Story Saturday: The Prince's Servant

"The Prince's Servant"

Once upon a time, there was a peasant maiden named Lana whose family was struggling to survive. When she heard an announcement that the prince was going to hold a ball to find his future queen, she thought there might be some openings for work in the palace. Lana walked the short distance from her humble cottage to the opulent silver turrets of the beautiful palace that she would gaze upon in the moonlight when she had trouble sleeping. The intimidating guard at the gate sneered at her humble appearance and sent her to a side entrance for servants, where no one important would have to lay eyes on her.

When she walked through the narrow path surrounded by neatly trimmed hedges, she saw a bustling crowd of servants frantically preparing orders for food, performers, and decorations for the upcoming ball. She tried to ask them who was in charge of tasks, but most of them were too busy to even notice her. As she dodged several servants carrying large boxes, she finally noticed one woman whom everyone seemed to be reporting to. The woman had sleek golden hair and a gentle demeanor.

"Hello. My name is Lana, and I was hoping to find work here to help my family."

The woman smiled warmly at her. "Oh, you poor dear. I'm sure we could find something for you to do around here. I'm Maizie."

Maizie led Lana into the grand ballroom. It was overwhelmingly large with windows that rose ten stories high to a domed ceiling and a marble-patterned floor. It was also overwhelmingly empty. It was clear that the servants had been so busy with their preparations that no one had time to set up for the ball.

"Here's what we've gathered to decorate with." Maizie pointed to a huge pile of miscellaneous odds and ends that Lana couldn't make heads or tails of. "Just give it your best shot."

Lana gulped, taking in the size of the grand room compared to her own slight form. She was only one person. How could she possibly decorate such an enormous space without help? Still, she needed to make sure her family was fed. She wondered if perhaps Maizie was planning to send more people or had some sort of guide for her to follow.

"Maizie, how can I--"

Lana turned around to find that Maizie was gone, leaving her alone in the grand chamber.

Lana took a deep breath and began digging through the pile, but most of the items she found were useless. Some thimbles and spindles seemed to have been discarded from a seamstress's workshop. There were also some sheets and curtains in clashing colors. Everything seemed hopeless until she noticed something shimmering beneath an old brown tarp. A large bolt of iridescent fabric was hidden at the bottom of the pile. She imagined how beautiful this would look hanging over the windows as the moonlight shone in. Yet, there was no way to reach the ceiling that was so high above her.

After a little digging, Lana found a rickety ladder nearby that she was able to balance against one of the walls. She secured the bolt under one arm as she climbed high above the marble floor. She secured one end of the fabric to a hook next to the first window when she realized she had no way of maneuvering herself across to the next one. Holding her breath, she attempted to balance her feet on the window frame and pull the bolt across to secure it to the next window. She was incredibly high up with no way back down unless she could reach the ladder again. Without looking down, she managed to secure the fabric all the way around the ballroom.

Finally, she made her way back around to the ladder. However, she accidentally knocked into it with the now-empty fabric bolt, causing the ladder to crash onto the ground below. The shock caused her to lose her balance, and she fell to what would surely be her death. She shrieked and squeezed her eyes shut, with her final regret of not being able to feed her family. Yet, no impact came.

When she opened her eyes, she found herself in the arms of a handsome young man.

"Are you all right?" he asked. "What were you doing up there by yourself? It's dangerous to be that high up."

"I-I needed to help my family," she stammered.

"Surely there's a safer way to do that?" The man lowered her to the ground, but she found herself clinging to his shoulders for stability.

"Lana! What on earth are you doing?" Maizie's soft voice sounded uncharacteristically harsh. "Don't you know it's a crime for servants to cavort with royalty?"

Lana glanced back at her rescuer. "Royalty?"

"It's all right," said the man. "She needed help."

"She's supposed to be here to help you, Your Highness," said Maizie.

"I'll let you get back to your work. It looks lovely," said the man as he walked away.

Lana gazed at the iridescent fabric hanging over the windows. It truly created a dazzling effect.

"You've done enough for today," huffed Maizie. "I don't ever want to see you speaking to Prince Jacob again."

"I didn't know he was the prince," Lana said, trying to defend herself.

"Likely story. I've seen lots of girls like you coming here and pretending they need work just to get close to the prince. I have a good mind to throw you out without pay."

"I'm sorry," Lana cried. "Please give me another chance."

"We'll see tomorrow."

Lana went home and helped her family cook a meager meal of soup and carrots.

The next day, she returned to the palace and was put on kitchen duty. She wasn't bad at it, but she was unfamiliar with the formal royal ingredients that royalty ate and asked a lot of questions. By the end of the day, Maizie had decided she wasn't fit for servitude and told her not to come back to help at the ball.

As she walked out through the garden, Lana saw Prince Jacob going for a stroll. Though she tried to avoid him, he called her over. She gave a polite curtsy.

"I hope I can see you at the ball tomorrow," he said.

Lana hesitated. "I'm not supposed to speak with you. Maizie said I shouldn't come back."

The prince took her hand gently in his. "She doesn't get to decide who the prince can invite as his personal guest."

Lana blushed. "But I have nothing to wear."

"What about that lovely fabric you were putting up in the ballroom?"

Lana narrowed her eyes. "That was supposed to be for the ball."

Jacob brought her to a storage room nearby. "I'm sorry. I saw them take it down last night. I thought you knew."

Lana's eyes filled with tears as she saw all her hard work in an abandoned pile in the middle of the floor. Before she realized she was crying, the prince's arms were wrapped around her. 

"It doesn't all need to go to waste," he said. "It would make a lovely gown."

He helped her gather the fabric and wrap it up to bring home. When Lana's family saw her that night, they listened with excitement as she told them how kind the prince was to her and how he had invited her to the ball the following day. They helped her work all night to fashion the fabric into an exquisite gown that was finished just in time for her to go to the palace. 

When the guard saw her this time, he let her in right away, thinking she was a princess from a foreign land. She entered the ballroom to find her draperies had been replaced with expensive crystals and jewels that glittered in the moonlight. She didn't see anything remotely like them in the pile Maizie had shown her when she started working there. As if summoned by her thoughts, Maizie then appeared before her. 

"You!" she exclaimed. "I told you not to come back here! And you've stolen our precious fabric! I will summon the guards and have you arrested."

"Not so fast." Jacob placed his arm in front of Lana protectively. "You are not to arrest my chosen queen."

Maizie gasped. "Queen? What nonsense is this?"

He dropped to one knee before Lana. "If she'll have me."

Lana's eyes filled with tears yet again, but this time, they were tears of joy. At last, she had a way to feed her family for rest of their days and find her own happiness.

"Oh yes, of course I will!" she cried. 

The guests of the ball applauded as the prince shared a dance with his new fiancee. Maizie ran off in a huff and was never seen again, but everyone else lived happily ever after.