The official gatherings of the royal princesses was often the busiest times at the Castello Delle Principesse. This was especially true for young Edwin, the youngest staff member who lived and worked at the castle since he was orphaned and dropped off at the castle's doorsteps as a baby.
Under the mentorship of the head of the staff, Princess Eilonway, Edwin was trained to work as the castle's youngest page. When things became busy, he was taught how to maintain his composure in the wake of the castle's bustling for the arrival of the princesses. Thankfully, Edwin was well-educated and well-trained in working under the pressures of the princesses' stay at the castle.
That didn't mean that maintaining his composure would be easy, however, considering he was also constantly doted on by the princesses for his youthful appearance and his age. During the first princess gathering at the castle, the princesses first met baby Edwin not long after Eilonway had taken him in. They were instantly enamored with Edwin's young appearance, so naturally, they doted on him, showering him with a collection of love and affection. They soothed him with their singing voices when he cried, took turns feeding him, and watching him when Eilonway was too busy.
As Edwin grew older, each of the princesses taught him a valuable aspect of life. Snow White taught him how to tend to animals and understand their thoughts and feelings. Cinderella and Aurora taught him how to clean and sew, starting off as simple as making dolls. Ariel taught him how to swim. Belle and Mulan taught him how to read and write. Jasmine brought her father's toys to teach Edwin how to play. Tiana taught him how to cook. Pocahontas taught him about nature. Moana taught him astrology, having learned navigation. Elsa and Anna even taught him the importance of feeling, not concealing.
As for Merida, she agreed with the other princesses that despite her being his age when she learned to fire an arrow, archery and fighting was low on their priority list by the time Edwin was being mentored on page duties.
Every year since, the princesses would show their motherly affection towards Edwin every time they gathered at their regular convention at the Castello Delle Principesse. Even as Edwin was trained to maintain a high standard of etiquette, even as he had to obey royal protocol to prioritize his paging duties first, and even as he acted like a determined, no-nonsense page whose job was to serve the princesses, they would find a way to act motherly towards him, making him fluster. Eilonway often found Edwin's attempts of withholding his response to the princesses' attention amusing.
Still, there are times when Eilonway must remind Edwin that there are limits to how much he can maintain his composure his age under such pressure. And on one fateful day, Edwin was reminded of that, which led to an unexpected, yet dangerous adventure for him.
During one particularly busy day of paging, delivery, and enduring the princesses' affections despite his flustering, Edwin found his body was feeling burnt out and exhausted. He was standing in the hallway, trying his best to keep himself composed and awake, but his nerves and muscles were wracking in crackling pain. The young page winced and cringed from the sensation, but he kept his head held up high.
As it so happened, Eilonway was carrying fresh bedsheets through the very same hallway when she saw her surrogate brother standing at attention, but looking rather ragged. Sensing something was wrong, she approached him cautiously. "Edwin, are you alright? You look tired?"
Edwin almost jumped at Eilonway's voice, but he managed to maintain himself, despite his tired appearance. "It's nothing, my lady," he said, using the formal term for Eilonway while he was on-duty. "I am only slightly tired, but I am alright. I cannot let such a thing as fatigue get in the way of my page duties."
"Oh dear," Eilonway said, not convinced by the response. "I'm afraid you're looking more than slightly tired than what you claim, Edwin. Why don't you find a place to sit down, find yourself a drink of water, and rest your feet for a little while? I will find another page to take over for your duties until you feel like you are rested."
"But my lady, I cannot break from my duties..."
"Edwin, as your mentor, I insist you rest yourself before you do anymore damage to yourself," Eilonway firmly said. "You will find a private place to rest until you have enough strength to carry out your duties. That is an order, do you understand?"
Edwin was reluctant to say it, given how he was firmly abided by maintaining the high standards of working as a castle page, but the sparkling feeling in his nerves won that argument. Plus he was thirsty, and his saliva was foaming. With a sigh, Edwin bowed to Eilonway, acknowledging her with the dignified, "As you wish, my lady" before he went to the kitchens. As expected, the area was crawling with servants and chefs, but he had enough space and permission to grab a glass, pump the water into it, and find a place for him to sit down and drink his water.
As much as Edwin forbade himself from acknowledging it aloud, sitting in his seat with his feet propped up was very relaxing. He felt the pain in his body ebb away as he sat back, relaxed, and sighed with content. While he rested, he came across a small glass bottle left lying around. It was filled with a red liquid. Curiously, Edwin retrieved the glass, popped off the cork, and smelled it. It had a nice fruity scent to it, similar to fruit punch. With his thirst overpowering his ability to think carefully about what could be in the bottle, Edwin downed the entire bottle in one gulp.
Edwin inspected the bottle and found a label stuck to the sides. It said "Drink Me". "Hmmm, it tasted like cherry tart…" he observed as his body jerked a little. For some reason, the bottle felt like it was getting heavier and larger. "Custard…" Another jerk. "Pineapple..." Another jerk. "...and... roast turkey?"
With the final surprise identification of the flavor in the drink, the bottle was suddenly as large as the pillars at the castle entrance. The heaviness and sudden expansion of the bottle toppled on Edwin, flattening him underneath the glass as it suddenly rolled off of him. The young page coughed and choked as the flattening pressure rolled off of him, allowing him to breathe the free air. Miraculously, he was not flattened like a crushed bug, nor did he appear to have any bruises on him, but this paled in comparison to a horrifying discovery.
Edwin had been shrunken down!
"Oh no, what's happening to me!?" Edwin screamed. He looked over and saw the bottle roll away from him and out of sight. "Oh no! I'm small! I'm an insect! Oh, Lady Eilonway will be so mad when she finds out what happened!"
At that moment, Edwin's forced diminished size was about to tested, because where he was at that moment, a giant figure of one of the visiting princesses was approaching his location.
The only question was, where was he?
Near the Princess Suites: Edwin was sitting on a bench in the hallways near a set of large doors which leads to the many suites where the princesses of each world stay. Unbeknownst to him at the time, the princesses were all staying in their suites, making it a perfect opportunity for Edwin to get their attention.
Foyer: Edwin was sitting on a bench near a set of large doors which leads to the foyer where the princesses all gather to relax and confide with each other with conversations and the occasional gossip. Unbeknownst to him at the time, the princesses were already inside the foyer.
Kitchens: Edwin was sitting in the large kitchen pantry for his break when he had been shrunken down on the floor. Unbeknownst to him at the time, the princesses were about to sit down for their meal, and the chefs and serve the are all too busy to notice Edwin before he is unknowingly escorted to the dining room.
-or-
Backyard: Edwin had been sitting somewhere in the backyard when he shrunk down. Unbeknownst to him at the time, the princesses were already out and about somewhere at the backyard, either at the gardens and hedge maze, the forest, or the lakeside.   indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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