Chapter Text
Sanjiko wasn’t important enough to have direct interaction with the royal family.
No one in the kitchen tended to be.
Even Zeff, for his reputation of leading the kitchen with an iron fist (leg?), was mostly relegated to meetings with the nobles' personal staff. Those tended to be of a higher standing than them, but they were still staff, nonetheless.
So, she was simply another faceless servant, her every waking moment dedicated to being a cog in the machine that propelled the royals’ life, individuals who were relegated to being nothing more than glorified creatures of myth whom she never saw hide nor hair of.
Except for once, several years back.
Once upon a time when she was younger, and wasn't saddled with many responsibilities, curiosity won her over on a chilly November day.
The one time she had ever snuck away from underneath Zeff's watchful eye, and her only wish was to waste the precious opportunity by spying on them, her naïve brain desperate to attach a picture to their mysterious, shadowy figures.
The faceless nobles she kept hearing so much about.
Despite all the teasing, it wasn't the first time she stopped mid-conversation with Patty or Carne to eavesdrop on whatever bits of information were being traded between the kitchen staff and whoever was lucky enough to traipse downstairs for a quick chat and a snack.
With her head lowered and her hands busy peeling potatoes, as if nothing noteworthy was happening, her attention rapt and her ears awaiting to capture any bit of news that arrived from the "outside" world.
She would hear about how they spent their evenings (they spent an absurd amount of time studying), to the ornate balls and events thrown for frivolous occasions (Lord Renouart danced with Lady Ameline even though Lady Petrona was promised the start of a courtship with him), to the altercation in the town between a pick pocketer and a stall-owner.
Oh, but that one night. That one, magical night.
How her eyes burned as she pried them as wide as she was able to, committing to memory the scene in front of her so that she may revisit it later in the night when she was tucked into the reprieve of her bed.
To the beautiful ladies wearing complex, hand-sewn gowns of several fabrics and colours, elegantly swaying with their dance partners for all to see.
To the ornate tapestries adorning the walls, the glittering gold of the furniture, the intricate designs of the wallpaper, the crystalline light of the chandelier dancing upon the walls.
To the mountains of colourful desserts and steaming dishes of food piled onto silver on the tables adorning the room.
To the musicians filling the air with beautiful music, playing away into the night.
It was all such a romantic lifestyle. How she dreamed of being up there, taking part in their world. Her hair pulled up in intricate tangles, her skirts billowing and her fabric embroidered, her feet sore from dancing the night away, and her stomach full of sweets.
She’d spent that week chopping vegetables in remedy of her little rendezvous, however it felt worth the price with all the new inspirations for her daydreaming.
She couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment it happened, but as she grew up, the gossip turned raunchy and dreams faded away.
She wasn't sure how she would feel if she had to marry someone chosen by her parents without any say in the matter.
To bear children, not out of love, but a duty to produce an heir.
To maintain responsibilities with a smile on her face and nary a complaint ushered past her lips.
To snuff out the thoughts that tested the boundaries of the social conventions instilled in her, mask worn even during her solitude, no space truly her own.
Relegated to a life of watching herself around others, never truly trusting, never really living.
She wasn’t sure if her current life trajectory was any better, yet at the very least she could somehow trust in a camaraderie with her fellow workers? In the freedom to use her mind as she liked?
Sanjiko supposes that's what she gets for forgetting to visit the land of reality every once in a while, disappointment on both ends.
It wasn’t her fault that her made-up stories were more fun to escape into than remaining aground. Sometimes it felt like a curse to retreat into the safety of her head, just to be ripped out of it by external forces.
Sanjiko shook her head as she focused on the task at hand, the cold wind nipping at her face reminding her of her whereabouts once more.
If Zeff was here right now, he would get on her case for wasting so much time again.
She bought the blackberries and doublechecked her list, adjusting the bags once more as she dodged people walking in the middle of the street, mindful not to twist her ankle on the frosty cobblestone.
As she reached the fountain in the plaza, a gaggle of boys, not more than ten, ran through the square, laughing and shouting as one of the smaller boys chased them with something in his hand.
She sighed softly as she looked up, enjoying the warmth the dim rays of light provided her as they poked through the clouds and her several layers of clothing.
It was so rare for them to have weather that wasn’t akin to the walk-in fridge in their kitchen…
Sanji’s vision tilted as her feet left the ground, the ground suddenly rushing up to meet her, her, laden arms struggling in place as her muscles twitched to catch her fall-
A steady pressure wrapped around her forearm as it righted her back up, steadying her once more before retreating to whomever it belonged to.
Her legs trembled as she deposited her full weight back on them, her mind spinning at the sudden change in gravity.
She swiftly turned around, a lashing already on the tip of her tongue before it died down just as suddenly.
‘’ Veuillez nous pardonner, il semble que notre capitaine se soit un peu emballé.’’
[Please forgive us, it seems our captain got a bit carried away.]
Her eyes widened at the woman in front of her, her gaze greedily roaming her face and taking in every feature. Framed with a dark curtain of hair, a pair of lovely blue eyes sat on top of a prominent set of cheekbones, remnants of her deep voice fluttering alongside the half-digested meal in her stomach.
Her voice caught in her throat as she cleared it, ‘’ Pardon, quoi?’’
[Sorry, what?]
The woman’s lips gracefully lifted into a small smile.
‘’Nous sommes désolés pour le dérangement que nous vous avons causé.’’
[We're sorry for the trouble we caused you.]
‘’Ne t'inquiète pas pour ça’’, she responded, any air she kept forcing into her lungs kept escaping.
[Don't worry about it.]
‘’You’re not hurt, are you? I should have caught you in time.’’
Sanjiko jumped at the intrusion of a second voice.
Her eyes slid over to a wall of muscle standing next to the woman, her eyes slowly travelling up to meet the owner of the subsequent arm that must have broke her fall.
What was she looking at?
Sanjiko willed herself to stop staring at him as her tongue stuttered, her eyes unsure whether to focus on the bright hair or shiny skin, ‘’No…I’m okay, thank you.’’
‘’-how many times have I told you to stop sling-shotting yourself like that in public?!- ‘’
She took a step back, and then another, suddenly aware of two other bodies in her vicinity as another girl, most likely her age, sent a fist flying at a severely underdressed boy, shrill laughter spilling out of him as he jumped from one sandaled foot to another to dodge her.
Sanjiko’s face wrinkled.
What kind of person came into a freezing climate with shorts and sandals?
‘’Oh.’’, she murmured softly,
These were foreigners.
One of them spoke Germish well enough, if somewhat with an accent, but the others were undeniably not from around here.
Travellers were not a foreign concept to the kingdom; they received their fair share of visitors. However, it was seldom that she met people who had been outside Germa’s borders.
Did everyone look as outlandish as they did beyond the walls?
Sanjiko inhaled deeply and released it.
Did she speak in Germish or Common to them now?
The woman knew Germish, but her companions didn’t seem to. Her Common wasn’t well-practiced, but she knew enough to pick up bits and pieces.
‘’It’s okay, I will go now.’’
‘’Wait, please- ‘’
She hesitated mid-step, ‘’Yes?’’
‘’If you would be so kind as to point us in the direction of the castle, we would greatly appreciate it.’’
She nodded her head slowly, the cogs in her brain turning as her eyebrows scrunched up, ‘’Sorry, the castle?’’
The woman’s head tilted, her eyes scrutinizing before understanding settled in them, ‘’Toutes mes excuses, est-ce mieux ainsi? Nous avons besoin d'indications pour nous rendre au château, s'il te plaît.’’
[My apologies, is it better this way? We need directions to get to the castle, please.]
Sanjiko hummed, ‘’Ah! Il suffit de sortir de la place près de la boulangerie, puis de traverser des champs et de tourner deux fois à gauche jusqu'à arriver au verger.’’
[Ah! You just have to leave the square near the bakery, then cross some fields and turn left twice until you get to the orchard.]
‘’Compris, merci-‘’
[Understood, thank you-]
‘’Vous allez y faire une visite?’’, the question escaped her lips, desperate to grab on to any similarities between them, her brain not quite ready for the swift end of the conversation.
Her face flushed as she registered the question, her antics rewarded with a small chuckle that caused her heart to soar, ‘’C'est juste qu'ils n'offrent pas de visites le Dimanche.’’
[Are you going to visit it?]
[It's just that they don't offer tours on Sundays.]
Sanjiko resisted the urge to facepalm.
Stupid, stupid, stupid-
‘’ J'en suis conscient, c'est dommage, mais j'aime vraiment l'architecture. Elle nous en dit long sur l'histoire d'un lieu.’’
[I'm aware of it, it's a shame, but I really love architecture. It tells us a lot about the history of a place.]
The church bells started ringing soon after, their melodies like clockwork as her mind automatically checked out to count each echo.
08:45
Sanjiko shook herself free of the interruption.
Now she was really going to be late.
‘’C'est très intéressant, j'espère que vous passerez un bon moment. Mais je dois y aller maintenant, désolé.’’
[It's very interesting, I hope you have a good time. But I have to go now, sorry.]
‘’C'est moi qui suis désolé de t'avoir retenu. Merci pour votre aide.’’
[I'm the one who's sorry for keeping you. Thanks for your help.]
Sanjiko shot her one last small before departing, ‘’Pas de souci, je suis ravi de vous aider. Au revoir.’’
[No worries, I'm happy to help you. Goodbye.]
Her smile grew as she attempted to contain herself.
For once, her shoulders felt lighter as she dragged herself back to the castle.