This is my answer to the KAEX laundry challenge.
It doesn't quite fit the guidelines I was not in that kind of mood. I should have read Mertz's "Spin Cycle " before writing.
It is also a Campion piece to my How to Make a Dream come true.
Thank you to Dawn for the editing.
Hope you enjoy.
Allura's Dressing Room
Nanny stood at the door to Allura's dressing room, hands on her hips and lips pursed into a dissatisfied scowl. The only thing Allura did that was princess-like was throw her clothes all over the floor and wait for a maid to pick them up. Normally her governess didn't mind picking up after her charge, but after the conversation she had just had with Coran, she was just plain irritated with the impetuous girl. Heaving a big sigh, Nanny set to work.
Bending down to pick up odds and ends, Nanny moved around the room slowly. Not just hampered by her girth, she was also weighed down by her thoughts. She looked up at the large gilded mirror that stood on the far end of the room. It was a three-panel masterpiece from another time and place. The Queens' ladies had stored it in the lowest part of the castle, saving it from destruction. Tears stung the old women's eyes. It was time for Allura to step up and be Queen. Nanny had pushed prince upon prince on the girl to no avail. She knew why now, and it didn't make her happy. She aggressively kicked a pair of white boots out of her way. She started to hang up the dresses she knew didn't need to be cleaned at this time.
Working her way around the room counter clockwise, Nanny had half the room straightened when she came to the dresser. She untangled a bra from the perfume bottles and plopped it in the basket. She was about to move on when she stopped. Allura kept the top drawer of this dresser locked. Maybe today would be the day it was left open. Her hand hovered over the drawer pull; the nagging thought that she was invading Allura's privacy caused her to hesitate. Well, after the things Coran had told her earlier, it might be a good idea to see what the girl was hiding. She yanked the pull hard and fell on her ass when it suddenly sprung open. The contents of the drawer spilled out around her.
"Damn it," she muttered. She would never get all this stuff back in with out Allura knowing it had been disturbed. The first thing her eyes fell on made them bulge out of her head. She snatched the shimmering gold fabric and held it up. What was this thing? After turning it over in her hands several times, it dawned on her. It was a bathing suit. Nanny blanched; that pink bikini was bad enough, but this? This was something else all together. Nanny threw it back in the drawer.
Next, she picked up what she thought was a pair of panties, but they had no back, just a string. There were several of these things on the floor. She tossed them all in with out even trying to arrange them. Her face was almost purple. She picked up a bra that was all lacy and transparent; it wouldn't even hide her nipples. Several more pairs of lacy panties and matching bras went into the drawer.
Next Nanny started to pick up some very revealing nighties. To save herself from a stroke, she stopped looking at the individual items and just tossed them in and shoved the drawer back into place. When in the seven hells was she wearing these things, and for whom was she wearing them? She shoved that question out of her head.
Slumping down on to the small settee in the center of the room, she stared at her hands for a long time. Allura was not a child; she had no right to go through her things. Hopefully, Allura would forgive her. She would make sure she never had to lock anything up again. She was also going to have to talk to her about sex. For some reason, she didn't think the princess had gone down that road yet, but it was obvious she was thinking about it. Another huge sigh escaped as she looked up at the new painting hanging on the wall in front of her.
If she hadn't been so busy concentrating on the laundry, she would have noticed it sooner. The original "Women with a Parasol" was discarded to the floor without care. Nanny tisked and shook her head. "That girl", she grumbled as she got up to get a closer look at the new art work. It wasn't until she got up close that she realized what she was looking at.
Without a doubt, it was Allura and Keith standing at the edge of the ocean. He was holding her in a tight embrace. The artist had done the pair in black ink, and then used the color of the unseen sunset to color the whole scene in yellows, oranges, and pinks.
Nanny studied the painting closer. At first glance, it looked like a pair of lovers, but something didn't seem just right. She took a closer look. Keith's posture was rigid, the muscles in his arms tense like he was protecting her from something. His face and eyes were hard and seemed to scan the water for some unseen threat. Allura was clinging to him, her sweet face just visible above his bicep. Allura's head was against his bare chest, her hair blowing in the wind. The look on her face was unreadable. Hard and soft, light and dark; Nanny thought the perfect balance. She scanned the panting for a signature and was taken aback. In the bottom right corner was scribbled. "The Sword and the Arrow" Hunk Garret. So many talents these men have hidden in them, she thought as she walked away.
She picked up the full basket and walked out in to the bedroom. Allura was standing over her bed unwrapping a large box. Paper and ribbons were strewn all over the place. She stared at her Governess with wide eyes, waiting for the storm.
"Young lady, I have left an empty laundry basket in that room. I am not a spring chicken. I would appreciate you using it instead of littering your floor with dirty AND clean clothes," she sternly admonished.
"Yes, m'am," Allura faltered. Was it possible that Nanny had not seen the painting?
"Oh, and one more thing," Nanny said just before reaching the door.
Allura swallowed hard and geared up for a fight.
"That Monet is worth, I don't know, how many millions of credits? Please find a place to hang it," she huffed.
"Is that all?" Allura replied, caught off guard by Nanny ignoring the proverbial elephant.
"No, that is not all, but this is not the time. We can have tea together and discuss the contents of your lingerie drawer," Nanny said, a mischievous smile playing at her lips.
"Oh my God, what?" Allura stammered turning bright red.
"Well, at least you have the decency to be embarrassed," Nanny said, turning and leaving before a fight could break out.
She carried the basket down to the laundry room where she found the commander folding tee shirts. He did not let maids in his room, nor did they wash his clothes. She smiled at the thought of Mr. Perfect sharing a room with that hot mess up stairs.
"Good morning, Nanny," he politely said when she entered.
She looked him over carefully before returning his greeting.
Keith let out the breath he was holding when she turned and started sorting the basket she was caring. He quickly finished his task and made his exit.
Nanny giggled to her self. That man had stood toe to toe with the Devil, but ran like a little girl whenever she walked into the room. I need to keep it that way for a little while longer, she thought. Her mind drifted back to the painting in Allura's closet. The Sword and the Arrow, she thought. That would be a perfect coat of arms for the House of Kogane.