(Archived) Poth Short Stories and One-Shots

Royal Pain - Chapter 3

Life in the palace was pretty good once the constant daily chores and proper etiquette expectations were taken out of the equation.

Goth had to get up early enough to get bathed, get dressed for the day, and grab something to eat so he could make it to Palette's chamber at a reasonable time to help him get ready and escort him to the dining hall for breakfast.

He had to stand by against the wall in case Palette needed anything. A servant couldn't sit at the same table as the royal family, after all. Palette had initially been really upset by the revelation but was eventually forced to let it go since it was etiquette every servant followed.

Goth's reassurance had helped in that matter. As long as he ate beforehand, he was fine.

Afterward, Palette had lessons with various tutors ranging from academics to royal court mannerisms, and even sword fighting. In all honesty, it looked exhausting.

Goth was always on-hand in case he was needed, but he also had Meryl teaching him how to behave properly as a servant. He felt that he was getting the hang of it. Most of it was simply not speaking unless spoken to, bowing when greeting royalty or receiving a command, and following any orders given.

He wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing that Palette frequently waived formalities whenever they were alone. While it made Goth happy that he was still treated like a friend when they were alone, it also seemed to cause the taller skeleton to stumble on his words in more public settings. 

Not to say Goth didn't have his awkward moments, but he seemed to catch himself more easily. It was surprising since Palette was the one of royal blood.

Of course, Palette's also learning way more than I am... and the penalties for me messing up would probably be higher given my lower status...

"Goth!"

The scarved skeleton looked up from the texts he was reading to see his friend jogging up to him, "They said I could have a break, let's head over to the garden!"

Palette grabbed his hand once he was standing and led him across the grounds and through the hedges that made up the garden. He slid onto the first bench he found, dragging Goth down with him and letting out a sigh of relief.

"How are things going so far? Anything coming back to you?" Goth questioned, leaning a bit on the white stylized rungs. 

"Kind of...," Palette looked to the cloudy skies in a rare show of uncertainty, "It's been two months... and yeah, all of the stuff they're teaching me sounds familiar and Meryl and dad are really nice about helping me along... I just don't think anything's really clicked yet."

"It'll be alright, Palette. You'll get there eventually," Goth reassured the other, patting him on the back. 

Palette smiled, pulling him into a hug, "Thanks, you always know just what to say to make me feel better!"

"An... any time," Goth squeaked, a purple blush burning onto his face, "I... I think we should get going, they're probably waiting." 

"Yeah...," The Prince agreed reluctantly, pulling himself off the bench and trudging toward his lessons.

The servant chuckled, his voice taking on a teasing lilt, "Careful Palette, I don't think you're behaving princely enough... the tutor will get onto you!"

Palette huffed and glared at him, but Goth could see there was no actual bite to the expression, causing them both to burst out laughing.

The rest of the day proceeded much like every other day, lessons before and after lunchtime, free time and chores before dinner, bathing... which he found somewhat difficult to perform to Palette's confusion, dressing down, and bedtime.