagle Union and I'll be your maid and caretaker for the foreseeable future." She made a graceful introduction pose with her head lowered and her blue dress lifted gracefully by her hands.
Belfast would be lying if deep within her fantasies, she never dreamt of Enterprise being a maid and tending to her... every need. However, not like this. She did not want this Madam Eagle Union to replace the woman she grew to know. "I don't want to start over. Enterprise, so you don't remember me?" Her voice quivered and sounded dire than shattered glass.
Madam Eagle Union looked conflicted, trying to remember her mistress from older times. "Should I?" She paused as if her memories reached an endpoint of fog. Her head started to ache from the lack of empty memories that should have been there. "I'm... I'm sorry... if we have then I apologize for not remembering."
Fear and despair clouded the head maid. Her initial response was to yell and tell her she was insane. However, with one glance into her sad and honest eyes, she could see that she was telling the truth, at least, the truth that she believed. With a heavy heart, she lied. "You look like someone I know... but you can't be her."
The devoted maid sighed, feeling elated that her mistress had resolved her confusion. "That tends to happen. They do say that you have a doppelganger somewhere in the world."
Belfast on impulse smelled something delicious in the air and she glanced around the room, seeing a tray of food on a dresser near the window.
The devoted maid adjusted her glasses and picked up the tray, walking to the bed. "Breakfast, Mistress."
"You made this?" Awe was not lost on her face.
"Yes, the full royal breakfast for you, Mistress. You have fried eggs, sausages, bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms, fried bread, and a slice of white pudding. I also have your cup of tea and buttered toast if you prefer that over the fried bread."
The light cruiser's face suddenly grew troubled and pained.
Madam Eagle Union tensed, and worry set in. "I'm sorry. I'm being presumptuous. Are you more of a porridge person?"
The light cruiser stretched out her right arm to halt the maid from taking the food. That was when their hands touched and the devoted maid's eyes wavered. "This is fine... please don't stress yourself," said Belfast.
Madam Eagle Union shakily nodded, remembering she had once held onto soft hands like those in the past yet did not know where she had. She watched, and her mistress picked up her fork to start eating.
The blue eyes of the light cruiser widened, and an eager determination showed in her bites. "This is delicious..."
"You humble me with your words, Mistress."
So many thoughts were circling Belfast's head. One of the most prevalent ones was what had happened in the short two weeks that turned the socially awkward, reclusive, and honest woman she knew into a prim and proper maid? The fact that she could cook up a Royal dish as if she was Royal Navy threw her into a whirlwind of confusion, and a part of her started to believe that this was someone else that shared Enterprise's appearance.
"Would you like me to read you the paper?" She said with a smile while giving her a studious look behind her glasses.
Belfast stared at her, while her fork was still in her mouth. "No, could you tell me a little bit about yourself? I think I have a right to know who my maid is." She needed to get to the bottom of this and if she needed to feign ignorance to reach the carrier, she had no problems with that.
The devoted maid looked hesitant while touching her red bandana on top of her head. "Forgive me. There's nothing to tell. I'm simply a maid assigned as your attendee." She spoke in a way that seemed to be her go-to response for anything that related to her foggy memories.
"By the queen... then tell me, what made you want to become a maid?" Said Belfast.
Madam Eagle Union searched her mind and plucked a warm feeling that did not feel ephemeral to the rest of her foggy memory. "I... my... you seemed to have cut deep within me, Mistress. Yes, I could never forget my reason for wanting to be a maid." Her statement sounded melancholy. "I wanted to be of use to someone... anyone. That's what my heart yearns for."
"Enterprise..." She softly whispered. Hearing the other woman say that hurt her chest. It was delivered with so much sad honesty that she couldn't help but couple the reason with the wound she inflicted on her.
After the meal was over, Belfast cleaned her mouth as Madam Eagle Union lifted the empty tray off her. "Cleaned the plate to the point of shining; thank you, Mistress."
Belfast made an upset sound and cleared her throat. "I must use the cloakroom," she said, waiting to see how the maid would respond.
The primary color-dressed maid paused for a second then smiled softly. "Would you need assistance to use the bathroom?"
The injured maid gasped, impressed that she knew what she had meant. "Heaven's no! That won't be necessary. Some advice, dear. A maid shouldn't overextend her hand out so much."
The devoted maid recoiled and took those words to heart. "I understand. I merely asked because of your shoulder."
"I'll manage." She shut the door on an unsure Madam Eagle Union. Going off to the sink, she silently cried.
That woman wasn't Enterprise anymore. Whatever had happened to her had changed her into the woman that waited for her on the other side. Anger and frustration began to seep into her, and she pulled out the phone that she had in her pocket. "I need to get to the bottom of this."
The phone rang for a few seconds until it was picked up.
Belfast's gaze focused when she heard the one she wanted to hear. "Your Majesty, forgive me for being blunt... but what is the meaning of this!" She shouted yet contained it to a whisper, trying to make sure she didn't arise suspicion from Madam Eagle Union.
"Hello to you, too, Belfast." She sounded groggy meaning she just woke up. "How's Enterprise fairing as the Head Maid's Maid?" She tried to suppress a giggle at how humorous that sounded but to no avail.
Belfast softly grunted. "So, that is Enterprise?" Relief and dread respectfully pulled from each side of her, and she gave off a haggard sigh that came out happier than anything else.
"Of course, but I take it that she introduced herself as Madam Eagle Union. Huh? Miss Bel, why do you seem so frazzled? Is she... behaving?" For the first time, she conveyed seriousness and worry.
"If you mean her hurriedly throwing out Wales and my sister when she entered my flat without even knocking then yes, she's behaving."
"That's great to hear," cheerfully said the queen.
A tensed nerve formed on the head maid's forehead. "That was sarcasm... your Majesty." Her contempt was oozing out of her, and she didn't regret the way she was speaking to Her Majesty.
"Yeah, I know. I guess that's why I had a miss call from Miss Wales last night. Well, a few… dozen would be more accurate," she shamelessly declared, and one could imagine her grinning like a prankster.
"Please, stop sounding so nonchalant about this!"
"Alright. I do owe you questions, and I apologize if I blindsided you with her."
"That's an understatement. I'm still upset with you and the Royal Navy that you hurriedly moved me out of the base before I could talk to her."
"I stand in what I did, Miss Belfast. The number she did on your shoulder was beyond what Azur Lane's medical units could provide, and you needed nothing lesser than the best treatment from our glorious Royal Capital's sickbay. That shoulder of yours wasn't going to get better by itself and time wasn't on our side, but it's alright if we reached an impasse on that."
True, they could be going back and forth all day, but the head maid had burning questions that surfaced. "Why is she acting like a maid? Why is she acting as if we have never met? What happened in the last two weeks? Please answer me!"
What followed, was a barrage of revealing truths that both haunted and crumbled the head maid. It had been twenty minutes later that she emerged from the bathroom after huddled on the floor with her knees close to her, not even caring about the grueling pain she felt in her shoulder. Her aching heart made sure to overshadow that pain.
The small flat she had been placed in to continue her recovery was nothing to write home about. It was small, low profile, and located in a part of the city that kept to itself. Her flat had her room, a guest room, one long hallway, and a living room that contained the kitchen to the right and a balcony to the left.
She reached the end of the hallway with soft steps, after being curious and surprised that Enterprise had left her room and had not waited for her.
What she saw, was the red-blue maid, washing the dishes with a dutiful hand.
Madam Eagle Union sensed a pair of eyes on her and faced her mistress with a smile. "Mistress, you were in there for a while. Did my food not sit well?" She asked with a frown.
Despite all that she heard from Her Majesty, she couldn't help but softly smile at the tactless and forward nature that Enterprise had a habit of doing. Even in this state, that quality still shined through. "It was scrumptious, Madam Eagle Union." She said it with defeat and self-loathing.
To the other woman, it was a wonderful victory that caused her to smile. "That's good to hear."
She was defeated for now, yet she was going to make sure she got through to the woman that meant everything to her.
A loud knock pulled both out of their long stare and the carrier maid grew stern against the disruptive sound.
"Belfast! Open the door!" It was Wales who no doubt had still not been able to reach Her Majesty, and no doubt still worried sick.
"I'll get that mistress. Please don't trouble yourself." Proclaimed the maid carrier very casually.
Feeling unease, the injured royal yelled. "No, wait!"
When the door opened, Madam Eagle Union was grabbed roughly by her red apron and slammed into the nearest wall.
"Oh, my goodness!" Cried the head maid. She had seen it all; a flash of silver hair with a red streak had advanced dangerously and pinned the woman against the wall.
The maid carrier grunted with one eye open behind her glasses at the visitor that had now become an intruder.
"You must have a lot of guts barging into a Royal Navy-owned apartment, and sickly pretending to be playing house with a Kansen."
Behind the silver-haired woman, Wales and Edinburgh entered with worried expressions on their faces.
"Belfast! Are you okay!?" Shouted Edinburgh and Wales at the same time.
Belfast ignored their concerns and forced her tired and hurting body forward. "Miss Eugen! On hand her this instance!" Her voice was shaky and worried.
"Huh? Have you gotten a case of Stockholm syndrome?!" Insultingly stated the Iron Blood heavy cruiser.
"No! That is Enterprise you are roughing up!"
Eugen's eyes widened and her gaze refocused once she saw past the glasses and colorful maid attire she had on. "Well... isn't the big eagle too far away from her nest?" She mockingly stated while releasing her into a tumbling mess on the floor.
Belfast carefully crouched down and tenderly rubbed the forehead of her maid, while coaching her to breathe. The details had been clearer with her now and it donned on her that the silver-haired woman had relocated her hands toward the carrier's throat after she had slammed her against the wall. The proof was on the red marks Enterprise had on her neck.
The royal light cruiser's gaze grew heated when she glared at the Iron Blood. "You didn't have to be so rough! Why are YOU here? You have no right to say what you said!"
Eugen staggered and glanced at Wales for support. "Khh, I was informed that you were in danger—why am I being labeled the villain? Ugh, so typical."
Wales stepped forward. "Belfast! If you're going to be mad at someone, be mad at me. I told her what happened last night since we were pushed out of the apartment by her. Eugen is on leave and is sightseeing under my supervision," said Wales with a blush.
The injured head maid could read between the lines, knowing that the Iron Blood was doing more than sightseeing with the blonde battleship. "W-Well, she's... here because of Her Majesty. She's my maid!" She didn't know why she was getting defensive with her allies and their bewildered looks worked to reduce her confidence.
"Her Majesty... were you able to get a hold of her!? I tried but she wouldn't answer! I'm going to pull her ear the next time I see her!" Declared Wales.
The red-blue maid coughed and tiredly cast her eyes at them. "All of this could have been avoided if Her Majesty only picked up the phone." She haggardly picked herself up from the floor with Belfast clinging to her.
"Are you alright... Madam Eagle Union?" She could see the raised eyebrows directed at her since they all now knew that the woman was Enterprise. Oddly enough, the carrier maid had seemed to ignore or perhaps repress the name that Belfast had been forced to pronounce earlier.
The primary-colored maid smiled kindly at her mistress, finding an odd warmth in her heart at the level of adoring care that oozed from her voice. "I am. Forgive me for bringing so much trouble to your doorstep."
Eugen rolled her eyes. "Please tell me she didn't swallow a book on maid etiquette. Or is she suddenly brainwashed to think she's Royal Navy?"
Sharp eyes with an itching to the back of her head caused her to frown at the heavy cruiser. "I'm not... Royal Navy. However, I am the student of Her Majesty."
"Queen Elizabeth!?" Proclaimed an utterly baffled Edinburgh.
Belfast placed a hand on Wales's shoulder and silently made a head gesture to follow her.
"Where are you both going?!" That question came out in stereo from Madam Eagle Union and Eugen.
Belfast, regardless of whether addressing Eugen or her maid, held a stern and determined face. "I need to have a chat with Miss Wales. I take it that's okay with you?" Her question was solely directed to her devoted maid.
"Y-Yes of course, Mistress," she said weakly and defeatedly.
"Ugh, I would be laughing if this wasn't so pathetic," muttered Eugen.
Belfast gave a glance to her sister to help keep the peace between those two before they returned. Once both were alone, that's when she told the blonde what Her Majesty had said.
(Flashback- The conversation)
"I'll come to the point; Miss Enterprise has suffered a mental reclusion." The words from Her Majesty echoed and taunted the light cruiser.
Belfast widened her eyes in horror and silently leaned on the wall to catch her breath. "W-What?"
"I feel what you feel, Miss Bel. I saw it in the beginning but didn't fully see it until a day later when I had her go through a full mental evaluation. The specialist told me that her sudden mental shift could be a cause of severe trauma or guilt that she couldn't properly bare through."
"It's because of her shooting me..." mournfully said the maid.
"Bingo. That woman sure knows how to take things to the heart and her guilt ate away at her so much, that she started to repress the reasons as to why she was feeling guilty. Sadly, it didn't help in keeping her as a functioning adult. She had forgotten, but so much of her sense of self packed up along with that guilt. She was practically a fresh piece of white paper just ready to be written on."
"Why didn't you admit her to a place to get help? Does the Eagle Union even know about this?!"
"No, as far as the Eagle Union is concerned, she's on leave and vacationing here under my supervision. As to why I didn't... are you crazy!? You take her to a place like that and all they will do is pump her full of medication and do some hypnotherapy to make her remember her guilt and her sense of self."
"That's..." A haunting image of Enterprise in a straitjacket while her vacant eyes stared at the four white walls of her room made her relate to her time in sickbay.
"You know it to be true. Besides, she and I had an agreement before all this. And as fate would allow it, she didn't forget that. Maybe she refused to forget that sliver of memory."
"Enterprise. What kind of agreement, your Majesty?"
"I asked her that she would be the one to take care of you on your road to recovery. She was distraught, broken, and looking for a way to be punished. I wouldn't have that so I offered her that chance on the condition that she would become a dutiful maid. I mean, I can't have her tend to someone without the knowledge, especially one who had a hard time managing her own life."
"Your Majesty... please don't insult her. She has become better than she used to be."
"Sorry, I got a bit carried away. Anyway, she proclaimed that while she did remember our agreement, she didn't remember who she needed to take care of. She knew that she wanted to be of use to someone and that was enough for her. She showed an impressive aptitude to pick up my lessons on maid etiquette exceedingly fast and even Illustrious had to get serious with her added lessons or else Enterprise would be teaching her a thing or two. I think it was because she had no personality anymore and was trying to lean in on the lessons to construct a new personality. You got to respect how adaptable the mind can be when it's missing something."
Belfast tightened her eyes, and her displeasure could be felt through the phone. "Elizabeth... I can't help but feel like you're a puppet master using her as a toy..."
The blonde battleship stood speechless, surprised at how dangerously serious the head maid sounded that she ended up calling her without any title. "I'm sorry if you feel that way, Miss Bel. Know that this was the only way—the only proper way. If she ever wants to return to who she was, she needs to confront her guilt... meaning you. The way I see it, you both need each other, one physically broken and the other emotionally broken."
Belfast staggered, feeling a compressed warmth in her heart at the way Her Majesty had worded it. "Why does it sound like you're playing matchmaker with my life?"
"It does? Well, it's okay if you see it that way," she giggled. "I have to leave. Oh, one more thing, try not to bombard her with harsh facts about her past. There seems to be some subconscious mental screening to what she processes through her brain, but who knows how high a threshold it has until it comes crashing down. We wouldn't want her to mentally shut down on us, Miss Belfast. I suggest calling her what she wants to be called and allowing her to take care of you. Umm, she hasn't done anything... abusive or something that might make you feel fearful of her? Because if that's the case, I'll send Warspite personally to your aid, Miss Bel."
She didn't need to be told about this. Her desperate attempts to tell the carrier who she was had been either ignored or systematically turned into a logical explanation that her mind could deal with. "N-No! She's... been very charming and proper."
"That's my student for you! Belfast, be there for her. Only you can bring her back."
(End conversation)
The two royal ships were in the bathroom and once Belfast had laid out all that Her Majesty had told her, Wales felt a mild headache ensue. She gently sat on the closed toilet and shook her head at the horrible despair that she heard. "She wounded you... and now she hides away in her mind so she wouldn't confront you?"
Belfast sighed. "Yes... I guess that's the best way to put it. Although, it feels silly as she's willing to serve me and call me... Mistress," she smiled bittersweetly, wishing that the circumstances were different to allow herself to feel joy, pride, and a bit of excitement from that. However, she would never relish it in this scenario.
"Belfast, this is serious. She's not in her right mind—"
The head maid grew defensive and gave the blonde a frown. "Do not call her crazy... she isn't..."
"I'm not... I'm not calling her that. I'm just worried about you and her."
"I'm worried, too. Yet I need to be there for her. This was all my fault, and if only I wasn't there when she was practicing... " She turned away, promising that she wouldn't speak about why she was there to anyone.
Wales didn't pry and crossed her arms. "Wrong place, wrong time as they say. Still, she was using live arrows. I'm surprised you're not even remotely mad at her for that."
The maid was evasive about that and merely continued with her thoughts. "I need to figure out how to ease her back into her old self. I can't lose her, especially not to her own self."
The level of declaration cut deep for the blonde, and she could see a sad gaze that reflected a love that was hard to mistake. "Belfast... are you... are you and her...?"
The maid cried softly, a tear falling from a dreamy reality she harbored in her heart. "No... and if she stays like this, that can never be..."
Wales took a step back, seeing the true depts of what the Eagle Union carrier meant to the light cruiser. "Oh my god. I... "
Belfast raised her mental shield and donned a smile without pain. "It's alright. Please, do not pity me as if I already lost."
Wales nodded, knowing she had no words to make the situation better. All she could do was be there for the head maid. With all that needed to be said already concluded, the two stepped out.
Back in the living room, Eugen and Edinburgh were waiting patiently at the table while Madam Eagle Union had put on a kettle on the stove.
Eugen stood baffled at the one she once saw as the Grey Ghost now acting as a housewife before her eyes.
The royal light cruiser, however, had stars in her eyes as she had got up and lasered into what the woman had been doing. "What are you making?" She noticed that the Eagle Union woman had been mixing a fine batter inside a mixing bowl while the tea kettle silently heated.
"Tea, Miss Edinburgh. With some crumpets that Miss Illustrious had shown me how to make when she refused to end one of her lessons early."
The sister of her mistress comedically yelled with high energy. "Miss Illustrious's coveted crumpets!? This I gotta see."
Wales and Belfast returned, making Eugen stand up from the table.
All of them had stayed at the apartment all day, keeping Belfast company and along the way, Edinburgh and Eugen were informed about what was truly going on.
That night when the others had left, the mistress and her maid were alone. The light cruiser took a deep breath and summoned the determination to set in motion a plan that Eugen had so brazenly suggested.
Belfast had been against it, but after mulling it over, it deeply aligned with her needs that also ran in tangent with desperately wanting to bring back the woman that meant so much to her. "Madam Eagle Union..."
"Yes, Mistress?" She had returned from taking out the trash that had inhospitably accumulated via all the people that had been there. She stood proper in front of her mistress and awaited her words.
Belfast sat on the couch and looked at her with a stoic face and with a hint of hesitation in her eyes. "Before going to bed, I would like to take a bath. As you can see, it's been difficult for me and the nurses were providing me with sponge baths." She lowered her eyes to her sling, which also caught the pony-tailed carrier to notice.
"That's nothing to feel ashamed of, Mistress."
"Hmm, it's not a pleasant experience. I feel dirty nonetheless and I would like it if you helped me to clean myself properly," she finished while holding a blush back.
Madam Eagle Union's purple eyes widened with focus, and she stiffened slightly. "M-Mistress, what about what you said earlier? About how a maid shouldn't overextend her hand."
Belfast remained unmovable in her conviction. "I'm asking you this time. If you're not up to the task, then I'll have to do it myself. I am not spending another night feeling dirty." She forced herself up from the couch, light moans of pain resonating from her throat that made the maid carrier's mouth dry.
"Wait! I'll do it, Mistress. Forgive me if my commitment was faltering," she bowed in respect and for forgiveness.
The injured maid let out a secret sigh of relief. "Do not apologize... all you do is apologize now," she silently and despondently stated the last part.
Before the bath phase, Belfast sat down on the bed in her room, and the maid carrier stacked two pillows under her injured left arm. The pillows helped to keep her arm from moving while Madam Eagle Union removed the sling attached to her mistress ever so carefully.
Belfast made a few soft grunts, no doubt enduring the waves of pain whenever her shoulder would slightly move. The only counter that calmed her, was the affectionate rubbing motions that her maid would do against her back, making her feel protected.
The next phase was the clothes and the one that needed greater mental fortitude from both. Up to this point, Belfast had continued to use the button-up nightdress for easy removal, and it went smoothly up until her shirt fully came off.
The red-blue maid swallowed hardly. Two things assaulted her eyes, the large heavy gauzes that dominated the shoulder of her mistress were hard to ignore and were one of two.
Belfast, remaining stoic, spoke up. "You don't have to change my gauzes. They did it before I left, and someone will be here first thing tomorrow with the supplies and instructions for home cleaning."
Relief poured out of the maid carrier, and she silently smiled. "I see. Still. We should put some form of protection on it, so it doesn't get wet…" Her words ended quietly, and her focus vanished. She harbored fear and concern that kept her mind in a fixed headspace, yet that wasn't enough when the second thing had assaulted her eyes. This next one became her forefront in every sense of the word.
Her words were a far-off memory when she got a clear view of her mistress's bountiful chest.
Internally, she questioned why her mistress didn't have a bra, then she immediately berated herself for thinking it. Her mistress was perfect, and a bra was unneeded.
Belfast's stoic front started to crumble when her face grew shy and red at the woman before her gazing at all her glory. Another fantasy of hers had always been to find a way to convince Enterprise to partake in a hot spring bath with her. She was beyond curious to see if she could get a favorable response out of the carrier while being alone and vulnerable between each other. The fantasy that she could get the carrier in a situation where Enterprise could look at her—truly, look at her, was one of her deep seeded ones. "A... plastic bag with some tape might work..." she said softly.
That did the trick in kicking the maid carrier's less-than-professional thoughts out. "T-That's a fantastic idea." She got to work on covering the gauzes with pieces of a random bag and then fitted the recommended shower sling found in Belfast's belongings when she returned from the central sickbay.
The light cruiser, exposed from the head to her navel with only a shower sling got up from the bed. The only article of clothing she had on was her black comfy home pants
"Here, Mistress." The red-blue maid covered her with a towel and smiled at her.
A soft and happy sound of content resonated from Belfast's throat. "Such a gentleman," declared the injured royal with light sarcasm, leaving the maid carrier with a small smile.
There was obvious tension in the bathroom as the hot water was filling up the tub.
Madam Eagle Union continued to act as if she was second-guessing every action she did, expecting her mistress to point something out. "The... tub is ready."
The devoted maid widened her eyes, gazing at her mistress undoing her braids and letting all her hair freely down.
Belfast remained stoic and faced her body toward Madam Eagle Union. "Help me remove my pants, dear."
A Maid's duty was never done, and the devoted maid found how real that statement was.
The tub awaited Belfast with sparkly rainbow bubbles that helped ebb the reasons for the burning hot face they both equally felt.
The light cruiser grew startled when gentle fingers fiddled with her long hair until they formed it into a messy bun on top of her head.
"I'll wash your hair last but right now it's best to get every inch of your body cleaned, Mistress."
Belfast remained silent and nodded, enjoying the kind and loving care she was receiving. If only they could have experienced these events differently.
"Mistress... you have very wonderful and delicate skin."
The injured royal turned her head upward to see the focused purple eyes behind those glasses she donned. "You're very bold to speak so freely when you're washing me from head to toe and have me so vulnerable." She teased and the carrier tensed from the statement.
"S-Sorry. That came out weird." She backpedaled on her thoughts while silently and dutifully focused on lathering her mistress's body.
Belfast smiled happily and closed her eyes while leaning into the woman's touch. "It's alright... thank you. It's rather refreshing after feeling gross and inelegantly during my time in sickbay."
"Was that place truly horrible?"
"Let's just say that they are serious about health and nothing else. Human comfort or convenience be damned."
The carrier frowned. "I'm sorry... If I was there when your injury happened, I would shield you without hesitation, Mistress."
The irony was strong, yet she found comfort and strength from what she heard. "Yes... you would." Without thought, she held onto the woman's hand tightly, rubbing it tenderly with soft eyes. She found a lack of will to keep going with this act and a part of her wanted to grab the Eagle Union maid and shake her until her memories returned. But it couldn't be that simple. She didn't want a reality where Enterprise was mentally shot from being forced to remember her trauma crudely.
"Mistress... I need my hand to clean you." She said with amusement yet there was a shaky tone in her voice.
Belfast reacted and let go. "Sorry. You mentioned wonderful and delicate while you, yourself, have an equal amount of beauty."
She blushed and coughed. "You jest, Mistress. There's nothing special about me."
Belfast laughed breathily. "Hmm, I once knew someone who thought of herself as anything except a woman. She was unrefined, socially awkward, and very self-deprecating. You might say she was my antithesis." She heard the carrier chuckle lightly at the compelling storytelling she was hearing, unaware of how close to home it should have hit her.
"I can already see you both didn't get along."
"Oh, we got along alright. It was a bit shaky in the beginning, but she became a good friend."
A serious tone then manifested in the red-blue maid's voice. "What became of her? Forgive me if I'm prying, but you speak about her in the past tense."
"She's somewhere far away right now..." She said while gazing into the eyes of the carrier, seeing nothing but the unreachable far away ocean of purple.
"I'm sorry," spoke Madam Eagle Union somberly.
"Yeah..." she bitterly smiled at the strength of those two words that ironically taunted her.
Once the bath was over, Belfast felt so refreshed and dainty all over. Without pause, the carrier maid dried her off and provided towels to cover herself. She then helped her with her undergarments while providing her with black shorts.
The light cruiser then unexpectedly got hoisted up bridal style. Surprise was too small of a word when inspecting the widened eyes of the light cruiser. "My goodness..." She instinctively hooked her good arm around the neck of her maid.
"No need to walk, Mistress. You are light as a pillow," she jubilantly stated.
Belfast grew different shades of red and playfully smiled. "Where do you pack all that muscle?"
Once they were back in the bedroom, Madam Eagle Union retrieved the pillows and proceeded in getting to work. The confidence she exuded while she removed the bath sling carefully did not go unnoticed by Belfast.
A fresh blue nightdress buttoned around her chest, along with her regular black sling that was reapplied to her arm. Belfast was amazed at how quickly the maid picked up the process that they had done earlier on. "My goodness, that might be a record somewhere."
The maid carrier pridefully smiled. "If there's anything I pride myself in, it's having a wonderful photo memory."
"You did good, Madam Eagle Union." She forced herself to get up, now feeling the pain after the other woman's delicate nature had suppressed it. She was held in place when she gazed at the red-blue maid with curious eyes. "Your pain medication, Mistress. It's been four hours since you took your last dose."
"Oh, yes please," replied the light cruiser, taking the pill without protest.
"I'll get you some water, just a second."
Belfast turned her head, watching the carrier about to leave the room. "Madam Eagle Union. Thank you for everything."
The devoted maid nodded happily. "Not at all. Being with you... is relaxing, Mistress." She then stepped out, leaving Belfast with a bitter taste in her mouth.
"I wish I could say the same..." She hated herself for thinking negatively and the hope to bring back the carrier from whatever depths she sailed in motivated her.
The next morning arrived and as usual, Madam Eagle Union welcomed her with a kind smile and a different type of breakfast than yesterday. This time around, Belfast insisted that they eat together at the living room table.
A few minutes later, the injured maid sipped on her orange juice modestly while trying to not make it obvious that she was staring hard at Enterprise eat. In the short time they had been living together, she hadn't seen the devoted maid eat. She narrowed her eyes, watching Madam Eagle Union eat grapefruit with a side of granola and yogurt.
She couldn't help but comedically narrow her eyes at the fact that her maid was eating a humble breakfast while she was eating eggs, toast, and sausages. "Madam Eagle Union, what's your morning schedule like?"
The carrier turned her eyes to her mistress and smiled shyly since her spoon had still been in her mouth when asked. "Ah, that's right. Forgive me if I had been secretive in my background actions. I'm sure you can guess that I have taken the guest room as my temporary room, and I did have bags with me when I... arrived unannounced. Sorry for that again. As for my morning routine, I wake up at five and go for a jog for an hour to get a great start of oxygen into the bloodstream. Shower, then prepare your meal while eating something in the process. And it's not what you think, I eat at the table while the food slowly cooks and not directly above the stove. By eight, I'm waking you up, and it's self-explanatory from there."
"You jog!?"
"Yes, a maid must be healthy in both body and mind."
Belfast closed her eyes, with her good arm holding onto her sling as if she was crossing her arms. "You don't need to tell me that. In mind, you say..." She would not allow herself to laugh at the Irony in her maid's words.
Their long pause grew deafening and a knock on the door was her saving grace.
"Allow me." Madam Eagle Union walked to the door and due to the knowledge, she roughly learned a day ago, she paused close to the door. "May I ask who it is?"
"Umm... my name is Vestal."
Gone were the cautious pools of purple in her eyes and now replaced with bewildered fear.
Belfast had heard it all and knew who the woman on the other side was. She couldn't help but hold her breath that Vestal's voice had reached somewhere deep in the mind of the Eagle Union. "Madam... are you feeling alright?"
The maid carrier's face was pale and sweaty. She merely gave her mistress a forced reassured smile. "Y-Yes. Could you get that, Mistress? I think I overdid it on my jog and I'm feeling out of it." She then moaned somberly while holding her head with one of her hands.
"S-Sure. Don't worry, she's a friend."
The other woman nodded grimly and made haste to her room, no doubt to lay down and get her breathing in order.
"I'm coming!" Shouted Belfast. She opened the door eagerly and was greeted by the worried and serious expression of the Eagle Union medical/repair ship.
"Belfast, it's great to see you again," she softly yet somberly declared.
The injured maid smiled, understanding that they had a lot to talk about. "Yes, likewise."
They had moved to Belfast's room, and the lavender-haired woman started to take out bandages and cleaning supplies from her bag. "Queen Elizabeth informed me about Enterprise's mental reclusion. I don't agree that she's working as your maid as she's technically ill."
The injured maid furrowed her brows, disliking how she was appearing to be some villain. "I'm not a fan of it either, but... Enterprise wanted this, and it's the only way to try to get her back. I've been trying to get through to her, but her maid persona is like a bastille. You showing up has been the only swift strike that has staggered her fortified walls."
The blue eyes of the medical ship lowered dejectedly. "I don't know how to feel about that. She and I go way back. Although, we did have our share of disagreeing moments and it saddens me that the first thing she thought about me was fear."
"I'm sure it was fear born out of confused familiarity. She felt like she heard your voice before, and it frightened her that she couldn't explain it. I wish I could elicit such a response from her."
Vestal closed her eyes and smirked gleefully. "You mean a lot to her, I know that much for sure, Belfast. The fearful look in her eyes when she brought you in was one, I only ever saw when her older sister..." A wave of grief washed over her, making her shaky and sad. Time never did help in healing her heart as it was still too hard to reference the grim past.
"Miss Enterprise..." Belfast knew what became of the older sister of the one that was precious to her, and she wished she could have known her then when she needed someone by her side the most.
The Eagle Union ship wiped a tear with her sleeve and pressed on with a forced smile. "I think it's best that your presence doesn't stir up a maelstrom of melancholy emotions just by her hearing you or seeing you. It makes your job in making her remember easier." She pulled out a box of surgical gloves and put them on the nightstand. "It's also best that I don't come back here or else I might make things hard on your efforts."
The injured maid discarded that notion. "What?! No, I'm sure you being here will help."
Vestal shook her head with reinforced conviction. "No, there's a smooth way and a bumpy way, and me being here would be the bumpy way. Our history holds equal amounts of sorrow as it does joy. That just comes with the territory of one trying to keep their self-destructive patient in check. You, on the other hand, are nothing but a beacon of light for her."
Tears began to pour out of the injured head maid. "Miss Vestal. Please, I need strength. Having to bear to look at her while she doesn't understand my emotions is too much."
The lavender-haired woman hugged her, giving her the support that she needed. "I know. You are a radiant woman Miss Belfast, and I know you have what it takes."
Some time went by and by the wish of her mistress, Madam Eagle Union stood with a reserved expression and crossed arms while she studied how the medical ship was cleaning her mistress's wound.
The wound itself was horrid. Discharge and blood had stained the deeper layers of the gauzes and a revolting smell of decay attacked them all.
Belfast, dealing with so much mental woe, silently shut her eyes, wishing that it would be over soon and she didn't have to feel so gross.
The carrier picked up on that and unfolded her arms. "Mistress, something as temporary as this doesn't hold a candle to the overwhelming beauty that lies in your heart."
Vestal couldn't help but reflexively blush and pause her work.
Belfast hid her flabbergasted tone with a cough, yet her cheeks were stained with red.
Once the process had been done and Madam Eagle Union stepped out after reapplying the sling, Vestal closed her bag.
"How is my wound coming along?" Asked the light cruiser with a frown while removing the pillows that she had rested her arm during the entire process.
Vestal looked at the head maid with an equal frown. "It's going to be a slow process as figured, we all knew that in some way. Enterprise's arrows have properties that make the wounds they inflict on the enemy heal at a much slower pace. I'm sure that was another reason that ate away at Enterprise and that's just the way she was designed."
"I never knew that," said Belfast while touching her arm. "The doctors at Sickbay would always be disgruntled about something while they were away from earshot."
"It's not something that Enterprise takes pride in," said Vestal.
"Of course, she has a kind heart, and I can see why she holds back," she said softly.
Vestal smiled and thought about what the woman calling herself Madam Eagle Union said. "Belfast, that woman might not be fully Enterprise, yet she still carries her heart. I don't know if she would have said the same words, but she would have definitely cheered you up all the same."
"She's a charmer. It's hard not to see that," said the royal maid lovingly, containing an ounce of bitterness.
Vestal couldn't begin to comprehend the major task the head maid had, and anyone else in her position that felt the same way as she did would have shut down in despair. She stepped out of the room and stood face to face in front of a silent Madam Eagle Union. The tension in the air was minimal yet Vestal could tell there was a sharp focus on her born out of unease. "Madam Eagle Union, was it?" A sweatdrop formed on her cheek and her posture started to weigh her down.
The red-blue maid sized her up with a silent wavering stare, before allowing herself to close her eyes. "Yes, a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Thank you for cleaning my mistress's wound and for showing me how to properly clean it." She lowered her head and lifted her dress slightly to show respect.
The other woman could do nothing but stare at her with stunned eyes. It felt incredibly uncanny to see Enterprise bow and hold herself to that of a maid's persona of professionalism. "Not at all. The Queen had sent me, and I was merely doing what is expected of me. But I don't need to tell you that as you're doing your role very satisfactorily."
"Tending to my mistress is more than a role," she stumbled verbally, feeling confusion inside her about what she said.
"Oh, I see. Forgive me if I insulted the bond you have for her," said Vestal.
"Bond..." That word rang through her whole being, telling her that the bond she had with her mistress was something great and untarnishable. She wanted to be of use to someone, and now she knew that her place was by her mistress's side.
"Did you have any questions about the procedure?" Asked the repair ship with stoic eyes.
Feeling shaky, the devoted maid shook her head. "None, ma'am."
Vestal was saddened, knowing that she lacked the power to make the carrier see who she was. "Then I'll be on my way. You won't be seeing me again, so I wanted to make sure you had all the essentials."
The itching in the back of her mind continued to throb, creating an annoying headache that matched that of a hangover. Whoever this woman truly was, she knew she was the source of her unease discomfort. "I'll manage," she finally said in a solemn tone.
The lavender-haired woman walked past her and before she exited, she cocked her head. "Madam Eagle Union, I hope you find solace at the end of your long journey and come back to us from what sea you sail."
The red bandana carrier narrowed her eyes in confusion behind her glasses and turned around after enduring the cryptic words. "What did you..." The main door from the living room closed and she was gone from her life. "Vestal..." A piercing pain ensnared her mind followed by a reel of unknown memories. A wave of despair and happiness flooded her when she saw the same woman that left, shouting at her in a dark room with people she couldn't properly see.
(Thirty minutes later)
The devoted maid lay on the couch with a towel on her forehead. "Mistress. I'm absolutely mortified that you are forced to be taking care of me."
Belfast had walked from the kitchen holding a cup in her hands. "Nonsense. An employer should take care of those under her just as much as they do in return. Here, drink this." She handed her a hot aroma-rich mug that made the carrier glance at it in appreciation.
Madam Eagle Union chuckled. "I never saw it that way. You truly are kind, Mistress." She took the drink and brought it close to her mouth to properly smell the aroma. "Huh? Is this coffee?"
"You don't like coffee?" Asked the injured head maid with a frown.
Sensing grief and sadness from her mistress, she pivoted quickly on her tone. "I do! I didn't mean to sound ungrateful."
"You seemed to have a lack of energy, so I figured a nice cup would do you some good."
"Thank you." She hesitantly sipped on it, while Belfast eagerly gazed at her, wondering if coffee might jog her memories.
"Are you going to be alright?"
The carrier smiled at her warmly after indulging in the warm liquid that added color to her face. "Yes, there's nothing to worry about, Mistress. I think seeing that woman was too much excitement for me."
"You make it sound like your heart was fluttering because of her."
A new wave of color washed her face and she coughed slightly. "No! I'm not that easy to sway." She was unmistakably blushing madly, making the head maid softly smile at how adorable she looked.
"I was joking, Madam," said Belfast with a kind giggle.
In the future, two-shots could happen and this one really resonated with me from the role reversal with Enterprise taking care of Belfast, and Enterprise closing herself off mentally for what she did to Belfast. The next and final installment of Head Maid's Maid will come out around a week from this one. It's already done, and it mostly needs a few tweaks and checks before it comes out. Thank you all for reading and see you next time!
