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Brittany stirred, as something hard connected cruelly with her ribcage. Batting away the un wanted distraction, and trying to ignore the late morning sunlight filtering in through her bedroom window, she rolled over and attempted to slip back into the peaceful slumber she had just moments earlier. Her efforts were soon interrupted as again, something hard poked her, this time in the back.
Reluctantly she opened one eye, and was slightly startled by the sight before her.
All crowded around her bedside were her step-mother, Jesse and Lauren, and in her step-mother's hand was a broom, the sweeping end pointed in her direction, and soon Brittany realised it had been the source of the prodding that had lead to her untimely awakening.
Seeing Brittany's eyes had opened, Terry took a step closer to the bed, "Are you sick?" she questioned, her tone was harsh and cold, if she was truly concerned for the girls welfare it did not show.
"No...I mean yes," Brittany quickly corrected herself.
"And where in the kingdom's name have you been?" Jesse questioned, without giving her any time to reply he continued, "You were gone all night! Sneaking in like a thief at dawn."
Brittany's still sleep addled brain scrambled wildly for an excuse; "I got lost" she finally managed, to which the Marquis immediately raised an eyebrow.
"I do not believe you child" she stated simply, her glare felt penetrating as it swept Brittany's face, searching for a tell of her dishonesty. Silence hung heavy in the room for a few moments.
"Come now, out of bed" Jesse finally demanded, to which Terry nodded in agreement, but instead of complying Brittany remained where she was, "I think I'll rest a while longer" she spoke up, surprising even herself.
"Rest?" Jesse questioned, as if she's just suggested she was going to run around the town in her undergarments, "Who will make our breakfast?" he cried.
"You have two hands" Brittany shot back calmly, "You can make it yourself". She had no idea why she was finally standing up to her step-mother and Jesse, but for some reason it just seemed to have happened, it felt right. Her self-confidence was through the roof, and she had a feeling it was to do with the night she had shared with the princess...the mere thought of whom made her heart flutter.
Spending time with Santana had taken Brittany back to her childhood, back to happier days, when she was doted upon by her father, and treated as an heir to Tubbington Manor, rather than a servant to tend to it. The feeling of safety she felt when she was in the princess's arms was something she had thought she could never experience again after the death of her father. Brittany felt her spirits soar as she let herself remember the way Santana had held her so tightly, kissed her so gently, and treated her with so much respect.
"Lauren, go and boil some eggs" Terry instructed, and the burly girl looked flabbergasted, before stomping off to do as she was asked. The Marquis and Jesse stayed a moment longer, simply glaring at Brittany as if waiting for her to crack. When she did not, Terry turned swiftly on her heel and left, promptly followed by a grumbling Jesse.
As her family left the room Brittany collapsed back against her pillows her eyes instantly closing once more. She knew for certain that the little display that had just transpired would not be the end of the matter, but for now, she was content to just pretend all was well, and lay in bed a little longer, Lord Tubbington curled at her side, as she slipped back into dreams of her beautiful princess.
A few hours later, Brittany was once again rudely awoken, this time by a frantic Emma, "Mistress, you'd better get up and make haste to your step-mother's chambers!" she cried, as she whipped the covers back off of the half-asleep girl, and hurried thrust her work dress into her hands.
Brittany was about to protest, but seeing the urgency in her friend's eyes she simply did as she was asked, barely having time to ask what going on, as Emma shooed her hurriedly towards the stairs, before giving her one last warning look and hurrying off.
As she ascended the spiral staircase, Brittany could clearly hear the voices of the Marquis and Jesse above her, although what they were saying was still unclear. As she transcended the last stair, and stepped into the doorway of Terry's room, she felt her jaw drop, and a hot anger begin to burn in her stomach at what she saw.
Noticing they had company, Jesse guiltily gawped at Brittany, searching for something to say, before the Marquis quickly jumped in, "Ah, there you are, I see you have finally decided to grace us with you presence" she appraised, looking her up and down in disgust.
"What are you doing with my Father's suit?" Brittany questioned, her eyes never leaving the garments that Jesse was holding up to his chest, "I haven't been granted a dress to wear yet, and we agreed on a trade."
"You really think after this morning's little performance you would still be accompanying us to the ball?" Terry asked cruelly, and Brittany could feel her heart sinking.
"If I shall not be loaning a dress, then he" she spat, gesturing to Jesse who was looking sheepish, half-way behind his Mother, "Shall not be wearing my father's suit" she declared, lunging to grab her Father's dress shoes that lay on the floor waiting to be polished.
"Give those back!" Jesse commanded, suddenly coming to life, as his perfect outfit for the ball was threatened.
"These are my Father's shoes!" Brittany exclaimed, unable to comprehend how the boy could know that, and still think she would allow a wretch like him to borrow them. "How do you think it is right…All these games and tricks, your pursuit of the throne? To hunt the princess as if she is game…because it is not! You shall not do it in these shoes, they belong to me, and they were my Father's who was a million times the man you shall ever hope to be!"
"And your Father is dead!" Jesse spat out cruelly, his lips twisting into a malicious smirk, his eyes full of goading.
Brittany saw red. It was all she could do, not to drop the precious shoes as she stormed over to Jesse, raised a fist and punched him square in the jaw. The blow sent him hurtling backwards, the backs of his knees colliding with the Marquis's bed, before he landed flat upon in, then his feet came up over his head, and he flipped again until he was on the ground at the other side of the piece of furniture.
"M-m-mother" Jesse stuttered out, but it was already to late, Brittany was hurtling towards him again, and it was all he could do to spring to his feet and run out of the room, hastily descending the staircase at a break-neck speed. Brittany pelted after him, "I will make you sorry you said that!" she screamed in a rage, as she forced her long legs to carry her faster, gaining on her step-brother with each stride.
The blonde was close enough to Jesse that she could have grabbed him by the shirt tails, as the pair came barrelling into the lower reading room, however the blonde stopped mid-grab, her fingers retreating to catch only air, as she pulled them back.
Standing in front of her Jesse snarled, the beginnings of a nasty bruise already forming around his left eye from the earlier blow, in his hand, he held Brittany's copy of 'Feline Diseases', which he had snatched up from it's place on the armchair next to a still sleeping Lord Tubbington.
"Jesse, please no!" Brittany cried, as the boy shifted slightly, until he was holding the book over the roaring flames of the open fireplace. "Your Father's shoes, or his book?" he questioned cruelly.
The Marquis and Lauren burst into the room at that moment, and Lauren gasped aloud at what she saw. The book was the last gift Brittany had every received from her Father, and everyone at the manor knew it was her most prized possession.
Reluctantly, her heart heavy in her chest, Brittany dropped her head and handed over the shoes. Though she really did not wish to see Jesse in her Father's suit, at the ball, she would simply die if she lost 'Feline Diseases' it was one of the only things in the world that made her feel close to her deceased parent.
As Jesse's fingers closed around the shoes, and his face lit up in triumph, Brittany knew she had made a mistake. "Jesse, don't!" Lauren cried from the other side of the room, rushing forward in an attempt to stop her brother, as he opened his hand and dropped 'Feline Diseases' into the flames, Brittany's cry of anguish filling the room. Lauren reached the other girl, just in time to grab her securely around the waist and hold her against her struggles, keeping her away from the fire, as she sobbed, and reached out, for her last and greatest memento of her Father.
"Pull yourself together child, then I shall meet you in the courtyard" the Marquis instructed, her voice cold, her face a mask, totally void of any emotion. "It is a shame about your silly book, but you brought all of this upon yourself, and you are owed a lashing for your behaviour" she stated, before turning on her heel and storming off, Jesse following triumphantly behind.
Brittany barely heard the words that had been spoken to her, a lashing meant nothing, she wondered how anything would ever mean anything again now that her Father's book was gone.
"I'm sorry Brittany" Lauren stated quietly, letting the other girl go, before she too turned and left, leaving the blonde alone to watch the last of her prized possession crumble into ash, then nothingness in the fire place.
An hour later, Brittany buried her face deeper into the blankets of her bed, the physical pain she felt numbing her to her emotional turmoil. The lashing she had just experienced had been one of the worst of her life, though she had refused to let it show, refused to give her step-mother the satisfaction of hearing her cry out as she delivered blow after agonizing blow.
The blonde hissed in pain, as Lauren gently pulled the fabric of her dress away from her bloody back, reopening some of the wounds that had just started to scab. Brittany had been surprised, when her step-sister had crept quietly into her box room, finding her lying on her stomach on her bed, paralysed with pain, and had offered to tend to her injuries. Brittany had always known Lauren was not as cruel or callous as her Mother and Brother, but she had never expected such a gesture of kindness from the girl.
"You brought this on yourself you know" Lauren stated, half-heartedly, wincing as she pressed a rum soaked strip of flannel onto her step-sister's bloodied back. Brittany flinched at the stinging pain that shot through her, causing her to grit her teeth and tears to leak from her eyes though she said nothing.
"Though Jesse should not have said what he did about your Father" Lauren continued, chatting as she worked, in the hopes of distracting the both of them from the task at hand. "It was rather amusing the way his feet flew up over his head like that when you hit him, and Mothers face!" she exclaimed, causing them both to giggle, until Brittany cried out in pain.
"I have not been the best sister to you" Lauren admitted, her voice so soft that Brittany barely picked out the words, "I don't always agree with Mother and Jesse, in fact the older I get the less I agree with them, yet I find myself caught up with it all…" she trailed off.
"It's okay" Brittany tried to keep the pain from seeping into her voice, "You're here now, and I truly appreciate that, so thank you."
"May I ask you something?" Lauren ventured, hoping Brittany didn't hear the waver in her voice as she tried to gather her courage, "What do you know of love?"
"Love is a wonderful thing" Brittany replied, smiling through her tears as pain continued to wrack her body, an image of Santana filling her mind. "It can both liberate or break a person, imprison them or set them free."
"And how does one know if what they feel is love, or if someone even feels for them at all?" Lauren asked tentatively.
"Well that would depend who the two suitors were" Brittany informed her, wondering where the conversation was going.
"I heard one of the courtiers at the market, saying the Princess Santana's guard, Noah Puckerman, was a fine stamp of man" Lauren lied, hoping she could get the answers she need without giving away her secret, "But how would that courtier know if he too thought she was a fine specimen of a woman?"
"Well, she could tell by the way he looks at her" Brittany answered honestly, picturing Santana the previous evening, her face illuminated by the dying firelight, adoration and love written in her expression. "Perhaps she should also endeavour to know him better, find out his likes and dislikes, spend time in his company. If she does this, and he is truly her match, then she will simply know" Brittany explained, a little amused by the fact that her step-sister had feelings for Santana's feisty guard, the Princess had told her a few stories about the man, and from what she had learned the pair were much like brother and sister themselves.
"I see" Lauren replied non-committedly, as she placed the last poultice, and stood from her perch on the end of the bed. "Thank you Brittany", she said sincerely, "I hope you feel better, and I am truly sorry for the way Jesse and my Mother have treated you."
"Thank you Lauren" Brittany replied, her mouth twisting into a heartfelt smile, enjoying the sense of family she had not experienced in so long.
Oblivious to the happenings back at Tubbington Manor, the Marquis and Jesse had left shortly after the former exacted Brittany's punishment, and headed to the palace for their meeting with the Queen.
The three of them were currently seated under a large parasol on the lawn of one of the expansive palace gardens, servants ensuring their cups were never empty and bringing them a delicious supply of fresh cream cakes as they chatted pleasantly, Terry deciding that this was a life she could certainly grow accustomed to.
"I cannot believe how courageous you were to save a baby from a run-away horse" the Queen gushed over Jesse, gesturing to his rapidly blackening eye.
"It was merely a paternal instinct Majesty" Jesse lied, earning him an even broader smile from the noble woman.
Queen Maria Lopez loved her only daughter dearly, and she did not wish for her to suffer an arranged marriage to just any man her father deemed fit or profitable enough. She was over the moon when the girl's father had acquiesced, giving his daughter 5 days to find a suitor of her own.
It wasn't that the Queen didn't have faith in her daughter, she just knew that finding the kind of love Santana sought in just 5 days was nigh on impossible, so she was meeting with the Marquis and Jesse as a precaution. The boy seemed pleasant enough - he had after all returned her priceless locket and now saved a baby from a horrific fate, and the Queen decided that thought he was not her 'true love' her daughter may as well be wed to someone whom they at least knew to be kind and gallant. She had absolutely no idea how her daughter's quest for love was going, as the girl had been very tight-lipped concerning the subject, in fact all that the Queen had heard her daughter speak of, of late, was the Courtier Brittany Von Gent.
Returning from her thoughts, the queen addressed her visitors, "Do either of you know the courtier Brittany Susan Von Gent?" She enquired, curious to learn more about the woman her daughter spoke so highly of.
Terry could barely believe what has just come out of her Majesty's royal mouth, hoping she was mistaken in her assumptions, but eager to learn more she replied, "I do believe I may indeed."
The Queen's face lit up with excitement - finally she was to learn more about the elusive woman that her daughter had befriended. "Santana speaks of no one else" she confided, "She was gone all of last night, returning only at dawn, my guess would be that she was with this courtier - the two have become quite firm friends it seems."
That was enough to confirm Terry's suspicions and she worked hard to keep the emotion from her face as she pondered over what to say next.
"How do you know of her?" The Queen questioned, Terry flailed for a second before replying, "As a matter of fact Majesty, the girl is staying with us at present, isn't that right Darling?" She asked giving Jesse a pointed look.
Utterly confused but knowing better than to second-guess his Mother, he stumbled over his reply, "Y-yes, she is a, erm, a distant cousin" he forced out, shooting his mother a confused and pleading stare.
"Whom you like to call Cinderella" the Marquis clarified, seeing the horror she felt mirrored on her sons face as he put together the pieces and realized that the 'courtier' was in fact Brittany, 'Von Gent' being her mother's maiden name.
Jesse startled his company as he jumped up from his seat, almost upturning the table in the process, ran a few paces away then let out an angry scream, stomping his feet and wringing his hands - barely able to believe what he had just heard.
When he returned to the table a few seconds later, the Queen surveyed him with concerned eyes, "Why child, what ever is the matter?" She questioned.
"There was a bee" Jesse replied simply, in a placid voice that made his earlier outburst seem unlikely to ever have happened, before he returned to sipping his tea - still in a state of shock, as the Queen and Marquis continued their conversation.
In that moment Terry hatched a plan to remedy the whole situation, and leaning forward in a conspiratory fashion she began to tell the Queen the lies that she needed her to believe if Jesse's place on the throne was to be salvaged.