“Run as much as you like, sweet schnuckelchen, I will find you,” Curdken hissed. Even his sweet words of endearment for her could not hide the bite of wrathful menace that tinged his every word.
Krista held her breath underneath the valves which moved monotonously keeping the Royal airship afloat. Puffs of hot steam blew her golden hair with every movement of the steam engine. If Curdken found her he would rip her from limb to limb or worse.
She heard him moving towards the opposite end of the room. The only source of light was the kerosene lanterns which highlighted all the gleaming metal in the room a peculiar red. This combined with Curdken’s nimble footedness for a man his size made it harder for her to keep him in sight but consequently she was also hidden.
Her plain, worn, walking skirt rubbed against the oil slick floor as she took the chance to crawl up to another open door. It could trap her inside or be a cause for freedom but it was a risk she needed to take.
The room she ended up in was completely dark and a lot more frigid than the warm engine room. Krista curled up against what seemed to be a pile of cleaning rags and steel pails hoping against all hope that Curdken, the Prince’s henchman, would not venture any further.
In her clenched hands she held pieces of paper that marked great ruin for her country. She had found the marriage treaty between the two nations in which it was plainly stated that Prince Ansgar would be allowed full power to plunder the black forest in search of coal. It would mean the end of so many people who resided within the forest itself and all those who depended on it for their livelihoods. It would also mean the end of all the unique flora and fauna. Krista could not let the treaty be signed but how could she stop the Royal marriage which would combine the two nations.
Yet again she wondered what kind of Queen was the heartless Dagmar who would ruin her own people for a marriage alliance. Just thinking about her made her nauseous. It was so strange for her to think at some point in her life she had laid allegiance to this woman as her hand maiden. Maybe it was the previous Queen, mother of Dagmar, who inspired the loyalty. Some days Krista felt her past was so cloudy and vague. She could remember the Queen’s mother who was so kind and generous but could barely make out details about her own.
The fair haired handmaiden assumed this lack of clarity was because she had not taken her medicine for more hours than her doctor prescribed for her headaches. When she had her pills the world was so right. It was bright and carefree with her only thoughts on her work. Now it was gray and solemn. She could barely stand or even remember her own name beyond her throbbing head.
A cold sweat formed on her forehead and goose bumps riddled her body. It had been many months since she had not had her medicine. The effects were inevitable.
It was then Krista heard a whisper.
It was so soft and muted it was a wonder she had heard it all. She wanted to ignore it for her body ached to lie on a smooth feather bed but in good conscience she could not.
“Please, please, release me from my bonds,” The teeny voice echoed in the large, empty room.
Krista turned over with a great huff and dragged her body towards the sound. She quietly placed her hands on another pile of decrepit junk and rummaged through it to find the source of the sounds. The girl found herself looking down at two gleaming blue eyes.
“Do you not remember me?” The small machine with a humanoid body hummed, the voice sounded less human like this close.
“I am afraid my memory falters often,” Krista explained and wondered why she did not remember such a wondrous machine.
“I remember but I cannot speak it. My vacuum tubes were stolen, you see. I cannot even say your name,” The machine crackled as if unused for a long time.
“My name is Krista and I am the Queen’s personal handmaiden,” The girl introduced herself as if she were talking to a Lord rather than a talking machine.
“I am KRIEMHILD. I was stolen because I could not lie...” The machine beeped and clicked as if it wanted to tell a tale.
She too desired to listen to it but there was a fairytale wedding she needed to destroy first.
______________________________________
Her whole body burned feverishly but her pocketwatch told her she had no time to stumble and pause or ruminate over why she was taking such risky action. If she was not successful in convincing people of her truth she would likely be pushed off the airship and crash down into the rocks of the turbulent North Sea.
The humanoid machine was tucked under arm and instead of being a burden it gave her valuable insight into what she would face.
“The Prince and the Queen will at the end recite their vows to each other and finally merge their bloodlines together to signify their holy union.”
“You mean they will… publically…” Krista wrinkled her nose. She nearly stumbled on a pipe running across the empty corridor.
“No, idiot girl,” The machine berated with so much emotion it felt sentient; like the wood and brass it was made of masked flesh and blood underneath it, “They will merge their blood together into the apparatus that contains every single union recorded after its creation. Henceforth what is hers will become his and vice verse. He would be able to open any vaults her blood signature would have allowed only her previously. That means her private fortune, state secrets, war tactics...”
“Over my dead body,” Krista grumbled.
“That’s the spirit!”
The girl’s skirt flew behind her as she took the last right turn. She expected to be able to enter the Great hall that was doubling as the wedding reception area since she had encountered no other soul. To her dismay a whole fleet of ensigns holding narrow barreled pistols blocked her route.
“Arrest her,” Young Konteradmiral Bertram pointed his finger at her. The man was richly dressed in full naval uniform. His navy blue tailcoat, sharply tailored over his broad shoulders, bore stars and marking indicating his rank and successes.
“I am no fugitive; I am Queen Dagmar’s hand maiden. I should be in there with her,” The yellow haired girl tried to plead her case. Her eye was firmly stuck on the metal bolted door behind the army of men barricading it.
“Oh, of your identity I am certain but it is the Queen herself who has ordered that you be kept away. You have been caught thieving against your own mistress, a terrible crime for which I must arrest you,” The gallant officer informed her, "I have seen you at work. I did not expect actions like these from a hardworking girl such as yourself."
“I am no common thief. If there is anyone who should be charged then it should be our esteemed Queen herself who seeks to plunder our very homes,” Krista replied venomously.
“Are you serious in your allegations of treason? Do you not understand how much you will lose if your words are the untruth,” The raven haired man growled at her.
“Read these,” Krista thrust the marriage treaty papers into the man’s hand. He was very well regarded at court as someone who would die for their duty. She hoped he too could see the calamity that would befall on them if the marriage was allowed. Their country would be ruined.
“What if these papers are forged for some insidious reasons...” The man trailed off though his complexion was now a sickly pallor.
“Oh, bollocks! lovely girl, hold me up,” The brass machine rattled and Krista did just that. She could barely keep herself upright and her arms quaked weakly but it needed to be done. She knew it in her bones even if her mind could not understand why.
The machine hissed and shuddered as if the steam running circles inside it was trying to escape. The eyes of the humanoid gleamed an acidic colour and *boom* the brass bolted door was eviscerated. Krista’s skirts rose above her knees with the force with which the door exploded. The ensigns and their officers were scattered on the floor but were relatively unharmed.
She ran inside hoping it wasn’t too late but the Queen and the Prince had already pressed their thumbs into the thumb pad which had a minute brass needle that took their blood sample. The giant machine taking up half the room clicked and hissed, full of brimming steam and whistled from time to time. The row of vacuum tubes gurgled with static and the filament inside them burnt hot. It finally shuddered to a halt and emitted a red light.
“It is done,” The Admiral pronounced though his eyes were bulging out due to the explosion. The Queen gave her handmaiden a sly smile as her husband drew her close. A harried photograph tilted the accordion-pleated bellows and clicked the happy couple.
Prince Ansgar placed his thumb back onto the machine and pressed some buttons. It was obvious he was checking how many more access rights had he gained. The machine this time around was motionless.
“Denied, what do you mean denied!” The man hollered from the stage after a pregnant pause and it was then she remembered everything.
"I shall not be your waiting- maid any longer," Krista shrieked at her shrilly, "Look at you. You miserable, drugged up fool. You are not worthy of being Queen. I am."
"Alas! alas! if your mother knew it, Sadly, would she rue it," KRIEMHILD crackled as he was led away from her while she swayed under the influence.
“Of course, it denied you access to my realm," She coolly announced. She did even need to shout since the hall was full of silent, subdued spectators.
“Who are you?” The Prince demanded, hands balled up into fists.
“I am Queen Dagmar, the ruler of this nation and you are currently married to my hand maiden."
A buzzing in the crowd suddenly increased. The marriage party mostly consisted of the Prince's courtiers who had never seen her before. They had been invited on her Royal airship for the wedding. No one had question why the Queen was escorted by so few people. She had been drugged while the courtiers had been paid off.
“So you enticed your handmaiden to play this farce with me," Prince Ansgar was enraged and his face turned an alarming shade of red.
“No, it was my handmaiden who was so besotted by talk of your good looks that she decided to take my place. After my mother's death I was so deeply depressed I was taking herbs and medicines that soothed my mind. I did not realize one of the side effects would be that I would become extremely susceptible to suggestion. I was in such a muddled state she convinced me by repeatedly stating that I was handmaiden instead of her throughout the whole trip. i was fooled just as much as you are"
"This marriage cannot be valid. I did not marry the right woman!" The Prince groused as he was surrounded by his own courtiers who quickly led him away from the pavilion. The handmaiden Krista looked despondent but she stoutly ran after her new husband.
"But this marriage was completely valid, isn't it right, KRIEMHILD," Queen Dagmar smirked to herself, "The Komputer does not care who it is joining together in holy matrimony."
"Yes, my.. my.." The robot made of glass, wood and brass stumbled forward, still covered in cobwebs.
"Oh, you poor dear. They did steal your vacuum tubes. Can you really not say my name?"
"I tried to tell you everything but they neutralized me," KRIEMHILD warbled and Dagmar felt a surge of sympathy for her poor, loyal friend who had been treated so abominably.
If we are talking about missing vacuum tubes. Could these be the ones?" The Konteradmiral stepped forward to hand them to her. "I found them in the personal belongings of Curdken against whom I found an anonymous note stating his crimes."
"That was my doing," Queen Dagmar smiled mischievously, "I wrote it down when I realized that Curdken knew I had found those papers."
"I should have known," The man sighed as if could not believe the tale unraveling right in front of him, "I did wonder how the Queen Dagmar, famous for her golden locks, turned out to be a raven haired beauty. I just assumed she got tired of them."
"Do not blame yourself. She fooled us all, even me. I should be doubly blamed. I could not take the grief of my mother's passing and was so heavily sedated I could think no longer."
The man looked like he wanted to say more but the Queen bid him farewell and left him to clean up the mess.
"It looks like my mother's fondest wish will not come true. I will not marry any dashing Prince tonight."
“The Konteradmiral is rather dashing. You should take the opportunity to woo him,” KRIEMHILD insisted.
“Oh, stop,” Dagmar laughed but she couldn’t help but take another look at the man.