Cade paced the length of his bedroom, turning sharply on his heel whenever he made it to the other end of the room. His eyes focused on nothing in particular, glancing over his room as he moved. It had been one week since he had taken Miss Amaris as his personal servant and his mother was going to examine her training today.
I’ve not done enough training with her yet he thought as he turned once again.
He had spent many hours over the past week training her. Making sure that she knew the positions and the commands. Making sure that she could easily switch from one form to another. She had stumbled in the beginning but by the end of the week she seemed to be faring better. He still had to correct her though. Still had to move her arms back into position or remind her to keep her back straight.
He was expected to meet his mother with Miss Amaris when the next bell rang. He ran his hands over his outfit, brushing off invisible dust and straightening out non-existent creases. This suit had been ironed the day before and he had taken special care when dressing in it, but he needed something to occupy his mind. When he reached down to polish his shoes for the fourth time, he knew that he had to get out of this room.
He swept out of his chambers and headed down towards the library. A new shipment of books had come in from Onri. Ava had been ecstatic when she learned that they had acquired some new romance novels. He was hoping for something less soft.
Perhaps a mystery or even a biography he thought as he swung open the door and headed towards the back. He began to thumb through some of the new books when he heard something.
“‘The cat sat at the foot of the bed…’” a voice whispered from a nearby table.
“Meowing,” a soft voice responded. “It’s a noise that cats make when they want attention..”
“‘The cat sat at the foot of the bed, meowing at his human.’”
Cade turned towards the voices and saw Miss Amaris with her head bent over a book. Her red hair fell around her face, hiding her from his view. A young woman sat next to her, watching as she stammered over the words. Lyra, if he remembered correctly, the tutor his mother had hired for Miss Amaris. He didn’t need to see the book to know the title. The Cat’s Journey was a popular book amongst noble children. He could even remember his own mother teaching him to read using that same book.
He grabbed a book at random, barely glancing down at the title, before quietly lowering into one of the chairs. He opened the book and stared at the page, but Miss Amaris’ voice cut through his attention.
“‘The cat sat on the chair. He meowed at his human, but the human did not hear. The cat…’” Her voice drifted into Cade’s ears but he didn’t focus on the words. Rather he allowed the tone of the voice to wash over him and capture his attention. Sometimes her voice would stop when she couldn’t figure out a word or when Lyra offered her a bit of praise.
Cade jumped to his feet when the fourth bell rang. He had spent the entire time with a book in his hand and he hadn’t even made it past page 2. Placing the book down where he got it, he walked towards the table and cleared his throat. The two women jumped at his appearance.
“Miss Amaris, we must go. The Queen is expecting us.”
“Yes, Your Royal Highness.” Miss Amaris scrambled to her feet, carefully gathering her skirt to her. “Thank you for the lesson today Miss Noive.”
“Of course, Miss Amaris. I will leave this book in the library. You should practice during your free time.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Cade waited by the door for Scarlett to join him. Her dress was red today with a white corset tied securely around her body. She moved carefully in the dress, hands pressing at the sides to prevent the fabric from getting caught on anything. She bowed her head as she passed by him. He shut the door behind them and began to lead her through the castle to the main hall.
His mother was perched on her throne when they arrived. Jay was standing next to her, heads tilted together as they discussed some matter or another. They separated when the door shut behind Cade. Calum, one of the senior guards, was standing by the wall. His armor and swords had been left behind in exchange for a simple tunic and pants.
“Good afternoon, my son. Miss Amaris.” The two walked closer as his mother addressed them from her throne.
“Good morning mother. Captain Jay.” The older woman nodded back to Cade as he addressed her.
“Your Majesty.” Scarlett dipped into curtsy as she spoke.
“I hope the two of you have had productive training sessions. Cade, it is time to show me what she has learned.”
“How would you like this done, mother?”
“You will command her first. After that Calum will test her as well. Miss Amaris,” she waited until Scarlett looked up to continue. “On a normal day you will obey no one but my son. Today is the only exception. Understood?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“Then let us begin.”
Cade stepped to the side and tapped his right arm, one sharp snap following the movement. He glanced over to see Scarlett slide into place next to him, her feet separating and arms tucking behind her back. Her eyes glanced at the Queen before she tilted her head and stared at the ground. He grimaced when his mother’s eyes squinted at the minute slip-up.
One finger pointed at the ground and Scarlett lowered to the ground. Her skirt was tucked under her knees as she tucked her feet to the side. Her legs were stacked, heels tucked to the side of her body. Her head leaned to the side, resting against Cade’s leg. Cade felt a tingle in his chest as he reached down and tapped once against Scarlett’s head. At the touch, she folded her hands and placed them in her lap.
“Hmm,” his mother’s hum broke the silence of the room. Cade tensed, his shoulders drawing back and his spine straightening. Scarlett’s head slid slightly against the side of his leg as he moved. More tingles spread through his stomach at the feeling. He snapped his fingers again and pointed two fingers down, fingers separating as he motioned.
Scarlett jerked into motion, her movements stiff and clumsy as she shifted her legs to rest beneath her. She slowly rose until she was presenting, her hands clasped in front of her lap. Cade forced himself not to grimace at the display. Scarlett’s movements had been clumsy and slow. Her skirt was haphazardly gathered around her legs and her body was already shaking. Her head was tilted down, but she had clearly glanced up at the Queen before getting into position.
Why is this all happening now? he despaired as he stared around the room. Scarlett had gotten better at responding quickly and efficiently to his commands during their training sessions. But now that she was in front of someone, she was slipping. And this was only his mother and her guard! He couldn’t imagine what her behavior would be like in a room full of strangers and servants. He glanced up at his mother and, when she made no motion for him to end the presentation, he laid his hand flat out in front of Scarlett with the palm facing the ceiling.
She slowly rose to her feet. Her legs were shaking, but she managed to get to her feet without an issue. Her hands fell down by her side as she waited for another command. The Hold position was one of the easiest for her to learn and he was glad to see that she at least remembered this command.
One sharp snap rang through the room. Cade’s head snapped up and he watched as Calum strode forward, clearly taking over the demonstration. He stepped back, watching Scarlett as she shot into the Attention position. Her movements were quick and practiced, no mistakes or fumbling as her heels clicked together and her hands were tucked behind her back. He glanced between Scarlett and Calum before bowing his head and moving out of the way.
Cade watched from the side as Calum put Scarlett through her paces. Snaps echoed through the chamber as he ran her through the positions. He let loose a small breath as she managed to remember each of the positions correctly. Her transitions from kneeling to standing were clumsy and she stumbled, but her eyes never left the ground. Her legs shook as she moved between the positions, but she never made any noise nor did she stop. Her hands trembled and hesitated as she remembered the positions, but Calum only had to correct her once on her positioning. Cade felt his shoulders loosening before Calum ordered Scarlett into a Kneel Present position. Her legs quaked before they gave out from under her. Cade’s lips twitched, threatening to turn downward as he watched the display.
“Very well,” the Queen’s voice halted Calum’s commands. The guard dipped his head towards the monarch before moving away from Scarlett. “Thank you for the display Miss Amaris. Calum. You both may leave us now.” Scarlett gathered her skirt to her as she headed to where Calum was holding the door open. The door slammed shut as the two left the room.
“Do you think she’s well trained?” Cade glanced up as his mother addressed him.
“I…” he hesitated as he thought over Scarlet’s performance with both him and Calum. “I don’t know. I thought she was doing well in training, but she still stumbles with some commands and transitions. Her stamina isn’t great either. If any of the other leaders pushed for a demonstration, I don’t think it would go well.”
“I noticed that as well. We can get away with a simple routine at the ball, but for other events she will need to be trained better.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Ava has been keeping an eye on her during meal times. According to her, Miss Amaris seems well suited to serving you. She claims she ‘remembers your order specifics’ and ‘works efficiently’.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ve never had an issue with her during meals. She serves me first and then joins some of the other maids to eat.”
“Good. She will eat with you at the ball, so make sure you get her accustomed to that.”
“Yes, ma’am."
“Now, do you think she will be able to perform all of her duties as your personal servant?”
Cade felt heat race up his neck as he was confronted with that question. He thought back to his training sessions with Scarlett. They were always impersonal, touching only when they needed to and never any more. The closest they ever got to closeness was when Scarlett would rest her head against his leg while sitting. They did not speak or interact outside of training either.
“I don’t know. During her interview she said she would be able to. I see no reason not to trust her.”
“Okay. You need to start training her on those services and behaviors.”
“Why so soon? I thought she was only expected to be able to look good and serve at my side for the ball.”
Cade watched as his mother and Jay shared a glance. An entire conversation flowed between their eyes before they turned back to face him.
“I was insistent on you getting a servant not just because of the ball. Some of the other countries have been…questioning your ability to perform your duties.”
“Farwall?”
“They are one of the countries. They don’t believe you can be fair and impartial if your hormones are not being…handled. King Landyn heard about the ball and was very offended that he hadn’t been originally invited. I tried to persuade him that there was no more room but he was…insistent that he come along. His son as well. Especially when he heard that you would be debuting a new servant.”
“In his own words,” Jay cut in, “he wanted to ‘see what the Prince was allowing this time’.”
“I can’t take more time to train her right now. I’ve got so much work-”
“I will be handing some of your duties to Ava for the next week. Only the ones that I know she can handle.”
“But-”
“Farwall soldiers have been approaching our southern border.” Cade’s words froze on his tongue as Jay spoke. The woman stared at him as she spoke. “He has not made any formal declarations, but his intent is clear.”
Cade sighed. “I’ll have her trained. But she won’t be perfect. She’s going to have a week to learn what most servants learn over the course of a month.”
“And that will be made very clear to anyone that has complaints about her service.” His shoulders loosened a little at his mother’s reassurance.
“It will be done, Your Majesty.”