My Dream Banquet Chapters Ten and Above

Chapter the Twelfth: The Picnic (Finally)

Rayma paused before stepping out the door. The door was made of glass, so she could peer through it and spy on the baids and mutlers bustling and hustling in the garden.
The picnic had to be perfect- it was Rayma's first date with a suitor she may actually marry! The food was perfect. Well, as perfect as a poor castle can manage. The scenery was romantic- a billowy picnic blanket set out below a shelter made entirely of roses. A hammock stretched out on the side.
Suddenly, Sir Ra flounced out of the castle via a secret hidden door that everybody in the whole world knew about. Rayma stifled a silly gurgely snort. He was really trying to impress her.
She took a deep breath, remembering Rayan's words to her five seconds ago.
"You can do this Rayma, I know you can!"
Of course, he had been talking about walking down the stairs, but the quote worked for this particular moment.
"Just a little date," Rayma muttered to herself as she roughly popped out the door followed by her escorting baids.
Sir Ra glanced coolly at her as she settled down and smoothed out her dress.
She was wearing a checkered green and yellow gown, with painted on freckles dotting her scaly cheeks. Rayan looked on from a balcony far above. He sighed. She just looked so cute!
Sir Ra had on a green suit with a pink tie. His maroon hair was tied back into a stiff pony tail.
"Dreamy." Rayma thought to herself.
"What's dreamy, my dearest Rayma?" Sir Ra looked deeply into her nose.
Oops. Maybe she had said that aloud.
"The..." She battled for a word. "Food! The food." Food never seemed to fail her.
"I see." He scoffed at a baid as she set his copper utensils exactly 2.7 inches away from the grass. "Honestly! 2.7 inches! It's 2.71 inches!"
"Say wha?" Rayma stared, open-nosed.
He raised his delicate eyebrows.
"My little princess," he smoothed his napkin onto his green lap, and circled his tail onto his feet. "When we are married, you will discover that 'say wha' isn't an expression." Then he added as an afterthought, "and that good maids set the GOLDEN utensils precisely 2.71 inches away from the edge of the table cloth."
"Oh, Sir Ra you silly," Rayma giggled suddenly. "Today is baid and mutler day, not maid and butler day!"
He sighed and took her large hand in his talons.
"You lovely, lovely woman," Sir Ra lovingly eyed her left ear. " There are so many things I want to teach you. You could be a perfect princess!"
Rayma hushed in pleasure.
"So you just have to work with me." He finished.
"Anything for you." Rayma bared her pearly whites.
Rayan tried not to roll his eyes at Sir Ra.
"Now!" Ra clapped his hands and the mutlers quickly bustled in with trays of yumminess, and backed out."Let's eat!"
They picked through the feast like an old married couple.
Rayma decided it was time to bring up her schpeel.
"So Ra Ra," she began.
"No!" He raised a hand. "Just call me Sir Ra."
"Okay." She struggled to be kind for her little Ra Ra. Ooops. Sir Ra."I have a great idea for some dates-"
"Later my little Rayma," Sir Ra interrupted with smooth royal grace. "We have some very important things to discuss."
"Oh?" This had to be good!
"I think you need to go on a diet."
"A wha huh? I MEAN! Pardon me, but what my, er, Sir Ra, is a diet?"
"A diet in this case is where I will pick out the specific food you eat to maintain and thin your ample waistline."
"Oooh! I like the sound of that!" Rayma squealed. With a man like Sir Ra picking out her food, life was going to be great!(Provided he chose food like he chose his hotness.) Further, ample sounded like apple, and boy did Rayma like apples!
"I'm pleased that you think so," he said, completely straight faced. Rayma giggled on the inside. That straight face look was totally convincing. She still knew he was absolutely pleased. Or did she? Eh.
"What's funny?" Sir Ra and a confuzzled look on his little scaly face.
"Oh Rats of Raool!" Rayma shouted. She really had to work on realizing when she said things out loud.
Sir Ra grimaced at her as if she were an exasperating shoelace.
"If you thin your ample waistline, and follow my directions on kindness which I know you can do, I will allow you a banquet every meal, every day." Ra offered. Somehow he gave the perfect bribe.
Rayma couldn't even speak for a moment.
Finally, she swallowed a fiery breath, and leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.
Rayan took one look, grabbed the nearest waste basket, and threw up his egg salad sandwich.
Sir Ra smiled at Rayma like he would an adorable puppy. Speaking of puppies...
"Umm excuse me, Sir, Miss," a mutler meekly bowed to them both. "Have you by chance seen two puppies that just peed in the castle?"
"No," Rayma said dotfully. "But I heard of some that had an accident on Cherry Lane."
"Thank you m'lady," he smiled. "I am forever in your debt." He trotted away lazily on his endless search.
Rayma glanced hopefully at Sir Ra.
"No Rayma, no," He sighed. "A princess must never be kind to household staff, just other people."
She nodded in shame.
"Which brings me to another topic," Sir Ra frowned. "Rayan. You mustn't play with him anymore, it isn't proper."
She looked up with a confuzzled look.
"It's not proper for a princess to have friends if she is being courted." He sniffed.
She shrugged. What had he just said?
"Okay." Rayma grinned. Hopefully it didn't really matter.
"Good."
They sat in uncomfortable, pleasant silence for 3.14 seconds.
"Sir Ra," Rayma jumped to her feet and extended a hand to him. "I have these exquisite flowers I'm just dying to show you!"
Rayan nodded from above. The flowers were truly beautiful.
"Good work, my love." He meowed softly.
"Oh but Rayma," Sir Ra gracefully stood, ignoring her offered hand. "You do know my busy schedule. I must be off."
She brightened her smile.
"Alright, I have a good book, uh, educational textbook, to curl up and read instead. What do you have to do?"
"Oh," he said absentmindedly as he flounced away. "There's a muffin shortage I have to deal with."
He disappeared into the castle.
The baids and mutlers charged in, and hustled and bustled the supplies away.
Rayan leapt down the stairs to get to Rayma.
Rayma said,
"What a dreamy guy!"