The Court Jester

The Court Jester: Chapter 1

"Caridee! What do you think you are doing?! You are late!" Karen reprimended, her blue eyes filled with worry.

"Oh, hush! What does it matter if I am late?! Those nobles notice nothing besides the amount of gold they have," Caridee giggled as she applied the white paint on her face.

Karen clasped a hand to her mouth in horror. "Don't speak that way Caridee! If the nobles were to hear you, they would have your head!"

"Off with her head!" Caridee chortled and painted her lips a black color.

Karen stared at her as if she had two heads. "What?"

Caridee shook her head in amusement. "It is an old tale that I had heard. It was about this bloody queen whom whenever was angered by someone, she would order that person's head to be decapitated."

"You are a demented child," Karen murmured as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Perhaps in your opinion," Caridee giggled. Finishing the last bit of paint on her face, she reached for the small pouch that held her trinkets and for the bauble that laid on the makeshift table by her bedside. She then placed her cap n' bells on her head and hopped off the wobbly stool.

"Hurry, Caridee!"

Caridee twirled about and stared at her reflection in the murky vanity. "How do I look, Karen? Am I pretty enough to catch the eye of the prince?" She giggled as Karen dragged her through the servants' passageways to the entrance of the Great Hall.

"May the Gods have mercy on your soul, for who knows what is instore for you in there," Karen murmured.

Caridee laughed as she hugged Karen. "Well, my dear friend, I suppose we'll find out soon enough. But just know, if it does come down to its worst, that you have been the upmost amazing friend that one could ever ask for."

Karen glared at her friend's sarcastic behavior. "Hush! Get in there now before the king puts you in the stocks for your insuffurable behavior!"

Caridee simply bowed with a giggle before bursting through the doors.

"That girl," Karen muttered as she stared after her friend.

~*~

Caridee somersaulted into the room and bent on one knee with her arms splayed open. "My king, my king! I beg thee wait! For I know that I, thy servant, am late!" She began to juggle random fruits and objects in the Great Hall, taking them off of guests' plates.

Seeing that the king was in to splendid of a mood to care for her late arrival, she tossed some mor objects into the air. As the mass began to cheer and clap for her performance, she flung the fruits to the side one by one. The fruits happened to hit a nearby guard and Caridee giggled, "Sorry! I tend to be a bit clumsy!"

She performed the rest of the night, making fun of guests, telling stories, playing music, and dancing. As the night came to a close and Lords and Ladies dispersed to dark corners and rooms, Caridee found herself trudging tiresomely to the slave quarters.

Heaving a deep sigh, Caridee slipped off her clothes and put on the oversized chemise. She washed her face clean of all the make-up and reached into her pouch to retrieve a biscuit, some cheese, and fruits that she had snagged undetected during her performance.

Nibbling silently in thought, she stared with moist eyes at the locket that she kept around her neck. She held the golden gem in her hand as she ran a thumb over its surface. It was the locket her father had given her before he past away when she was at a young and tender age. With a deep breath, she tucked the necklace back into her chemise and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.