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Mary POV
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I screeched and flung both arms around Bo. She giggled in return. "I can't believe WE were invited!" she squealed. We laughed foolishly together and collapsed on the bright grass, clutching our invites.
A few moments later, Vermin was standing over us. "Hello, Bo," he said. She sat up and smiled. "Hello!" she replied brightly, contrasting his gloomy look. "I see you were invited to the ball," he continued.
"Yes! Isn't it positively wonderful?"
"I suppose so."
"Of course, I'll have to plot my dress."
"I suppose you will."
He tried to smile, but his mouth ended up twisting into a grimace of intense homeliness. Bo sighed. "Were you invited?" she asked stupidly.
"No."
I glowered at Bo for her rudeness. "It won't be that great anyways," I offered, turning back to Vermin/Jocelyn. He shrugged. "I wouldn't want to go anyways, you know. The king wouldn't be able to resist plunging a dagger into my back. And it isn't likely the prince is going to marry ME."
Bo giggled frivolously, and I grinned. "You never know," Bo continued, and sent all of us into mad laughter. I stood up, helping Bo to join me. "And Piper isn't going either," I told him.
In reply, he grinned slyly. "So the story goes," he replied. I raised one of my eyebrows. "Pardon?" I asked. He smiled. "She and I are planning something for Lord Thornytoad," he replied, joy written all over his face. I smiled nervously in return. "Good luck!"
Bo looked jealous that someone else was receiving all of Vermin/Jocelyn's attention. And I decided that using both names had gone on long enough. I seriously needed to find out what name he preferred.
"Um-can I ask you something?" I asked. He shrugged. "Of course."
"Which name do you prefer?" I questioned. He paused, chewing on the inside of his cheek and staring off into the distance. I wondered if he was watching his fellow countrymen, who were working in the fields. Or maybe his eyes were fixed on the food in the king's orchards. He turned back to me. "I suppose you should continue to call me Vermin," he told me, "The king would be livid if he knew that I told anyone my real name." I could understand that logic. King Dashing hated Vermin as it was; he did not need much of an extra cause to torment him. "Yes, we do not need to give him any more reason to loathe you," I agreed.
He smiled. "Not that I didn't like you calling me by my real name," he said, a hint of nostalgia in his expression. Bo grinned. "And not that we didn't like calling you by your first name," she added.
"Bah!" she cried, as if suddenly remembering something. She grabbed an apple from her pocket. Bo had pockets all over her apron; it was actually quite ridiculous. "There! I almost forgot it," she said, offering the food to Vermin. He took it happily and beamed at her. Well, it was a rather dirty beam, but still a smile. She grinned in return. "Sorry I forgot it last week," she mumbled. He shrugged. "That's fine. It was worth the wait." He took a bite of it ecstatically. Bo laughed and began to tell him about some instance with her stupid sheep. They plopped down on the grass and fell into conversation.
I trotted away to find Piper. What exactly were those two planning? Vermin HATED Lord Thornytoad. I hoped she knew that.
I entered the castle through the kitchen door, as Piper was constantly trying to weasel food out of the kitchen lad that was sweet on her. But instead of finding Piper, I found Lady Malifice. She was alone in the kitchens, probably because the royal family was having dinner at the time, and all the servants stood at attention along the walls while they dined. She was standing over the cauldron, murmuring some words. The pot was glowing green.
"Little brat," she muttered, oblivious to my presence, "The PRINCESS Aurora. Bah! She and that Rapunzel are going down!" She threw another cloud of shimmering dust into the pot and flung her arms into the air. "SHOW ME AURUORA'S TRUE LOVE!" she screeched.
"Make me," the pot snapped in reply. Lady Malifice dropped her outstretched arms. "Excuse me?" she asked, raising a carved eyebrow. The pot replied again, "Make me!" Lady Malifice's hands tightened into threatening fists. "When I tell you to do something, you do it," she ordered. Any such command would have frightened servants out of their wits. But I suppose kitchen appliances are oblivious.
"No! You made me smell like horse dung!"
"Would you like to become horse dung, cheeky?"
"Make me!"
Lady Malifice looked a little confused, to say the least. But she was not discouraged in the least. "I AM THE FAIRY DELPHI CORONA, POT!! CARE TO CROSS ME AGAIN?!" she bellowed. The pot sent an image sailing into the air. It featured a handsome blonde young man with blue eyes. He was sitting in an inn up the road from the castle, talking to another man, a dark-haired one whose eyes were shrouded, but twinkling. He looked awfully sad, staring into his ale with glistening eyes. The dark-haired man was trying to comfort him, but he was quite brokenhearted.
"Tell me his name," Lady Malifice hissed, "That I may kill him."
Kill him?! I decided that right about now would be time to intervene.
"My - my lady?" I stammered, pretending that I had recently arrived from outside. She whirled around and snapped her fingers. The handsome man's face disappeared and a thick stew appeared in the pot. "Yes, dear?" she replied, smiling falsely. "Oh, nothing, milady," I replied docilely, "I just needed to get through."
She grinned, eyebrow twitching, and allowed me passage. As soon as I was out, I knew what I had to do. I had to find Aurora.
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A/N: Hehe. Thanks so much for all your reviews! You guys are the best! *claps excitedly* Hope you liked this chapter!
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Mary POV
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I screeched and flung both arms around Bo. She giggled in return. "I can't believe WE were invited!" she squealed. We laughed foolishly together and collapsed on the bright grass, clutching our invites.
A few moments later, Vermin was standing over us. "Hello, Bo," he said. She sat up and smiled. "Hello!" she replied brightly, contrasting his gloomy look. "I see you were invited to the ball," he continued.
"Yes! Isn't it positively wonderful?"
"I suppose so."
"Of course, I'll have to plot my dress."
"I suppose you will."
He tried to smile, but his mouth ended up twisting into a grimace of intense homeliness. Bo sighed. "Were you invited?" she asked stupidly.
"No."
I glowered at Bo for her rudeness. "It won't be that great anyways," I offered, turning back to Vermin/Jocelyn. He shrugged. "I wouldn't want to go anyways, you know. The king wouldn't be able to resist plunging a dagger into my back. And it isn't likely the prince is going to marry ME."
Bo giggled frivolously, and I grinned. "You never know," Bo continued, and sent all of us into mad laughter. I stood up, helping Bo to join me. "And Piper isn't going either," I told him.
In reply, he grinned slyly. "So the story goes," he replied. I raised one of my eyebrows. "Pardon?" I asked. He smiled. "She and I are planning something for Lord Thornytoad," he replied, joy written all over his face. I smiled nervously in return. "Good luck!"
Bo looked jealous that someone else was receiving all of Vermin/Jocelyn's attention. And I decided that using both names had gone on long enough. I seriously needed to find out what name he preferred.
"Um-can I ask you something?" I asked. He shrugged. "Of course."
"Which name do you prefer?" I questioned. He paused, chewing on the inside of his cheek and staring off into the distance. I wondered if he was watching his fellow countrymen, who were working in the fields. Or maybe his eyes were fixed on the food in the king's orchards. He turned back to me. "I suppose you should continue to call me Vermin," he told me, "The king would be livid if he knew that I told anyone my real name." I could understand that logic. King Dashing hated Vermin as it was; he did not need much of an extra cause to torment him. "Yes, we do not need to give him any more reason to loathe you," I agreed.
He smiled. "Not that I didn't like you calling me by my real name," he said, a hint of nostalgia in his expression. Bo grinned. "And not that we didn't like calling you by your first name," she added.
"Bah!" she cried, as if suddenly remembering something. She grabbed an apple from her pocket. Bo had pockets all over her apron; it was actually quite ridiculous. "There! I almost forgot it," she said, offering the food to Vermin. He took it happily and beamed at her. Well, it was a rather dirty beam, but still a smile. She grinned in return. "Sorry I forgot it last week," she mumbled. He shrugged. "That's fine. It was worth the wait." He took a bite of it ecstatically. Bo laughed and began to tell him about some instance with her stupid sheep. They plopped down on the grass and fell into conversation.
I trotted away to find Piper. What exactly were those two planning? Vermin HATED Lord Thornytoad. I hoped she knew that.
I entered the castle through the kitchen door, as Piper was constantly trying to weasel food out of the kitchen lad that was sweet on her. But instead of finding Piper, I found Lady Malifice. She was alone in the kitchens, probably because the royal family was having dinner at the time, and all the servants stood at attention along the walls while they dined. She was standing over the cauldron, murmuring some words. The pot was glowing green.
"Little brat," she muttered, oblivious to my presence, "The PRINCESS Aurora. Bah! She and that Rapunzel are going down!" She threw another cloud of shimmering dust into the pot and flung her arms into the air. "SHOW ME AURUORA'S TRUE LOVE!" she screeched.
"Make me," the pot snapped in reply. Lady Malifice dropped her outstretched arms. "Excuse me?" she asked, raising a carved eyebrow. The pot replied again, "Make me!" Lady Malifice's hands tightened into threatening fists. "When I tell you to do something, you do it," she ordered. Any such command would have frightened servants out of their wits. But I suppose kitchen appliances are oblivious.
"No! You made me smell like horse dung!"
"Would you like to become horse dung, cheeky?"
"Make me!"
Lady Malifice looked a little confused, to say the least. But she was not discouraged in the least. "I AM THE FAIRY DELPHI CORONA, POT!! CARE TO CROSS ME AGAIN?!" she bellowed. The pot sent an image sailing into the air. It featured a handsome blonde young man with blue eyes. He was sitting in an inn up the road from the castle, talking to another man, a dark-haired one whose eyes were shrouded, but twinkling. He looked awfully sad, staring into his ale with glistening eyes. The dark-haired man was trying to comfort him, but he was quite brokenhearted.
"Tell me his name," Lady Malifice hissed, "That I may kill him."
Kill him?! I decided that right about now would be time to intervene.
"My - my lady?" I stammered, pretending that I had recently arrived from outside. She whirled around and snapped her fingers. The handsome man's face disappeared and a thick stew appeared in the pot. "Yes, dear?" she replied, smiling falsely. "Oh, nothing, milady," I replied docilely, "I just needed to get through."
She grinned, eyebrow twitching, and allowed me passage. As soon as I was out, I knew what I had to do. I had to find Aurora.
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A/N: Hehe. Thanks so much for all your reviews! You guys are the best! *claps excitedly* Hope you liked this chapter!
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