Chambermaid - Chapter one: Birth
Excitement filled the young prince’s mind that morning. He paced back and forth near his mothers chambers afraid that if he stepped away he would miss the good news. Realizing that his actions were annoying his mothers ladies and midwife he decided to step outside in to his mothers garden. There was no better place for him to be as a child, and he could not wait to share it all with the baby. He had hopes for a younger brother one he would teach to spar, to be the great warrior himself and his father were.
His father … where was his father now! This situation is not fair to his mother, she hadn’t seen him in months, last time he was here he left her with child and ran off to some fruitless war. The young prince was starting to lose hope his father would ever return. Unsure if anyone else in the palace had half the sense to notify their king that his babe was being born this very instant he stomped over to the pigeon coupe, wrapped his hand around Silka his mothers favorite bird, he attached a small paper to her leg and sent her off in search of her king. Feeling satisfied he wandered over to his mothers fountain.
Sitting at the edge of the fountain a flood of memories revisited him, his mother her womb swollen sitting on the bench nearby eagerly knitting for the one soon to come. The colors she used to knit were white as a cloud on a sunny day, she had the yellow of the sunshine, he recalls that his father was displeased with such colors.
“Blues and gold is what you should be using” he would angrily say to his wife, the queen “You shall bare me nothing but sons, sons to help restore peace to our kingdom sons that will grow up to be like me”
“My dear love do not speak so around the babe, we shall take whatever our lord will bless us with and we shall love it as we would love any so, I have bared you a son, do I not deserve to give myself a daughter with whom I may pass the lonely nights? With whom I may carry on my own legacy?”
“Foolishness, once our sons are married you will have your daughter until then sons, my queen, sons are all I need” with this my father stormed out of the garden my mother crumpled in tears over her knitting only taking a moment to comfort her unborn child, and to tell it that regardless of its sex her father would adore its very exist ace.
Neither one of his parents had realized he was there and had heard the entire conversation, he kept himself hidden behind his mothers favorite willow tree. He loved this tree as much as she. He recalled that during his childhood they would play games under this tree, its long hanging branches a refuge for him when his father was in one of his rages, his father took to drinking, although he never laid a hand on him or his mother his words were always painful.
The young prince stood up, he opened the curtain of branches and noticed that despite them not coming in here for a while the grass around the tree was still well trimmed, the work of Fritz the Gardner no doubt. Fritz doted on the queen, her every wish was his command and the young prince knew that even in her absence from her safe heaven he must keep it alive and keep it ready for the day she would return to her wooden bench he spent so many hours working for her. The bench most would think to a waist to have under such a plain tree, father on many occasions threatened to have it removed from the ground, but ceased when he saw how much joy it bought the queen.
“Who goes there?” came a voice from behind the large trunk.
“I thought no one to be out here” said the young prince
“The garden needs tending, my lady will again want to sit under her tree I must make it sparkle for her.”
Curious the young prince moved towards the sound of the voice and found Fritz polishing the queens bench, this was his handiwork, knowing that the queen loved jasmine he had planted a few vines and was now arranging them to wrap around the trunk and the backing of the bench, the scent of the flowers put the prince at ease, it smelled like his mother, sweet and innocent.
“My lord I did not realize it was you” said fritz with a fearful bow” he hid something behind the bench as he spoke.
“what have you there Fritz?” asked the prince as he approached his mothers faithful servant. Fritz coward and tried to turn away.
“… It is a gift for the baby … it shall be a girl babe, a girl destined for greatness, but also deep sorrow … “
“how dare you speak that way Fritz! Be it a boy or girl babe she shall not feel sorrow I vow here and now on my mothers sacred place that I will protect her even if it is protecting her from my father himself! She shall suffer no unnecessary pain, she shall shed no tears she shall be as happy as she deserves!” the young princess anger begin to show. “ Now show me what is this you hide, I command you Fritz as your master to show me”
Fritz shied away and reached behind the tree trunk he pulled out a little wooden bassinet, Fritz’s handiwork could be seen . He had always had a way with wood, he had cared upon the head board a pair of cherubs floating on a cloud, the sides had exquisite roses carved in to them, he then reached into his sac and pulled out a bundle wrapped in a white cloth, inside where silk bed wrappings each embroidered with the same roses carved onto the bassinet. Lovingly he lay them over the plain hay mattress he had placed inside.
“ …. My wife wanted to give the babe something as well. My wife has seen great suffering in the babe’s life, Helena will be immortalized, she will be admired for years to come, she will be loved, but her path is not a happy path, she shall suffer betrayal … she shall… “
At this point the young prince slapped Fritz across the face and looked upon him in disgust, although he was grateful for the exquisite gift being blessed upon them he did not like the old mans words.
“You shall never speak to my mother of this blasphemy, the babe shall be safe I will make sure of it”
With this he stormed out of under the canopy of leaves and headed back into the palace to await for the babe to be born.
******************************************************************************************
Notes: Need to fill in where the king is at this time as you can tell he is not present, Young prince is destined to be the narrator, Name undecided yet any ideas on names let me know, Instead of Helena Katrina? Or do you think something a little more exotic, Fritz is a pagan, the main family will be catholic
Fritz’s wife is a seer, Need to add in description of the palace more on the garden a fountain is obviously there, maybe instead of a fountain a man made cascade that creates a small stream/river around the garden to give freshness when the days are hot.
His father … where was his father now! This situation is not fair to his mother, she hadn’t seen him in months, last time he was here he left her with child and ran off to some fruitless war. The young prince was starting to lose hope his father would ever return. Unsure if anyone else in the palace had half the sense to notify their king that his babe was being born this very instant he stomped over to the pigeon coupe, wrapped his hand around Silka his mothers favorite bird, he attached a small paper to her leg and sent her off in search of her king. Feeling satisfied he wandered over to his mothers fountain.
Sitting at the edge of the fountain a flood of memories revisited him, his mother her womb swollen sitting on the bench nearby eagerly knitting for the one soon to come. The colors she used to knit were white as a cloud on a sunny day, she had the yellow of the sunshine, he recalls that his father was displeased with such colors.
“Blues and gold is what you should be using” he would angrily say to his wife, the queen “You shall bare me nothing but sons, sons to help restore peace to our kingdom sons that will grow up to be like me”
“My dear love do not speak so around the babe, we shall take whatever our lord will bless us with and we shall love it as we would love any so, I have bared you a son, do I not deserve to give myself a daughter with whom I may pass the lonely nights? With whom I may carry on my own legacy?”
“Foolishness, once our sons are married you will have your daughter until then sons, my queen, sons are all I need” with this my father stormed out of the garden my mother crumpled in tears over her knitting only taking a moment to comfort her unborn child, and to tell it that regardless of its sex her father would adore its very exist ace.
Neither one of his parents had realized he was there and had heard the entire conversation, he kept himself hidden behind his mothers favorite willow tree. He loved this tree as much as she. He recalled that during his childhood they would play games under this tree, its long hanging branches a refuge for him when his father was in one of his rages, his father took to drinking, although he never laid a hand on him or his mother his words were always painful.
The young prince stood up, he opened the curtain of branches and noticed that despite them not coming in here for a while the grass around the tree was still well trimmed, the work of Fritz the Gardner no doubt. Fritz doted on the queen, her every wish was his command and the young prince knew that even in her absence from her safe heaven he must keep it alive and keep it ready for the day she would return to her wooden bench he spent so many hours working for her. The bench most would think to a waist to have under such a plain tree, father on many occasions threatened to have it removed from the ground, but ceased when he saw how much joy it bought the queen.
“Who goes there?” came a voice from behind the large trunk.
“I thought no one to be out here” said the young prince
“The garden needs tending, my lady will again want to sit under her tree I must make it sparkle for her.”
Curious the young prince moved towards the sound of the voice and found Fritz polishing the queens bench, this was his handiwork, knowing that the queen loved jasmine he had planted a few vines and was now arranging them to wrap around the trunk and the backing of the bench, the scent of the flowers put the prince at ease, it smelled like his mother, sweet and innocent.
“My lord I did not realize it was you” said fritz with a fearful bow” he hid something behind the bench as he spoke.
“what have you there Fritz?” asked the prince as he approached his mothers faithful servant. Fritz coward and tried to turn away.
“… It is a gift for the baby … it shall be a girl babe, a girl destined for greatness, but also deep sorrow … “
“how dare you speak that way Fritz! Be it a boy or girl babe she shall not feel sorrow I vow here and now on my mothers sacred place that I will protect her even if it is protecting her from my father himself! She shall suffer no unnecessary pain, she shall shed no tears she shall be as happy as she deserves!” the young princess anger begin to show. “ Now show me what is this you hide, I command you Fritz as your master to show me”
Fritz shied away and reached behind the tree trunk he pulled out a little wooden bassinet, Fritz’s handiwork could be seen . He had always had a way with wood, he had cared upon the head board a pair of cherubs floating on a cloud, the sides had exquisite roses carved in to them, he then reached into his sac and pulled out a bundle wrapped in a white cloth, inside where silk bed wrappings each embroidered with the same roses carved onto the bassinet. Lovingly he lay them over the plain hay mattress he had placed inside.
“ …. My wife wanted to give the babe something as well. My wife has seen great suffering in the babe’s life, Helena will be immortalized, she will be admired for years to come, she will be loved, but her path is not a happy path, she shall suffer betrayal … she shall… “
At this point the young prince slapped Fritz across the face and looked upon him in disgust, although he was grateful for the exquisite gift being blessed upon them he did not like the old mans words.
“You shall never speak to my mother of this blasphemy, the babe shall be safe I will make sure of it”
With this he stormed out of under the canopy of leaves and headed back into the palace to await for the babe to be born.
******************************************************************************************
Notes: Need to fill in where the king is at this time as you can tell he is not present, Young prince is destined to be the narrator, Name undecided yet any ideas on names let me know, Instead of Helena Katrina? Or do you think something a little more exotic, Fritz is a pagan, the main family will be catholic
Fritz’s wife is a seer, Need to add in description of the palace more on the garden a fountain is obviously there, maybe instead of a fountain a man made cascade that creates a small stream/river around the garden to give freshness when the days are hot.