Darius waddled slowly along, with Elizabeth following behind. She kept pausing, stopping, turning around and looking at everything. Her parents rarely allowed her to come to court. If they did come, she usually stayed back at the estate in the country. This time, however, the invitation-card that had arrived by messenger said that the whole family was to come. When the king commanded, his subjects obeyed.

"Oooh! Is it not the most beautiful thing!"

Elizabeth entered the prince's bedroom. She stared at the beautifully carved, antique furniture. The silks, satins and velvets. The luxurious reds and blues, the crisp whites, the dark wood, the dazzling gold and silver. She turned to the prince and blushed.

"My Lord Darius is rich in so many ways..." she said. Darius turned red.

"Uh...well..." he said, feeling a bit flustered! Darius didn't want to rush Elizabeth. It was so rarely that she got to come to court that he wanted her to enjoy herself and do whatever it was she wanted!...So long as that was eating!"

Bretton opened a pair of doors leading off Darius's bedroom into a middle-sized room with a dining-table, a sideboard and windows at one end. Candles were everywhere, the golden light making the private dining-room look like a dream.

"Dinner is served, Your Royal Highness", Bretton said. "Lady Elizabeth, ma'am".

Darius waddled in and then stepped aside. Elizabeth glided in like a swan. She gasped.

"Oooh it looks delicious!" she said. She stared around to see six servant-boys lined up against the wall wearing their crisp white and gold dress uniforms. As Darius waddled past, the boys bowed respectfully. The prince grunted and reached into his pockets.

"Here", he said. He handed each boy a few gold coins. "Change. Go and spend the night celebrating in the city square. I won't be needing you tonight".

While of course, the boys were thrilled at being given money...and a night off...by the Crown Prince, they were also secretly upset. The servants always considered it a great honour to be allowed to serve members of the royal family, and especially Darius or the king and queen.

Trying their best not to show their disappointment, they took the money, bowed and left the room.

Bretton stood uncomfortably nearby.

"Bretton, go and eat with your parents and your brother", Darius said. "I won't need you. Lady Elizabeth and I can attend to ourselves tonight. If I need anything, I'll ring the bell that connects to the servants' hall".

Bretton bowed.

"Yes master", he said.

Once the room was empty, Darius smiled and sat down. Together, the two youngsters started eating!

"Mmm!" Elizabeth gasped. "Oh I DO wish father and mother would allow me to stay at Court..."

"You should", Darius said. "I'm sure father wouldn't disagree".

"Oh I know!" said Elizabeth. "But they worry about...well who KNOWS what parents worry about! That I might forget my place. That I might not learn what I need to. That I might find myself being courted by a...Mountanian!"

Darius laughed!

"Oh Javelin's not so bad. He's rough, but he's nice. You'd get used to him".

"I'm sure! Mother isn't. And father won't even think of it!" she replied, gulping down several oysters. "Perhaps...no..."

"Perhaps...?"

"Perhaps I...you...could speak to the King?"

"What would I say?"

"The truth! That you think Lady Elizabeth should stay at Court!"

"Yes but you don't STAY at court, Elizabeth. The palace isn't a hotel! You have to have something to DO here!"

"I could be your mistress..."

Darius choked!

Elizabeth giggled! "I'm only joking, my lord..."

She reached across the table and suddenly knocked over a jug of water! It splashed over Darius's frontage, soaking his vest, breeches and cloak!

"Oooh I'm sorry!" she gasped. She got to her feet and Darius hefted himself to his own. She quickly tugged off his cloak, vest, sash and his gold belly-chain.

"Oh just put them over there!" Darius said, pointing to an empty chair. She quickly laid them down and hurried back with a napkin.

"You'd best take off your breeches too!" she said, "They're soaked! That was a full gallon jug!"

"Not in front of you, I'm not!" Darius said. "No way!"

Elizabeth nodded. She guessed that Darius had to act like a prince at all times and be respectful. She knelt down with the napkin and started drying Darius's belly.

She giggled.

"What?"

"Nothing..."

"As your prince, I demand you tell me!" Darius commanded.

Elizabeth laughed and Darius smiled.

"What's so FUNNY?"

"It's so enormous...and soft...and round..."

Elizabeth noticed a chaise-longe nearby, by the window.

"Perhaps His Royal Highness might feed more comfortably if he was lying down?" she suggested.

"Feed? I sent the servants away. I didn't want us to be disturbed..."

"Of course, my lord. But I'm still here..."

Darius chuckled.

"Oh alright. Help me up".

Darius grunted to his feet and waddled over. Elizabeth drooled when she saw his immense belly quiver, sway and shake so enticingly, slow-motionly, as the prince plodded towards the chaise longe and laid his body down upon it, stretching out and rolling comfortably onto his side. Elizabeth loaded some of the food onto a serving-trolley and wheeled it over. She sat on a low stool and carefully, started feedling Darius delicate mouthfuls.

Darius tried to reach out, but Elizabeth pushed him back.

"His Royal Highness must relax!" she insisted. "And feed!"

Elizabeth so rarely got to spend time with Darius that she wanted to enjoy it. She wanted to exercise and indulge in her maternal instincts and feed and pamper the prince and make him relaxed and fat and buttery and soft and limp in her hands.

"I bet you're not used to this, my Lord Darius..."

"What do you mean?"

"Being fed".

"Sure I am".

"Not by a nobleman's daughter..." she added, rubbing his belly gently with one hand while she plied him with a whole carafe of wine.

"Well...no", Darius said. "Normally my servant-boys do it".

"Those two I saw in the foyer?"

"Well...sometimes. But they are my personal servants. I don't like them to do all the demeaning stuff. I get some of the kitchen-boys to do it. They jump at the chance to...do anything. Feed me, rub my belly, massage my feet, rub my shoulders...even touch my hair..." Darius added, tugging on his soft locks of dark golden hair. "I'm no idiot. I know why they do it..."

"What do you mean?"

"They're kissing up. I'm not gonna stop them if they want to do it. And if they do a real good job, I might reward them. Somehow. And to them it's a break from cooking and cleaning all the time, anyway".

Elizabeth smiled. She started stepping up the feeding-pace. She fed the prince everything she could think of! Soon, nearly everything on the table was empty and replaced by platters, trays and bowls that were so empty they were almost clean! Elizabeth had helped herself to the food, but most of it went to Darius. Most of it, she'd fed to Darius, rather!

She knelt down and started rubbing and stroking his belly with a sort of strange reverance.

"You are so ENORMOUS, my lord..." she cooed. "What is my lordship's weight?"

"About seventeen hundred pounds by now..." Darius said lazily. He explained briefly about his stint with the two kidnappers, Kurt and Igor. She giggled. "I bet that was fun!" she said.

"It was...interesting", Darius said. He belched loudly.

"Oooh! S-HIC!-sorry!" Darius gasped. He groaned. Sooo full and yummy...

Elizabeth smiled. She kept rubbing and stroking the prince's belly and chest and sides. She leaned closer. Darius tried to move his head away, but she cornered him and...

"I was told to come and tell you that dessert was...um...ready..."

The two teenagers jumped and started! Darius pushed Elizabeth away and she sprang to her feet, hastily trying to smooth out her skirts and dress! She whirled around and Darius propped himself up on his chaise-longe to see...