Title: Inkstains in Turquoise
Fandom: Keys to the Kingdom
Rating: K+
Chapter: 01
Summary: Suzanna Monday's Tierce, Suzy Turquoise Blue. But she was born Suzanna Dyer; she was mortal, once. A series of drabbles about Suzy before she met Arthur.
A/N: Warning: Un-betaed! If you would like to be my KttK beta, please contact me!
The man was young, and very handsome, with light hair the color of straw, and sharp blue eyes set in a finely-featured face. He wore a heavy traveling cloak over an elegant coat half in yellow and half in red, with a large, upturned cuffs, and hunting boots up to his knees, all of which looked, oddly, newly-fashioned of the richest fabrics, and impeccably clean.
Suzy, so entranced in staring at the stranger in this part of town, stopped so abruptly that the dirty water in her bucket sloshed over the side and soaked the bottom of her dress. The sudden splash snapped her out of her trance, and she blinked at the man, who was watching her with a politely bemused look on his face.
"Sorry," Suzy said, her cheeks flushing as she thought how silly and downtrodden she must look to this handsome stranger, all scrawny, gangly limbs and fourth-hand, threadbare wool dresses. She was strangely aware of the fact that she hadn't bathed in at least nine months, whereas this stranger's skin shone as if it was freshly-scrubbed with soap (she could smell lilacs). "Did you say somethin', Sir?"
"Not to worry," the man said with a smile that showed teeth as white as clouds on a fair summer day. Her head swimming briefly, Suzy swayed suddenly on her feet, causing more water to splash out of the bucket. The stranger's hand was suddenly on her shoulder, steadying her. "Are you all right, Miss?"
Suzy blinked to clear her vision, then nodded thickly. "'m alright," she said dumbly. "What'd you want?" Suddenly she felt scared of this man before her, who seemed so kind and beautiful.
"Would you be so kind as to help me find the riverbank?" I'm unfamiliar with these parts of town, and I seem to have lost myself."
Suzy looked at him suspiciously. "I got work to do," she said. "My Ma's expectin' me back with the water."
"Naturally, I would not ask you to assist me without recompensing you somehow. What do you say to a pound?"
"A-a whole pound?" Suzy asked, her eyes wide as buckets. "Are--are you bein' honest?"
The man smiled again. "Yes, I think a pound would do. You are, after all, taking time out of your extremely busy schedule, and I am inconveniencing not only you, but your entire family, as well."
Suzy nodded mutely.
"Good, the man said, his smile broadening into a grin as Suzy dumped the bucket out on the side of the street and began leading him in the direction of the Thames. Along the way, the stranger pulled out a small pipe, and played her a song or two to make the journey quicker.