Meeting Mary Ann

Chapter Three: Chester

   The small group made their way to Mary Ann's quarters, As they did she glanced around trying to take everything in at once. The stone walls were covered in red and black banners with hearts in the middle. The floors were also stone but were painted to look like a red and black chessboard. In each corner, she saw statues of chess pieces standing at least two feet taller than her. Taking the stone staircase they followed Jac-Tar down a large hallway, the pictures hanging on it were of previous royals, at first it was just pictures of kings, queens, and princesses, but as they continued the pictures became just the kings and queens.
   "What happened to the princesses?" she said quietly to herself.
   "That's when the princesses and princes started to be taken to the Above Ground," Bane said smiling sadly.
   "Oh, I suppose that makes sense, but where are the pictures of when they return?"
   One of the Tweedle sisters giggled, "Their paintings are in the Hall of the Changling, once they come home they are painted with their changling counterpart."
   Mary-Ann nodded as though it all made sense but it seemed silly to have the pictures in separate halls, but what did she know, it had been years since she had been in the castle. When she had been here as a child she had no desire to learn any of this, she had been so focused on running away that she had ignored all of her lessons. This time around she was going to have to pay attention, especially since she was going to be expected to help Alice when she came home.
   Before long they came to a large wooden door with a beautifully decorated door handle made of gold. The closer they got the more into focus it became and Mary Ann was able to make out the gentle woman's face on it. She cast a glance at Bane who was watching her from the corner of her eye and asked, "Does she speak?"
   Before Bane could open her mouth to answer Maleia giggled again, making Mary Ann's teeth grind, that was going to become annoying.
   "Of course she does, Princess, all the faces on the doors do."
   Mary Ann lifted a brow, "All the faces?"
   Bane jumped in interrupting whatever Maleia was going to say, "Yes, Mary Ann, all of the faces on the doors speak, they are an extra layer of protection," she gave her a cheeky wink, "Just in case it's needed."
   Mary Ann looked back at the doorknob, It didn't seem to be alive, in fact, other than the face it looked like a perfectly ordinary doorknob. She reached for it but jerked her hand away when its eyes flew open.
   "And just who are you?" it asked in a cranky voice Scottish voice, its eyes glared up at her and she had to stop herself from snapping at it, it was just a doorknob after all.
   "I am Mary Ann," she said calmly squaring her shoulders.
   The doorknob looked her up and down skeptically, "What is a Mary Ann?" it asked making her roll her eyes and look to Jac for help.
   He gave her a short nod but seemed to be fighting back a smile as he stepped in front of her and gave the doorknob a scathing look, "This is Mary Ann, the Changling Princess, now open up."
   "Oh ho, the little changling has finally come home has she? It's about time, you know I have been here for hundreds of years and not once was a changling ever sent away from the castle, until her."
   "Enough," Jac said sternly his look turning dark, "Will you open or do I need to bring the Card Guards up here with an axe to hack this door down?"
   The doorknob, who had kept right on speaking over him clammed up at the mention of the axe, "No reason to get your breeches in a twist I was just making conversation," there was a click and the door popped open, "There are you happy now?"
   "I'll be happy when you shut up," Jac said and Mary Ann had to bite her cheek to keep from laughing but she and the other ladies shared a look of amusement at his expense.
   Jac stepped aside and let Mary Ann place her hand on the door and push it open. Her jaw nearly dropped to the floor when she saw her living quarters. The doorway led directly into a living space that was at least three times the size of her attic room at Rabbits. As she stepped inside she looked to her right and saw a large fireplace, unlit since it was still too warm to have it going just yet, and gathered around it were two large winged chairs, one was a deep black, the other a rich red in keeping with the Queens colors of course. Placed between them was a small table for serving tea and cakes, and sitting underneath it all was a black and red checkerboard rug.
   She turned to the left and her breath hitched in her throat, along the entire left side of the room was a wall full of books, she hurried over and started reading some of the titles, her fingers softly touching each spine she came across. The sight of so many books reminded her of the Know-It-All book Rabbit had given her before leaving, but this was too obvious of a place to hide something so special yet so dangerous.
    "Do you like it Princess?" asked a small voice and Mary Ann turned surprised to see it was Amaleis talking to her. Her voice was nothing like her sisters, where Makeia voice was loud, boisterous, and teasing, and Amaleis was soft, timid, and shy.
   Mary Ann gave her a soft smile, "I do, it is beautiful, not to mention so much bigger than my bedroom at home," she scanned the room not finding a bed anywhere, "But um..." she dipped her head closer to the Tweedle sister, "Where's the bed?"
   Amaleis gave her a small, kind smile before taking her hand and guiding her to another wooden door a few feet from the fireplace she hadn't seen at first. Thankfully this door was without a doorknob, it just had a small metal latch that Amaleis lifted with ease before giving it a little push and pulling Mary Ann inside behind her.
    She couldn't believe her eyes, there was yet another room but this one was her bedroom, up against the outer wall sat a large canopy bed, complete with black and red blankets, pillows, and a heavy canopy that could be closed up around the bed for extra privacy. Mary Ann turned around and saw another smaller fireplace, again unlit, but this one only had one small plush chair and table clearly meant to be used privately. Off to the left was the lavatory filled with a large claw foot tub and plush towels and rugs as well as a basin sink and large golden mirror.
   "This is the best part," Bane's voice said from behind her and she turned to see the woman reach out and move aside heavy-looking curtains to reveal double doors which which she threw open revealing a balcony.
Mary Ann quickly made her way out onto it and looked at the view. She could see the entire courtyard from where she stood. The queen's rose garden, the maze Alice got lost in as a little girl, and what looked like a menagerie of animal-like bushes, but these bushes did not stay rooted to the ground, instead choosing to chase each other throughout the garden.
   "It's all so beautiful," she sighed, "But it's so much too."
    Bane gave her an encouraging smile, "How about we get you into a nice warm bath? I'll send Maleia down for a light evening meal while Amaleis finds you something less," Her eyes scanned up and down the dress, Mary Ann had put on just before the queen had shown up, "Servant and more befitting your status as a princess."
   "And comfortable?" she asked following Bane into the lavatory where the woman proceeded to kneel next to the tub, stop it up, and turn on the faucet letting steaming water begin to fill it as she added salts, and creams and a few rose petals before adding goats milk which made Mary Ann wrinkle her nose.
   Bane laughed, "Yes more comfortable, and don't make that face, the milk will help to soothe and replenish your skin." She got to her feet and looked at Mary Ann expectantly.
   "What?" she asked not knowing what she was expected to do.
   "Do you need help undressing or can you get out of that on your own?"
    "Oh!" she shook her head, "I got it on by myself, I am sure I can get it off by myself." She reached behind her and began to undo the buttons that trailed up her back.
   Bane gave a small nod, "If so then I will step out and speak with the Tweedles about clothes and food," she made her way to the door but stopped before she opened it, "Do not leave the lavatory right away when you have finished. I will be back in short order with a robe from your wardrobe, we have to remember Jac-Tar may be here for your protection, but he is still a man," she pulled the door open and threw over her shoulder, "The bottles on the table are your soaps and hair cleansers," the door shut with a gentle click and Mary Ann was alone for the first time since getting in the carriage.
   She took a deep breath and finished undoing the buttons of her dress before she slipped it off, crumpled it up, and threw it in a lumpy pile in the corner of the room, glad to finally be out of the ugly thing. She finished undressing and dipped a toe into the water expecting it to be too hot, but to her delight, she found it was the perfect temperature and she slid her sore, tired body into it letting the feeling of contentment fill her. Then with a deep breath, she sunk below the surface, her dark hair soaking up the water like a sponge before pulling her head back out and reaching for one of the bottles Bane had mentioned.
   She popped the cork out and looked inside, inhaling and finding the scent to be a soft woodsy smell she couldn't quite place but loved instantly. After glopping a decent amount on her head she set the bottle back on the small table and began to lather. As the smell filled the lavatory she could feel herself relaxing, she wasn't any happier about being forced to come back here than she had been that morning but the sheer anger of the unfairness of it seemed to ease away as she dipped back beneath the surface running her hands through her hair to rinse out the soapy suds. When she came back up she jumped before she realized the person standing next to the tub was Bane. She sank low enough into the water that only her shoulders and up were visible.
   "Don't be silly, " Bane said pulling a stool up behind her and reaching out for the scrub brush and bar of soap, "Here sit up and I will help you wash your back."
   "I can wash my own back, Bane," Her voice had a small edge to it that she hadn't meant to let in but Bane ignored her and gave her a small push making her sit up. Mary Ann pulled her legs to her chest, resting her chin on her knees while Bane began to wash her back.
   Finally, she finished and handed Mary Ann the bar of soap so she could finish washing the rest of her. As soon as she was done Bane was standing there with a towel held open for her to step into. Mary Ann gave her a small smile but knew she wouldn't be able to stop her from doing what she considered to be her job, though she did make a mental note to make sure to let them know she was capable of doing these things for herself.
   Bane led her out of the lavatory and back into her room where Maleia was waiting in front of a vanity that Mary Ann had missed the first time she had gone into her bedroom. She was led to the seat in front of it and Amaleis proceeded to comb out her dark, curly locks. Before her eyes, the Tweedle twisted, teased, and tied her hair back into a delicate braid that Mary Ann was sure would fall out. She reached up and gently placed her hand on it, to her surprise she felt the small amount of magick that Maleia must have used to ensure the strands stayed in place.
   "It's beautiful, Amaleis," she said turning to the fae woman, whose purple skin darkened to a deep violet.
   "Thank you, Princess," she said shyly before guiding her to the bed where there was a simple velvet red dress laid out upon it. Amaleis and Bane helped her slide it on, the shoulder fell just off of her shoulder making the neckline dip just low enough to show off the tops of her cleavage. It slipped gently to the floor its weight nothing like what she had expected. Amaleis approached her with a black braided rope which she tied around her waist so that it sat lightly on her hips. Bane slipped a pair of black slippers onto her feet and she was dressed for a leisurely evening, just in time too she thought as her stomach let out a low complaint of hunger.
   The woman looked at each other amused and made their way back out to the living space, where Maleia was busily preparing a smorgasbord of goodies. There were common things like finger sandwiches and scones with jam, but then there were other things like chocolate-covered rose petals that were a specialty of the Red Court, and something Mary Ann had never quite acquired a taste for.
   "Why won't you go away," Maleia was muttering and Mary Ann scrunched her brows trying to decide who she was talking to. At first, she thought it was Jac-Tar but a quick scan of the room told her he was no longer there.
   "He is just outside," Bane said reassuringly.
    Mary Ann's face flushed slightly but she gave herself a slight shake and continued to look for who Maleia was speaking to.
   "Chester would you please just evaporate already, the Princess is tired from her trip and I am certain would not be entertained by you tonight," the fae woman said standing to her full height, her hands on her hips and glaring at the winged chair that had its back to Mary Ann.
   "Who is Chester?" she asked coming to stand next to Maleia who gestured at the purple and green calico cat who had made itself comfortable in the chair.
   "I am Chester, Changling Princess," he said in a bored voice, "I would get up and bow but," he arched his back and stretched, "I don't want to," he finished not bothering to look back at her as he began to lick one of his paws.
   "I am sorry Princess," Maleia said her glare deepening, Mary Ann was sure she was thinking of all the awful things she wanted to do to the blase Chester.
   "It's fine, really," Mary Ann said, "But Chester do you suppose I could put you on my lap, you see there aren't many chairs in this room and my friends will have a hard time joining me for my meal if they have nowhere to sit."
   Chester abruptly stopped licking himself and looked from her to Maleua, "My she has been gone from the castle too long, hasn't she, Tweedle?"
   Amaleis and Maleia each turned a deep shade of purple, one in embarrassment and the other in pure rage but before anything could get said she asked, "What do you mean by that?"
   "Your friends, as you call them will not be joining you for this or any meal, Princess. You are royal, they," he gave each of them a small nod, "Are not."
   Mary Ann looked up at Bane her face scrunched up in confusion. The woman stepped forward with a small smile, "It is okay, we will eat once we settle you in for the night."
   "But I would be uncomfortable eating all of this in front of you, there is more than enough to share," she gestured toward the feast Maleia had set out but all three gave a small shake of their heads.
   "But why?" she asked crossing her arms in frustration.
   "I already told you why," Chester said getting to his feet and jumping off of the chair, "You are royal and they are not."
   "That hardly seems like a reason," she said getting more frustrated, "I hate to eat by myself, especially when others are around."
   "Get used to it, Princess. You are no longer a servant in the Rabbit's house, you better accept it and soon," he said before he walked right threw the wall.
   Mary Ann blinked unsure of what she had just seen, but with a shake of her head she conceded she had seen him walk through her wall, this was Underland, nothing should surprise her. She turned her attention back to the three women who were watching her carefully.
   "Look, I know what the rules say, but I won't tell if you won't," she gestured to the food again but none of them made a move toward it. "I really do hate to eat alone," she said slumping into the chair Chester had been in.