"Miss?" one of my maids timidly whispered. I lifted my head to look at her and then laid it on my pillow again. I heard their feet scuffle across the floor to the side of my bed.
"Miss, it's time for the banquet." the other said. I groaned and sat up, rubbing my eyes. I yawned and jumped out of bed.
"What do I wear this time?" I asked Gretel and Paris, my maids. They pushed me into my closet and ran around frantically, trying to find the perfect dress. I had a walk-in closet with countless racks of dresses made from gold, silver, even a little bit of diamond is woven into a few dresses. I have dozens of heels; most of them are made with a wooden frame coated with liquid metals. My father is the head of the wealthiest business in the kingdom. The king, King Altama, invited my family to a banquet he was hosting at his palace. My mother, wanting our family to get as much reputation as possible, practically forced my father to accept.
Gretel grabbed a silver dress with belled out shoulders and bright blue wool with a small amount of diamond thread woven into the seams. The ends of the sleeves came together to form a triangle on the back of my hand. On the very end of the triangle, a small, short ribbon iswas attached for me to slip my middle finger through. The middle section hugged tightly to my waist and then rested gently on my legs all the way to the floor. Paris chose my pair of silver heels that had strips of silver going diagonal across my foot from the other side of my foot. They both put small amounts of makeup on my face and slightly curled my hair. My mother believes that you are given the most amount of beauty you can have without putting any makeup on, but she didn't want to embarrass the royal family.
"You're all ready, Miss. Go on out, your parents are no doubt waiting for you." Gretel said. I nodded and slowly made my way out of my room and down the spiral staircase to the front door. My mother and father were waiting for me at the door and we headed into the coach. The driver started up the horses and we began to go towards the palace.
"You look lovely, dear." my mother said to me. She wore a tight looking, turtleneck-styled, ruby-laced silk dress that made her rump look huge. My mother always liked to wear the most "up and coming" fashions.
And so, now, she walked around the large foyer of the palace, greeting everyone with a faceful of her big buttock. I digress, it was rather hilarious when she met the head of the city council in this manner. He looked so flustered by it all, that he nearly bumped into it again while picking up his hat that fell. I laughed out loud at the site of it all.
"Maybeli! Watch your mouth, understand? There is nothing funny about this at all!" My mother exclaimed. I quickly shut up and followed my bamboozled parents into the dining room, left of the entrance.
The dining room was large and red velvet spread across the ceiling. The carpet was also a deep, warm red. All the wood had a red tinge to it, making the room feel comforting and warm. I pranced in, making a bee-line for the food. My mother grabbed my arm and gave me a disapproving look before letting go and heading gracefully for one of father's co-workers. I made a small, inaudible grumbling noise before following reluctantly.
"My dear Rose! Don't you look stunning!" my father's co-worker said. He was a stout little man who had attendency to sweat from his palms when met with what he liked to call "infinity". Most men just call it 'ecstasy'. I happened to notice a slight glisten to his hands as he rubbed them together. He stared at the monstrosity called the backside of my mothers dress. She didn't even notice, her being too caught up in the fact that she was called stunning. I immediatley remembered why I never liked this man. In one small moment, I saw that things were timed just right, and I took the fall.
I tripped a waiter who was walking close to the co-worker, causing all the wine inside wine glasses he had been carrying to head straight for the said pervert. It seemed he had quick reflexes and a sharp mind as well, for as soon as the waiter began his descent, the man moved out of the way, causing the wine to collapse onto my mother.
She was soaked through, a dark red stain forming on her breast. We all stood there with our mouths gaping open. I looked at my father and he was furious. I could see the playful twinkle in his eye that I became so familiar with, however, and I immediately knew I was safe with him. My mother, however, was in a blind rage.
"Maybeli! You are a disgrace to your father and I! This dress is ruined now because of you, ruined!" She began to sob slightly and turned to my father who was currently trying to herd her into the bathroom. "Darling, darling, look at my dress!" She exclaimed.
"Yes, yes, I see, I see. Let's go get you cleaned up and decent again." He said. She continued to whine until they disappered around the corner. After a while, everyone started to calm down. My father's co-worker came up to me, jabbing a finger into my chest.
"You! You little maggot! If it weren't for you, I would have been able to get a pass on that tall glass of water!" he said. I watched as sweat grew like mildew onto his hands. I became thoroughly and utterly disgusted with this man.
"You have forgoten, sir. That woman is married to the wealthiest businessman alive, Mr. Walsh. Those two just so happen to be my mother and father. And my father is also your boss. If I so pleased, I could have you fired in less than three seconds. Especially since you tried to make a pass on my mother. Now quit touching me, you filthy, slimy-haired, thin-brained, weasel of a man." I said. I smacked his hand away and stomped off toward the table of food.
It all looked so flattering! Light brown dinner rolls smuthered with a light, wispy butter, looking warm right from the oven. There were bowls filled with strawberries and apples, all incredibly fresh. I realized how hungry I was and reached for an apple. It was cool on my hand as I bit into it. It was juicy and delicious. I felt juice run down my chin and remembered when I was a child.
"Enjoying the food, are we?" I spun around, wide-eyed. A man about my age with dark, wavy hair and warm brown yes stood in front of me. He looked at me with a playful look, making me feel guilty and a little bit mischevious. He was incredibley handsome. I nearly dropped my apple, and then I realized I had apple juice all over my face. I swallowed and wiped the juice away.
"Well, what's it there for if no one will enjoy it?" I asked. He smirked.
"I guess you're right. I'm James, by the way." He bowed his head slightly and I curtsied in response. A tradition that I took quite a liking to since I could do it sarcastically and my mother would never notice.
"Maybeli Walsh." I responded.
"Ah, so you're the daughter of Mr. Walsh, the wealthy businessman. I saw what you did to protect that woman that was with him." he said, winking. I swear, my cheeks got so hot that I would have had a fever.
"Ah, you see, that woman was my mother and I had to do something to protect her dignity." James raised an eyebrow and nodded."I believe that was wise. Well, I should go, I have business to attend to." He bwalked away, leaving me in a sort of trance. I felt so light, like I could lift off at the slightest sign of air. That was just the beginning of quite a long and exciting story.
