filling in canon: sge oneshots

in the morning, and at nightfall

Camila Arnoult was the absolute best household attendant this side of Ladelflop.

She wasn't so egotistical as to think that she was the best in the Woods... but she was good. She knew she was good. You had to know you were good, else you'd never survive the scope of the job. You needed a hard sort of confidence. She'd served in dozens of Ever households. She'd made thousands of tea trays, chosen millions of fabric swatches, carried huge floral arrangements up spiral staircases, and, once, hit a wolf with a branch when she was trying to take the lady of the house to midnight mass.

Since she knew she was so good, it made complete sense that she'd applied for the job in Camelot. Camelot was all the rage for Evers, at the moment; ever since Tedros had stood back up with his still-bleeding head in his hands, the papers had gone rabid. Tedros and Agatha had everything that Evers couldn't get enough of. They were young, attractive, madly in love, and had overcome immense and tragic bleeding-heart adversity. So, their court was busy, and positions were constantly opening up to keep up with the workload.

Her competence, however, also meant that she realised extremely quickly that this was...

Abnormal.

Apparently, the papers were still enamoured enough with Tedros and Agatha, two years on, that they weren't yet starting to pick at some of the oddities that occurred in their household. Or perhaps the servants were so relieved that their boy-king was alive, that no one felt like they could criticise him.

Camila's first clue was the bizarre man that interviewed her.

He was a big man in every sense of the word– physically, he was big and tall and had lots of hair, in a bun he'd stuck a quill through, but he was also huge and arresting in his dress sense. He wore massive cat-eye glasses, lots of earrings, and a bright green coat with a huge upturned collar. He looked like a knight turned camp librarian. He had been exactly on time, he had known exactly who she was, and now, he didn't bother with pleasantries;

"My name is Francis Wynne, King's Equerry. I manage both households, and will do so until the Queen finds a suitable head of household for herself."

Camila stared, slightly hypnotised by the reindeer-decorated deely boppers swaying gently on his head. Francis tracked her gaze, cracked a wry grin, and took them off.

"I make an effort to be festive, for the Winter Solstice. His majesty is inclined to make a big deal of even very minor holidays..." He skimmed the papers. "May I ask you about your experience listed here? It seems... extensive."

Camila coughed, and sat up.

"My first job was in Maidenvale for three years, under the service of her majesty the Queen, Briar Rose."

"Reasons for dismissal?"

"She was narrowing the scope of her household staff in her old age, and anyone that wasn't absolutely necessary was dismissed with a good recommendation."

"Understandable. And Kingdom Kyrgios?"

"I attended a finishing school that turns out the best maids and ladies in waiting in the Woods. After that, I went to the household of..."

"The Rotunda family, in Jaunt Jolie."

Camila winced.

"I know that they've been... out of favour as of late, but I thought, the Lady Beatrix..."

"Her ladyship the Liege Primary was very complimentary of you, when I asked her."

"Oh." said Camila, who remembered Beatrix as a bratty, prissy preteen, and had been as shocked as anyone when she'd been knighted. "That's... gracious of her."