TAKE MY HAND | A.K ✔

𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞

Getting ready this morning makes Margaret anxious. She only has a small mirror to make sure she looks decent. She ties her hair back, then puts her apron on. She's completely ready, but she hesitates at the door. She hopes no one saw her interaction with Awsten. She opens the door, all of her friends lounging on the couches.

They all walk out of their quarters to Otto with a bouquet of flowers. He looks at them with a smile.

"For Anna from Prince Awsten," Otto says, handing the bouquet to Margaret. "Oh, and, Miss Anna, you can walk with me. I'm on my way to Awsten's room."

"Thank you," Margaret mumbles, admiring the bouquet.

"I will put these in water for you," Shilo offers, taking the flowers and hurrying back into the quarters.

Margaret gets her cleaning cart and follows Otto to Awsten's room. He stays a fair distance away from her. She notices he seems nervous. She wonders if it's because of her relationship with Awsten or if he's just a nervous person.

"Anna, where are you from?" Otto questions, offering her a smile. "I realized I do not know much about you at all."

"Well, I am from here. My parents work on a farm."

"How quaint." Margaret makes a face at that comment. "Oh, I did not mean to sound rude. How did your parents take the news about you coming to work here? I heard from Awsten that you are a single child, so I am sure it must have been hard for them."

"Yes, it was fairly hard. Many tears when I left."

"You are quite lucky to be here. I hear that rebels are closing in on the kingdom. Being here is the safest for you."

"Indeed," she says quietly.

"Here we are," Otto smiles, opening the door for her.

She thanks him, then steps inside. Awsten is standing on his pedestal, looking into his mirror. He turns, his face lighting up.

"Anna!" he exclaims, walking- well it looked more like running- over to her. Otto leaves the room, leaving just Margaret and Awsten. He kisses her hand to greet her. He's wearing a deep blue corset with a white shirt underneath and black pants. It wasn't what a prince or someone rich would usually wear. She likes how it was different. "Did you like the flowers?"

"Yes! They were gorgeous," she says, smiling at the prince.

"Of course, but not nearly as gorgeous as you, my dear." Margaret blushes, looking down at the floor. Awsten lifts her face up with his finger, a smirk playing on his lips. "I would prefer if you looked at me when I talked to you, Anna."

She feels her heart beat faster as he looks at her. Margaret nods, looking up at the prince. "I should probably begin cleaning," Margaret says.

"I suppose you should. I have to study. See you at breakfast."

He kisses her cheek and runs out of the room. Margaret shakes her head, trying to get him out of her mind.

She cleans his room. She starts with cleaning the rugs outside to get all the dust off. Then, she takes the sheets of to wash them in the wash house. Once they're all hung and dried, she cleans some of his clothes as well. She only has to clean all of the undergarments because the more intricate garments were rarely dirtied. The entire room was dusted and wiped down. She swept the room, then washed and dried the floors before placing the newly cleaned carpets back.

It took a few hours, but the room was finally spotless. She made sure to place new flowers in the vases as well. It was time to prepare for breakfast. She started walking to the Great Hall, meeting up with Shilo.