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A Maid's Tale	By : tealover Category: Final Fantasy VIII > Het - Male/Female Views: 886 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Rinoa stepped outside of Trepe Manor and patiently waited at
the edge of the sidewalks. Her hair was washed and combed straight back, held
by a clip. She had light makeup on and the dress had been ironed out to
perfection. A carriage driven by two chocobos slowly approached and stopped
just in front of her. Suddenly a hyper young man with brown hair and a driver�s
uniform hopped down from his seat and grinned at the woman before him from ear
to ear.

�Well well Rin, you seem to have cleaned up just fine!�

�Thank you, Nida.� Rinoa looked down at her dress in
embarrassment.

�Here, let me help you up.� The young man offered his hand
and lifted her into the carriage. �We should arrive at Chateau Leonhart in an
hour.� Rinoa nodded as Nida hopped back to the driver seat and started to
drive. Rinoa somewhat enjoyed the sights of the city�s outskirts, she rarely
saw actual nature outside of Trepe Manor�s gardens.

Getting bored with the unchanging countryside, Rinoa decided
to humor herself by taking out the small piece of paper given to her the
previous day and read it. She wasn�t supposed to read it, as messages from the
Agency to the Clientele were usually not her business.

We present Rinoa Heartilly.
Physical description, age and experience as outlined on
your request.

--M. Agency

Rinoa�s brows furrowed as she took her glasses out from her
bag. She put them on and reread the paper. �Physical? Age?� she asked herself
aloud. All her life she had taken for
granted that nothing unusual would ever happen to her but she had a strange
feeling nagging at the back of her head. She thought back on the previous day
and remembered how the man was looking at her and the job description. He
looked at me strangely when reading the papers but why on earth should a
housekeeping job require a certain physical description or specific age?

Before she could think further on it, Nida cried out for the
chocobos to bring the carriage to a full stop. Peering outside the carriage
window, she realized they had been in Leonhart�s property for some time and
were now at the front of the chateau. The enormous building was dark and dreary
looking, it loomed forebodingly over her and she could not see the top of it
from where she sat. Shuffling was heard outside and the carriage door opened to
reveal an extremely old and tall looking man with short graying hair whose eyes
shined as soon as they saw her.

�Come with me, Miss Heartilly.� The old man gave his hand,
and Rinoa was reluctant. She might hurt the tired old man by needing his
support. Making her way out from the carriage in her dress, she looked around
herself to see how huge the place was. The chateau itself must have been five
stories high. She looked back at Nida who smiled, knowing that she too was
admiring the property.

�Thank you, sire. This is from the Agency.� Rinoa handed him
the paper and he took it, paying it no mind as he put it into his pocket. Rinoa
watched with interest as the old man strode magnificently towards the open and
waiting front door of the chateau. As soon as they entered, another man closed
the door behind them and yet another man took her cloak. The men were clearly
butlers, as their black and white uniforms with white gloves all matched. Yet
for butlers they were so dignified and full of purpose that Rinoa felt small in
comparison.

They walked for some time through the chateau, which had a
lonely but mystical air about it. Rinoa could feel something strange about the
place but she could not place her finger on it. They passed long halls and
stairwells, the only sound being the rhythm of their footsteps at a steadily
urgent pace. Eventually they crossed a strip of hallway that was carpeted by
rich Centran rugs decorated in deep reds and golds where they finally stopped
at a doorway. The old man knocked at the door ever so lightly and a mumbled
voice, which Rinoa barely heard replied from within. Apparently the old man
took it as a cue to open the door and he led Rinoa inside.

The old man gestured with his arm for Rinoa to take a seat
at the chair in front of the desk and she did so. The butler then walked
towards a spot to the left of the Master�s desk and spoke loudly, �Sir
Leonhart, this is Rinoa Heartilly.� Rinoa began to get up from the chair to
formally introduce herself but the old man motioned with his gloved hand for
her to stay seated. Rinoa looked at the butler confused, as the Master sat at
his desk but his chair was facing away from her.

The butler went on to introduce Rinoa, her date of birth and
detailing where she lived and worked previously. He continued as though
everything was appropriate and not once did the Master speak or turn towards
them. She understood her place in society as just a servant but she couldn�t
fathom why this man was not even facing her nor saying a word to address anyone
properly. Suddenly Rinoa realized something, the paper from the agency said
nothing of her birth date, nor where she worked previously. Wait a minute;
he had not read my paper at all! Rinoa shifted uncomfortably in her seat,
wondering how this can all be possible when a small light suddenly shined in
her eye and she blinked. She peered towards the chair the master sat in, but
nothing was there at all. Before she could ask what just happened, the butler
began to ask her questions.

�Miss Heartilly, would you be willing to work here as a
live-in maid to ready yourself for the role of Housekeeper?�

�Why yes! Yes sire. Very much so, sire.�

�Miss Heartilly, would you be willing to change your family
name to Leonhart for the duration of your services?�

�Excuse me?� Rinoa�s smile faltered slightly.

�Your name shall become Rinoa Leonhart, the rule for all
residing in this household is to change their formal last name.�

�I... I suppose it would be fine.� Rinoa�s voice shrank. That
must be one of the peculiar things I was warned about.

�Very good, Miss Heartilly. Very good. Please wait outside a
moment while I discuss something with the Master.�

�Yes, sire.�

Rinoa stood up and slowly exited the room. She tried to
catch a glimpse of what the Master looked like before she closed the door but
could see nothing. The high backed forest green chair he sat in obscured
everything. She scolded herself for not wearing her glasses, as she was so busy
keeping up her appearance in order to get the job. Digging into her small bag,
she grabbed her glasses and put them on. She looked around the hallway and sat
on one of two velvety covered golden chairs outside of the Master�s office.
Between the chairs was a small circular glass table, which held an ornate lamp
and golden shell decorations that were clearly from Balamb. Rinoa busied
herself by looking at the shells as she could barely hear the murmurs coming
from the office. Every time the murmurs were loud enough to reach her ears she
grew nervous. It was her future being discussed in that room. Either she would
have a new home and job in a strange place, or she would go back to the Trepes
where Quistis would once again sigh over how Rinoa wasn�t trying hard enough to
get a new job.

Before long the butler emerged from the room, his face
slightly amused as he looked down at Rinoa who now had glasses on. Rinoa stood
up and awaited his answer. The butler motioned for her to follow and she did,
wondering why they weren�t going back into the office. Perhaps she had not
gotten the job?

�I apologize, the Master is not one for being social. He�s a
very peculiar man.�

�I understand, Sire.� Rinoa�s shoulders slumped, readying
herself for rejection.

�You are too kind, what he did today was highly
inappropriate. You�ve shown willingness to deal with his strange requests and
that�s a good sign.�

�Sign, sire?�

�Well for a new Housekeeper, that is. Our previous
Housekeeper had been driven mad with Master�s requests and has grown too old to
cope. You will begin as a maid here at Leonhart Family and should your work be
exemplary, you will be rewarded accordingly and hopefully fill in the shoes of
our previous Housekeeper.�

�Oh, thank you so much, sire! I can�t wait to tell Lady
Trepe!� Rinoa beamed at the old man and did a small pirouette as they walked
down the hall.

The old man raised his eyebrows at her childish act and
shook his head. �I�m sorry Miss Leonhart, but one of the rules of our household
is to not have any contact with previous employers or anyone outside of the
house.�

�Why not, sire?�

�As I said, our Master is a��

��peculiar man. I understand, sire. Yet will someone tell
her for me? And say how much I will miss her?�

�Oh yes, it will be taken care of. Don�t think anymore of
your previous life. For now we have to get you settled in. What you have with
you now is what you may keep; your old belongings will not be brought to
Chateau Leonhart. And this shall be your new quarters.�

The old man opened a heavy door which lead to a large room
with a queen sized bed. At the other side of the room was a wide window facing
the sea and everything was softly draped by semi-transparent white sheets. The
walls were gray stone and the furnishings were a lightly colored and scented wood
from Balamb.

�This is for me, sire?� Rinoa gaped at the beautiful room as
she walked inside. A small white rose was on the table with an unsigned card
reading Welcome Rinoa. �Thank you so much, sire.�

�Yes, yes. We have twenty butlers, ten maids and a family
that runs the kitchens and stables. Your job will entail��

At the front end of the house, a young woman in a brown
dress was boarding the Trepe carriage.

�Thank you, Nida.� She whispered as Nida had spoken some
comforting words.

�Yaa!� Nida whipped the chocobos and they began their ride
back to Trepe Manor. Lady Trepe would once again be informed of Rinoa�s failure
to secure a new job. It would be the third time now.

Fifteen minutes into the ride they were in the middle of the
countryside and the carriage came to an abrupt stop. Nida called out for Rinoa
as he saw another carriage stranded on the path back to the city. Two richly
dressed noble men outside of the carriage had been hailing them for help. Rinoa
didn�t answer and Nida assumed she had fallen asleep. Hopping off his seat, he
was about to ask what the problem was when he suddenly felt a blunt object
strike the back his head. Losing his balance he fell down and slowly lost
consciousness.

The woman in the brown dress unceremoniously hopped out of
the Trepe Carriage and checked Nida�s pulse. Nodding to the other two men, they
dragged Nida safely to the side of the road and propped him against a fence.
The woman hopped onto other carriage and the group immediately headed towards
Galbadia City.

A few hours later Nida woke up and found himself at the side
of the road. He groaned at the new headache he was sporting and darted his eyes
around quickly.

�Rinoa? Rinoa??� With a curse he realized he was completely
alone and in the dark. There was nothing for miles and he decided to ride the
rest of the way back to Trepe Manor to inform the Lady of the horrible thing
which had happened.
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A Maid's Tale