Out of sorts- Tagatha

Chapter 3: Tour

-

"Yes, my daughter is quite gifted" mused the queen.

She had been going on about this for 2 and a half hours now. Talking about her daughter like she was some prise to be bought.

And the princess just sat there, smiled like this was the moment she'd been waiting for her whole life.

Sophie stared at him, looking flushed and doe eyed, with an innocent smile playing on her lips, but it looked forced. At per usual with all girls that wanted his hand.

My god this is tedious, probably the most tedium I've ever had to sit through and I went to aunt Anna's wedding...

Tedros had done well to keep his boredom to himself, but he feared that it would start showing on his face, so decided to wrap up the conversation.

"It's been wonderful talking to you, Queen Vanessa, Princess Sophie, but I'm afraid it's time for me to be shown around the castle grounds now, by your staff?"

"I- yes, yes, you're right. There should be someone to collect you for the tour any moment now." Sophie said, shyly.

-

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Look, i know you had that whole... debacle with the king this morning, but Kiana has taken ill and there is no one else qualified for this task. Plus, you're not even doing anything!" Lilly, one of the maids, explained.

Agatha grit her teeth so hard Lilly feared she might crack a tooth.

"Fine" she spat.

And so Lady Agatha was roped into touring the King of Camelot around the castle.

-

He wasn't happy with it either, by the look on his face, because with each slowing step she took towards him, his frown deepened and his brow line further creased.

"You must be joking, right?" The king asked, unpleased by this arrangement.

"No, because I'm definitely looking forward to spending my afternoon with the likes of you, sugar" Agatha shot back sarcastically.

"Funny."

"If this is your definition of funny, then I'm really sorry for your chronically bland lifestyle. I'd donate some life to you but I have the sneakiest suspicion that you have enough riches to buy your own."

What.

"I didn't know Queen Vanessa hired witches." Tedros sneered.

"Luckily, I was taught every fairytale involving a witch cleverly disposing of egotistical little princes and ill-tempered kings" Agatha turned her nose up and started speed-walking.

"Luckily?!" Tedros followed, keeping up with her pace.

"Well I didn't say for you."

He huffed, agitated by her already, and the tour hadn't even started yet.

"Trust me, the feeling is reciprocated" Agatha added snidely, as if reading his mind.

-

The tour was longer than expected, with one of them snapping at the other and adding unnecessary commentary wherever they went, and then the other doing the exact same thing back.

"This is the main ball room, which is getting ready for the autumn festival in a few days."

"I didn't know there was going to be a festival."

"I hear they have a strict no-idiot-kings policy, but I'll have to check back in with the committee. Oh, wait, thats me."

Agatha had smiled toothily in Tedros' face.

And then it was Tedros.

"I assume this is the staff quaters, where you live amongst your friends."

"I don't make friends with the staff."

"I was talking about the brooms and cockroaches"

Tedros had looked so proud of himself. Agatha had not said anything, pitying his poor excuse of an insult, and instead just shook her head.

-

"And this is the garden. We're done now, so I'll get out of your face, your royal highness." Agatha snapped, aggravated by the whole activity.

She was so ready to walk away from this 'rich snob' when he suddenly grabbed her hand.

"What's your issue with me?"

A pause.

"What are you talking about?" Agatha said, irritated.

"Why don't you like me? Because it's surely not due to the fact that we bumped into each other earlier. So what is it? Have we met before? Have i wronged you? What?"

This man must be fooling her, right?

"Why are you so bothered that some random castle staff doesn't like you?"

Tedros sighed, still gripping her wrist.

"Look, if I'm to be married to Princess Sophie, we have to get along, otherwise its going to be a difficult rest of our lives. You're her Lady, you follow her wherever she goes, do whatever she says, so when she inevitably moves to Camelot, you will too. Do you really want to be spending the rest of your life bickering with me? I certainly don't. So if I've wronged you in some way or other, then now's the chance to say it, so I can fix this before you try to... I don't know... poison me in my sleep." His attempt at humour was painful.

Agatha grimaced at him, "you're right. I don't like you. But not because you've wronged me. It's because you're just like every other guy who's ever dated Sophie. You're in it for the way it makes you look like in public next to her, and because you know she likes guys like you, so it's easy to manipulate her to get her to do what you want. She's my best friend, and if you think I'm going to stand around and watch her get hurt again, well, you're sorely mistaken. I will always be the wedge between you and Sophie," she stuck her finger in his chest, "you wont ever get the chance to hurt her, because I'll always be in the way. I've known Sophie my whole life, she depends on me, so when push comes to shove, I'll be more than happy to shove you in a river to drown. Understood? Splendid. Now, I have the rest of the day off, so please, for the love of everything holy, don't bother me" and she stormed right off.

Agatha blew out a puff of hot air, I might have been a tad aggressive, but he needs to know his place.

She wasn't going to take back what she'd said. Even if it was harsh.

-

Is that what people think of me? Tedros thought, staring at where Agatha had walked off a few moments ago.

No one knows me. They just assume I'm some spoiled brat that abuses my power.

He looked down, angry at everything and nothing all at once, and upset at the notion that he would ever use anyone, let alone Princess Sophie.

They just see King Arthur's son. They don't see me. They don't see Tedros.