THE PAMPERED PRINCESSES

Tamara took a few deep breaths and knocked on the large, highly polished double oak doors that led to the princess' chambers. When she didn't hear anything she cautiously opened one of the doors and slid in, knowingly risking her life.

"Your Highnesses?" the young maid crept into one of the rooms off the main lounge. There she saw a pile of bedcovers on the grand four-poster bed, which rose and fell in a steady rhythm. She assumed that it was Glen, the snotty princess who she had served for most of her life.

Quietly she tiptoed across the large room to the long curtains on the far wall, she then yanked on the golden cord causing the curtains to fly open, allowing sunlight to steam into the room.

The maid heard a groan emit from the mass of bedcovers. Tamara scurried over to the princess' bedside.

"What time is it?" Glen asked, burrowing deeper under the covers.

"Twelve-thirty Your Highness," she answered promptly.

Glen’s head came up. Her honey-colored hair was mussed and she had heavy bags under her bright blue eyes, "What are you doing waking me up this early?!" she demanded.

"Twelve-thirty in the afternoon Your Highness." the maid corrected her.

"Precisely! This is a simply outrageous hour to be woken! It is much too early!" glen turned over and pulled the covers over her head.

"But Your Highness! You must get up!" Tamara clicked her fingers and a line of maids entered the room, “here are some maids to help you dress your highness, now if you will excuse me?” she quickly bobbed a curtsy and backed out of the room as quickly as possible.

In the hallway she met up with the other maid, Carla, who had woken the other princess, Selma, Glen’s twin.

“Glad to see that your alive,” she told Carla.

“Barely! I never realized that Selma could throw a vase that far!” Carla replied.

“It must come from playing that stupid Golden Ball.”

“Yeh.”

“No!” both maids gulped as they heard Selma’s shout.

“You’d better go,” Carla whispered, “she isn’t very happy with me at the moment.”

“When is she ever?” questioned Tamara as she began walking towards the door, brushing her dirty blond hair out of her eyes. When she opened it she was immediately forced to duck to avoid a flying vase. Her light brown eyes swept the room, taking in the scene before her. Tamara would have laughed if the situation hadn’t been so serious. The maids were lined up against one wall quivering in fright, their eyes wide. In the middle of the room stood Selma, broken vases scattered around her.

“And I do not need your help to get dressed!” the princess way saying.

“Is anything wrong your highness?” Tamara asked, spreading her skirt in a low curtsy.

“Of coarse there’s something wrong!” Selma shrieked, turning on Tamara, “I do not need these poorly educated maids to get me dressed! I am perfectly capable of getting dressed myself!”

“Yes your highness, sorry you highness,” Tamara curtseyed again and hurried the maids out of the room, closing the door behind her.

“So how did it go?” Carla asked.

“The usual,” Tamara shrugged.

“With the flying vases?”

“Yep.”

“So that’s round one finished.”

“Now on to round two, breakfast.”

“Yippee.”

A few hours later Tamara was standing by Glen’s side as she surveyed the food in distaste.

“Remove this revolting piece of…of…food from my sight!” Glen ordered after staring at the offending food for a while.

“But Madam!” the bewildered chef said, “this is the finest breakfast ever made in all of the land!”

“My sister is right!” Selma declared, her eyes narrowing, “this food is not worthy of entering our mouths!”

“I am terribly sorry your highnesses!” the poor chef stammered, afraid for his life.

He was right to be scared. “Off with his head!” the sisters shouted in unison.

Two bulgy gorilla-like guards stepped forward, bowed to the princesses and dragged the screaming man away.

“Well I say!” Glen sniffed, “he had no right to scream.”

“Quite so, quite so,” Selma agreed, “so, how does a game of Golden Ball sound?”

“Splendid idea,” Glen replied.

The two princesses swept out of the room and down the stairs that led outside. Tamara, Carla and about twenty odd servants scurrying after them. Glen and Selma stood about one meter apart beneath the shade of a large tree in their favorite garden. Carla nudged the young boy who held the Golden Ball forward. The poor boy knelt before Glen and handed her the ball, inwardly hoping that he had done everything correctly. Luckily he had and he kept his life.

The princesses began throwing the ball back and forth. Whenever one of them would drop it, they would blame a servant and have him executed. Tamara tried to hold back her tears as she watched the unfortunate servants being led away, one by one.

After lunch, where two more chefs were executed, the two princesses, escorted by Tamara and Carla, went to their father, King Gullible, to complain about their lack of servants. The king, who had the intellectual capacity of a raisin, gave them thirty more servants.

Once dinner was over Glen and Selma went to sleep, leaving Tamara and Carla to finally eat their lunch and dinner, and then go to bed.

The next morning Tamara woke to Selma’s screech. Tamara quickly dressed and hurried to the other side of the palace where the princess’ chambers were situated.

“Is anything the matter your highness?” Tamara asked politely as she sunk into a low curtsy.

“Yes there is!” Selma shouted from her bed, “How do you expect me to get dressed without any servants to help me?”

“I will see to it your highness.”

“Be sure that you do!” Selma shrieked after Tamara’s quickly retreating back. Once in the hallway Tamara clapped her hands twice, five servants immediately appeared beside her.

“Help her get dressed,” Tamara ordered the servants, and then trotted towards Glen’s room.

“What are you doing waking me up this late?” Glen demanded when Tamara woke her up. By now Tamara was seriously regretting giving Carla the day off.

“It is only twelve thirty in the afternoon your highness!” Tamara protested.

“Exactly my point! Half the day has already passed and I am a very busy person! I simply can not afford to sleep in at all!”

“Of coarse your highness,” Tamara said.

And so the new day began.