[A Week Later...]
No...I can't do it...I can't show my face to my Master again...not after what happened back in the ward.
Words to this effect swarm my mind as I continuously bury my head in a pillow, only looking up to breathe periodically.
"Dido?" King George V's voice calls from the door. "I-I've brought dinner..."
I want to reply, but nothing comes out.
"As usual, I'll leave it outside the door. Come and get it whenever." I hear rustling.
"No!" I suddenly exclaim.
"Hmm?!" She stops rustling.
"Y-you can come in..." I say.
"Are you sure?" She opens the door a little. "I don't want to intrude."
"P-please, I haven't seen anyone today..." I am trying to keep my composure.
"If you insist..." My room's door opens fully and George enters slowly.
"G-good evening..." I manage to greet her.
"Good evening, Dido." She looks me over with great concern before speaking again. "Look, I'm not going to force you to say anything, but I really would like to know what happened to cause this behaviour."
"...I..." My voice fades.
Only Sirius and Black Prince know...but, they're my sisters...so it's natural that I would tell them. King George V's a nice person, but that's all to me.
"I only want to help." She sits with me on my bed. "But of course, it's fine if you can't tell me. I just need to know one of those things in order to help."
"...I..." The aura from her is positive...I just can't speak anymore.
"I see..." She reaches into her bag while maintaining a sorrowful smile. "Well, maybe this will make you feel a little better."
She holds out a plastic container of food and a fork on top.
"T-thanks..." I take it hesitantly.
"I'll only stay as long as you're comfortable for me to." She says. "Don't be afraid to ask me to leave."
She says that, but...I'm not rude at all.
"N-no...I think I want you to stay for a while..." I mutter.
"Alright, if that's what you want." She puts her bag down on the floor.
Silence takes over the room as I don't feel like eating and I assume George has no idea what to say anymore.
A knock at the door breaks the silence I was just starting to adjust to.
"Dido?" It's my Master!
George and I look at each other for a few seconds, then she mouths to me that she will answer it. Sure enough, she soon moves over to the door.
"Commander." She says after opening the door.
"Ah, George, is Dido here?" He jumped straight to me?!
"Yes, she is." George looks back at me. "Though, I'm not sure if she wants to see you right now. I can check if you want."
"Please do." My Master...he's really concerned about me...
George closes the door.
"Are you alright for him to talk to you?" She asks quietly.
"...Y-yes...It's fine." I reluctantly answer.
"Are you sure?" She continues. "Don't force yourself to be uncomfortable to please another person. Even the Commander."
"I know..." I take a deep breath. "I do want to see him now."
"Okay..." She reopens the door. "Commander, she said you can enter."
"Thank you, George." He wanders into the room and instantly looks at me with caring eyes.
"Sorry, but who are YOU?" I hear George say before stepping outside.
"I'm HMS Vindictive..." A voice says before it's drowned out by the door closing.
"Dido?" I return my focus to my Master. "What's wrong?"
"Uuuhhh..." I start to panic a little.
"Hey, hey..." My Master takes George's place on my bed. "Relax...take as long as you need."
His hand runs through my hair soothingly.
"...I-it's just...what you did...when I was injured..." I stutter out.
"I'm sorry." He says while continuing to stroke my hair. "I shouldn't have done that without warning."
"No!" I shout accidentally. "I...um...sorry..."
"It's alright, Dido." He turns my head back to face him. "I understand what you were trying to say."
I take some breaths to try and relax.
"That's it..." My Master says gently. "That's it..."
I end up leaning into him in an attempt to find further comfort. My Master doesn't say any more, he just continues to brush my hair tenderly.
...After a little while I pull away, with what little confidence I have back.
"Better now?" He asks.
"Y-yes..." I respond sheepishly. "Thank you, Master."
"Dido, would you be okay for another day of secretary duties tomorrow?" My Master inquires.
"O-of course." I reply.
Anything for my Master.
"Alright." He sighs slightly. "Just remember, you do not need to push yourself for me or anyone else."
"...B-but...I'm a Maid...I must serve my Master...without question or hesitation." I protest.
"You're still human." He says. "As such, you need moderation and rights."
I can't bring myself to protest any further.
"I'm going to have to leave now." My Master says. "There's a lot of work that needs to be done."
"I see..." Words cannot describe how much I want him to stay.
"If you're alright with it, I'll try to see you as much as I can." He suggests.
"Yes please!" I exclaim suddenly.
"Okay then." My Master continues to speak in the softest tone imaginable. "We'll spend some time together whenever possible."
"Thank you, Master." I whisper. "Even though I am undeserving, thank you."
[Outside-King George V's Perspective]
Vindictive stands opposed to me, almost sizing me up, since I didn't let her in.
"Why did you allow only the Commander in?" The tone of her voice is confrontational.
"Because that is who Dido wanted to see." I reply. "Not you."
"Why don't you ask her, to make sure?" She says.
"I don't want to disturb those two." I explain. "That would be rude."
"George, I respect that decision, but I really need to see Dido." She says, lowering the aggressiveness in her voice.
"It will have to wait until I get Dido's permission." I calmly state.
"...Mmmm...fine!" She yells. "But I won't wait too long."
She storms off in a huff. How immature...
I turn to Dido's door but before I can open it the Commander steps out.
"How'd it go?" I ask.
"She seems perfectly okay now." He replies while closing the door. "Her enthusiasm to resume her secretary role was surprising, though."
"Dido's a hard worker." I remark. "I can tell you that much."
"I know." He looks at the ground, forlorn, for a second. "But, she shouldn't push herself too much."
"She knows her limits." I say.
"Are you sure?" He looks puzzled. "Because, to me, it seems like she's trying incredibly hard, outpacing what she's capable of."
"I think her attachment to you will both aid and detrement her rationality." I think for a few seconds. "...Though, in the long term, it will do more aiding than hurting."
"Let's hope you're right." He says.
"Yes, let's." I pause. "Anyway, Commander I was wondering if you wanted to be a tester for a new recipe I found. Do you?"
"Alright, yeah." He perks up a little. "I need to focus on something else anyway."
[Kitchen-Commander's Perspective]
Watching King George V work is almost captivating.
The efficiency and fluidness with which she moves is impeccable. I feel kind of...moved by her performance.
Though, my curiosity as to what she's making is overpowering.
"What are you actually doing, George?" I relent.
"It's a secret, Commander." She states.
Even though she's turned away, I can see that smug smile she has on her face.
After two years of knowing George, I still don't fully understand her personality. I don't get how she can be so refined and proper a lot of the time, yet be snarky and intentionally annoying at others. I guess it's just a rare talent.
Inevitably, I end up thinking about Dido again. Her and Sirius are more alike than I initially thought. Tch, that's a stupid thing to think, they're sisters, so of course they'd be similar.
"Commander!" A slam on the table startles me, almost making me tumble to the ground.
I regain my balance and composure before replying. "Y-yes...George?"
"It's cooking, so I just wanted to chat over some tea." George retrieves some freshly made tea and places it on the table, then she sits across from me.
"T-thanks..." I'm still a little shaken.
"Sorry for startling you, Commander." The King sips her tea. "It came after being so rudely ignored."
There's one of her snarky comments...
"I was deep in thought, you know." I reply.
"About?" Her eyes are penetrating.
"Honestly, about you and Dido." I tell her. "Your personalities, to be specific."
"Well, what do you think of me?" She immediately queries. "Truthfully."
"Difficult to understand." I answer without hesitation.
"M-Me?" She looks rather offended. "Difficult to understand? What is in your tea leaves?"
"George, listen." I begin. "Everyone thinks that they're easy to understand because it's what they are used to..."
She stares, eager to hear more.
"But, not everyone else will see you that way." I say. "I thought you would know that, being a people person."
"I still don't get it." She responds. "What about me is hard to grasp?"
"Your split personality, of sorts." I explain.
"Split personality? I don't remember having any trances and reports of me acting differently." She looks skeptical.
"It's not a true split personality." I elucidate. "It's just, you can go from being all prim and posh, to an arrogant, yet funny person in a second."
"I see." She sits back and giggles slightly. "Well, Commander,I'll have you know, that only happens when I'm provoked. Also, don't mistake false arrogance for true arrogance, that might get you killed."
"Is that a threat?" I jokingly question.
"If you want it to be." She nonchalantly sips her tea again.
I was only kidding around...
"Oh, would you look at the time, the food should be ready." George leaps up and proceeds to the oven.
She's still blocking it from my line of sight.
"Mm...hmm." She says. "Perfect!"
She turns around carrying a bowl filled with what looks like spherical bread bits that are shimmering.
Still, they smell good.
"What are these?" I ask as she delivers them on the table.
She looks at me with the most radiant smile I've ever seen from her.
"Garlic doughballs."