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\\~~~\\
I //~~~//
Katharós Xth 758
Orion woke up before dawn, as he did
every day. He slid out of bed, not even attempting an extra few minutes of
sleep. The butler had no time for that. The blonde youth briefly checked the
watch on his nightstand, which read 5:49 am. “Drat, overslept by 4 minutes,”
Orion muttered as he slipped into his servant uniform. The transformation from
a young man fresh out of bed to a professional butler occurred in 48 seconds,
only two seconds behind his record. The blonde rushed out his door and to the
end of the hall to complete his morning ritual, but not before knocking on
Serena’s door to ensure his close friend was awake on time.
“I’m awake,” Serena replied, “see
you at breakfast.”
Orion darted to the shared bathroom
at the end of the hall. He was always among the first awake, so there was no
need to rush. However, he never wanted to risk not being the first in the
bathroom. Orion couldn’t stand the idea of getting even a slightly late start.
The youth slipped in and out of the bathroom in a flash. With his teeth
brushed, face cleaned, hair combed back, and deodorant and cologne applied,
Orion strode out to the servant’s dining hall.
The young man sat alone at the far
side of the hall until Serena casually strode in ten minutes later. The young
woman’s raven hair was still unbrushed, and her uniform a bit sloppy, but Orion
knew she preferred to deal with that after breakfast. The two sat in silence
for their quick meal, not a word said as they scarfed down their food as fast
as they politely could. Once they finished, they exchanged knowing glances and
wished each other good luck for the day ahead.
Orion briefly checked his watch,
which now read 6:48 am. He’d have 12 minutes to make it up to the third floor
of the palace to the first princess’s room before she woke up. “No problem,”
Orion smiled as he bolted through the palace halls with superhuman speed.
\\~~~\\ II //~~~//
Orion arrived at Princess Atlanta’s
bedroom door with nary a moment to spare. As he entered the room, the blonde
took a deep breath and put on his best serious face (Lady Aphros assured him
the princess loved it when he did that). The princess was already awake and
waiting for him in her favorite chair, still dressed in only her overly long
nightgown. She didn’t look up from her book as he walked in.
“Orion, you’re 30 seconds late,” she
said flatly.
“Apologies, Princess, there’s still
construction on the second floor after your sister’s escapade last week, so I
had to take the long way around,” Orion explained.
“Excuses, excuses,” the princess
kept her nose pressed into her book. “Brush my hair and prepare it for the day.
That charming tutor is coming by this afternoon to teach me, and I must look my
best.”
“Wouldn’t you prefer your maids to
handle that?” Orion inquired.
“They don’t know how to do it
right,” the princess replied, still refusing to part from her book.
“As you wish,” Orion bowed and moved
to perform the task. ‘Please don’t ask me to help you get dressed. Lady Aphros
nearly hung me from the rafters last time,’ the young man thought.
\\~~~\\
//~~~//
The princess’s breakfast came and went
peacefully. Afterward, Orion checked his watch. It was 7:44 am, which meant it
was time for Atlanta’s morning stroll. The servant dutifully led his lady to
the palace gardens, where they walked among its massive plants, trees, and
flowers for some time.
“Orion, the time,” the princess
inquired as she stopped dead in her tracks at a crossroad in the garden.
“It is 7:59 am, twelve seconds to
eight,” Orion answered.
“Of course,” Atlanta sighed as she
closed her eyes. “Three, two, one,” she counted down. At 8:00 am sharp, the
third princess, Irene, charged past them at full speed.
“Princess, not again!” Serena chased
after the runaway royal. The two disappeared around a corner, only for a
resounding crash to echo through the garden.
“Never change, sister dear,” Atlanta
shook her head while Orion turned his head to see if the other two were okay.
Serena came around the corner moments later, the third princess carried under
her arm. The child kicked and fought playfully as though their chase were part
of some elaborate game.
“Good day, Princess Atlanta,” Serena
bowed her head as she walked past. The first princess eyed the two as they
returned the way they came.
“Hmm,” Atlanta hummed.
“Is there a problem, princess?”
Orion bowed.
“Take me to my morning lessons,
Orion,” the princess ordered. “The fast way.”
“Are you sure that’s wise,
princess?” The young man asked. “You know that makes Lady Ze upset.”
“I don’t care,” Atlanta replied.
“As you wish,” Orion ceased his
argument.
\\~~~\\ III //~~~//
Orion’s watch read 8:12 am, a mere
thirteen minutes before the princess’s first lesson of the day. Normally,
reaching the chambers where the private lessons were held from the gardens
would take at least fifteen minutes at a decent walking pace. However, the
“fast way,” as the princess called it, would reduce that to less than three.
The teacher waited in the
comfortable chamber. A former sitting room painstakingly redecorated into a
one-on-one classroom. Complete with a chalkboard, mountains of books, and a
mahogany desk for the princess to sit at. The teacher drummed her fingers as
she stared out the open window, wondering how late Atlanta would arrive today.
That was until Orion leaped inside the window, the princess carried in his
arms.
“Sorry if I’m late, I-” The princess
began as she stepped onto the ground. “Lady Herme? Where’s that charming tutor
from up north?”
“And a good day to you, princess,”
Lady Herme adjusted her glasses. The woman had medium-length black hair, just a
few shades off from a dark navy blue. She certainly dressed the part of a
teacher with her conservative attire. However, the white lab coat thrown over a
nearby chair betrayed her true profession. “Apologies, but your new tutor had
to take a leave of absence this morning.”
“And why is that?” The princess
inquired, her eyes shifting into a glare.
“Your sister got to him first,
tackled him down a flight of stairs during her escapade yesterday,” Herme
explained. “Don’t worry, he’s already recovering in the infirmary and should be
back on his feet in a few days. In the meantime, I shall act as his substitute,
although I wouldn’t expect him to be eager to return.”
“Grrr,” the princess grumbled while
Orion tried his hardest to remain stoic. Although, that was quite difficult when
watching her make such an embarrassing and unladylike face.
“Now then, according to his lesson
plans, you last left off at advanced calculus. Is that correct?” Lady Herme
pulled out a massive math textbook.
“Grrrrhhhh,” Atlanta continued to seethe.
Orion could only sigh as he rechecked his watch, 8:17 am. It would be a long
lesson today, he could tell.
\\~~~\\
//~~~//
Orion found himself unconsciously
rechecking his watch, which read 11:12 am. The morning lessons had run a little
late. Lady Herme never skimped on the details in her teaching, much to the
princess’s frustration. Now the two found themselves out on the far side of the
palace, at the shooting range Atlanta frequented.
“The ten-gauge,” the princess
ordered her earmuffs around her neck.
“Are you certain, princess? Wouldn’t
you prefer something more elegant?” Orion proposed as he did every day. He knew
she would refuse, but he could always hope.
“You’re right, the super ten-gauge
then,” Atlanta declared.
“Super ten-gauge, my lady?” Orion
didn’t know what she was talking about.
“The big one, with two barrels,” the
princess explained simply.
“As…as you wish,” Orion gulped as he
retrieved the so-called “super ten-gauge” shotgun from the princess’s
collection of weapons. The behemoth of a gun dwarfed both youths. Orion
wondered if the princess could even lift it, let alone shoot it. “If you don’t
mind me asking, is super ten-gauge the weapon’s proper name, my princess?”
“Not exactly. It’s one of Chrona’s
creations, and I didn’t bother to remember the real name,” the princess
explained.
“One of General Chrona’s?” Orion
shivered. “Are you sure it’s wise to fire such a thing?”
“I don’t care,” Atlanta grumbled.
“Princess, it is my duty to ensure
your safety,” Orion reminded her. “I can’t in good conscience allow you to
handle such a dangerous device.”
“Save it,” the princess snatched the
weapon from her butler’s hands. By some miracle, she managed to wield the
oversized weapon quite well and even aim it at the nearest target.
“Princess, I must protest,” Orion
tried one last time to stop her.
“Shut it.” Atlanta snapped. “Oh, and
brace yourself. This is going to be loud.” Orion held his breath and his
earplugs as the princess pulled the trigger.
\\~~~\\ IV //~~~//
Orion checked his watch again, the
glass was cracked, but it still functioned fine enough. It read 12:32 pm, only
thirteen minutes before the princess’s preferred lunchtime. Alas, that would
have to wait a little longer. The “super ten-gauge” certainly lived up to its
name, although it sounded more like a cannon than a shotgun. So much so that
the entire royal guard flooded into the shooting range, thinking someone had
attacked the palace. Which led to their current situation.
Lady Ze scolded the princess for
being so careless as to use one of Chrona’s inventions, especially inside the
palace walls. Orion was certain Lady Ze was making excellent points. Alas,
neither he nor Atlanta could hear a word the guard captain was saying. Being so
close to the weapon firing had rendered the two temporarily deaf. The ringing
in their ears was far louder than any yelling Ze could do.
It was not until 1:17 pm that the
princess was finally given time to sit down for lunch at one of the tables by
the garden. However, despite Orion presenting her with her usual favorites,
Atlanta seemed to have lost her appetite. The butler thought about how best to
approach this situation, mainly concerning the princess’s foul mood.
“Princess, shall I-?” Orion began.
“No,” Atlanta rubbed her ears. She
hadn’t quite shaken off the ringing in them yet.
“But I didn’t even-” Orion tried to
reply.
“No!” Atlanta snapped. “Quit trying
to cheer me up.”
“As you wish,” the blonde youth
sighed. ‘She always gets like this when the slightest thing goes wrong.
Considering the course this day has taken, she’s been remarkably pleasant.
Relatively speaking.’
“This has been the most unpleasant,
wasteful, and stupid afternoon I’ve had in a while,” the princess grumbled. “If
only something exciting would come by and reinvigorate it.”
“Princess, you know better than to
say that out loud,” Orion warned.
“Of course I do. Why do you think
I’m doing it?” Atlanta shot him a smug smile.
‘Oh dear,’ Orion sighed again as he
looked to the sky. “It seems you’ll get your wish, my princess.”
“Oh, what is it? A visitor from
another world? Monster have invaded the garden?” The princess beamed with
excitement.
“No, but I think it would be best if
we moved,” Orion gently lifted the princess out of her chair.
“Why?”
“No time to talk,” Orion hoisted the
princess off her feet and jumped away from their table. Mere moments later, a
small hovercraft crashed into the area, leaving a crater. The backdoors were
busted open from the inside, revealing Serena carrying the young princess,
Irene.
“Let’s go again, let’s go again!”
The third princess eagerly shouted.
“Apologies, Princess, that is a
request I cannot grant,” Serena stated, the imprint of an airbag on her face.
“That’s what I get for opening my big
mouth,” Atlanta sighed.
“Shall we go see if they’re alright,
my princess?” Orion inquired.
“Nah, they’re fine. I’d rather be
clear of here before the royal guard arrives,” the princess insisted.
“As you wish,” Orion carried the
princess away.
\\~~~\\ V //~~~//
3:03 pm, Orion found himself guiding
the princess through the lower halls of the castle. Atlanta made a point to
avoid her afternoon and evening classes while Orion was simply along for the
ride.
4:22 pm, the two hid themselves
among the massive bookshelves of the royal library. Atlanta snuck peeks at all
the adult novels while Orion watched for Lady Herme or one of the librarians.
The princess’s mood had improved significantly, and the butler found himself
smiling at the sight.
5:47 pm, dinner fast approached, but
Atlanta decided she didn’t want to explain to her mother why she skipped out on
all her evening lessons. Thus, she had Orion sneak out of the palace and grab a
meal from the nearest place he could find. The young man could only find a
cheap burger joint that catered to the palace workers. Atlanta didn’t care, and
the two ate their dinner among the palace rafters.
Orion checked his watch, and the
cracked face displayed 6:31 pm. The princess’s curfew was at seven. While it
was more of a formality, the rule was usually only stretched when she was with
someone like Lady Aphros or performing an official function. Running off with
her butler to do heaven knows what was neither of those things. It was only a
matter of time before someone came looking for them and shepherded the princess
back to her quarters.
“Orion…thank you,” the princess
stated out of nowhere as she stared into empty space.
“Princess?” Orion was surprised by
her sudden thanks.
“I was not acting my best this
morning. I was being spoiled…childish even,” the princess admitted. “Yet, you
diligently stayed by my side, even as I ignored your warnings and advice.”
“Princess, I was merely doing my
job,” Orion assured. “And you shouldn’t say such things about yourself.”
“Well, just try and stop me then,”
Atlanta laughed. “You know,” she sighed, “Mother gave me far more freedom when
I was Irene’s age. She even let me play soldier and the like.”
“Is that the ‘pretty soldier
dress-up’ her royal highness speaks of so fondly?” Orion inquired.
“Please don’t say that again. In
fact, forget you ever heard her say that. Royal orders,” Atlanta grumbled.
“As you wish,” Orion bowed.
“As I was saying,” Atlanta resumed
her previous thought, “Mother gave me so much more freedom back then. I feel
like I squandered it, not knowing what I had.”
Orion picked up on something in the
princess’s intentions, and a question bubbled to the surface of his mind. “Is
there something you’d like to do about that, my princess?”
“Perhaps it’s time to stop playing,”
Atlanta declared. “Tomorrow, I shall ask my mother for permission, and perhaps
I may finally begin my journey to adulthood.”
“Princess, what are you going to
do?” Orion was bewildered.
“You’ll see,” she smiled at him.
Orion felt a warm jolt through his heart. He suddenly felt so proud of his
princess.
“Until then,” the princess leaped to
her feet, “I wish to spend this night as a child. And Orion, you shall be my
companion. What do you say?”
“To the ends of the Earth, my
princess,” Orion bowed. The two raced off into that night, burning the midnight
oil till the dead of the night.
\\~~~\\ VI //~~~//
Orion groggily checked his watch.
The cracked device read 2:37 am, and the butler let out a great yawn. His
escapade with the princess was wonderful, but now he could only pray that Lady
Aphros or the Queen would take it all in good humor. If not, he was prepared to
assume the brunt of responsibility for the whole situation. Although deep down,
he knew that Aphros would never let him take the fall for this.
The blonde youth turned the corner
of the familiar hall where his bedroom lay. Sitting in a borrowed chair in
front of his door was Serena. Orion crossed his fingers, hoping his peer hadn’t
stayed up all night waiting for him.
“And where have you been, young
man?” Serena joked, although her exhaustion was apparent.
“Alas, I have not the energy nor the
capacity to make a bald-faced lie,” Orion admitted. “I was with Princess
Atlanta. She wished to enjoy this night as a child before embarking on some
self-appointed goal.”
“So that’s what you were doing on
the rafters,” the raven-haired girl giggled.
“Y-you know about that?” Orion was
taken aback.
“Everyone knows about that,” Serena
revealed. “Rumor has it you spirited the princess away tonight for a night of
passion.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Orion’s foggy brain didn’t have enough power left to process the allegory.
“The other maids were practically
tripping over themselves to deliver the news to Lady Aphros and, by extension,
the Queen,” Serena explained.
“Oh no, her Highness must be
furious,” Orion felt a tinge of panic.
“Furious?” Serena chuckled. “Aphros
told me the Queen was laughing so hard she couldn’t breathe.”
“Wha?” Orion missed the joke.
“Poor, sweet, innocent Orion,”
Serena quoted. “That’s what Aphros always says, right?”
“Wait,” Orion’s exhausted brain
finally caught up with the flow of the conversation. “People didn’t think
that…Serena, how could I ever do such a thing with the princess? That would be
improper, a violation of my duties, a-!”
“I get it,” Serena laughed as she
stood up, grabbed her chair, and moved toward her room. “Lady Aprhos thinks you
have a chance,” was the last thing Serena said before disappearing back into her
room.
“Honestly, the nerve of some
people,” Orion sighed. “No point in dwelling on it. I’ve got a long day
tomorrow and no time to sleep.” The young man entered his room and prepared for
bed. He checked his watch one last time before lying down. It read 2:49 am,
only a couple hours of sleep at best. But Orion didn’t care. He had a job to
do, and he’d do it. He’d work until he collapsed if he had to, or more likely,
work until Lady Aphros scolded him into taking a break. With that last thought,
he slipped into sleep. When he awoke, he’d be ready for whatever the day had in
store for him. That’s just how the young man was.
\\~~~\\ VII //~~~//
The next day, Princess Atlanta
enjoyed a cup of tea with Lady Aphros. She had a great deal to prepare for, and
Aphros was a good start for advice. However, before the princess could even
broach the subject, Aphros asked her a question first.
“So, Princess, how was your date
with Orion last night?” Aphros inquired. Atlanta replied with a spit-take.
“Lady Aphros, it’s not like that,”
the princess replied. “Don’t believe those ridiculous rumors. He’s my butler
and nothing more.”
‘Dammit,’ the noble muttered under
her breath. ‘And after all that work to get that blockhead of a tutor out of
the way too.’
“What was that?” Atlanta asked.
“Nothing, Dear,” Aphros smiled.
May This Fantasy Continue A Little
Longer…
>>>~~~~<<<
Good timekeeping is integral to keeping on top of your work schedule, but things often don't proceed as planned.
Author's Note: And here it is, the bonus chapter and end of what I'll call Volume 1 of Maid in Fantasy. This short is important as it is the piece that confirmed for me I wanted to make MiF into a full series rather than just a multi-part short story. It was fun to write and I still enjoy rereading it.
As for the story itself, it's almost completely from Orion's perspective, giving us more insight into his mindset. He's a mostly static character, with others changing around him as he acts as an observer. I actually really enjoy writing Orion's internal thoughts as it's really easy to make jokes about him being either oblivious or being too nice for his own good. The motif of constantly checking his watch was an easy through line to place into the narrative, as it would make sense for a meticulous person like Orion to always keep a tight track of time.
Lastly, as for changes from the original, I adjusted some of the princess's dialogue during her epiphany, mostly to reflect where I plan to go with the story now. But the biggest change was the ending, switching out the Queen for Lady Aphros. Again another change to reflect where I'm going with the story now, mixed with a little Characterization Marches On. It also didn't make sense for the Queen to be scheming to have Atlanta and Orion grow closer, Aphros on the other hand, she's been show to be a schemer, manipulator and full of ulterior motives.
Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy.
