Princess Who? ~Closed~

[Firmhanded_Daddy]

The meetings were with most of the nobles and banner men of the houses that are sworn to the kingdom. It was an extremely important meeting, because his undertaking was not looked upon favorably and they had only given him the go ahead begrudgingly. He had to score a win here.

Several of the lords were waiting already, but most were still not arrived. His father was there already, and he greeted his son eagerly, the two embraced, if gingerly and they exchanged a few words in private. The room continued to fill until all the lords and a few ladies were present.

He raised his voice to calm the din of conversation. “Thank you lords and ladies for coming. I apologize for not addressing you yesterday. The road was hard and I did suffer a minor wound that required a bit of attention and rest. Nothing serious.” Hell just speaking at this volume was killing him. Still he persisted.

“The first engagement of this campaign went well. The Alani people sent their best, most seasoned general and it was good that they did. If it were not for the presence of Kah’Rahdim more Alanai would have died needless deaths. Still they took very heavy losses. Once I was able to get them to yield the fight so that I could treat with the General, it took a great deal of time to convince him to see reason, but eventually I was able to persuade him that between the two armies we stand a chance of accomplishing our great endeavor. However that is not an assured victory. Now he must take my proposal back to his monarch and convince his King that this is the right course of action. Leaders are not always so eager to give up their power. We may have to take the fight to the Alani capital. Still there are a few cards to play to avoid that.”

One of the lords stepped forward. ”Why did you not just force them to submit? From the field report you had them dead to rights. They were losing three men for our one. We could have crushed their army and then gone on to sack the city. That could have left us in a stronger negotiating position for the next kingdom.”

There were a few murmers of agreement and nods in the crowd. The Alani and these people have fought several time over the last several generations.

“That is short sighted Lord Cardin. First off I do not wish to destroy an entire culture. My goal is not to erase entire peoples off the map. It is to unite ALL kingdoms. That does not mean uniting them in death. Second off the Alani have a lot to offer as allies. Turning them into an enemy is not something we want to do. This conflict was nessicary yes, but I am hoping it is the last conflict we ever have to fight with them. They have been our cousins across the mountains for as long as our two kingdoms have existed. It is time we started to treat them like family. If we cannot unite them with a treaty, then we may need to unite with a marriage. The point is we must unite with them. I know this is an unpopular decision, but it is not one that is up for debate. It has already been made.”

There was much uproar about that, but in the end the meeting ended and the lords agreed to continue to support this effort.

He made his way back to his chambers with a heavy sigh. Sinking wearily into his chair. He heard a delicate knock on the door. “Come” he spoke in a beaten down tone. When Madi entered his head was in his hand, rubbing his temples. “Hello Madi. Please, sit. I am sure you have worked hard today.”

He looked completely exhausted.

 

[princesssexci]

Madi slowly entered the prince's quarters and began setting the food on the table as well as his drink. At his request for her to take a seat, she nodded her head and sat across him, briefly noticing how exhausted he looked, physically or emotionally...she wasn't quite certain. Either way, it showed on his face and the way he held his stance.

"As have you, my lord." She said softly, "You look utterly beaten." She blushed and looked away. "Forgive me, perhaps that was a bit too forward. Sometimes, words just...pop out of my lips before I think."

She twiddled her fingers in her lap. Sje was slightly tempted to ask him what had him in such a state but wasn't sure if that was too forward as well. Despite not knowing much about her past, she did recall the ways a servant and their master were to regard themselves.

"Perhaps some food may lift your spirits? Do I need to clean your wound again?" She asked. He was rubbing his temples as though he had a head ache. "Perhaps water wasn't the thing to bring you, if you wish for ale I can go fetch it for you."

 

[Firmhanded_Daddy]

He was pleased that she was quick to obey his requests. She seemed to be getting her feet under her. Then she spoke up on his condition and he raised a brow. She tried to cover her comment and he smiled. Shaking his head slowly. “Forward perhaps, but that does not mean it is not true. Today’s meeting was quite taxing. Between my wound, still being exhausted from the road, and not sleeping well last night I am not quite at my full strength, I admit.”

He paused a moment and then smiled at her. “I suppose it surprises you to find that I am not afraid to admit my shortcomings. Many men try to always appear strong even when they are not. Sometimes that is the correct course of action, but when it is with the people who are supposed to help you accomplish something, how can they help you if they do not know you need something? It is better to be truthful and expose your weakness than to try and project strength and fall further because you are incapable of overcoming your pride.”

She spoke of bringing something else to drink and he shook his head. He smiled wearily. “no no, the water is fine Madi. I am simply fatigued, and tense. After we dine we can change the bandage and then maybe I will rest for the night.”

He began eating slowly, despite how hungry he was, his stomach was turning. His nerves were shot. The meeting between the lords had been a giant uphill battle. It was hard to relax and focus on taking care of himself now.

 

[princesssexci]

Madi was surprised by how forthcoming he was, indeed. However, she did her best to hide such shock, though it failed her in the end when the prince mentioned it and how if he was prideful and attempted to project a strength he didn't have it would be his downfall. He was very intelligent though she hadn't expected anything less.

Nodding her head when he denied having Ale, she sat across from him at the tiny table and began to follow suit in eating. It was incredibly quiet, more so than the night before. IT was almost as if there were a tension in the air and the Prince wore it on his face even as he ate. She only wished there was something she could do to calm him.

"I ...I learned to do laundry today." she spoke up, "I mean, it's hard to believe that I didn't even know how to do it until this morning. They use this thing, this....they called it a ...washboard and you scrub the clothes on the washboard, like so." She set her piece of bread down and began imitating how it was done. "At first I wasn't doing it right, I suppose." She giggled, "A bit too hard and some of the water splashed on one of the girls. At the time it wasn't funny at all but now that I think about it..." A small smile graced her features. "It was a very interesting experience."

She was doing her best to lighten to mood and only hoped it would work. Quietly, she picked her piece of bread up again and began nibbling.

 

[Firmhanded_Daddy]

He was just trying to mechanically force food into his mouth when Madi began to speak about her new adventures for the day. He visibly relaxed as he leaned into the story and turned his eyes to meet hers. As her giggle erupted he followed suit with a soft chuckle and nodded his head. “It is an important skill to have. Perhaps you have simply forgotten it, or perhaps your way of life was such that you never had to do your own laundry? “

He pondered this silently for a moment and then continued speaking. “I have had to wash my own clothing; not in the palace but on the road there are not always servants to do the washing. Sometimes they simply have more important tasks to perform. As I have not taken a squire yet, occasionally I have to do my own washing.” There was a thought teasing at the reaches of his mind, but his weariness was preventing him from latching onto it.

Finally, he found what he was seeking. “Perhaps your lost life was one of nobility of privilege and you had a servant to do your daily chores for you? It would certainly explain the gap of knowledge in what would normally be things you would know. Either your lost memory has taken with it your basic skills, or your life was not one where you were expected to maintain a household; you had other duties instead.”

He tilted his head and stared at her thoughtfully. “What do you think Madi?”

 

[princesssexci]

Maddie looked at the prince questioningly. She never actually considered herself to be of royal priveledge. True, the other maids teased her when she'd first arrived there because she had no idea what to do and for that, they had been punished or threatened with punishment. However, it weas not something she actually thought to be true. Though, the Prince was correct, the knowledge of household duties was something she lacked even when being taught.

There was no recollection of washing clothes or cleaning plates, instead an inner disgust and the hidden thought that she should not be doing such duties. She never spoke them aloud of course since she'd had enough issues with the maids early on she didn't wish to make it worse for herself.

"I....I do not know." She murmured softy.

Whenever he mentioned war she seemed to cringe inwardly but still have a vast curiosity like knowing it was something that shouldn't be spoken of around her but still wanting to know the taboo knowledge. Whenever he mentioned one of kingdoms, Alani, her heart clenched and she wanted to cry.

"It's a possibility that I didn't consider before, but tis rather possible is it not? I suppose I also do not wish to seem vain in believing something like that. " she lifted her eyes to meet his. "But how can one find out this knowledge?"

 

[Firmhanded_Daddy]

He watched her with a curious glance. She raised a good point. Knowing such a thing would be difficult. He did not answer immediately. He contemplated the issue for several moments of silence. Taking several bites of food as he appeared thoughtful and was using the action of eating to cover the silence so as not to appear awkward. After several moments he broke his silence.

“While I am no expert in either field it is my duty to have as much knowledge as I can and know when I am out of my depth. The way I see it if you were to be of noble birth and simply not remember if you would be suffering from some sort of malady. Such a malady would either be medical, or magical. Neither one do I have the expertise to perceive. However, there are people who do. The best course of action would be to call in such people to have them look at you and decide if that is indeed the case, and then the next step would be to try and heal you from such a malady if you were under the effect of one. If you are not, then we will just have to provide you with the best training we can so that you can make a happy life for yourself. Certainly, your circumstance is a strange one and there is something unusual going on here. Either way, you are in my care and I will not see you suffer.”

That seemed to be all he had to say on the matter for the moment, his eyes raised to meet hers as if he was gauging her reaction to what he had said.

 

[princesssexci]

Maddie pursed her lips in response to his words. They ...actually made perfect sense but how foolish would it be to claim she was a princess with no absolute proof. IT was just speculation with her lack of knowledge. What if she was just stupid? They made eye contact and for some odd reason, her heart stopped. She blinked a few times and looked down at her empty plate.

"That is ...a most interesting concept indeed. I would have to ponder it and there is no proof of what you say being true and without any evidence tis only speculation, yes?"

She was slightly frightened of bring more people into this mess of confusion. What if he was wrong? The other maids already had a dislike for her. Wouldn't this make it far worse? "I shall contemplate your offer your highness. IT is a good one and would make finding the answer much easier. However, if you are wrong...well, there is only so much you can do to protect me."

 

[Firmhanded_Daddy]

What he said to her seemed to make sense to him as far as he could reason things out. However, her reaction to what he had to say made him doubt the validity of his whole premise. She acted as if he were putting her in a no-win situation. That was certainly not his intention, he was trying to help. He offered a smile and a brief nod of his head. A limit to how he could protect her? Did she doubt his capabilities?

“I understand you not comfortable discussing this. The prospects are certainly unnerving for certain. I do not mean to pressure you. It was just an idea and nothing more.”

He let the conversation fade naturally. He did not want her to think there was some sort of agenda in his motives. He emptied his plate and pushed it away after a moment. He let his eyes close as they lingered on her. He could feel the fatigue of the day catching up to him. It was time to call an end to the day despite how much of it was left. He had no more left to give and the exhaustion was becoming obvious. His voice softer he spoke once more. “I think it is time to end my day. I am still not feeling completely rested. I am rather drained”

 

[princesssexci]

Maddie slowly nodded her head at the prince and began collecting the dishes. "Of course, you need your rest." She bit her lip but didn't say anything else worried that she might have offended him by not agreeing with his idea readily. It wasn't that she didn’t trust his judgment or his abilities, she was just scared. She did all that was necessary to get him ready for bed then retired to her room with thoughts of his bold suggestions.

What if he was wrong?

What if he was right?

It was rather odd that of all the things she’d forget it would be basic duties that any servant might have. She wasn’t exactly an expert on memory loss but that didn’t seem like something someone would forget. A name perhaps, even your life but…everything including life habits.

She tossed and turned that night as images of being in a royal court went through her mind, people bowing to her, serving her, then a witch who laughed maniacally. She woke up in a fright and when she tried to get some sleep she found it was near impossible to do.

That morning when she served the Prince basics and he was looking over important documents she softly cleared her throat, “Is that offer to …look to see if I have been magically or medically compromised still open?”