A Royal Pain

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Anime-Otaku12

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Alistair smiled as he walked down the stairs towards his mother's dining room. He stepped into the nicely decorated room, the maids setting up the tableware. He bowed slightly and smiled.

"Thank you for all your hard work. Keep it up"

The maids bowed and then continued working as he walked through the dining room to the kitchen, but not before he heard some whisperings and giggling that related to him. He was popular with the ladies. At least that is what he always told himself. In the kitchen, 3 more maids were put to work making the food. It looked like today's supper was Roast Beef with Yorkshire Pudding afterward. Along with the Roast Beef was cut up potatoes with spices. It smelled delightful.

A maid came up to Alistair, bowing.

"Master Alistair, what kind of tea would you like with your Supper?" Alistair smiled at the maid.

"Earl Grey is just fine"

"Yes Master!" She hurried back to her post, throwing on a pot of water for the tea. Alistair sauntered out of the kitchen to the front door.

"If you please, I need a maid to accompany me to the marketplace. I must purchase more of mother and father's favorite tea" A small maid made her way to the front door, bowing and putting on a jacket near the door. Opening the door, off went the maid and Alistair to the marketplace.

"Master, are you sure it is ok for me to accompany you? I'm just a lowly maid after all..." He stopped, placing his hand out in front of him. "That is where you would be wrong, my dear...You are not just a maid. You are our maid. You have place and value among our house. Always remember that the Walker House maids are not just maids, they are family. Now stop all this nonsense spewing and let us go find that tea that my mother and father like so much!"

They approached the marketplace, the day's usual rush going through. People scrambled to get daily meals from all different kinds of merchants. This fascinated the young Prince. But he knew his mother and father would be home soon and he had to get the tea back to the house in time to make it for them. He eagerly lead the maid to the tea and coffee shop.
 
Ester stared off into the busy crowd and hummed to herself, glaring at the humans that looked at her. Feeling hunger gnawing at her she stood and looked around for a victim. After scanning the crowd she found the perfect human, a tall and strong male, and she slipped into the crowd flowing him. As she got farther into the bustling crowd she stopped, realizing she lost her lunch. Sighing in agitation she closed her ice blue eyes and rubbed the back of her head where it was beginning to hurt from clip she had placed earlier that morning. Finally giving in to pain she pulled the clip out, letting her ebony hair fall down her back." At least something is going good for me today. Before I go home I might as well get some tea for later..." With that thought in mind and a red lipped smile on her face she headed off towards the tea and coffee shop. As she reached the door she felt her dress snag and the paved ground came forward to meet her as she tripped. She landed on her knees, tears forming in her eyes.
 
As Alistair reached the entrance to the tea and coffee shop, he saw a young maiden on her knees, almost on the verge of tears. He hurried his maid along and reached out to the maiden on the floor in front of the shop. He smiled the smile no girl could resist.

"Excuse me miss, but I couldn't help but see you in distress. Could I possibly be of assistance to you?"

Alistair looked at the girl from head to toe, making sure not to stare at any one place for a long while. That would be rude and immature of him. She seemed to be middle class looking and quite beautiful, her ebony hair shining in the sun's brilliant light. Alistair couldn't take his eyes off of her for some reason. There was something about her that wasn't quite right, yet he couldn't put a finger on it. It felt like...dare he say...danger? This excited the Prince. Would this girl be the key to unlocking something more inside of him? Could he finally feel...truly...like himself? He continued to stare at the beautiful young maiden, still holding out his hand, eager to see if she would accept his help or not. But with a smile like his, who could resist? Surely no young maiden could...or so he thought.
 
Ester looked up at the young man that held his hand out for her, "Excuse me miss, but I couldn't help but see you in distress. Could I possibly be of assistance to you?" She felt her blood begin to boil and she slapped his hand away," No thank you... I'm fine." She stood and dusted her dress off wiping the tears away. Wanting to be away from the man she turned and walked away, as quickly as she could at least with a possible injured ankle... not only was she weak from not feeding but she had to meet a human she couldn't stand." So much for a good day huh..." She got a fair distance away and stopped, favoring her ankle. Still hungry she felt herself growing weak and she spied a child's fruit stand." Well I am hungry enough..." She walked over and pulled out a small coin purse." I'll take three apples please." She dropped a few coins in the kid's hand and the boy scrambled to grab the fruit. He handed over three golden apples and she nodded a goodbye walking away before the boy could speak.
 
Alistair stared for a minute. No girl could resist his charms. At least not until today. This would be very interesting. He would have to visit the marketplace more often. No girl usually intrigued him as much as she did. He shook these thoughts to the back of his mind and headed into the coffee and tea shop, searching the shop for his mother and father's favorite tea. He soon found it, purchased a couple bags and he was off again, back to the Walker Castle.

When he arrived back home, his mother and father were already at home. And sure enough, they were searching for their favorite tea. Alistair walked up to them, holding the bags of tea in front of them. They hugged him.

"I"m sorry you had to go out to the marketplace, my son..." Alistair laughed. "No No...It was my pleasure, mother, father...It wasn't that bad" He sauntered into the kitchen, handing the 2 bags of tea to the maid making his earl grey. She bowed and went to making the tea. The kitchen smelled delightful as the roast beef cooked to perfection.

"Sir Alistair...I have a table seat all ready for you and your tea is waiting..." said one of the maids. He followed, the maid moving the chair so he could get in. He sipped his tea and soon enough the dinner was out and served. After dinner, the Prince headed up to his room, getting ready for bed that night. But he couldn't stop thinking about that girl. He had to find her again. He had to know more about her. That was it. He had to go to the marketplace again tomorrow. Hopefully, he would be able to see the girl again. The prince fell into a deep slumber, his thoughts full of that remarkable girl.
 
Ester sighed as she opened the door to her small but rather cozy home. As she entered the doorway she was greeted by the meows of a white kitten staring up at her from the kitchen. She kneeled down and called for the kitten, it meowed in response and ran over to her." What are you doing Sweets?" The kitten reached up and pawed at her arm. She smiled and picked the kitten up, scratching it on it's head. She stood and walked into the dining room laughing as the kitten batted at loose strands of her hair. She dropped the kitten on the table and walked into her bedroom, collapsing on to the soft bed." At least I got something to eat even if it wasn't good... as long as I never see that human again..." She closed her eyes and fell asleep in minutes, her mind lost on finding work to keep the comfortable life she had now. The kitten joined her later curling up in her hair.
 
Alistair woke to the sound of birds singing outside his window. It was the start of another beautiful day. He sat up lazily and yawned, waiting for his mind to fully awaken. Looking around, a maid stood outside his bed curtains. It seems as though she was preparing the morning tea for her young master. Alistair opened the curtain, greeting the maid. She bowed, introduced his morning tea and exited so he could get dressed.

Once he was finished dressing, he took a sip of his morning tea. It tasted wonderful. Finishing the cup, he gingerly placed it back on it's plate and headed down stairs. As he stepped into the kitchen, the 3 maids that cooked dinner were also cooking breakfast. Peeking out into the dining room, there were 3 maids setting up the table. The Walker house had always been full of maids, but not once did Alistair ever have a personal maid or butler of his own. He frowned at the thought and decided that he was now old enough to have a personal maid. That maid that went with him yesterday was his mother and father's personal maid. He was bound and determined to find his own maid and he wouldn't stop searching till he found the perfect one.

A thought then entered the Prince's mind. A thought of the girl he had met last night. Maybe he could see if she was in need of some work. She would be the perfect personal maid. That is, saying he could convince her to do it. He opened the front door and left again towards the marketplace. He had to find that girl again.
 
Ester woke before the sun rose and changed into something clean. After fixing her hair up she said goodbye to Sweets and left the house eager to eat before the rush came. She found a young man who appeared to be alone. She approached him from behind and tapped on his shoulder. He turned surprised," What do you want?" She smiled sweetly and walked around to face him. He held a rock in his hand and curious she turned to look up at the shop behind her. The large window above them was broken and she heard shouting. The man thrust the stone into Ester's hand and ran off just as the shop owner came out, red faced and very angry." Did you do this to my shop? You will pay me back!" He stormed back into the shop and she followed wanting to explain to the man what happened. "This is why hate humans... I'm changing my diet..."she thought to herself as she walked into the shop. The owner was at the counter writing something down. Before she could open her mouth he handed her the paper and pointed toward the door." Now get out!" She glared at the man and dropped the rock on the counter," I'd love to..." Ester turned and walked away already feeling the dread growing. As soon as she got outside the building she looked at the paper and fell to her knees." That's way too much! How am I supposed to keep my house and pay for this?" As she sat there depressed she sighed and looked around her at all the shops." Someone has to hire me..." With that thought in mind she stood and stomped off into the growing crowd to find work.
 
Alistairs eyes searched the huge crowd. He couldn't spot her. Not yet anyway. He sauntered down every street corner, still no luck. As he passed the last shop, he heard unhappy voices inside. He decided to investigate. The window was clearly broken which made it easy to understand why this gentleman was upset. Alistair walked up to the man.

"Um Sir, Can I offer any assistance in this matter?"

The angry man stared at Alistair menacingly.

"Are you one of those nobles living around here?"

Alistair nodded.

"Then go find that girl I just fired and hire her on at your place. I'm sure she'll have enough money after that to pay me back for that window..."

That was the oddest request that he had ever heard from anyone. He nodded. He could hire her on, but if she wasn't the girl he had originally been looking for, then there would be no deal. He waved and left the little shop, searching for the way that the shop keeper told him to go. Straight into the crowd. Braving the crowd, he stepped into it. As he continued searching, he felt someone or something bump into him. He looked down, ready to apologize who had ever bumped into him.
 
Ester sighed again for what may have been the tenth time since she began looking for a job. Every shop she had been in had not needed any help and the paper in her hand felt heaver each time she was denied a job. The crowd had grown heaver since she began and now she stopped, her ankle beginning to throb." Next chance I get I'm killing that brat that got me in trouble..." With renewed energy she continued on into the sea of people until again she had to stop. A bad move on her part for when she finally started to move again she bumped into someone. She looked up at the person preparing to apologize until she saw who it was. The man from the yesterday... the kind of human she hated... why did it have to be him." I'm very... sorry for bumping into you. I wasn't looking where I was going..."
 
Alistair couldn't believe his eyes. It was that girl from yesterday. He had, at last, found the ever elusive girl. He took the girl's hand and kissed it.

"No, I'm sorry...And I'm sorry for not telling you my name yesterday. My name is Alistair Walker. I am of the Walker household and I have need of a personal maid. I was wondering as if I might be bold enough to ask if you would fill that position for me? Whatever you need you may bring to my castle and you will be set up with your own room. Whatever you may need will be provided for. So, what do you say? Will you come and be my personal maid?"

Alistair looked down into the girl's penetrating eyes. These eyes were strangely alluring and very beautiful. No wonder he messed up yesterday when meeting her. Her beauty was too precious to describe in words. How did she do that? He hoped she would say yes, that way he could find out how she did it. Before he could stop himself, he found himself moving his hand to the girl's cheek, but stopped mid way. She was probably still mad at him from yesterday. Asking her to work for him was pushing it itself so he couldn't do that. He awaited the girl's answer.
 
Ester paled as Alistair kissed her hand but what he said was too good. He would give her a job... and a place to stay. She thought for a moment," I can pay off the shop owner's money and keep my home... I have to do it... but I will be his personal maid..." She looked Alistair closely, he looked normal, acted like a gentleman, but she still couldn't like him. That didn't stop her however from thinking about accepting his offer." Alright I'll do it but I am only doing this to pay off that stupid debt I owe to the shop owner. I don't like you at all but I thank you for the offer, and we'll need to collect my things from my home." Ester flinched as she saw his hand move up toward her face and sighed happily when it stopped." By the way, my name is Ester Snow... master." She cringed inside but keep telling herself it was worth it. It was simple enough really... just had to last long enough to get thrown away.
 
Alistair was suprised at the girl's answer. She would do it? Was she that desperate for money? It didn't bother him, but he was expecting....well....something not so...quickly. He thought that maybe it would take at least a day or two for her to think about it, but to say yes this fast? He threw the doubt out of his brain and smiled.

"I'm glad you said yes and it is a pleasure to meet you again, Ester Snow...And please, just call me Sir Walker...Master sounds like your my slave...you are not anything of the sort....Just a personal helper is all...Please stick to Sir Walker...And yes, go fetch your things. I will walk back to the castle. How to get there is easy...Just keep walking till you see the first castle on your right....That is my place...I will prepare a room for you...please bring all your belongings, that includes pets...." He bowed and headed back to his castle.

Words couldn't describe how elated he was. He would have a personal maid now and that made him feel like an adult. Alistair had no Idea how his parents would take him hiring a new maid, but what could it hurt? Really? She needed a job and he needed some help. It would help both of them out in the long run.
 
Ester nodded and turned heading through the crowd back to her home. She arrived just as it was turning dark, and as soon as she opened the door Sweets jumped at her. The small kitten clung to her dress and she laughed," What's wrong little one?" The kitten cried and she smiled closing the door with her free hand. She walked into her bedroom and put the kitten on the bed. She grabbed her bag and began to pack as the kitten tried to pounce on everything she moved." You can't do that little one, we have another place to go to now... at least for the time being. You're going to have to be nice to the man taking care of us as much as I don't like him, and I would rather you kill him... but we can't have you killing the master." The kitten paused and looked up at Ester, almost nodding before laying down where it was at. After she finished packing she picked up the kitten, who had fallen asleep while waiting, and put the warm creature in her coat. She left the house and began walking, passing several "good" meals along the way. If she didn't eat soon... no she would be fine. A demon could go without a soul for at least a month, after that... well that was a different story. She finally reached her destination, the kitten waking as soon as she stopped. She gazed up at the castle, a look of disgust on her face." This is what they spend their money on... humans are odd creatures." She shook off the look and walked to the front door. She knocked on the door and waited, petting Sweets as the kitten purred into her neck.
 
Alistair had finished preparing the room next to his as he heard the knock on the door. He quietly walked down the steps, trying to contain his excitement as he opened the door. He was glad he had found this girl. Fate had brought them together. He just knew it. He bowed as the doors fully opened.

"Welcome to my humble home, Ester Snow...Come, I have a room prepared for you..." He lead the way, hoping the girl would follow suit. He pointed to rooms along the way to hers so she would know where rooms were and where she would be working.

"That is the kitchen and dining room. They are right next to each other. You will be using those only to make me my daily meals...That room is the entertainment room where we entertain guests with tea and the like. You usually find much lighthearted conversation in that room as my parents love to invite friends and talk. The two rooms next to the entertainment room are broom cupboards where you will find all cleaning supplies the maids use to clean the house. The other two on the right both lead to different rooms in the basement. That is where we keep our horses. It is a makeshift stable. There is an opening to those rooms in our courtyard out back. Out back we have the courtyard and maze. Keep out of the maze, but feel free to wander the courtyard as much as you would like. Up the stairs leads to all living quarters including my own, my parents and all of the maids and butler's living quarters. Let us go find your room now..."

He lead her to the end of the hall. On his right there was a room. He opened the door, revealing his room.

"This is my room...you will only be allowed here in the mornings to give me my morning tea, otherwise, this room is off limits..." He escorted her to the next available room next to his own. It was not quite as big, but still quite roomy. It had a neat bed he had just made up and a chair sat in the corner, a pad on the seat.

"This is your room. Feel free to make yourself at home. You will not be starting till tonight, so do whatever you would like until then. I will run you through your duties before you start. It should be easy enough routine to get into. Thanks again for agreeing...You will be rewarded for your hard work at the end of each week. In no time you will be able to pay off that man and be able to move back into your own home...Is that satisfactory?"
 
Ester jumped as the door opened and Alistair bowed. As he spoke her and Sweets nodded and she followed behind him when he walked away. Every time he introduced another room she nodded again, appreciation for the house growing. He stopped at his room and she looked at Sweets with a smile. The kitten meowed and rubbed it's head against her cheek. She turned as he finished talking and nodded again. He showed her another room and she pet Sweets, leaning her head on the soft kitten. "This is your room. Feel free to make yourself at home. You will not be starting till tonight, so do whatever you would like until then. I will run you through your duties before you start. It should be easy enough routine to get into. Thanks again for agreeing...You will be rewarded for your hard work at the end of each week. In no time you will be able to pay off that man and be able to move back into your own home...Is that satisfactory?" She nodded a final time a gentle smile on her face as she stared into the room." Yes that is acceptable, thank you for the lovely room." Though she disliked him she had to admit he was trying. She turned, still smiling, to him and walked into her room, laughing as Sweets jumped on to the padded chair and stretched." Again thank you Sir Walker. I'll be unpacking if you need me."
 
Alistair bowed.

"Of course. Take your time. Dinner will come and go before you start your duties...Take your time and we will run you through your nightly duties tonight and your morning duties in the morning...I will lead you every step of the way until you are a master at it. It will be a breeze..." With that he left her to her unpacking, smiling softly at the kitten who had taken refuge on the chair.

"One more thing, if you would like to feed your cat on your own, or would like us to feed her, let me know now so I know what to tell the other maids and butlers...But tell me later, in fact, because I need to go check on the other maids...I will be downstairs if you have any further questions, Ms. Snow..." He left the room and headed downstairs, going to check on the other maids.

"Maids, please gather round. You too mother and father..." All the maids gathered at the sound of Alistair's voice. His parents came also.

"Mother, Father, Maids and Butlers...I have hired on another maid as my personal maid. I feel that I am old enough to have one and she will only be serving me. None of you have any authority to tell her do otherwise. She is here to do my will and my will only. Are we clear?"

They all nodded and Alistair looked to his parents to see their reaction. They smiled and hugged each other, nodding at Alistair. That was the sign that they approved of it completely. With that straightened out, he clapped his hands.

"Maids, off to dinner you go then! Let's make a wonderful first dinner for our new maid, Ms. Snow!" All the maids scrambled to find their stations and began working once again. Alistair made his way upstairs to tell Ester the news.

"Mother and father have approved of you being here Ms. Snow...So feel free to join us when dinner is complete. We usually ring a bell for dinner so listen for it. And welcome to the Walker household..." He bowed once more and left again, going to his room and falling onto his soft bed. A little nap before dinner couldn't kill anyone.
 
Ester unpacked what little she had and sat on the bed, grinning as Sweets jumped up beside her and curled up." Tired already? I am too my lovely." She fell back and closed her eyes, dreaming of her small but comfortable. After a few minutes she dosed off. She was woken by Alistair speaking. She sat up and nodded, listening intently to him. When he had left she looked down at the kitten, who was still in dreamland. She stood and walked over to the door closing it, and turning back to the bed. A silver aura enveloped her and the kitten became a large white lion." Could you fetch me a soul before the dinner bell rings Sweets?" The cat nodded, woken from it's sleep and disappeared. Ester walked over and sat down on the bed admiring the room until Sweets came back with a small red orb in it's jaws. It dropped the orb into her hand and shrunk back to a kitten. Ester smiled and swallowed the orb whole, laughing as she felt her strength return. Deciding to fix her appearance she took her hair down and fixed the slightly curly locks around her shoulders. Sweets jumped up on her lap and she stroked the kitten's head." You did a lovely job my dear. I'm very proud of you. Since we have time to waste I think another nap is in order." She leaned back against the pillow and closed her eyes, falling asleep in minutes. Sweets stretched and decided his place was by his master's head, curling up against her neck.
 
A couple hours had gone by by the time dinner was ready. Alistair decided that now was the time for her to wake up. He knocked on her door gently. Peeking in, he could see her cat curled up against her neck. It looked so frail, so innocent when it did that, like it depended on its master to survive.

"Ms. Ester, it is dinner time. Please come join us. Afterward, I will teach you what you need to do to be a good personal maid..." He couldn't help himself, but look at her whole figure. She was slender, her body shape just nearly perfect. Every inch of her was beautiful. But he blushed slightly at her chest. He stopped there. If she had ever caught him doing that, then he would definitely find Death knocking at his door. He shut the door, trying to catch his breath.

She had a beautiful figure, beautiful body shape and not to mention she was well endowed. Alistair blushed at the thought. He had to stop thinking about her that way. She was only here because she was to be a maid. Nothing more. He would have to focus on making her into a good maid. Besides, if he were to touch her wrongly, she would probably see to his doom herself. He was sure of it. He knocked once again and headed back downstairs, taking his place at the table, waiting for Ester's arrival at the table.
 
Ester opened her eyes when she heard Alistair's voice. The door closed and there was a knock. She pushed Sweets on to the pillow and stood stretching. She had heard everything he had said but it took a second for her to remember everything. Finally remembering what she needed she walked to the door and opened it." Be good while I'm gone love." She walked to the dining room and took a seat." Thank you very much Sir Walker." She hid the coldness in her voice very well and smiled happily. If she had known it was going to be like this she would have taken the job far sooner, but maybe not if he asked. Alistair was a good man, and not to bad looking in any case, but she wasn't going to fall for him that easily. He would have to prove himself before she came to like him.
 
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