The Girls from Downstairs

ten: breakfast with the prince

I know this update is a day late, but it's here!  Once Damsel is finished I'll be able to update this one a lot sooner (or at least on time) Enjoy!

<3 XDee

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I waited patiently for Harlow to come into my room.  When she did, she paused, laughed, and ordered me to change. 

“What’s wrong with what I have on?”  It was a deep blue top with a long brown striped skirt and some flats.  My hair was flat, since I didn’t have any products or things to do stuff with it.

She clicked her tongue.  “What’s wrong with it is everything!  What you’re wearing is far too casual for a first breakfast!  The entire kingdom is going to be watching you, yet you’re walking around in... in... walking clothes?!?”

I stood up quickly.  It had hit me sometime last night that this was not a dream; this was really happening.  If I was going to get through this alive, I was going to have to go along with the storyline.

“Okay, so tell me what I should be wearing.”

She rolled her eyes.  “Fine.  But only for Felix.  I can’t let him walk around with you in that.  Let’s see what we have in here...”

She walked to the closet and began pushing dress after dress aside.  She finally settled on a simple piece; it was forest green, long-sleeved, with a square-cut neck with a brown sash around my waist and fell to the floor.  A little too far to the floor. 

“There’s no time to hem it.  I’ll just have to pin it up,” she sighed.

A guard stuck his head through the door.  “Excuse me, miss?  Felix is asking where you are.”

“Tell him it was my fault and I spilled some juice on her blouse so she had to come and change,” Harlow lied.  The guard nodded and left.

“Thank you,” I muttered.

She shrugged.  “Whatever.  It’s nothing, really.”

The pinning finished, she waited for me to slip back into flats and we raced out the door.  The dining hall was down the corridor, through a door, down two sets of stairs, up another, through three or four more doors, then another corridor, and - finally - through a door on the right.  I was dizzy and breathing heavily by the time we reached it.

“This is it!  Have fun!  Make sure you keep your elbows off the table, keep your napkin on your lap, and use the silverware from the outside in, okay?  Bye!”  She waved and walked away.  I stared after her, a million questions running through my head.

“Miss?  Are you ready?” the guard from before asked.  I nodded. 

He opened the door to reveal a pretty big room, filled with a single white wooden table that was covered with a beautiful blue silk table cloth.  When I walked through the door Felix rose from his chair, smiling.  He hurried over to take my hand.

“You look beautiful,” he complimented. 

I blushed.  “Thank you.  Harlow-“

“I’m so sorry about her!  She’s been a bit... extreme lately.”

“No, it’s fine!  She was helping me, actually,” I explained. 

“Good.  I’m glad she’s accepted this.  One barrier down!”  Felix laughed.  He pushed the chair in behind me and hurried to the seat on my left.  “Now, shall we dine?  I apologize for forgetting to feed you yesterday - in all the excitement, can you really blame me?”