The Maid and Her Princess [On Hiatus]

Remember Dancing? (Summer 10)

X.

Madoka was the first to wake up on the rugs of her princess's chambers. If times were to change, Madoka still would rise earlier than Elise. She shuddered and folded her hands between her arms. Her body felt the draft of cold air whisper their chills across her skin.

Her skin was quite sore and she ached as she propped herself up. She has done more sleeping on the floor in the past month than she would care to admit. The princess's hand was on her leg, so Madoka peeled it off.

"Wi-fi!" Elise mumbled suddenly. She yawned and crumpled back on Madoka's leg. "Signal... Where is the signal? Why do I have such low bars?"

"Good morning, Elise," Madoka said, though she knew that the princess was not actually awake. Elise opened one squinted eye at her and squeezed it back shut. A snore escaped her mouth.

"What did you do to my phone?" she whined. "Give it back."

"What is a phone?" Madoka could not help but wonder aloud. Elise barely budged as Madoka poked her cheek. "Well, we can't have the princess sleeping on the floor, can we?"

Madoka unfolded her legs to stand up. With a grunt, she scooped the princess up in her arms and tucked her away in the bed. She began to quietly fold her princess's clothes and clean her chambers. Madoka was lucky Elise was quite a heavy sleeper. She also did not want to talk to Elise anyways, especially on what happened yesterday. She recalled Lord Leopride needed the two of them today, but perhaps she could stall and hide away.

Madoka smiled to herself, for those thoughts were like the princess's thoughts. Instead of lingering for too long here in her bedroom, Madoka figured the best way to stall was returning to her own room to finish her exercises. However, when she reached for the door's handle she heard a noise. The princess was stirring.

"I'm still here," the princess mumbled, her voice filled with disappointment. "In this stupid world."

"Good morning, Elise," Madoka chose to say her princess's name. The princess sat up, her eyes squinting in the sunlight. "Let's get you ready for today."

"Bah!" Elise laid back down and pulled the covers over her head. "I don't wanna, Madoka! I want to pop!"

"You cannot pop or whatever you said," Madoka sat on the bedside, waiting for the princess to make the mistake of letting the covers go. "Lord Leopride is probably waiting to speak for you."

"Let him wait longer!"

"Elise, you have nothing better to do," Madoka sighed.

"Not true!" Elise mumbled. "I have sleep to do!"

"Then tomorrow will come and I will still be here," Madoka told her pouting princess. The princess stirred again for a second as Madoka vigilantly scanned for Elise to let go of the sheets.

"You make that sound like a bad thing," Elise mumbled. She poked her head out and yawned. She peered at Madoka, her gaze held long enough to make the maid blush. "How do you look so good every morning? You don't have any makeup or tricks up your sleeve, do you?"

With that, Madoka seized the opportunity and swooped the sheets off the princess's bed. She was naked, of which Madoka was used to the sight. She apparently kicked off her attire to the back of the bed. The living tattoo wriggled its way across her shoulder blade to her arm. Elise did not even react after Madoka pulled the dress out from the crease of the bed frame.

"It's cold," Elise complained. "Maybe you can warm me up with your—"

"Up you go!" Madoka interrupted her and pulled her up. "Wearing clothes will make you warmer, you know."