"I don't mean to be rude milady, but may I ask why you are spinning circles
and singing so merrily?" asked the servant girl, as she peeled potatoes in
the kitchen early the next morning of the banquet.
Laura lifted her foot up gracefully from under her skirts to reveal a beautiful satin slipper that was colored maroon. "What a lovely slipper," said the servant girl as she admired it, "but it is quite nothing to get so worked up about." Laura lifted her tiny finger and motioned for the servant girl to lean closer. "I have hundreds," Laura whispered then fell backwards onto the wooden floor laughing.
(The servant girl's POV)
I watched in great joyfulness when I heard Laura singing. Poor girl, always being pushed and pulled around like she doesn't have feelings. And of course her sister is a snobbish brat who throws herself at men, and for some odd reason her father is blind to it. But this was over the top joy. Laura was not walking in a straight line and she was acting so foolish. Maybe she is drunk. That is a very good possibility, but the poor girl will surely be beaten for it. I must send for her friend John. He can surely take care of it.
(John's POV)
At the sound of my name coming from the door I rushed to it a once. "It is quite alright Marley," I said to the servant girl as I pushed her aside, "I will take care of this."
I looked at the messenger. "Something for me?" I asked.
"You Jonathan E. Hardcastle?" asked the messenger.
"Yup, that's me," I said extending my hand for a letter.
"No letter sir, this is a spoken message," said the messenger.
"Oh," I replied, "go on then," I coaxed.
"Right then," said the messenger. "A Miss Jane Duise is a servant girl at the home of the fée Lutin's, she has requested that I come to you on account of which there is something wrong with a Miss Laura fée Lutin."
"Oh, thank you," I said tossing the man a coin and running out the door. Laura was hurt, maybe even sick; if anyone laid a finger on her oh they are going to get it I thought to myself as I ran towards Laura's house.
(Normal story - which is Laura's POV)
"Where am I?" I asked while trying to lift my head up, which to my surprise I could not do. From what I could tell I was lying in my bed and John was next to me. I gave him a weak a smile, and he grinned.
He wrapped me in a really tight hug and said, "Thank God you're alright. You really scared me," fear reflected in his eyes and I knew he meant it.
"What happened?" I asked once again trying to lift my head but then giving up and resting it once again on John's shoulder.
"You got drunk at the banquet last night," said John as he playfully rubbed my long auburn hair.
"LAURA WHERE ARE YOU?" called Ell obviously annoyed.
"Quick, hide," I said weakly to John, and he ran towards my closet. A couple of minutes later Ell came bursting through the door.
"Laura you lazy thick-headed little freak, get out of bed NOW! The King and Queen are having a ball to welcome their daughter Naomi, and their granddaughter Kaylee who are coming to visit. We need hours of preparation, of course. Let us begin our feminine pampering," said Ell extending her hand. Despite the fact that she was always sickeningly sweet when we were doing pampering, I pulled my hand away.
"Laura," Ell sighed coming to sit on my bed. "You want to look stunning or you will never get a man to be your husband," said Ell trying once again to coax me from my bed to her room. This time, although it hurt, I came with her. I walked weakly along Ell's side and surprisingly she didn't notice how tired and odd I was acting.
"I have to use the bathroom," I said to Ell once we were in her room.
"Fine, go," she replied her head in the clouds with the thought of fashion that brought her sheer bliss. I ran as fast as I could to my room, which was to my despair most of the time but not now only down the hall. I opened the closet door to find John with an amused look on his face. "Ell wants you to get a husband, huh Laura?" asked John mockingly referring to the comment Ell had made just 5 minutes ago. I giggled a little, John always new how to make me laugh.
"John," I said. "You have to get out or Ell will get us in so much trouble.
"Ta ta, milady." Said John pretending to tip his hat towards me.
"Go," I coaxed. And with that I swept out of the room. When I was back in Ell's room I knew I was in for torture. She had the works all spread out on her bead. There were wooden curlers, blush, skin oils, lipstick, powder, eyelash extender, and cotton balls. I guessed the cotton balls were for stuffing the top of my dress. "Alright," said Ell, let's get started.
As I entered the ball I felt like a dork. Ell had locked arms with me and if I wasn't keeping tall posture she pinched me hard with her long fingernails. My hair was piled on the top of my head, my face was white with powder, and deep red lipstick covered my lips. Ell led me to a two seats next to father and put me in the middle. I am always in the middle. I suppose it is because it is harder for me to slip away and Ell knows it. Ell may be fashion crazed but she was sly, cunning, and had a sharp eye for little things like this. Dinner came and I was forced to gulp down tomato soup. I was sure I didn't want to think about what would happen if I spilled it on my dress, so I leaned my neck as close to the bowl as possible.
"Your sister looks like a goose," sneered Diana, one of Ell's friends from next to Ell.
Ell elbowed me then whispered in the most threatening voice I had ever heard, "Don't embarrass me Ell, or it won't be pretty." I immediately I knew not to get on Ell's bad side that night, so I sat still until the dancing began. I was asked to dance by a few gentlemen, and finally to my relief I saw John.
"John," I said when I saw him.
"Would you like to dance?" he asked.
"Yeah, sure," I replied a little uncertain. John's normally amused mocking voice was gone and he acted as if he had never met me. I stared at him while we were dancing but he barely seemed to notice. I studied him for a while then it dawned on me. He was staring very clearly at Kaylee. "John, I can tell you are staring at Kaylee," I told him.
"No I am not," he shot back. I was scared with the way he was acting. Why was he yelling at me?
"Are we still friends?" I asked him nervously.
"If you keep getting into my business then maybe we shouldn't be," said John coldly. Tears were forming in my eyes. I yanked my hands away from his grasp and ran out of the great hall. Why was John acting so strange? I thought once I was in the library looking at books that I didn't understand until I heard people beginning to leave. I was about to stand up to go find father when John came into the room. I hid my head in my knees and tried to fight back tears.
"Laura..I..I didn't mean to act that way, I was to overprotective because I didn't want you to know that I had a crush on Kaylee." I tried to smile at him but I had been so scared.
"I was really scared," I told him my voice wobbly. He sat down next to me and smiled.
"Come on Laura you know you should never be scared of me, and if you are, tell me, and I will most likely snap back to reality. John put his hand around my waist, and tried to comfort me with his reassuring words. John always has a way with words. And for the rest eternity, or so it seemed, I laid my head on John's shoulder and cried.
Laura lifted her foot up gracefully from under her skirts to reveal a beautiful satin slipper that was colored maroon. "What a lovely slipper," said the servant girl as she admired it, "but it is quite nothing to get so worked up about." Laura lifted her tiny finger and motioned for the servant girl to lean closer. "I have hundreds," Laura whispered then fell backwards onto the wooden floor laughing.
(The servant girl's POV)
I watched in great joyfulness when I heard Laura singing. Poor girl, always being pushed and pulled around like she doesn't have feelings. And of course her sister is a snobbish brat who throws herself at men, and for some odd reason her father is blind to it. But this was over the top joy. Laura was not walking in a straight line and she was acting so foolish. Maybe she is drunk. That is a very good possibility, but the poor girl will surely be beaten for it. I must send for her friend John. He can surely take care of it.
(John's POV)
At the sound of my name coming from the door I rushed to it a once. "It is quite alright Marley," I said to the servant girl as I pushed her aside, "I will take care of this."
I looked at the messenger. "Something for me?" I asked.
"You Jonathan E. Hardcastle?" asked the messenger.
"Yup, that's me," I said extending my hand for a letter.
"No letter sir, this is a spoken message," said the messenger.
"Oh," I replied, "go on then," I coaxed.
"Right then," said the messenger. "A Miss Jane Duise is a servant girl at the home of the fée Lutin's, she has requested that I come to you on account of which there is something wrong with a Miss Laura fée Lutin."
"Oh, thank you," I said tossing the man a coin and running out the door. Laura was hurt, maybe even sick; if anyone laid a finger on her oh they are going to get it I thought to myself as I ran towards Laura's house.
(Normal story - which is Laura's POV)
"Where am I?" I asked while trying to lift my head up, which to my surprise I could not do. From what I could tell I was lying in my bed and John was next to me. I gave him a weak a smile, and he grinned.
He wrapped me in a really tight hug and said, "Thank God you're alright. You really scared me," fear reflected in his eyes and I knew he meant it.
"What happened?" I asked once again trying to lift my head but then giving up and resting it once again on John's shoulder.
"You got drunk at the banquet last night," said John as he playfully rubbed my long auburn hair.
"LAURA WHERE ARE YOU?" called Ell obviously annoyed.
"Quick, hide," I said weakly to John, and he ran towards my closet. A couple of minutes later Ell came bursting through the door.
"Laura you lazy thick-headed little freak, get out of bed NOW! The King and Queen are having a ball to welcome their daughter Naomi, and their granddaughter Kaylee who are coming to visit. We need hours of preparation, of course. Let us begin our feminine pampering," said Ell extending her hand. Despite the fact that she was always sickeningly sweet when we were doing pampering, I pulled my hand away.
"Laura," Ell sighed coming to sit on my bed. "You want to look stunning or you will never get a man to be your husband," said Ell trying once again to coax me from my bed to her room. This time, although it hurt, I came with her. I walked weakly along Ell's side and surprisingly she didn't notice how tired and odd I was acting.
"I have to use the bathroom," I said to Ell once we were in her room.
"Fine, go," she replied her head in the clouds with the thought of fashion that brought her sheer bliss. I ran as fast as I could to my room, which was to my despair most of the time but not now only down the hall. I opened the closet door to find John with an amused look on his face. "Ell wants you to get a husband, huh Laura?" asked John mockingly referring to the comment Ell had made just 5 minutes ago. I giggled a little, John always new how to make me laugh.
"John," I said. "You have to get out or Ell will get us in so much trouble.
"Ta ta, milady." Said John pretending to tip his hat towards me.
"Go," I coaxed. And with that I swept out of the room. When I was back in Ell's room I knew I was in for torture. She had the works all spread out on her bead. There were wooden curlers, blush, skin oils, lipstick, powder, eyelash extender, and cotton balls. I guessed the cotton balls were for stuffing the top of my dress. "Alright," said Ell, let's get started.
As I entered the ball I felt like a dork. Ell had locked arms with me and if I wasn't keeping tall posture she pinched me hard with her long fingernails. My hair was piled on the top of my head, my face was white with powder, and deep red lipstick covered my lips. Ell led me to a two seats next to father and put me in the middle. I am always in the middle. I suppose it is because it is harder for me to slip away and Ell knows it. Ell may be fashion crazed but she was sly, cunning, and had a sharp eye for little things like this. Dinner came and I was forced to gulp down tomato soup. I was sure I didn't want to think about what would happen if I spilled it on my dress, so I leaned my neck as close to the bowl as possible.
"Your sister looks like a goose," sneered Diana, one of Ell's friends from next to Ell.
Ell elbowed me then whispered in the most threatening voice I had ever heard, "Don't embarrass me Ell, or it won't be pretty." I immediately I knew not to get on Ell's bad side that night, so I sat still until the dancing began. I was asked to dance by a few gentlemen, and finally to my relief I saw John.
"John," I said when I saw him.
"Would you like to dance?" he asked.
"Yeah, sure," I replied a little uncertain. John's normally amused mocking voice was gone and he acted as if he had never met me. I stared at him while we were dancing but he barely seemed to notice. I studied him for a while then it dawned on me. He was staring very clearly at Kaylee. "John, I can tell you are staring at Kaylee," I told him.
"No I am not," he shot back. I was scared with the way he was acting. Why was he yelling at me?
"Are we still friends?" I asked him nervously.
"If you keep getting into my business then maybe we shouldn't be," said John coldly. Tears were forming in my eyes. I yanked my hands away from his grasp and ran out of the great hall. Why was John acting so strange? I thought once I was in the library looking at books that I didn't understand until I heard people beginning to leave. I was about to stand up to go find father when John came into the room. I hid my head in my knees and tried to fight back tears.
"Laura..I..I didn't mean to act that way, I was to overprotective because I didn't want you to know that I had a crush on Kaylee." I tried to smile at him but I had been so scared.
"I was really scared," I told him my voice wobbly. He sat down next to me and smiled.
"Come on Laura you know you should never be scared of me, and if you are, tell me, and I will most likely snap back to reality. John put his hand around my waist, and tried to comfort me with his reassuring words. John always has a way with words. And for the rest eternity, or so it seemed, I laid my head on John's shoulder and cried.