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 Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2017 6:12 pm
The guard could almost see the questionable look on Astrid's face, did she not know how it worked outside the castle? "Slaves don't last long in the country side, princess, most die before they turn 25 from how we treat them here, as a disposable piece of garbage." He went and escorted her and Kenneth to the horse. Ken climbed up the horse, holding on to the horse's hair while Astrid held the reins and kept him steady. He had rode horses before, but it was difficult when you wanted to nod off and let your back heal. They rode hard, he got to rest whenever they let the horse rest before continuing and seeing the castle up ahead. "Hm? Yes. I'll keep my eyes closed if it makes you comfortable." He got off the horse, taking the dress out of the saddle bag to hold for her.
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Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2017 4:54 am
 "See that you do." She answered coldly and turned her back to him once he'd gotten down from the horse. She moved her long, braided hair out of the way and waited tiredly for him to untie her dress. As soon as she felt it was loose enough, she had him close his eyes and turn around. She attempted to pull the dress over her head with some difficulty. As most of her others, this dress was quite form-fitting and it caught on her shoulders as she was removing it. Once it was finally off, she slipped the new dress over her head and took her time adjusting it. Then she instructed her slave to tie the back. This one was cheaper, but clean and cut high just below her knees which made it better for riding. It showed the riding boots that she was wearing, and she didn't approve of that. It was better than showing up in a dirty and torn dress and wearing no shoes at all. It was bad enough that she hadn't thought to ask for a new veil to cover the back of her head with. She must look very common now.
She ran a hand over her hair as she stared at the castle ahead. It was important to see her father as soon as she could which would leave her no time for a bath. If she was to do anything about her hair before seeing him it had to be now. She turned to Kenneth as she started to unravel her braid. "Do you know how to braid a woman's hair?" She asked specifically for a feminine braid because of the lazy way he'd braided his own hair before. As she finished undoing the braid, she let go of her hair. At its longest point, it was just a couple inches above her knees.
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Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2017 3:21 pm
Kenneth untied the dress, closing his eyes while she changed and opened them when she requested he tie the back. It was easier to tie than her fancy dresses, maybe because it was usually worn by commoners. "I can try." He dug in the satchel, a few items had been given to them in case it was needed. One brush, a nail filer, bag of coins and a few rings. He took the brush and nail filer, beginning to brush her hair out before using the nail filer to start braiding. It took several minutes, but he finished and set the items back in the satchel. "Is that good, princess? Should look presentable until you can get a proper bath." He climbed back on the horse and petted the horse gentle, showing how exhausted he was and how much pain his back felt without medications.
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Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2017 6:02 am
"I don't want to hear that from you." She responded curtly, and climbed up behind him on the saddle. He was always such a filthy creature, she didn't want to be told by him that she needed to bathe. She noticed that he was trembling. She reached around his shoulders to move his chin towards her face so that she could get a good look at him. He was very pale, his clammy skin almost glowed in the darkness. "You're getting weaker. We have only a short ride left, I'm curious if you'll be alive by the time we reach my castle?" She was speaking mostly to herself but if he could answer, she'd give him time to speak. Then abruptly she leaned forward, placing a light kiss on his cheek. She let go of his chin and grabbed the reins with both hands. "A reward for saving my life. Don't curse me if you don't survive." She started the horse at a trot, soon speeding up to a gallop. It was a rough ride for him, but they were short on time. He was in rough condition and though he'd proven himself to be more durable in the past she didn't wish to test those limits any further. He was sweaty and disgusting as usual, she could only hope that she hadn't caught a disease of some kind from the contact.
Before long they arrived at the castle. Astrid was stopped by the guard who did not recognize her at first. Once more she had to prove who she was and once that was over and done with she was allowed to pass through. As expected, she'd arrived before news of what had happened to them had reached any of them. She sent Kenneth off to one of the rooms for rest and to be seen by another doctor. Then walked into a lounging area where her father was. There was no hiding it, as ashamed as she was of the entire ordeal. She'd been so helpless to prevent herself from being captured. She wasted no time in explaining her strange appearance and the events which had occurred. She was also certain to apologize for her late arrival.
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Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2017 3:26 pm
Kenneth had hoped she wouldn't notice, that if she did then she would leave him in the woods with the pack of wolves that howled. "I-I'll survive..." He mumbled, smiling softly at the kiss on his cheek before holding on to the horse's main to try and stay on, what if he fell and she kept on going? He didn't want to die in the woods. He barely noticed when they made it to the castle, a servant helped them both off the horse and escorted Ken to a room before going to get the doctor. He had salves rubbed on his back to ease the pain, the stitching work had to be redone, leaving once done to let the man rest under the blankets.
The king was lounging while eating some turkey legs and drinking lots of alcohol. It was a vacation and he enjoyed getting to spend time with his youngest children and his wife. He was more then confused to see Astrid dressed like a commoner and about what happened. "Looks like I need a new guard captain...go get cleaned and into real clothes, I'm just glad you weren't sold off." He downed another mug, Erwin was playing with the twins, enjoying his little nephew and niece while Hector was attempting to teach Arthur how to read.
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Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2017 6:13 pm
There was no feeling of relief after she'd gotten done with her report, nor that she was in a their vacation castle surrounded by armed guards. It wasn't safe, wasn't relaxing at all in her opinion. She curtsied to her father and left swiftly for her quarters. The hallways of this castle had rows of chandeliers, painted ceilings and artwork all over the walls. It was smaller but in its own way more decadent than their main home. She had at first expected to come here alone, without her family. But mention of a vacation had caught Hector's attention, which caught Ester's and then so on until the entire family was coming along. It made little difference. The most recent attempt on her life was proof of that much. She just wanted to be alone.
She made it to her rooms and a servant arrived to inform her of what had happened to her slave. She dismissed them afterwards and had one of the female staff draw her a bath and help her undress. It was much easier with someone to help raise the dress. That this commoner's dress wasn't nearly as snug as her usual dresses also helped. She dismissed this servant as well, even though she usually had two to assist her with dressing and bathing. She didn't want anyone to see her new bruises. In the many mirrors that lined the private bathing area, she checked herself for any sign of injury. She had a large bruise on her abdomen from the gauntlet-ed punch, her shoulder, arm and rump all had fresh bruises from the event. Only a few days ago had her body been bruised by her brother tossing her onto the floor like a sac of potatoes. Her older bruises were mostly healed by now thanks to her lifestyle. Though she could still see the one on her arm where she'd been grabbed.
So, bruises, a bump on her head, rope burns on her wrists and ankles and cuts on her feet. She didn't want to think about what had been on that cloth, or Kenneth's cheek. She stepped into the bath, all too quick to start washing her luxuriously lengthy hair and pampered skin to get rid of the filth. Taking a thick robe, she called for another female servant. She had them tub drain refilled and perfumed salts added. A basket filled with rose petals didn't go unnoticed either; she tossed the entire thing into the water. She dismissed them before ditching the robe and sinking into the comfortably warm water. The smell filled her nostrils, overpowering the previous scents of mud and God knows what else had been in that cell. Nearly two days without sleep, when she hardly slept at all, caught up to her. She fell asleep in the bath, and stayed there for about an hour before a maid peeked in to check on her.
Frantic, as she wasn't aware of the princess' cruel nature, she rushed over and started trying to pull her out of the tub. Astrid snapped at the rude awakening, flailing her arms and legs as she believed that she was being attacked. When the quick apologies of the maid and the reason for the disturbance finally reached her ears, she let out a frustrated sigh. She had the girl leave the room, so that she could get into her robe without being seen. Her limbs were numb by now from how cold the water had become since she'd fallen asleep. A sneeze escaped her lips as she pulled the robe around herself a little tighter. It instantly darkened her mood. She'd caught something after all.
She slipped into her nightgown after drying herself off with the maid out of the room, then called her in to tie it. It was long enough to even hide her feet, a length she was much more comfortable with. The doctor was brought in, a tonic was given to her to take to help her sleep which she accepted but did not drink. She'd spend the rest of the day in her room.
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Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2017 6:38 pm
Kenneth slept like a rock, being awakened to eat a small plate of scraps from the king's turkey; claiming it was a gift for saving his daughter. He ate silently before going to lay back down, the maid tugged him back up. "King is letting you take a bath upstairs, we won't use any oils or such because of your wounds." She helped him up and to the baths, letting him soak in it and seeing him flinch when the warm water touched his wounds. She got him cleaned quickly before getting him in a pair of undies and having a blanket wrapped around him. He went back to his room and slept for a whole day before getting up feeling better. He made his way to the princess's room, wearing clean clothes for once and knocking. The advisor was talking to the princess after bringing her found jewelry to her. "Your father is holding a ball in a month, it is to be hosted here and he wants you to pick someone to dance with, to make the suitor's jealous and give more gold and land for your hand." He noted, giving her a box with a beautiful heavy gown she had ordered months ago. "It needs to be someone who can swoon any lady; causing the suitors to not get any attention from you or any woman." He looked to Kenneth after he opened the door. "Him! He entrances all the maids and slaves, I hear even Victoria loves to gossip to him during your tea time." He smiled happily, writing some notes on a piece of paper.
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Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2017 11:22 pm
Astrid was turning each piece of jewelry around in her hands, cold violet eyes searching for any changes. Most of them were well cared for, and only the circlet and necklace she'd been wearing hadn't been found. At her Uncle's suggestion, she immediately looked at him and stood up. "What?" She uttered, her thoughts a rush at the mere idea of it. She set the gown down on her chair and turned to her Uncle, her temper flaring up. "He's a slave. Even if he was cleaned up and taught for a month, how would he be able to pass as a gentleman? If he did fool everyone, what if they were to seek him out after the ball? Just look at the condition of his skin and his hair. He lacks knowledge and experience, only a fool would believe such a farce. He cant' even dance. And when a suitor calls upon me, what if he should see my slave attending to me in the castle? We'd easily be found out."
And she was right, even if compared to a rough man of higher rank, like Joseph, there was a large difference. That, and he was shorter than her. How was she supposed to pretend to be entranced by a man she had to look down upon constantly? His skin was rough, flaky and dry from lack of proper care and calluses on his hands were not in places associated with a weapon. Even if he wore gloves there were many other things which would make it obvious that he was a peasant. Going off of what he'd told her, he'd been allowed to live as he wanted to by his parents. He was basically a filthy commoner, even if the only positive he had going for him was a straight posture. Astrid was bothered by slouching, so any slave or servant she had to deal with were all forced to train themselves to have perfect posture. It didn't help that she knew how much he'd loved to be surrounded by upper class women, though none of them were better than her it would be incomparable to being around peasants and commoners.
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Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2017 3:35 pm
Erwin set his hand to his chin, nodding that it would be difficult to make Kenneth into a noble man of high enough rank. "Hmmm...ah, what about we up his status a little, for the ball he will be your escort; enough to make the suitors jealous and try to win your hand. Of course he does still have to partake in a dance at least once with you." He scribbled more stuff on the paper, looking to Ken. "Yes, yes perfect, he will be your ball escort, the suitors will assume he is only there for the one ball and as long as they avert your attention to them, they won't have to seek him after. Perfect! I know where he comes from already, you can dance since you were once a noble right? Right! You have no manners though, maybe posture, but I've seen you eat. I'll tell the king at once of this idea." He was excited, reminding him of his younger days with William and having to disguise maids as beautiful nobles to acquire the most ruthless princess who would kill to obtain the throne. He rushed out of the room, escaping down the hall and leaving no chance of the princess catching up in her confusion.
Kenneth frowned, walking into the room and closing the door to await the princess to yell at him. "You look better today princess, doctor says I can preform my duties once again, if my stitches tear than he can fix it." He bowed lightly, the doctor had wrapped up his upper and lower torso to keep the wounds closed by stitches and to keep dirt out. "I uh..don't think he knows I can't dance..." He frowned again, not knowing what to do to keep her happy if he couldn't dance, what tutor would teach a slave to dance?
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Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2017 6:09 pm
The moment her Uncle left the room she turned to fix Kenneth with a dark scowl. She crossed her arms and slowly looked him up and down as she circled him, much like a predator examining prey. "Stand up straight. Stop doing that with your hands." She commented, smacking him if he didn't move fast enough. She stopped in front of him and just silently glared at him for a while. As he met her gaze she scoffed at him. "So you were listening." He knew that her Uncle would be raising his status, which meant that he wouldn't be punished for looking at her eyes. She could still beat him if she wished it for no matter what title he was given he would never reach her level. "It doesn't matter how much you heard. I'll repeat it all so that you will understand. My father is hosting a ball and you are to attend as a young nobleman. You will.." She let out a disgusted noise and then began to tap one of her fingers against her arm in agitation.
"As he said, your job is to get the attention of any ladies in attendance. I'm sure you'll have no problem with that. But you won't find me to be a cruel master. Even before you're given a new title, I'll allow you write to your lovers to let them know about your betrayal beforehand." She nodded towards the writing desk in her room, the little jewels on her circlet jingling from the force of it. "You'll have to learn to be a nobleman in order to fool everyone. If you fail you will face a slow, excruciatingly painful death. As for your normal duties, forget them. The ball is being held in a month. You're to use all of that time to become a gentleman. At least as close to one as you possibly can." The last bit was dripping with disdain. The idea of pretending to be even the slightest bit interested in a womanizing, spineless worm like him made her feel sick to her stomach.
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Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2017 6:26 pm
Kenneth was nervous, slouching and fiddling with his hands until she smacked him to stop it. He avoided her gaze as much as possible and nodding to what he was told. "U-Uh...a month? I haven't been a noble in a year, much less acted like one since I was a child..." He trembled at her gaze, trying to stay in a correct posture like he was trained to do so. "I still don't know how to dance, princess. I can't woo ladies of such high status with my kindness." He stated, rubbing one arm in a nervous habit, he could entrance most woman, Victoria with her love of romantic literature, the little Ester with her love of music, maids by helping them and other slaves by easing their pains and tasks. High noble woman? He knew nothing of how to woo them and gather all the attention to Astrid in the process. He looked to the desk, letters of betrayal, wait. "W-What about this? Won't they notice?" He pulled his shirt down a bit to show the burnt T mark, it would give him away immediatly, and he didn't know what men wore at balls, having never been to one.
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Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2017 6:48 pm
Her mood grew darker as he seemed all too ready to accept her offer. She'd suspected him of flirting with female slaves and staff, but only now had the idea of his having lovers solidified. It made him all the dirtier in her eyes as well. How had he even managed such a feat while lacking the necessary equipment? She looked away from him in pure disgust. "Revolting." She commented, his response made her recall the indecent drawings he'd made before. He'd rolled his eyes at the reaction she and that elderly maid had to them at the time. He was so used to a level of sexual depravity that she didn't want to think about at all. This was impossible, she couldn't be anything but disgusted by him. Astrid noticed the burn mark poking out from beneath the wrappings. No doubt he was covered in them, those wounds on his back ran long and had been fairly deep.
"You've never been to a formal event before?" She asked with a slight smirk, though she kept an extra distance from him. "You'll be wearing a formal outfit, with a high collar. It doesn't matter if you don't know what one looks like. I should also mention that you are absolutely not to remove your clothing. No one must see your scars, they'll know in an instant that you aren't who you claim to be. Do try to stay dressed, if you can't romance a woman without resorting to such common... indecent measures then I will find someone else to fulfill that role. My Uncle will have to understand. As for dancing, I'll find you a suitable teacher." She picked up the gown she'd been given and walked over to the window. It was bright outside, and there was a fainting couch next to the windows. She draped the dress over the couch to admire it in the light.
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Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2017 7:11 pm
Kenneth looked down, avoiding her eyes as she skulked around him to measure him up. Revolting? Not everyone got a bath twice a day or new clothes whenever they demanded. He fixed the wrap on his arm, hoping the outfit would cover it or he would have to make an excuse like he had been a soldier or maybe he did it as a child? The scars on his back wouldn't be easily lied about either, only slaves had such marks and his were fresh and barely able to be touched before bleeding again. "N-No, your majesty. Remove my clothing? I would never show myself like that to a unwed woman! You can trust me, princess, I won't fail." He looked at the dress, it was beautiful and silky, form fitting and would be perfect for dancing as it would wave across the marble floor like the princess she was. The advisor had returned, smiling as his niece looked at her dress. "It has matching shoes, jewerly and a veil for your hair! Your father made sure you would be the most beautiful gem out of everyone. Victoria awaits out in the garden for tea, she says she has so many new books to tell you about." He walked over, pushing Ken to the corner of the room as slaves weren't meant to be seen or heard.
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Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2017 7:33 pm
Astrid tried to disregard his statement. He was lying again, certainly, and with such a poor choice of words. It sounded like he only targeted married women, which was worse. She crossed her arms again and tried to focus on the new gown. The appearance of her Uncle with news of the matching accessories to the gown cheered her up though. She couldn't help but smile at the thought of them. Since the dress was so beautiful and detailed, the accessories must be equally as breathtaking. "Thank you, Uncle." She answered and started towards the door. She paused as her attention was called to her slave yet again. "Before I go, might I ask who is going to train him? Do you already have someone in mind?"
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Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2017 7:53 pm
Erwin smiled, glad to make Astrid happy and began to follow her as she stopped. "Oh? I will have news of any tomorrow, I just hope they will teach a slave and not use him to embarrass the royal family. Go, I must take your slave to get measurements as his suit will need to be made quickly." He looked to Ken and pulled him over, he was short and skinny, tanned skin from working in her garden yet his blonde hair and red eyes were of interest. "We need to fatten you up a bit, can't have your stomach grumbling while dancing!" He pulled him down a different hallway, waving to Astrid that he would return him before her tea session was done. "A-Ah, sir?" He was shushed and pulled in to a different room from their destination.
Victoria was fanning herself gently while reading a rather thick novel. She looked up to see Astrid and sprung from her seat to hug her elder sister. "Sister, I've been waiting for, forever! Is Ken not with you? Ohh, we must gossip Astrid! I heard you beat Joseph then he fell ill!" She walked back to her chair, having a loose dress and her hair in a long braid. She didn't need a veil until she became 16 nor the tight clothing unless at ceremonies. She had two female slaves, one holding the umbrella and another sat behind the chair to keep from being seen until needed. "Oh then I heard that tutor you had burned? Oh he was a pervert! Is it true? It sounds like my favorite novel of A scandal of low status! Did you know the author released another chapter of it? Will you get it for my birthday?" She picked up the tea cup, sipping it gently before the sitting slave got up and filled Astrid's tea cup.
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