Guard of Laughter

Chapter Two

 The grumpy man that allowed her into the thrown room was the same that let them out. But now, he had a dumfounded look on his face. "I've never seen the queen laugh like that." He admitted, wide-eyed. "Yeah, you must be something else." The knight agreed, nodding a greeting at the guard as they passed. Jingle didn't know whether or not to take that as a complement. But she really had no time to think about it. So many other things were running through her mind. Like, why did the queen choose her? The other performers were much more talented, she couldn't believe that she managed to interest the queen more than them. Enough that she had decided not to look at the other performers. Part of her felt pressured, her job would be to make the queen laugh. But... she felt as if she'd run out of jokes eventually. What then? The thought stuck in her mind, but another feeling took place. Excitement. Joy. Pride. She actually did it! She was hired! It felt so surreal. If she didn't feel the aching pain in her backside from the long ride, she might have assumed that this was all just some dream.

 The two of them reached the other members of the troupe. Her parents were in front of the rest of the people, eager to see their daughter and offer their congratulations. When she came into sight, they practically ran to embrace her in a loving hug. It was then that she remembered that this was where they would split ways. Jingle was to live in the castle now. They... weren't allowed to stay. "Where will you two be going?" She asked. If they stayed with the troupe then she wouldn't be able to see them for months-- maybe years at a time. "We were thinking about staying in town." Her father explained, tears in his eyes as he stared at his little girl. Her mother was already crying as he continued. "We've been saving gold for this for years. We have been getting tired of all the travel you see, and we want to settle down." The thought of having them close to the castle was very comforting. This would probably be the furthest she's been from her family, but at least she'd be able to visit them. Right now it was time for her to be on her own.

 The knight with her waited for her to say her goodbyes to her parents and friends in the troupe, before he tapped on her shoulder to remind her that he was still there. "Well, this is goodbye." She faced her parents again. Her father handed her a satchel filled with all of her possessions, and her mother of course was going to hand her a basket full of food until the guard assured her that she would be well-fed and taken care of here. Still, her mother snuck some cookies to her daughter when the guard turned to lead her to her new quarters. 

 They walked down the halls in silence, but Jingle was far too entranced by the beauty of the castle to make good conversation. Not like she knew what to talk about with him anyway or if she should. What if he didn't want to talk to her? She didn't want to make things even more awkward than it was. "My name is Sir Ryan of Weston." He finally spoke up, maybe feeling more uncomfortable than her in the quiet. "The barracks aren't too far from your quarters and I patrol these halls occasionally, so we may run into each other at times." He explained, facing forward even as he spoke. "If you need any assitance or have something to inquire about you may always ask me. Or just about anyone really. You need not feel intimidated, people here are very caring." Jingle's thoughts strayed to the glaring guard. "Ah, here we are." They stopped in front of a mahogany door. Sir Ryan opened the door for her and stepped aside to allow her passage. "Your presence will be required later this evening when the queen takes her tea, an escort will come and show you the way then. But for now, you may do as you like." With a quick bow, the knight left.

 Jingle thought that he was pretty nice, although she didn't really know him yet. It was hard to guess what he was thinking or how he felt with his helmet covering all his expressions. Shrugging, the jester closed her door and pulled out the cookies her mother gave her. After everything that happened, she really was hungry... and tired. The hours that she was free would be spent on sorting out her thoughts and feelings.

 Her room was simple, but nicer than sleeping on dirt floors and cheap inns. In fact, it seemed pretty luxurious to her. She had a large bed, a desk, a wardrobe, and a chest that she could stick whatever she wanted in. After consuming the pastries, she dug through her satchel and pulled out her newly made clothes, deciding to wear it that evening. The outfit was split into black and purple, nothing very colorful but it was all they could get at a cheap price.  

The young female stayed in her room thinking about all that transpired until she got so hungry that she decided to search for some food. It was her chance to explore the castle and get to know the people that worked there and she just felt antsy just standing around.