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."
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."
