Scurrying down the hall way, the young woman stopped in every door way in search of something. To anyone, she looked crazed, her brown hair flinging all over the place, it looked as if the woman had just woken up, her cloths in disarray, and eyes still half closed from that exact activity. It would be a long day to come if she could not seem to find what her mind was solely set on finding.
She was a chamber maid for the East side of the castle, she had been so since the early days of the Kings and Queens rule. She had been relieved beyond words when the Witch had been defeated; she was parentless because of the evil that reigned over the land for so long. Her family was torn apart in ways she couldn't think of at the moment. Her sisters, yes, finding her sisters, that was her ultimate goal at the moment. The three younger brats couldn't stay out of trouble if their lives depended on it, and they never seemed to avoid involving the older protector. She had been silently deemed that since she was fifteen, when her parents were murdered. She hadn't been ready for the kind of responsibility taking care of two eleven and one thirteen year old was to bring. She felt she was a horrible replacement parent, as was being affirmed by the fact she couldn't even find them, let alone take care of them.
Saturday had left all too soon, and the Sunday afternoon sun was high in the sky, the light filtering into the windows caused to many shadows for the young maids taste. They danced around her as if to tease her already frayed nerves. She was horribly paranoid, she had to be when the witch ruled, everything and everyone could be a spy for her, don't trust anything but yourself, that was her brothers words to her almost six years prior. It seemed like so much longer in the brunettes mind, and it was even harder to believe she would be turning twenty-one in a few months. By this time, considered a spinster, she could give a Minotaur's arse about marriage, but her sisters were far more involved with the romance scene, and were utterly convinced she would be whisked away by some handsome man from Archenland, and live happily ever after. The more she thought about their diluted fantasy, the more she scoffed at the idea. She was not a housewife; she wanted to do something other than produce children in a timely fashion. She had told them this, and as an added thought replied with more malice than intended: "It's like I'm married to your sorry arses, when I would have time to do anything else besides bail you out of trouble?"
It had sounded so bad, but it was true, she had just got them out of a jam involving paint, needles and a couple of poor unsuspecting fauns. It wasn't uncommon that the eldest wondered where in Aslan's name, they got the ideas they did. Speaking of the 'Tricky Trio' the brats had even named their little gang! She needed to find them before they did something stupid. Some may think she was over reacting to not knowing where they were, but the last time she was not in the know of their whereabouts… terrible, terrible things.
"And he said, 'you're a…'"
"Missy!" the eldest of the girls in her family panted as her hand kept her from falling over, pushed against the stone cold wall of the bedroom she had just barreled into. Looking relieved to have found them, she quickly straightened her stance, and appearance.
They were in the royal's wing. The bedrooms of all four monarchs were placed in this area of the palace, and that frightened the brunette beyond the confines of reason.
"What are you doing in here?" her voice was calm, but the tone suggested stress and aggravation, which was exactly the subtext her words had. They drove her to the brink of insanity, then, because they would lose their heads, literally, otherwise, she took a step away from the edge.
"What are you doing here? We were assigned to be the chambermaids for all of the monarch's rooms this week. All four others are… sick" Mona smiled slyly, but hid it well, she could lie through her teeth and no one would be the wiser. Sadly, this trait was picked up from none other than her older sister… who had developed and honed the skill when her sisters were deemed her responsibility.
"Come on Avey, you're just over reacting. Honestly, all we were doing was gossiping, no harm done," she giggled, Relinip, what a name, not that the oldest, Avanya, could really comment.
"If you pull anything, I swear on my mother's grave…"
"Don't we know it? Do you know what we were talking about? Ambassador Jerkson "Jamison, his name is Jamison" "womanizing ways! The man has to be at least forty! He loves his youngens though! Greasy, gassly old fart…"
"Missy" it was a warning tone Avanya used, just as she used when she attempted to correct her 'accidental mispronunciation' of his name. It was true, the man was a pain in every females life, a prick, and he thought himself to be amazing in bed… they had heard otherwise from quite a few people. None the less, he was to be respected and not to be trifled with. He was noose happy, if the Kings and Queens would let him, he'd hang every woman that said no to him. His pride gave a whole new meaning to the phrase 'getting a big head.'
"You speak so lowly about one of the most respected ambassadors for Narnia?" An angry voice came from the door way and all four heads turned to the young man standing in that hall way. Young, as compared to the previous point of topic, he being half the age of the ripe old Sir Jamison, King Edmund the Just had turned twenty-two not a month ago. No one could forget, what with the record breaking ball that was held in honor of it.
"I…I was just um…" Missy, the one who couldn't keep her mouth shut, fumbled as the King, in the flesh, stalked towards her.
"You say such accusing and vial words towards one of my most trusted allies?" he continued his advance, but was intercepted by, as her sisters affectionately called her, 'Avey.' Keeping her head high she walked a bit more in front of her sisters. The king merely glanced in her direction, as if she would back down with a simple glance, like most women did.
Giving his stare the best go, Avanya found herself looking into ice cold, blue brown eyes. It was a strange mix, and it was her guess you really couldn't see the blue unless looking right into his orbs and being rather close, which sadly, Avey was.
"One cannot help but accuse when the subject in question blatantly admits and flaunts such demeanor and acts," her voice stayed strong, it always did when it came to matters of the family. She simply stared back. And when he tried to stare her down, again, her eyes narrowed a fraction. This made his eyes also narrow a fraction.
"Move woman, before I have you on treason against the King,"
"You will have me on assault also if you continue advances on my naive and foolish sister" she had by now step fully in front of the fuming Just King. He hadn't had a good day, and simply wanted solitude. His mirth at returning to his quiet and secluded room was dashed when he heard a voice undermining the integrity of a man he came to respect greatly.
By now, Avanya had come to notice the dark haired man in front of her had his eyes almost to slits. She knew the comment was stupid, the moment it came out of her mouth, but when she was scared or challenged, she got cocky and snarky. One of her most dreaded flaws; she couldn't count the times she had gotten into trouble because of it.
"What is your name servant girl?" emphasis had been made on her title, her stature, in attempt to remind her of the ranking differences between him and her.
"Avanya Glend"
"Well, Avanya, you will enjoy kitchen duty on top of the other responsibilities you have," before she could interject he continued "And your sister will never be seen in this wing of the castle, unless they want to face the stockades immediately" his hands behind his back, the King took a step back, and turned his body to the side in a gesture that they should be leaving right about then. They all did so; Avey heading up the rear in case he decided to take his anger out on one of her, now assuredly, retarded sisters.
"I'm sorry for any inconvenience my sisters or I have caused. They will assuredly never step foot in this wing again, and I will report to kitchen duty for however long you deem appropriate" to anyone, it would have sounded genuine, but there was an undertone of malice and mocking to her words, as if she was spewing out the stupidest thing she had ever heard. It was faint, but it was there. Whether the king had read into it or noticed it, he didn't say, simply glared at her as she shut the door quietly behind her person and walked swiftly down the hall. Profanities flew out in every direction, grumbling under her breath, she cursed in more different languages, and dialects. The only words she knew in other languages were profanities.
The wonders of working as a chambermaid
First chapter, first meeting, oh my, so much has gone down in only 1,650 words! Well, we will be seeing a lot of anger on both parties… mostly aimed at each other… because what would and Ed/OC be without a little bitching? :) RnR my dear, dear friends!