Mirror of the Past

Bray 2- Deadly handmaiden

As Bray walked down the corridors of the High King's palace he looked at the paintings as he did every day. Most were of the current high king, some featured his family and ancestors. Some were simply decorative, lakes, flowers, forests all spaced neatly between each other upon the cream coloured walls. As he turned the corner into the princess' apartments he saw two guards outside of her door, both looked bored but stood straight to attention as they saw who was coming towards him.

The buckles on his boots clicked softly along the marble floor, the heavy heels making a steady thump, thump sound. His ears pricked up an unusual sound, coming from beyond the doors, as he got closer he made out a woman's voice shouting "No" and "Stop" over and over again.

Bray picked up his pace, instantly his mind turning to assassin's trying to kill princess Sora's handmaiden, Meera, and while the woman was a dithering old dolt, she did her job at raising the princess well

The guards by the door stiffened even more as they saw him moving more quickly towards them. "Uhh, sir, is something the matt-" Bray kicked the door open and the lock went spinning from its hinge onto the floor some distance away. Two female shrieks hit his ears instantly and he the guard beside him made a confused groan "Huh?"

"What is going on in here?" Bray demanded, halfway from drawing the blade at his hip. He took in the room in front of him. The large satin bed was unmade, half of the duvet on the floor and pillows scatted around it haphazardly. Wrinkled clothes were piled up on one chair. His eyes flicked to the far side of the room where Sora was half dressed in only a shift covering her upper body to her thighs, holding a pillow as if it were a sword. Meera was wielding a hairbrush and had one had out as if to block an attack.

"Get out!" Sora's girlish voice shouted as she covered her body with the pillow. "Brayyyyy, leave!!" A blush came to her rounded face and her head disappeared behind the pillow.

Meera took a heavy sigh and dropped her outstretched hands. "I swear she will be the death of me." She muttered, the wrinkles in her face forming a heavy frown.

"What happened, I heard shouting." Bray said, looking around the room, but it was clear there was no intruder.

"She's hurting me!" Sora shouted at the same time Meera said "She's being a child, sir."

Meera scoffed but looked wounded at that. "I did no such thing young lady, you hair is a mess and I mean to straighten it."

Bray looked at Sora as her head appeared behind the pillow. Her hair was indeed a mess, what was usually a waterfall of liquid golden now looked like a bail of hay, all tangled at sticking out at weird angles.

One of the guard's behind Bray piped up. "What about the door, sir?" he said, looking at the broken lock.

"Get someone to fix it, both of you are dismissed." Bray responded before addressing the two women in front of him. He softened his voice as he picked up the lock "Sorry about the door, but my lady, you really should be nicer to Meera." He said and look to Meera and gave a sympathetic nod. For an eight year old girl in the most powerful family in the world, she was rowdy.

A pillow flew across the room and hit him in the face before he had a chance to react, and fell in a heap at his feet. "Bray you're mean too!" Sora shouted, face all scrunched up and angry.

Bray was silent as he picked up the pillow and handed it casually to Meera, who had a sly grin on her face and she hefted its weight.

"Oh." Sora said, her face dropping and body turning towards the bed. "No." As Meera's dark gaze landed on her. "No, no, no, ahh!" She squealed as she tried to clamber over the bed. Meera's wrinkled hand grabbed her ankle with surprising force and she dragged Sora backwards.

A dark chuckle escaped Meera's mouth and one hand went up, preparing for a strike. Sora squealed and cried out and raised her hands above her face. "Pleeease."

Useless.

The pillow came down and knocked Sora's hands to the side. Another blow hit her full in the face before she had the chance to move her hands. Sora squirmed backwards but Meera's grip was tight. "Nooooo! Brayyyy heeellllppp." Came the Princess' pleading.

"As my lady commands." Bray made an exaggerated bow and crossed the distance to the bed in a moment. He looked at Meera and nodded, picked up another pillow, and joined her in beating the daughter of the most powerful man in the world, the most beautiful girl in the world when Meera had cleaned her up, but now looked like a lowly begger, bedraggled and pleading for her life without any pride or dignity.

"Brayyyyy! Sttoooopppp!" Came Sora's ignored cries for help.