Meeting Mary Ann

Chapter Four: Mornings are for Meetings

The next morning Mary Ann wasn't woken by a pounding at her door, no instead she woke slowly and leisurely until she opened her eyes and forgot where she was for a second. Her heart jumped into her throat until she remembered where she was. Sitting up she looked around her, the canopy was still closed around her bed keeping her in a deep shadow, not a sliver of light making its way in. She reached out and pulled the fabric aside and swung her legs over the side of her bed, slipping her feet into her slippers and getting to her feet with a long stretch.
She tried to run a hand through her hair but to her surprise the style Amaleis had put in after her bath had stayed put all night.
"She must have used some kind of fae magick," she muttered to herself before heading to the lavatory to relieve herself. As soon as she was done she went to the balcony doors and pulled them wide before stepping outside and inhaling the fresh morning air. A light knock at the door made Mary Ann turn and go back inside opening the door to find the Tweedle twins staring at her. Maleia was holding a tray of tea, fruits, and pastries for Mary Ann's morning meal, while Amaleis stood with her hands free waiting to be asked into the room so she could pull out her clothes and fix up her hair for the day.
"Good morning ladies," Mary Ann said opening the door wider and stepping aside so they could enter.
"Good morning Princess," Maleia said with a bright smile, "I thought you might like to eat out on the balcony this morning, it's such a beautiful one." Without waiting for Mary Ann to answer she made her way outside and began setting up her meal there.
"Good morning Mary Ann," Amaleis said in a hushed tone making Mary Ann give her a secret smile, "I hope you slept well," She made her way to the large wardrobe against one wall and pulled the doors open.
"I did, thank you," Mary Ann answered standing next to her and looking at all the different outfits inside. Her eyes widened, she had been so tired last night she hadn't bothered to do much exploring, nor had she found a decent spot to hide the Know-It-All book, she made a mental note to get it taken care of today.
"What do I have planned for my first full day in the castle?" she asked with a slight flinch, she remembered the endless lessons and meetings she had had to endure as a little girl and knew it was likely going to be worse now that she was older.
Amaleis pulled a simple pair of black trousers and a light red silk long-sleeved shirt from the closet, bending down to add a pair of simple boots to the ensemble, "You are to meet with the Queen after your morning meal," she answered laying the clothes out on the bed and making her way to the vanity.
"Speaking of," Maleia said gently taking Mary Ann by the elbow and sitting her out at the table, "You need to eat before we can get you looking presentable for Her Majesty." She placed a plate in front of Mary Ann and loaded it full of a little of everything from the tray and looked at her expectantly as she poured her a steaming cup of one of the best-smelling teas she had ever had. Mary Ann put both her hands up in mock surrender and began eating the delicious food in front of her. Though it was one of the best breakfasts she had ever had she still felt uncomfortable eating while the twins bustled around her room, making her bed and pulling accessories out of small drawers on her vanity. She made a mental note to speak to the queen about it, though she doubted it would do any good.
As she ate she looked at the view around her, her eyes landed on the animalistic bushes that were lazing about in the morning sun when a young man with dark hair and pale skin, dressed in simple trousers black and a crimson shirt tucked in and wrapped in with a belt that held a simple sword at his waist. Keeping her eyes on him she watched as he approached the lion-shaped bush and began to scratch it behind the ears as though it was a pet instead of the large man-eating bush it was.
"Princess?" Maleia asked with a smile in her voice noticing who she was staring at.
Mary Ann quickly looked up at the fae, her cheeks burning a bright red, "Yes?" she asked trying to keep her composure.
"If you have finished eating we should get you dressed for the day," She helped Mary Ann to her feet, though she felt silly letting her when she was more than capable of standing up on her own. "You know Her Majesty would hate to be kept waiting."
Mary Ann nodded and let her lead the way back into her rooms where both fae women proceeded to help her off with her night dress and into the trousers and shirt Amaleis had chosen for her. Then she was plopped in front of the vanity and the Tweedle went to work on her hair once more, releasing it from the braids she had slept in. It fell with a snap of her fingers and Mary Ann looked at her in admiration, she wished she had that much control over her hair. Amaleis just blushed and began running a comb through the locks before pulling it all back up and into a high ponytail with strands twisted with light brown branches each holding a small red rose. When she had finished it was Maleia's turn and she began to go to work on Mary Ann's face, adding a pinch of powder, a light eyeliner that pulled the green from her eyes making them seem brighter, before finishing with a deep pink lipstick.
Mary Ann looked at herself in the mirror not sure she what she was seeing was real. Where there was usually a mess of hair and ink stains sat a sophisticated and eloquent-looking woman.
"And for the finishing touch," Maleia said before adding a pair of small red studs to her ears and a delicate chain with a small black heart that fell just on her collarbone.
"I look..." her voice trailed off as she just stared at herself still not believing the reflection.
"You look beautiful, Princess," Maleia said kneeling and helping her get her boots on. Once they were on she got to her feet and did a little spin for their benefit and all three girls broke out in laughter as she finished with an exaggerated bow to them.
A strong knock came at the door, making them quiet down.
"Yes?" she called out.
"Are you decent, Princess?" came Jac-Tar's deep voice. Mary Ann went to the door and opened it, the doorknob making a rude noise at being jarred awake. Standing on the other side was Jac-Tar, dressed almost the same as he had yesterday and with a warm smile on his face.
"Good morning Jac," she said stepping aside and inviting him in. He only took a few steps inside clearly not quite comfortable with being in her rooms.
"How are you this morning?" she asked looking at the Tweedles who had stopped giggling and were bustling around her rooms cleaning up after their morning. Each with arms full of dishes and clothes they each paused and curtsied quickly to her before scuttling out the door.
"I am quite well, thank you," he looked at each Tweedle as they walked out the door a brow raised but didn't say anything to them. He turned his attention back to her, "Are you ready to start your first day as the official Changling Princess?"
She took a deep breath, the butterflies in her stomach going crazy. She was starting to regret eating so much that morning, it would not look good to puke when she went to meet the queen.
"I guess," she said hesitantly, "Maybe. Probably not," she finally finished with a shy smile and a small chuckle to herself. "But it doesn't look like I am going to be getting out of this anytime soon, so," she gestured toward the door, and with a nod he led the way out.
"Good luck, lass!" called the doorknob as it latched closed, "She's gonna need it," she muttered to herself before falling right back to sleep.