kitchen_maid | (no subject)

(no subject)

The Queen's Rooms in the palace in Amber are very grand, very golden, and very un-Amy. But they've only been hers for a month and a half, and she hasn't been here most of that time. She'll get around to getting them changed to suit her. What matters to her is that she's found the door to Milliways at the back of her wardrobe.

Which means she can have guests.

And who better to bring as a first guest in Ambergeldar than her princess protege?

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"Who's that lady?"

Ingress has lots of imagination, but the painting doesn't look much like Amy at all.

Amy laughs. "Well, it's meant to be me," she says. "But I don't think she looks the least bit like me."

"Maybe she looks like your mummy," says Ingress with a nod of the head.

"What's this room? Is it for meetings or parties?"

"A little," says Amy. "Mostly she looks like my sister, but with slightly darker hair.

"It's for small receptions, or spending time with guests who are important, but who aren't good friends. Visiting ambassadors and their wives and the like. We don't use it very often. The best sort of guests are the ones who you can take to spend time in your room."

"We don't have guests in our house much. Sometimes Mummy and Daddy would have dinners with important people, and I had to be on my best manners when I said hello. Door sometimes has special people over, but not like Mummy and Daddy did. I don't mind. It's more fun to not mind your manners."

She walks around the room as she talks, running her hands on the smooth velvet upholstery of the chairs.

"I remember those kinds of dinners -- and hellos -- from when I was little," says Amy. "But, yes, it's much better to not have to mind your manners. Which is, of course," she adds hastily, "not the same thing as not being polite. It's just less . . . formal."

She is still, after all, a princess teacher. She can't go about encouraging rudeness, even a little.

Not that she thinks Ingress would ever be rude.

But, safe side and all.

"You have to walk funny when you're formal. Like if you move too much you'll break a rule. Being polite is just being nice," she agrees.

"Okay, what room shall we go to next?"

A rather unqueenly giggle. "That's precisely the problem with formal," says Amy.

She thinks.

"The ballroom is very grand, and we could have a terribly regal dance lesson, if you liked."

"Are the floors shiny? Can we run through and slide on it in our socks?"

"Of course the floors are shiny. Wouldn't be a proper palace ballroom without shiny floors, would it? And I think if you want to go sliding about in socks, that can easily be arranged."

"Yay! Let's go!" She tugs Amy's hand as she pulls her through the door and back into the hallway. Ingress leads the way until she remembers she has no idea where the ballroom is. She falls back to walk side-by-side with Amy. "Is it far from here?"

Castles are big. It's different when you go through paintings - less hallways to walk down.

"Not too far," promises Amy. "All the formal rooms are more or less together."

And by castle standards, it's not too far.

It's a huge and very grand room. Amy goes to the far end to pull back the curtains and let some light in.

"What do you think, Princess Ingress?"

"Wow!"

There is a ballroom in the House of Arch. It is nowhere near as grand as this.

"And I can run if I like?"

She's already taking off her slippers.

"Of course," says Amy. "Run, jump, hop, skip, slide, dance, twirl, wobble, anything you like."

Pause.

"I think flying might be out of the question, but anything else."

She runs and then sliiiiiides.

Unfortunately she slides right into a suit of armor, knocking it over with a huge clank and clatter.

"Oh no!"

"It's all right, Ingress," says Amy. "It's an especially silly place for someone to leave a suit of armor anyway."

The crash and clatter bring a couple of footmen running, and Amy puts them in charge of collecting and removing the pieces.

"What shall we do next?"

She looks over her shoulder as the footmen take care of things. Poor footmen. Tom would have set it right with magic.

"Um. I know! Can we have a little snack before tea?"

"Of course we can," says Amy. "We can go back to my rooms, or out to the garden . . ."

They can't go to the kitchens, though. It's best not to run the risk of someone recognizing the former fourteenth assistant kitchen maid.

"Garden! Do you have roses?"

"My dear Princess Ingress, what would a palace garden be without roses?"

Amy has a few words with one of the footmen about having cake and cider sent out to the garden, then takes Ingress' hand.

"I think we'll have a snack in the folly, if that suits you. It's near the roses."

"Why's it a folly?"

That's a word Ingress doesn't know.

"It's almost like a very tiny ancient temple, only it's not meant to be a temple, but it has columns and a roof, and this one has a table and chairs in the middle of it, so it's a lovely place to have a snack or play games."

Amy grins.

"It will probably make more sense when you see it."

"Oh, okay! Can we play games? What games do queens play?"

She holds Amy's hand as they make there way through a few more hallways, her head swiveling back and forth to take in the large portraits and tapestries as they go. Finally they walk outside into the fresh air.

"It's a pretty day! I'm having fun, Amy."

"Mostly I play chess," says Amy. "But we can always make up our own game."

A very warm smile.

"I'm so glad, Ingress. You're my first guest in Ambergeldar, so it's very important that you have a marvelous time."

"I am."

She points to a conveniently placed croquet set. "What's that stuff?"