The Translator

Chapter 3: Meeting the Princess

*Erik's P.O.V*

"Eiiko, up!!" Henri shouts, bounding into my room and throwing the curtains open.

"Henri!! Voitteko olla kovempi (Could you be any louder)?!" I groan sarcastically, rolling over in bed.

"Up, up, up!!" Henri shouts louder this time, obviously not understanding my sarcasm.

I close my eyes and start to fall back asleep when I am jolted awake by Henri jumping onto the bed. He pulls the blanket off my body and throws it to the side before beginning to jump up and down on my bed.

"He-e-e-e-n-n-n-r-r-r-i-i-i!" I groan as I am thrown around on my bed. "Fine, I'm up!"

"Yay!!" Henri grins, jumping off my bed and onto the ground. "Nyt pukeudu (Now get dressed)! Aamiainen on kymmenessä minuutissa (Breakfast is in ten minutes)!"

"Ten minutes?!" I shout, immediately getting out of bed and running into my bathroom.

I jump into a quick shower so I can rinse off before getting out, finding some clean clothes, and fixing my hair. Once my hair is fixated properly, I look over my reflection in the mirror, making sure I look presentable. I may not be one of the suitors, but I still feel like I need to look decent when Henri meets the Princess later on. Henri is waiting for me by the door and as soon as I come out of the bathroom, he throws my shoes at me.

"Hurry!" Henri says frantically, checking his watch.

I quickly throw my shoes on and follow him out of the room, closing the door tightly behind me. Henri practically runs down the hallway and down the stairs, very excited for the day to begin. I follow as quickly as I can, trying not to draw attention to myself like Henri is doing. We make it to the dining hall just in time to have our meal placed before us. Looks like pancakes and scrambled eggs are on the menu this morning served with two slices of toast and orange juice. Henri greets the other suitors before digging into his meal, his smile brightening as the flavor hits his mouth...he is definitely a cook. I begin eating as well, ignoring the other suitors and their annoyed, yet nervous glances.

"Who are you??" one of the suitors that came after us asks, finally speaking up.

"Thees eets Eiiko (This is Eiiko), my..." Henri tries to explain, glancing over at me.

"I'm Erik, Henri's translator," I say quickly, shoving another forkful into my mouth. "And before you ask, no, I am not competing to win the hand of Princess Eadlyn. I am only here to help Henri learn English and communicate with those around him."

"Good," the same suitor says firmly. "We don't need anymore competition, especially not someone-"

"Leave it, Jack!" Hale shouts across the table, effectively making Jack shut up. "Don't believe a word he says...Jack is a jerk."

"A really big jerk," Fox says softly, making me laugh.

"It's okay, I'm use to people treating me unkindly," I say, giving Hale and Fox a small smile. "I can handle myself...but, thank you."

"Anytime," Hale says firmly.

For the rest of breakfast, I remain silent as I sit there and watch Henri try to talk with the other suitors. He is successful for a tiny bit before he looks over and asks for my help, a pained look in his eyes. I quickly begin helping him communicate with the others and my heart warms as his smile returns to his face. Once our plates have been cleared, we are instructed to go back to our rooms until a guard comes to retrieve us. Henri and I aren't in his room for too long before we are shuffled off to a large room with multiple tvs, couches, and sitting areas. General Leger comes in shortly after we arrive, greeting us happily.