Chapter 50: Pete and Stan and Annabelle
I hope you will like the direction I am going with this chapter.
While Violet were busy comforting a weeping Varian in the sickroom, Annabelle and Jonas had just finished their stroll in the garden and came back inside the Castle. Jonas whispered something that made Annabelle slightly shocked, and she replied by giving closing her fan and using it to give him a light smack on his head.
"Now, watch your tongue from now on!"
"As you wish, dear." Jonas replied and rubbed the part on his forehead where she had hit him. "But be aware, once we're married, I'm not going to hold myself."
"Now really?" she smirked. "Speaking of, we need to prepare your ceremonial wearing. We must have a tailor to have a look at you, and we need to figure out of the latest in gentlemen's wearing."
Annabelle didn't see it, but Jonas immediately paled by the thought. "Well, that's not going to be easy. I mean, when I'm not allowed to see how your wedding dress is gonna be. I guess we need to, you know, match?"
She turned around and stroke a finger down his left cheek. "Oh, leave the details to me, Hun. I have to discuss some issues with a professional."
"If you say so." Jonas smiled back at her. "Why not ask the Queen? She might have some advice?"
Annabelle scoffed. "I don't think today is the day for that. Auntie seems to have gotten up with the wrong leg this morning."
"Oh? Well then, I hope…" Jonas stopped himself when he heard running footsteps and turned to his right to see who it was. "Brother, what's the matter?"
Annabelle turned to see Prince Lars come running, panting and looking rather stressed and sweat. As he stopped by them, he leaned on his knees and panted.
"Have…" Lars coughed and paused to catch his breath. "Have any of you seen Daniel?"
"No, not…" Jonas sighed as he realized the matter. "Not again?"
"Again…" Lars sighed, looking rather upgiven.
"What has he done now?" Annabelle asked with a snap in her voice.
"Made commotion and ran away while talking to the Queen." He said while pulling out his handkerchief to wipe his sweat face and neck. "I have been up and down anywhere possible." He shrugged. "I don't know what to do now!"
"Keep him in short leech!" Annabelle spat coldly with her eyes half closed.
Jonas saw the look in his older brother's eyes, both shocked and angry as well as desperate, and hurried to step in front of her. "Well, this is a huge place. Maybe if we split up? Someone must have seen him!"
Annabelle blinked in shock by his move. "What? Are you leaving again?"
Jonas turned back to her. "We gotta find him before he makes anymore trouble. The Castle staff isn't aware of all his tricks." Then he gave her a quick kiss on her cheek before he turned back to his brother, friendly grabbing his shoulder. "You take this floor, and I'll take the second. And ask anyone you find to help us. And when we find him, leave him to me! I'll talk to him."
"Thanks, brother!" Lars said and squeezed his younger brother's hand before the two red haired men split up and went separate ways.
Annabelle scoffed out loud and moaned as she was left alone. Opening her fan again, she waved it to give her face a light breeze to calm herself down and begun walking. "Now, where is that old hag? I need a cup of tea!"
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"But Your Majesty! It can't be necessary to interview all the maids for this?" Nigel said as he and the King were leaving their office, closing the doors before he followed His Majesty. "Think of it: they might start talking among themselves and they might even make their own conclusions, and who knows what may come out of that!"
"You might have a point, Nigel." Frederic said, remaining rather calm compared to his advicor. "But it can't harm to ask Elfried a question or two about it, just to have it confirmed."
"I don't really see what…"
They didn't get more time to talk as they heard running coming from the staircase they were heading towards and they were both surprised by Jonas' sudden appearence.
"Oh! Sire! Nigel!" he said quickly and made a short bow. "S'cuse me, gentlemen!" Jonas caught his breath. "Has any of you seen Daniel?"
Both men looked at eachother before Frederic replied. "No, I haven't."
Jonas turned to Nigel.
"Eh… I haven't seen the young Prince since the two of you ehm… came galloping out of the medic's quarters." Nigel replied, recalling how ridiculous they had both looked riding horse down the royal corridors.
"Well, he's eh…" Jonas sighed. "…gone! The conversation with Her Majesty…" he pulled his collar as he cleared his throat. "…go so well."
"Oh my!" Frederic replied.
Nigel just widened his eyes. "Oh!"
"Well, I better keep looking. Lars is rather upset with this. Gentlemen…" He gave another short bow before he turned around and ran off.
"I say…" Nigel said to himself and shook his head. "Whatever to make of this…"
"Oh, poor lad." Frederic sighed. "He's frightened by all the changes and the responsibilities that awaits him. " he said, shaking his head." I can't say I blame him. Rapunzel too was afraid." He sighed. "I don't blame her either."
Nigel made small eyes and a face, having his nightmare earlier the day fresh in memory, but didn't show it to the King. Instead he said rather calmly. "Well, I hope they find him before supper."
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In the servants' corridors, Pete and Stan steeled themselves for whatever they were about to face in the dark. Looking at eachother, they both had their hearts stuck up their throat, but at last Stan spoke up.
"Uh, we…" he cleared his throat. "We should probably… investigate whatever this is." He tried to sound certain.
"Y-you might be right, Stan." Pete swallowed hard. "L-Let's g-go!"
They both got up and started walking the same way back they had come a while ago, but when they passed a sideway, Pete stopped and pulled Stan's arm.
"Stan, I think I saw something!"
"Oh?" Stan replied, and looked in his direction. The corridor he was looking at was dark, unlike the others that had a paraffin lamp lightening up along the way, and they didn't see other than the darkness in there. But they still heard the giggle coming from it, a little creepier this time.
"Stan, it sounds like an old witch!" Pete squeaked and paled.
"Oh, rubbish! What would a witch do in here?" Stan said, getting angry. "Alright, now come out, whoever you are! This is no place to play tricks!"
"L-l-least of all to the royal guards!" Pete said, following his friend's example as best as he could. "You'll get in trouble for that! Just so you know it!"
But the giggle didn't stop, and suddenly they heard it change from mischievous laughter into a creepy, low howling. Both guards stopped, suddenly getting a bit stiff.
None of then expected what came next.
Suddenly, right in front of them, they saw a glowing light appear inside something grayish white vibrating material. It looked like floating clothes and the light was glowing threatening. And then there was a sound that made their blood freeze.
"BOOOOAAAAWOOOOAAAAAA!"
Pete and Stan cried out in unison before they turned their heels and ran away, almost without touching the ground.
"HEEEELP! A GHOOOOOST!" Pete cried.
"A GHOST! A GHOST!" Stan cried. "Every man for himself!"
"Hey, wait for me!" Pete cried after him.
And so the two castle guards ran for their life out of the servants' corridors, faster than any wind ever blown.
But as soon as they had disappeared, the ghost started laugh violently, and sounded less spooky and became more childing my the second. And moments later, the ghost revealed itself.
Daniel came out from the white sheet he had been hiding underneath, jumped down from the stool he had been standing on to make himself look taller and put down the paraffin lamp he had been holding to create the glowing light underneath the sheet. Then he grabbed the three remaining croissants and headed off to another part of the hidden corridors for more mischief while he giggled satisfied.
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Annebelle was walking alone in the corridors, and it was a good thing no one was near, because if they had been, they might have been the next victim of her fury.
"How is it possible? That maid was supposed to be there for me, but now she's no where to be found? How are they running things here?" She scoffed loudly. "Daddy was right, they really have lost it here. Just wait till he get to hear this!"
She stopped and made a frustrated cry.
"Now how come there absolutely no one here at all? Has everyone just disappeared into the walls and become one with the tapestry?"
She had barely finished her sentence when she heard a loud thud beside her, making her turn around in surprise.
«HELP! A GHOST!»
«OUT OF MY WAY!»
Annabelle saw how a secret door in the wall opened and then she managed to step out of the way just in time as she saw two figures come rushing panically out of the door.
Pete and Stan came out in such speed that they had no time to make out their surroundings, and they didn't know what hit them before they hit the wall; with a harsh crash due to their helmets and armor.
Annabelle managed to grab a hold on the skirts of her dress and step out of the way as they passed her and crashed, and then when the commotion had calmed down, she opened her eyes and spotted the two guards from earlier that morning in a bundle on the floor by the wall, moaning making sounds ad they struggled to get to themselves. She took a look at the door they had come out of and blinked. "So they really do go into the walls…"
The skinny one of the two were the first one who managed to get to himself, and he suddenly got panicked again.
"Come on, Stan. We gotta…"
He stopped as he looked up and spotted Annabelle looking down at him, apparently recognizing him from earlier in the morning. She had her hands on her hips and a raised eyebrow as she gave him a look that could tell she was not further amused from what she had been already.
Pete forgot a moment what had happened and let out a little embarrassed giggle. "He-he-hello again… lovely gorgeous Princess." he stumbled and made a foolish smile.
"I will only ask once!" she said and gave her head a short tilt to the open door in the wall. "What is the idea?"
"Um, pardon me, my Lady." Pete got up in a hurry, brushed himself off and looked at her. "But the idea of what?"
Annabelle rolled her hazel brown eyes and scoffed. "Of bursting out of the wall like that!"
"The wall…" Pete peeked at the door and then panicked again. "Oh no! Better close it before it comes after us!" he said and hurried towards it but Annabelle blocked his way with her closed fan with such a determination that made him freeze.
"What is in there? Now answer me!"
"Ehm-uhm…" Pete cleared his throat. "That's the servant corridor. They use it as shortcuts when they're working."
"I know that, you imbecile!" Annabelle squinted her eyes at him. "What I want to know is…"
"What are you waiting for, Pete! Now hurry up and close the door!" '
Pete looked helpless back and forth on Stan, Annabelle and the door in turn. "Eh Stan, I…"
"AH!" Annabelle moaned. "What in the world is in there that makes castle guards act like frightened mice?"
Stan was a little more steady than Pete at the moment, so he said it right out. "There is a ghost in the servants corridor."
Pete immediately got worried that Annabelle would think ill of them because of this comment, and turned back to his friend. "Stan!"
Annabelle raised her eyebrow again as she frowned. "Two grown men, and guards of all things, are afraid of a ghost?"
Stand, still a little affected by the happening, kept speaking. "Well, at first we heard this giggleing, and we thought at first there was someone fooling with us, but then there was this light and someone said booooo…"
"No Stan. It wasn't like that!" Pete said. "It was more like Boooaaaaahhh! And the spooky light came before the giggle…"
"No it did not!" Stan augmented, forgetting Annabelle for a moment.
While the two guards were arguing about what happened in the servants corridor for a moment, Annabelle's face changed and went from angry to thoughtful, and her eyes glanced towards the open servant door. She walked up to the door and looked thought it. "Perhaps that's why they couldn't find him…" She turned back. "Now you two…"
But she got herself another shock when she spotted the two guards smacking eachother'd faces while looking away from eachother.
Annabelle rolled her eyes again, feeling like she was surrounded by morons. "Unbelivable!" She scoffed and walked towards them again, and swift as a blink she gave both of them a hard smack in turn with her fan, hard enough for both of them to react and cry out in pain.
"Enough of this foolish nonsense. Now, follow me!" she said and headed for the servant door again.
"But Ma'am. You can't go in there!" Stan said shocked.
Annabelle stopped and turned back, shooting daggers at Stan with her squinting eyes. "Now… WHAT did you just call me?"
"Eh…" Stan didn't understand what she meant and stepped back as she stepped forward towards him, looking like a thunderstorm.
"Do I, by any chance, LOOK like a Ma'am?"*
"Eh… I just…" The question made Stan puzzle as he failed to understand why a normal polite word would offend her like it did, but didn't get to defend himself further as he suddenly had Annabelle's fan up in his face.
"Do I look like an old hag to you? Had I been twenty years older I might have tolerated such talk, but this…?!"
"But I assure, I was only…" Stan said as he shrinked himself behind his hands, kneeling by the wall as she shouted.
"Don't you ever dare calling me that again! Or I'll have the King put you in the stables for the rest of your life!"
"But I…I swear, I…" Stan stottered.
"But Stan, she's absolutely right." Pete turned to Annabelle. "My Lady, I assure that my friend meant no harm, and that his incompetence wasn't meant offensive."
"What?" Stan said, looking at his companion.
"I assure your ladyship, it won't happen again!" Pete said as overdone politely as he could while Stan frowned towards him.
Letting out a heavy sigh, Annabelle calmed down. "Very well! I will let it pass this time! But now you two come with me!" she said and turned on her heel, heading for the secret door. "We have a ghost to catch!"
Stan was ready to confront Pete for his comment, but both he and Pete forgot about the incidence when the snobbish Princess disappeared through the door they had just come out from. It left them in shock and even though they didn't want to go back in there, they feared that she might be angry again and followed recurrently.
*I borrowed the ma'am comment from Charmed, when Paige, played by Rose McGwam, got offended by one of the kids from the Magic school calling her ma'am. It was meant to be polite, but she got dreadfully offended as she believed it meant that he thought of her as old.
