One thing I have learned during the hour or so that I've been here at Castle Miarren, is that when Princess Andromeda says "Jump!" you'd better have already done it. I wasn't the only person afraid of her bad attitude, though. After my meeting with the Princess, I was brought to a room in the south wing of the castle, where I was introduced to the many servants that lived there.

There was Mariella, of course, who seemed to be the head servant in the place. She basically supervised the other servants and assisted the Princess. There was also Avram, a short squat boy with a shock of bright blue hair that constantly fell in his eyes. He was the chef, and had a terrible job, because Princess Andromeda appeared to be allergic to everything except chocolate and steak. And there's only so much you can do with chocolate and steak. Personally, I thought Princess Andromeda was making it all up to make Avram's life miserable, but he just narrowed his eyes at me and said he was happy thinking up new dishes. Another servant was Nicholas, a tall, thin, gangly boy who tended the grounds. He was in charge of all the animals, and in my opinion was a glorified gardener. He had light green hair and a pleasant look to him, but when Mariella introduced me to him, he barely said two words to me. The final servants I met were a pair of twin girls. Their names were Gwen and Krystal, and they handled the task of cleaning the entire inside of the castle. However, they didn't let such a task dampen their spirits. "In fact," said Gwen, "we probably know this castle better than anyone here, including the Queen!" They both had shocking pink hair and were both very small, kind of like gymnasts.

Still taking in the newness of this situation, I turned to Mariella.

"Why...why do you all have differently colored hair?" I asked.

Avram looked as though he was about to explode, but Mariella placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Now there, Avram, don't get upset with Miss Annie. She's new here and doesn't know about our way of life," said Mariella, "As for your question, Miss Annie, we are Sprites."

"Sprites?" I asked, "Like those furry things in Rainbow Brite?"

Mariella sighed, "No, we are not those kind of sprites. We are human in appearance, but our difference in hair color and phenomenal physical strength sets us apart from humans."

"Phenomenal physical strength?" I asked, giving a sideways glance to Nicholas, who looked as though a strong breeze could blast him to China.

"Our strength only allows us to perform our jobs to the best of our ability," said Mariella.

"Are there...more of you?" I asked, feeling very stupid at this point.

"Of course there are!" snapped Avram, "How else would we be here? We just choose to live apart from humans most of the time. But a select few of us were chosen to work for the royal family, and that's what we do. Are you done asking your stupid questions?"

I get the distinct impression that Avram doesn't like me very much. I nodded weakly, and he scowled and stalked off towards the kitchens. It was so funny to see a boy that could pass for an exceptionally large blueberry muffin trot off that I found I couldn't control my giggles. Mariella looked at me.

"I understand you are new to our world, Miss Annie, but you must remember that we have feelings as well, and that what is considered impolite to humans is the same for sprites."

Feeling ashamed of myself I nodded and followed Mariella through the double doors. As I passed by the twins, Krystal grabbed my arm.

"Don't let Avram get to you," she said, a broad smile on her face, "Everyone knows that he's just a bitter son of a sprite."

Behind her, Gwen winked, and suddenly I felt much better about staying here.
*
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*
Sighing, I looked around my new quarters. I had been placed in a small room with deep pink walls, giving my living space that nice Pepto-Bismol pink look that I had never wanted. The bed sat in a corner and was covered with a rich blue velvet quilt. There was a gold dresser in the corner, and a large picture window next to the bed.

"Wow," I said, "If these are the servant quarters, I wonder how nice the rest of the place is?"

Mariella sighed.

"I'm afraid our quarters are not as...lush as this," she said, sitting on the edge of my bed.

"They're not? Why not?" I asked.

"Princess Andromeda likes to keep us out of the way. Out of sight, out of mind, she thinks," explained Mariella.

"But aren't the King and Queen in charge?" I asked, sitting next to Mariella.

"They are, but I'm afraid that the Princess is rather spoiled," said Mariella, twisting her hands into the folds of her skirt.

"Well, that makes my job easier," I said weakly.

"I'm afraid that the Princess is serious," said Mariella, "If you don't accomplish your goal, she will have no hesitations about keeping you here indefinitely."

Mariella patted my shoulder and left the room. After she left I lay back on my huge bed and thought. I had to help the Princess. I couldn't stay here forever. Of course, I'd miss my parents terribly. But I'd also miss Ned and Irene, who had been so helpful to me during my transition period. I'd also miss Carey, who was like a musical mentor to me. I'd especially miss Jack. He had become the older brother I'd never had. And Fi, I'd miss Fi. She was the sister I'd always wanted. I'd also miss Clu. Despite the fact that he seemed to exist solely to make my life confusing, I would miss him terribly. I think I'd miss Molly the most though. She had taken me under her wing when it seemed like no one else wanted me.

As I fell into a fitful sleep, I tried to think of ways to educate Princess Andromeda. This was all too "My Fair Lady" for me. During my sleep, I had a strange dream. Clu was there, and he was barbecuing. He had a bright smile on his face and he ran across the grass to a small girl that was sitting in the yard. She was playing with dolls, and Clu took the male doll from her.

"Let me be Ken," he said, "That way it will be more accurate."

The girl smiled at him and the two of them began to play with the dolls. The last thing I remember was the two of them skipping in the grassy pastures.

I awoke with a start. I had a plan, and it had to work. I was sure it would work; I mean, how could it not? I ran down the hallway, my silk robe flying out behind me. I skittered through the halls and went banging into someone. A very tall, gangly someone.

"Nicholas!" I gasped as I hastily tied my robe.

"Miss Annie!" he cried, shutting his eyes tightly.

"Nicholas, it's okay, I'm decent, really, I just need to ask you something," I breathed.

Nicholas hesitantly opened an eye and blinked.

"What is it that you wanted, Miss Annie?" he asked, a deep pink blush staining his cheeks, clashing horribly with his hair. He had probably never seen a girl in pajamas before.

"I need to know where the Princess is!" I choked out.

"I'm afraid I don't know, Miss Annie," he said, "but Gwen and Krystal might, they've been all over the castle today."

"Well, where are they?" I asked, "It's important, Nicholas."

He turned pink and shuffled his foot slightly.

"I'm afraid I don't rightly know," he said. But just as he finished those words, a bright pink blur whizzed past him. The blur stopped and it was the twins, who had apparently been polishing the floors, as their polishing rags were tied to their feet.

"What's going on, Nicky?" said Krystal, pushing her bangs out of her face.

"Miss Annie needs to speak with the Princess," he said, biting his lower lip.

"Ooh, we'll take her," said Gwen, "Come on, Annie."

As the twins led me off, I called back, "Thank you, Nicholas!"

As we rounded the corner, I was sure I heard a squeak. Dismissing the noise, I followed the twins until we reached a large silver door with emeralds embedded in it.

"The chamber of the Princess," said Krystal, batting her eyelashes and putting on a simpering voice.

"Her Royal Highness," added Gwen, making a face as though she had just sucked on a lemon.

They knocked on the door, and as it slowly opened, I heard a voice cry out, "What the Hell do you want? It's only nine in the fucking morning!"

Shaking, I entered the chambers, which seemed to consist of an obscenely large bed and nothing else. I walked closer to the edge of the bed, and clearing my throat, I said in a loud voice, "It's Annie, your Highness."

"Annie?" came her surprised voice, "Ah, shit, are we starting that training thing now? And don't call me Highness; Andromeda will be fine."

"I actually wanted a favor from you...Andromeda," I said, biting my lip. I hope this works.

The heavy curtains parted from the bed and Andromeda peered out.

"What, so you work here for one day and think you can ask me for a favor?" she snarled.

"But please, it...it...it will help you to land this suitor you were talking about!" I cried.

The curtains flung open.

"Talk to me," she said, a glint in her eye.

I took a deep breath.

"Well, I figured you needed a guy to practice on; not a servant like Nicholas or Avram, but a real guy you've never met before, so I thought maybe you could just zap one of my friends in here and then you could practice on them!" I stammered.

Andromeda pursed her lips, as if in deep thought.

"That...might just work. Maybe you are good for something!" she said brightly. She stretched her arms and muttered a few words under her breath.

"There!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms out, "I have adjusted time and space so that one of your friends has been sent here. He is here under the same conditions as you. He will be waiting in your chambers. I suggest you explain to him the severity of this situation."

Nodding eagerly and thanking Andromeda profusely, I backed out of the room and sprinted down through the hallways. I stopped in front of my door, which was closed. Biting my lip and taking a deep breath, I slowly pushed open the door.

"Hey, Annie! Dude, what's going on, man? I thought you were sick. Totally awesome pjs, dude. Uh...where am I?"