Joshua's belly grumbled as he entered the prince's chambers from the castle's garden. He made his way to the prince's study and knocked four times before entering. Inside the prince was staring out the window.
He was wearing eggshell white riding boots, a white button-up, and a green vest. His hair was down but swept to one side and the rest of his left shoulder. The prince was standing in a starfish position which confused Joshua. Though admittedly there were a lot of things that the prince did that confused Joshua.
For example, the weather recently has been amazing and perfect for growing crops. Akara also recently made a deal with a rather large country to export tropical fruits that did not grow in their country. Despite this, the people of this land were going hungry and no plans had been made. Not yet, at least. The servant was sure the prince was finally in his study to make plans for the harvest season.
Joshua cleared his throat and spoke. "You called for me, your grace?"
The prince turned towards his servant and right-hand man.
"Yes, I did." He moved around the desk and sat on the top of it. The prince gestured for Joshua to sit on the chair closest to him. Joshua nodded and took his seat. The prince gave him a gentle smile and grabbed his hands.
"Weather has been fantastic" Joshua nodded his head.
"Perfect for new life" Joshua nodded in agreement again.
"The time of weather to go out and explore in" Joshua nodded again but slowly this time.
"My prince, where are you-" the prince shook his head.
"And new love." The prince said in a sing-song voice.
Joshua did not nod this time. He was in shock that the prince would think of love at a time like this. The entire country except for the prince and his friends were starving. Joshua's belly growled again but he covered it up with a cough.
"If I may... my princ..." he waited for the prince's approval. He sighed but nodded his head.
"Perhaps we should consider looking to harvesting and importing-"
"I already talked with the court. They are handling that"
"That was three months ago..."
"Has it been?" the prince said in shocked
"Well, why has nothing been done?"
Joshua took a deep breath and tried to subside his hunger that threatened to manifest as rage.
"The court handed in their proposal about a month ago. They are waiting on your signature." He pointed to the top of a pile of papers. The prince grabbed it.
"Huh- NOW WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY ANYTHING? MY GOD PEOPLE HAVE BEEN GOING HUNGRY."
Joshua said nothing and instead waited for the prince to read through the proposal. However, the prince did not read through it. Instead, he skipped to the last page grabbed his royal seal, and stamped the page. He handed the proposal to Joshua.
"Now that is done. I need you to head out and find me a wife." Joshua nodded glad that something was being done about the food issue.
"I want to marry; however, I want her to be like no other. A rare beauty, so rare that some are even afraid. Someone you could not find anywhere else. Go and find me a woman that I can make a queen out of." The servant listened well, nodding when appropriate and when the prince was done describing his wife, the servant hastily went on his way. Heading to the courtroom first.
---
The first few days after the prince sent him on his way, he had no idea where to go. He wondered about staying in shabby inns and pubs. During that time, he budgeted and asked around where he could find beautiful women. The men at the pubs all had different answers. Some say "well the biggest bosoms could be found in the west" to which another would cut that man off and say "nay you got it all wrong breasts are only good for feeding babies. You need a woman with a round ass for slapping. Head south that's where you'll find peach like butts" and then others would say "what is the point if the breast hangs and the ass does not giggle? What you really need is a flowered woman. One who is still tight. Head towards the church those girls are dying to be blessed." At that, the men would whoop and holler in amusement.
Despite the servant's great hesitation, he took the men's advice. He went to each and every location, even the churches. After months of searching without finding a woman fit for the prince, he decided to head back. Despite him going days without eating and sleeping on the side of the roads to save money. He was quickly blowing through the budget he made for himself. It was on such a night that he finally met a girl fit for the prince.
The night sky had been especially dark that day. As though foreshadowing the girl he would meet. The servant had decided to lay further in the forest as the grass was softer further from the road. Despite the danger, the servant took the chance pretending it was his bed at the castle. The servant thought to himself "even if I died, I'm sure it would be better than returning empty-handed." He began to shake, not sure if it was from the cold or the lashing that awaited him.
A bright and warm light made its way to the servant's eye. To his surprise, the servant had drifted off to sleep. He fluttered his eyes, hoping they would adjust quickly to the new environment. The servant still could not see but the air around him became hot. He feared that he was in the middle of a forest fire. He panicked as he moved to gather his things. His eyes were finally adjusting but there was a haze to his vision. Awkwardly he grabbed his bag from a tree branch and started running towards the road.
He looked behind him hoping that the fire was not as close as it had felt. He stopped instantly both shocked and relieved. There was no fire. For a moment, the servant wanted to head back to be sure, but he knew better. Instead, he turned around speed walking, hoping to put distance between him and the forest. Though he kept looking back, puzzled by what happened.
Suddenly she was there as if covered in a blanket of darkness, the girl was in front of him. "I'm so sorry!" the servant had fallen, the girl held out a hand. He took it. Once he was standing again, he looked up to thank the girl, but she was gone. He looked around trying to find where she had run off to, but he could not find her. Dazed by the strangest of the night, he decided to head to an inn.
The only inn or rather hotel in town was a brown brick building with pink rose bushes growing in the front. It was surrounded by a white iron fence with a flower pattern to it. The pathway leading to the inn was made with granite tiles and matching steps. The door was a double door with fading pink paint. To the side was a sign that read En Bloom Hotel.
The servant stopped at the gate debating whether to go in. Though he was tired he thought about how he would afford such a place. He had already spent the last of his money to catch a ship heading back to that capital. The servant put his hand in his pocket and felt the heavy gold royal seal. A blush came to his face, he shook his head and removed his hand from his pocket. The servant decided he would bargain with the owner and see if he could do some chores.
However, when he went inside the old woman at the desk smiled and handed him a key. The servant looked at the woman perplexed. "I was told that a man in need of a place to stay and a bath would come by, '' the woman said with a giggle and a wave of her hand. The servant felt ashamed but thanked the women and walked towards his room. It was a small and empty room with pink wallpaper, white bedsheets, and dark wooden floors. There was a draft due to a broken window, but he hardly noticed. It was the nicest room he had ever slept in.
In the morning he walked towards the window hoping to see the view. Sadly, there was a building right beside it. He could only see a sliver of the road he had walked on the night before. He walked out of the room and saw a towel with a note on top. He read it quickly and then made his way down the hall to the private bathroom. On any other day, he would have rushed his shower not wanting to waste water or have others waiting on him to finish. However, the woman was kind and the bed had left him relaxed. He took the longest shower of his life just as the note told him to do. When he was done, he noticed clothes sitting on top of the toilet. He put them on assuming it was for him. The servant made his way to the foyer. The old woman sat in a bay window with a pink teacup in hand. She looked up as he walked towards her. "You look good," she said with a smile "and smell even better." A blush appeared on the servant's face "thank you for the room and shower, is there anything I can do for you?" the woman shook her head "it's all taken care of" she raised her teacup and said, "this cup of tea is enough." The servant did not understand but he nodded "well then I am off, thank you once again."
After grabbing his small bag, he left the hotel and headed out of town. He thought of the girl he saw yesterday. While foreigners were common there was something about her that stood out. She was glowing despite her dark skin. As he walked he passed by a man pushing a cart and a woman. He turned to wave to them and noticed it was the same girl from the night before. In the daylight, he could see just how beautiful she truly was. She turned to look at him and waved.
"You look better today, well-rested."
Joshua nodded, still a little stunned by her beauty. He was also surprised that she did not have an accent. The girl turned away from him and towards her champion, she said something privately to him and they began to turn down a separate road.
"Wait!" Joshua said, she turned back to him.
"Are you married?" The girl giggled and shook her head a little. Then she kept walking signaling that the conversation was over.
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