Thursday, Early Afternoon, Forest of Faraway, Near Amber

[kitchen_maid]

It is one of those beautiful days September bestows when she is in an especially good mood. There is bright sun, and a breeze, and just the barest hint of approaching autumn in the air. The very edges of the trees have begun to flame crimson and russet and gold, but for the most part, things are very very green. In short, it is a perfect day for a picnic.

They had managed to get Peter through the kitchen without too much trouble (although he had gotten a scolding from the second senior cook about being neater with the flour in the future) and Peter Aurelious and the squirrels joined them at the palace gates. And now here they are, in the clearing near edge of the Forest of Faraway, where the Ordinary Princess always comes on her every-second-Thursday-afternoons-off.

She spins all the way around, arms out, smile dazzling, in a sweeping, dizzying, giddy gesture that takes in the trees and the sky and the stream and world in general. "This," she says to Peter, "is home."

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[highking.livejournal.com]

Peter smiles at her, then offers her a particularly large berry.

"I suppose that makes sense. Do you enjoy working in the kitchen, though?"

[kitchen_maid]

She accepts the berry with a particularly bright smile.

"I don't dislike it," she says. "I know it sounds odd. It's just, no one has ever asked me to do anything useful before. There's never been anything that had a result. Even if it's just clean dishes, it's nice to have a result. All anyone ever wanted me to do was play the harp, which I'm not good at, and embroider, which I don't like. My royal Mama just wanted me to know to sit, and stand, and move elegantly. And try to look beautiful, even if I'm not. And I'm never going to be elegant. I'm never going to be beautiful, either. My smile is always going to wrinkle my nose, which is always going to be turned up and freckled. My hair is always going to be mouse brown, and my eyes are never going to be blue. And I don't care. I rarely ever have. And for the first time in my life, neither does anyone else. So long as the dishes get clean."

[highking.livejournal.com]

"I like your nose," Peter says, "and I like how it wrinkles when you smile. Really, everyone is always happiest, and most interesting, when they're doing something they enjoy. I don't think anyone who saw you out here, in the forest, could ever call you ordinary again."

[kitchen_maid]

Her smile at this really does wrinkle her nose in the most charming way. "You're one of the few people who ever has," she says. "Maybe we're both too worried about words and labels. Maybe I should just be Amy and you should just be Peter."

[highking.livejournal.com]

Peter grins at her.

"Alright, then, just-Amy, I think if I eat another blackberry I shall begin to bleed purple."

[kitchen_maid]

"Then you should stop," she advises, gravely, but her eyes are full of laughter.

[highking.livejournal.com]

Peter sticks his (rather purple) tongue out at her.

"Easy for you to say. You've had them more often than I have."

[kitchen_maid]

"That's true," she admits. "But if you make yourself sick you won't enjoy them at all. You can always pick some to take back with you, you know."

[highking.livejournal.com]

"They're not the same when they're not straight off the bush," Peter grumbles.

But he looks rather happy regardless.

[kitchen_maid]

"No," she agrees. "They're not. But I hardly think you'll be able to sneak the entire bush back through the kitchen."

Though the image of him trying has set her off in giggles.

[highking.livejournal.com]

"Oh, come on, they wouldn't notice if you lead an elephant through that kitchen, so long as it kept out of the flour," he says, with as straight a face as he can manage.

[kitchen_maid]

The giggles have given way to actual laughter. "Don't be ridiculous," she says. "How would you ever get an elephant to carry a blackberry bush for you?"

[highking.livejournal.com]

"He could wrap his trunk around it," Peter points out. "So long as it didn't poke him. He might not be happy about that."

[kitchen_maid]

"I think the convincing of the elephant could be the difficult part," she says. "And there aren't any elephants in the Forest of Faraway, anyway."

[highking.livejournal.com]

"Of course not. A bear, then? Or... well, what large animals are there, here? One can convince any animal of anything, given the right stimulus."

[kitchen_maid]

"No bears, I'm afraid," she says, trying to keep a straight face and almost succeeding. "Nothing larger than a deer. Rabbits, of the non-demonic variety. Squirrels. A great deal of birds. The occasional fox. Hedgehogs. Badgers."

[highking.livejournal.com]

"I wonder if two birds could carry it together? A small bush, in any case. Or - badgers are strong, aren't they?"

[kitchen_maid]

"I'm not sure about badgers, honestly. You could always ask Peter Aurelious to help,I suppose," she says, helpfully.

[ooc: And just when I was convinced this conversation could not go down a more unexpected path. . .]

[highking.livejournal.com]

"I'm not sure I know quite the proper inflection of qwa to ask Peter Aurelious. Do you?"

[OOC: I just... don't even ask anymore.]

[kitchen_maid]

Peter Aurelious flies in, lands on the blackberry thicket, looks at Peter and says, "Qwa."

"I think he understood you. And I think he just agreed," says the Ordinary Princess. "Or possibly declined. I'm not sure which."

Peter will be forgiven for having a hard time understanding her through the laughter.

[ooc: At least they're not a)mad, b)sulking, or c)speechless. I think that's an improvement.]

[highking.livejournal.com]

"Qwa," Peter agrees, breaking off a twig that still holds several blackberries and holding it up. "What do you think, Peter Aurelious?"

[kitchen_maid]

Peter Aurelious accepts the branch, and flies off into a nearby tree to eat the blackberries.

"I guess he's not in the mood to share," the Ordinary Princess says.

She looks at Peter, her nose quite wrinkled up by her smile. "This is rather more fun with company," she says. "I'm really very glad you came."

[highking.livejournal.com]

"As am I," Peter says, grinning back at her, though his nose is rather less wrinkly. "Thank you very much for inviting me. I've not had a more enjoyable afternoon in a very long time."

[kitchen_maid]

"Good," she says, her smile going just a little shy as she continues. "Then we should do something like this again sometime."

[highking.livejournal.com]

"Whenever you like," Peter says immediately. "My time is yours to command."