Prompt 38: Break (Royalty Part 3)
Part One
Part Two
Masterpost of Stories (92 prompts)
Finally, after so many months, they're back. I might make another part of these two before I move on but, who knows. Anyway, enjoy!
Summary: Estelle's first day living a new life in the giant kingdom. Things look gloomy for her but, perhaps her safest company is the one she most used to fear.
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Estelle did not sleep that night.
Yes, the prince conveyed his true intentions when he said he would not bother her. He kept his word as he lowered her in front of her new house and let her be by herself for the night.
And yes, the dollhouse exuded luxury. Its intricate decorations carved in marble or wood. But the furniture's rough finishing gave away the fact that a giant made the structure. A sumptuous, plush bed lay at the center of her new bedroom, even bigger than the one back at her home.
Yet, Estelle tossed and turned while her heartbeat rocked faster against her chest. She closed her eyes, but shot them wide open when a tremor shook the house. Or when she heard the creaking of metal springs from the prince's bed when he moved on it. Every single amplified noise from the giant made her shudder. The sultry air increased her shortness of breath.
She turned on the bed for the millionth time that night, reaching for her doll, but her arm met empty space. She forgot to bring it alongside her suitcase.
Estelle's arm slumped, gripping the sheet of the bed instead. She buried her head in the thick fabric of the pillow.
'That's right, I am the doll instead.'
At least her mother and father would have a recollection of their daughter's favorite toy.
Her mother and father. When could Estelle hope to see them again?
She felt tears welling up her eyes, but she blinked them down. Gulping down her sobs, again and again, when they clogged in her throat. No, she was not going to cry again. She was a brave girl, wasn't she?
Then, why couldn't tears stop falling down her face? Why couldn't she stop crying?
As if a dam had broken, Estelle hiccupped and sobbed, wetting the pillow with her bitter tears. She missed home, she missed her family. And at the moment, even the thought of glancing at the giant sent shivers down her spine.
Because he reminded her of the reality that has fallen upon her.
Here in the land of the giants, Estelle was no princess. She was no person. Only a toy for their amusement. The conversation with Alaric stirred hope but, how long until he gets bored of her and treats her like an object?
On her first night at the Giants' Kingdom, Estelle wept until dawn came.
Unbeknownst to her, laid on the bed, Alaric could hear every whimper from the little princess.
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When the birds chirped outside and the room brightened from the rising sun, Estelle got up from her bed. She approached the cloudy mirror in the room, and gasped. Her eyes appeared baggy from the lack of sleep, and her hair doubled in volume and frizz, braids undone. The purple dress she wore wrinkled, a result of not changing into her sleeping clothes. Estelle sighed. The reflection in the mirror looked as miserable as the torrent of emotions inside her. Tears resurfaced in her eyes again, but she blinked them away, and took a deep breath. She needed a bath, and water, and food. She combed her hair and, after finishing it, walked through the dollhouse. But when she opened the cabinets, insects and emptiness met her. She turned on the washroom's hose, but no running water came out.
‘Of course, there’s no food or water’. They made that house with toys in mind, not for a human like her. Estelle felt a sharp pain in her stomach. Hunger? Fear? It resurfaced again, harder this time.
No, she had no other choice.
She'd have to ask the giant prince.
The silent room got loud, as the theavy footfalls shook the house. The chandelier swung on the ceiling above her. Estelle's heartbeat hammered against her ribcage, her breathing frantic.
How will she handle this for the rest of her life?
"Princess, are you awake?"
Alaric's whisper thundered in her ears, his silvery, flat voice echoing around her. Having to face those wide, brown eyes as they scrutinized her diminutive frame, feeling the timbre of the prince's vocal cords... No, she deemed such a task impossible, like a knight without armor challenging a dragon. But she had to go out and face him, in order to at least drink water and have a bath, like a decent person would.
The realization of her overdependence on these giants sank deep in the pit of her stomach.
"Are you in need of anything?" - he spoke as if reading her mind. Did he have a nagging feeling? Or was he already breaking his part of their deal?
Regardless, Estelle would have to show herself to him.
With shaking steps, she went to the second floor and reached the balcony, stepping out towards the massive room outside. From where she stood on, Estelle faced the prince's desk, while he and the bed remained out of her field of vision.
She took a deep breath, and exhaled.
"Y-your highness." She whispered in a squeaky voice. No response. The prince would not hear her at this volume. She mustered up courage again, heartbeat accelerated.
"Your highness!" She shouted in a tremulous voice.
Thunderous footsteps amplified as the prince approached her, sending shivers down her spine. Her heart leapt to her throat. Do giants not realize how terribly loud they sounded? The booming steps stopped when a wall of thick, navy blue velvet covered Estelle's vision. It crumpled as he lowered and revealed large, curious brown eyes.
"You're awake." Alaric spoke in the same monotone voice, although his eyes contained a subtle glint of wonder.
Estelle took another heavy breath. It's okay. He has been nice to her so far, she needed to trust he would continue being so.
She had no other choice.
"I... U-um, yes. I... I need something. I'd like some water. There's no water inside here. M-maybe a bath too..."
Her meek voice stuttered the words as she lowered her head and squeezed her eyes shut. Would he be annoyed that she was ordering him around?
"Oh... Right." The prince's fading tone of voice caught her attention, and she looked up. His face remained emotionless, but the rosy tint on his cheeks hinted at his embarrassment.
What an odd reaction.
"I should have figured this out sooner, it's a dollhouse, after all." Alaric rubbed his nose with a hand. "I'll talk to a maid."
Alaric rose and strode out of his room, closing the door with an ear-splitting sound. Estelle stood on the balcony, shocked at how easily he accepted her request. Her heart slowed down to a normal pace.
Although the memory of that embarrassed expression made her heart flutter.
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'Of course the princess would need basic living conditions'. How could he be so foolish? And of course his father would not provide those. Alaric strode through the lengthy halls. The princess needed to feel comfortable, or she would not be willing to share anything with him. She was already skittish as she is.
Alaric had a hard time sleeping that night. Having a human prisoner in his room contained its fair share of discomfort. But his mood improved a little at the prospect of knowing more about humans. And upon looking at the princess, who looked so small and delicate, yet acted brave and willing to speak to him, his curiosity increased more and more. So, if he wanted to get any information out of her, he needed to make her feel well adjusted to life at the new palace.
He found a maid in the corridor, who greeted him with a curtsy.
"Your Highness, good morning. Breakfast is being prepared, and will arrive shortly at the great hall.”
"I have a request for you. Come with me."
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Estelle was floating.
The warm water rushed over her head as she dived inside the basin. If she closed her eyes and paid attention only to the sound of rushing water, she could imagine she was back at her palace.
When she resurfaced to breathe, Estelle wished to remain her eyes closed.
"Is the water temperature to your liking, human?" the booming voice stirred Estelle out of her daydream. The giant maid set a massive towel beside the basin, which settled over the stone ground.
'Princess Estelle, not just some "human,"' she thought. But would correcting a massive being even be worth it? The immensity of the giant maid's face intimidated her enough to succumb to fear-induced submissiveness.
She muttered a timid "yes", and the maid let her be inside the washroom.
"Very well. When you're finished, shout out my name".
And the maid stomped out of the room, closing the door with a deafening clink and making her ears ring from the sound. But when the place finally went silent, she sighed in relief. The princess let herself relax, leaving her anxious and painful thoughts behind.
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After she finished her bath, Estelle got dressed with an elegant, but stiff, basil green dress. She combed each lock of hair until they felt soft against her touch, braiding two of her strands. The texture of her silky locks and the smoothness of her skin filled Estelle with new energy and vigor. Simple, external actions like this could renovate her strength.
Now it came to the matter of calling the giant.
"It's alright, I've done this before." She said to herself. Deep breaths, in and out. She could do it.
"I'm finished!"
Loud stomps rattled the floor she was on. No, Estelle would never get used to this feeling. The door clicked and opened, its towering wood creaking under the force of the maid. Without further word, she kneeled, sending another tremor through the ground...
And snatched Estelle into a first.
"AAH!" the princess screamed, the pressure of the hand expelling air from her lungs. The muscles at her waist burned as the rough, calloused digits tightened around it. She clutched her eyes shut as she left the floor, screaming loud for help. But the maid paid no attention to her pleas.
Why, why would she treat her like that? What has she even done to anger that giant?!
"Let me go! Help!" She yelled from the top of her lungs, to no avail. A thumb pressed against her face, reducing her words to muffled begging.
"Stop bothering the inhabitants of this place." Said the giantess, as she strode out of the washroom, shaking the human with her careless steps.
Shortage of breaths. The air became scarcer as seconds tickled by and the clink and clank of giant heels echoed in the large, infinite corridors. Spinning, everything twisted and turned and blurred as the room, the hand, everything spun around her. Nausea gathered at the pit of her stomach and bile rose in her throat, meeting the hard surface of her teeth before she forcibly gulped it down. The mound of flesh pressed harder against her face and obstructed the passage of air. She heaved, panted, scratched her fingers against the skin and begged for air, but it would not fill her desperate lungs. Tears cascaded down her face. Throat dry from unheard screams. No air in her lungs. She's going to die, she's going to die, she's going to-
'Mother! Help, help me please! Mother!-"
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" A blaring voice blasted inside her ears. The pressure against her sides and mouth loosened. Vision turned dark, but recovered shortly after as she saw blurred shapes of a tanned color. Another hand. But a different one. It was a different one. It allowed her to breathe again, so she did, gasping like a fish snatched from the water. Tears fell on the leathery surface.
"Y-your highness?!" The exasperated voice of the maid boomed in the corridor.
"Haven't I told you to treat her with care?! What do you have to say in your defense?" - Alaric's voice lowered.
The maid crumbled to her hands and knees.
"I'm sorry, your Highness! I'm sorry! Please, forgive me!"
His dark eyes glowered at her.
He's a prince, albeit a young one. He held a level of authority over the servants.
He could punish her the way he seemed fit.
“Take her to the disciplinary chamber.”
A guard approached the maid and lifted her up by her arms. He pushed her towards the opposite direction, her face turning pale as she wobbled away from the prince's sight.
Estelle saw nothing besides a few glimpses of the maid far, far away. Her main priority was to focus on her breathing and stop her tears from falling on the prince's hand. But she heard it, and listening to such commanding words from a royal her age sent her shaking to the core. Never in her mind would Estelle think of acting this way, so... Harsh. Cold. The maid frightened her but, what type of punishment would befall that poor soul? No, she will not think about it or the bile in her stomach would threaten to rise in her throat again.
Alaric said no word as he strode, cradling the princess against his chest. The smooth yet fuzzy texture of velvet fabric pressed against her. Warm, so warm.
The prince, not yet used to carrying humans, rocked Estelle back and forth as he walked. Her heart had not stopped beating loudly against her chest, but... Odd. That feeling of danger, the fear that she would die...
They were gone.
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She trembled. She trembled so much in his hand. Alaric quickened his pace, sending an unseen apologetic look at the human princess. How did it feel to her, being carried over like this?
As for himself, anger threatened to break his composure. Anger at the servant who disobeyed him? Anger that she harmed the human? His human?
Was she his? In a verbatim manner, yes, but that did not feel right.
No. He was only angry at the maid for disobeying orders, that was it. And the princess seemed terrified again, and under heavy stress. So fragile, too fragile. Like a porcelain vase, when a single push makes it fall from its pedestal and it breaks into a million pieces. The small, trembling girl in his hands was alike those broken vases of porcelain.
But he needed her. He needed to know more about these fragile pieces that symbolized the humans. Their culture, mannerisms, looks, the latter so akin to that of a giant's. They held too much untapped potential, hidden history that remained untouched by his kind. She was his key, and he was willing to do what it took to safekeep her.
Alaric opened the door to his room, closed it and locked it. His tutor would have to wait.
He lowered his palm to the desk, and looked at Estelle.
She kept her head down. Tears fell in tiny dots onto the dark wooden table, her tremors clear. She winced as she clutched her side, closing her eyes.
"Are you alright? Did she hurt you?"
No response. Only the faint sound of her sobs.
"Answer me." - He hurried her in a softly spoken voice. Rushing the princess weighed on his conscience, but his time was limited, and waiting would not solve their problem.
The princess gasped and sniffed. She turned her head towards him, but still stared down at the desk.
"... Yes. She, grabbed me tightly, I... I couldn't breathe." Her voice turned quiet.
Was he mad? Would he discard her now that she was hurt? Would he injure her more? She gulped again. No, no more sobs, ‘please Estelle, get yourself together!’
'I'm not brave, Mother. I never was...'
"She'll bear the brunt of her actions."
Alaric sounded even, but the gravely undertone of his monotonous voice hinted at his anger. But, upon seeing the princess wincing and looking down, he controlled his tone of voice. He took a deep breath, and exhaled through his nose.
"I told her to handle you with care. And yet, this happened. I'm sorry, princess."
Estelle shot her head up. Did she hear it right? Or has her mind betrayed her?
Her change of behavior surprised Alaric. She acted like he grew another head, or as if he uttered improper words. But, why?
Her strange reaction compelled the prince to repeat what he had said. This time staring at the tiny set of green eyes.
"I'm truly sorry. You didn’t deserve to be treated that way. I'm not a physician but, I could bring some poultice to ease the pain."
He reached for the far end of the desk and picked a glass of water, pouring some of the liquid on top of a tea spoon. Alaric then put a saucer next to the glass, with cut pieces of fruit and vegetables.
"I've brought some water, and some food from breakfast too. It's not much, but it can help. Please try to drink and eat some."
With trembling hands, Estelle reached for the tea spoon of water and drank it. It quenched her thirst and soothed the pain from her dry throat. She glanced up at him with wide eyes and, without a word, he poured more water for her.
This giant, the prince, of all people, helped her. When that maid had carried her harshly, the lack of air and the pain all convinced her she would meet her end. However, he prevented those bad outcomes from happening.
Maybe, just maybe, she could hope.
Maybe, just maybe, she could trust him.
After all, even if she currently found herself on top of a giant table, glancing up and up at a giant boy around her age, who watched her with attentive eyes, those striking eyes, which frightened her so at that night when she lost it all...
Despite all that, at least in that moment, he made her feel... Safe.
"Thank you." Estelle's voice, albeit faint and tired, missed the previous trembling it had earlier.
Warmth filled Alaric's heart and soothed his consciousness. Yes, he did the right thing by paying attention to the human and her needs, by treating her like a guest, instead of a toy. A compulsory guest, but... A guest nonetheless. And Estelle gained back some trust towards him. Their agreement was still up.
He just needed a little patience. Humans are broken porcelain vases after all, but...
... He found himself quite fond of putting the pieces back together.
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