The prince's rooms were cleaned to a state of perfection. The floor shone, the rug's colors looked new, the furniture was sparkling, the feathers in the pillows and quilt were fluffed, and moonlight shone in from the windows while the starlight was erased from view, thanks to the candles and lamps that Ameline had lit. Everything was in place, except for Prince Zack himself. This wasn't any surprise; the castle was, Ameline had learned, enormous. The prince could have been anywhere- dining, in the kitchen, his dining hall, or the banquet hall; he could have been in the libraries; he could have been sparring; he could have been entertaining a guest; or, what Ameline figured likely for the hour, the prince could have been drinking.

Not that the maid could blame him- she certainly wouldn't mind a few drinks every night, especially of the quality that the prince kept in stock. She had tasted in on occasion; when the prince left a bottle open and she was cleaning after his late-night drinks. Ameline would steal just a sip as she took it back to the servants in the kitchen. Tonight, however, she was doing no such thing; tonight, the temporary maid was to prepare the prince's rooms.

Ameline had been a bit of a gift to the prince; his parents, the current king and queen, were on a diplomatic trip to neighboring kingdoms for the year, and hired a personal maid for him during their absence. She had worked for the prince for eight months so far, and there were days where Ameline wondered if the prince had ever bothered to learn her name.

The maid glanced at the doors- they were open, but the hall was quiet. She took the bed warmer from beside the fireplace, which had been set some time ago, and scooped some embers into the pot. She took it and tucked it between the covers. With the heat, Ameline had no doubts the whole bed would be warm within moments. She'd almost worry about a fire in the sheets if it weren't for the fact that she'd left embers of that heat in the bed warmer before. And with the surety that there was time before Zach would return, Ameline determined that she could use a cleaning herself. No personal maid should be that filthy for presentation, and with an adjacent room for immediacy, there wasn't much of a journey.

The maid filled a tub for herself and stripped and scrubbed and, still hearing no footsteps or echos in the hall, the maid even brushed her hair. It was blonde and straight and cut short. Unusual for a girl, but it was useful as a maid. Ameline kept her hair extremely short at the back of her head- it only reached the bottom of her earlobes, but grew to reach her chin on either side of her face. Ameline, who was lean and of average height, had fair skin that practically reflected the candlelight as she got out of the tub and dried herself with an old towel. It had been the queen's at once, she was told, but when the queen changed her towels, the servants kept them all. One had been given to Ameline.

Her green eyes slid back towards the door- still quiet- and then at the tub, where Ameline could see a distortion of her own reflection. The green eyes were, Ameline assumed, were why she was hired. All men in power appreciated a beautiful lady, and green eyes were an uncommon trait in this area. The maid started to dress: a thin corset around her waist and small breasts, under clothing between her legs, black stockings up her legs, a short, white under gown that couldn't have gone more than a third of the way down her thighs, her black work dress- it was short, it even showed her knees, but it was effective for work- that showed most of her arms and only went halfway down from her waist to her knees. Next was the apron, down her front and tied in a large bow on the back of her waist, and finally, a white headband, tied around the back of her head, just behind her ears with a white, lace mock of a mock tiara poking up. It was the standard outfit of the maids here.

Still, the outside hall was quiet as Ameline returned to Prince Zack's room, though she suspected that she was hearing the echos of approaching footsteps. A moment later, she was certain of it, and removed the bed warmer from the warmed sheets. She dumped the coals back to the now weakened fires, and leaned the warmer against the far side of the stone fireplace so that it would be out of sight. She went to the bed and pulled back the covers, just to hear the footsteps arrive to the door. Quickly, Ameline rose and turned around. "Prince Zack," she said, before really learning. "Your bed is ready. I will change you, if you should like."

Zack was tired. He had spent the day training with the knights. He didn't have to train. As prince he didn't have to do much of anything. But training gave him something to do. He hated having nothing to do. With his parents gone he had to stay close to the castle which left him with little to do. So Zack filled the hours anyway he could. He barely noticed the maid his parents had hired for him. "Thank you..." Damn what was her name? Something that started with an A he thought. "Amelia. I'm sure everything is fine. I just want to get cleaned up and get some rest. You can go now."

"Ameline, master," the maid corrected quietly. Well, there was irony- he'd certainly confirmed her suspicions already.She jolted a little when the prince admitted to wanting to clean up; she hadn't prepared for that. "I haven't drawn a bath for you, sir," she admitted. Luckily, her hair had dried, and he wouldn't be able to tell that she'd bathed. "I can do so immediately, master, it shan't take but a moment-" Ameline stopped, and looked down. "Unless you would prefer I go."

How stupid of her. In hopes of catching the prince's eye, Ameline hadn't even filled him a bath, but certainly given one to herself. In all truth, she had expected him to return to his bed drunk, as he did some nights, but that seemed to not be the case. The maid swallowed, hoped her fair skin wasn't turning any pinker, and waited for her prince's next instructions.

Zack shook his head. He was too tired to wait. Drawing a bath and heating took too long. "That's alright. Ameline. Get me a flask of wine instead. That will ease the ache in my muscled." Zack sat in the bed and began removing his armor. He could have had the squires help him but he preferred to do it himself. It gave him something to do.

"Yes, master," Ameline said, gave a quick bow, and ducked out into the hall. She scurried down to the kitchens as quickly as she could, facilitated by the hidden passages meant for servants. They weren't exactly hidden, per say, but openings were behind doors that blended into the walls or lay behind tapestries. It only took the maid a few minutes to run down the stairs in her thin black slippers to the kitchens- the only servants' area to have a main-door access to the rest of the castle- procure the wine, and return to the prince's room. The return journey took more time, if only so that the maid wouldn't risk spilling or disturbing the wine in any manner.

Before she stepped back to the main hall, Ameline stopped before the door. She looked at the flask, and considered. She wasn't wearing any makeup after her wash, and the flask was resealable... Quickly, the maid took a tiny sip. It was small enough that the prince wouldn't know that it was missing, but the sweetness and the spices of it hit her hard. It was good wine, very good wine; and very strong. The little bit was enough for Ameline to determine that, even if she wasn't impaired by it. Satisfied, the maid stepped out of the hidden hall and into the main hall, and returned to the prince's room, and presented him with the wine.

Zack too the flask and took a large swig, "I am officially engaged, Ameline. I am suppose to meet her tomorrow. I hate being prince. Hate having no day in who I will spend the rest of my life with."

The news was jarring on one hand, though certainly not unexpected. There had been gossip among the servants about what the true purpose of Prince Zack's parents' trip, and it was political marriage, of course. The rumors, however, had seemed unreal. First, Ameline couldn't have cared, but as time went on, the rumors had seemed more and more surreal- and anyways, while the months passed and Ameline began to quietly know her master more and more, it seemed like a failure. Certainly, the thought that once the year was up, Prince Zack would have a wife, and Ameline would be ushered out was always there, but it was much more of a passing thought than a reality.

"If I may speak freely, sir," Ameline offered, still standing where she was. "You will meet her, yes, master, but you shan't marry her tomorrow." She swallowed. "Perhaps you will end up loving her, even if-" even if the marriage was to secure or forge political relations "-she was chosen by others for you." A pause. The maid considered saying more, but when it came down to it, she was just a maid, and in no place to try and help her prince navigate his marriage.

"I don't want to marry some woman I've never met. I don't want to marry someone chosen for me by my parents." Zack told her as he helped himself to another long drink from the flask. "I want to have a woman I choose. I want someone who likes me as a person not for my position."

Much as Ameline would have liked to answer 'just don't', it wasn't the most apt advice. Particularly in this situation. Particularly from his personal maid. Particularly from someone who would like to be in the bride-to-be's position. "Master, I am certain that your wife will like you, as a person." Then, the maid flushed. "And, if I may be so bold, sir, well..." The wine was strong, and Ameline hoped that it would prevent a whipping if she talking any further out of place, and would prevent the prince from remembering her words in the morning. "Well, yours certainly wouldn't be the first marriage maintained with lovers not part of the church's union, master."

Zack chuckled. As he took another swig of the wine. "I know that. I was silly enough to think I could be faithful to my wife." He took another drink. His speech was become more slurred. "Have I ever told you that your beautiful."

Afraid that she may have insulted the prince, Ameline spoke quickly. "I am sorry- I didn't mean to offend, master, but-" she stopped, and he spoke again. The maid risked it, and looked up at the prince on the bed. "No, master, you've not," she said, but more quietly than she was speaking before. 'He's drunk,' Ameline told herself. 'I don't care,' she also reminded herself.

Zack stumbled to his feet. He approached her on wobbly legs. "You are beautiful. The most beautiful woman in the whole castle. I have looked at every woman considering all of them for my mistress." He put a hand behind her head and pulled her close. He kissed her gently on the lips. "Strip for me beautiful."

Ameline blushed. She could have said something- but that could also risk this opportunity. The maid chastised herself for thinking of it as such, but didn't attempt to reword her thoughts. Instead, she kissed the prince and pulled away from his grasp. "Yes, master," she said, but instead turned to the door, went to it, and shut the doors. Then, Ameline turned around, and began her task. First, she undid the headband, and let it drop to the floor, and then removed her slippers. Slowly, Ameline made her way over to wear the prince stood, and stripped as she went. The apron, and then the dress, and- cheeks still pink- untied and slipped off her corset, her stockings, and finally, her under clothing. She stood now, naked and smooth-skinned, in front of her master, and enjoyed the night.

Zack wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him. He whispered kind and loving words. He knew that they would probably regret this night in the morning. Put for now he intended to enjoy the woman he had chose. It didn't take long for the alcohol and activity to drag him into the world of sleep.

Ameline lay close to her sleeping master. Already, some sort of feeling was twinging in her chest; she felt almost as if she'd taken advantage of Prince Zack, even though it had been at his instruction. She wondered what he would think, come morning- would he remember? Should she even stay in the bed for the rest of the night? But sleep took her before she could ponder the questions too far.

In the morning, Ameline rose before the prince. She turned and looked at him, and remembered their night. Still not sure how to feel, the maid carefully removed herself from her prince's armms, and started to dress herself with her clothes from the floor.

"Don't go." Zack told her hond king out his hand to her. His mind was foggy and he couldn't remember the details of the night before. What he did remember was that he had chosen this woman. Right now that choice was the most important thing to him. He had sich little say in his life that he wanted this one thing.

"I won't leave, master," Ameline promised, but continued to get dressed. Once she was clothed, the maid returned to the bed and took the prince's- her prince's- hand. "I won't go. But I shall draw you a bath, should you like." She cleared her throat. "You do, after all, sir, have an important guest to meet, today." She tried to sound neutral as she said it, but even Ameline could hear the disappointment in her own voice. Internally, she chastised herself, but verbally, the maid made no corrections.

Zack dropped his hand. He had forgotten the princess. He looked at the maid he had claimed. "I didn't hurt you did I?" He struggled to remember the night before. He hadn't forced her had he? Zack frowned st the thought. Normally he couldn't imagine forcing a woman, but he hadn't been himself yesterday.

Ameline shook her head. "No, sir, I'm not hurt," she assured. Her hand floated in place, and then dropped back down to her side. Then the maid looked at the window- it was early, but already light. She cleared her throat. "Master, we ought to start preparing for your day. Shall I go draw you a bath?"

"I suppose I cant met my future bride smelling of old wine. Draw my bath and have my best attire laid out." Zack ordered. He pulled the pillow over his head. He didn't want to face the day. He could just imagine what the princess was like. She would be all prim and proper. He would be bored within minutes of meeting her.