The Princess Carry

Olivier had been making it a daily ritual even on a busy or important day to stop by Ella's shop to buy something. Usually something small, like a bow, rosin or to get a sheet of music. Olivier would always wear his best formal uniform and make sure he looked perfect before he left to see her, or rather to get something at her shop. He realized that eventually she would get annoyed at him if he kept it up so instead of buying things, he thought today he would bring Ella something nice. He still wasn't sure what her life was like outside of helping run the shop, so he wasn't exactly sure what to get Ella. During his many trips to the shop, the one thing he noticed most often was that she constantly had to pull the hair out of her face as she worked, so Olivier found her a nice utilitarian hair clip. It wasn't flashy or gaudy, but it would be very sturdy and keep the hair out of her face as she worked.

He brought his gift into the shop and greeted her normally, "Good morning, Ella."

She looked up from her work rolling her eyes, "Oh, if it isn't Mage la Marche, I never expected to see ye come in today."

He smiled at her and said, "I was thinking of you and bought you a small gift, I hope you don't mind?"

She sighed and then walked over to him holding out her hand, "What is it, a necklace? Maybe some fancy earrin's, oh or maybe ye came with a rin' 'cause ye think I'm so freakin' beautiful ye want to marry the poor commoner girl an' turn 'er into a princess?"

Olivier said nothing and just took out the hair clip and walked up close, he brushed the hair out of her face and used the clip to pull her hair back. He smiled, "There, now you can work without worrying about your hair getting in your eyes."

Ella looked up at him without her usual sarcastic response to his presence and said rather quietly, "Thank you, it'll be a help."

Olivier bent down slightly to look at her eye to eye. He said in a soft deep tone of voice, "You were right about one thing you said though, I do find you to be so ****ing beautiful that I want to marry you but I'm afraid I can't turn you into a princess. I am not actually a prince anymore, you see. I am just a Mage now, which is also something like being royalty in its own right, but it doesn't come with the gaudy title and etiquette." He smiled and then looked her over and said, "If I am annoying, you can always ask me to leave."

Ella folded her arms under her breasts and stood as tall as she could and said, "Yes, ye are annoyin' me. Ye shouldn't come 'ere so often, ye should be busy with'n yer own freakin' job."

Olivier chuckled and then said, "Very well, I won't come here so often, but in exchange, I would like you to come to dinner with me tomorrow night, at say, six."

Her grandfather who was working nearby said, "She'll be free then."

"Gran' da! Shush yerself!" She blushed and fidgeted before replying, "Fine, I'll come wit' ye at six. But I ain't dressin' fancy fer it, so don't take me to one o' them fancy places the nobles like."

Olivier smiled and then said, "I know the perfect place."

*****

The next day Olivier showed up at the shop to pick Ella up. He walked in and saw her grandfather working on a new violin. He looked up from his work and smiled at him, "She'll be down in a minute, she left to change." Olivier took the time to straighten out his mage uniform. Tonight he purposely wore his normal working uniform rather than the fancier formal uniform. Ella walked down the stairs from the living area above the shop. She was wearing a beautiful black dress with a white undershirt that accentuated figure nicely. She had applied just a touch of makeup and wore her pulled back, with the hair clip he had given her the previous day prominently displayed.

Olivier couldn't help smiling at her. She saw him staring and bashfully glanced away before walking up and saying, "I'm ready, we can go get somethin' ta eat."

He nodded and then said, "Gate."

She opened her mouth in awe, she had seen him come through the strange portal before, but seeing it appear with just a word from him partially scared her and partially excited her. He held out his hand to her and said, "Don't be frightened, hold my hand, let's go eat." He gave her his normal goofy smile. She took his hand tentatively at first but then held on tight as he walked them through the strange portal.

Stepping through the gate was like walking through a door, once she passed through she was just in another place. If not for holding his hand, she might have panicked and turned around. She looked around trying to get her bearings. She asked, "Where is this?" Inside the building, she could hear laughing and clapping and then a band started to play a jaunty tune and a terrible singer started to try and sing along. It sounded awful but inside you could hear people laughing and having a good time.

Olivier smiled and then replied, "My friend who owns it calls it, 'Car ah oh key'. The rule is, everyone who eats, has to sing. You can sing any song you want and the band will even give you a sheet with the lyrics."

He pulled her along to a podium just outside where a woman was waiting she asked them, "Two tonight?"

Olivier smiled and nodded at her, "Yes, a table for two." Ella still held on to his hand, almost as if she was afraid that if she let go she would bounce back to the shop. The woman led them into the main room, and then upstairs to a balcony that looked down on the stage. The balcony had a table for two lit by candlelight. The stage had the new electric lights so that everyone could clearly see the band and the person singing.

The woman who led them to the table set down a little sign on the table with the number ten on it. She then handed each of them a menu, smiled and then said, "Welcome to Ito's Karaoke Grill, the number ten on your table will be called and at that time you'll head down those stairs and we will lead you to the stage. You may sing as a couple or one at a time. Each guest will have a chance to sing, if you feel that you can't sing at all, we will give you a chance to dance on the stage instead. Our only rule is that each guest must appear on the stage. Your server will be here shortly to take your order, please enjoy." She gave them a bow and then left.

Olivier and Ella sat down at the table together and he finally said, "It's alright to let go of my hand now, we have safely arrived."

She pulled her hand away as if she had been touching something hot, her face as red as a tomato.

*****

Olivier and Ella tried a number of new things together, a sushi platter, agedashi tofu, and shrimp tempura. Some of the dishes were too strange for the pair, but they loved most of what they tried. When it was their table's turn on stage, Ella agreed to a duet. It turned out that since both Olivier and Ella played musical instruments, they were not bad singers. Ella even managed to sing harmonies to Olivier's lead. By the time they finished their turn, the rest of the diners couldn't help their genuine applause.

After they finished, they stayed until the last table had a chance to sing and then Olivier paid for the meal and they left the same way that they came. Once they were safely back in her shop Ella looked at him with new eyes. She had a big smile on her face. He gave her a very formal gentlemanly bow and said, "Lady Ella, thank you for a wonderful evening, I hope we can do this again sometime." He took her hand and lifted it up and gently kissed the back of her hand. She blushed hard and then turned to head up the stairs and stumbled due to the heels she was wearing falling backward.

Olivier moved quickly catching her in a princess carry. She turned red once again and stammered, "Maybe I 'ad too many a them saw keys."

He nodded and then said, "Then let me carry you up. Which room is yours?"

Her eyes were huge, her heart was beating furiously, she pointed and said with a slight stutter, "T-the S-second room on yer right."

He gracefully carried her up the stairs and gently laid her on her bed. He said, "Goodnight Lady Ella, I will agree to our deal, I won't bother you again until, say, next Friday." He stepped back looked to his left and said, "Gate." He smiled at her again and then stepped through. A moment later the portal was gone.

Ella laid on her bed with her heart still pounding. She looked up at the ceiling and said, "Woo, if that man would'a asked. I would'd let 'im. Now I kind'a regret askin' 'im to stop botherin' me."