Queens

1.0: Prologue

Twinkling glasses, sparkling diamonds, bubbling drinks. Delicacies are passed around on polished silver trays, by trained servants who are told to be useful, not seen. Men dressed in their most expensive tuxedos and women in floor-length gowns mingle and twirl on the dance floor. A sweet, clear melody twists through and around the heads of the guests.

The royals are in town.

It's Ed Norris' third royal party. The pressure is still as intense as his very first event (Princess Ashley's birthday party), but he can feel his supervisor's eyes watching his every step. As Ed walks the perimeter of the ballroom, carrying a silver tray piled with some sort of Middle Eastern delicacy, he goes through the 14 essential steps of serving. He checks his posture, fingers, expression, walking pace, and a million other tidbits that differentiate any kid on the job from the butler elite. He makes sure to have a vacant expression, but not too vacant as to shut down guests from not getting their food. He must be constantly scanning the area for potential guests to serve, but must never make eye contact (a Royal should never waste their time looking at a servant-- it distracts from the party).

As he makes his slow rounds, two pale young men approach the platter, looking hungrily at the saucy cubes of meat. Ed bows his head slightly in respect, as he identifies the two as princes, but senses they may want a description of the food. He respectfully tells them the name of the dish, the meat, and the sauce. A Middle Eastern-looking boy of about the same age approaches the platter as well. He lifts a cube from the tray and pops it into his mouth, smiling at the first two.

"This is the best... you must try some," the Middle Eastern boy grins. "Maybe a bit spicy for you Europeans." A playful smirk spreads over his lips. The princes laugh.

"On three, Tyler," one says. The other nods. They each take a large serving, and munch thoughtfully for a moment before looking at each other with a panic spreading in their eyes, and a red glow painting their faces. They take off in the direction of the bathroom. The last boy is left, doubling over with laughter. When given a nod from the tear-wiping teen, Norris continues his glide through the hall.

As he continues through the ballroom, he notices Princess Ashley. Her blonde hair cascades down her back as she walks towards Prince Josh (who is now emerging from the men's room), her head held high and her shoulders back. She has a way of making everyone look at her without a single word. She engages in a serious talk with Josh, her eyes holding fire as she scolds him for something or other, but when she looks around and realizes people are staring, she turns soft and flirtatious. Ed can't help but notice her eyeing the alcohol every few seconds. Servants aren't technically supposed to serve alcohol to the younger royals, as it could result in unruly behavior, but the most important rules come before that: give the royals what they want, and make sure that everyone is having a pleasant time. Most servants turn a blind eye, letting them sneak a bottle or two. As Ed considers slipping Princess Ashley a bottle of wine, he notices her take a flask out from the front of her shirt and take a quick swig. She must feels his eyes on her, as her head suddenly snaps towards him and their eyes meet. He quickly turns away and continues walking through the hall, serving the hungry guests.

Another server notices Ed's tray is empty, and he hands Norris a tray of caviar so he can continue serving. As he walks through the hall, he gets close to Princess Melanie and overhears her conversation with a group of guests, and they're hanging on her every word. "That's the goal isn't it?" she asks, continuing in a charismatic speech. "We need to give the next generation opportunity to thrive and grow. They are our future, and if we continue listening to the youngsters, giving them the resources to learn and succeed, the future will surely be bright." She smiles a toothy grin and nods her head as the group around her applauds. Princess Melanie is the well-spoken sweetheart of all of the monarchies in Europe, and anyone listening to her will just eat everything she says right up. Once she walks away from the group, Ed offers her a spoon of caviar, but she politely turns it down.

He walks towards the end of the hall, where the bathrooms are located, and sees Princess Ella rush out of the lady's room. She's wearing only half of the makeup that she was wearing earlier, and her face and eyes have turned slightly pink. He would like to help, but that would be breaking one of the most important rules of these parties: do not socialize in a friendly way with the royals.

So Norris continues on, going down the other side of the ballroom. He notices Princess Marina twirling her hair and smirking as a duke talks to her. She occasionally looks down at her rings, and when Ed walks by, she grabs a spoon of caviar, wipes it on a napkin, and proceeds to use it as a mirror. He has never been able to afford caviar, and she just wiped it on a napkin. He can't help but feel disgruntled, but he keeps his composure and continues on.

As Norris walks through to the other end of the hall, offering food to anyone that glances at him, he becomes aware of Prince Josh and Prince Tyler sitting in the corner. Prince Tyler has his head in his hands and he appears to be shaking a bit, and Prince Josh is tracing circles on his back and whispering into his ears. Princess Ashley sits next to Prince Josh, and I catch her take another sip from her hidden flask as she continues to stare off into the distance as her rumoured boyfriend comforts his friend.

Ed notices that his silver platter of caviar has been emptied, so he heads back to the kitchen, nodding respectfully at any royal that takes the time to look towards him. He pushes the swinging kitchen doors in, places the tray on the stack next to the sink, and grabs a new platter. That's when he hears a scream coming from the ballroom.
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Dear reader,
!!!! We're so happy to be posting this !!!!
This is just the prologue, but as you know, the first chapter will be up on November 1st! It'll be a first person story, switching between the perspectives of the six main characters. J will be writing as three of them and Lo will be writing as the other three. We can't wait for you guys to read the whole story, so stick with us. Thank you guys and we can't wait to go on this journey of a story together!
Love,
J and Lo
PS the chapter aesthetic is at the top!