The Princess

Today is the day the princess arrives at the palace, and I don't know how exactly I feel about it. On one part, I'm excited about meeting a demigoddess and serving her; on the other, I'm scared about meeting a demigoddess and serving her. What if she is completely cruel and discriminating? Also, I have been able to escape seeing the King for days now, but once she comes, it becomes inevitable. My entire life will be in the king's palace, following her even when she has meetings with the king.

I took extra time getting ready today, making sure I looked my best in my uniform. The dark shade of green does not look bad on my dark skin tone at all. In fact, it makes my complexion pop. I put berry scent behind my ears and coconut oil in my hair. I practice my smile in the mirror until the corners of my lips start to feel like cracking mold. 'The welcoming, accepting smile," as Madam Iwin calls it, is supposedly my best assertion in my work.

I had read every text I could find about Princess Deze. Her mother, the goddess Dicha, wanted a demigod child who would rule over a kingdom here on earth, so she made a deal with the human king of the northern kingdom. She offered him wealth beyond what he could imagine; in exchange, she would bear his child, who must become the ruler of the Northern kingdom. He didn't need the promise of wealth because he fell in love with the goddess Dicha at first sight and begged her to be his queen. They had a short love affair that ended with the birth of Princess Deze. Goddess Dicha kept her side of the deal, leaving the king with unmeasurable wealth.

Loud cymbals echo around the palace, announcing the princess's arrival. They sounded continuously in a pattern of 3 beats and then a purse, getting louder as if the first sound was possible to miss. I looked at myself in the mirror for the last time. "On the gods," I mutter as I walk out of the room with my hands shaking.

I am lost in the mesmerizing face of the princess, embarrassed that I have the opportunity to stare at such a breathtaking creation yet unable to peel my eyes away. Her golden brown skin commands the sunlight to enhance its glow, making her skin look like yellow sapphires. Her thick, coily, back-length hair is waving around her like a black veil decorated with pink flowers that complement her skin's pink undertones.

I feel a warmth spread through my body, like I'm hugging a friendly sun.

"Your majesty," I stammer, bending my knees and turning my head to the floor. She takes a step away from her silver carriage, her servers following her movement like they are in tune to her every heartbeat.

She smiles, and full moons appear on both her cheeks, her spring-leaf green eyes sparkling brighter in their sockets.

Everyone is as awestruck as I am. All eyes are on the princess, watching her every move like it's their only religion.

"Aurora," Madam Iwin cautioned. Her voice is so low that only I can hear it. With that, I get a hold of myself and smile at the princess.

The princess' emerald green empire-waist dress sways as we walk down the corridors of the king's palace. I pace myself, making sure I'm never standing too close or too far from her. Madam Iwin walks in front of the princess,her walking stick echoing lightly on the corridor wall.

"This is your quarters, your majesty," Madam Iwin announces. The princess looks around the room slowly. She walks over to the windows and gasps.

"This is beautiful!" she exclaims, her voice sounding out like a perfect melody played on perfect pitch.

Her window overlooks a huge water fountain made of coral-pink concrete with an arch of flowers that crosses around it in a zigzag pattern. It is a new monument, made specially to delight the Princess View.

"Your majesty," Madam Iwin says as she walks closer to the princess at the window. The princess turns over to her, giving her a smile that I find even more dazzling."This is your personal maiden, Aurora," Madam Iwin continues as she gestures to me. I bow my head to the princess, trying very hard to hide my nervousness. "She will be with you all through your stay in the palace. As you may already know, all your escorts will be going back and won't be serving you here. But I assure you, our servers are perfectly trained and will meet all your needs to the best of their abilities."

With that, I am left alone with the princess, wondering how I should serve her. I try to maintain a neutral expression as I bow my head, waiting for the princess to address me.

"Aurora," she says in her melodic voice.

"Yes, your majesty," I say with my head still bowed. I hear her foot steps getting closer to me as she walks away from the window. She stops right in front of me, so close that I can smell her jasmine scent. I look up, and she's smiling warmly at me, like we have been playmates since our first days on earth.

"Can you call me by my name?"

I stare at her, bewildered by her request. Surely it is a test.

"Your majesty, I am required to address you appropriately at all times. It would be rude to call you by your name." I reply in what I hope is a formal tone.

Suddenly she takes my hand in her soft, baby-soft hands, wrapping my right hand between both of her hands. My eyes shift from her face to the silver bracelet on her wrist, designed with pink rubies.

"Aurora, please, let's be friends. I am just a young girl outside my kingdom for the first time, away from everything I had ever known, coming to see a stranger that I'm supposed to spend the rest of my life with". 

I look into her emerald eyes, noticing how scared she is for the first time. All I can think of is my first day in the palace and how scared I was. Here she is, a demigoddess, scared. Without thinking, I place my left hand on hers, softly patting them, and flash her a natural smile.

"Okay, Deze," I say. I see her shoulders relax as she smiles back at me.