Chapter 45: The matter with Daniel
At last I got this one up and going. I can't believe how long this one took me, just the ending was a nightmare to make. Sometimes, it seems like even though I have the plan all in my head, it's so hard to build up around it.
In this chapter you'll see the reason for the existence of many of my OC's. And I'll bring up a topic that I can't believe they didn't bring up sooner in the series. Anyway, I hope you'll find the chapter informing. And: new OC introduction.
BTW, sorry this one got so long, but I needed all these events in one piece.
The garden was completely in bloom and the sun was shining brightly from a sky that had only a few clouds to regulate the shade. The clear weather made the colors of the rosebushes glow, the hortensias flourish and the climbing clematises shine. But It wasn't the lovely flowers that was the focus of the attention of the red striped cat that hid himself in between the hortensia branches. Caterpillar was completely focused on a creature before him, a little mouse that didn't seem to be aware of his existence, something that fitted the red striped cat perfectly at the moment.
The cat stayed all silent as he watched the prey as it cleaned it's own whiskers, it's back turned from him and ignorant of the danger that was incoming. Caterpillar lowered his smooth body, laid all still as his back legs moved up and down slightly, preparing for a jump.
He would have made this jump and made a successful breakfast; hadn't it been for voices suddenly approaching.
The mouse caught the sounds of a human man and a women, mostly the woman, speaking loudly, and, still unaware of the cat nearby, it got alert and ran off before Caterpillar managed to react. Disturbed, the cat blinked and turned his head towards the sound and peeked it's head out of the bush to see who had interrupted his breakfast.
"No, I swear on my life, I didn't see him do that." Jonas said as he and Annabelle walked across the garden towards the blower beds. "You know perfectly well that Daniel has a way to do things right under our noses."
Annabelle didn't seem the least satisfied with his answer. "But really, you were three people with him, along with that butler who…"
"Butler?" Jonas arched an eyebrow pondering a moment before he realized. "Oh, you mean Nigel! He is no butler. He's the King's personal advisor."
"Well, he could have made use of himself rather than just standing… Ugh! Get is away! SHOO! SHOO!" she suddenly cried out loud and started to draw away.
"What?" Jonas looked around, but saw no one, but then he looked downwards towards the hortensias bushes and discovered a red striped cat looking up at them with curious, green eyes. "Oh, it's just a cat. It's nothing to worry about."
Caterpillar on the other hand didn't erase Annabelle's concern when he lowered his ears and growled threatening at them.
"Ah, it's going to attack me!" Annabelle screamed, sounding frightened.
"Now, he doesn't want to harm you. Let's just go and leave him alone." Jonas said, wrapping an arm around her and gently leading her away.
"But it could have given me scratches, or even torn up my dress." Annabelle looked back at he cat to ensure that it didn't follow them. "Why are they even keeping a cat here?"
"Probably preventing mice and rats from entering our bedrooms." Jonas said lightly with a smile. When he saw that it didn't work, he changed the subject. "Darling, are you still upset because of yesterday."
She looked at him with big upset eyes. "I feel I have the right. After all, we came with the most wonderful news ever! Don't you feel the same way?"
"Of course I do, my love, of course. But…" He stopped and took her hands in his. "Until we are married, I have yet to claim my right to express myself the same way. And right now there are too many things to think about. Remember what is expected of my brother? And of Daniel, not the least?"
Annabelle huffed and looked away. "That little imp will never be capable of performing the duties of a King!"
Jonas looked down a moment. "It is true that he has a long way to go, and therefore he needs us to help him. You know that he listens more to me than my brother, and therefore they depend on me." He pulled her closer and lowered his voice as he gently led her chin with a his fingers towards himself, locked his green eyes at her brown, making her blush as he got so close that their noses almost touched eachother.
"And our wedding will be grand, Annabelle. Remember how the Kingdom is suffering right now? With the black rocks and everything? A wedding will be just what they'll need right now. It will be the wedding of the century. Maybe… even better than when Princess Rapunzel eventually will marry."
Annabelle sighed and smiled sensually, softening immediately. "That is true. After all…" she looked at him with half closed eyes, letting her hand slide down one of his long sideburns. "I have made a far better catch than she has. You may be just an illegitimate one, but all she caught was a lousy wanted criminal."
"Hehe…" chuckled, suddenly a little insecure, but quickly found back to himself and grabbed her head in both hands and kissed her.
Caterpillar watched the two humans from distance, glaring at them, still with his ears down and growling low to himself. He had his hunt disturbed by them approaching, and he wasn't very satisfied. The cat made a silent wow to himself to keep her in mind for the future.
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In the main living room where the royalties would either have tea with guests or sit in private on the afternoon or spend the evening in front of the open fire, there was a tight and tense atmosphere. Present in the room was the Queen herself, sitting in a comfortable chair near the fireplace. Standing before her was Prince Lars and his young son, Prince Daniel.
Daniel wasn't being very comfortable near the Queen. He stood up straight, but he didn't face her, only kept his face downwards and his brown eyes fixed on his boots, his fists were tied at both sides. His father stood behind him with both hands on his shoulders that were to look supporting, but in real they were holding him in a grip that was warning him to not cause any trouble.
The truth was that Lars was being even more uncomfortable than his son was. The tight grip was an insurance to make sure to keep Daniel at leech, but it was also because he was terrified. Even though Daniel had more than a good reason to be angered the other day, as he had been himself, he had learned of Daniel's improper attitude towards the Queen, and right now he feared he would do something like this again and embarrass them both.
But Arianna wasn't acting strict towards him. To avoid worrying him, she remained seated and smiled at him. When she spoke, she sounded certain, but gentle.
"Alright, Daniel. I suppose, when we first met yesterday, you were most likely a little tired after the long journey. So, we shall not talk about what happened. But I hope we can be friends from now on. Do you think we can get along? Hm?"
She smiled to him, and she didn't sound angry, But Daniel had a little issue with facing her anyway, knowing perfectly well that he had crossed the line the previous day. He managed to look up, but he kept flicking his huge, brown eyes.
"I'm sure Daniel wants to be friends in time. Right, Daniel?" Lars bent down to face his son.
"Hm." Daniel shrugged, not looking up.
"Good!" the Queen said, changing the subject. "Now listen, Daniel. Your father must have told you what's going to happen in the future? Do you know why you are here now?"
"Uhm… Sure…" the boy mumbled. "Uncle Jonas and Annabelle is gonna marry."
"Yes, that too. But…" Lars bent down and said next to him. "…there is something else too, right?"
Daniel didn't respond to this, only looked away, making a low, moaning sound.
Arianna broke in, speaking steady and solid. "Daniel… You probably know that we have a daughter, Princess Rapunzel, and that she was taken away many years ago. You have probably heard that story, haven't you?"
"Yeah." Daniel replied, suddenly looking up. "But she came back, right?"
"Yes, she came back a year ago." Arianna replied.
"Then why isn't she here?" the boy demanded to know.
Arianna felt that she had trouble keeping her smile as she went on. "You see… After she returned, something happened, and Rapunzel had to suddenly go on a very important journey, and... she may not come back."
"But why?"
Arianna suddenly had to blink a few times. All of a sudden, this realization made it's way through to her mind, at the most unfitting time. The thought of her daughter not returning, no matter what the reason... No! She couldn't give into this now. Drawing her breath deeply and slow, like she would always do to remain calm as years of practice had taught her, she faced the boy again.
"Because Corona has a big issue right now. Have you seen all the sharp, black rocks all over?"
"Yes!" The boy suddenly seemed a bit interested. "They were so long, and they're all over! Dad told me not to touch them."
Arianna nodded. "That was right of him. These rocks are dangerous. And have you also heard that Rapunzel has very long, golden hair?"
"Uhm-hm." The boy replied. "But what's that got to do with it?"
"Well, her hair is magical. And somehow, she's going to figure out if she can get rid of the rocks with that magic. This might mean that she… won't come back." Arianna took a break where she swallowed and took a deep breath again.
I thought I had prepared myself for this, but I… No Ari! Stay calm. You can do this...
"And if she doesn't, this means someone else must take over as ruler of Corona after your uncle, King Frederic." Arianna looked at him. "And this… must be you, Daniel!"
"But why can't just Dad do it?" Daniel complained. "He's a Prince, and he's older than me."
"He's not related to your uncle Frederic. Your mother was his cousin, and that makes you the closest heir to the throne after Rapunzel. But your father is going to help you, and so will we. You don't have to be afraid."
"But... I don't want to... Owtch!" Daniel wined when his father's grip on his shoulders got tighter.
"Daniel, we have talked about this, and we agreed..." Lars begun, but he was interrupted by Daniel suddenly turned his face down to his left shoulder, placed his teeth around his father's fingers and tightened his jaws in a strong bite, causing him to cry out loud.
"NO! You agreed!" The young boy spat and used all force he had to wriggled himself out of his father's grip. "And Uncle Valponce agreed! Uncle Jonas and Annabelle agreed, but I didn't agree! I never get to say anything. It's not fair!" With force that was unusual on a boy at nine, Daniel gave his own father a rather hard kick in the leg, causing him to cry out a second time in pain and bend down, giving the young boy time to storm off.
"Daniel, come back here this instance!" Lars hissed behind clenched teeth, bending down for his leg.
Arianna rose from the chair to run after him, but she forgot about her sore heels and hissed as the slippers scraped at the wobbles, stopping her from acting as pain ran through her as well.
But it would have been in vain nevertheless, as the young boy had already made his way through the doors and were storming off out in the corridor, giving a loud cry as he disappeared.
Arianna sank down in the chair again with a moan. She closed her eyes and took another deep breath before she opened them again, watching as Lars had just manage to stand up straight again, still hissing from the pain in his leg. As their eyes met, she gave him a questioning look, and he sighed and shrugged in reply.
"Welcome to my world, Your Majesty!" He tried to chuckle lightly, bit all he managed was to hiss again. Then as he managed to get up again, he cleared his throat. "I… I should go find him… before he causes any trouble. " Then he bowed shortly before he went towards the door, disappearing through it.
All Arianna could do was to lean back and let out that frustrated sigh she had held back for too long.
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Another loud, frustrated cry escaped Danniel's throat as he ran away from the living room, he kept on running as fast as he could away from the living room and eventually from his father. His only thought was escaping, and he was in luck. After passing two corners he found a table with a decorated tablecloth covering it. It was perfect! Daniel wasn't late to kneel down, lift up the cloth and hide underneath it. He dropped the cloth just in time to hear his father's footsteps approaching.
"Daniel!" he heard his father call. "Daniel, you come back here, or… Well, I'll will let you hear it!"
Apparently, his father was too frustrated to even consider this simple hiding place of his as an option to look, as Daniel heard him run away. Daniel held his breath and waited till he didn't hear his father's feet running anymore, before he finally breathet out in relief and exhaustion.
But his sudden breaths turned to coughs as he realized how dry his throat had become out of screaming and running. "Thirsty…" he mumbled to himself as he crawled out of his hiding place.
Then he heard something from behind, and suddenly panicked. Fearing it would be his uncle or the King, he stood all still against the wall as he heard the footsteps approach, his heart beating fast in his ears.
But as the footsteps closed in and revealed itself, it turned out to be a guard. Daniel breathed out in relief and remembered his dry throat. "Hey you!"
"Who…" the guard stopped and turned around, before looking down and found him. "Oh, eh… Hello, young man."
"I'm not a young man. I'm a Prince, and I want something to drink. Take me to the kitchen!" the boy said in a demanding tone.
"Why sure, young eh… Prince. Follow me!" the guards said, a little shook by the boy's demanding attitude. .
Daniel followed the guard through the corridor, and after they had walked a while they arrived the kitchen and the guard pointed to the door.
"Here we are, young Highness. Shall I be of more assistance?"
"No, I'll be fine. Now go!" Daniel said strict to him.
Daniel didn't hear it, but the guards arched an eyebrow at the boy's behavior. "Youth today. They have no respect!"
Daniel ignored the guard and opened the door and walked in. The kitchen was empty, and he looked around. The only activity was one kitchen stoves that had a cauldron of water slightly boiling. On the other side he spotted a water pump, and immediately walked over to it. After climbing up a small stool, he started pumping the handle, and after a few pushes, water came sprouting out of it. He leaned over and drank a couple of times before climbing down and wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his jacket. Wondering what to do next, he looked around. He had managed to calm down from his outburst and now no longer thirsty, he was suddenly getting concerned. At the same time, he felt suddenly that his belly was rumbling, and he regretted that he hadn't eaten much for breakfast.
"Aww…" he moaned. "Where's the cookies here?"
Looking around, he didn't find any cookies, but he did spot a basket on the table with a red and white plaided cloth covering it. He walked over to the table, bringing the stool with him, and climbed up to lift the cloth to see what was underneath. He sneakered to himself when he found a big bundle of croissants.
But he didn't' get any time to find anything to eat because suddenly he heard voices. Panicked again, and first now he became aware of the door in the other end of the room. Female voices were approaching and he hurried to hide under the shelf of the table where Varian had been hiding the day before. He managed to get himself invisible just in time before the second door were opened and three maids entered. Daniel didn't see their faces, but he saw a horde of yellow and peach colored skirts on the floor as they entered. There were loud, chattering voices chattering cheerfully and laughing.
"Seriously, you must have heard of her!" a loud, strong female voice spoke up.
"No, Laura. We haven't." another one replied giggling.
"Well, first it was the Baron; then it was the Count; and THEN… You'll never guess…"
"Okay, we get he point!" laughed a third one. "We can get the full story later, Laura. In case you haven't noticed, we have a job to do."
"I would have been done by it now, if you didn't keep interrupting me, Jane!" Laura replied, playing insulted.
"Girls, hurry up. We let's get out water and begin." A forth, calmer but steady voice spoke, and Daniel heard the sound of water being poured into many buckets.
"Hey, careful! You're spilling on me." Another strict voice said.
"You were in my way, Mill." Laura replied.
"Alright!" said the calm, steady voice again. "Mill, you take the throne room with Jane, Laura and Karen, while the rest of us take the upper rooms. Violet will be busy with the newly arrived Princess today, so we can't count on her."
"Poor mother…" Mill replied. "She won't be able to walk by the end of the day."
"Hey, speaking of the Princess… whatever her name is- did anyone see that handsome man she brought with her? The tall one with the ponytail?" another, more delicate voice called out.
"You mean the young one?" Jane replied. "Cause the other older one wasn't too bad either, despite his age."
Daniel felt sick and pouted as he realized that they were talking about his father.
"Now tell me, is he more or less handsome than the Ryder-guy?" Jane went on.
"Oh, gimme a break. No one beats the Ryder-guy!" Laura almost cried out loud. "And can you believe that Princess Rapunzel said no to marry him?"
"Nah, in a way, I can understand her." Diane's voice said again. "He may have saved her for sure, but he still have a criminal record."
"Oh, cut out. You sound just like Cassandra." Laura said.
"Hey! Don't insult me." Diane replied angry.
"Who cares if he's a criminal. He still has the prettiest hair ever! "the delicate voice said and sighed. "And the smile."
"A pardoned criminal, girls. He has changed his ways and should be respected for that alone!" Another, a bit elder voice interrupted. "Now come, we have to go."
"El's right. Besides, Sarah here already has a thing with the stable boy, haven't you, girl?!" Laura giggled loudly as her voice walked away towards the other door, and a couple of the other girls giggled along with her.
"Laura! Enough." The delicate voice spoke again. "I am not going after the stable guy just because he's looking at me."
"Your loss, girl." Laura replied again.
As they left the room, closing the door after them, Daniel puzzled over the silence that came in the room when they were all gone. Holding his breath, he listened to hear if they were all gone, and he dared to peek his head out so ensure he was alone. Then he let out his breath and crawled out.
"Wow… They were talking more than Annabelle." He said to himself when suddenly his belly rumbled again. Then he recalled the croissants on the table and climbed up again, grabbing one put his teeth into one. As he was eating it, he looked back at the door where the maids had entered earlier and realized that it had to be where servants came in and out.
"Dad will never find me in there!"
Snickering again, he grabbed a hold on the basket of croissants and went towards the door, opening it to see if anyone were there. Then he walked through and closed the door.
Aaaand for those who are historically interested of orientated; I am not certain if they had water pumps in this time, but since they have fountains in Corona, I took it for granted that it could be something like what I have made here. So sorry if I am incorrect.
And I couldn't help myself. I had to bring some Castle gossip along here.
