Where Ivan is a king and Amelia is a lady in waiting.

Hedvika (Vivi) is Czechia and Cheng is Macau just an FYI

5,000 WORDS

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"Little brother, will you be needing any else before I head to the market?" Katyusha asked as she put the hooded cloak around her broad shoulders. She looked to her elder brother, the ruler of their vast land, King Ivan of the Northern Kingdom. He was the most powerful of the four kingdoms, as his land became a land of many cultures. After a harsh childhood caused by the neighboring kingdoms, Ivan set in place many new laws that allowed people of all livelihoods and worlds to unite under him. He never wished for anyone to suffer as he did, thus making him cold but inclusive.

Ivan just continued to study the documents on his desk, grunting to his sister as his answer. Kat sighed and left the posh castle for the busy marketplace, the early morning breeze blowing shamelessly against her person. It was barely sunrise and the market was bustling with activity. Katyusha's first stop was to Toris and Felik's fish dock, where she purchased a few rather large salmons from them. Putting them in her basket, she then stopped by Antonio and Lovino's vegetable stand, where she purchased some ripe tomatoes, a few stalks of celery, a bundle of carrots, a few heads of lettuce, and three medium-sized onions. She made her way to Feliciano's bakery, where she bought many loaves of fresh bread. Her final stop was to Laura's wagon, where she sold her favorable Belgian dairy products. Katyusha spent a great amount of her money to buy not only milk and cream but also some famous chocolates.

On her way back, Katyusha heard coughing coming from the alleyway. She glanced into the darkness, not being able to see well enough due to the sun not being fully risen yet. The coughing got rougher to the point where the person was panting for air. Kat's eyes finally focused on a bundle of burlap located beside a barrel of rotting compost. The lump was shaking terribly as though it was vibrating.

"Hello?" no answer was given to her, but she didn't move. She noticed how the burlap lump had seised its shaking as if trying to not be noticed. Kat cocked her brow in amusement, "I saw you. The one under the burlap. No use in hiding from me. If you do not come out and show yourself I will come to you," Kat then watched as the sack began to shift. To her surprise, a stunningly gorgeous girl stood straight up. She was clothed in a very short, white blouse, leaving most of her body exposed. Her golden hair was to her butt, extremely knotty and unkempt. Her skin was grimy and dark, but smoother than the East Kingdom's finest silk. Her body was curvy in terms of her assets, yet lean with muscle. Yet, Kat could only focus on this girl's phenomenal eyes: glittering sapphires so blue that could make the infinite ocean evaporate in utter shame.

"M-may I help you, my lady?" the woman asked quietly. Kat realized that the girl had her eyes focused on the pin of the royal emblem, the one that fastened her hood around her body. 

"What is your name, young one?" she asked curiously. The girl gulped and sighed.

"I do not remember my full birth name. My previous masters called me Mel," the shy girl replied.

"Do you have no home?"

"No, my lady,"

"Do you have work?"

"No, my lady,"

"Are you a citizen of this kingdom,"

"I do not recall my origins, my lady. But I do adore this kingdom with my entire being," Amelia finished with a small smile. Katyusha looked the girl up and down, nodding in affirmation.

"Well Mel, you will do this kingdom no good if you are sick and dirty. Follow me back to the palace, there you will be given a bath, a new wardrobe, three to four meals a day, and a safe, warm shelter. In return for this kindness, you must serve the king with loyalty and dignity. Am I understood, Mel?"

"Yes, my lady! Thank you, my lady!" Mel jumped happily, up and down, beaming with utter joy. Katyusha then guided her back to the palace. While climbing up the tall hill to reach her new home, Mel realized Kat struggling with the heavy basket, "allow me to take this, my lady. It is too heavy for you," Amelia easily carried the rather large basket the rest of the ways up. When arriving at the servants' entrance, Amelia caught the eyes of the royal squire, Gilbert. The albino man gawked at the young woman who was carrying the large basket.

"Mein awesome lady! Please, allow me to carry zat for jou!" Gilbert went to grab the basket when he was stopped by another woman. She had long blonde hair pulled from her face with a purple ribbon. She then held a knife to the woman, not even noticing her elder sister was beside the stranger.

"Halt! None may enter this palace without an escort or invitation!"

"Natalia! Be nice!" Katyusha scolded. A few other servants overheard the commotion and came running into the kitchen to see the actions.

"Hey, who's the new girl?!" Mathias shouted with a smile, "she's kinda cute!" he winked at her, making her grunt. She then shoved the basket into his chest, making sure he grabbed onto it before letting go. The excited blonde man then felt his arms droop, "what the hell?! How did she carry this?!"

"G'v' 't t' m'," Berwald mumbled as he picked the basket from Mathias' arms, rolling his eyes and fixing his glasses. Katyusha then pulled a rope located in the kitchen, ringing the servant bell and had all the workers gather in the kitchen. She then clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. The entire staff looked at her.

Mathias, Natalia, & Gilbert: royal guards
Berwald, Emil, & Peter: royal repairmen
Tino & Raivis: royal chefs
Joao: royal hunter and sailor
Lukas: royal sorcerer
Vladimir: royal doctor
Hedvika (or Vivi for short): royal seamstress

"Everyone, please meet Mel. She will be our newest addition as our first lady in waiting. We all know my younger brother is hosting a ball in a month's time to choose a royal bride from the other three kingdoms. Mel is going to be her servant, so she is going to train alongside each one of us. The first order of business, however, is to clean you up. Vivi, have a nice outfit prepared in one of the unused servant chambers. I will get her ready. In the meanwhile, all of you back to work!" Kat clapped and everybody followed her command.

Kat then took her to a rather large bathroom made of gold and encrusted with rubies and emeralds. She drew a warm bubble bath for Mel, getting her inside and scrubbing her clean. Kat discarded the old blouse to the incinerator and used the best soaps she had on Mel. When all was said and done, her skin was a few shades lighter and Kat realized that the girl had freckles on her pudgy cheeks. 

Her long hair glowed brightly like the sun's rays and was bouncy with lushness. Katyusha had decided to cut Mel's hair shorter, as to not interfere with her work. She settled on a shaggy bob cut, leaving Mel's hair to the bottom of her neck. This allowed her to still pull parts of it back, but also frame her marvelous face and eyes.

Upon arriving in her new room, Mel's mouth went agape. It was larger than any of the bed chambers she's ever slept in. It was rather large and painted bright ivory with gold crown molding going along the high ceiling. It had a large closet filled with different uniforms and nice shoes. Her bed was a full-size mattress with comfortable lavender purple sheets and three plush pillows. Then there was the curtain to her rather large balcony, it was only big enough for two people but she still thought it was pretty spacious. On her bed laid a stunning white gown with white gloves and white shoes. Kat helped Mel get dressed into the intricate clothing, lacing up the bodice tightly to help accentuate the curves Mel was apparently "gifted" with. By then, Natalia had knocked on the door to inform the two that Ivan was ready to eat. Kat yelled that they would be there in a moment and brushed Amelia's cheek.

"Are you ready to meet your new master?"

"Yes, my lady," Kat helped her from the chair and led her to the dining hall. Ivan was sitting at the head of the table, awaiting his elder sister for him to start his meal alone, "my lady, why does he wait for you?"

"Even if I do not eat beside him, he wishes for the company of others while he eats alone," Kat explained as she went right up to him, "little brother, I have brought a guest to stand beside you today," Kat then waved Mel over. She took a deep breath and began to walk towards the two. However, her dainty feet were not accustomed to heels on her shoes, so she began to wobble. Kat noticed and went to help her when Ivan held her back, both watching Mel faceplant onto the ground. With a grumble she got up and wiped her skirt, smiling and finishing her walk.

"My apologies, your majesty. I am still not quite used to heels. My name is Mel and I'm training to be your future bride's lady in waiting," she curtsied with a small smile, standing straight afterward. Ivan smirked and stood up, looking down at her. He glared right at her, his eyes trying to pierce her soul. Mel didn't know what to do, so she just stared back with just as much fire. Now, Amelia was 5'5 and Ivan was 5'11, so the height difference was like watching a chihuahua and a rottweiler stare at each other. But suddenly, Mel began to laugh, shocking both Ivan and Katyusha.

"Is something amusing to you, Mel?" he asked with an unamused look. Never has someone withstood his fearful gaze, let alone a young lady.

"My apologies, it is just, your eyes are the same color as my bedsheets and I thought it was funny," Ivan's face went from annoyed to sheer shock as Amelia continued to laugh at his face. But, she then coughed into her fists and took a deep breath, "I will try to keep my minor amusements to myself, my lord. I'm sorry," she curtsied and still smiled at him. Ivan felt his heart skip a beat when he looked at her freckled face but huffed as he ate his meal in silence. Nobody realized that Gilbert and Mathias had been there and witnessed the entire ordeal. When Ivan finished his meal he excused himself to his office to continue working. Mel took the dirty place setting and brought it into the kitchen for it to be washed at the end of the day. Kat then brought her to the dining hall for the servants, who all stared at her when she entered the hall.

"DID YOU REALLY DO IT?!" Raivis asked very loudly.

"ZE AWESOME ME VOULD NOT LIE ABOUT ZAT!!!" Gilbert interjected.

"Wow! You must be super brave then!" Peter exclaimed not as loud, as his guardians were watching.

"I am so confused right now, what is happening?" Mel asked as she sat next to Natalia.

"You held your ground against my big brother's intimidating gaze. Then proceeded to laugh at his face and answer him honestly about why it is you were laughing. It is a challenge to even look at my brother's face, let alone right into his eyes. Adding the fact you laughed and were honest about it, you just accomplished what many of his enemies have failed to do," Natalia took a bite of pheasant curry. Mel was shocked and took a bite of the sauce-soaked rice, licking her lips.

"Well, when you travel as much as I have, you see a lot worse. Ever meet a pirate, cause that crap is scary. The man I met was hung like a horse, drunk like a fish, and high as a kite. Coupled with the fact the jackass kept wielding some piece of crap backsword that was duller than an opera, he made me feel legit fear. And it wasn't even fear of me getting hurt, the guy was swiping at kids no more than the age of seven years. I think I was with my second master with that one," Mel smiled and took a sip of water.

"What happened after that?" Tino asked in amusement.

"The guy made the mistake of going after my master's kid, so I used my rapier to slash the guy's hand off.

"You seem to already be quite a fighter, I'm impressed," Natalia smirked as she finished up her meal. The group began to chat idly and listen to Mel's stories when she and Kat were called to Ivan's roundtable. When the two entered, they were met with many other men and Ivan at the head of it all. The two stood at Ivan's sides, listening to the battle plans.

"To get to Dewpoint Valley, I say we take the path through Chillfit's Pass, it would minimize the time," one general said.

"Chillfit's Pass will be covered with blizzards this time of year!" another argued.

"Going through the marsh is a no go as the recent rain has caused it to flood," the third general added.

"What about the caverns? They seem safe and will provide some nice shelter from the elements," Ivan pointed to the rocks. All the general's started to agree, but Mel shook her head.

"Bandits," she mumbled. All the men looked to her.

"What did you say?" Ivan asked with an angry tone. She glared right back and pointed to his map.

"The caverns are indeed safe from elements, my lord. But they are also filled with ruthless bandits that have no sense of mercy and will rob your men blindly before they slaughter them like pigs. The safest route to Dewpoint Valley this time of year is this way, west along the coastline. The storm season does not start for another two months and is constantly surrounded by loyal sanctions of your kingdom. When you reach the fishing town of New Tunker, you go just straight north. If your men move in a timely matter and keep to a schedule, you should arrive at Dewpoint Valley in three weeks' time," she then looked up to see all the men looking at her in shock. She blushed and coughed into her gloved hand before curtsying, "it is just a suggestion, my lord. By no means do you have to listen. I just wish for the safest possible route for your men," Mel stepped back beside Ivan and looked to the men with a modest gaze. The men all looked at each other before turning back to her, nodding.

"Then, we go along the coast. This roundtable is dismissed," Ivan commanded as everyone went to leave. Mel was following Kat out when Ivan grabbed her arm, "Kat, I wish to speak with this one alone," Kat gulped and nodded, closing the door behind her. Ivan stared down at Mel with an unreadable look.

"My lord, do I cause you discomfort?" Mel asked, tilting her head like a puppy. Ivan sighed and he looked at her again.

"How do you know such information? I wish to know everything you know," Ivan commanded. Mel gulped at the bold demand from the king, but she nodded nonetheless. Ivan opened the door for her, "we will discuss in my study," Ivan and Mel began to wander the halls when they heard screams down one corridor. A man in all black with only his eyes showing ran towards them with a long, thin sword. Mel did the first thing she thought to do, grabbed a battle ax from the armor decor and deflected the attack. She then used the long handle of the ax and sharp stud at the top to her advantage, stabbing the carpet with the stub and vaulting herself at the attacker with her feet first and successfully knocking him out. He dropped his sword and Gilbert was quick to detain him. Mel picked up the sword and examined it.

"It's a katana, a sword native to the Eastern Kingdom, my lord," she handed the sword to Mathias, who patted her back and went to the dungeon to question the attacker. Ivan was just stunned and looked at her with wide eyes.

"You are full of surprises, Lady Mel," Ivan smiled softly at her. 

"Thank you, my king," Mel chuckled and nodded as the two continued to his study to talk.

A month had passed and Mel was getting used to her new assignments. She was a quick learner and was able to pick up most of the duties she needed to perfect. One night during the servant's mealtime, Ivan walked in with an announcement.

"Tomorrow night will be my gala to find a bride, I wish for all of you to be in attendance as servers or guards. I will have the royal families of all four kingdoms present, so pray you do not embarrass me," Ivan had been tense that entire week, but only Mel had seemed to notice. So, after she finished her dinner, she went to his study and softly knocked on the door.

"My king, may I enter?" she asked softly, getting a small yelp in response. She was about to walk away after being denied entry when she heard a sniffle. Mel immediately went back to the door and swung it open, seeing Ivan crying into his hands.

"I did not give you permission to enter, I order you to leave me be!" Ivan commanded as more tears streamed down his face. Mel frowned and walked over to Ivan with poise and gentleness, going to his side and kneeling in front of him.

"Please, King Ivan, tell me your troubles. It hurts to see you sad, even more, to see you cry," Mel put her hand on his cheek and wiped a tear away. Ivan looked at her with bright eyes and pulled her into a hug. Startled by the sudden burst of affection, Mel hugged him back, "it will be alright, King Ivan," she hushed him softly while petting his head.

"I do not wish for them to be my bride! They are all so stuck up and rude, how could I choose a bride from such a spoiled lot of women?!" Ivan complained as he clutched Mel impossibly tighter. She kissed his head, making him halt his movements. The two then looked at each other, eye to eye, finding it impossible to look away. Ivan kissed Mel's lips softly and clutched her dress. Once the two separated, Mel blushed.

"I'm sorry, my king, but I am not of royal blood. I can not be your bride. My entire purpose of being hired was to serve your bride,"

"Nyet, I know you are royal. You can't possibly be a peasant! You are so special, Mel! My beautiful sunflower!" Ivan cried as the two hugged tightly again.

When the gala began, Mel was dressed in a simple white gown and was ready to begin serving the elite guests.

Lukas was on top of the staircase, announcing the guests as they left their lavish carriages.

"Now presenting the royal family of the Eastern Kingdom: King Yao, Queen Lien, and their children, Prince Kiku, Prince Yong-Soo, Prince Hyung-Soo, Prince Cheng, and Princess Mei," the royal family was garbed in rare silks native to their land. Princess Mei was indeed very beautiful, Mel was a bit jealous, "Now presenting the royal family of the Southern Kingdom: King Roderich, Queen Elizabeta, Prince Ludwig, Prince Basche, and Princess Elise," the family walked down the staircase with humility. Elise was still so young, it must have been nervewracking for her, "and now presenting the last of our elite guests, the royal family of the Western Kingdom: King Arthur, Prince Matthew, Prince Juan, Prince Jett, Prince Leon, Princess Michelle, Grand Duke Francis, and Dutchess Lucille," the largest family walked down the staircase. They were clearly the most snobbish of the kingdoms as they held their noses up to all the other guests. Ivan inhaled deeply and begrudgingly stood up and bowed.

"My friends~ Please enjoy the splendors of my gala! You are free to wander the ballroom, courtyard, and garden! My loyal servants will be serving my finest delicacies! I humbly welcome you to my great kingdom!" Ivan bowed as the audience clapped. The night was going well as of yet, no trouble seemed to have turned their way. Until~

"You clumsy fool, this is my finest robe!" King Yao yelled at a quivering Raivis, who had just spilled red wine all over the expensive silks. Raivis bowed to the king and began to apologize, scared out of his witts. All of the royal guests watched as the servant was yelled at. However, as Yao raised his hand, Mel stepped in. Before a hand could land on Raivis, Mel stepped in front and took a full slap to the face.

"King Yao, this behavior is unacceptable for a man of your status. My humble companion apologized feverishly for ruining your fine garments. Physical altercations will not be tolerated in this ballroom. If you are to fight it will be done in the courtyard. My master runs a respectable household and an even more respectable kingdom, I will sooner die than to let a short-tempered emperor tarnish his beautiful reputation. Am I clear, your majesty?" Mel looked Yao with serious eyes, silencing the entire room. Many could not believe that a servant had scolded a king, so naturally, Yao wished to punish her.

"You wretched girl! I will teach you to humiliate me!" The man went in for another punch but we quickly stopped by Ivan, who had an even scarier look to his eyes.

"This 'wretched girl' is my loyal servant and is only doing what I ordered. If you have a problem controlling yourself then I have no problem battling you in the courtyard. You are to take your anger out on me, my staff is to be left alone," Ivan said coldly to the smaller king. Mel helped Raivis to his feet and Queen Elizabeta came to her side. Mel looked to her and softly smiled, despite the burning red mark on her cheek.

"May I help you, my lady?" Mel asked kindly, not minding the sting on her face. Elisa and Basche also walked to her.

"Mother, her cheek must be in pain," the young princess told her mom. Elizabeta nodded to her daughter and son, softly brushing Mel's cheek.

"You are right, my princess. Basche, go fetch the first aid kit from my purse," Mel immediately stopped her.

"No worries, your highnesses. I have suffered worse at the hands of legitimate threats. Like when I battled three assassins in a pub in Haltzville, those injuries were bad. This slap mark does not bother me so there is no need to waste your supplies," Mel smiled and bowed to the royals, who bowed back. Many of the family had overheard the conversation, making a few of the nobles wonder about this servant's life. The party continued until King Yao caused another disturbance, this time purposely dropping wine on Vivi's white gown. Mel held her tongue as she helped Vivi fix herself.

The final straw for Ivan was when he witnessed Yao trip Mel, spilling an assortment of food all over her and shattering the many plates she was carrying. Even the Western Kingdom's family had been mortified by the action, so the Grand Duke Francis and Prince Matthew instantly got up and ran to her. Matthew knelt by her side and helped her to her feet while Francis picked up the shattered porcelain plates.

"'ow rude of you to do such a zing! Have you no shame, Yao!" Francis scolded as Tino quickly grabbed the plates from Francis' hands.

"Father! That was a terribre thing to do!" Kiku ran over and brushed off some food from Mel's gown, "are you arright?" Mel nodded and straightened up.

"Yea, I'm fine my lord. No worries," Mel sighed and looked at her soiled gown.

"I'm aboot to whip that man's butt," Matthew grumbled under his breath. Mel then looked at him with a smile, the crowd gasping. The two blondes were frozen as they stared at the crowd and then to each other. Matthew was shocked to see he was basically looking at a female version of himself, "why do you look like me?! Dad!" Matthew looked to his father, King Arthur, who was staring at her wide-eyed. He slowly got up from his chair and waltzed over to her, caressing her cheek.

"Amelia? It's impossible, all those years ago," Arthur softly smiled and hugged Mel, soiling his own clothing.

"I'm confused on what's happening right now," Mel confessed. Francis looked Mel over and nodded.

"It iz 'er, Arthur. It iz Amelia," Francis kissed her head, making Mel flinch.

"Would you care to share?" Ivan asked agitated. Arthur stepped up and smiled.

"Twenty years ago, our ship got caught in a severe storm that flooded the entire deck. My firstborn twins were caught in the midst of it and while my crew was trying to save Matthew, my daughter was lost to the sea. We spent weeks in that part of the ocean scouting for her, but she was gone. My wife, the late Queen Irene of Northern Ireland, tried her best to continue. Even after birthing our other beautiful children, the stress of losing Amelia made her too sick to move on. But," Arthur turned to Mel and hugged her closely, "I finally found you. My lost princess, my Amelia," Michelle jumped excitedly and as soon as Arthur released Mel she jumped into her sister's arms.

"I've always wanted a sister, ooooh I'm going to get you all prettied up! We can do each other's hair and do each other's makeup and tell stories and-"

"Amelia," Ivan interrupted as he stood up from his throne. He waltzed over and smiled brightly, kneeling before her, "if what King Arthur says is in fact true, then I wish for you to be my bride," Amelie turned a completely new shade of red that could make a tomato jealous. Lucille chuckled as she saw her uncle and male cousins automatically get defensive.

"Bloody hell you will! I just got my daughter back!" Arthur tugged Amelia into his own arms, gently pushing her to her brothers. Jett and Juan growled protectively while Matthew and Leon just got into defensive positions. Amelia blushed darker until Queen Elizabeta, Queen Lien, Princess Mei, Princess Elisa, Lucille, and Michelle all grabbed her.

"I want to do her hair!" Elise yelped.

"I got the makeup!" Mei followed.

"We'll do the clothes!" the queens added.

"Moral support!" the two family members finished. Amelia groaned as the royals dragged her off, leaving the men to wonder what the hell they just witnessed.

A half hour later, the girls all came down with bright smiles lighting their faces.

"May we introduce, Princess Amelia Rosalia Kirkland," Lucille put her hands up as Amelia walked down the grand staircase. Amelia was wearing a beautiful dress with a rose crown on her golden hair. She only wore red lipstick and her shoes were a nice red flat.

"Well, your majesty, how do I look?" she asked in front of the entire ballroom and staff. Before Ivan could answer, however~

"Jou look hot, Mel!" Gilbert drooled. Mathias whistled flirtatiously while Berwald and Tino nodded in agreement. Amelia blushed even more darkly and Matthew growled at the albino who called his sister hot.

"Gilbert, she wasn't speaking to you!" Joao and Raivis yelled while Natalia and Vivi facepalmed. The entire ballroom chuckled while Ivan simply rolled his eyes. He stepped forward and knelt before his love.

"You look like perfection, Amelia. Like you always have," Ivan kissed her hand softly, making Amelia giggle to herself.

The next week they were wed and all four kingdoms celebrated. King Yao apologized a lot during the entire event, despite Amelia forgiving him the first time. Years passed them by and Amelia bore six children: Victor, Daniel, twins named Felix & Fawn, and a set of triplets named Anneliese, Grace, and Mila. The Northern Kingdom's castle was always filled with laughter and always felt so warm and inviting. The family hosted many parties because of Amelia's social nature and all war ceased between the four lands. There was true happiness between them and once Victor married Princess Kykio (who is the daughter of Kiku and Elise), all the lands became united by blood.

Of course, to avoid incest they would branch off to loyal members of the kingdom's guard or just fall in love with a peasant. New technology was brought forward thanks to the open minded ideals of Queen Amelia, like electricity and hot running water. New music would fill the lands as cultures happily melted together. The same was said for entertainment, dances, and ways of learning.

For the longest time, all of the world seemed so peaceful, and it continued to be that way. Many people followed the examples of Queen Amelia and King Ivan, allowing people to be themselves without fear of judgment. People were who they wanted to be without any problems, it was a complete utopia to every human.

But, as every one of us knows all too well, we humans do not last forever.

The rain pounded against the stain-glass window of their bedroom. At the old age of seventy, Amelia passed of a rare incurable illness. Ivan passed five days later of the same thing, allowing the couple to meet each other in Heaven. The two were young again, holding each other closely as they walked into the gates together.

Living eternally happy by each other's side.