Butler Charming

Chapter 1 ~ Chosen Princess

Rain softly hit my partially broken windows. The roof was leaking, causing a terribly large puddle to form on the dirt floor. I sat at the horribly built wooden table, looking like it could collapse any second, eating my only meal which I had daily. This meal was a loaf of hard bread, and an apple, both of which I had stolen from the townspeople. I dropped my food onto the table and slumped down in the chair as it creaked under my light weight. Is this it? Is this my life? My nose got a little itchy, so I wiped it with my sleeve, but my sleeve was so unclean that it left dirt marks on my face. It was was only made of very old rags with stitchings and nothing else. Tears welled up in my eyes as the dirt off my sleeve got into them. This is it. This is life. My tears cleaned out my eyes and quickly sinked into my dry, rough, scratched-up skin. I glanced over to the wooden pail in the corner of the room. I slowly got up energiless, dragging my way to it. I picked it up and placed it under the dripping ceiling. I watched as it dripped for a good five minutes, then I finally got enough to drink it. This as good as it gets. Thrown onto the street by an unresponsible mother at the age of ten. Seven years of pure hell. Stealing food just to barely survive yet another day, wearing clothes made of rags, drinking rains water twice a week. If it doesn't rain, I have to pay five cents just to get get water from the well. Who on earth even has five cents? Sure isn't me. Suddenly I heard a strange, unfamiliar noise outside. I went outside as fast as I could.

Everyone was packed around the street, shoulder to shoulder, pushing their way to the center. What now? I tried to push my way through the crowd. That when I recognized the sound. A horse's trotting? Too weak to hold my place, people pushed me back out of the crowd. I had to force my way between everyone. I heard a deep voice as I was halfway to the street. "Ladies and gentlemen." The voice rang clearly, as if a proffesional speech giver. "As you may already know, King Devon is not... Doing so well." The voice began. I pushed and pushed my way the more I heard the voice, closer and closer. "But... We do not have a princess. As you know, many counties hate us... Because of that, we don't have a princess." They went on. I had finally reached my way to the street. There was a rich carriage, looking as if it had been covered in gold and expensive jewels. There were two horses, both with white fur and beautiful silky-looking manes. The man was a slender man, with black hair and black high class clothing. He wore black glasses and he wore a very serious expression. "We have decided... To randomly select a princess, as the king has refused to pass on his title to an unmarried prince. The princess must know how to act properly and she must be willing to learn the ways of the monarchy. She must learn to dance, to give flawless speeches, to bow, to ride a horse, to be elegant, to have mannars..." His list went on. He spoke effortlessly in a clear voice. This is certainly news... I scanned the crowd. The faces of females of all ages lit up in seconds. The crowd began murmuring. "We will choose. Now." He pushed up his narrow glasses back onto the arch of his nose, slightly grinning out of amusement. The crowd went silent, everyone bit their lips, raising their hands. A few people shouted at him to pick specific people, mostly themselves. Others shut up and crossed their fingers. A princess, huh? One chosen out of ladies like us? No, we're not even ladies! We're peasants! Worthless, uneducated, pathetic peasants! "The princess is-" He started. In the midst of his voice out laughing uncontrollably, near tears, interrupting him rudely. The man turned to me, along with the crowd's eyes, several glares signaling for me to be quiet. The man's eyes grew cold at first as I laughed. I began crying, as I thought I would. I wiped my tears with my filthy sleeve, just getting dirt into my eyes again. "Ow!" I cried as my eyes stung from the dirt. I shut my burning right eye, keeping open my left one, watching as the man let out a soft chuckle. No one spoke. "My, you certainly have quite the nerve to interrupt a prince." He grinned. "Tch. A prince?" I scoffed. Now almost everyone was glaring at me, but I couldn't care less. "Quite the nerve." He cringed. "Your attitude is quite unacceptable!" Someone in the crowd yelled at me. "Oh, relax." The man laughed. The man slowly walked towards me, with some weird walk, as if looking down on everyone else. He looked down at me. I stared back up at him, eyes probably full of what most likely looked like hate because he furrowed his brows once he saw me up close. Then, his scowl relaxed into a soft smile. "You're quite different." He smiled. No one spoke, and I just waited for him to continue. "You will do." A grin grew on his lips as he grabbed my dirty arm. The crowd began yelling as the man forcefully rushed me to the carriage, pushing me inside harshly. I didn't want to go, but I was too weak to rebel. People began throwing things such as good at the carriage and I actually began to be terrified.