MA: hey peeps. been a while since i posted anything here. well, i'm back with some more pearlshipping goodness. i got inspired to write this fic from a romance novel on amazon i read a few months back, called "Maid for Majesty". if you can ignore the editing and historical inaccuracies, it's a pretty good read. so if you are interested, go over and buy a copy. i do hope you all enjoy this and if i get enough reviews, i'll definitely work on chapter two. so without further adieu, ON WITH THE FIC!
MAID FOR THE PRINCE
CHAPTER ONE
Dawn Berlizt sat alone in her small bed in the servants quarters, thumbing through her copy of the Index of Legendary Pokemon as she waited for the early bell to ring for service time. This was one of the few times she could enjoy a nice bit of reading before the stresses of being a maid in the service of lady Ursula. Very few people in the mansion knew that she could read, as well as write and she preferred to keep it that way. Dawn kept her head down when it came to getting the attention of the cruel young mistress of the manor.
Ursula was known to be vain and barbarous in equal measure, especially to girls of a similar age to her, which Dawn was. She would find any reason to whip or "punish" members of the staff, male or female. The only ones who could seem to quell her outbursts of abusive rage were her parents and her older brother, Conrad.
The lord and lady of the house of Corvis were barely around these days. Always off on some adventure to seek greater wealth and glory for their family, so very little was expected of them. Conrad was another story. Dawn shivered as she thought of the bespectacled master of the household. He had always had an eye for her, since the day she moved in over 2 years. No major sexual advances but the way he leered at her and commented about her deep blue hair didn't endear her to him. She feared deep down that his comments wouldn't just stay comments for long.
Her thoughts were broken up by the sound of the bell in the quarters. It was time to go to work. Hurriedly, she placed the book under her pillow and scurried to her feet, smoothing out her maid's uniform as she did. Everyone knew well enough not to be late when it was time for work to be done.
Outside of the quarters, she saw the rest of the serving staff fill into the main hall. The butlers, maid, cleaners, and various others in the service of house Corvis were dutifully filing into line as the head butler of the estate, mr. Deeds stood at the head of the group.
"Settle down, now," he commanded in his old but dignified voice. "Now, that we are all here, let's get down to business." he gestured to the job board next to him. "In case you weren't informed, in approximately 2 nights, Lady Ursula will be hosting a party for his royal highness, prince Ash. As such, we will present to his majesty a clean and orderly house. So, until the night of the party, we shall endeavor to clean this house from top to bottom. Your jobs for the day can be found on the board. And no slacking!"
Mr. Deeds casually walked away as the staff assembled by the board to see where they were assigned. Dawn held back a bit from the crowd, alongside another of the maids, a blonde haired woman named Karen. After the crowd had thinned out a bit, the two young maids made their way over and scanned it for their names.
"Yes!" exclaimed Karen. "I got the dress closets!"
"Lucky you," said Dawn. "That's easy work."
"What about you, Dawn?"
The bluette searched for her name and her assigned task. Once she found it, she deflated upon seeing where she had to clean. "I got the music room."
Karen paled upon hearing her answer and gently rubbed her back. "Oh love. I'm so sorry."
Dawn sighed. "I don't see why we even have to clean it. I doubt the prince would want to even see the music room. Waste of time, that is."
"Nothing doing, hun. You know how thorough old man Deeds is. 'Everything has to be clean, even if no one sees it.'" she said, doing her best Deeds impression. It did enough to lighten her mood a bit, despite the arduous task ahead of her.
"He would say that, wouldn't he?" The girls had nothing really bad to say about mr. Deeds. He was an old hand when it came to general maintenance. He was a hardass and stickler for proper edicate but he was a teddy bear compared to Ursula and Conrad.
"Sooner we start, sooner we finish," said Karen.
"You got a point. Guess I better hit it."
"How about this? If I finish early, I'll swing by and see if I can help you finish up."
"Oh you don't have to do that, Karen."
"Come off it, hun. What are friends for?"
Dawn gave her friend a hug for her gesture. "Thanks. And hopefully, I'll have time to stop in town when I'm done."
"Again?" she said, aghast at her friend's plans. "Dawn, you're gonna get caught one of these days."
Dawn smirked at her. "No need to worry. If they hadn't noticed before, they won't notice now."
_
The music room was a horror to clean to everyone on staff. And that primarily due to lord Conrad. He was a intelligent young man but he had two qualities that made him a nightmare to clean up after: he was a terrible drunk and he fancied himself a master musician. Key words: fancied himself. Thanks to lord Corvis' insistence on the tutors of his child not offer them any proper criticism, young Conrad thought he was a prodigy in the field of music, when in reality, he was absolutely horrid at any instrument you put in front of him.
Even moreso, when he was drunk. He and his friends tended to indulge in a lot of drink whenever they got together. Once a week, he would invite his friends over, drink some very old and very expensive bourbon, file into the music room and "attempt" to play music. Soon it would devolve into a drunken mess of a party, filled with swears, terrible singing and even more terrible playing. And last night was one of those nights.
Dawn shook her head as she entered said room. Normally, the music room was one of the best looking rooms in the manor. But now, not so much. Half empty bottles of liquor littered the floor. Hastily written sheet music were stuck to the wall. Food and drink stains dotted the carpet and wallpaper. The various high class instruments, many of them costing more than she would ever make in a lifetime of work, were covered in dirt, spit and vomit. If a world class instrument maker were to see this room, they would die of shock outright.
The only positive thing about it all is the fact that Conrad would be sleeping off that massive hangover he would most likely be nursing. Meaning he wouldn't be leaving his room for the rest of the day and thus wouldn't be bothering her. She was thankful for small miracles.
Dawn had enough experience to know how to clean the instruments without damaging them. Well, more so than they already were. Starting on the floors, she tried to clean up the stains as best as she could before moving on to the walls. She found a few vomit soaked towels under the tables and chairs which she just decided to throw out. No amount of washing would save those. There was a table containing a line of vases of varying sizes and shapes, one of which was small enough to fit in her dress pocket. Perfect for her needs. Ursula was used to getting various baubles and gifts from her friends and admirers from all over the empire. The thing was she enjoyed getting them rather than keeping them. She had so many, she never kept track of how many she had, which made stealing them very easy for Dawn. the smaller one were not only easy to take but also least likely to be noticed. She made a note to pocket that particular one when she finished.
She was halfway done when she heard the door open and a voice chimed him. "Dear arceus! That brother of mine makes a mess."
Dawn turned to meet the source of the voice, the lady of the manor, Ursula. She stalked into the room, wearing her black and white day dress, with her small cup of "tea" in hand. Her stare was mocking and full of spite as she smiled menacingly at Dawn. The blue haired maid stopped her cleaning and did as she was trained to do and curtsied at the girl. She had no respect for her but it was the way things were. She didn't want to give the pink haired noble a reason to be angry with her, lest she taste the lash again. Ursula was quick to punish any mistake or perceived slight with physical violence. 2 years ago, when she first started working there, she made the mistake of serving the vile heiress fried eggs instead of scrambled and thus earned a slap and a horrific whipping from her in the dining room. Her back still ached from the lashing. So she made it a point to not do anything that could make her upset.
It also didn't help that Ursula was jealous as she was vain. She hated anyone who even seemed halfway as pretty as she was. The female maids were often the targets of her pettiness, as she would always strike their faces so they were bruised and swollen. And Dawn seemed to be a favorite target of hers.
"I greet the lady of the house," she said with practiced civility.
"This room looks gastly!" she sneered, spilling drops of "tea" on the floors Dawn just cleaned. "How long have you been cleaning this room?"
"Since 10 am, ma'am."
"It certainly doesn't look like it. You must have been lazing about while everyone else was doing actual work," she spoke, completely ignoring all the work Dawn had done.
Dawn could only bite her tongue, trying not to correct her assumption. "Does the room not meet your standards, my lady?"
"Of course not, you idiot! You had best get to work and clean this room properly before the party. I don't want to make a bad impression on his majesty due to your incompetence."
"As you say, my lady."
She spilled more of her drink on the desks and chairs as she began to swoon a bit. "Ahh prince Ash. a marvelous specimen of royalty if there was one."
"Do you….like the prince, my lady?"
"Of course! It's only natural. He is the heir to the throne. Every noble woman from here to cinnabar wants to be wed to him. But then again, none of them hold a candle to me. Who knows? If my charms work, this time next year, i'll be moving into Pallet Palace as his betrothed," she proclaimed as if it was a foregone conclusion.
Dawn had to fight herself from laughing out loud. She had never met the prince but she was sure he wouldn't be interested in an abusive shrew such as her. But she had to play her part. "Then i wish you all the luck, my lady."
"Luck is for losers such as you, Dawn," she spoke. "I don't even know why my brother even looks your way. Nothing but common trash."
"I have no desires for your brother, my lady." That part was at least true.
"Good. keep it that way. Conrad can do so much better than a dirty maid." Ursula then casually poured out the remains of her drink on to the floor with a evil smirk. "Now, CLEAN this room or face your punishment again." and with that, the ogress of a woman exited the room.
"Prideful bitch!" she spat once she was alone. It was times like these that Dawn never felt bad about stealing from her employers. In fact, she didn't even wait to pocket the small vase from the desk before getting back to cleaning duties. At least she could look forward to seeing Ursula make a total fool of herself on the night of the party.
It was 4pm when Dawn made her way to beckler street on the edge of Viridian City. She always made sure to wear a hood over her face so that no one would see her going about her business. Why? Because beckler street was home to a row of pawn shops. There were tons of them all over the city but Beckler's shops were best for those who don't want a lot of questions to be asked. She was something of a regular sight here since she started working for house Corvis and the shop owners knew of how she acquired her wares.
She entered the second to the last shop on the left and was greeted by a friendly voice. "Little Dawn! Welcome!'' The voice belonged to the owner of the shop, Dr. birch. He was a large, rotund man in his mid-40s. A warm grin surrounded by a brown beard was as welcoming to the young lady as a warm cup of tea on a cold winter day.
"Afternoon, doctor," she replied, waving to him as she walked in.
"It's been a while since you came around, dear."
"Sorry," she said, "been a busy few days."
Dr. Birch nodded. "Yeah. I heard about the party. So lady Ursula figures she could bat her eyes and bag herself a prince?"
Dawn laughed. "Oh you should've seen how she was acting. Poor girl thinks she'll be the next empress or something."
"Ha! She is as ambitious as she is arrogant. I may not have met the prince but I know for certain that she won't get anywhere near the throne."
"Try telling her that."
The shop owner gave a large belly laugh. "You have a good point, dear. Now, I know you didn't walk all the way here from Corvis to chat about that mess of a lady, now did you?"
Dawn shook her head as she reached into her bag. "You know me too well. I hope you like this one." she handed him the purloin vase, with no same amount of pride for having once again stolen from Ursula.
Birth gave a cursory exam of the item before pulling out a small magnifying glass from a nearby draw. He hummed to himself as he made mental notes about the quality of the vase. "This one's a beauty!" he announced. "Look like it's from Honen. Maybe…76 years old. No cracks or blemishes."
"That's good. It's from the music room."
He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "I assume it's a victim of one of Conrad's musical parties?"
"Right on your first try."
The older man shook his head. "I don't even wanna imagine how bad this looked before you cleaned it."
"Good choice. So how much can you give me?"
Dr. Birch spent another minute looking over the object before he gave her an answer. "Hmmmm. I think I can give you about 200."
Dawn's eyes widened. "Really? It's worth that much?"
"Normally I'd give out 150 but considering that you are practically family, I think you deserve a bit more."
"Doctor, you don't have to-" she started.
"Nonsense," he waved her off. "You've been coming here since you were a child. Besides, dealing with the Corvis siblings deserves a fair bit of extra compensation."
The blue haired maid smiled at his kindness. "Thank you, Doctor. I'll put this money to good use."
"I know you will, Dawn dear." the older gentleman reached under the counter and retrieved a small safe. After putting in the combination,he opened it, revealing a notably pile of gold coins. Dr. Birch counted out the agreed upon sum and placed it in a small bag, which he handed to the girl. "The bank closes in about an hour, so I won't keep you."
"Thanks again, doctor. I'll try to see if I can find something a bit better for you next time."
"Just don't go overboard," he advised. "Just because you haven't been caught yet doesn't mean you won't get caught ever."
"No need to worry," she replied, giving him a reassuring grin as she headed for the exit.
"That's when I worry most."
"Thanks for worrying. Say hi to your wife for me."
"I will. Take care."
And with that, Dawn left the pawn shop and returned to the streets, which were now wet from a sudden downpour of rain. She was thankful she wore her hooded cloak for times like this and not just to hide her face from anyone she might know.
Hiding.
It's something Dawn was always good at, since she's had to do it in one form or another for many years. And all because of her mother. Her memories of her were scant, due to her passing away when she was just a little girl. But her earliest memories were just moving around from place to place, hiding themselves from some unseen enemy that her mother was certain meant them harm.
The image of her thin and drained mother popped into her head as she headed towards the bank. It stood in contrast to how the public remembered her: St. Johanna, the shining jewel of Kanto. There wasn't a day that went by that she didn't hear someone talk of her or see some kind of painting or sculpture of her. It didn't annoy her or anything. It was just so jarring to see her seen like that when the reality of it was much different. All she had left of her mother was this small account in this bank under a fake name and a bit of advice she told her an hour before she died: "tell no one of who you are ''.
That's how Dawn had lived since she was 8. Living on the edge of society and in the servant class. She didn't enjoy stealing from her employers. She just needed something to fall back on because there would come a day when she would no longer be needed. She'd be out on the streets with nothing to her name. That's why this account was important to her. Even with the generous amount of money she had gotten today, it was still not enough to count as a "nest egg". She at least wanted enough to buy a cottage and maybe a little plot of earth for growing something. Who knows? She might even be able to buy a pokemon or two. But that was far in the future. She needed to worry about the now.
Her routine was so set that she had finished depositing money into her account and made her way back to the manor before she even knew it. The rain had slacked up enough that it wasn't an issue on the return trip.
She made her way into the communal dining room where the serving staff ate. It was sparsely populated at the moment but there were a few friendly faces. Namely, karen and their other friend of Sinnoh, Barry.
"Dawn, you're late!" yelled the excitable blonde boy. "I should fine you for keeping us waiting."
"Barry, we don't get paid," corrected Karen. "What would she give you?"
"I don't know but when I figure it out, you'll be the first to know."
Dawn couldn't help but laugh. Barry was one of the few friends she had in the manor. Mainly due to the fact that they both hailed from her home region of Sinnoh. He was a bit hyperactive but he was an honest and forthright friend. "So how did it go?" asked Karen.
"Better than average. Dr. Birch gave me more for the vase than i expected," answered Dawn as she sat down next to the pair.
"I'm just glad you haven't been caught yet," said Barry, taking a bite of his bread roll. "If Ursula wasn't such a vain brat or Conrad being a drunken perv, they would've caught on years ago."
"Well, don't jinx the poor girl. Any little bit will help."
"That's true. Besides, with how busy we are gonna be for this damn party, I doubt I'll have the time or the energy to make these little trips."
"Tell me about it. Old man Deeds had me brush down the Rhyhorns for hours today. And the prince probably wouldn't even see them, unless Ursula wants to dance with them."
"I know the feeling," Dawn said, letting out a tired sigh. "All this, just to get the attention of some prince."
"Some prince?!" Karen exclaimed as she and Barry looked at their friend as if she had grown another head. "Sweetie, this isn't just some prince. This is Prince Ash we are talking about. The hero of the orange island wars."
"I read all about it!" said Barry. "He took down an entire platoon of soldiers by himself! The guy's a bonafide war hero!"
Dawn's face didn't seem convinced of his claims. "I'm not so sure. You know how nobles are. He probably didn't do much and took credit for the deeds of his bodyguards."
"I wouldn't be so sure," added Karen. "Considering the kind of man the emperor is, it wouldn't be a surprise for his son to be a beast on the battlefield."
"I'll believe it when I see it."
"Not to mention that he is unbelievably handsome." Karen's eyes glazed over as she thought of the prince in question.
Dawn was not one for pinning over the attentions of a man. The last person she was intimate with was her best friend Kenny but she hadn't seen him in years and he wasn't exactly a stud in the looks department. All she could do was roll her eyes at her friend's mental drooling. "Don't be too surprised if he looks nothing like his pictures. Probably a lot shorter and uglier than you know."
"Why are you so against him?" asked Karen.
"I have nothing against him," she explained. "I'm just being realistic. Nobles are arrogant like that and the prince could be no different."
"Not a fan eh?" asked Barry.
"Just saying you'll never see me swooning over a prince like everyone else."
_
"You all have your jobs and assigned places for the party. You will show every guest the utmost respect. And remember your manners and training. I don't need to remind you all that we are serving the future emperor, so I expect nothing less than absolute perfection! Am I understood?" Mr. Deeds commanded the assembled staff. A chorus of "yes sirs" replied back as if he were a general preparing to lead his army into glorious battle. "Excellent. We already have guests arriving, so we will attend to them first. His highness and his entourage will be arriving soon. Return to your tasks and be ready when he gets here. Dismissed."
At last, it was the night of the party. The two days leading up to it were a whirlwind of excitement and draining work. Thankfully for Dawn, Ursula was too busy primping herself and buying new dresses to really mess with her, so she got a lot of her work done. She felt tired but not so much that she would want to miss this party. Not because of any loyalty to her employers but because of curiosity.
Ever since her conversation with her two friends in the common room, part of her was curious about a certain prince. Dawn was aware of Prince Ash to a degree. She had read all the stories in the papers about his exploits in the orange island wars, as well as other articles: sports achievements, social pages, news of who he might be courting, etc. but she wasn't aware of the sheer amount of admiration that people of her class had for him. It was boardline hero worship to her. But it made a bit of sense. The Ketchum house, the ruling dynasty of the Kanto empire, were known to produce not just great warriors but great leaders as well. The current emperor was no exception to this. She remembered all the stories she used to hear about the "emperor of war" doing some insane deed of daring and martial prowess. He was a beast of war, simple as that. Maybe his son is just like him.
"Well, let's go greet the prince," she told Karen.
Karen looked as giddy as a child on Christmas morning. "Just try to stop me."
Dawn cracked a smile as she followed her friend, along with the other maids to the entrance to the manor. The etiquette for greeting guests is for the maid to present themselves to the guest, making a show of sorts. It was to say to the guests that they were at their beck and call for the evening. They had done it a few times earlier that night for the lesser nobles who arrived early. Dawn didn't know most of them and didn't care to. Many of them were old men who brought their daughters along in hopes of catching the prince's eye. It was high society pimping and Dawn hated seeing it. But it wasn't her place to say anything. She was just the help.
Dawn and Karen, along with almost all of the maid, stood along the edges of the massive red carpet that stretched from the foray to the front door, which was wide open. All of them had to be on their best behavior for incoming VIPs. After a few more minutes, Conrad and Ursula arrived to greet the upcoming guests. Ursula sported an overly ornate pink and black ball gown with matching shoes. Her face was caked in gaudy make-up that made her look like a mr. mime. At least to Dawn's eyes. Conrad stood next to her in a new outfit, consisting of a green overcoat, white undershirt and the fanciest dancing shoes she had ever seen. The pair really went overboard to impress tonight but they still looked foolish. But again, she was the help. She couldn't say.
Just then, the sound of trumpets filled the air outside. They heralded the arrival of the prince and his royal entourage. Ursula glared at all the maids. "On your best behavior! If any of you mess this up, you will be punished!" she stared directly at Dawn when she made that last threat, almost as if she was saving it solely for her.
"And please, have a good time tonight, Miss Dawn," Conrad said, pushing up his glasses as he gazed at her. The bluette felt like a ekans slithered up her leg. She did not miss the young lord's creepiness towards her. She was thankful to never be alone in a room with him. Who knows what he was capable of if she was in that situation.
Shaking off the slimy feeling of his eyes on her, Dawn followed everyone else's eyes as they viewed the approach of the royal procession. A line of 10 carriages rolled into the courtyard in front of the manor, all pulled by pairs of well trained tauroses. Flanking on either side of the carriages were well dressed but very well armed guards, all riding brilliant ponytas, matching in step with each other. All eyes were drawn to the lead carriage, covered in ornate motifs of the 3 legendary birds of Kanto, all colored gold and richly decorated. It was easy to tell who occupied it.
The procession came to a halt as the mounted guard jumped off their respective pokemon and took defensive positions between the carriage and the manor entrance. The footman leapt from the driver's perch and landed on his feet. Smoothing out his uniform, he took the handle of the carriage door and opened it with a bow. 3 men exited the vehicle: two young men and one older gentleman. One of the younger ones strode forward while the other two trailed behind him. There was no doubt who he was.
The prince entered the manor where he was met by the Corvis siblings. Ursula and Conrad bent the knee to him and spoke a greeting in practiced unison. "WE GREET TO YOU, SON OF THE EMPEROR, HEIR TO THE THRONE AND FUTURE OF OUR EMPIRE, PRINCE ASH!"
The prince raised his gloved hand, bidding them both stand. "I accept your greeting and your hospitality."
"By Arceus!" Karen whispered to Dawn. "The prince is handsomer than I could've imagined."
On this, Dawn had to disagree with her dear friend.
Price Ash was not handsome.
He was drop dead gorgeous.
His clothing was regal in every way the word meant. A red dress uniform with white trim. His chest was covered in a few medals, most likely granted to him for his deeds in the orange island wars. Pure white gloves covered his elegant but strong looking hands. A white sash surrounded his waste, acting as a belt to hold up his finely tailored trousers. Brown boots, cut from the finest leather in the empire, covered his feet. And to top it all off, draped across his shoulders like a cap was a large black coat, trimmed in gold and sporting the crests of the house of Ketchum and the royal insignia of the Kanto empire.
But his outfit was just the appetizer. His face was the main course. A handsome, boyish face with small sprinkles of experience dotted about it. Jet black hair that seemed messy but worked well for his face. A kind, bright smile, full of shining white teeth. And his eyes, so brown that it looked like someone plucked out his eyes, dipped them in pure milk chocolate and shoved them back in. by now, Dawn was regretting her words from a few days ago. The prince was every bit the adonis the newspapers said he was.
He was talking to the siblings. About what, she did not know nor did she care. All she could do was marvel at this gift from Arceus.
Then, he turned his head and looked right at her. Brown met blue. Blue met brown. And in that moment, it felt as if the rest of the world fell away and it was only just them. A handsome prince and a simple maid. He smiled at her. Dawn wanted to look away but she was too enraptured by him to do much of anything.
So enamored by him as she was, that she didn't notice that all the other maids were bowing to him. All but herself. And she didn't even notice when the prince walked right up to her, staring straight into her eyes. Her daze was broken when he actually spoke to her. "Normally, it is customary for the maid staff to bow to him. Is this some sort of new custom I am unfamiliar with?"
Dawn snapped out of her enamored state to quickly look around. She was the only one not bowing to Prince Ash. Karen glanced up at her, looking as if she was about to see her best friend die. Ursula gave her a death glare that could put a gyarados to shame. Conrad looked very embarrassed. But strangely still, Ash's words didn't seem hostile or insulting. He didn't appear angry that this lone maid hadn't greeted him properly. Instead, he just looked at her with amused interest, which only made her glow more red than she already was.
"YOU STUPID GIRL!" roared Ursula as she stomped over to the prince's side. "How dare you insult his royal highness!" her voice turned sickeningly sweet when she began to speak to Ash. "i'm so sorry, your highness. This one isn't very smart and she tends to make a lot of mistakes." Dawn suppressed the urge to throttle the girl until she was a blubbering mess. "I assure you, she will be severely punished for this insul-"
Ash once again raised his gloved hand, silencing the noble from continuing on her tirade. But all the while, he never broke eye contact from the blue haired maid. "It's quite alright," he said, "Mistakes happen. We're only human. I'm sure this young lady can curtsy to me properly. You…..can do that, can't you?"
Taking this chance to redeem herself, Dawn quickly grabbed the edges of her skirt and gave a quick but well executed curtsy. "I greet you, your highness."
Ash's grin grew wider and brighter at her action. "See? She can do it. So there is no need for punishment." Ursula was seething. She knew she couldn't say or do anything in front of the prince, especially when she was trying to worm her way into his heart and his bed. So she had no choice but to let it go. "But I have a better way for you to make it up to me, miss…..?"
"Dawn, your highness."
"Dawn….that's a nice name." She wasn't sure why but the way he said her name made Dawn feel warm inside, like eating a nice hearty soup on a winter's evening. She wanted him to say her name again. In one swift elegant motion, Ash removed his black coat and laid it neatly in his arms. "Now Miss Dawn, can I trust you to take my coat to the coat room safely?"
Blushing furiously, she took the article from Ash, treating it as if it were a newborn baby. "Of course, your highness."
"Good. then i can expect it back by the end of the night when you see me out for the evening."
"If that is what you wish, highness."
"I do wish it, miss Dawn," he said with an unmistakable smoothness that nearly turned her knees into pudding.
"Then I shall see you out at the end of the party, highness," she replied, trying hard not to swoon.
"Now, with that settled, please show me more of this manor of yours, Lady Ursula. The evening is young and I intend to enjoy myself."
A hungry smile erupted on her face as the pink haired noble gleefully took Ash's arm and guided him down the hallway. "It would be my pleasure, your highness," she said, casting a proud gaze of triumph at Dawn.
"You did well to save yourself from embarrassment, Dawn. but then again, you are always very capable," said Conrad, hungrily gandering at her before following the prince and his sister into the foyer.
"That guy is such a charmer. He just doesn't realize how good he is."
Dawn jumped a bit at the new voice next to her. It was from the other young man accompanying prince Ash. he was dressed similarly to him but lacking in as many medals. She knew he wasn't a royal. Prince Ash was an only child, so she assumed he was either an advisor or a knight. "Forgive me for not noticing you, sir," she said, trying to curtsy to him, which was hard since she was still in possession of Ash's coat.
The crimson haired man waved her off. "No need for that. I'm no royal."
"I'm sorry. Forgive me, my lord."
A clever smirk emerged on his face as he watched the maid's reactions. "You're a fun one, aren't you?" he said before removing his own coat. "Since you are heading to the coat room, mind taking mine as well? Don't worry. You won't have to see me out."
"Please, my lord," she said. The young man placed his coat in her arms, grinning all the while. "Are you with anyone, my lord?"
"I'm with him," he answered, gesturing towards prince Ash further up the hall. "But not in that way. I could honestly do better than him." This caused the maid to let out a laugh.
The older gentleman appeared next to the young knight, having observed the entire scene play out from afar. Dawn had seen quite a number of older nobles but this one seemed very different. He has this warm, welcoming vibe about him that made her want to make him a cake and hug him dearly. "Come along, Gary," he spoke in a voice that was rich with sage wisdom and understanding. "We will need to catch up with his highness. I fear Lady Ursula might rip his arm off, with the way she's clinging to him."
"Good point, grandpa. See you around." and with that, the pair casually walked off to aid the prince in dealing with the handsy noble lady. Once they left, the maids all filed out of their positions and began to make their way to their assigned duties.
"Dawn, you are so lucky!" exclaimed Karen.
"What are you talking about?" asked Dawn.
"The prince talked to you! I can't believe that!"
"Only because I made a fool of myself."
"True but he still spoke to you in that luscious voice of his." the blonde maid let out a wistful sigh. "I'd make a fool of myself 100 times over if prince Ash would talk to me for a minute. And don't you dare say you didn't feel anything when he spoke to you. I could see your face. You were redder than a charizard's ass."
Dawn blushed again in embarrassment at her comment. "Fine. you were right. He is…..pretty charming," she admitted, her eyes lingering on the vanishing form of the prince. "Those eyes of his. They were…disarming. And the way he shut down Ursula like that. I wish he were around more."
"See? Even you aren't immune to it. And you get to see him out later."
"Probably not," said Dawn. "he won't even remember me. I'm just a maid."
"A maid who he asked to take his coat."
"A maid is just a maid. And speaking of, I gotta take these coats to the room and get to my table. I don't want old man Deeds to lose his shit."
"Good idea. I gotta hit the kitchen before they really start cooking." Karen waved to her friend as the two women split up to perform their unique duties. As she made her way to the coat room with the bits of clothing entrusted to her, her mind expectedly drifted back to prince Ash. she couldn't believe that she forgot to be courteous to him and that she was glad that she didn't since it allowed him to talk to her. She felt so foolish for her thoughts. She was mentally drooling over him like all those ambitious ladies and dames who lusted after his body or his status. But she'd be lying to herself to say she felt nothing for him. He was handsome and so kind to her. The bluette shook such thoughts from her head. He was royalty and she was a servant. Nothing more.
Upon reaching the room in question, she carefully hung up the coats in her possession. Unconsciously, he gave Ash's sleeve a small squeeze, as if she were touching his person through the material. If this was the closest she'd ever get to him, she was fine with it.
_
An hour later, the party was in full swing.
Dawn wasn't a fan of nobles but she did enjoy the parties they threw. The main ballroom was a sea of elegant dresses and dapper suits. The air was full of the scents of wine and expensive and exotic foods she'd never get to try in her own lifetime. The orchestra, which probably cost almost all of the monthly stipends that the siblings were allotted, played classical music for the audible pleasure of the guests. Even if she was just on the edge of it, she still tried to enjoy herself before she had to deal with Ursula's ego or Conrad's perviness.
The blue haired young lady was stationed behind the punch bowl, only leaving if her help was needed. On either side of the bowl was tray after tray of exquisite meats and cheeses from all over the empire, which she was required to serve if someone asked her to. Conrad was mercifully too busy trying to impress the various ladies in attendance to bother her much, so that made her job much easier.
But when she had some free moments to herself, she found eyes wandering over to the center of everyone's attention that evening. She learned a lot about the kind of person prince Ash was. He had this aura of approachability about him. Every time she looked over at him, he was greeting some lord with a welcoming smile. Said lords were often accompanied by their daughters or nieces or some other younger female relative of theirs, in hopes of Ash taking a fancy to them. Most of the time, those who wanted to have a small audience with him had to go through that kind old man she saw from earlier, who seemed to filter through the guests. When Ash wasn't talking to guests, he was enjoying some time with sir Gary. She could tell the two of them were very close friends. Often she would see him lean over to Ash's ear and whisper something to his friend. The prince would hold a hand over his mouth, trying desperately to hold in a hard laugh. Dawn liked seeing this side of him. It made him all the more appealing.
Ursula was by his side almost the entire evening. She clung to his arm like she was already his fiancée. Other times, like when dinner was being served, she would move into his personal space to do things like trying to feed him, massaging his chest or even playing with his hair. She thought it was utterly shameless for her to be acting that way with the prince. But to his credit, Prince Ash was very well mannered towards her. He didn't encourage her but didn't turn her away. He kept her at just enough of a distance so as to not insult her.
But as the night dragged on, she began to notice something.
More often than not, when she would steal a look at him, she could meet his eyes. He didn't turn away from her. Far from it, he would just smile at her, causing Dawn to blush and lose herself for a bit. Was he watching her as much as she was watching him? That would be impossible. Why would he be looking at her when he had so many beauties vying for his attention? But she wasn't going to complain that a good-looking man such as he was paying her even the slightest bit of consideration.
After dinner wrapped up, the band struck up a more upbeat tune as the prince announced that he felt like dancing. Ursula, of course, jumped at the chance to dance with him first. He was gentlemanly enough to accept her as his first partner. Dawn watched as Ash skillfully guided her around with such grace, it almost seemed like he was floating. Part of her was jealous of Ursula. She wanted to know what it was like to dance with him. She herself knew the steps but never had the chance to use her skills, since no one would want to ask a maid to dance. So all she could do is stand and dream an impossible dream.
After about 6 dances, Ash announced that he was taking a break from dancing, which elicited a sea of groans and pained sighs from the ladies present. He bid them an apology before leaving the dance floor and allowing the other guests to dance in his place. Dawn looked down for a second to brush a bit of dust from her skirt and upon looking up again, she found prince Ash, calming strolling towards her. She pushed down her excitement and offered a professional bow to him as he reached the table.
"Good evening, Miss Dawn," he greeted.
"Good evening, your highness," she replied, erecting herself to meet his eyes. "Are you having a good time?"
Ash nodded. "As much as I possibly can. I hope you too are enjoying things."
"I try to, highness. You….dance very well, sire."
"You think so? I thought I was a bit rusty."
"It didn't seem so to me, highness."
"I thank you for your kind words." he began to remove his gloves as he looked down at the punch. "After dancing so much, I'm pretty thirsty. And I noticed you and your little punch bowl, so I decided to come over and refresh myself."
"Of course, your highness," said Dawn. She reached down and used the large ladle to stir the punch around.
Ash arched an eyebrow as he watched the swirling liquid. "Are those…oran berries at the bottom?" he inquired.
"Why, yes they are, sire."
"I love oran berries. Could you fish some out for me?"
"Yes, highness." Dawn retrieved a small cup and began to retrieve a few of the berries with a bit of punch. It took her a while to do so but the prince didn't seem bothered by it at all. Soon, she finished her task and presented the cup to him. Ash took it gratefully, their fingers brushing against each other for a few moments. It caused Dawn to take in a sharp breath, suddenly feeling the skin of the man whom she found herself infatuated with. Ash noticed this but didn't let on. He simply accepted the cup and took a few massive gulps of punch.
"Ahhhh! This punch is great!" he said, holding his nearly empty punch cup. "I should ask the professor to get the recipe. You wouldn't happen to have made this, Miss Dawn?"
"Oh no, highness," she answered. "I didn't have anything to do with making it. But I did suggest that the chef put in the oran berries. I thought it might enhance the taste of the punch."
"Really?" Ash then swallowed the last of the punch and a few of the berries that the maid was kind enough to give him. He slowly and methodically chewed the fruit while he gazed at the now bashful Dawn. "You made the right call. So I thank you for the addition. Can I have some more?"
"Indeed, your highness." Dawn retrieved his cup and filled it again with some more punch, taking some extra time to fetch him some more of the berries he seemed to love. And like before, their fingers grazed against each other but Dawn kept her composure. She hoped for more skin contact but didn't want to give her hopes up. It seems the holy lake trio were very kind to her tonight.
"Your highness!" yelled the shrill voice of the party's hostess. It was then that Dawn noticed that Ash's face, for a split second, screwed into a look of annoyance and a desire to flee. But the look passed as quickly as one could blink as he skillfully slapped on his more amiable face. "There you are! I was wondering where you had gone off to!" like she had the entire night, she latched on his arm like he was a magnet and she a piece of scrap metal.
"I was just getting something to drink," he said, taking a sip of punch. "Dancing can be draining."
"Well, with how wonderful you were dancing, you deserve a bit of liquid reward." her cheerful expression turned sour upon seeing Dawn. "I do hope this one hasn't been rude to you again."
"Far from it. Miss Dawn has been nothing short of excellent in her service."
"Maybe but her mistake at the front door can't be overlooked!"
Ash was starting to get aggravated. It seemed like Ursula was trying to find a way to punish poor Dawn. she had been dropping hints about it all night and frankly, he was getting sick of it. It was clear that she had some sort of grievance against her. Maybe she was just jealous. Every time he looked at her, he could see why she would be. Still, he had to put a stop to this. "Since it was i whom she 'offended', it falls to me to say if it was punishable. And I say she shouldn't. In fact, you can consider it an order that you not punish Miss Dawn."
Dawn couldn't believe what she was seeing. Prince Ash was actually coming to her defense. And Ursula could do nothing about it. This entire night was about gaining his favor and maybe becoming closer to him and if she went against him, it would all be for naught, and she knew it.
"O-of course, my prince," she uttered, defeat clear in her voice.
"Good. glad we settled that."
Regaining her composure, Ursula attempted to get back on his good side. "Indeed, highness. With that in mind, you must come see the flowers we purchased. They are from the Celadon region and smell absolutely divine."
Prince Ash emptied the last contents of his cup, berries included, into his mouth. "Actually, put a pin in that, lady Ursula. The fine wine and punch you've served me seems to be finally working their way out. I'll need to use the bathroom."
"Of course, your highness," she spoke, obviously disappointed that the prince wouldn't spend more time with her. "Dawn, show his highness to one of the lavatories. And be quick about it."
"Yes, milady."
The maid in question left her station and walked out of the ballroom, with the prince following behind. They passed by numerous people, both working staff and raucous guests, coming and going from the party. After getting far enough away, the pair found themselves approaching the large staircase that led to the upper floors of the manor. A quizzical expression arose on Ash's face as he watched Dawn beginning to ascend the steps. "Excuse me, miss Dawn."
The bluette halted her ascent and turned to face the prince. "Yes, your highness?"
"I may not know the layout of the manor as well as you do, but aren't the lavatories on the main floor?"
"True, your highness but given how well the party is going, I can assume that most, if not all of them are occupied. Also, considering how popular his highness has been all evening, I figured you might want some time alone."
His expression changed again, to one of bemusement at how well she was able to suss out his mood. "You figured correctly. Please, lead the way." Prince Ash began to climb the steps, following behind Dawn.
By the time the pair had reached the second floor, the loud din of revelry from the party had become a muted whisper. The second floor was abandoned, leaving the two of them completely alone. The dimly lit hallways gave it a mystical feeling but neither felt any sense of fear or trepidation. Only a sense of longed intimacy, one both felt but neither wanted to openly admit. The prince gave an audible sigh. "Tired, your highness?"
"More like drained."
"Not a fan of parties, sire?"
Ash shook his head. "Not so much the parties. I happen to love parties. It's the people that can be draining."
"I would assume you were used to such attention."
"There is a difference, Miss Dawn, between being used to something and actually enjoying it. You get bite by mosquitoes in the summer. You can say you are used to it but can you say you enjoy it?"
Dawn considered his words for a moment. "I suppose you do have a point."
"Honestly speaking, I don't really have to use the bathroom as badly as I implied. i …just needed to get some time to myself."
"Lady Ursula?"
He nodded. "She can be a bit…"
"Clingy, highness?"
"Exactly. You speak so plainly and honestly about your lady. It's almost unheard of for a maid to speak such."
"I just know lady Ursula's ways, highness. And it would be rude if I did not speak truthfully to you."
"I am grateful to you for that, Miss Dawn. For a prince, honesty is a rare quality."
"Are the ladies that see you liars, highness?"
"Not in the traditional sense. Most of them have very little of worth to talk about, your lady included." another tired sigh escaped his lips. "All they do is try to either impress me or try to shape themselves into something i would want."
"You seem….very particular about a lady, highness."
"Of course. If i'm to share my throne, my life and my bed with someone, i need to know the kind of person they are. My teacher always told me, 'it's better to share your bed with a ugly friend than a beautiful stranger'."
"Wise words. Your teacher sounds most learned, your highness."
"Indeed he is, Miss Dawn." another tired sigh escaped him. "If all the ladies were half as forthright and honest as you, I don't think I would ever be bored."
Dawn was indebted to the fact that she was not facing the prince and the diminished lighting or he would have surely seen her face turn 5 shades of red from his compliment. But he could easily tell he had flustered her, which was his aim.
"Um….h-here we are, your highness," she stammered, still delightfully unbalanced from his words. "This is Lord Conrad's private bathroom. I'm sure it will be your liking."
Prince Ash smirked as he walked to the door in question. "I'm sure it will be, Miss Dawn. Thank you for your guidance."
"It was my pleasure, your highness."
"You may head back to the party. I think I can find my way back on my own and I don't want to take you away from your other duties anymore."
"If you are certain, highness," she said as she jaunted away, mostly so he wouldn't have to see her flustered face. His lingered on her retreating form until she was well and truly out of sight. After seeing how well her backside shook from side to side, the prince began to regret sending her away.
_
It was 11pm. The party continued.
Dawn had been quite busy since escorting Prince Ash to the facilities. Many of the guests were feeling the effects of the expensive wine they had been drinking all night. Half eaten food, discarded plates and empty bottles were starting to accumulate on tables, chairs and other places where such things were not permitted. Mr. Deeds had asked Dawn to help with a bit of the clean up, which she was willing to do. She had to navigate a minefield of the grabbing hands of some drunken noblemen, as well as some spilled drinks on her person but the job was finished well enough that it didn't interrupt the festivities.
She took her place back behind the punch bowl as she took stock of Prince Ash's situation. Ursula was dragging the poor young man around, sticking bouquet after bouquet in his face. He did his best to hide his boredom with that disarmingly charming smile but she knew better, thanks to him opening up to her. Dawn shook such thoughts from her head. How could she think she knew what the prince was like? She hated how presumptuous she was being when it came to him. They had just met that night and yet, here she was, acting like they were old friends.
"You seem as busy as ever, miss Dawn."
The maid broke out of her self-ridicule to see Prince Ash, standing in front of her, arms behind his back and a far more genuine smile upon his face. She must have been very absorbed in her own thoughts since she didn't even notice the man who wowed her all night approaching her station.
"Forgive me for not greeting you, sire. it's …..been a long night."
"Nothing to forgive, miss Dawn. I've kept an eye on you. You've been quite busy."
"A maid's work is never done, highness," she said with a smile. "Would you like some more punch?"
"No, thank you. I'm actually here for one of these." he waved his hand over the platters of various finger foods that were placed near the punch bowl. "These caught my eye early and i wanted to try one before they were gone."
"That won't be a problem, highness. The guests haven't really touched them."
"Are they not good?"
"More like they weren't interested. Most are here for the wine and the food."
"That works out for me. Can I have some?"
Remembering her training in such a situation, Dawn quickly slipped her hand underneath one of the silver trays and lifted it up for Ash to look over. He scanned the different meats and cheeses, all of which were on brown crackers. After a bit of consideration, Ash took one of the meaty finger snacks and took a hard bite of it. "Hmmm. it's actually not bad."
"Glad you approve, sire."
"Did you have a hand in making these, Miss Dawn?"
"No, highness. I am only the server."
"Shame. You seem to have a talent for it."
"You…..flatter me, highness," she said, placing the tray back down.
He took another loud bite of his snack before leaning in closer to the maid. "Miss Dawn, can I ask you a favor?"
"Of course, sire."
"Miss Dawn, you've been very truthful when it comes to lady Ursula. Uncommoningly so."
"I only tell you what I think you deserve to know the truth of, highness."
"And I am thankful for it. As you can clearly tell by now, Lady Ursula has the intention of becoming…well more than just a friend to me."
"That's quite obvious, your highness."
"Good. then it wasn't just me." This caused the blue haired maid to let out a gentle laugh. He found her laugh to be delightful. He hoped to hear more of it. "But seriously, before I entertain anyone as a potential mate, I need to get a gauge of who they are. But with her fake niceness, i can't get a proper read on her. So I ask you….is Lady Ursula as shrewish as I think she is?"
Dawn looked around the party. Ursula was busy talking with some other ladies. Conrad was being the "ladies' man" he assumed he was. And Mr. Deeds was nowhere around. So she felt it safe to speak with him. "Will this be between us?"
"Your secret is safe with me."
In a bit of a hushed voice, she said, "It would be in your best interest to have someone in your entourage to check your carriage. She…might have had someone sabotage one of the wheels so you'd stay the night at the manor."
Prince Ash smirked at her comment and leaned in closer. "You'd think she would go that far?"
Dawn mirrored his face with her own sly smirk. "I wouldn't put it past her, sire."
"Treacherous little thing," he said with a small chuckle. "So, if I were to stay the night, would I expect a…night-time visitor?"
"The odds….are likely, sire."
"And me without my sword." he leaned on the table, looking right into Dawn's blue eyes. "In that case, would you…protect me as i slept?"
The maid looked into his brown eyes, fighting the urge to close the distance between them and taste his lips upon hers. "I know nothing of the arts of war highness, but…..if you really need it, I can place a dagger under your pillow."
Ash snapped his head back and let out a unbelievably huge belly laugh. The first time all night he had genuinely laughed that hard. It surprised her and most of the party who turned their heads to see why the prince was laughing so loud. She thought his laugh was so adorable. So pure. So perfect. She hated it really. Hated the fact his laugh made him even more likable. He was TOO likable. TOO approachable. TOO easy to talk to. She needed to stop thinking of him and his cute laugh and raven hair and creamy eyes. But she can do that later. Much later.
"Oh miss Dawn," Prince Ash said, slowly recovering from his laughing fit. "You have no idea how much I need that."
"I'm glad I was funny enough to amuse you, highness."
"You are many things, miss Dawn. 'funny' is just a single part of it."
She wasn't sure if he was being nice or he was really trying to charm her but she still welcomed his compliments. He would have probably continued to do so if his attention wasn't needed just then.
"HEY!" someone yelled over the crowd, "WHY YOU LAUGHING SO DAMN HARD!?"
Ash cursed to himself. "Arceus dammit. It seems sir Gary has gotten a bit more to drink than i thought." Dawn looked over his shoulder to see the red haired knight in question. Gary had drained the life's blood of a bottle of wine and was now staggering around the ballroom, red faced and totally drunk.
"I take it this is a common occurrence, sire?"
The prince sighed to himself. "Only during parties. Believe it or not, Gary's the smarter one of the two of us. But once he gets a bit of booze in him at a party, he becomes like that. As much as i would love to stay for your comedy skills, I gotta go and take care of him before he does something really stupid. Plus, his girlfriend would have my head if he let him do something foolish."
She smiled and waved him off. "It's fine, your highness. Go be a friend."
With a quick nod and a gentlemanly bow, he jogged off to take care of his inebriated best friend. As he left, she couldn't help but feel like she was seeing him in a different light. He seemed less like the heir to the throne and more like a boy going on an adventure. She found it harder and harder to dismiss those pesky thoughts that had been plaguing her. She was allowed her thoughts. She just couldn't act on them, no matter how much she wanted to.
_
"Oh but you must stay, your highness," whined Ursula as the prince made his way into the foyer. "We have more than enough room for you and your entire party."
Ash gave her a polite smile. "I appreciate the offer but i'm due back at Pallet Palace in the morning. Sadly, running an empire takes prescends over one's own pleasures."
"It is a shame you can't stay longer but i totally understand, highness," spoke Conrad. "Important men like us rarely had time to ourselves."
Ash wanted to gag. Conrad had this tone of superiority all night and he was glad to be getting away from him. But he has to be cordial, even to a slimy toadie such as him. "Indeed we do, lord Conrad. So I will see myself out so that we both may return to our most noble duties."
"In that case, please allow me to see you out of the manor, my prince." she began to close the distance between them to, once again, latch onto him but he stopped her with a raised palm.
"I am again flattered, lady Ursula but I believe that honor was promised to me by one of your staff: the blue haired maid, Miss Dawn."
Ursula felt insulted but it didn't really show. Why would the prince want to have that dumb maid see him out? She was certain that she made a great impression upon him all night long. She should be the one to have that honor. But she had no choice but to acquiesce to his request. He was still her quest and a royal one at that. She couldn't do anything to displease him. She silently called over mr. Deeds with a glance. "Go and fetch Dawn."
"Yes, ma'am."
It didn't take long for the old butler to find Dawn. she was in the kitchen washing up a few dishes when he found her. "Miss Dawn."
"Yes, mr. Deeds?"
"His highness has requested that you see him out to his carriage. Please, meet him in the foyer and don't forget his coat."
"Yes, sir."
She tried to hide her excitement but her bouncy steps gave it away. She would have one last chance to see and talk to Prince Ash. she wasn't sure what to expect from this last encounter but she wasn't going to pass up another chance to be with him, however short. Dawn easily found the prince's coat in the coat room and quickly made her way to the foyer as to not keep him waiting.
"There she is," the prince said, as she walked into the room. She completely ignored the hard glare that Ursula was giving her and simply strode up to Ash, who welcomed her with that same charming smile that had plagued her all evening. "I was beginning to think you had forgotten."
"I…thought you were merely joking, your highness."
"Dawn, its very rude to suggest that the prince wasn't serious," Conrad spoke.
"It's perfectly fine," Ash said, waving him off. "By now, she should know when i am serious and when i am not. So please…don't punish her for such a simple mistake." it was Conrad's turn to taste the subtle power and authority of prince Ash that his younger sister faced earlier in the evening. He didn't understand why his highness was so particular about this maid but it made him desire her all the more. Still, he backed off when the prince made his point. "Would you please?" he said, kneeling down a bit. Taking the hint, Dawn quickly placed the royal coat upon his shoulders, remember that that was the style he seemed to prefer.
"Thank you, Miss Dawn."
"You're welcome, sire."
Ash then extended his arm outward towards the maid. "If you would, please."
Dawn hesitated for a moment, glancing back at the two siblings who had made her life miserable. She considered politely declining his offer. She considered redirecting his attention to Ursula and helping her get closer to him. She considered lying, saying she had other duties to prefer, a lie Ursula would easily support. She considered all these possibilities but upon seeing that dapper, elegant face with those gorgeous eyes and that earth shattering smile that she had been seeing all night, such considerations did not matter to her more. She closed the distance between then and smoothly wrapped her arm around his.
"Thank you," he mouthed to her away from the siblings. Without another word, she began to lead him out of the foyer and towards the entrance. With the siblings and a few members of the staff following behind then, Ash and Dawn strode through the small hallway in silence. It wasn't uncomfortable or awkward by any stretch. It seemed as if the two were just enjoying each other for whatever little time they had left together. For the first time in her life, Dawn felt important. And who wouldn't be with a prince on their arm? She gave a side-ways glance at him. He returned it with a smile. All night, he had been nothing but kind, generous, witty, and charming to her when he didn't need to be. She was just a maid, the help. He wasn't supposed to be like this towards her. But he did. She knew now that all those stories about him were true. If anything, they were underselling him quite a bit. If he was going to be the next emperor, then the empire's future was very bright.
But then her thoughts turned to that future. A future where he sits on the throne, surrounded by luxury and refinement, and next to him sat a beautiful wife, a princess before hand. And Dawn despaired a bit. That couldn't be her. At best, she would still be working as a maid to house Corvis or some other house. That's her fate. But for now…she could dream.
The pair exited the manor, arriving at his royal carriage, which was already occupied by the older gentleman and his drunken grandson. Ash unlinked his arm from hers. "Thank you, Miss Dawn. Once again, you perform your job admirably."
"It was nothing, your highness. Any maid could've done this."
"No. I seriously doubt that."
Ursula rushed over to say her farewells to the prince. "Must you go so soon, sire?"
"Sadly I must. I have gotta help my friend, who is going to have one massive hangover in the morning."
"AND HOW!" yelled Gary from the carriage, followed by howls of drunken laughter.
"But you have been a great hostess, lady Ursula. And your staff has been top notch. Keep this up and I might definitely consider returning in a more personal manner."
That was all the pink haired lady needed to be sent into a frenzy of giggles. In her own head, she was already next in line to be his wife. "Then I look forward to your next visit, your highness." she extended her hand to him, assuming he would kiss it but instead, he merely shook it.
"I do hope we can continue our talks about that shipping situation. It would greatly benefit us both."
"I think so, too." Ash lied. He had no intentions of doing any kind of business with this man but he still remained polite, giving him a firm handshake. He turned and faced Dawn, smiling warmly as always. "And you miss Dawn."
"It has been a pleasure, your highness." She started to curtsy but was interrupted by the heir to the throne swifty taking her hand into his and planting a very unexpected but very welcome kiss upon it. Dawn felt a surge of electricity erupt from her hand and spread through the rest of body. Did he know what he was doing to her? Did he care? It took all of her sanity to remain standing and upright from a simple kiss to her hand, something no one has ever done to her.
"The pleasure has been all mine, miss Dawn," he said, releasing her hand. "I bid you all a good night."
And with that, Prince Ash climbed into his private carriage and rode off into the late night. Dawn kept her eyes on the precession until the lead carriage, carrying the marvelous prince, was out of site. She didn't really hear Ursula cheering that she was going to a princess, nor did she see Conrad leering at her covetously. All she was conscious of was the fading sensation of his lips on her skin. She knew it was wrong and improper but she wanted more. Arceus help her, she wanted more of him.
_
"Honestly, Gary, you need to learn moderation," chastised professor Oak as his grandson sat on the floor of the carriage.
"No. I just need to learn to drink better," he replied. "The wine they had was crappy."
"And yet you drank 3 bottles of it. Why do you always go overboard at parties?"
"Because it's a party, grandpa! You gotta let loose once in a while."
"There's letting loose and then there's what you do. I'd reprimand you more but your hangover and Zoey pitching a fit are going to be punishment enough for you."
Gary drunkenly waved him off. "Zoey's never gonna find out."
"She will once she sees you looking like death rolled over when we return to the palace."
"She won't know. Am I right, Ash?" he asked but got no response. "Ash?" both grandfather and grandson faced direction where their other occupant sat. The Ketchum scion sat motionless in his seat, his eye staring out the window into the night, seemingly looking at nothing at all. His face was a confused mess of micro-expressions. One moment, he seemed gleeful. The next, mournful and longing. It was slightly worrying to see for the pair.
"My boy," the older Oak called out, tapping him in the shoulder. This finally got his attention as he snapped to his teacher's face.
"Huh? Oh, professor. Were you saying something?"
"We were talking about Gary's condition but your condition is a bit more worrying."
"What's up, Ash? You've been quiet since we left the party. You ok? Asked Gary.
"Have I really been that off?"
"If i could tell, then it must be that bad."
"It's….nothing really."
"It can't be nothing, my boy," said the professor. "Something must be bothering you."
"Wait," Gary said as he got up from the floor and sat next to his best friend. "Did one of those ladies finally catch your eye?"
"What? Don't be silly, Gary."
"That's gotta be it! Someone finally catch your interest."
Ash scoffed. "I'd be interested if any of them were interesting."
"Not even one of them?" asked the elder Oak.
Ash let out an exasperated moan. "They're all the same."
"Who?"
"The ladies. All of them. They have nothing interesting to say. They are either just too shy to engage me or just talk about things that don't matter to me: their clothes, shoes, the things they bought or owned. It's all just…..noise."
"What about Ursula? The way she was hanging off you, it almost seemed like you two were hitting it off."
"If we were, that was only in her mind. Ursula was the worst one yet. Annoying with her hands."
"She couldn't have been that bad, bud."
The prince gave his friend a withering look. "During dinner, she tried to….um…..'shine my sword' as it were."
Both flinched upon hearing his assertion. "Ok. Maybe she was that bad," said Gary.
"If no one caught your eye, then why are you so melancholy?"
Ash wasn't sure how or even if he should tell his teacher and best friend about his own emotions. They would think him silly for thinking and feeling what he was feeling. All he could say was "Arceus is…rather cruel, don't you think?"
Professor Oak would've inquired more about his comment if Gary hadn't decided to vomit up his dinner out of the carriage window. Just like that, the topic of Ash's mood was dropped and never brought up again for the rest of the trip home and he was glad for it. He really didn't feel like openly talking about it. The reason?
Miss Dawn, the maid.
From the moment she gained his attention by failing to curtsy to him, he was utterly captivated. He had known and met princesses, duchesses, dames and ladies from all over the empire and beyond but none of them held a candle to this maid. Her long blue hair, matching deep blue eyes and splendid smile stirred something in him. A desire that he never knew he had. Before he knew it, this maid had infected his heart and mind with her very presence.
Most of the night, he found his gaze drifting back to a punch bowl and the simple maid who manned it. Even with so many beautiful ladies, all vying for his attention, all he could think of was Dawn. every so often, his eyes met hers and she would blush and turn away. Even when shy, she was alluring.
He spent all night racking his brain to come up with excuses to be near her. He tried to be slick about it. He didn't want to come off as a creep, pushing himself upon an unwilling maid like so many other lords had done for generations. Despite his reputation as a charming ladies' man, at that moment, he felt as shy and awkward as a school boy trying to tell the most popular girl in school that he liked her. But talk to her he did and was he ever grateful for it.
She was so easy to talk to. She was smart, witty, funny, and most of all, honest. Most staff wouldn't be so casual towards him as she was but he was thankful for it. Everytime they talked, Ash felt as if he could relax and be himself. And he felt she wasn't trying to put on a front for him. Dawn made him feel normal in a sea of fakeness.
What made things even worse for him was when she escorted him to the bathroom. He noted her figure as she led the way. Even her meager maid's uniform couldn't hide the slim and delicious looking figure beneath it. And as loath to even think such a thing, he honestly thought she had the most attractive backside he had seen in his 22 years of life. Trailing behind her was an unexpected treat to his eyes. In that dark hallway, alone with her, all he wanted to do was forgo the rest of the night, take her into one of the empty rooms and make passionate love to her. But he couldn't do that. He had come to respect her too much to simply treat her as a mere plaything.
Ash subconsciously sniffed his coat. It still smelled of her, of citrus and flowers. He wanted to bottle that scent and keep it with him always so he could always be reminded of her. But as he gazed out into the night, he felt himself trapped between emotions. He was happy to finally find a woman worth his time and energy but he was also sad that he would probably never see her again. The only way he could was to visit house Corvis again and given his interactions with the siblings, he never wanted to deal with him anymore than he already had. Not to mention, he didn't want to give Ursula any more ideas about her chances of a relationship with him. And she really wouldn't be happy if she found out the only reason he stayed was because he was infatuated with her maid. A maid she seemed to have an aggressive distaste for.
And thus is his irony. Here he was, heir to the throne of the most powerful emperor in the world, with such wealth that he could have anything he wanted and yet, he couldn't have her. A union between himself and her would be frowned upon. So much so that the seat of the empire would lose face and his family would face scorn and ridicule and he couldn't do that to his family. And so, he had to keep his emotions to himself. He had to try to forget her and move on.
But he knew the truth. He would gladly give up all of his wealth and power and his future as emperor for one more minute with her. With this maid.
With Dawn.
well, what did you think? i hope you all found it as fun to read as i found to write it. before i let you go, i will say upfront: DO NOT ASK ABOUT THE STATUS OF ANOTHER FIC IN YOUR REVIEWS! i've had to deal with that in my other works and it's very annoying to see review that don't talk about the story they are left for. to answer you already, "ash and dawn: living" will be updated when it is update. asking about in reviews and DMs will not make it go any faster. so please, just leave a review for this story. it would be very much appreciated.
LATER FICCERS!