The Trouble with Status

Status
Not open for further replies.
R

Rootless

Guest
Original poster
An entire day of roaming, lost. Veeri, a teenager, was a local baked goods merchant, and that meant that on market day, Veeri was to help in the shop, rather than go with friends or go tease the royal stablehands. The sea of customers had ebbed, leaving them out of pasties (besides the one she'd saved for herself in the back), low on pinwheels, and with a surplus of breads and other sugar-filled treats to sell before sundown. Otherwise, they'd be on markdown in the morning and she'd probably be scolded for poor salesmanship. The girl had her red hair up off her neck in a twist, held there by green ribbon. Her dress was a soft green, though there was dust on the hem making it an odd shade of beige. Her pale face was tinged pink with the beginnings of a sunburn, and the summer sun just continued to beat down on her. It was hot and she was bored, to say the least, and her needlework was lying on the edge of the table untouched.
 
Prince Cedric tugged on his horse's reins as he walked through the market. "Come on, we have to get the pastries!" He said with a slight smile. His mother had always gone to the market and gotten him pastries, but his mother was long gone and now he got his own. The princess he was bethroed to hates them and would tell him not to buy them, but he never listened. When Cedric made it to the shop he sighed and took in the smell of the baked goods, it always seemed to calm him.
"Excuse me miss, but are there any pastries left?" He asked, giving the girl a smile. Cedric had never seen this girl working before, it had always been an older lady, perhaps her mother, but he didn't mind the change, in fact this young lady seemed more interesting. Her red hair was like fire and the green of her dress contrasted it nicely, causing Cedric to take in her figure in a moment of weakness. When he finished he quickly put on his more serious expression and kept his eyes on her own.

(He has dark brown hair and blue eyes if you wanted to know for reference :)
 
Veeri had just taken to fanning herself when someone stopped at the shop. She immediately felt guilty for the wish that people would just leave her alone so she could close, as this was her family's livelihood. Between her little sister and Veeri's dowries, they were going to be out of a lot of money very soon. Marriage agreements were no small task. She shook herself mentally for letting her mind drift, and she stood, smoothed her skirts, and looked over her wares briefly, double checking that she knew everything's exact location to fill his order.
He was a handsome lad, not much older than her, by her count. She smiled back, and slightly begrudgingly nodded. "I've got one in the back, if you'll wait a moment?" She said, cocking a brow as she felt his eyes roam her in a once over. This was a daily thing, and she knew she was fairly pretty in her own right. His expression grew serious and she met his gaze, then turned to walk back to where she'd stashed the last pastry. She returned, it was wrapped in a crisp white bread cloth. "Can I help you with anything else? She offered with a friendly smile.

(her eyes are green, so you know. I'm apparently in a green mood)
 
The prince couldn't help but smile as he was handed the pastry. They always reminded him of good memories he had with his mother. "What would you recommend? I've only ever had the pastries, but from their taste I'm sure everything here is grand." Cedric looked around him and saw all sorts of breads and sweets that he didn't know the name of. All his life he had been kept in the castle and only recently had been allowed to go into the market. Now instead of sneaking out he was just followed by a guard. "And what is your name? I have not seen you here before." That of course wasn't the reason he wanted to know, she was beautiful in his eyes, and Cedric needed to know her name. He even was debating asking her to go to the castle with him to prepare some of the breads.
 
She had to think for a moment. Which items were good? Besides her mother's pastries, there wasn't much she ate anymore. After many years of it, it all grew kind of tiresome as a snack. "Hmm.. The orange pinwheels are good. But so are the cinnamon rolls and the raspberry biscuits. No lack of options here." She said, glancing back up at him from her wares. She was surprised by the inquisition for her name. That wasn't a common question at all. "My name is Veeri, sir. May I ask yours?" Veer-y. The girl didn't much like her name. People had trouble pronouncing it, and most commented on how odd it truly was. She could thank her mother for that, she supposed. He was no commoner, and she really had been disrespectful prior to that moment, as there was no mention of proper pronouns in her sentences. A blush rose briefly in her cheeks at the realization, but it merely deepened her sunburn, making it hard to tell.
 
"Cinnamon rolls?" He said under his breath, trying out the words. Cedric had never heard of them before. "I'll have one of all of those Miss Veeri." He pronounced it exactly like she had, enjoying how it rolled off his tongue. "I am Cedric." He hated saying his title, so now he didn't use it anymore, though most people knew his name and registered it with the royal family.
"Would you be interested in a position in the castle? Our baker is growing older and we are in need of a new one." Cedric wasnt sure if she knew how to bake everything, but since she was at the shop he figured she knew some. "It is fine if your family needs you here, I'll just come by and but breads more often."
 
Her brows quirked slightly. His mouth moved but she could barely make out the words. Perhaps those hadn't been directed at her then? That must have been the case. She knew of only one Cedric, and that was the prince. And the man before her did indeed match the descriptions she'd heard of him from the palace girls. A moment of sheer panic rose in her chest. She'd disrespected a prince?! This wasn't her day.
She began to pull each of her suggested pastries from their plates, wrapping them carefully in cloth and setting them in a basket. Baskets were a weekly return, customers either brought them back to return them, or came back to refill them. Normally the latter. "Of course I would, m'lord. But that's a question more for my father than for me." She told him politely. Her parents would let her go, but she knew her father well enough to know he'd think it outright rude if no one asked his opinion on the matter. She took a moment to look over the prince once more. A handsome man, that was for sure. And a completely off-limits one at that. She thought to herself with a sigh.
 
He waved her off at the talk of m'lord. "Just call me Cedric, I dislike all of the formalities. And of course, I should have asked to see your father and obtian his thoughts. Are you almost finished for the day here? I could help you bring the rest back home and ask your father then." Cedric suggested as he looked around. His guard also had a horse so they should easily be able to bring the rest of the breads back to her house.
"Of course I can always come back again if you still have time to sell here. I would not want to have your family lose money because of me." He didn't understand what it was like to need to work for money since he had always had more than enough, but he did not want to be the cause of any harm to the girl or her family.
 
She nodded, knowing she had to listen to his request. It would probably fare better anyhow, addressing him by his first name. She had a bad habit of forgetting her position. She glanced upwards at the sun. The market would be closing shortly anyhow, so she didn't see the harm in closing early. Not to mention, she'd probably be smacked by her mother for making the prince wait. "I believe it would be okay to close up for the day. The sun will set in a few hours anyhow."
Her family was not bad off. They weren't nobles, but they weren't peasants. She had shoes without holes and her little brother had gotten a pony for his tenth birthday last week. She began to take her crates and refill them with the breads and rolls, carefully placing each one so none were flattened by the others. There weren't many crates, there were three, and she could easily carry them all. Normally if it was too many, she would just go get the neighbor to help her in exchange for a few loaves.
 
Cedric smiled slightly as he watched her put everything away. "I have a horse here, and my guard does as well, we can have them carry the crates and walk besides them." He suggested, taking a crate, but not filling it. Cedric didn't want to do it wrong since she seemed to be putting them back a certian way.
"Do you live far from here?" He asked, wondering what the homes around here were like. Cedric had never been out of the castle besides going to the market so he didn't know what any of the houses were like or the farms. As a child he had been sick and unable to play with the other children his age. The little freedom he would have had was lost.
 
"Oh, no need, really. I can carry them." She said, politely declining. She probably wouldn't deny him it if he insisted, but this was custom. He had taken a crate, and she glanced toward the guard. She had completely finished stacking and arranging, and there wasn't really a need to make the man dismount from his horse.
"It's about a five minute walk to my house." Veeri said, looking in the direction of her home. It was small, but it fit her family well. There was a goat out in the back and a fenced off garden that she'd grown up playing in. Her father had once been a farmer, but upon his marriage to her mother, they'd moved into the city so they could sell their baked goods.
 
"I'll carry two of them then." Cedric compromised, feeling like he needed to. He didn't like the thought of Veeri carrying most of the bread on her own though she was probably used to the task. "That is not a bad walk, you can tell me more about yourself on it." He said as he waited for her to give him another of the crates. His father had made sure he went through basic training and could do anything a guard could do if needed. The King was always worried about sneak attacks and being caught off guard. "You know the princess thinks I eat too many of the pastries, but my mother used to come all the time and get them for me."
 
She rolled her eyes. "If you insist." She told Cedric, then flashed him a small smile. She handed him two, and picked up the third. "There really isn't much to tell. Sounds like you have a much more exciting life than I do." She told him, shifting the crate to where it was a more comfortable carrying position. He told her what the princess thought of his eating habits. "Well, you aren't married to her yet. And one can never eat too many cakes. At least that's what my mum says." And clearly, if the queen fed him them, they couldn't be that bad. A few sweets never hurt anyone, and it certainly didn't appear to have hurt his physique either.
 
Cedric laughed. "See that's what I tell her and then she says I'm like a child." He explained as he picked up the crates and had his guard take his horse as well. "She is just too serious sometimes, never wants to have any fun. Fun is what keeps me sane though since my father basically makes me do all the work so I'll be able to do it when I become King. My life is not very exciting, actually these trips I'm able to make to the market are where I get most of my entertainment. The royal life is boring, but I shouldn't complain, it isn't bad or anything." Cedric took a breath and shook his head. "Is there anything you wish would be different here? Father said I should ask everyone I meet and perhaps I may find a great idea."
 
She grinned. "Your princess doesn't sound like much fun at all. If you don't mind my saying so." She told him, though he already knew that, more than likely. "But I suppose that's what makes a good queen." She said, an offered consolation. For some reason, she was disheartened by the fact he had a future spouse already. Not that she had a chance in doing more than befriending him anyways, but it was just her way. She was a flirt, and she felt wrong flirting with him.
"The royal life sounds well... dull. But so is common life. Really. I sit in a box all day, selling baked goods to strangers. Nothing too fun or exciting about that either." His question surprised her. "Well, I mean, I guess the carnivals and town gatherings have really become run down, so they aren't fun. That's what everyone thrives on, it's good for morale. But it doesn't happen like it did when I was little."
 
He shook his head. "My mother was a trickster. She always played jokes on my father and she was a wonderful Queen. I suppose I could be the one to play tricks though I don't think the princess would like it." Cedric sighed. "But I will have to get used to her, my father wishes to give the throne to me soon." He explained although it was common knowledge. The King hadnt wanted the crown since the Queen had died.
When she mentioned the carnivals Cedric's eyes lit up. "Carnivals? They still have those? My father didn't tell me. I do not think he puts much thought into those, my mother used to plan them. Perhaps that is why they are no longer fun. When it comes time to plan the next I'll make sure to be on the committee."
 
"Well, that's certainly an option. But I suppose marriage isn't always to make you happy. At least not for you." She said quietly, and then backtracked. "And I just said something really rude. Oh, I'm sorry. It sounded better in my head." She told him with a look of apology on her face. She nodded, knowing that meant that they'd be getting married soon. Everyone knew about it.
"We do, but they're really lame. The musicians don't even seem to like playing them. But of course, when you cut their wages for an entire weekend, that does tend to change things." She told him, and smiled. This prince was going to change things, that is, if he could remain true to his word when he became a king. Her mother used to speak of it when she was little and supposed to be in bed. About the promises that were made and not kept once the position was taken up.
 
"Veeri, don't worry about being rude. My soon to be wife is rude enough and speaking your mind is not rude, it is being honest." Cedric said with a small smile. "You are right as well, this marriage is not to make me happy, it is to make my father happy and allow us to have more Kingdoms on our side if we ever have to go to war. As for the wages for the carnival I will have to look into that. We have a right budget because of the higher prices other Kingdoms are having that we trade with. I will look into things though, I can promise that much and try to get my opinion in. Once I become King I will have more of a say."
 
"Cedric, I think you forget that I am common. Rudeness, or even honesty, could get me into real trouble." She told him. "And sometimes, that's worth more than happiness. Even if it isn't a feeling you share." She told him politely, ducking her head and motioning toward a house on the other side of the street. "That's my house." She told him. "Oh, I understand about wages. But when they're hired to play an empty square due to the fact that it's boring, they lose tips too. It's unfair to them." She told him with a shrug, crossing the street quickly, hoping he remained by her side. She opened the gate and held it, waiting for him to pass through.
 
"I dont see people as their status." Cedric told her. "Soon I will make the rules and I enjoy honesty. I understand why I am being married and I have accepted it, I just know I will have to find other ways to be happy." He walked in in front of her and looked around, wondering if her family was around or if she came home to an empty house. "Perhaps I will play at one of the carnivals. I can play a few instruments."
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom
Back