Drakon

lady irritating

{📜t e r r i s h u n t e r📜}

The next morning, I woke up to a pair of bright blue eyes and long blonde hair. Screeching, I kicked out with all my might, sending whoever that was flying. According to my biological clock, it was still 6 in the morning, so who on earth would be in my room? "Who's there?" I grabbed a nearby scroll, my metal batons sliding out of the side and into my waiting hands.  I yawned, the sound loud enough to have been a battle cry of sorts.  How embarrassing.

"Ow!" The blonde menace, aka Her Noisiness Lady Celeste Greenswick, wailed. "You kicked me!" Celeste was lying on her butt, sitting on the floor with a sour expression on her face.  I felt a brief feeling of schadenfreude, a savage glee rising up inside me.

I covered it with a scowl in her direction. "Well you should know better than to look down at people when they wake up." My plans for a quiet morning had been ruined, thanks to her.

She pouted like a little child.  She was only a few months younger than I was, yet she acted like a baby.  I made a face at her. "Your father told me to wake you up..."

"Well he should've known that I like to wake up at 6 in the morning on Tuesdays." I informed her as politely as I could, trying not to lose my temper and defenestrate her. Father probably already knew I woke up early every other day, but just decided not to tell Celeste because he had a beef with her mother and wanted me to take minor revenge for him. Celeste huffed, turning around and plopping herself on my bed. "Oi!" I shouted, reaching out with an arm to shove her off. "Get off my bed! Who knows what you sat on this morning?" I slept on my bed.  I couldn't risk her contaminating the bed with germs from her butt.

"Teresa!" A voice shouted from outside. Father only called me Teresa when he was angry, or didn't get enough sleep. I was betting on the latter. "Be polite to your guest!" I pulled a face at the empty doorway. Celeste let out a twittering giggle, and I resisted the urge to slap her in the face.

Celeste cocked her head, staring at me curiously. "Your real name is Teresa?" I got off the bed, grabbing her hand and yanking her up to her feet. "Hey!" She spluttered. "What are you doing?"

I glared at her. I hated it when people called me Teresa; it was too feminine. "That's it. Out. I don't care how you do it- either you go out by yourself, or I drag you out by the armpits." Celeste walked herself out of my room, pulling the door shut behind her. I slumped back onto my bed, pulling the covers around me.

I felt an indent in my bed. "Look, Terris, don't be too mad at her." It was father, pulling the covers away.

I glared at him. "Don't be too mad at her?" I snapped. "You don't even like her mom, so why should I like her? And why do you even care? Plus, do you realize you just ruined my potentially perfect morning?" I was pretty sure smoke was coming out of my ears.

Father sighed. "Look, Terris, I just want the best for you. You know that." Was he trying to guilt trip me? "I don't want you to live a lonely life, becoming a social recluse like I did. I regret that, truly. I want you to have friends. To socialize. But you behave like you don't want that. I know you want to see the world, to discover things with your own eyes." Father grabbed my hands, pulling me into an upright position. "You really should go and apologize."

"Fine." I huffed, slipping off the bed.

Father caught me off guard with a kiss on the forehead. "Make me proud, Terris." I frowned. What did he mean? He smiled sadly. "I have a feeling we won't be seeing much of each other in the next few months. Take your chance, and soar."

I nodded. "I will, dad." The ends of his mouth twisted up into a smile, a proud gleam in his eyes.

"Do go and buy a loaf of bread while you're at it!" I laughed and slipped out the door, finding Celeste hunched down on the sofa.

Twisting my face into an apologetic expression, I approached the younger girl, sitting down by her side. She looked up at me, glaring. "What do you want?"

"My dad forced me to apologize, so here I am." Just kidding, I didn't say that, although I wanted to. I knew the rumors surrounding the Greenswicks, how both mother and daughter held power and constantly used it against other nobles and common folk by complaining to the king.

"I'm sorry for kicking you." I muttered. I got up, ready to go out to the market. I wanted to get there before the people started to head to the market themselves. Growing up in the quiet library, I didn't like loud places, the bustling market least of all. I started pulling my boots on.

She blinked. "That's okay, I forgive you. Alistair always says I need to be tougher anyway." Oh yes, did I mention Celeste was also cousin of the prince, the same prince whom I was supposed to babysit? She noticed me tying my shoelaces, shrugging my jacket over my shoulders. "Hey, where are you going?"

I stood up casually, brushing myself off. "Oh, I'm just going to the market. I need to buy a loaf of bread, get some chocolate, maybe get my knives sharpened..."

Celeste looked horrified. "Knives?" She squeaked. "Ladies shouldn't carry knives!" I thought she would know by now that I was far from being a proper lady.

I grinned, showing a row of pristine white teeth. "Just kidding, I don't use knives." Tipping my scrolls over, a pair of batons rolled out. "I use these instead." I twirled them around for extra measure, watching with barely disguised glee as Celeste stumbled back in fear.

I opened the door, the cool morning air sweeping in. "Are you leaving yet? Because I am." She grumbled, about to sit down and put her girly heels. I swept the stool away from under her, kicking it aside with a booted foot. Celeste let out a terrified squeal as she went tumbling to the floor. I broke out laughing, bent over and clutching my stomach.

"Hey!" Celeste whined. "That's not funny." She pulled herself to her unsteady feet, wobbling slightly. I made no move to help her. "Aren't you going to at least help me get my shoes, or bring a chair?"

I snickered slightly sadistically. "Nope," I replied her, popping the p, "I'm not bothered. By the way, it's plenty funny. You just don't see it that way." She huffed, storming out of the door. It slammed shut behind her, and I allowed myself a few more minutes of laughing at her misfortune. Payback was sweet, no?

image: elisabeth harnois as celeste greenswick