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Her mother had been a maid, but she was terrible at most chores. Annette was a noble, but she was always among the first to offer her help with everything from washing the dishes to folding the laundry. Dorothea was a renowned singer, but lately she'd been feeling burned out with it, while Annette seemed to have a song for almost every occasion from what they were having for dinner to dusting the shelves.
It was these odd contrasts and similarities that drew her closer to Annette as time went on and things grew more iffy. In fact, she found herself actively going towards the kitchen or the library or the laundry room just to hear Annette's silly songs after any particularly rough battle.
And lately, the battles grew rougher by the day. Especially...she shook her head, she didn't want to think about the recent attack from the Church. Pushing it from her mind, she wandered towards the kitchen where she could hear the clink of dishes and silverware, the splash of water, and the familiar comforting soprano.
"Scrub, scrub, scrub, till I see my face, in this polished space, then it's time to get it dry!"
Her hair was tied back in a set of braided pigtails, she wore a kerchief on her head, and the apron she wore looked a size too big. Such an adorable sight was enough to make her forget all about the bridge, and so was that catchy little ditty that after a few more bars, Dorothea couldn't help humming and tapping her foot along with. Or applauding when Annette finished the song and put the last plate on the dry pile.
"Oh! Hi, Dorothea!" Annette chirped. In the past, she'd get shy and embarrassed if anyone but her closest friends caught her singing, but she seemed used to Dorothea by now. "Wanna help? I've just got the silverware left, but there's a lot of them." Dorothea shook her head.
"I'd love to, but I don't trust myself not to drop them." That, and she worried about her fingers getting pruny, but she didn't want to seem shallow and vain.
"Oh, don't worry! If you do them one at time it's easy. Here, try it out!"
"Well..." Dorothea shrugged, picking up one of the spoons. "Here goes nothing." But to her surprise, the caked-on peach and cream came off with just a few swipes of the cloth. So did the next one, and before she knew it she was working in perfect sync with Annette as they started singing her song together. Even when they got so into it they splashed water all over themselves and Dorothea's dress was quite damp by the time they were finished, all she noticed was how she really could see herself in the polished surface.
"Whoops." Annette laughed sheepishly. "Guess I should have given you an apron first!" Dorothea shrugged. Normally it would bother her, but it was laundry day tomorrow and besides, it was just her and Annette.
"I'll just wear one of my other dresses until laundry day tomorrow," she said. "That was surprisingly fun! I never really learned to do household chores, my mother never had a chance to teach me and when I was in the opera company we had servants do all those jobs."
"Just like the nobility," Annette noted. "I used to drive the servants crazy trying to help with the chores all the time. They said it wasn't my place." And just as quickly as her thoughts of this war had faded, they returned, but in a more hopeful sense. Not your place. Wasn't that why they were fighting? To rid the world of a rigid system of set roles deciding what people should and shouldn't do with their lives?
"Well, all of us appreciate how hard you work," she said. "Especially me."
Annette smiled, her cheeks turning a little pink.
"Really?"
"Really. Seeing how much you enjoy yourself, hearing you sing your heart out...it always helps me relax on days like this," Dorothea said. "Of course, if you ever wanted a little help, you can always ask me." Annette giggled.
"Sometimes it does seem like the dishes and the laundry never end! And...well, it's nice to have someone to sing with. Like choir practice!" She handed Dorothea an apron. "Want to help me clean the rest of the kitchen?" Dorothea smiled, picking up a nearby dust cloth.
"I'd be honored!"
Annette immediately broke into a new song, about dusting and polishing and putting things in their proper place. Dorothea sang along with her, but this time rather than forgetting they were at war, she reminded herself of what they were fighting for. A world where a noble girl could do all the domestic chores she wanted and sing while she worked.
Where a poor urchin turned opera star could do chores alongside that hard-working noble girl and sing those silly songs with her.