2. The Prince is Giving A Ball
Authors note: Didn't see that coming did ya! Lol anyway I own nothing. Love the reviews so far so please continue to review please!
Lancelot stepped forward once more as the players swarmed over the set rearranging things.
"You see in this fair land there also lived a prince, the second impossibility our tale will follow. His name was Wrensler, but everyone simply called him Prince Wren for the bird most common in his kingdom. He was not as strong as some of his knights and castle life bored him. He often wandered away when he could slip past his less than observant caretaker Sir Luke, whom the prince often called Lord Luckless. With good reason, for each time Prince Wren wandered away Sir Luke bore the brunt of the king's anger." Lancelot stepped aside and the scene settled down. Percival sat on a throne dressed in overstated royal finery complete with the golden crown on his head. Merlin and Bedavier were standing off to the side and Bedavier was straightening Merlin's vest.
Merlin now wore something more befitting of his station in the play, though blue seemed to be the color of choice for his character. But he refused to put on the crown Bedavier continued to offer throughout their conversation.
"Ah, Luke you should have seen her! She was beautiful." Merlin grinned as Bedavier continued to fuss over his appearance.
"Why! Why would you go out in disguise again? I begged you not to Sire!" Merlin rolled his eyes.
"Oh come on Luke I had a good time today! No one treated me like a prince. It was like I was a real person for once!" Merlin said throwing his arms in the air and knocking his sword belt, which was purely for show Arthur hoped, askew. Bedavier fussed.
"Your father's been going frantic and your mother's driving me a little crazy! Sire you can't keep doing this to me. I ended up in the stocks again!" Merlin grinned and plucked something out of Bedavier's hair.
"That explains the lettuce. But seriously I love being around real people! Not nobles who are kissing my feet to get something!" Bedavier turned Merlin to him.
"Trust me real people aren't all they seem to be. Look at me! I'm a real person." Merlin shook his head.
"No Lord Luckless you're a knight my father assigned to me to keep me out of trouble." Merlin said frowning and tossing the lettuce at him again.
"I'm sorry Sire but I really don't see the downside to being you. The praise, the beautiful palace, the women throwing themselves at your feet there must be something I'm not seeing." Merlin sighed as Bedavier attempted to force the crown on his head as he dodged.
"I don't get to decide anything for myself, Luke. Everything is chosen for me. Decided ahead of time, I have no life!"
"Yes but this disappearing act needs to stop, it's too dangerous!" Merlin sighed.
"I was perfectly safe Luke." Bedavier sighed, giving up and tossing the crown aside.
"I'm not worried about you. I'm worried about me, I can't keep lying to your parents they have laws against that!" Merlin sighed and entered the room where Percival sat. He bowed slightly.
"You wanted to see me father?" Percival nodded.
"Yes, your mother and I were just talking." Merlin raised an eyebrow at the empty throne next to Percival.
"She got upset when I warned her of what I expect your reaction to be."
"My reaction to what?" Percival sighed and stood beginning to pace.
"Your mother is planning a ball." Said mother burst in at that second. A woman Arthur had never seen before who was maybe an inch and a half shorter than Merlin with similar dark hair embraced him.
"Oh there you are Wren I've been looking for you everywhere!" Merlin sighed pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Mother! How many times must I say I don't want a ball for my birthday." The woman pouted.
"But you're coming of age Wren! You have to have a ball! It's just some family." Merlin rolled his eyes and waved his hand for her to continue.
"And some friends."
"And all the eligible women in the kingdom." Merlin sighed exasperatedly.
"Mother you can't keep doing this to me!" The woman looked around at Percival pleadingly.
"Charles! What is your son talking about?" Merlin sighed. And Percival mirrored Merlin's movements rubbing away a headache.
"Most likely the six balls you have attempted to throw for him in the past six weeks. He has found a way out of all of them." She squeaked and covered her mouth. Merlin put his head in his hand and muttered just loud enough for the crowd to hear.
"Oh here we go." The crowd laughed a little. She squeaked again and Percival sighed stepping over to his 'wife'. He looked over at Merlin and sighed.
"Alright Wren, here's what your mother and I want. We just want you to be happy." Merlin grinned but his 'mother' stiffened.
"Happiness has nothing to do with it! Not that we don't want you to be happy but I want grandchildren!" Percival glared at her slightly.
"What your mother is trying to say is that we believe it is time you found a bride and produced an heir." His 'mother' cut in.
"Someday soon this entire kingdom will be yours."
"Not that soon." Percival muttered. His 'wife' elbowed him lightly. Merlin's eyes lit up with mischief.
"Alright throw the ball but I have a condition."
"Oh anything! I'm so glad you've come to your senses." His mother bounced excitedly her crown beginning to tilt as she did so.
"I get to choose my own bride. I will go to your ball I will be pleasant I will try. But if I don't find her there I get to do it my way. With no more interference from you, mother." She squeaked looking between Merlin and Percival. Percival nodded at Merlin who grinned, bowed slightly and left the room. His 'mother' squeaked again.
"Now my dear he is being reasonable. And who's to say he won't find her." The queen sighed and pouted. Percival patted her on the shoulder.
"Why not start preparing the party?" She beamed and hugged Percival. HE smiled and left. The queen rounded on a pillar and called out to it.
"Luke, Sir Luke!" Bedavier came slowly out from behind it.
"Yes your majesty?" The queen grinned wide.
"A proclamation from the prince!" Bedavier pulled a long scroll of paper and a quill out of his tailcoat. The woman cleared her throat and began to sing.
"His royal highness, Wrensler Rupert Whindamire Vladimir Carl Alexander François Reginald Charles Herman,"
"Herman?" Luke asked eyebrow raised as the crowd began to chuckle. The queen nodded.
"Herman, Gregory James, I know he'll thank me for this later, is giving a ball!" The queen exited the stage and several more people Arthur hadn't seen before entered and began to rearrange the set as Bedavier started to sing and write, seemingly unaware of what was happening around him.
"The Prince is giving a ball!" He began nailing the long paper to a board that read Messages as a crowd gathered around him.
"His royal highness, Wrensler Rupert, son of her majesty, Queen Constantina Charlotte Ermantrude Esmeralda Maisy," The gathered actors around him looked surprised.
"Maisy?" Bedavier shrugged.
"Maisy, Margarita, is giving a ball!" The reaction was instant, the crowd grew excited and split into groups and began to sing with Bedavier.
"The Prince is giving a ball! The Prince is giving a ball!" Bedavier gasped as the crowd pushed forward and he vanished in them and reappeared moments later crawling out of the crowd between their legs. Gwen ran in front of him, almost over him as he ducked. Leon and Gwaine, still in dresses, stood pretending to jabber excitedly to each other. Gwen continued the song.
"They spread the message far and wide, the Prince is giving a ball!" The two 'sisters' gasped excitedly as Gwen continued.
"They say he wants to find a bride! He may find one at the ball!" Leon gasped and fanned himself with his feathery fan.
"If only he'd propose to me!" Gwaine elbowed him frowning and then singing as well to the giggles of the crowd.
"I wish that he'd propose to me!" Gwen grinned and hugged them both bouncing on her toes.
"Just leave the hair and clothes to me!" All seemed to be ignoring Cinderella as they continued their song. The three of them rejoined the crowd and someone pulled Bedavier to his feet as the entire crowd began to sing.
"The Prince is giving a ball!" Bedavier squeaked and attempted to protest as one of the women in the crowd swept him into the dance that ensued seconds later. He escaped his first partner only to be caught by another group and stuck in the middle of a circle of dancers. Then he began to sing off a list as people passed by with each item. Arthur took that moment to let go of a bit of tension he had been holding and laugh as poor 'Lord Luckless' was pushed and shoved as the song continued.
The crowd burst out with laughter as he was swept up onto a barrel and rolled on top ofit across the stage. He continued to sing with the crowd as he listed off the food being ordered for the ball. Then two women swept him off the barrel and repeated the chorus.
"The Prince is giving a ball!" The dancing continued as various misfortunes befell the erstwhile 'Sir Luckless'. He was nearly trampled by a large group of people with flowers and surrounded by children. He was passed around from partner to partner for several moments as what appeared to be invitations were handed out by several people dressed in palace garb. Bedavier was smacked in the face with garlands and had to dodge parcels being flung between several brawny men.
One of the large stacks of invitations was shoved into his arms and he was surrounded by women who began to attempt to snatch an invitation for themselves. Then finally Bedavier began to sing again sounding desperate and slightly scared. The audience was laughing nearly hysterically now.
"His royal highness; two hundred orchards, four hundred poppies, six hundred roses, eight hundred lilies; Wrensler Rupert; one thousand oranges, two thousand plums; Whindamire Vladimir Carl Alexander; raspberry, blueberry, strawberry, gooseberry; Françoise Reginald Charles Herman, son of her majesty Queen Constantina; chocolate cherries; son of his highness King Charles Humphrey Leopold Sidney,"
"Sidney?" Bedavier looked like he was close to tears and practically sobbed the next word throwing his papers in the air.
"Sidney!" He took a deep breath and finished the song perfectly. "Is giving a ball!" There was a confusion of movement that left Morgana in the middle of the crowd in full view of the audience as one of the people dressed in palace finery handed her an invitation.
"The prince is giving a ball!" She exclaimed and the curtain fell.