"The train should be pulling out of the station anytime now." Glinda said to Nanny Tilly from the doorway to her small private compartment.
"Are you all settled and have everything that you need?" She asked sincerely.
"Yes, ma'am. I am fine." The young nanny in training smiled.
"Good. Remember, we are right across the companionway if you need anything at all." Glinda smiled and Tilly nodded and smiled back.
"Good night."
"Good night ma'am."Good night ma'am." Tilly said and Glinda left, closing the compartment door.
Tilly closed her eyes and took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She was embarking on what was sure to be a grand adventure but also a very important part of her training and she was as nervous as she was excited. She had spent the past few days at her school, meeting with her advisors and getting advice from classmates who had already had the experience of traveling with a family. Most all of them had just gone on vacation with a family and were envious and somewhat in awe of the fact that she was traveling with one of the most preeminent families in Gillikin and was going to be a part of what in Oz was tantamount to a royal wedding. Tilly laughed lightly as she thought about her young charge and her role as flower girl in her aunt's wedding. Four year olds were always wild cards at these sorts of events but in spite of the horror stories her classmates told her of their experiences, she felt confident that she would be able to deal with whatever Lyel did or did not do.
"All right Tilly, best to get some sleep." She said to herself.
"Tomorrow is going to be a very big day."
X
"Lyel." Elphie said as the little girl danced into their compartment from Nanny Tilly's compartment as she had been doing for the past half hour or so. They had taken the last train out of Frottica to make the trip easier on Lyel. She slept until about an hour ago, not even waking up when they changed trains in the Emerald City where a security detail met them.
"Sit down here for a minute. I need to talk to you." She said with a smile.
"Kay Mama. You has notes?" Lyel said.
"More of a reminder." Elphie said.
"Do you remember what you, me, mommy, Gammy and Namom said about using magic?" She asked.
"I not possed to. 'Cept in school. Teacher said so too. Not even to help Horsey." Lyel said seriously.
"That's right." Elphie said.
"Excellent remembering." Glinda said from the bathroom.
"Yes, indeed." Elphie smiled.
"And it's especially important in Munchkinland…" Elphie started
"Cause Munkinland is a no magic place like Aunt Sali's house." Lyel interrupted and Elphie looked at her in surprise, very impressed.
"Very impressive Bug." Glinda called out.
"Tank you. I good memberer. Bug beamed.
"Yes you are." Glinda called out."
"Usually" She chuckled to Elphie.
"I'm glad that…" Elphie started but this time Kol interrupted.
"Excuse me Elphaba." Kol said from the space between the two private train compartments.
"We will be arriving at the Colwen Grounds Depot in about fifteen minutes."
"We almost there?" Lyel said excitedly.
"We are indeed almost there." Kol smiled.
"Yay." Lyel squealed as she danced around.
"Thank you Kol." Elphie smiled and the man nodded and went back to his post. "Mama. We almost there. I'm gonna see Aunt Nessa and Grandpa Frex and…" Lyel said excitedly.
"Yes, you are." Elphie smiled.
"But before you do why don't you and Nanny Tilly go freshen up and I will go hurry mommy along."
"Kay Mama." Lyel said bouncing and dancing as she took her nanny's hand and pulled them into Tilly's compartment.
"Lyndie, we are almost there." Elphie said as she peeked into their private bathroom.
"I heard. I'm ready and excited." Glinda grinned.
"As is your daughter." Elphie chuckled.
"So she is mine only now." Glinda laughed.
"When she bounces around she is." Elphie smiled.
"Speaking of bouncing around. Did you have that talk with Nusee?" Glinda asked as she put a headband on. They had decided to take Nusee with them for several reasons but mainly because he had become quite adept at detecting inadvertent magical mischief in Lyel.
"Well I tried. He seems willing to cooperate but I stressed that I will not hesitate to send him back with Namom and your parents if he does not behave." Elphie said.
"I'm not sure he believed me." She added with a chuckle.
"I don't believe you." Glinda laughed.
"You know that…" She continued but was interrupted.
"Mama, mommy I's ready." Lyel squealed as she ran into their compartment.
"The Lieutenant said we are getting ready to pull into the depot." Nanny Tilly said from the doorway.
With that, the bustle of gathering everything and getting off the train and into the two waiting carriages began. Lyel insisted on carrying her own carry on bag as well as Horsey and Nusee's carrier and it took some creative intervention from Nanny Tilly to achieve that. Glinda left several things in the compartment bathroom that Elphie went back to retrieve but eventually everything and everyone was on their way to Colwen Grounds.
X
"Where Unca Shell and Aunt Bri?" Lyel asked for the third time as she skipped out of her room with Nusee on her heels.
"Fruoa said they would be back from Center Munch in about half an hour." Glinda said attempting to answer the question in a new way.
"Why don't we go check on Nanny Tilly and see if she likes her room." She said.
"Kay mommy. I think she does. Nusee likes her window. He can talk to the birdies." Lyel said.
"And her chair is berry cumpterable." She added.
"All worthwhile qualities in a room." Glinda smiled and Lyel nodded enthusiastically.
"Come on Nusee." Lyel said and headed for the door. Since she wasn't paying much attention, she ran into Devi, who was getting ready to knock.
"Oh my." Devi said, surprised.
"Oops." Lyel laughed.
"Torry Debi. Scuse please. We go check on Nanny Tilly." she said.
"Hello Lyel. Hello Glinda." Devi smiled.
"I assume you are all settled in."
"We are. And we were just going to check on Nanny Tilly and make sure she is." Glinda said.
"You come too?" Lyel asked.
"Well, with your permission, I'd like to have a little of your nanny's time. I'd like to introduce her to the household staff, and… give her the lay of the land so to speak. If she has no obligations at the moment that is." Devi said.
"None until the meeting with the wedding planners after lunch." Glinda said.
"And I think that's a wonderful idea. Things are going to get very hectic very soon. For us anyway. I'm sure it's been like that for you for a while." She chuckled.
"Indeed." Devi smiled.
"Nanny Tilly!" Lyel yelled when she saw her nanny come out of her room.
"Bug, indoor voice please." Nanny Tilly smiled before Glinda could say the same thing.
"Nanny Tilly Debi needs you." Lyel said seriously and Tilly looked at Glinda, a little confused.
"Nanny Tilly, Devi requires some of your time before we meet with the wedding planners." Glinda said.
"She will explain. Bug and I are going to go wait for Shell and Bri."
"We is?" Lyel said as she danced around.
"We are." Glinda laughed.
"Tilly I leave you in the best of hands." Glinda said.
"Bug, lead the way but with your inside voice." She chuckled as she pointed toward the staircase. And with a quick bye bye to Devi and Tilly Lyel took off.
"Good morning Nanny Tilly." Devi said with a chuckle as they watched Glinda hurry after her daughter.
"Good morning ma'am." Tilly smiled.
"I hoped you slept well and that your accommodations are satisfactory." Devi said.
"Oh yes ma'am. My room is very nice." Tilly smiled.
"Good. Why don't we go sit in the family parlor." Devi said indicating with her hand that the young nanny should precede her.
"Nanny Tilly, if you are agreeable I would like to introduce you to the rest of the household staff." She said as they settled in the parlor.
"That would be very helpful." Tilly said with a hint of relief in her voice.
"And Nanny asked me to inquire if you would be so kind as to join her for lunch." Devi said and the young nanny looked at her in shock.
"Is there a problem?" Devi asked, a bit confused.
"No. No ma'am. It's just…" Tilly started.
"Tilly, please speak your mind. If there is a problem, I need to know." Devi said seriously.
"I apologize. There is no problem at all. The request just took me by surprise is all." Tilly said.
"I knew that I would be meeting her and was hoping that I could receive permission to talk to her for my schoolwork. To have her request to meet with me however is more than I hoped for." She said and Devi smiled and chuckled lightly.
"Nanny will be highly amused by your reaction. But she has been looking forward to meeting and talking with you. Nanny to nanny." Devi said.
"Oh but I am not yet a nanny. I am still…" Tilly started but Devi interrupted her.
"I apologize for interrupting you Tilly. But this is why I wanted to introduce you to the household and other relevant staff, and give you a tour. Nanny, as well as Elphaba and Glinda's advisors are all aware that you are still in training. But as far as the rest of Colwen Grounds is concerned, you are the nanny to the Thropp Fourth Descending, a position that comes with many responsibilities but also with a great deal of prestige and privileges. You will be issued a carriage and have a small security detail for any outings you and Lyel wish to take off grounds." Devi said and Tilly took a deep breath and nodded.
"My advisors at school told me to expect things like this. They advised me to work within whatever parameters are set forth for the best interest of my charge." Tilly said.
"And the Thropp Uplands have always had some rather intriguing parameters." She added with a smile and Devi chuckled knowingly.
"That was wise advice. I think you will…" Devi started.
"Nanny Tilly." They heard Lyel call out as she appeared riding on Shell's shoulders.
"Unca Shell and Aunt Bri is here."
"I see that." Tilly said.
"Indoor voice please." She added
"Torry." Lyel said more quietly.
"Hi Nanny Tilly. Hey Devi." Shell said with a bright smile then swooped Lyel off of his shoulders, swung her through the air and landed her on the sofa beside Devi as she squealed with delight while Bri and the others exchanged greetings and laughed lightly at the antics.
"Center Munch is really getting decked out for Nessa's wedding." Shell said.
"So I've heard." Devi said as Nanny Tilly lifted a bouncing, grinning Lyel off of the sofa and put her on the floor.
"Mommy said we go and see it all soon. She went to get Mama. Mama is wif Aunt Nessa in her office and I get to pay wif Unca Shell den we all go to the really big table for lunch. Tilly you can come pay wif us and see the really big table. It is big. Den we…" Lyel babbled excitedly.
"Lyel, I have some notes for you. Okay?" Nanny Tilly said in a firm but soft voice.
"Notes. Kay." Lyel said then sat down on the floor. Devi, confused, looked at Bri who smiled and nodded as Shell sat down beside her.
"It's a dance practice thing we've adopted." Bri said quietly to Devi.
"Interesting." Devi said.
"Bug, I cannot come play with you and your uncle because Devi is going to show me around and tell me all the things I need to know about Colwen Grounds and then I will be having lunch with Nanny. I will be joining you and your parents for the meeting with the wedding planners. Do you have any questions?" Tilly asked as Devi observed the bouncy, active little girl sit still and listen with rapt attention.
"You going to tunnels? Unca Shell can go too and we can has lunch wif Nanny. She funny." Lyel said.
"I don't think we will be going into tunnels." Nanny Tilly said as she looked at Devi.
"No. Not today. Shell can take you both to his tunnels another day." Devi smiled.
"Yay!" Lyel cheered.
"And Nanny wants to have lunch alone with Nanny Tilly to talk about nanny things probably. We'd just be bored." Shell said.
"Indeed." Devi said.
"Okay then let's go get this party started." Shell said as he got up.
"No, no, no Unca Shell. We not missed yet." Lyel said seriously as she tugged on Shell's pants.
"Oh. right. Sorry." Shell smiled as he sat back down.
"You are dismissed. Have fun with your Aunt and Uncle." Tilly said with a light chuckle.
"Yay!" Lyel said as she got up and danced.
"Yay! Let's go." Shell cheered loudly as he scooped up Lyel and sun her as the both let out a whoop.
"Indoor voice Bug." Tilly said.
"You too Shell." She added as an after thought.
"Yes Nanny Tilly." They both said attempting to look contrite then Shell sort of galloped into the hall. Bri merely shook her head, laughed and followed after them.
"Shell picks up Lyel from dance class frequently and knows how notes work." Tilly said by way of explanation.
"Tilly, you are going to do just fine here." Devi smiled.
"Now, as Shell says, let's get this party started."
X
"Nanny, may I present Tilly Santhyik. Lyel's nanny." Devi said as she and Nanny cam into the formal sitting room of Nessa's apartment.
"Ma'am, it is a great honor to meet you." Tilly said as she rose from her chair and gave Nanny a slight curtsy.
"I'm pleased to meet you Tilly." Nanny said as she took a seat. Tilly did the same just as Nanny's maid came in.
"Excuse me but Mister Shell and Miss Lyel are here and Miss Lyel is quite upset." The woman said.
"She wants her nanny."
"By all means." Nanny smiled.
"Nanny Tilly. Horsey lost. He lost." Lyel said as she ran in on the verge of tears with a concerned Nusee close behind.
"Bug, Horsey is not lost. You left him in my room and I put him on your bed." Tilly said.
"He not lost?" Lyel said.
"No. Probably just napping." Tilly said.
"See Bug. I told you Horsey was not lost." Shell said.
"Sorry to interrupt." He said.
"Unca Shell said Nanny Tilly was with Nanny cause you talkin' 'bout boring nanny stuff."
"Did he now." Nanny said in amusement and Shell gave her his best grin and a shrug.
"I don know what dat is but I no like boring." Lyel said.
"Then I suggest that you go get Horsey from your room and meet your family for lunch." Tilly said.
"Oh yeah. Kay. Come on Unca Shell." Lyel said as she tugged on Shell's hand.
"See ya'll later on for b-o-r-i-n-g wedding stuff." He chuckled as he and Lyel started to leave the room. They were just out the door when Lyel whirled around.
"Oops. I be scused please." Lyel asked.
"Yes you may. And that was very good remembering Lyel." Tilly said.
"Thank you." Lyel beamed.
"Bye."
"Nanny Tilly, I am going to enjoy getting to know you very much." Nanny smiled and Tilly blushed slightly.