Cinderella vs. the Fairy Godmother (sequel)

Chapter 11

             Sunlight pouring onto her eyes woke Valerie. She groaned and rolled over, burying her face in her pillow. She inhaled deeply but instead of the familiar scent of laundry detergent, she smelled lavender. She shoved herself up and stared down at the bed.

            Clean white sheets and a feather pillow greeted her gaze. Below her was a feather mattress. She looked up. Above her a pink canopy edged in lace spread out, falling into tied back curtains just behind her.

            A spindly looking table lay beside her bed, its twin standing on the other side. Tapestries covered the walls of the room. Studying the closest one, Val made a face. It depicted what looked like the tale of Rapunzel in a sickeningly sweet and adorable way.

            Across the room lace curtains fluttered around the open window. On that side of the room a heavy carved wardrobe, painted white to match the rest of the furniture, sat beside her suitcase. Closer to the door a small table and four chairs sat, the same spindly type as the end tables. Val took in the whole room and decided she needed to punch Darren. If ever a room screamed “delicate princess”, it was this one.

            Sliding out of bed, she padded over to her suitcase. She kicked it onto its back, opened it and began rummaging around for clothes. A gasp behind her made her whirl and lunge for the sword that lay across the nearest end table.

            Her hands closed on the hilt before she got a proper look at the intruder. Face whitening before her, a young woman stood. Her black skirt, white blouse and apron identified her as a member of the palace staff. “Sorry,” Val said, straightening but not letting go of the sword. “You startled me. Can I help you with something?”

            The woman stared, her mouth sagging open. Valerie waited for her to say something but the woman just stood, as if frozen. Val shrugged and went back to digging through her suitcase.

            Pulling out a pair of nice grey pants, she heard “Y-your hi-highness?” behind her.

            Valerie turned to look at the other woman, folding her pants over one arm. “I’m not a princess. Do you need something?”

            “I…no my lady. I have been assigned to you, my lady.”

            “I’m not a lady either. And what do you mean ‘assigned to me’?”

            The woman’s gaze darted around the room as if she were looking for an escape. “My lady arrived without a proper household. I’ve been assigned to be your maid until you find a proper one.”

            Val stared at her, realized she was serious, and began laughing. “A maid? Are you serious? No offense to you but I don’t need a maid. I can clean up after myself.”

            Her would-be maid stared at her again. “Bu my lady, what about dressing!”

            She laughed again. “I dress myself. Have since I was like six. I can take care of myself.”

            “But…gowns for formal occasions…”

            She gestured to her current outfit, a large men’s t-shirt and dorm pants. “Do I look like the kind of girl who wears anything super formal?”

            Before the maid could reply the door opened and Miette walked in, lovely in a dress of pale blue. “I am glad to see you are awake. Many courtiers lie abed and waste the day.”

            Valerie snorted. “Good thing I’m not a courtier then.”

            As Miette passed her, the other woman curtsied deeply. “I am pleased to see you have begun to staff your household. I had thought…”

            “I’m not staffing my household. I don’t even have a household. She just turned up today and said she was supposed to be my maid. Which is fine but I don’t need one.”

            Miette sighed. “You will need a maid. The gowns for formal occasions require help to put on. Then your hair must be dressed properly as well.”

            “Then it’s a good thing I don’t have any gowns. Problem solved.”

            Lyel’s lady looked up at the ceiling as if for help. “One of the appointments you have today is one with some seamstresses. You will have formal gowns made. Now, you must hurry and dress. Today will be busy.”

            “What do you mean appointments? I never made any appointments!”

            “Darren and I made them. Some of them are to introduce you to the correct people. Others are to prepare you for life at Court.”

            Val stared. “You have got to be kidding me.”

            “I am not. Now kindly get dressed.”

            An hour later Valerie found herself standing on a little round platform being measured and poked by two brisk dressmakers. Miette and Valerie’s maid, she’d finally given in to the inevitable, watched. Miette with a tiny satisfied smile and Sora the maid with darting, worried eyes.

            “It’ll be easy he says,” Valerie said, voice laced with disgust. “Nothing to worry about he says. You’ll be fine he says. Just wait until I get my hands on him!”

            “Who are you trying to get your hands on?” Darren asked from the doorway.

            “I am going to hurt you. So very badly,” she told him, wincing slightly as one of the women pricked her with a pin.

            He grinned and strolled into the room proper, nodding to Miette, Sora, and the seamstresses. “Keep talking like that and people are going to get the wrong idea.”

            “I am being measured for one of those stupid gowns that practically require a steering wheel. Something you neglected to mention.”

            “I told you you would need to have clothes made. I also told you you would have to wear dresses. It’s not my fault you didn’t take me seriously. Besides, I’m sure these lovely dressmakers will be happy to make you something you’ll be comfortable in.”

            “Of course you highness,” the older of the two said, dropping a quick curtsy before continuing to pin bits of cloth to Val.

            She looked down at them and frowned. “Can you make me something I can move in?”

            “By move she means fight,” Darren added, a wide grin crinkling the corners of his eyes.

            The seamstresses froze then looked slowly up at Valerie. “M-my lady?”

            She sighed. “No corsets, no skirts so long I’ll trip, no huge sleeves, and nothing so low cut I risk popping out of it. I need to be able to move in case of an emergency. Oh! And I need to be able to belt my sword on as well.”

            The two women turned to look at Miette who nodded. “She is quite serious. After witnessing her display yesterday, I am quite in agreement with the idea.”

            They exchanged a glance then curtsied in unison. “We will see what we can do my lady.”