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wannahug13

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    I heard the door creak shut after hearing the Prince's footsteps. I was so nervous. What if he knew I wasnt really a palace maid? What if he knew all the palace mids already, andwas going to interrogate me to see if I really was new? I shivered and began my work.

    That's when I noticed how much food was really in the room. There was at least four different kinds of roasts over a humongous fire within a stone pit in the middle of the room. Surrounding that pit was the most delicious looking banquet I had ever seen in my life! Well, the only banquet I had ever seen in my life. There was one table covered in bowls of fresh fruits. There were apples, pears, bananas, pineapples, peaches, plums, and even some I could not recognize. It made my mouth water. I looked over at the other tables, and I saw so many different foods, but none attracted as much attention from my taste buds as the fruit. I stepped towards it in a trance like state when the Prince spoke to me.

    "I have never seen you before, girl, when were you assigned to cleaning duty?"

    "A short time ago, my Lord." My voice quivered from fear, and sounded incredibly hungry.

    The Prince seemed to notice my strong interest in the fruit tble before me, making him smile coldly. "I can assure you, girl, that the food you are feasting only your eyes on is incredibly delicious."

    I spun around to face him, prepared to make an insulting remark, but I remembered my place just in time, and held mt tongue. "I would never dare to eat my Lord's food without his gracing my actions." I bowed my head as I make my sarcastic remark.

    "Do I hear a hint of sarcasm in your voice, maid?" He walked to me and thrust my chin up, making my brown eyes meet his pale blue gaze. I shook my head marginally and lowered my eyes from his. He dropped my chin and shoved me roughly away from him, cueing me to get to work.

    As I worked I could feel him watching my every move. He was lounging in a chair across the dying fire pit, and was munching silently on a pear. I could not get any food this way, I would have to figure out away to distract his attention away from me. I just had to get that food for my siblings. Time to make conversation.

    "I am new to this province, my Lord," I lied in a purring voice. "How old are you?" I smiled as if I had been implying that I liked him.

    "I doubt you are new to this province, or you would still be in training to serve the palace, and you would have a much lower serving level. I do not like liars, and I can distinguish them easily, so do not presume to try your hand at it again." He smiled, "And to answer your question, I am 23, how old might you be, girl?"

    I stopped working and straightened up to my full five and a half feet. "I am 17, and I am not a girl, I am a young lady." His face slowly contorted to anger, as if I had failed to answer his question.

    "You address me so informally, maid. I can have you executed for such a thing." His voice was a deadly hiss.

    "I am sorry, my Lord. It shall never happen again." I curtsied as low as I knew how and resumed cleaning all the tables of food but the fruit table. The onlyreason I avoided it was because the way of cleaning up was to heave the food into the fire pit, table cloth and all. I could never do that to such succulent fruits. And I would never get food to my siblings if I was to do so.

    Remembering my reason for starting small talk with the Prince, I continued asking questions. All of which were answered skillfully on his partfor he never took his eyes from my face or movements. I then, in an act of bravery, asked his permission. "May I have some of the fruit, my Lord? My brother and sister live within Sequerrian, and they are hungry and sick. I need to bring them some nutritious fruit."

    "Why did they not move in with you when you were comissioned into being a maid?"

    Oh, great. Now I had to think of another lie, and fast, or the Prince would kill me for being a deciever of him and her Majesty the Queen, then my siblings would never get well...