Above The Sea

Chapter 13 - Audrey

"Eve had this done, for me?" I asked, my voice faint.

"She did. She really wants today to go well." Gale replied, a small smile appearing on her face. I watched as the dishes were laid out across the table in the center of the room.

"Tell her thank you please. And you don't have to address me as 'miss', just Audrey is alright with me." I said, staring longingly at the food that awaited me.

"Of course Mi- Audrey. I will tell the Princess your kind words. We will leave you to enjoy your meal." Gale answered, ushering the servants out before leaving the room herself. Not waiting a second more, I jumped out of bed and sat at the table, devouring as much food as I could.

Before long, a decent amount of food was gone. I stared at the massive amount of food left. 'What do I do with all the leftover food? I don't want it to go to waste, but I know I won't be able to eat it all.' I pondered. Remembering what Gale told me about the button, I figured it was worth a shot to see if they would take the food back to the kitchens. A few minutes later, three maids showed up at my door.

"You requested us Miss Audrey?" One of the girls asked, dropping into a low curtsy.

"Um, yes. But not for getting dressed, at least not at the moment. I wa jsut hoping you could bring the extra food back to the kitchens? I was told not to leave my room until E- the Princess came and got me." I asked, trying not to fumble over my words.

"Of course Miss Audrey. That will be taken care of right away. Let me go get more maids to help us." The second girl replied, giving a quick curtsy before scurrying off. I moved to the side and the other two entered the room, rearranging the food to make as few trips as possible.

"Thank you ladies for doing this. I would do it myself, but again, I'm not really supposed to leave my room." I thanked, moving over to the bed.

"No need to thank us Miss Audrey. We are doing our job. As a guest of the Princess, it is our job to serve you and help you in any way we can." The third girl spoke, her eyes still focusing on the task at hand.

"I would say there is a need. You are cleaning up after me, and everyone else in this castle. I know this line of work is not easy. So truly, I thank you." I insisted, getting up and giving them curtsies. I saw both of their faces flush before they faced away from me. Before any of us could say something else, more maids came rushing in, immediately taking things away. Within five minutes, it was as if breakfast had never happened.

"Thank you again ladies, this was very helpful!" I called out to their retreating figures. I closed the door and turned to the closet.

"And now to figure out what to wear." I mumbled, starting to sift through the clothing. During the time I had been here, Eve had made sure there were plenty of clothing choices for me. Dresses, shirts, pants, skirts, shoes, and every accessory I could dream of filled up my closet. At first, I was upset that she kept spending money on me, but then I realized it was her way of showing that she cared. So I let her buy me more and more things, though I did limit her to one item every two weeks. Mentally preparing myself, I began to put together possible outfits for my date.

Two, three, four hours had gone by and I still had no idea what I was going to wear. There were clothes all over my room, mismatched outfits haphazardly discarded when they didn't look right. I collapsed on my bed, ignoring the clothes under my back and groaned.

"Why is picking clothes for a date so hard?" I complained, knowing full well no one could hear me, "Wait! How could I be so dumb?" I sat up and ran over to the button, pressing it and praying the maids would get here quickly. I had no idea how much time before Eve knocked on my door. Pacing around my room, I attempted to quell the anxiety threatening to overwhelm me. I jumped at the sound of a light knock before rushing to the door and throwing it open.

"Thank you so much for coming quickly, I don't know when Eve is going to get here and I can't figure out what to wear and I desperately need help." I said, my words slurring together due to the speed at which I was talking.

"Calm down Miss Audrey, I'm here to help. Everything will be just fine and I'll have you looking perfect for your date." The maid replied, smiling warmly before ushering me inside my room. Her eyes widened slightly at the condition my room was in, but I could've sworn I saw a smile.

"I'm assuming everything on the floor has already been tried?" She asked, gathering those clothes and making a pile in the corner.

"Yes, they have. I didn't like any of them." I answered, trying my best to stay out of her way. Before responding, she chuckled.

"That's because none of these clothes are your color Miss!" She told me, abandoning the clothes on the floor and going to the closet. I stayed silent as she pulled out a bunch of clothes and shoes for me to try on.

"Light blue? I've never worn light blue before." I stated, worried how it would look on me.

"Really? But light blue brings out your red hair so well! It will also bring out your eyes because of the dark blue." She replied, still pulling out clothes. 'Well, I guess it's hard to wear blue in the sea, you would simply blend in with the water.' I realized, feeling a bit dumb.

"Never. But I trust you and I know it'll look good." I said, watching a small smile form on her face. Finally, she stopped pulling clothes out of my closet.

"Alright, dress or shirt and pants?" She asked, clearly excited to get started.

Not an hour later, I was standing in front of the mirror, a light blue dress showing my curves, heeled black shoes with laces that wrapped around my calves, and a shell barrette nestled in my hair.

"Wow..." I breathed, unable to say anything else. In the reflection, I saw her smile and squeeze my arms lightly.

"You're going to know the Princess off her feet when she sees you. You look absolutely stunning." The maid said, clearly pleased with her work.

"Thank you... I've never felt like I looked this good before. I absolutely adore it." I replied, turning to her and squeezing her hands.

"You are very welcome Miss Audrey. I know your date will go well. With you looking like that, there's no way she'll be able to resist you." She answered, a soft giggle following her statement. I smiled at her, grateful to have her. Suddenly, I remembered something.

"Wait! You're Cherry, aren't you? The maid who found me the first time I was wandering through the halls!" I exclaimed in utter disbelief. Her face flushed and she looked down, obviously embarrassed about her past actions.

"Yes Miss. That was me. I was surprised when you didn't comment on it earlier. I'm sorry for how I acted then. I had no idea you were a guest of the Princess." Cherry apologized, fidgeting with her hands.

"It's alright Cherry. I had already forgiven you. You were trying to look out for the Princess. Plus, what you did today more than made up for it. I still can't believe how incredible I look. I still don't fully believe this is me." I assured, flashing another bright smile.

"Thank you so much Miss! I'm so glad you forgive me. I'm happy I was able to help again. If you ever need anything else, feel free to ask me. I am always happy to help!" Cherry answered, her smile reappearing.

"I will. Thank you so much Cherry." I promised, glad to have another friend in the palace.

"I should get going now before the Princess arrives. I don't want to get in the way." Cherry mentioned, starting to make her way out. However, before she could leave, a knock rang through the room.

"It seems a little late for that." I chuckled nervously, butterflies filling my stomach. Even though I had heard the knock, I made no attempt to open the door.

"You got this Miss Audrey. You look stunning. She'll fall for you even more than she already has." Cherry whispered, squeezing my hand. I took a deep breath and nodded.

"You're right, I got this. Thank you again Cherry. I'll never be able to pay you back." I responded.

"There's no need to pay me back. Your forgiveness is enough. No go, answer the door!" Cherry encouraged, giving me a light push. I approached the door, trying to calm my nerves. Taking another deep breath, I smiled back at Cherry before throwing open the door.