It was one of those quiet days when Queen Anne could spend tea time with his two boys. Alisa, the queen's handmaiden poured the three royalties tea, careful not to look in the direction of the crown prince, especially with the topic of conversation.

"Servants are servants. They are there to serve the nobles and the royalty. It is why they exist. It's not slavery. It's just their status in life," Adrian said as he leaned back on his chair.

"You should not dismiss them as unimportant, brother. These servants are our subjects. And without them there would be no one to tend the crops, to make us food, to weave our clothing... They are as important as me and you," the younger prince, Adam retorted back.

"As important as us? You've spent too much time immersing yourself in town that you think they are all on equal standing with us," Adrian huffed as he turned his eyes on Adam.

Queen Anne chuckled. "Adam's word is wise, Adrian. We should not think so lowly of them. While it's true that they may not be in the same standing as us, they do provide the labor in the kingdom. Without them we won't enjoy the comforts that we are enjoying now." She looked at her handmaiden and smiled. "I appreciate all the help you provide for me, Alisa. And I am greatly saddened that you need to leave us."

The queen's handmaiden smiled shyly and bowed her head. "I am honored that you think so highly of my services, you Highness. I will only be gone for a year or two to tend to my sick mother. I shall always be ready to come back to serve you."

Queen Anne shook her head. "Don't worry your head about me, my dear Alisa. You need only think of your ailing mother. She now needs you more than I."

Adrian huffed but nodded anyway to what his mother said. He looked at Alisa for a while and then turned his attention back to his tea. "Speaking of handmaidens, when will your new one arrive, mother?"

Anne looked thoughtfully at his son. "I believe she'll be here later today."

Alessandra continued to walk, struggling to keep her bag off the muddy floor as her younger sister, Jaden followed her with tear-stained face. Alessandra didn't look similar at all to her younger sister, where Alessandra had long, blond with low lights of brown, hair, her sister had short black hair. Alessandra sported an average height, hourglass figure, her sister sported a longer and more slender physique. It was the same case with all of her siblings-- She stood out the most. As she continued to walk further to the edge of the town, to be picked up by a few of the royal guards. She was after all the pay back to a huge debt.

She wondered why her farther had given her up, why did he even need to give up anyone? Couldn't they work a little harder and pay it off on months? She sighed softly, her own eyes were filled with tears, but she refused to let them fall in order not to make her younger sister, Allison explode once more. Allison had been the only one-- stable enough to decide to accompany Alessandra. Alessandra felt the pain in her chest grow just a little more. As she left, everyone avoided to look at her, the goodbyes were not done properly. She sighed again and tried to blame it on their sense of loss now that Alessandra wouldn't be around.

Her father though-- He wasn't even present. He had signed the papers and disappeared, leaving a letter behind to their mother that he would be back soon after he 'rested'.

Her mother.

Alessandra's tears fought against her as she thought of her mother. Her ill mother, although she was the indirect reason for this situation, Alessandra's heart squeezed in pain. She needed constant care, and Alessandra didn't trust any of her siblings enough to do what she had been doing.

Finally the two young women reached the edge of the town, where the cart with the royal's colors designing it. She looked back to Allison. '' Listen now. You are the oldest woman in that house after mother. You should pay attention to the little ones. Make sure they do their writing assignments that I have given them. I will try and write up more when I can, until then-- Don't let father take them out of the town school. As useless as it is, it is something.'' Alessandra instructed as she scanned her sister carefully.

''You get home safely and make sure mom is well fed too.'' She added with a huge smile-- Not a smile of a sold off woman, but rather a proud woman. She knew she had managed to raise her siblings well, and she knew Allison needed the reassurance.

Alessandra patted Allison's arm before she turned to walk away again, until Allison interrupted her.

''Are you okay with this?'' Allison asked in a small voice.

Alessandra turned sharply, staring at her sister. So far, no one had asked about how she felt about all this.

'' Absolutely.I heard I could be assigned to be a personal lady of the Queen's? Do you know how prestigious this is? If I get paid later, it will be triple what father makes! I am ecstatic.'' Alessandra answered with a seemingly excited smile before turning away from her sister and hurriedly walking away.

She needed to get as far away from her sister, her town, before she collapsed.

---

So at the crack of down, Alessandra had climbed into the royal cart, with two other handmaidens from nearby towns. She gave them a sympathetic smile, but none of them seemed as bothered with it as she thought they would be. They were chatting away, talking about the castle, how it would be to live there, the crown prince, and the younger one. Each wondered who she would serve, wishing it was one of the younger royalty, not the queen. In a way, that made Alessandra more assured-- It meant she could really be assigned to the Queen, and that made her excited. She was hoping to get to be the Queen's lady; it made she could grow more and more educated.

By the afternoon, the handmaidens had arrived.

Alessandra had been ordered to leave her suitcase behind, not like it had anything important, but the guards must look through it before letting it into the royal grounds. Alessandra fixed back her hair making sure it was still secure in place. She straightened her off white dress with delicate floral detailing all over, and a black satin belt around her waist. The dress overall didn't look anything but cheaply made, but it was the best Alessandra had, and it did wonders to her figure, which could distract from the poor materials.

The other two girls, were a lot more frail than Alessandra was, they were sporting similar dresses except they really didn't fill it out like Alessandra did. They both actually looked quite similar with long caramel brown hair, fair skin, and warm brown eyes that danced in excitement.

Alessandra sported a more tan look due to her work in the lands, with crystal clear ocean blue with a lot less excitement.

They were lead through the extravagant hallways, many closed doors, with maids cleaning, going in and out of huge doors. Alessandra watched in awe. She couldn't imagine in a hundred years she could step into the royal castle.

Alessandra had been distracted until they walked into an open balcony, where the Queen and her two sons sat. Alessandra's eyes grew in surprise-- They looked beautiful, extravagant, out of this world. She was stunned-- They were a lot more than what she heard in the town.

''The handmaidens had arrived, your majesties.'' The guard introduced.

One of the girls hurried to bow and soon followed the other. Alessandra blinked and took her bow as well, except it was more gracious than rushed. She had never bowed to anyone before, being mainly home and working.

All three royals were laughing when the guard announced the arrival of the handmaidens. Queen Anne dabbed at her eyes from laughing so hard. She raised her hand and waved it, signaling the guard to let the women come closer to them. As soon as she composed herself, she turned slightly in her chair and looked the girls over, a kind smile on her face. "I am pleased to have you three arrive here safely," she greeted.

Adam looked at the girls with an openly friendly smile on his lips while Adrian sat back on his chair. His expression was aloof despite the lazy smile that was still on his lips. Why his mother needed three handmaidens was beyond him. We have so many servants that they will eventually overrun this castle, was what he always said. "Why are there three? I thought only Alisa was leaving?" Adrian asked straightforwardly.

"Why, one would be serving me and the other two would serve you and Adam, of course," the queen replied as-a-matter-of-factly.

Both Princes sat up. Adam's friendly look didn't change despite his obvious protest. Adrian's smile completely disappeared and was replaced by a frown and he was the one who spoke up first. "Mother, that is not necessary. Both Adam and I can take care of ourselves just fine. There are many servants in the castle. We would ask if we needed help. Why bother having someone wait on us?"

"I agree with Adrian," contributed the younger of the two.

Queen Anne turned to her two boys and flashed them a tolerating smile. She opened her mouth and dished out a statement that meant that she would hear no more protests or arguments. "Because I said so," her voice was stern and there was a tone in it that was final. She turned back to the three women with the same kind smile on her lips. "Now, tell me what your names are, my dears."

Alessandra scanned each of the royals, comfort settled in her just a little as Adam looked at them with a friendly smile. Such a sweetheart. She thought as she looked at Adrian next. He didn't seem as friendly, but he wasn't exactly hostile. Alessandra felt neutral about him as her eyes turned back to the Queen. She smiled slightly. She was as beautiful as rumored. She was confused as Adrian asked his mother why there were three of them. And what surprised her more was the the Queen was actually thinking of giving a handmaiden for each prince, which caused both princes to protest, although Adam's protest was a little more subtle.

Alessandra found herself wishing to be the handmaiden of the Queen or Adam. Adrian seemed to be more outspoken, and if the rumors proved correctly, he wasn't exactly the nicest. The younger prince was rumored to be a lot more gentle and overall-- Nicer than his older brother. It was enough that she was away from home, but to serve an arrogant bastard was another thing.

Alessandra smiled politely as the Queen turned to them once again.

The first handmaiden spoke.
"Emily." She said with another bow.

"Amelie." The next one spoke with another bow.

It became evident to Alessandra now that they were sisters with similar appearances and even names.

Alessandra took her bow, yet again, an action she wasn't used to, and it may had been evident that was the case.

" Alessandra. " She replied with a slight smile.

The queen looked at each girl as they spoke, a thoughtful look on her face as she observed how each spoke and what their mannerisms are. She was a good judge of character and had already decided as soon as each spoke their names. After a few seconds of silence, she spoke up once again. "Amelie would be my handmaiden." She looked towards Adrian. "Alessandra would be your handmaiden, my first born."

Adrian was tight lipped as he looked at his mother then at Alessandra. He didn't say anything.

"And finally, Emily to my second born," the queen finished. She looked at both Alessanda and Emily. "You shall both attend to my sons..."

"Surely you don't mean for her to wait on me while I bathe," Adrian interjected dryly, earning him a chuckle from his brother. But they both fell to silence when their mother turned her stern stare at them.

"Fine," Adrian sighed.

Disappointment filled Alessandra as the Queen chose Amelie for herself. She took in a deep breath. There was still a chance she would be assigned to Adam-- The hope was also shattered as the Queen chose Alessandra for Adrian. She looked at Adrian, in what was obviously horror, but she quickly composed herself as Amelie moved closer to the Queen with also Emily walking to stand behind Adam greeting him with a smile and a bow.

At Adrian's comment, Alessandra felt her cheeks grow hot, especially when the Queen didn't exactly deny the absurd image. Alessandra stood a little far away from the royals although the other two girls had joined the Queen and Adam. Alessandra blinked and walked cloeer to Adrian, but she didn't bow nor smile again. The introductions had already been done. She stayed silent as she glanced in between the royalties.

Adrian looked at both his mother and his brother. Adam had started conversing pleasantly with Emily. The Queen had also started talking with Amelie. She introduced her new handmaiden to her old one and asked Amelie to be oriented by Alisa regarding her preferences.

At least, she's prettier than the two, Adrian thought idly as he finished his tea. He had no plans of chatting with her the way the queen and Adam did with their own handmaidens. What he wanted done will be commanded, there was no need to talk in between. He stood up, excused himself and made his way out of the balcony and into the castle's hallway.

Alessandra had remained silent as she watched the conversation happening between Adam and Emily, as well as the Queen, Amelie, and Alisa. She felt only slightly jealous and uncomfortable as she stood there, towering over Adrian as he drank his tea. She tore her eyes away from Adam and the Queen with their friendly conversation as Adrian stood up.

Alessandra was slightly surprised, no one had told her the crown prince was that tall. He hadn't mentioned for her or anything, so she stood there unsure of what to do. Emily shooed her off discreetly to go follow him. Alessandra hesitated but then hurried behind Adrian as he walked through the hallways that must be so familiar to him, but still awed Alessandra.

She followed closely behind him, unsure of what to say.

"Excuse me your majesty. " She spoke out softly as they turned a corner. " I am a little new at this, so if you may just tell me if you need something, or- or what exactly shall I do, it would be greatly helpful." She added, hoping he wouldn't take offense of her request. It just that Alessandra couldn't function unless there were clear orders of what she should and shouldn't do-- Her duties.

Adrian stopped. It was annoying that she needed to ask. But it was more annoying that she was there when he really didn't need her at all. While he wanted nothing more than to send her back to her family or wherever it is she came from, he was not a cruel man. There's always a reason why these people serve us. Mostly it's to earn enough to feed their families. If these servants have as much as we do, they wouldn't choose to endure a lifetime of servitude, Adam had once said. While he didn't really care about any of their reasons, he had to admit that it was true.

"I don't need anything," he started. "...At least, for now," he added. "Take the time to get to know the castle so that you don't get lost. It'll be annoying to have to send someone to look for you." And with that, he continued walking, not bothering to turn back.

Alessandra stared at his back as he spoke to her. How rude of him to not even turn back to speak to her. She blinked. So his order was to leave him alone and get to know the castle? 'It would be annoying to send someone to look for you.' She sighed softly as she hurriedly followed behind him once more.

"I am sorry, Prince Adrian. But are there certain places you would like me to get familiar to? How would you suggest I get to know the castle? Is there any of the other servants that you suggest for me?" She asked as she continued to follow behind him, losing her breath by the amount of times she had to hurry to catch up with him. She looked at him as he continued to walk.

Adrian didn't stop nor did he speak this time. It was precisely the reason why he didn't want some new servant tagging along behind him. Did she actually expect him to show her around himself? He inwardly shook his head as he headed out of the castle and into the stables.

The stable keeper was a middle aged man with hair that was already streaked with silver strands. He immediately bowed at the sight of Adrian. "Your horse is saddled and ready, Your Highness," he said as the tall prince walked past. He sighed in relief when Adrian gave him an approving nod. He glanced towards Alessandra as soon as the Prince disappeared into the stable. "You're Prince Adrian's handmaiden," he stated, his words laced with pity.

Alessandra continued following the Prince silently, slowly falling behind at how determind and fast his steps were. She took the time to scan the hallways and try to remember directions as to how they got outside the castle and to the stable. She waited for him to speak to her again-- Instruct her with a little more words, so she would understand where exactly did he stay-- Who could help her figure out what to and how.

She stood by the stable keeper as Adrian walked into the stable. She nodded with a smile, disregarding the pity obvious in his voice. "They say the first day is always te toughest, hm?" She said as she peeked into the stable.

Although they never had a horse of their own, Alessandra had a love for horses, but she didn't step into the stable. It was quite evident to her by then that he was going to ride away on his horse.

The stable keeper reached out and pulled Alessandra out of the way. "You may want to stay out of the way, young miss," he said. And sure enough, the stable doors bursted open as Adrian led his beautiful golden coated horse out into a gallop.

Adrian noticed Alessandra standing beside the stable master, irritation stabbing through him again at the thought of being a stuck with a servant that had no idea what to do with her time. He ignored her and rode away.

The stable keeper watched the crown prince ride for a moment before turning to Alessandra again. "My name is Rean, miss," he introduced himself politely. "Will you be staying here until the Prince comes back? I'm afraid you would have a long wait ahead of you if that's the case. This is Prince Adrian's favored hobby and he can ride for hours," he explained.

Alessandra abruptly stepped out of the way as the door brusted open, and Adrian rode away on his horse. She gasped at the beauty as Adrian glanced at her-- She wasn't aware that he was actually annoyed with her presence, and so she continued to watch the horse for as far as her eyes could see.

She turned to Raen with a smile. "My name is Alessandra." She introduced as she extended her hand to shake his. At his next question, her confusion grew. "Is that what a handmaiden would do? She would wait here for his majesty to return?" She genuinely asked with confusion. "If so, will you teach me a thing or two about horses? I have always been fond of them." She suggested with a friendly smile. Might as well make use of the time.

Rean shrugged. "I am only a stable keep, miss Alessandra. I'm afraid I do not know what it is a handmaiden does," he looked thoughtful. "But I believe it would be prudent of you to wait for his return...unless he gave you some other order," he shrugged again. He lowered his voice. "The crown prince has a terrible temper. It would be very unfortunate if you become the focus of his ire." He glanced towards the direction the prince disappeared into as if expecting him to be there to overhear what he had just said. When he had ascertained that the prince was out of hearing distance, he turned back to Alessandra.

"Come then, let me show you the horses," he hobbled slowly towards the stables, his right foot dragging slightly behind him.

Alessandra blinked and nodded. She agreed, it seemed like the right thing a handmaiden would do. She giggled slightly at the older man's actions-- He seemed kind and gentle. She already liked him as he spoke of the Prince's temper. Alessandra nodded as she looked over to where he looked with another soft giggle. " Thank you, Sir." She said as she turned to follow him.

She frowned a little as she noticed his unstable walk. She hesitated but in no time, walked in his pace, offering him her arm for help. "How many horses are here?" She asked as if helping him was a casual, day to day task she had, and she didn't intrude enough to ask him what had happened.

"No need for formalities, call me Rean," the stable keep said as he led the way into the stables. "We only have a small number of horses. We have 12 in total. Prince Adrian owns most of them. Five to be exact. He tames them and grooms them himself," Rean said with a hint of pride in his voice. "He had always been fascinated by horses. And he began riding them at a very young age. On a normal day, he would come and groom all five of his horses. We seldom have to worry about his steeds. He insists on grooming all 12 when he's particularly angry or in a sour mood though. So keep that in mind. To placate the crown prince, have him ride or simply lead him where the horses are," he advised as he began to show Alessandra the thoroughbreds. Those belonging to Adrian were all high strung and spirited. The horses belonging to the rest of the royalties were all docile and well behaved. He showed her how to groom and even allowed her to try for herself.

When they had finished, Rean nodded towards his leg. "I'm sure you are curious about it. It was trampled by a wild horse," he gazed towards one of Adrian's black horses and a thoughtful look settled over his face.

"Still reminiscing about the past, Rean?" came Adrian's voice from the door. He had a pleasant look on his face and looked relaxed.

Rean looked towards the door and immediately bowed his head. "And I will be forever indebted to you, Your Highness," he said.

Adrian chuckled as he dismounted his steed. Rean immediately handed him a brush as the prince led the horse to its own stable. "You are too grim today. No need to speak about debts. There is none. I am quite thankful that you stay to tend to our horses." he began brushing his horse. "You---" he turned towards Rean and stopped short when he saw Alessandra standing by one of his mother's horses. His brow furrowed. "What are you doing here?" he asked, his tone of voice wasn't hostile but it wasn't friendly either.

Aleesandra nodded as she took in the information. Twelve horses were definitely not a small amount to Alessandra, but she guessed it was to the royalty. She giggled as Rean told her of the crown Prince's apparent number one hobby, and she was grateful that she knew the answer to everything was possibly getting him to the stable. Alessandra was definitely shy and taken back when he told her to approach the horse as he began grooming them, instructing Alessandra of how to do it as well. She eventually got to approaching the horse, petting it, and even grooming it by herself.

Rean had taken a seat, but Alessandra was still brushing through one of the horse's mane. She shook her head quickly. "N-no, Sir! I don't mean to have stared or intruded or anything." She quickly said, afraid to have offended him, but she was surprised as he told her anyway. She glanced in the direction he looked at-- The midnight black horse. Before she could let her curiosity get the best of her, Adrian had walked in, sitting up straight on his horse.

Alessandra was confused at the conversation, but she knew the gaps would probably be filled in with time. She intended to visit Rean when she could, the horses were gorgeous and fun to take care of. None of them had taken a great dislike toward Alessandra which was great news.

She was brought out of her thoughts as Adrian addressed her. She blinked as she slowly dropped the brush off the horse, running her fingers through its mane instead. "Rean was teaching me how to groom a horse. I was waiting for your majesty to retun in case you need anything." She explained as she looked up at the brown horse who seemed to almost urge Alessandra to keep going. Alessandra smiled a little before turning back to Adrian, waiting for his order as she softly brushed through the horse's mane again.

Ugh. It's as if I'm a helpless princess that needs to be waited on every single second. Adrian's irritation came back. He had not expected Alessandra to be there waiting for him when he returned. He had actually thought she'd get herself completely lost in the castle that it would be hours before he had to see her again. He looked at her for a few seconds before he turned towards Rean. He tossed the brush to him and the older man caught it adeptly. "Unsaddle Sunchaser for me, would you, Rean?"

"Of course, Your Majesty," Rean gave the prince another bow and slowly made his way to the golden coated horse. He turned to Alessandra and gestured for her to follow after Adrian. Best of luck, he mouthed silently to her.

Alessandra was completely oblivious on why she was getting on Adrian's nerves. She had expected him to be slightly pleased because she did what a handmaiden would do. Wait on him to return, help him relax after riding for a couple of hours, but apparently it wasn't what she was supposed to do. She slowly dropped her hands off the horse she was brushing and watched as Adrian tossed the brush to Rean who caught it and got to working on the task.

She stood there dumbfounded for a second until Rean mentioned for her to follow him. She put the brush gently down and rushed behind Adrian. "You have a beautiful horse your majesty. The most beautiful one I have seen even." She complimented as she followed closely behind him. She knew her limited knowledge of horses was nothing, but she thought it would be a bit of an ice breaker to talk about possibly his favorite things.