Identity (part 1) & Acceptance (part 2)

Chapter 2

MERRY CHRISTMAS! As you can see, my chapters vary in length a bit, haha. The first 'chapter' is the minimum length I think. Also, the story kinda changes direction-mainly cause there was a massive gap in time (real life) durning the 4th 'chapter.'

Chapter 2

Steenilana sat on the end of the bed. She wanted to go to sleep, checking the dishes from a distance surreptitiously had drained her energy, but she needed to talk to Misha. Getting bored she flipped through her spell book which she had had for as long as she could remember.

Eventually she heard a tentative knock at the door, "come in," she called with renewed energy. The door handle turned then it opened slowly. Misha walked in, curtsied, and stood by the door. "Hey, sit down," Steenilana gestured to the chair by her bead which her nurse sat at. Misha walked over and sat down, trembling."Thanks for coming, so what happened?"

Misha looked up, "I took it back to the kitchen b'tween two groups o' staff. A lady, one of them supervisors was there, she looked at the cake an' said somethin' I couldn't catch, an' then she telled me to throw it away."

"What did she say?"

"Miss Steenilana, I dunno, she say'd it so very quiet, but it think it was, 'twas, they d'aint eat much."

"Thank you Misha, call me Stee, it's easier." At least she wasn't calling her princess though.

"Ok Miss-Stee, your father runs this castle well."

"Thank you, I'll tell him. Now can you please show me the supervisor you mentioned?"

"Um yes," she couldn't deny the princess's wishes, "she should still be there, but miss, please d'aint tell her 'bout me."

"Don't worry Misha, I shan't, now lead the way."

They went down many flights of stairs and along servant hallways then Misha stopped, "s'through the door on the that side," she pointed to the left, "around the corner. I'll point out the lady if I can then hide. She has short straight dark brown hair." Stee smoothed her hair, straightened her dress and stood up straight. Presence would be key. They walked to the door; Misha opened it, pointed to a tall lady then disappeared. Stee walked in and the door clicked shut behind her. All the staff were busy working until one looked up and saw Stee at the door. She nudged the person walking beside her, who nudged the next until everyone was aware of Stee. They all curtsied awkwardly, unevenly.

The tall brown haired lady spoke, "what are you doing here in this kitchen?"

"I would like to talk to you if you don't mind," she replied, then addressed the rest of the staff, "yes I am Steenilana, daughter of Ryal. I am not something to be gawked at, and I believe most of you have seen me before, and now all have you have seen me clearly, so please be about your business as I talk to this lady, then I will leave." They began working again and Stee walked over the lady.

"Miss," she gave the smallest of curtsies, strictly it should have been deeper, but Stee left it, "I am Creena." She had given her name herself, although any of the other staff in this kitchen, or the others, could have given it to her if necessary.

"Hello Creena, I believe we have not met, let's talk in the corner away from everyone." They walked to the corner, "so Creena, I will get straight to my question, why was the cake served this evening tainted?"

A worried expression crossed her face, along with shock, "I do not know what you are talking about."

"I believe you do, as a kitchen supervisor checking when things go in and out the door." Stee received no responce, "fine, I'll do it the long way, who served the cake which was in front of my dad and me?"

"Miss you are asking the impossible."

Stee turned around to face the rest of the staff, "sorry to interrupt, but he or she who served the cake that was placed in front of Ryal please come here."

A young girl dropped the spoon she was holding, looked around then walked very slowly to Stee where she sank into a deep curtsy, with a wavering voice she said, "I believe I did."

"What did you serve?"

"A chocolate and raspberry cake, I was told that it was your favourite and to put it in front of you."

"And who told you that?" asked Stee. The girl did not reply and was obviously worried, "here, hold my hand, I won't hurt you."

The girl took her hand, raising her gaze to the lady she said, "it was her."

The woman lunged for the girl. Stee pulled out a dagger from the folds of her dress. The lady backed away slightly. "How dare you attack me?" shouted Stee, the attention of all the staff were on her. Knowing it was a risk as most despised magic, she conjured a set of handcuffs on a nail behind her back. She had never done a spell like this; it had just come to her head. She swiftly turned, grabbed them and put them on the lady's wrists.

Addressing everyone, Stee said, "someone grab a tea towel and come with me as a witness. Everyone else finish as fast as possible then go to bed. "With everyone still staring, Stee, the little girl, Creena and the witness left the kitchen. Misha was waiting nervously outside. "You," Creena spat, attempting to point at Misha and get to her, but the handcuffs prevented her. Stee ripped the tea towel out of the witness's hand, pulled it though Creena's mouth and tied it tightly behind her head. "Everyone follow in an orderly fashion."

Back up stairs, Stee stopped at the room before hers. She knocked on the door. A manservant answered it. "Tell my dad that I need to see him about, um, cake." Seconds later her father was at the door. "Well, well, well, what do we have here? Let's go the meeting room and discuss this in a civilised manner," he said.

Stee and her dad walked ahead with the man servant watching Creena. "Is there anything I should know?" Ryal asked, "don't tell me there was too much violence."

She nodded, "the young girl is innocent, and I used my dagger to stop Creena, the lady, attacking her. I uh," she paused, "conjured cuffs."

He shook his head, "I didn't know you could do that."

"Nor did I, no-one noticed," she protested. "The gag is just a tea towel from the kitchens."

In the meeting room, Stee explained what had happened. The young girl had nothing to add so Ryal signed a piece of paper explaining where she was, and that she did not have to work until she was ten years of age, as the rules were. Ryal had been appalled that she had been serving and said that he would get someone to check the ages of the rest of the kitchen staff and to find and talk to the person who had made the young children work himself.

The witness then agreed with the story then left after claiming that they had nothing else to add. Misha then told her story which added little to Stee's. Ryal turned to Creena, "I will deal to Creena. You take Misha; if you want she can be your maid. Nurse is old and you are old enough to do without her and I believe it would be more enjoyable for you to have a maid, close to your own age. Before you go, please take these cuffs, I will put my own on." Typical Ryal, thought Stee as the man put on Ryal's cuffs and took off Stee's, he never trusted magic.

Back in her room, Stee asked Misha if she would like to be her maid. She did not expect the enthusiastic responce given. "Well if you're my maid then you need to know this, actually showing it is probably better." Misha had no idea what she was talking about. "I got these cuffs," she held them up, "which I put on Creena from a nail in the kitchen, have you ever seen them there?"

"No," Misha replied, still confused.

"I didn't think so, I conjured them." Misha gasped. She had been brought up to detest all sorts of trickery and other magic like things.

"And now you can say goodbye to them." She held them, hoping the spell would come to her mind as they had when she conjured them, it did, they vanished. Misha reached out and felt the air where they had been. It felt normal. Staring as Stee she asked, still astonished, "is that how you found the poison?"

"Yes."