Chapter 3
"Hello Grandmamma." Lillian and Mary had arrived at Grandmother's house. Lillian wore a smug smile.
"Oh! Hello dears!" Grandmamma looked surprised to see them. "I thought you weren't coming till next week?" She waved her hand dismissively. "But no matter. I'm glad you've come. Have you received your invitation yet for the prince's ball?" She didn't wait for an answer. "Of course you have! I want to give you a dress, I'm only half done with it of course but as soon as I saw the pattern!"
"Grandmamma!" Lillian interrupted. "I have to ask you about all this and mothers buying my dress in town now so you needn't worry. I wanted to borrow your pearl necklace and see if you had any salt for mother's meat."
"How do you do ma'am?" Mary asked as soon as she could get a word in edgewise.
"I'm fine, thank you." She said quickly before turning back to the matter of the dress. "But dear the dress I'm making is red silk, dark red of course, I wouldn't want you to look trashy. I've had the material for a long time, been saving it and as soon as Hansel told me that he and his sister were going to the prince's ball I knew straight away what to use it for. I knew you'd want to wear something stylish enough to compete with the richer girls there."
"What? Grandmamma! May I see the dress?" Lillian asked, her brown eyes changing to a dark green. "I can't believe this..it's all coming true."
"What is Lilly? Oh never mind, you can borrow my pearls. Come see the dress." She bustled into her one solitary bedroom and took the dress of her rocking chair.
Lillian just stared. It was soft and slightly shiny, a deep dark red, not a whore's scarlet but a Lillian red color. The sleeves very short and puffed. The neckline was revealing for a sixteen-year-old but the skirt wasn't finished yet. "Oh Grandmamma." She breathed.
"It's lovely." Mary said wistfully, staring at the dress with some doubt but mostly longing.
"Yes it is." Grandmamma agreed proudly. "Lillian!" She said with a large grin. "Don't you like it?"
"Yes! It's the most marvelous thing in the world." She ran to her grandmother and hugged her hard, disregarding the dress. "Thank you!"
"Yes, yes dear. Don't get emotional." She pushed Lillian back with a gentle smile. "Let's all have some tea, I need to talk to you, Mary, about your pa, by the way."
They gathered around the table and grandmother put out tea and cookies. Once they had each received some of the hot tea and had stirred milk into it Grandmamma began to question Mary about her home life.
"Is you papa still drinking?" She asked. "Lillian tells me you watch the sheep every day now, is that true? Martha tells me your mothers bone tired too."
"Oh, uh, Father stopped drinking yesterday, you see, my granny came to visit and she's whipping our family back into shape. Father tended the sheep today so I got to go to school and mother only worked for a few hours at the inn."
"Ah yes, your granny? Pretty Snow White. How's her sister doing, Rose Red? We all used to play together when we were young, you know." Grandmamma was curious about her answer.
"Snow White?" Lillian scoffed before Mary could reply. "That's not Mary's grandmother, that's the prince's wife. You know? Snow White who lived with the seven dwarfs." Lillian sighed, why was it she who always knew the stories about the royals, the celebrities? "The prince saw her lying there and he kissed her and true love saved all." She prompted.
"Lillian hush, you know not what you speak. There's another Snow White and she married some bear that turned into a prince and killed a wicked dwarf. She used to live around here with her sister, Rose Red." Grandmamma corrected her.
"Well, the bear-prince died a couple years ago and quite frankly I believe Granny was happy to be rid of him. She said he accidentally scratched her often and was just a tad rough. He never did fully get rid of the bear in him. As for Rose Red, I believe she's doing fine and is living in the city. Granny was on her way to visit her but she stopped at my house and saw how everything had fallen apart. She's going to stay a month if you want me to bring her over some time?"
"Well! That's the most I've ever heard you say little Mary. Yes, do bring her by if she has the time, I'd love to catch up with her.
"There's another Snow White? Must be a popular name eh?" Lillian said, angry to be proven wrong. "Mother told us to be home by six, she's worried about wolves suddenly. She said now that I've reminded her of the time we got eaten she can't stop thinking about it." She changed topics quickly.
"Ah yes." Grandmamma giggled. "I remember that time. You were a very stupid little girl to believe that a wolf resembled me in the slightest."
"Or was I?" Lillian scowled. "No wait you're right, you were harrier than that dumb wolf to begin with."
Mary gaped at Lillian. Her granny would slap her across the face if she ever insulted someone like that.
Grandmamma just laughed again, though this time without mirth. "You've improved with age though. You're much more intelligent now. You have a very sharp tongue."
Lillian smiled in her smug way.
"You mentioned Hansel earlier? I used to play with him when I was little, and Gretel too." Mary butted in, growing nervous at the mounting tension between grandmother and granddaughter. "He went to school with me when I was five, before Lillian moved here. Then he dropped out because his stepmother wanted to move into a bigger house, deeper into the woods."
"Hansel is well. He chops wood for me now. His house is just a bit farther down the path but he's not home, nor his sister." Grandmamma replied.
Mary blushed. "Oh, well I'm not certain if I would want to seek him out..I just remember playing with him when we were children."
Lillian took a sip of her tea, the topic of Hansel didn't interest her, he was nothing but a poor woodcutter. She did remember seeing Gretel though, pretty and small and meek. 'Mary and her would have the best of times together.' Lillian smirked, imagining their polite pretty little conversations and getting together just to clean the house. At that image Lillian laughed aloud.
"What's so funny?" Grandmamma asked suspiciously. "I see nothing amusing about Hansel and his sister gone missing."
Lillian frowned. "Missing? I was thinking about something else, could you please repeat what you said?"
"I was just telling Mary that Hansel usually comes every day and chops my wood but he hasn't come in two days. Yesterday when he didn't come I went to his house and asked his stepmother if I could speak with him. She had a very odd expression on her face when she told me that Hansel and Gretel had left, just left one day. Out of the blue."
"That does sound odd." Lillian said. "I don't like it."
"Ah well, I don't believe its something to get to worried about. She said they had probably left to get jobs in another town and she thought they'd hear from them soon."
"What about his father?" Mary asked. "Wasn't he worried?"
"Oh yes, I only saw their pa for a moment but he's thinner and there're circles under his eyes." She sighed and gave a kind smile. "I'm sure it's nothing dear, not to worry."
Lillian stood. "I believe it's time for us to go Mary."
Mary stood reluctantly. "Thank you Ma'am."
"Twas' nothing dear Mary." She smiled at them and remained sitting. "Good bye children. I'll come to your house next Friday to help you prepare for the ball and I'll bring the dress. Oh, that reminds me, how ever shall you get there?"
"George, the baker's son shall take us." Lillian turned and walked toward the door. "Bye Grandmamma."
"Bye."
~*~
Mary went home and Lillian went to her house and straight to her room. Martha came home looking very upset. She went to Lillian's room empty handed.
"Hello Lily. I couldn't find the right material or the right dress for you in town. I looked everywhere." She frowned and shook her head regretfully. "Perhaps there wasn't to much to your dream after all."
"Grandmamma is making my dress out of red silk. She meant it as a surprise, as soon as she heard of the ball she began to work on it." Lillian replied dully.
"Wow! That's the second time I've been proven wrong. I won't question it again okay?" She smiled. "I saw that boy from your class in town, the one with the really long name."
"John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt?" Lillian asked.
"Yes him. He's growing quite attractive, he asked if you were going to the ball. I told him of course you were going."
"That's good."
"Whatever's the matter with you?" Martha snapped, noticing Lillian's unusual silence.
"Grandmamma told me that Hansel and his sister have gone missing. She also said that their stepmother has been acting suspicious. I've seen that woman in town and she's as cold and cruel as they come." She shook her head slowly. "I don't care for Hansel in any romantic way but I'm still worried."
"Hmm." Martha frowned in thought. "I wouldn't worry about it, they'll turn up soon most likely."
Lillian sighed. "I suppose so. Right now I'm just going to look forward to the dance."
*~+~*
Parses wandered the castle aimlessly, wreaking havoc where he ended up. First he went to the kitchen and emptied a can of pepper into the soup, which made the cook turn a bit green when he tasted it. He then moseyed up to his mother's room and changed her best perfume to a much, much more unpleasant scent that is usually supposed to be kept in a chamber pot. After all this excitement he went to the royal sitting room and plopped down on the couch.
A pudgy maid answered the ringing of his bell. "Yes your Highness? Did you want something sir?" Her voice was hoarse and her homely face was flushed.
"Are you ill?" Parses asked mildly, not really caring.
"Uh, well, I have a slight cold but today is not my day off so I must work." She said hesitantly.
"You're dismissed. I want you to go to your quarters and rest. Bring a cup of tea with you." He grinned wickedly as if the best idea had just popped into his head. "Send the prettiest maid there is in here to serve me."
"Uh.." She swallowed nervously. "Um, well, yes of course. Thank you your highness." With a swish of her many skirts she hurried away before he could change his mind.
Parses grinned wider and chuckled. He loved the power he wielded. He leaned back on the large sofa and put his hands behind his head.
After several minutes a small girl with long brown hair and green eyes walked into the room. She was pale and her features were delicate. "Did you want something your Highness?" Her voice was soft and uncertain.
"Who're you again?" Parses had fallen into a doze and was miffed at being woken so soon.
"Miss Heidi told me that you needed a pretty maid to serve you?"
Parses eyes snapped open. "Ah yes, I did say that didn't I?" He grinned. "Come sit next to me.."
The girl's green eyes opened wide. "I'm not sure I understand?"
Parses stood up, this was going better than he'd hoped. "I love you and only you! I've seen you around and I've had inner torment. You're so beautiful and kind, I've watched you from afar and fallen deeply in love with you!"
"I-I-um, your highness!" She stuttered in surprise. "I'm engaged to a-a-a man already, I couldn't possibly."
"Shut your sweet lips my love and I shall marry you! Come and kiss me now my love, my sweetheart, my only." Parses cried passionately.
The poor girl was so awestruck and surprised that she didn't protest when Parses leapt to his feet, and embraced her. He pressed his mouth to hers and kissed her hard.
With a little cry the girl began to kiss him back, her once limp arms went around his neck. "Oh your Majesty!"
Parses began to pull her towards the couch, this was turning out to be a lot easier than the last girl had been.
"Oh my good lord!" Queen Arabella had entered the room and she gasped at the scene in front of her. "You let that poor girl go Prince Parses this instant!"
Parses looked up at her and rolled his eyes. He released the pretty maid and waited for his mother's scolding.
"Oh Queen! It's not how it looks, please don't punish us." The poor mislead maid cried out. "We're in love you see." She grabbed Parses hand and held it tightly.
Arabella rolled her eyes. "What's this girl's name?" She directed the question toward her son.
"Um, uh, well." He grinned sheepishly while the look of hope faded from the girl's face. "I have no idea, I just wanted a girl for a while."
"What's your name?" Arabella snapped at the girl.
"My name is Elspeth." A big tear rolled down her cheek, she was apparently trying to hold in the rest.
"Are you truly that stupid that you did not realize my son was toying with you?" The queen tapped her foot impatiently.
"I had-had no idea." Her voice cracked. "He said he'd watched me from afar and wanted to marry me." Another tear fell.
"Well then you are an extremely, extremely stupid child. I can't stress enough how stupid and foolish you are." She brushed past the girl and stared deeply into her son's unrepentant eyes. "Why did you do this?" She hissed.
"I was bored," was his simple reply.
"Elspeth!" Arabella shrieked, not bothering to turn around.
"Yes..ma'am?" A sob issued from her slim white throat.
"Men are ignorant creatures that, when allowed, use females for their own amusement. I do not want you to fall into the same trap again. You are to go to your room and clean up then resume your everyday tasks. Go!"
Elspeth ran from the room without further ado.
"Explain yourself Parses!" She scowled at him wrathfully.
"Like I said before, I was bored and wanted a girl for a while." Parses said indifferently. "I wanted a pretty girl."
"Honestly Parses! Are you a complete and utter fool? We're throwing a ball in a matter of days so you can choose a wife and all the while you're gallivanting around with some servant girl!"
"It's not like that's the first time." Parses laughed. "I'm going to my room to rest." He stopped in mid stride. "Why aren't you wearing perfume?"
"What do you care whether or not I wear perfume? Don't worry your little head about it, I'll definitely be wearing it for the ball." She scowled at him a final time before gliding away.
~#~*~#~
"Damn it all Mary!" Lillian shrieked. "Tell that lamb to go back home to your father! He's the shepherd now!"
The lamb had been following them to school for several minutes and was unable to be discouraged.
Mary sighed. "He won't stop." Nevertheless she shot a weak glare at the little lamb. "Shoo, shoo." She waved her hands at him but the lamb let out a 'ba' and kept up the pace.
Lillian gave up, she moved faster and they arrived at the school building just as the bell rang.
"Come inside now! Come along children!" Schoolmaster Kenneth called.
The little children started to hurry in but stopped when they saw the little lamb.
"It's so cute!" Lisped five-year-old Elizabeth Shoe. She ran to lamb and began to pet it.
Four of the little boys followed Elizabeth's example and began to frolic around the lamb, laughing.
"James! Edward! Elizabeth! All of you get inside now!" Schoolmaster Kenneth growled. "Whose sheep is that?"
Lillian moved away from Mary and hurried into the one-room schoolhouse.
"Uh, it's-well-uh it's mine sir that is." Mary stuttered out.
"Send it on its way and get inside!"
Mary whacked the lamb gently and pushed it away. She grabbed Elizabeth's hand and little Jamie's too. "Come on, in we go."
Ten minutes later the class had all been seated and settled down and Schoolmaster Kenneth was writing on the board.
Lillian leaned over and whispered into Mary's ear, "I've thought of the ending to the poem about you and your sheep."
Mary shot a nervous glance at the schoolmaster then nodded. "What is it?"
"Mary had a little lamb, its fleece was white as snow. Everywhere that Mary went the lamb was sure to go." She paused and grinned. "It followed her to school one day, which was against the rules. It made the children laugh and play to see a lamb at school."
A small giggle escaped Mary.
Schoolmaster Kenneth whipped around and glared up at Mary and Lillian's row. He searched each face carefully. "Who laughed?" He asked in a low, dangerous voice. "What's funny?"
Mary's face paled.
Peter Piper leaned over slightly. "We're gonna get into trouble." He muttered to Lillian. "It's always our row because we're the oldest. Poor Mary." He said for it was easy to see Mary was the guilty party. She was pale and trembling having never been whipped in school in school before.
Schoolmaster Kenneth smiled when he saw Mary. "First you bring your stupid little pet lamb to school and then you laugh at me? Come down here now."
"I laughed." Lillian said loudly. Although Lillian could be nasty she was loyal and you couldn't look at Mary and not feel pity.
"What did you say?" The schoolmaster asked in disbelief.
Lillian tossed her head disdainfully. "I laughed at your pathetic attempt at teaching and then laughed harder when I noticed you bald spot."
Kenneth's hand flew to the back of his head to feel for a bald spot. "Get down here right now! Beast of a girl!"
Peter patted her back as Lillian walked past him.
She walked down to the schoolmaster and stared into the schoolmaster's eyes. "Did you want something?" Was her cold question.
"Just because you're in your last year here you laugh and make fun." He spat out. "Let me tell you something, you're going to go to that ball and the prince will laugh in your face and will refuse even a dance with you. You'll end up marrying someone like Peter the pumpkin eater and you'll end up locked in some pumpkin like his wife. In short, you'll be a nobody, a nothing, and I will be the one who'll laugh then." A short blip of laughter escaped him but Lillian continued to glare. She obviously hadn't been affected by his stirring insults.
"Is that all you have to say?" Lillian hissed.
"Oooh." The class taunted the schoolmaster in one voice.
"Hush! All of you!" Schoolmaster Kenneth snapped. He grabbed his yardstick and clenched it so tightly that his knuckles turned white. "I'm going to give you the worst whipping you ever had."
"Get on with it then." Lillian said, undaunted.
"I will!" The yardstick came down fast as lightning and caught her shoulder hard enough to bruise.
"Hey!" Peter jumped to his feet. "You can't beat a girl! Only their hands can get hit!"
"Shut up and sit down boy. This girls been begging for a beating all year!"
"I did it! I laughed!" Mary shrieked.
He ignored her and continued to hit Lillian.
Peter grabbed Jack Nimble's arm and they hurried down the aisle and pulled Schoolmaster Kenneth away from Lillian.
Lillian's cheek was red and bruising but she still glared. "I'm going home and I plan on writing the king and telling him how you teach."
Kenneth struggled but the boys held him fast.
Mary hurried down the aisle and hugged Lillian. "I'm sorry! I should have admitted it!"
Lillian patted her golden head then turned to the awestruck class. "Take the rest of the day off. You may go home or go to town."
"Can she do that?" Bethel asked her friends.
"Go home and tell your parents who teaches your kids." Lillian spat. "I would suggest that you go home, I'm leaving and so's Mary. Do you really want to stay here with the schoolmaster now that he's all riled up?"
Little Jamie stood. "I'm going home!"
Elizabeth followed him out the door along with Benjamin and Suzie. The lower class all followed after their friends and then the older kids followed their young siblings out too.
"Hello Grandmamma." Lillian and Mary had arrived at Grandmother's house. Lillian wore a smug smile.
"Oh! Hello dears!" Grandmamma looked surprised to see them. "I thought you weren't coming till next week?" She waved her hand dismissively. "But no matter. I'm glad you've come. Have you received your invitation yet for the prince's ball?" She didn't wait for an answer. "Of course you have! I want to give you a dress, I'm only half done with it of course but as soon as I saw the pattern!"
"Grandmamma!" Lillian interrupted. "I have to ask you about all this and mothers buying my dress in town now so you needn't worry. I wanted to borrow your pearl necklace and see if you had any salt for mother's meat."
"How do you do ma'am?" Mary asked as soon as she could get a word in edgewise.
"I'm fine, thank you." She said quickly before turning back to the matter of the dress. "But dear the dress I'm making is red silk, dark red of course, I wouldn't want you to look trashy. I've had the material for a long time, been saving it and as soon as Hansel told me that he and his sister were going to the prince's ball I knew straight away what to use it for. I knew you'd want to wear something stylish enough to compete with the richer girls there."
"What? Grandmamma! May I see the dress?" Lillian asked, her brown eyes changing to a dark green. "I can't believe this..it's all coming true."
"What is Lilly? Oh never mind, you can borrow my pearls. Come see the dress." She bustled into her one solitary bedroom and took the dress of her rocking chair.
Lillian just stared. It was soft and slightly shiny, a deep dark red, not a whore's scarlet but a Lillian red color. The sleeves very short and puffed. The neckline was revealing for a sixteen-year-old but the skirt wasn't finished yet. "Oh Grandmamma." She breathed.
"It's lovely." Mary said wistfully, staring at the dress with some doubt but mostly longing.
"Yes it is." Grandmamma agreed proudly. "Lillian!" She said with a large grin. "Don't you like it?"
"Yes! It's the most marvelous thing in the world." She ran to her grandmother and hugged her hard, disregarding the dress. "Thank you!"
"Yes, yes dear. Don't get emotional." She pushed Lillian back with a gentle smile. "Let's all have some tea, I need to talk to you, Mary, about your pa, by the way."
They gathered around the table and grandmother put out tea and cookies. Once they had each received some of the hot tea and had stirred milk into it Grandmamma began to question Mary about her home life.
"Is you papa still drinking?" She asked. "Lillian tells me you watch the sheep every day now, is that true? Martha tells me your mothers bone tired too."
"Oh, uh, Father stopped drinking yesterday, you see, my granny came to visit and she's whipping our family back into shape. Father tended the sheep today so I got to go to school and mother only worked for a few hours at the inn."
"Ah yes, your granny? Pretty Snow White. How's her sister doing, Rose Red? We all used to play together when we were young, you know." Grandmamma was curious about her answer.
"Snow White?" Lillian scoffed before Mary could reply. "That's not Mary's grandmother, that's the prince's wife. You know? Snow White who lived with the seven dwarfs." Lillian sighed, why was it she who always knew the stories about the royals, the celebrities? "The prince saw her lying there and he kissed her and true love saved all." She prompted.
"Lillian hush, you know not what you speak. There's another Snow White and she married some bear that turned into a prince and killed a wicked dwarf. She used to live around here with her sister, Rose Red." Grandmamma corrected her.
"Well, the bear-prince died a couple years ago and quite frankly I believe Granny was happy to be rid of him. She said he accidentally scratched her often and was just a tad rough. He never did fully get rid of the bear in him. As for Rose Red, I believe she's doing fine and is living in the city. Granny was on her way to visit her but she stopped at my house and saw how everything had fallen apart. She's going to stay a month if you want me to bring her over some time?"
"Well! That's the most I've ever heard you say little Mary. Yes, do bring her by if she has the time, I'd love to catch up with her.
"There's another Snow White? Must be a popular name eh?" Lillian said, angry to be proven wrong. "Mother told us to be home by six, she's worried about wolves suddenly. She said now that I've reminded her of the time we got eaten she can't stop thinking about it." She changed topics quickly.
"Ah yes." Grandmamma giggled. "I remember that time. You were a very stupid little girl to believe that a wolf resembled me in the slightest."
"Or was I?" Lillian scowled. "No wait you're right, you were harrier than that dumb wolf to begin with."
Mary gaped at Lillian. Her granny would slap her across the face if she ever insulted someone like that.
Grandmamma just laughed again, though this time without mirth. "You've improved with age though. You're much more intelligent now. You have a very sharp tongue."
Lillian smiled in her smug way.
"You mentioned Hansel earlier? I used to play with him when I was little, and Gretel too." Mary butted in, growing nervous at the mounting tension between grandmother and granddaughter. "He went to school with me when I was five, before Lillian moved here. Then he dropped out because his stepmother wanted to move into a bigger house, deeper into the woods."
"Hansel is well. He chops wood for me now. His house is just a bit farther down the path but he's not home, nor his sister." Grandmamma replied.
Mary blushed. "Oh, well I'm not certain if I would want to seek him out..I just remember playing with him when we were children."
Lillian took a sip of her tea, the topic of Hansel didn't interest her, he was nothing but a poor woodcutter. She did remember seeing Gretel though, pretty and small and meek. 'Mary and her would have the best of times together.' Lillian smirked, imagining their polite pretty little conversations and getting together just to clean the house. At that image Lillian laughed aloud.
"What's so funny?" Grandmamma asked suspiciously. "I see nothing amusing about Hansel and his sister gone missing."
Lillian frowned. "Missing? I was thinking about something else, could you please repeat what you said?"
"I was just telling Mary that Hansel usually comes every day and chops my wood but he hasn't come in two days. Yesterday when he didn't come I went to his house and asked his stepmother if I could speak with him. She had a very odd expression on her face when she told me that Hansel and Gretel had left, just left one day. Out of the blue."
"That does sound odd." Lillian said. "I don't like it."
"Ah well, I don't believe its something to get to worried about. She said they had probably left to get jobs in another town and she thought they'd hear from them soon."
"What about his father?" Mary asked. "Wasn't he worried?"
"Oh yes, I only saw their pa for a moment but he's thinner and there're circles under his eyes." She sighed and gave a kind smile. "I'm sure it's nothing dear, not to worry."
Lillian stood. "I believe it's time for us to go Mary."
Mary stood reluctantly. "Thank you Ma'am."
"Twas' nothing dear Mary." She smiled at them and remained sitting. "Good bye children. I'll come to your house next Friday to help you prepare for the ball and I'll bring the dress. Oh, that reminds me, how ever shall you get there?"
"George, the baker's son shall take us." Lillian turned and walked toward the door. "Bye Grandmamma."
"Bye."
~*~
Mary went home and Lillian went to her house and straight to her room. Martha came home looking very upset. She went to Lillian's room empty handed.
"Hello Lily. I couldn't find the right material or the right dress for you in town. I looked everywhere." She frowned and shook her head regretfully. "Perhaps there wasn't to much to your dream after all."
"Grandmamma is making my dress out of red silk. She meant it as a surprise, as soon as she heard of the ball she began to work on it." Lillian replied dully.
"Wow! That's the second time I've been proven wrong. I won't question it again okay?" She smiled. "I saw that boy from your class in town, the one with the really long name."
"John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt?" Lillian asked.
"Yes him. He's growing quite attractive, he asked if you were going to the ball. I told him of course you were going."
"That's good."
"Whatever's the matter with you?" Martha snapped, noticing Lillian's unusual silence.
"Grandmamma told me that Hansel and his sister have gone missing. She also said that their stepmother has been acting suspicious. I've seen that woman in town and she's as cold and cruel as they come." She shook her head slowly. "I don't care for Hansel in any romantic way but I'm still worried."
"Hmm." Martha frowned in thought. "I wouldn't worry about it, they'll turn up soon most likely."
Lillian sighed. "I suppose so. Right now I'm just going to look forward to the dance."
*~+~*
Parses wandered the castle aimlessly, wreaking havoc where he ended up. First he went to the kitchen and emptied a can of pepper into the soup, which made the cook turn a bit green when he tasted it. He then moseyed up to his mother's room and changed her best perfume to a much, much more unpleasant scent that is usually supposed to be kept in a chamber pot. After all this excitement he went to the royal sitting room and plopped down on the couch.
A pudgy maid answered the ringing of his bell. "Yes your Highness? Did you want something sir?" Her voice was hoarse and her homely face was flushed.
"Are you ill?" Parses asked mildly, not really caring.
"Uh, well, I have a slight cold but today is not my day off so I must work." She said hesitantly.
"You're dismissed. I want you to go to your quarters and rest. Bring a cup of tea with you." He grinned wickedly as if the best idea had just popped into his head. "Send the prettiest maid there is in here to serve me."
"Uh.." She swallowed nervously. "Um, well, yes of course. Thank you your highness." With a swish of her many skirts she hurried away before he could change his mind.
Parses grinned wider and chuckled. He loved the power he wielded. He leaned back on the large sofa and put his hands behind his head.
After several minutes a small girl with long brown hair and green eyes walked into the room. She was pale and her features were delicate. "Did you want something your Highness?" Her voice was soft and uncertain.
"Who're you again?" Parses had fallen into a doze and was miffed at being woken so soon.
"Miss Heidi told me that you needed a pretty maid to serve you?"
Parses eyes snapped open. "Ah yes, I did say that didn't I?" He grinned. "Come sit next to me.."
The girl's green eyes opened wide. "I'm not sure I understand?"
Parses stood up, this was going better than he'd hoped. "I love you and only you! I've seen you around and I've had inner torment. You're so beautiful and kind, I've watched you from afar and fallen deeply in love with you!"
"I-I-um, your highness!" She stuttered in surprise. "I'm engaged to a-a-a man already, I couldn't possibly."
"Shut your sweet lips my love and I shall marry you! Come and kiss me now my love, my sweetheart, my only." Parses cried passionately.
The poor girl was so awestruck and surprised that she didn't protest when Parses leapt to his feet, and embraced her. He pressed his mouth to hers and kissed her hard.
With a little cry the girl began to kiss him back, her once limp arms went around his neck. "Oh your Majesty!"
Parses began to pull her towards the couch, this was turning out to be a lot easier than the last girl had been.
"Oh my good lord!" Queen Arabella had entered the room and she gasped at the scene in front of her. "You let that poor girl go Prince Parses this instant!"
Parses looked up at her and rolled his eyes. He released the pretty maid and waited for his mother's scolding.
"Oh Queen! It's not how it looks, please don't punish us." The poor mislead maid cried out. "We're in love you see." She grabbed Parses hand and held it tightly.
Arabella rolled her eyes. "What's this girl's name?" She directed the question toward her son.
"Um, uh, well." He grinned sheepishly while the look of hope faded from the girl's face. "I have no idea, I just wanted a girl for a while."
"What's your name?" Arabella snapped at the girl.
"My name is Elspeth." A big tear rolled down her cheek, she was apparently trying to hold in the rest.
"Are you truly that stupid that you did not realize my son was toying with you?" The queen tapped her foot impatiently.
"I had-had no idea." Her voice cracked. "He said he'd watched me from afar and wanted to marry me." Another tear fell.
"Well then you are an extremely, extremely stupid child. I can't stress enough how stupid and foolish you are." She brushed past the girl and stared deeply into her son's unrepentant eyes. "Why did you do this?" She hissed.
"I was bored," was his simple reply.
"Elspeth!" Arabella shrieked, not bothering to turn around.
"Yes..ma'am?" A sob issued from her slim white throat.
"Men are ignorant creatures that, when allowed, use females for their own amusement. I do not want you to fall into the same trap again. You are to go to your room and clean up then resume your everyday tasks. Go!"
Elspeth ran from the room without further ado.
"Explain yourself Parses!" She scowled at him wrathfully.
"Like I said before, I was bored and wanted a girl for a while." Parses said indifferently. "I wanted a pretty girl."
"Honestly Parses! Are you a complete and utter fool? We're throwing a ball in a matter of days so you can choose a wife and all the while you're gallivanting around with some servant girl!"
"It's not like that's the first time." Parses laughed. "I'm going to my room to rest." He stopped in mid stride. "Why aren't you wearing perfume?"
"What do you care whether or not I wear perfume? Don't worry your little head about it, I'll definitely be wearing it for the ball." She scowled at him a final time before gliding away.
~#~*~#~
"Damn it all Mary!" Lillian shrieked. "Tell that lamb to go back home to your father! He's the shepherd now!"
The lamb had been following them to school for several minutes and was unable to be discouraged.
Mary sighed. "He won't stop." Nevertheless she shot a weak glare at the little lamb. "Shoo, shoo." She waved her hands at him but the lamb let out a 'ba' and kept up the pace.
Lillian gave up, she moved faster and they arrived at the school building just as the bell rang.
"Come inside now! Come along children!" Schoolmaster Kenneth called.
The little children started to hurry in but stopped when they saw the little lamb.
"It's so cute!" Lisped five-year-old Elizabeth Shoe. She ran to lamb and began to pet it.
Four of the little boys followed Elizabeth's example and began to frolic around the lamb, laughing.
"James! Edward! Elizabeth! All of you get inside now!" Schoolmaster Kenneth growled. "Whose sheep is that?"
Lillian moved away from Mary and hurried into the one-room schoolhouse.
"Uh, it's-well-uh it's mine sir that is." Mary stuttered out.
"Send it on its way and get inside!"
Mary whacked the lamb gently and pushed it away. She grabbed Elizabeth's hand and little Jamie's too. "Come on, in we go."
Ten minutes later the class had all been seated and settled down and Schoolmaster Kenneth was writing on the board.
Lillian leaned over and whispered into Mary's ear, "I've thought of the ending to the poem about you and your sheep."
Mary shot a nervous glance at the schoolmaster then nodded. "What is it?"
"Mary had a little lamb, its fleece was white as snow. Everywhere that Mary went the lamb was sure to go." She paused and grinned. "It followed her to school one day, which was against the rules. It made the children laugh and play to see a lamb at school."
A small giggle escaped Mary.
Schoolmaster Kenneth whipped around and glared up at Mary and Lillian's row. He searched each face carefully. "Who laughed?" He asked in a low, dangerous voice. "What's funny?"
Mary's face paled.
Peter Piper leaned over slightly. "We're gonna get into trouble." He muttered to Lillian. "It's always our row because we're the oldest. Poor Mary." He said for it was easy to see Mary was the guilty party. She was pale and trembling having never been whipped in school in school before.
Schoolmaster Kenneth smiled when he saw Mary. "First you bring your stupid little pet lamb to school and then you laugh at me? Come down here now."
"I laughed." Lillian said loudly. Although Lillian could be nasty she was loyal and you couldn't look at Mary and not feel pity.
"What did you say?" The schoolmaster asked in disbelief.
Lillian tossed her head disdainfully. "I laughed at your pathetic attempt at teaching and then laughed harder when I noticed you bald spot."
Kenneth's hand flew to the back of his head to feel for a bald spot. "Get down here right now! Beast of a girl!"
Peter patted her back as Lillian walked past him.
She walked down to the schoolmaster and stared into the schoolmaster's eyes. "Did you want something?" Was her cold question.
"Just because you're in your last year here you laugh and make fun." He spat out. "Let me tell you something, you're going to go to that ball and the prince will laugh in your face and will refuse even a dance with you. You'll end up marrying someone like Peter the pumpkin eater and you'll end up locked in some pumpkin like his wife. In short, you'll be a nobody, a nothing, and I will be the one who'll laugh then." A short blip of laughter escaped him but Lillian continued to glare. She obviously hadn't been affected by his stirring insults.
"Is that all you have to say?" Lillian hissed.
"Oooh." The class taunted the schoolmaster in one voice.
"Hush! All of you!" Schoolmaster Kenneth snapped. He grabbed his yardstick and clenched it so tightly that his knuckles turned white. "I'm going to give you the worst whipping you ever had."
"Get on with it then." Lillian said, undaunted.
"I will!" The yardstick came down fast as lightning and caught her shoulder hard enough to bruise.
"Hey!" Peter jumped to his feet. "You can't beat a girl! Only their hands can get hit!"
"Shut up and sit down boy. This girls been begging for a beating all year!"
"I did it! I laughed!" Mary shrieked.
He ignored her and continued to hit Lillian.
Peter grabbed Jack Nimble's arm and they hurried down the aisle and pulled Schoolmaster Kenneth away from Lillian.
Lillian's cheek was red and bruising but she still glared. "I'm going home and I plan on writing the king and telling him how you teach."
Kenneth struggled but the boys held him fast.
Mary hurried down the aisle and hugged Lillian. "I'm sorry! I should have admitted it!"
Lillian patted her golden head then turned to the awestruck class. "Take the rest of the day off. You may go home or go to town."
"Can she do that?" Bethel asked her friends.
"Go home and tell your parents who teaches your kids." Lillian spat. "I would suggest that you go home, I'm leaving and so's Mary. Do you really want to stay here with the schoolmaster now that he's all riled up?"
Little Jamie stood. "I'm going home!"
Elizabeth followed him out the door along with Benjamin and Suzie. The lower class all followed after their friends and then the older kids followed their young siblings out too.