Disclaimer: See previous chapters

As we speak, I'm a little tipsy having been down the Student Union pub for a couple of hours.  I'm not sure how good this chapter's going to be as a result.  I apologise in advance.

Also, I think I should have planned this story out properly before I started writing.  I've got ideas for how it's going to end, but I haven't really got well thought out plans for the middle.  If any of you fancy helping with the content for the next few chapters, please feel free to comment and help me out.

Oh, plus, in this story, the two of them are 17.

Ellie xx

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Chapter 5 – Now What?

January 15th 1559

"As I said before, you cannot stay here," Elizabeth said.

"You're not going to have us executed, are you?" Gordo worried.

"Oh, bless you no!" The Queen replied, "But if you're going to stay here for any length of time, you'll have to get jobs of some description."

Lizzie and Gordo looked at each other in a worried fashion, then as one voice they said "But we don't want to stay here for any length of time."

"Well I don't have the right technology to send you back, and to my knowledge there are no other historical sightseers here."  Elizabeth replied,  "Though I can help you out with the jobs.  You, girl, can be my chamber-maid and your friend can be one of the servants for the kitchens.  The next few weeks are going to be busy with banquets for my coronation so you can work hard there."

Gordo and Lizzie gave a resigned sigh, both thinking that it couldn't be all that bad… Could it?

January 22nd 1559

A week later and the two of them were beginning to realise how wrong they were.  After the initial kindness of the Queen, she was turning out to be a bothersome and tiring employee.  They each earned very little money, and they didn't get to see enough of each other to make them even vaguely happy.  A huge banquet was planned for all the high-ranking court officials in London that night.  Gordo was being worked to the bone, and Lizzie was having to scrub all the bedrooms in the castle in order to make them habitable. 

'Phew,' Lizzie thought, 'I'm so glad we have indoor plumbing back home.  These bedrooms stink.'  In the Tudor era, bedrooms in large castles had an outdoor box; with a tube coming out of the bottom (I'll let you use your imagination there).  Ladies used to hang their dresses in these garderobes in order to keep the moths away.

"Psst." Lizzie heard a noise behind her, and turned around quickly to see Gordo peering around the corner of the door at her.

"Gordo!" She cried, so excited to see him, "Where have you been?  I've not seen you for days!" 

"I've been stuck in the kitchens helping to prepare food for the last couple of days.  When we get home I'm going to pay more attention in Home Economics." Gordo complained.

"I've missed you," Lizzie said, her hands clasped together, looking shyly at her fellow time-traveller.  She closed the distance between the pair of them and kissed him with passion neither of them had felt before.  Shocked, Gordo did nothing for a few seconds, and then he pulled her closer towards him and returned the passion.  All of a sudden a loud shout of "BOY!" came from the kitchens.

"I have to go," Gordo said, not relishing the prospect of returning to the toil of the Tudor kitchen.

"Lizzie.  There's something I've been meaning to say for years.  I… I love you Lizzie."  With that he ran out of the room and towards the kitchen.

Lizzie collapsed on the bed she had been making, feeling immense happiness, even though they were stuck thousands of miles and hundreds of years from home.

To be Continued…

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Thanks for reading.

Ellie

Xx