A Duchess’s Duty – Chapter 1
by MagnusMagneto
Proofread + Edited by Grimmtoof
Commissioned by Grimmtoof
Mid July – 2012
It was time for The Sun’s nearly annual celebrity bikini expose. The tabloid looked forward to this time of the year, as voyeurs nationwide made these summer issues their most profitable year round. “SEE KATE’S BIKINI BOD” was the main headline, referring to the recently married Duchess of Cambridge. Her lithe, thin form was on prominent display for all the world to see in the centre of the front page.
“Ugh, why do you bother reading such trite?” Prince William asked his wife as he brought over a saucer of her favourite tea. The couple had servants on hand at their Anglesey home, but often preferred to handle small matters themselves.
“Willy…” It was a nickname Kate used only in private. “Why didn’t you tell me I’m so… undernourished.” she pointed to her rail thin self on the tabloid’s cover.
“Eh? You seem perfectly healthy to me love.” The prince reassured her.
“Healthy? You call THIS healthy? Blimey, I look like I’d fall over from a strong gust of wind!” Kate’s face was beetroot red, disgusted with her own image.
“Love, there are millions of women all over the world who would kill to look like you do.”
“Isn’t that the thing though? Girls everywhere are always being told they should be thinner. Smaller. Weaker.”
“I dunno what to tell you dear, I think you look great. Besides, why is this a surprise? Haven’t you looked in a mirror at all?”
“I…” Kate was taken aback by that comment. “I suppose it’s just one of those things where the changed happen over time. I swear I had more muscle on me back when I used to actually do things outside.”
“Hmm, well we haven’t wrestled or done much physical lately, but I do definitely recall you being a bit ripped.” William added. “I’m sure you still are lovely, why don’t you give us a proper flex?”
Kate rolled up her half-sleeve shirt all the way to her shoulder, revealing her long, thin limb. After pulling the cloth fully back, she gave an earnest bicep shot. To her surprise and dismay there was almost no rise at all – it was almost as if she had no muscle at all.
William blinked a couple times, unsure of how exactly to respond.
“Bloody hell!” Kate yelled out before rolling her sleeve back down, somewhat embarrassed. “How did I get so weak! I was such an active girl when I was at school?!”
William stroked his chin. “It’s true that you have been pretty busy with keeping up appearances with your new royal life. You simply haven’t had the time to exercise much.”
“Honestly dear, have you noticed a change in my appearance?
“I suppose you did used to be a bit more curvaceous.”
“So you admit it? I look worse now?” She moved over to a nearby mirror, taking in the sight of herself. “I look terrible!”
“Blimey Kate, don’t put me in this spot.” William wasn’t falling for this classic trap.
“I’m not really sure where I’d even begin… I mean, I could always just go back to jogging every now and then and getting more meat in my diet.”
William let out a sigh. “If you want to get stronger maybe you should start lifting weights.”
The tall brunette bit her lower lip. “You’re right, but I’m not sure I want to embarrass myself in a gym as I am now.”
“Look love, why don’t we get the machines in the rec room here setup. I’m sure they’ll help you get back on track in no time.”
Kate’s eyes lit up. “I can’t believe I totally forgot about those things!”
–
A few minutes later, in the Anglsey home’s rec room
–
William lead his wife over to the machines, each covered with a tarp. He pulled them off, unleashing a thick torrent of dust in the air.
“Blimey, these things are practically untouched huh?” Kate noted.
“No kidding.” William agreed, setting the tarps aside.
The brunette looked the machines over. There were three focused on upper body and two for lower body. She bent down and took observed the relatively small amount of weight each machine possessed. “These look a bit… dainty, dontcha think?” she commented.
William shrugged. “I don’t think these were meant for heavy duty weight lifting love. It’ll just help get you back on the right track, and they’re quite simple to use.”
Kate noticed the image on each machine showing the small handful of movements each machine supported and which body parts they targeted. “True, guess I ought to give them a whirl. Alright, suppose I’ll go change and start my workout.”
“Sounds good love, I’ve got a game of golf with the chaps to attend to.” William announced. The couple embraced before bidding farewell.
–
A few hours later at dinner
–
“Oy, this isn’t the usual spread we have for tea.” Kate said, taking note of the extra abundance of meat on her plate. “Hell, I’ve almost as much food here as you do!”
“I had our cook whip you up a special diet.” William explained. “Lots of lean proteins that you’ll need if you want to bulk up.”
Kate had to admit that she was quite hungry, moreso than usual, and that William did have a good point. She dug into her hefty meal. “How was golf?”
“Oh, the usual.” William was surprised at how quickly his spouse was scarfing down her meal. She was typically a very slow and light eater. “Say love, how was your workout?”
“Pretty good! I really pushed myself and performed multiple sets on each and every one of the workouts.”
William cocked an eyebrow. “Say, how strong are you?”
Kate’s face turned blush red. “I’m afraid I had to use close to the lowest settings on most of the movements.”
“That’s alright, eat up and you’ll get stronger in no time.”
“I sure hope so.” Kate took another proportionately huge bite out of her grilled chicken breast, imagining it was directly fueling her muscles.
–
The next day
–
William had to be careful not to spill the contents of the large glass he was carrying up the stairs – it was nearly completely full to the brim. As he entered their bedroom, Kate was still relaxing in bed, watching television.
“Here love, try this on for size.” William said, bringing the pint glass over to his wife.
Kate lifted her hand “Ooof…” she verbally mouthed as she grabbed onto it.
“Still soar, huh?” William noted.
“You have no idea…” Kate said bringing the glass to her lips.
“I figured. This is a shake full of protein and other nutrients to help your muscles recover and rebuild.”
The duchess took a large gulp. “Eugh, This is disgusting!”
“I know love, but trust me, it’s good for you.” The prince turned his attention to the television. There was an expose on the lifestyle of runway models for them to maintain their bodies. “I guess what’s on the telly here should be motivation enough to finish that shake.”
Kate steeled herself and took another gulp. “It’s ridiculous Willy. Not only are these poor things keeping themselves weak and easily susceptible to disease, but it’s influencing both young girls and adult women everywhere to do the same.” She let out an angry sigh before taking another gulp.
William kept staring at the physiques of the stick-thin girls. “You know dear…” he started to lead into a thought.
Kate had been around her husband enough to know exactly what he was going to say. “I know. I could probably be up on that stage right now.” Disgust coated her voice as she sucked down another gulp of the beverage, bringing it close to its end. “The worst part is that stupid rag makes it look like I support this.”
While William was glad that Kate was making steps to improve her body, he knew that if she dwelled on what happened it would eventually have adverse effects on her mental health. He strode over and turned the television off. “Enough of that tripe for now. Tell you what, finish that drink and I’ll give you a nice massage to help ease the aches.”
“Mmm… that sounds good.” Kate commented before finishing the concoction with one final sip. After completing her task, she placed the glass aside and slipped her robe off before laying on her frontside – leaving her small back revealed.
The prince hopped onto their bed and knelt down on top of her before bringing his hands to her exposed flesh. With deft circular motions, he started massaging her soft, creamy skin.
“Oooh…” Kate cooed. The sensation was quite enjoyable.
William imagined what it would be like to repeat this process with powerful muscles underneath his hands. The more he thought about it, the more intriguing and desireable it became.
“Well love, you keep these workouts up, and I’ll be sure to keep giving you these massages.” he bartered.
Kate let out a small laugh. “I was planning on doing that regardless, but now I’ll really have to stick with it.”
–
The following day, Kate felt fully healed and ready to continue with her fitness quest. It struck her as slightly odd that she was already no longer sore, considering delayed onset muscle soreness often lasts 2-3 days for most people, but she decided to be grateful instead of dwelling on it.
Not wanting to miss a beat, Kate resumed her training. To her delight, she found that she no longer struggled with the lightest settings of each machine. After a warmup set, she even mustered the confidence to try out the next weight increment. As expected, she struggled with the slightly higher weight, but was still quite pleased with the swift progress.
After finishing her workout, Kate was the one to insist on having another protein shake, eager to get the nutrition her body craved. At dinner, William was surprised to find his wife wolfing down her meal without any commentary about it.
–
The next day Kate was met with significantly less soreness than before. She decided to power through the discomfort and train regardless. Once again, her strength was higher than the prior day.
Kate continued push herself day by day, training her body to its limit and feeding it with the best her cooks had to offer. Before long, Kate didn’t even feel sore anymore, solely feeling an addicting ‘pump’ that made her even more energized for the rest of the day after working out.
–
Early August
–
Kate wasn’t sure how she hadn’t noticed, but she was… built! Her formerly sickly looking body had packed on visible pounds of muscle. Sporting a strapless workout top, she could see clearly see the results of her training.
“Willy, take a look at this!” Kate shouted demanding the prince turn his attention towards her. She lifted her slender arm and performed a classic bicep post, causing a lemon sized ball to pop up. “Never in my life have I been nearly this muscular!” she beamed.
William got up and gave her arm a solid squeeze. “Brilliant! It’s like a rock!”
Kate grinned, reaching over and gripped her husband’s arm for comparison. William tensed it in compliance. Before she could even say anything, William had already responded. “You’re right love. My arm’s like a rock, and yours is like a bloody DIAMOND!”
“I can tell you’re enjoying this quite a bit…”
“Of course I am.” William admitted without hesitation. He continued looking his wife’s upper body over. “You should take a look in the mirror. Your whole upper body is looking great!”
Kate obliged and reveled in the sight that met her. Instead of the sickly looking creature she was a mere few weeks ago, she now had a build that would service athletes of most sports quite admirably. Each and every muscle on her frame stood out effortlessly.
“Seriously thought Will, I think we’re both clever enough to realize that this isn’t… normal.” she commented.
“What isn’t?”
“My growth. It’s all happening quite fast.” She tensed and untensed her triceps numerous times, taking in the sight of her small horseshoes popping out from the motion.
“Mmm. It certainly is. I’d wager you’re growing faster than even a young bloke in his prime.” William noted.
“You aren’t… uh… doping me or anything, right live?” Kate asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Blimey Kate!” William nearly shouted. “Do you LOOK like someone who’s doping?”
The duchess peered closer into the mirror. “Fair point. I am looking just a beautiful as ever.”
“A bit high opinioned of yourself, eh?”
Kate giggled. “Oh come off it. Not need to play dumb. In fact love, between you and me, I’ve been using a touch less makeup lately. I don’t need it as much.”
Just then, a loud knock came at the door. William opened to find it was one of the royal advisers, Brett. Brett’s particular job was to help manage the royal image in the eyes of the public. “ ‘ello Brett, what brings you around here?” William asked.
“Hey Will, dropping by to give you a rundown on how to present your latest speech.” Despite being a prince, William preferred to be addressed informally in private.
“Oh, that stupid thing…”
Just then, Brett caught sight of the now quite muscular Kate observing herself in the mirror. “Err, hold that thought. What’s that?” he asked, jutting his head over towards Kate.
“That’s… Kate.” William responded, confused by the question.
Brett walked closer towards the woman. “Bloody hell, KATE?”
The brunette turned towards him. “Oh, hey Brett.”
“What’s… what’s all this?” he asked before performing a faux most-muscular pose in a somewhat derogatory manner.
“Oh, you mean, THIS?” she responded before imitating his motion, before proceeding to genuinely flex. A myriad of striations in her chest popped out and her traps flared out from the motion.
“You’re huge Kate!” he yelled out.
“Awesome, huh?” Kate was proud of her physique.
“Uh… no.” Brett’s voice was startlingly sober.
“What?!” Kate and William both exclaimed, shell-shocked that someone would actually disapprove of the duchess taking better care of herself.
“This… this could be an image nightmare.” Brett calmly explained.
“Me being muscular is BAD?”
Brett tilted his head. “I’m not saying it’s necessarily bad… But we have no way of gauging how the public will respond. You should really consider cutting back on the weights until we figure out how to go about this”
“Well that’s too bad. I’m going to keep lifting and getting stronger. Hell, I’m going to get as big and buff as I naturally can!”
Brett brought his fingers to his forehead, massaging it lightly. “Well Kate, I obviously can’t control your actions. Still, can you do us a favour and keep yourself covered up while we figure out how to approach this? Just… stick to wearing long sleeves and loose trousers for the moment. No short skirts or tank tops where the paparazzi can see you until we work out what to do, okay?”
Kate rolled her eyes. “What kind of world do you live in where being fit is a BAD thing?”
“It’s… complicated. Alright? We run a very tight campaign behind the scenes to keep things rolling smoothly.”
“Isn’t this just censorship?” Kate interjected. “You’re literally covering up the truth!”
Brett stifled a snicker from the pun. “Listen, madam, it’s not about censoring anything… It’s about creating context. People have a certain image they want to see in the royal family. It helps keep them grounded.”
“This is lunacy!” Kate was furious.
William finally stepped in. “Katie, love, let’s just ride this out for now. We’ll let them figure out a strategy, and worst comes to worst we’ll make a compromise. Okay?”
Kate let out a sigh. “Fine.” she grabbed a nearby sweat shirt and put it on to indicate her compliance. “Happy?”
Brett nodded. “I promise you can resume wearing whatever you want after we figure out the best angle to frame this.”
William decided to defuse the situation as quickly as possible. “Alright Brett, let’s go for a ride and talk about the speech.”
After the two men left, a fumed Kate decided to workout a second time just to spite the snarky adviser.
–
Later that evening, in the Anglesey bedroom
–
William was giving his wife a back massage to help relieve the stress induced from being forced to cover up – and for his own enjoyment.
“Willy… Be totally honest. Do you agree with Brett?”
“I think we should play his game for now.”
“Hmmph! Do you also think I should cut back on the weights?”
William let out a laugh. “Are you daft? I think you should do the opposite!”
“Oh?”
“Get them even bigger love! Say… how strong are you now anyways?”
Kate smiled, it was great to have someone as supportive as William. “Well, I’m pretty close to maxing out the machines honestly.”
“Sounds like you need to take things to the next level.” William noted.
“What do you mean?”
“I think you should start going to the weight room at the base.”
The proposition intrigued Kate. “The RAF base?”
William nodded. “You’ll find they have top of the line equipment there. Probably better than any local gym. If those dinky weight machines brought you this much progress, I can only imagine what you’ll achieve with some proper tools.”
“That’s true.”
“Plus, if you do it on the base, there’s no risk of the paparazzi taking some images of you pumping iron.”
Kate let out a snicker. “You know what’s funny about all this Willy? The longer Brett waits to reveal the new me, the bigger I’ll become and the more shocking it’ll be for the public.”
William let out a light laugh. “That’s right. Even more reason to get as big as possible!”
And that’s exactly what Kate intended to do.
– To be continued!
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