***Chapter Two***
-Preparing for Dinner
I took the young girl into a servant's quarter. Maria, one of my most liked maids, looked at me, curiosity written clear across her face. "Miss, I hate to disrupt, but who is the child?"
Taking one glance at Maria, I decided I should just lie. I couldn't afford rumors getting out about the palaces security. "She's my sister's little girl." I lied.
"Sister? Since when did you have a sister?" She asked taking the little girl into her own arms.
Glancing at her, I pretended to be surprised. "I never told you? I have a sister who lives on Earth. Very nice girl, you would like her, I'm sure."
Maria looked back at me, one skeptical eyebrow raised. "Right." She said, turning around. "I take it you want me to clean her up? When did she arrive?"
"Yes. And she arrived late last night. Sorry about the awful mess. She was playing in the mud and I guess she got a little out of hand. Her name is Serena," I stated, taking one look at the little girl. I had promised her something to eat. "If you could have her cleaned up in time for dinner, that would be wonderful. Thank You, Maria."
Maria nodded as I rushed out of the room.
**** **** ****
(Note: This is not being told from Queen Serenity's point of view. This is what is happening when Serena is being cleaned up.)
"Is Sel coming back soon?" Serena asked.
"Who is Sel?" Maria asked, staring at the blonde child in front of her.
"Sel. The lady who just came in." Serena stated. "Se…Selenity."
"Oh! Queen Serenity. You'll see her soon." Maria said, smiling slightly. "Until then, I have to get you cleaned up! You're filthy!"
"Cleaned up?" Serena asked, looking down at her hands and her dress. "But I took a shower three weeks ago…"
"Three W..? What?" Maria asked. She chuckled. The child knew no concept of time, she thought as she took her small hand and led her to a bathroom.
The bathroom was huge. Decorated with rubies, emeralds, diamonds, sapphires, any gem…you name it. The carpet was velvet and the tub itself was made out of a black marble. It had little holes in the side of that made the bath more relax able. Maria started the water, not too hot, not too cold. Taking a small, red bottle, she dumped it in. Tiny bubbles started moving around immediately. Maria hit a switch, and the engine for the hot tub started; hence creating more bubbles.
Maria turned to the little girl. "Your name is Serena, right?"
"Right!" Serena said, looking at the tub that had to be three times Serenity's size. She had never, not once in her life, seen anything like this. "Do I get to go in that?" She asked innocently.
"Sure do," Maria said, striping the child of her clothing. She picked her up and set her in the tub.
"Neat!" Serena squealed, and jumped in, careful not to make any splashes.
Maria knelt beside the tub. She pulled out a fancy bottle of shampoo and squirt a small amount into her hand. Rubbing her hands together, she rubbed it into the Serena's hair. Serena squeezed her eyes shut. When there was enough lather, Maria stopped massaging the shampoo into Serena's hair. "Can you rinse all by yourself?" Maria asked.
"Of course!" Serna said, gazing at a near by rubber duck. She had been taught never to take things without asking, but these people were already being so nice to her- She didn't want to ask for anything more.
Maria followed Serena's gaze. Smiling slightly, she looked back at Serena. "Do you want the duck?"
Serena's head jerked and she gazed at Maria. "May I?"
"Sure, why not?" Maria took the duck down along with three more, one being larger then the rest. She set all three of them in the tub. "Now, don't forget to rinse your hair and wash up. I'll come and get you when you have to come out, okay?"
"Yup!" Serena said, playing with the ducks.
Maria left the room to go pick out a few dresses for Serena to select from.
Serena sighed. The ducks had gotten just a little boring, and she was looking like a prune. Maria hadn't come back yet. Then again, she still hadn't washed up. Looking around for a bar of soap, she panicked. She couldn't find it. She looked up at a near by shelf. Standing on her tiptoes, she reached for the soap on top. "Oh…" Serena said, frustrated, "why do they have to be so tall?" Finally, her small hands grasped something. Unfortunately, she didn't just get the soap. An assortment of bottles, shampoos, bars, and other what not came tumbling down. Serena looked at them.
Of all the times, this was the time that Maria decided to come in. Taking a glance at the items in the pool, she sighed. "What happened, Serena?"
"You're…you're not upset with me, are you?" Serena asked, lowering her bottom lip, her eyes glazing over with tears.
"No…of course not. I just want to know what happened," Maria said, coaxing the young girl.
"I was reaching for the bar of soap…and it all fell down. I really didn't mean it. Please don't hurt me." Serena said, covering her eyes with her arms.
"Hurt you? Why would I do that? Accidents happen, sweet heart."
Serena looked up at Maria. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay." Maria said, moving over to the tub. She picked up all the items and carefully placed them back on the shelf. Handing the bar of soap to Serena, she smiled. "I'll go get you a towel."
"Thank you." Serena stated back, washing behind her ears.
Maria came back to find Serena patiently waiting in the water. "Okay, you can get out. Serena stepped out of the tub. Water trickled down her body. Maria took the towel and wrapped it around the girl, drying every possible spot. Taking out yet another towel, she wrapped the girl's hair. She grabbed a small, pink robe off the back of the door and placed it on Serena.
Serena carefully inspected the material. "It's so smooth!" She said, her eyes lighting up with excitement.
"Of course it is, it's silk."
"Silk?"
"Yup."
Not wanting to ask any more questions, Serena just nodded. She didn't want a long explanation, it would just confuse her. "Can I have my clothes back, please?"
Maria shook her head from side to side. "We are going to get you a new pretty dress. How does that sound?"
Serena's eyes lit up once more. "Wow! That sounds great!"
Maria nodded. "Follow me."
Serena obediently followed Maria, towel, robe, and all. Her gaze met three glittering dresses laid out on the bed. Serena rushed over to the bed and examined each carefully. "They're wonderful." Serena said. "Which one can I wear?"
"You may wear any one you want." Maria said, smiling.
"Any one?" Serena asked.
"Any one." Maria repeated.
Serena looked at the first dress. It was a soft, delicate pink. The sleeves were fluffy and the whole dress was decorated with white beads. At the bottom, it was also a bit fluffy. She sidestepped to the second dress. It was a deep red. It had tank top like sleeves. Tight around the upper body, it bloomed out more towards the bottom. She gazed it over one last time and looked at the third one. The third dress was sky blue, much like her eyes. Towards the front, it was rather short, but, if worn, it would extend a bit past her heels. Sapphires decorated the bottom and stopped at soon as it reached the seem at the top. The top part of the sleeves stopped right where the knuckles would be, but the back was wavier and flowed far past the end of her hand. The wavy part of the sleeve was also decorated with sapphires. Serena smiled lightly.
Maria looked at Serena. "You like the blue dress?"
Serena nodded. "Yes."
"It would drag on the floor." Maria warned.
"I know," Serena said, frowning, looking at the second dress.
"It would also set off your eyes. You can choose anyone you want."
"I'd like the blue one, please."
Maria nodded and took the blue one off the bed. "Come now, we have to get your hair done."
Serena looked up at Maria. "Why? Can't we just brush it?"
"I guess we could, but it would look gorgeous if we did something with it."
"You think so?"
"Yes, I do." Maria said, "And we have to hurry. It all has to be done before dinner starts.
Nodding, Serena followed Maria out the door. The traveled through many halls. The halls were decorated with mirrors, gems, fancy pictures, and art drawings. Still dressed in a robe, she was astounded by it.
"Oooh! She's so adorable!" Serena heard. It was a loud, screeching voice, though it was still gentle. Serena looked up at the lady who stood before her. She had long, black hair. Her eyes were a marvelous shade of violet, and she wore a short red dress with red shoes.
"Who are you?" Serena asked.
"My name's Melinda, what's yours?"
"Serena." She stated, looking up at the lady once more. Her stomach was bloated. "Are you having a baby?"
"Yup!"
"What are you going to name it?"
"Well…I don't know yet. If it's a boy…I'll probably name it Kyle…but if it's girl…I'll name it Raye. We'll probably have a baby after this, too." She said, smiling.
"That's nice. Are you going to do my hair?" Serena asked, changing the subject.
"Uh huh." Melinda said, picking up the small girl. She set her in a chair. "I think some nice curls would do."
"But my hair is already curly…" Serena said dully.
"Hmmm…good point." Melinda said, sighing. "How about we put it up in a nice…loose bun?"
" That would look nice." Maria said, nodding her head, agreeing.
"What do you think, Serena?" Melinda asked.
"I don't know…" Serena said. She closed her eyes, waiting for it to be over. She was so hungry.
Melinda took a small comb and brought the girl's hair up. Twisted it slightly, she put a hair tie in. She moved in front of the girl and took out two small pieces of hair; these would frame her face wonderfully. "All done. See, you could have done that by yourself."
Serena nodded, jumping down. "Can I put my dress on now, Maria?" She asked, looking up at Maria, totally ignoring Melinda.
Maria looked at Melinda. "You want to help?"
"Sure," Melinda said, smiling.
After Serena had been in a dressing room for a rather long time, she came out. "I can't zip the back!" She said, whining.
Melinda and Maria shared a laugh. Still chuckling, Maria walked over to Serena and zipped it up. It looked wonderful. The dress ^did^ set off her eyes, and the natural blush on her cheeks made it look even better.
"Well, I guess the Queen is expecting us, hm?"
Serena nodded. "I guess she is."
The two of them head off to the dining room.
**** To Be Continued ***
^ See! I told you it would be longer! Please leave reviews and tell me what you think!!
-Preparing for Dinner
I took the young girl into a servant's quarter. Maria, one of my most liked maids, looked at me, curiosity written clear across her face. "Miss, I hate to disrupt, but who is the child?"
Taking one glance at Maria, I decided I should just lie. I couldn't afford rumors getting out about the palaces security. "She's my sister's little girl." I lied.
"Sister? Since when did you have a sister?" She asked taking the little girl into her own arms.
Glancing at her, I pretended to be surprised. "I never told you? I have a sister who lives on Earth. Very nice girl, you would like her, I'm sure."
Maria looked back at me, one skeptical eyebrow raised. "Right." She said, turning around. "I take it you want me to clean her up? When did she arrive?"
"Yes. And she arrived late last night. Sorry about the awful mess. She was playing in the mud and I guess she got a little out of hand. Her name is Serena," I stated, taking one look at the little girl. I had promised her something to eat. "If you could have her cleaned up in time for dinner, that would be wonderful. Thank You, Maria."
Maria nodded as I rushed out of the room.
**** **** ****
(Note: This is not being told from Queen Serenity's point of view. This is what is happening when Serena is being cleaned up.)
"Is Sel coming back soon?" Serena asked.
"Who is Sel?" Maria asked, staring at the blonde child in front of her.
"Sel. The lady who just came in." Serena stated. "Se…Selenity."
"Oh! Queen Serenity. You'll see her soon." Maria said, smiling slightly. "Until then, I have to get you cleaned up! You're filthy!"
"Cleaned up?" Serena asked, looking down at her hands and her dress. "But I took a shower three weeks ago…"
"Three W..? What?" Maria asked. She chuckled. The child knew no concept of time, she thought as she took her small hand and led her to a bathroom.
The bathroom was huge. Decorated with rubies, emeralds, diamonds, sapphires, any gem…you name it. The carpet was velvet and the tub itself was made out of a black marble. It had little holes in the side of that made the bath more relax able. Maria started the water, not too hot, not too cold. Taking a small, red bottle, she dumped it in. Tiny bubbles started moving around immediately. Maria hit a switch, and the engine for the hot tub started; hence creating more bubbles.
Maria turned to the little girl. "Your name is Serena, right?"
"Right!" Serena said, looking at the tub that had to be three times Serenity's size. She had never, not once in her life, seen anything like this. "Do I get to go in that?" She asked innocently.
"Sure do," Maria said, striping the child of her clothing. She picked her up and set her in the tub.
"Neat!" Serena squealed, and jumped in, careful not to make any splashes.
Maria knelt beside the tub. She pulled out a fancy bottle of shampoo and squirt a small amount into her hand. Rubbing her hands together, she rubbed it into the Serena's hair. Serena squeezed her eyes shut. When there was enough lather, Maria stopped massaging the shampoo into Serena's hair. "Can you rinse all by yourself?" Maria asked.
"Of course!" Serna said, gazing at a near by rubber duck. She had been taught never to take things without asking, but these people were already being so nice to her- She didn't want to ask for anything more.
Maria followed Serena's gaze. Smiling slightly, she looked back at Serena. "Do you want the duck?"
Serena's head jerked and she gazed at Maria. "May I?"
"Sure, why not?" Maria took the duck down along with three more, one being larger then the rest. She set all three of them in the tub. "Now, don't forget to rinse your hair and wash up. I'll come and get you when you have to come out, okay?"
"Yup!" Serena said, playing with the ducks.
Maria left the room to go pick out a few dresses for Serena to select from.
Serena sighed. The ducks had gotten just a little boring, and she was looking like a prune. Maria hadn't come back yet. Then again, she still hadn't washed up. Looking around for a bar of soap, she panicked. She couldn't find it. She looked up at a near by shelf. Standing on her tiptoes, she reached for the soap on top. "Oh…" Serena said, frustrated, "why do they have to be so tall?" Finally, her small hands grasped something. Unfortunately, she didn't just get the soap. An assortment of bottles, shampoos, bars, and other what not came tumbling down. Serena looked at them.
Of all the times, this was the time that Maria decided to come in. Taking a glance at the items in the pool, she sighed. "What happened, Serena?"
"You're…you're not upset with me, are you?" Serena asked, lowering her bottom lip, her eyes glazing over with tears.
"No…of course not. I just want to know what happened," Maria said, coaxing the young girl.
"I was reaching for the bar of soap…and it all fell down. I really didn't mean it. Please don't hurt me." Serena said, covering her eyes with her arms.
"Hurt you? Why would I do that? Accidents happen, sweet heart."
Serena looked up at Maria. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay." Maria said, moving over to the tub. She picked up all the items and carefully placed them back on the shelf. Handing the bar of soap to Serena, she smiled. "I'll go get you a towel."
"Thank you." Serena stated back, washing behind her ears.
Maria came back to find Serena patiently waiting in the water. "Okay, you can get out. Serena stepped out of the tub. Water trickled down her body. Maria took the towel and wrapped it around the girl, drying every possible spot. Taking out yet another towel, she wrapped the girl's hair. She grabbed a small, pink robe off the back of the door and placed it on Serena.
Serena carefully inspected the material. "It's so smooth!" She said, her eyes lighting up with excitement.
"Of course it is, it's silk."
"Silk?"
"Yup."
Not wanting to ask any more questions, Serena just nodded. She didn't want a long explanation, it would just confuse her. "Can I have my clothes back, please?"
Maria shook her head from side to side. "We are going to get you a new pretty dress. How does that sound?"
Serena's eyes lit up once more. "Wow! That sounds great!"
Maria nodded. "Follow me."
Serena obediently followed Maria, towel, robe, and all. Her gaze met three glittering dresses laid out on the bed. Serena rushed over to the bed and examined each carefully. "They're wonderful." Serena said. "Which one can I wear?"
"You may wear any one you want." Maria said, smiling.
"Any one?" Serena asked.
"Any one." Maria repeated.
Serena looked at the first dress. It was a soft, delicate pink. The sleeves were fluffy and the whole dress was decorated with white beads. At the bottom, it was also a bit fluffy. She sidestepped to the second dress. It was a deep red. It had tank top like sleeves. Tight around the upper body, it bloomed out more towards the bottom. She gazed it over one last time and looked at the third one. The third dress was sky blue, much like her eyes. Towards the front, it was rather short, but, if worn, it would extend a bit past her heels. Sapphires decorated the bottom and stopped at soon as it reached the seem at the top. The top part of the sleeves stopped right where the knuckles would be, but the back was wavier and flowed far past the end of her hand. The wavy part of the sleeve was also decorated with sapphires. Serena smiled lightly.
Maria looked at Serena. "You like the blue dress?"
Serena nodded. "Yes."
"It would drag on the floor." Maria warned.
"I know," Serena said, frowning, looking at the second dress.
"It would also set off your eyes. You can choose anyone you want."
"I'd like the blue one, please."
Maria nodded and took the blue one off the bed. "Come now, we have to get your hair done."
Serena looked up at Maria. "Why? Can't we just brush it?"
"I guess we could, but it would look gorgeous if we did something with it."
"You think so?"
"Yes, I do." Maria said, "And we have to hurry. It all has to be done before dinner starts.
Nodding, Serena followed Maria out the door. The traveled through many halls. The halls were decorated with mirrors, gems, fancy pictures, and art drawings. Still dressed in a robe, she was astounded by it.
"Oooh! She's so adorable!" Serena heard. It was a loud, screeching voice, though it was still gentle. Serena looked up at the lady who stood before her. She had long, black hair. Her eyes were a marvelous shade of violet, and she wore a short red dress with red shoes.
"Who are you?" Serena asked.
"My name's Melinda, what's yours?"
"Serena." She stated, looking up at the lady once more. Her stomach was bloated. "Are you having a baby?"
"Yup!"
"What are you going to name it?"
"Well…I don't know yet. If it's a boy…I'll probably name it Kyle…but if it's girl…I'll name it Raye. We'll probably have a baby after this, too." She said, smiling.
"That's nice. Are you going to do my hair?" Serena asked, changing the subject.
"Uh huh." Melinda said, picking up the small girl. She set her in a chair. "I think some nice curls would do."
"But my hair is already curly…" Serena said dully.
"Hmmm…good point." Melinda said, sighing. "How about we put it up in a nice…loose bun?"
" That would look nice." Maria said, nodding her head, agreeing.
"What do you think, Serena?" Melinda asked.
"I don't know…" Serena said. She closed her eyes, waiting for it to be over. She was so hungry.
Melinda took a small comb and brought the girl's hair up. Twisted it slightly, she put a hair tie in. She moved in front of the girl and took out two small pieces of hair; these would frame her face wonderfully. "All done. See, you could have done that by yourself."
Serena nodded, jumping down. "Can I put my dress on now, Maria?" She asked, looking up at Maria, totally ignoring Melinda.
Maria looked at Melinda. "You want to help?"
"Sure," Melinda said, smiling.
After Serena had been in a dressing room for a rather long time, she came out. "I can't zip the back!" She said, whining.
Melinda and Maria shared a laugh. Still chuckling, Maria walked over to Serena and zipped it up. It looked wonderful. The dress ^did^ set off her eyes, and the natural blush on her cheeks made it look even better.
"Well, I guess the Queen is expecting us, hm?"
Serena nodded. "I guess she is."
The two of them head off to the dining room.
**** To Be Continued ***
^ See! I told you it would be longer! Please leave reviews and tell me what you think!!