Poth Short Stories and One-Shots

Royal Pain: Chapter 2

Goth's single eye light shined as the king led him and Palette through the corridors of the castle; the place they were going to be living, starting today. Well, his friend had always lived here before coming to the orphanage, but no longer remembered those times. He wondered if it was hard being surrounded by so many things that should be familiar and not being able to recognize any of it. From the way their starry eye lights sparkled, he could only assume his friend wasn't dwelling on it; he supposed it simply wasn't in them to be sad about anything... at least, not for long.

The king stopped in front of an ornate wooden door, "This, young Goth, is the servant's quarters; you will sleep and spend your free time here when you are not working." It made sense since King Ink had decided shortly after adopting Goth that he would be hired as Palette's personal servant in return for room and board. He had readily agreed, seeing it as the perfect opportunity to spend the majority of his day by his friend's side.

Opening the door, the king led him into a smaller hallway with three doors; the one on the right contained a room that reminded Goth of the old dormitories, minus the bunk beds. Instead, the beds were laid out in thin rows separated by small nightstands with a trunk at the foot of each bed.

As the king opened his mouth to speak, a small human girl with pale blonde curly hair and blue eyes came through the door on the left side of the hallway. "Ah, Meryl, perfect timing," King Ink clapped his hands, startling the girl, "I was introducing our new servant, Goth, to the servant's quarters; he will be working here, starting today, as Palette's personal servant. Would you mind walking him through his daily tasks and showing him around once he gets changed?"

"Of course, Your Majesty! It would be my honor!" the girl curtsied, lifting her head and catching sight of Palette. She flashed a brilliant smile, "Prince Palette, I'm glad to see you've returned unharmed!"

"Oh, uh... thanks." Poor Palette honestly didn't know how to react to a girl who seemed to know him.

"He is tired from his journey, Meryl," the King stated, "I will take him to his chamber to get changed; bring Goth there once you both are finished."

With that, Palette left with the king guiding him by the shoulder, waving excitedly to the smaller skeleton as the door shut on the two servants. Goth's eye light flicked around anxiously, "So... you're Meryl?"

The girl jumped at being addressed, "Oh, yes! I'm a servant studying as an apprentice healer, and... you're Goth?" The smaller monster nodded.

"Well, let's start by getting you changed out of those rags," Meryl replied, leading him into the room on the right. Looking at each trunk, she stopped at the third one from the left side of the door, "Ah, here's a vacant one; this will be your bed..." Opening the trunk, she held up a tan shirt with a brown and white livery laced frock coat and brown breeches that looked to taper off at the knees, "and this is what you'll be wearing when you're out and about doing your daily tasks."

Goth could also make out some wool stockings and black buckled shoes as well as some spare clothes of a similar fashion at the bottom of the trunk. The outfits were in the same design as Meryl's own dress and stockings; he had to admit this all looked way fancier than he could have ever imagined. As the clothing was placed in his arms, he glanced around expectantly, "Um... is there somewhere I can change, or..."

He trailed off, causing Meryl to blush and squeak, "Oh, let me just-" Covering her face, she turned away and muttered, "Let me know when you've finished or if you need help." Goth blushed at the insinuation that he had to change with her only a few feet away, but he slowly began to strip off his worn clothing regardless. Luckily, he was able to more or less navigate the new outfit on his own; he had a bit of trouble with the stockings getting caught on his bones, but it was easily fixed. He was surprised it fit so well considering his small frame.

Once finished, Meryl eyed him, "Hmm... it'll need to be brought in a bit at the waist and sleeves; we can have a tailor called in to adjust them later. If you're going to be seen publicly with Prince Palette, you'll need to maintain a proper image as his servant." Her blue eyes scrunched up at his red scarf, "You're still wearing that?"

Goth grimaced, his eye light focusing on the ground as he mumbled, "It's the one thing I have left from my mother..."

The girl sighed, reaching forward and tucking the ragged tails into the back of the coat; stepping back to analyze her work, she nodded, "That should do well enough; you at least look presentable like this." Leading the skeleton from the room, Meryl gave him a tour of the main hallway. 

She took him into the dining room where they served meals, the sitting room where guests were entertained, the throne room where King Ink saw his subjects and hosted parties, and the corridors holding the guest chambers down one wing and the royal chambers down the other. "The door at the far end is King Ink's chamber. Only guards, specially selected servants, and the royal family are allowed in there," she informed Goth as they traveled the corridor. She stopped in front of a closed door, bouncing on her heels, "And this is Prince Palette's chamber; it's actually my first time seeing his room since I'm not one of the servants assigned to its upkeep."

Rapping on the door, a muffled affirmation was heard from the other side. Cracking open the door, Meryl called out, "Your Majesty? I've arrived with Prince Palette's servant; may we come in?"

Pushing in the door once permission was given, the pair were greeted by a room that Goth really shouldn't have been surprised with, given what he had already seen. Even so, the space was probably big enough to fit at least half of their orphanage; it contained its own sitting area and even looked to have a personal bathing room attached! At the center were King Ink and Palette... dressed in a white high-collared coat patterned with light blue and gold embroidery and brown knee-breeches. The ensemble was complemented by a delicately crafted golden crown with small opals decorating the perimeter, white silk stockings, and brown shoes.

"... How do I look?" Palette asked anxiously, tugging at the collar of the coat.

He looked like... well, like royalty; probably because he was. "You look great! It suits you," Goth replied with a soft smile.

"Absolutely stunning!" Meryl squealed; her eyes were shining and Goth turned to stare at her... did she have a thing for Palette? A small part of his soul squirmed at the idea, but it was quickly shoved down. What was he even thinking? The prince was his friend... and even if he wanted more, they were way out of his league now.

"You look pretty good yourself! You even worked your scarf into the outfit; it's a nice splash of color," Palette added playfully, tapping the smaller monster on the back.

A loudly cleared throat quickly brought everyone to attention, "If everything is in order, I have duties I must attend to. Meryl, for the first week you will be tasked with aiding Goth in learning the routine and basic etiquette alongside your own tasks."

"Yes, Your Majesty," the girl replied, curtsying as she pulled her new charge into a clumsy bow.

King Ink turned to his son, "For now, you may relax and tour the castle at your leisure; ask Meryl if you require a guide. Dinner will be in three hours; Meryl will escort you. Tomorrow morning at dawn, I will send her and Goth for you. After breakfast, we will begin your lessons; I have much to re-orient you in and teach you."

With that, the king left the room with three adolescents left staring at each other, unsure of how to break the silence. "... So," Palette coughed, gaining the other two's attention, "What's exciting in this place?"

***

Word Count: 1,412