Chapter 18/Week Thirty-Seven/Five Months Left
Bog groans before rolling over and moving his pillow to cover his head. His senses told him it wasn't even past sunrise yet and he refused to wake unless absolutely necessary, especially when he's having such pleasant dreams of being back in the goblin king's garden with Marianne. Such a thing was impossible to be a reality for at least another two months and he desperately wants to keep the images from leaving him.
Despite how utterly revolting it is to think of his parents in such an intimate situation, he couldn't help but wonder how they managed to go without each other's embrace for so long. A mere ten weeks since their last kiss and embrace was nigh to drive him crazy. At least he and Marianne could still see and talk to each other. But how he missed not being able to touch her freely without having to worry someone might see!
Maybe he should give the entire castle another look for possible places for a moment of seclusion. There had to be somewhere the rest of the residents didn't know about and they could have a few moments together to be their true selves.
"Master Bog!" Felix calls again.
"That boy sleeps more stubbornly than Her Majesty did when she was younger," Jorick grumbles when the growling peasant pulls his blanket higher.
"I can hear you, you know," Bog mutters into the mattress. "Didn't the queen create a decree that I'm not to be disturbed at night unless it's an emergency? It's before sunrise and therefore, it is still night."
"But it is an emergency! Queen Marianne hasn't left her chambers yet!" Felix cries.
Bog raises his head at that, allowing the pillow to fall behind him, and turns a confused expression to the steward and chamberlain standing in his doorway. Why would that be enough of an emergency to warrant waking him? If Marianne wanted to sleep, why disturb her?
It takes his sleep-addled mind a few minutes to realize the problem before quickly scrambling out of bed and rushing to the chamber door, barely having the presence of mind to grab his breeches. The cold stone reminds him of his bootless state, but he pays no heed to the chill as he rushes down the hall as fast as he can while pulling on his breeches.
"It's court day! Why hasn't Queen Marianne left her chambers yet?" Bog questions, stopping a moment to pull on the boots Jorick followed him carrying.
"We...we don't...don't know," Felix pants after catching up, holding out Bog's tunic. "Kemp alert...alerted me...several minutes ago...that she hadn't gone...through the castle doors...yet."
"When she didn't respond to Felix's questionings at her chamber door, he came to me, and we decided to fetch you," Jorick explains, huffing when Bog pauses in pulling the tunic over his undertunic to give him a skeptical glare. "In his present state, King Father Donald would not be able to wake Her Majesty should she be only sleeping soundly, and Crown Princess Dawn is never a good option to wake her sister. Ever."
"Never ever," Felix moans while shaking his head.
Bog snorts in amusement at that before continuing his journey at a rapid pace. Only the scandal that he knows would erupt keeps him from opening the door to Marianne's chamber once he reaches it, merely knocking loudly on the wooden portal.
"Your Majesty!" Bog calls. "Queen Marianne, are you well?"
Frowning when even his sensitive ears pick up no answer, Bog opens the door cautiously before calling once more. The cold state of the chamber chills him and he glares at the empty fireplace when he enters the darkened room after more silence.
"Jorick, get in here and light that fire!" Bog hisses, glaring when the chamberlain quivers enough to cause the feathers adorning him to puff. "Now! Or I'm throwing you out the nearest window!"
The sudden threat causes the cursed man to squawk but he quickly moves into action when Bog turns toward him and sets the untouched wood into place before breathing several puffs of fire onto them. Immediate heat swarms the room with each breath of fire and shifting behind the bed curtains catches Bog's attention.
Bog ignores the intimacy of such actions and moves one curtain enough to peer into the canopied bed. The torn blankets are a testament to the sharpness of the cursed queen's jagged armor, but they manage to do their job of covering the figure curled beneath them.
"My queen," Bog calls softly.
An amber eye cracks open but quickly closes with a moan. A moan that turns into a sigh when Bog lays a hand along her forehead beneath the horns. He hisses between his teeth at the heat meeting his palm and moves the hand to the exposed skin of the back of her neck where the result is the same.
"What time is it?" Marianne asks quietly.
"It matters not. I fear you must stay in bed today, my queen," Bog murmurs
"It is court day," Marianne protests weakly.
"And your royal court will handle matters while you rest," Bog counters.
The answering snort turns into a cough, which spurs Bog into easing his arm beneath her to lift her into a sitting position as the coughing persists. He shivers when her head lolls to rest against his throat. Her raised temperature on her exposed skin may suggest that she was warm, but he could feel the chill that settled into her body with each breath against him.
"They won't do it," Marianne mutters once her coughing stops. "Too scared and too proud. I'll be fine. Just give me a few more minutes."
"You won't be fine. You need rest," Bog argues, laying Marianne back down and arranging the blankets as best as possible. "Just sleep, my queen, and I'll see to it that everything is taken care of."
He barely manages to resist the urge to kiss her brow when she slips back into sleep with a sigh, her expression more at peace as the roaring fire chases the coldness from the room. It only fuels the anger he can feel rising within him.
How dare they!
Though she had never outright said such in their times of being able to talk freely, Marianne had revealed through different conversations that since the day of Plum's curse, the inhabitants within the castle avoided being in the same area as her for any length of time, including her personal attendants. As such, the young queen was forced to tend to her own matters alone, performing the duties of reigning monarch, royal court, and servant for the past twenty months. No doubt she had taken ill in the middle of the night and had been unable to add wood to the fire when the embers grew low. If only Imp hadn't gone into hibernation in the stables with Chipper and Lizzie shortly after the first snows began ten weeks ago, then the cursed horse could've alerted him, since it's clear no one else can be trusted with his bride's wellbeing.
After assuring once more that Marianne is sleeping peacefully, Bog storms over to the room's other door and slams his fist against the wood, having no pity at the soft shrieks on the other side.
"How dare you permit the queen's chambers to grow cold and allow your mistress to become ill! Get in here, you lazy wenches, and tend to your queen!" Bog growls. "Do as you are required, or I'll ensure each of you will face severe punishment for your failings as the queen's handmaidens, including being removed from the positions that you are unworthy of!"
"Now see here!" Jorick starts before gulping when Bog turns the glare onto him.
"As royal chamberlain, Jorick, this is your failure for not disciplining those under your authority when they strayed from their duties. You knew and permitted the queen's handmaidens to ignore their responsibilities in tending to Her Majesty for the past twenty months," Bog accuses, towering over the quivering knee-high man. "Any punishment they merit is one that you deserve for failing your own duties! Shall you be flogged now, or after the curse is removed? Or are you willing to finally tend to all your responsibilities and not just the ones you want?!"
"But the curse," Felix tries, cringing when Bog turns to him.
"Is no excuse!" Bog barks. "Despite the challenges given by the witch, no one within this castle was cursed beyond what they're able to cope with. You've all been able to fulfill your duties with no exception! Granted that some of you have some difficulty but it's nothing that you haven't been able to fulfill by performing it in a different way. Both you and Joshua have been cursed with similar forms, forms that limit your ability to perform your duties, but both you and the head cook perform your duties without fail, something that only a handful of others have continued to do."
"But Her Majesty's temper," Rose whimpers, peeking through the small crack in the now-open door.
"Are you telling me that Queen Marianne's disposition is any different now than it was before the curse? And if it is, would you not think that your disrespect towards Her Majesty since that fateful day warrants such reactions?" Bog counters dryly. "Would any other royal permit you to act so without consequence? I know for a fact that Queen Erica had seven handmaidens executed on mere suspicion that they were flirting with her king consort, and no one bothered questioning her ability to be queen. King Carter had his wife executed when she failed to birth him an heir, also executing the two handmaidens he sired child with after they weaned his daughters, and no one breathed a word against his cruelty to any maiden within the castle walls during his reign. Yet, you feel justified to disrespect Queen Marianne so terribly only because she's being a little ill-tempered after being attacked by a witch?"
Violet and Ivy both appear in the doorway beneath the floating Rose at that, blinking owlishly at the giant man before glancing at each other in surprise. Their slightly smaller stature compared to the cursed crown princess doesn't hinder them when all three cursed handmaidens fly into their queen's chambers with quick speed to bring more blankets from the cupboard to drape over the sleeping Marianne before gathering the evening meal dishes left behind and tidying the room.
"Now that that is taken care of," Bog comments, turning his attention back to Felix. "Inform the members of the royal court to be ready to hold court in Queen Marianne's stead in the Great Hall within the hour. I'll inform the guardsmen to alert those in the Judgment Hall of the changes."
"Oh no, Master Bog, we can't do that! No one will come here!" Felix protests.
"Surely they can't be afraid of the curse affecting them as well? I've been here for eight months, and nothing has happened to me," Bog scoffs.
"It's not that," Jorick mutters, edging away from the taller man. "Yes, it was a fear in the beginning but not since your arrival. Everyone had lost such fear back when King Hasani visited."
"Then what is...," Bog starts before stopping, furrowing his brow in concentration.
Something about the mention of King Hasani's visit twenty-one weeks ago is important. He's not sure what exactly is bothering him about it, though. No one from any of the villages came near while the foreign royalty's entourage was encamped outside the castle walls. In fact, no one from this kingdom had any dealings with them except Marianne, Princess Dawn, himself, and a handful of knights...non-cursed knights.
"Of all the ridiculousness," Bog growls, storming out the room and down the hall with Felix running to keep up.
Marianne's fever-muttered comment now makes sense. She wasn't talking of those outside the castle grounds being too scared and too proud to come to the castle, she meant those within the castle grounds. It wasn't appearing before foreign royalty that had those within the castle dressing him up to play the royal sisters' attendant, it was appearing before anyone! He had thought that the reason those visiting castle residents never strayed further than the castle gate to meet with their relations had been because of fear of being cursed as well. As such, he never made mention of it despite the obvious foolishness at such a notion after his length of stay. But he never thought that it was the castle residents themselves who were restricting anyone from entering out of a desire to have no one see their cursed forms.
It made sense now that he was thinking of it, though. He had only met a non-cursed guard upon his arrival at the castle gate in search of his mother and then only Felix when he arrived at the castle doors, before the sudden appearance of Princess Dawn. Other than being introduced to King Father Donald, he had met no other cursed member of the castle until the following day. There were still a few even now who hide at his approach.
Well, no more.
"You might want to cover your ears, Felix," Bog warns after stopping to stand in the middle of the Great Hall. "ALL MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL COURT! APPEAR IN THE GREAT HALL! NOW!"
Felix's wide eyes match his gaping mouth as he slowly lowers his small curled fists from his ringing ears and Bog barely manages to keep from laughing at the amount of astonishment reflected in the steward's expression. He has to admit that even he is surprised at how much the large chamber had amplified his yell. There's no way anyone slept through that. Though, hopefully Marianne managed to do so or at least ignores his demand and returns to sleep.
"Boggy? What is it?" Princess Dawn sleepily questions, rubbing her fist against an eye as she flies into the room.
"I'll explain once everyone arrives, Your Highness," Bog answers, holding out a hand to catch the nightgown-clad princess when she falls after yawning.
The growling groan announces the next arrival and the king father's green eyes clearly express his displeasure at being awoken so rudely as he ambles closer. Slowly more castle residents trickle into the Great Hall in various states of wakefulness until the last member of the royal court finally enters.
"Now that everyone is here, why did we need to be called together so early?" Princess Dawn asks after moving to sit on her father's head.
"Her Majesty has taken ill and requires bed rest. Since she cannot perform her duties today, the members of the royal court are to ready themselves to be here in the Great Hall within the hour to take court in Queen Marianne's stead," Bog announces.
Varied denials and rebukes flood the room immediately, overlapping each other in a cacophony of words. Felix quickly covers his ears when Bog's expression darkens once more.
"SILENCE!" Bog orders, sending the room into absolute stillness. "I've had my fill of you lot! For thirty-seven weeks I've had to hold my tongue after having been subjected to overhearing your degraded opinions of Queen Marianne and I'll hold my tongue no more! Here me now! If not every member of the royal court is present and in full view of those arriving today, then I will make sure to have each and every one of you charged with dereliction and have you stripped of the positions that you are no longer worthy of!"
"Master Bog, you can't do that!" Boris protests with horror.
"I can and I will!" Bog threatens. "For twenty months, Queen Marianne has fulfilled the royal court's duties herself, despite nothing hindering them from doing so themselves except their pride! Each of you is a disgrace to the crown you swore loyalty to and to this kingdom! Get back here within the hour to hold court in Queen Marianne's stead or you'll receive the punishments you deserve!"
"And how do you plan to fulfill such a threat?" Sir Cornell growls, peering down from his position in the rafters.
"Ask Chancellor Boris if I'm able to fulfill such a threat. He knows which law I'm referring to that will give weight to my words," Bog answers, gesturing to the grimacing man who nods at the questioning looks. "I can easily charge you with treason instead, if you so wish. The words whispered about within these castle walls disrespecting Queen Marianne are enough to condemn. Those within this chamber now were here when the witch Sugar Plum requested an audience with Her Majesty, you know the queen had done nothing to warrant such a curse, yet you blame Queen Marianne for it!"
"She disrespected a witch. What more was needed?" Sir Cornell scoffs, scrambling back into the shadows when Bog glares up at him.
"Her polite refusal of an enchanted flower from a stranger who only arrived in the kingdom that very day is disrespect? Is that what you are saying?" Bog counters snidely. "Surely when Queen Erica beheaded a courier from King Reinhart that was bearing the white flag of truce should have elicited more complaints from you about disrespect than Queen Marianne not trusting an unwanted enchanted gift from an unknown foreigner. You don't even know where Sugar Plum is from or what business she had that caused her to come here, but all of you ignore the simple fact that your misfortune is all her fault! I doubt any of you know that witch was in Glenndale just hours before she came to the castle and that she stopped nowhere else."
"I thought Sugar Plum only came to the castle," Princess Dawn murmurs.
"She arrived in the village of Glenndale that morning spouting nonsense of giving free love fortunes to every unmarried woman. Each maiden who took her offer was given distressing news that led most of them to reject their present suitors and accept marriage offers from men of other kingdoms, leaving this kingdom within a fortnight to join their new husbands. I know this because my childhood friend was one of those maidens and when I confronted Sugar Plum for her false fortunetelling, she cursed me," Bog reveals before shaking his head at King Father Donald's questioning grunt. "Even now, I do not know exactly what Sugar Plum cursed me with because I lost consciousness and had not awoken until long after dark. I can only assume it has something to do with my father's delayed return from his business venture. Both of my father's servants have confronted Sugar Plum to reveal what she had done or to reverse it but the witch refuses, and neither of my father's servants was respectful to her about her answer, yet neither was cursed for it."
Letting the stunned and gaping onlookers to their thoughts, Bog instructs Felix to have the Great Hall prepared to receive those arriving, before quickly striding through the halls once more toward the kitchens. Joshua bristles at the short notice but takes the orders to prepare for court day far better than the royal court did. The cursed cook even yells at any protesting servant before Bog manages to, and the half-goblin is hard-pressed not to laugh as he makes his way toward the castle door with the blunt man's chastising reaching his ears, a comment or two from Morris and Jorick encouraging Joshua on.
It takes him a panicked moment to realize his own folly when he steps out onto the snow-covered steps after adorning a hooded cloak. Shifting his eyes quickly to the cloudless eastern sky, Bog breathes a sigh of relief at the sun breaching the horizon before continuing his task of heading to the gatehouse.
That was close.
He had been so preoccupied with the anger he felt toward the castle residents for their treatment of Marianne that he hadn't been paying attention to his senses of whether it was safe for him to go outside or not. Thang would lecture him thoroughly for such a slip if he caught wind about it. Good thing he managed to best the full-blooded goblins in their sparring thirteen weeks ago or Stuff would definitely have given him a lashing had she been here.