Chapter 46: Karen and the Maids

Just popping up with a declaration before we start. I am introducing some more OC's in this fic, and you've already gotten a little preview on them in the last chapter. I just thought that the Castle needed some more maids than the only three we know of. I've already intorduced Diane and Sarah (maids to be seen in Queen for a Day in the song 'I Got This', with no other further appearence.) I just gave those two names and personalities, but the two I refer to here in this chapter I have made up myself. I hope you approve them, I have already posted some picture of them all later on my thumblr account so you can see what they look like.

The Throne room was completley emty for the early part of the day, closed for the weekly cleaning. Only present were four of the maids. Karen was one of them, along with her aunt Millicent, and two other maids. A tall, slender girl with dark skin and long, straight black hair was mopping the floor, and a short, quite chubby girl with bright red curly hair tied in a bun behind her neck was cleaning one of the thrones while Millicent was cleaning the other.

Karen herself was standing up a ladder to clean the window sills with a feather duster. And even though she were above them from the distant, the chat among the other girls could be heard from her angle, as the huge room could carry the least of sounds, so she could easy catch their conversation even without attempt of listening.

«Macarons in the bedroom?» said the red haired one, frowning her full lips and arching an eyebrow and wrinkling her freckled nose as she rose her head for her kneeling position on the floor beside the Queen's throne. «How'd she excpect we'd figure that out? Who does she think she is? I mean, I'm a big fan of macarons myself. But still…?»

«I don't know, Laura.» Millicent sighed. «And that's not all. She made me run my feet off to please her all evening. You should have seen her reaction to the dinner I brought her. I mean, the Griffin of Pittsford was nice compared with Princess Annabelle. The least of faults made her angry like a thunder storm.»

«Yeah, at least we knew he was coming.» Laura said as she rolled her eyes. Why didn't they send someone to inform about their arrival?»

«The Duke of South Corona is known for popping up unexpectedly.» Millicent said while she straightened up and streched out before she bent down again to wet her washing cloth in the bucket. «As the King's closest relation, he expects to be treated like he's arriving anyday.»

«That's kind of funny, since neither he or any of that family attended Princess Rapunzel's coronation.» The dark girl said as she dipped her mop into her bucket. «But why didn't the Princess just bring her own lady-in-waiting and saved us allot of trouble? And herself for that matter?»

«We'll just have to wait and see, Jane.» Millicent sighed and twisted water out of her cloth.

«I just hope we don't have to take turns in tending to her.» Laura said, rolling her eyes. «Cause that is NOT gonna og with the scedual.»

«Mother was going to talk to Her Majesty about it.» Millicent replied. «All I know for certain is, she don't want me back up with her. My 'hair wasn't clean enough!'» she tipped her head backwards and flipped her hair with a hand in a mocking tune as she imitated Princess Annabelle, making the two other maids laugh out loud. Laura leaned over the arm of the trone chair, Jane had to support on her broom and Millicent sat on her knees and found it hard to breathe for a while. Bu tafter a couple of minutes laughing, all three tried to gather up.

«Really! That's her loss. Mill. You're the most qualified of us.» Jane said as she stopped laughing and continued on the floor.

«Well… In this case, it's not a great loss for me,» Millicent smirked for herself by the sudden flatter. «But we better hurry up, it's almost two'o clock, and we gott aget the rest of the rooms.»

«Oh dear! Is it almost two o'clock?»

Karen had more or less been in her own world, not taking part in the conversation or even bothered to listen much. When they laughed, she had only looked at them befoire shrugging and begun climbing down to move the ladder. But as soon as she heard the time, she quickly spotted the clock at the wall, which showed about ten minutes before it was said time.

So instead of moving the ladder, she hang her feather duster on one of the steps. Then she looked at the girls and started to carefully walk towards the door, realizing that she most likely woudn't be allowed to leave just like that. Therefore she only caught small glimpses of the content of the next topic that was brought up next.

«So be it for her.» Laura said and chuckled. «Considering that you almost became Her Majesty's lady-in-waiting and all. That girl should have considered herself luckly.»

The satisfied smirk on Millicent's face went almost immediately to a frown and she stopped cleaning and turned towards her. «Where did you get that from?» she asked, the tune in her voice as cold as ice.

«From Diane, and I think she had it from Elfrid, or was it Violet? Ah, never mind!» Laura kept on, not noticing Millicent's change of tune, but Jane looked up and spotted Millicent suddenly cleching fists. «Anyway, she told me that you and someone else had been competing about it. Was if Friedborg? Cause I don't…»

But Laura never got time to finish her sentence before Millicent stood nose to nose with her across the Queen's throne, shooting daggers with her eyes. «One more word about that, and you'll be peeling potatoes along with Pete and Stan! Got it?!»

The merry chattering girl got so stunned by her friend's sudden change that she didn't know what else to do but to mumble back. «Uh… Okay…?»

As Millicent rose and turned away, Laura looked at Jane as if she asked her if she knew what was going on. All Jane could do was to shrugg back before she walked away with her mop to finish the floor.

Unfortunately, that's when she spotted Karen.

«Hey, what are you up to, Karen?» the dark girl asked.

Karen froze as she realized she had been caught and turned around to see Jane and Laura's curious looks and her Aunt giving her a strickt and shoicked look.

«Oh! Eh… I-I-I…. I have to… ehm-ehhh…» Karen stumbled, instantly blushing. «…go-oo… to the bathroom. Right… to the bathroom…» she looked away, realizing how silly it sounded.

«Um… you know there's a cabinet at the servant corridors right here?» Jane said, pointing behind her with her thumb towatds the wall bedise the thrones while giving her a questioning look.

«Yeah, I know, but I… I also gotta I'd fetch Ludvig's second dose of medicine.» Karen flicked with her eyes as she suddenly found herself troubled to reply. «I… p-promised Phineas to get it at two o'clock, so I… gotta go!» she said before she ran the short part she had left towards the doors.

«But we sendt him back to bed.» Laura said, forgetting about her incident with Millicent.

«Well… he still needs his medicine!» Karen said as she grabbed the door handle.

Millicent frowned again and started walking down the stairs from the thrones. «Young lady, you come back here this…» but the young girl had already closed the door before she had finished. «…instant.»

The room was left in a rather quiet, odd atmosphere, before Laura broke the silence. «Jeez… What's up with her?»

Millicent let out something between a frustrated sigh and a moan. Then she hurried back to continue cleaning the throne chair. Laura and Jane exchanged looks before Laura rolled her eyes and went back to work. Jane had one last look at the door, then looked at Millicent who at sudden had gotten more aggressive with her cloth. Then she just shook her head and kept on mopping.

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Karen ran as fast as she could, lifting up her skirts in the process, and didn't stop before she came to the kitchen. There she flung the doors open and looked around.

«Oh, good… nobody's here.» she panted and closed the door behind her. Leaning a moment against it to catch her breath, she suddenly found herself giggling, without even knowing why.

Then she went to work. She hurried to find some bread, and cut three slices. Then she found butter and raspberry jam in the cabinet and added on both on each of the breads. Then she poured a glass of milk, and placed it all on a tray. Smiling satisfied, she hurried to clean up after herself before grabbing the tray and headed for the door.

But she had barely reached towads the door when it suddenly were flung open and the entrance was blocked.

«Off all things, how does she expect me to… Karen?»

Karen stood all frozen when she saw the round silouette in the doorway staring at her. «Grandma?!» she laughed nervously. «Eh… hi.»

Violet got startled at first, but then she arched an eyebrow at her while she put her plump hands on her hips. «Karen, why aren't you among the others? And where do you think you're going with that?"

"What- this? Eh... well...» At first she felt all color fade from her face, for then to return rapidly and give her a major blush. «Since I… I promised to pick up the second dose of Ludwig's medicine… I thought I might bring this along… to... ehmm…" Her voice was trembling too much for her to finish, but Violet had already red her mind. She leaned forwards at her and gave her small eyes.

"To Varian, is it?"

Karen suddenly had to swallow hard, and flicked her eyes, not wanting to face her Grandmother's strickt look, almost hiding her head betweed her shoulders. "Eh... Phineas said he needed three meals a day. After all he's recovering, and..."

"That... might be true, yes." Violet was whipped off the branch a moment by the obvious fact, but she was quick to become strict again. "But I cannot recall that we agreed this was a task to be handed to you alone, young lady. I think maybe it's better if I deliver it, to make sure he... actually eat it."

"But... "Karen suddenly felt the despair tie a knot inside her as the elder maid grabbed the tray out of her hands and turned to walk away. Stunned for a short moment, she quickly got back to herself and ran after her. "You don't mind me coming along? After all, I... did promise to pick up that medicine!"

Violet looked like she was going to object, but then she gave a short sigh. "I suppose I could let you come along- only to fetch that medicine. And then you go straight back to work. Is that clear?"

"Uhm... Ah..." Karen wasn't able to figure out anything to reply back as as her grandmother grabbed the tray and pulled it out of her slender hands.

"Alright then, let's head off."

Karen could do nothing but follow behind her now suddenly strict Grandmother. Somehow, she seemed a bit strickter than usual, and even though Karen knew deep down that the task of bringing Varian food during the day wasn't reallly something they had agreed, she saw no reason for her to be so harsh. But she didn't object, fearing that she might show her off right away.

"Well, that was quite much butter you'd put on that loaf of bread." Violet said rather dryly.

"Eh, well... He is kind of skinny, and he does need to put on some weight." Karen replied, looking away.

"I believe we should leave the diagnozes to the Physician!" Violet replied shortly.

"It doesn't take a Physician to tell he hasn't eaten in a while." Karen mumbled to herself.

"What was that?" Violet turned halfway back and gave her small eyes.

"Nothing!" the girl hurried to say.

"Then stop thinking out loud."

Violet didn't see it when she turned forwards again, but Karen started to imitate her silently and made faces and pouted at her behind her back as they were walking.

When they reached the medic's appartment, the two guards outside the doors straightened up.

«Halt! Errand?» one of them said.

«We're here for a medicine, and food for the patient.»

«The pati…» the guards puzzled, before he noticed Karen, remembering that they weren't supposed to talk about Varian as a prisoner in her presence. «Ah, the patient. Well, alright… eh... Proceed!»

Karen knocked the door, before Violet gave her a strickt look, making her step back again. They heard Phineas reply for them to enter, and when the guards opened the doors, Violet were quick to block the way for Karen and called out to the Physician with loud voice. "Phineas, we need that medicine for Ludwig right away!"

«Stop shouting, Violet. I can hear you.» the Physician replied as he opened the door, finding her behavior rather disturbing.

«Well, is it ready or not?» Violet asked strick again.

The Physichian arched an eyebrow, and gave Karen a curious look. The girl looked helplessly up at him and could do nothing but shrug back. Phineas seemed to nevertheless understand the situation and looked up at Violet again, giving her small eyes. «Come inside, both of you, and I will fetch it.» Phineas replied and turned away from them, heading for his lab.

«He told us both to come in!» Karen said, to her Grandmother's annoyance.

«I heard him, young lady, but you stay right where you are!» Violet replied, still blocking her way.

From inside his lab, Phineas caught their words, and puzzled as he brought along the little bottle with tonic and returned. «Here we are. And…»

Before he could finish the sentence, Violet had put the tray on the bench right inside the door and ripped the bottle out of his hands. Then she grabbed Karen's right hand and put the bottle in it.

"Now, you should hurry up back to Ludwig with that bottle and go back to your duties! Off you og now!"

Karen felt like her whole face was gonna drop to the floor. Suddenly deeply unhappy, she turned on her heel and started subbing away, her head sagging and her arms hanging.

Therefore, she failed to see her Grandmother's sudden regretful face. Neither did he see Phineas looking after her with pity, and then give Violet small eyes as he closed the doors.

"Now Violet, I see no reason why that was nessesary!"

Violet sighed and shook her head. "Phineas, we don't know when he recovers his memory, and I don't want her to be near him more than nessesary because of that."

"Yes, but remember that she's not supposed to know about this, and now she don't even understand why you're being so cross at her." Phineas replied.

"Oh, I don't know...» Violet placed a hand on her cheek almost to comfort herself. «Maybe it would have been better to let her know..."

"I greatly disagree with you.» Phineas said adamant and turned away from her and headed towards the doors to the sick room. «But since you are here, let's have my patient properly fed."

"Oh, eh... Am I going in there?" Violet sudden paled and going stiff.

"Well, you had no trouble with it yesterday, so why not now?" Phineas replied with a light smile.

Violet suddenly felt how panic got to her. "But that was before I knew... I mean, you can't... He is after all..."

"The same boy that you encountered and treated the day before. The same boy who fainted by the sight of his own blood and didn't dare to oppose you when you said no to him. He hasn't changed at all. So let's go in, shall we?"

Violet felt how every mucle in her body was tensing at the thouht of going back into the sick room. Tightening her fists, her arms begun shaking and her lips became a thin line. So she almost jumped back when she suddenly found the Physichian standing right in front of her.

«I will go inn first, and you follow at my sign. Is that alright?»

Just so you know, I imagined Laura to sound a little bit like a country girl. I hope you like them all.