Centurion Maidservants and Manservants
Women and girls who are not part of the Shieldmaidens or Artisans group fall into the Maidservant group. There are male servants but most men who are not in the Knights or Artisans groups serve the Order as men-at-arms. Maidservants do much or the daily work around the castle including cleaning, cooking, serving, laundry, tending to the livestock, etc. Even many of the grooms are female (this is because most of the men are Men-at-Arms). All maidservants go through weekly weapons training using glaives and practice firing the scorpions mounted in the tower tops so that everyone can help to defend the castle in a time of crisis.
Young girls growing up within the Order of the Centurions may choose at age 12 to become a Handmaiden, an Artisan, or a Maidservant. To become a Handmaiden or an Artisan a young woman must find a sponsor to train them. It might seem like no one would choose to be a maidservant BUT there is no dishonor in being a maidservant among the Centurions. (All are equal in Christ and servants are treated with respect in the Order. They are even allowed to tell knights and artisans what to do at times -ex. a groom could tell a knight to stop feeding his horse extra snacks, or a launderer could tell a shieldmaiden that she needs to put her dirty clothes into a basket instead of leaving them on the floor if she wants to get them washed, etc.). In addition, the life of a maidservant is generally safer and easier than being a Handmaiden or an Artisan. Those young girls who cannot find a sponsor to become a Handmaiden or an Artisan will also become a maidservant (but this rarely happens unless the girl is completely incompetent).
Promotions among the maidservants are applauded with the same fanfare as promotions among the knights, shieldmaidens, and artisans.
Because maidservants provide so much support for others and receive relatively little in return, they are allowed to wear some ornamentation such as embroidery on their clothes or their hair braided in intricate styles. Even among the maidservants, however, modesty is promoted and their "embellishments" are still less than what would be seen on other women outside of the order.
Men who choose to become servants often serve as laborers (hauling stone and wood for building, farming the fields that are directly managed by the Lord of the castle, etc.). Men may choose to be domestic servants but this is rare.
Structure
Girls under the age of 12 serve as house girls where they clean the castle, assist in the kitchen, or run errands for their elders. Their assignments typically vary from day to day so that they can see what things they are good at. The castle Doma usually handles the assignments as running the day to day services in the castle is her responsibility. The Doma is the senior maidservant in the castle and she has considerable power. She has several "department heads" under her such as the chief cook, the labor foreman, the senior maid, and the head nanny. The labor foreman is usually a man but the others are all women. The labor foreman usually manages the male laborers, the men and women who tend the animals, the gardeners, and the grooms (some of whom are men but many of whom are women). A girl who chooses to be a maidservant actually has a career path ahead of her if she wishes to try and advance. It is possible for a young boy to progress through the servant ranks and become a Domus but traditionally the job is held by a woman.
Serve one another in love.
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