Saturday, May 20, After the Ball

[kitchen_maid]

It's been a very good party.

Amy stayed, long after Tom took the exhausted birthday girl back to House of Arch, making sure that all the guests enjoyed the party for however long they chose to stay. But now, finally, the last guests have gone, and Amy, no longer a hostess, has kicked off her shoes, and is sitting on the edge of the banquet table.

The nice thing about giant bowls of ice cream that magically refill themselves and stay frozen is that there's still ice cream, hours after the party started. They've completely run out of bowls, though, so Amy is licking strawberry ice cream out of spoon.

It's okay, though. She's always thought it tasted better that way anyway.

It's been a very good day.

Comments

[man-of-all-work.livejournal.com]

Sitting next to her, on the table and swinging his legs back and forth, Perry looks over the room thoughtfully, a spoonful of ice cream of his own in his hand.

"Quite the shindig, kitchen maid. I'm terribly impressed. Perhaps I should speak to someone about moving you up from the kitchens to Grand Festivities Councillor. How would you like that?"

[kitchen_maid]

Amy laughs. "I'm not sure I could do this all the time. I mean, this was wonderful and fun, and I'm so glad because Ingress deserves to have had a wonderful and fun and lovely and perfect party, but Perry, I think I could sleep for a week."

[man-of-all-work.livejournal.com]

"I think you ought," he agrees. "It was wonderful and fun and lovely and perfect, and Ingress went to bed made the happiest girl in the world. I think it was rather a success, and now you deserve to rest. And then perhaps have tea brought up."

[kitchen_maid]

"That sounds like a lovely plan," says Amy. "Though I'm not sure I'd actually want to rest for an entire week. It would get boring, don't you think?"

[man-of-all-work.livejournal.com]

"Only if you were awake for most of it. Most people aren't all that bored while they're asleep, are they?"

He licks some ice cream off the spoon, thoughtfully.

"Well, we'll have to think of something else, I suppose."

[kitchen_maid]

"But then I'd be worried about all the exciting things I might have slept through."

She smiles at him.

"Well, I'm quite certain we'll manage to think of something, Perry."

[man-of-all-work.livejournal.com]

"I imagine we will."

He looks over at her with a half-smile, and levers himself off the table to pick up a few stray balloons, the bright orbs floating half-heartedly a few feet above the ground.

He's looking at them when he continues.

"Well, is there anything in particular you would like to do? Something you would like most in the world." He grins over at her.

[kitchen_maid]

Amy sets down her empty ice cream spoon, frowning a little.

"I don't know," she says. "I've never known what to say to that sort of question, really. I mean, before you answer it there are so many possibilities, and then once you've answered it, there's really only the one. I suspect that if I ever did have a fairy turn up and offer me one wish, I'd be one of those foolish people you hear about in tales who said something like, 'I wish I had a cup of tea' or something. I want too much to want any one thing most in the world, maybe."

And then she grins.

"Though a cup of tea would be nice."

[man-of-all-work.livejournal.com]

"I suppose a cup of tea could be managed," Perry smiles. "Shall I run and fetch you some from the Bar?"

[kitchen_maid]

Amy laughs. "No, thank you. I think I'd rather you stayed.

"Besides, tea doesn't really go with ice cream."

[man-of-all-work.livejournal.com]

"You're quite right."

Sauntering back towards her, Perry puts his hands in his pockets, and looks at her thoughtfully.

"Do you know, kitchen maid, for rather a long while I didn't terribly mind whether or not the door back home was there? I rather like being here, you know. But I think there are some things at home which I must see to, soon."

He takes a few steps closer, and his expression is terribly earnest.

"Now, look here, Amy, I've rather a lot of things I need to say to you and they are all quite important, so do promise you'll listen, and not interrupt until I'm done, will you?"

[kitchen_maid]

Amy looks at him, a little startled.

"All right. I'm listening."

[man-of-all-work.livejournal.com]

"Well, first of all," Perry says, rather quickly, "I have to send a message to your father, and I can't manage that here. You see, I came here expecting to go back to my silly twit of a cousin Persephone, and you were here and so very Amy and not like any one I've ever met in my whole life. And I'm dashed if I'm going to propose to cousin Persephone and what I really mean to say is, won't you please marry me?"

[kitchen_maid]

"Oh Perry," laughs Amy. "What a way to propose."

[man-of-all-work.livejournal.com]

"Will you or won't you?" he demands, not to be deterred.

"I was going to be proper about it and I even spoke to Caspian earlier, but do just tell me yes or no, Amy, please?"

[kitchen_maid]

"Marrying a king is a very serious business, you know," Amy points out. "Don't you think I ought to have a little time to consider it?"

[man-of-all-work.livejournal.com]

"You know as well as I that it's all nonsense," he says, a little desperately.

"Besides, you'd like me just as well even if I'd turned out to be a coal heaver. You've said so yourself. Remember?"

[kitchen_maid]

"But you didn't turn out to be a coal heaver," says Amy, practically.

Her smile is very slow, but it wrinkles up her nose.

"Are you sure you don't mind freckles and turned up-noses and mouse-colored hair?"

[man-of-all-work.livejournal.com]

"I love them," Perry says, decisively, and takes his hands out of his pockets to clasp hers.

"Yes or no?"

[kitchen_maid]

"Yes."

[man-of-all-work.livejournal.com]

"Yes?"

He catches her up off the table, laughing.

"Darling kitchen maid! Then that's alright."

But words seem to fail him after he finishes, and so he just kisses her, without letting her feet touch the ground.

[kitchen_maid]

It's almost like dancing.

It's better than dancing.

And so Amy waits until Perry is quite finished before she says, "But you have to promise me one thing."

[man-of-all-work.livejournal.com]

"What is that?" he asks, depositing her carefully back on the table, although not quite letting go.

[kitchen_maid]

"Well," says Amy, "you said once that promising to get married was the only bargaining tool you had, for dealing with your Council. So you must promise me that you're going to get them to do something you want them to do, when you tell them."

[man-of-all-work.livejournal.com]

"I think I can safely promise that," he says, agreeably.

"Though we'll have to think of something particularly good, won't we?"

[kitchen_maid]

"We will," she says.

"In addition, of course, to your not having to marry Persephone."

[man-of-all-work.livejournal.com]

"I would never have married Persephone anyway," he declares, twining their fingers together.

"Being madly in love with you only made doubly sure of that. The Council could have done as they liked about it, but marry Cousin Persephone! Never."

[kitchen_maid]

"Good," she says, decidedly, leaning far enough forward to kiss him again.

"So, at the risk of being dreadfully practical, Perry, what do we do now?"

[man-of-all-work.livejournal.com]

"Well, obviously we'll have to return home," he says, practically. 'And you clearly can't remain a kitchen maid. I have to send a message to your father and that means you must return to Phantasmorania, so that he can give his permission. I've already got Caspian's," he adds, quickly.

[kitchen_maid]

"Have you?" says Amy. "Well, I'd have married you even without it, but I'm terribly glad you did. And I don't think you'll have any trouble getting Daddy's."

Her parents will be thrilled.

A moment, and then she says, "How long has the door been back for you?"

[man-of-all-work.livejournal.com]

"Rather a while, I suppose."

Moving to the side, he sits back up on the table next to her.

"But I couldn't even think about leaving without you."

[kitchen_maid]

"You didn't mention it," she says, settling comfortably into his side.

"But then, I guess I didn't either."

[man-of-all-work.livejournal.com]

"No, you didn't," he agrees, putting and arm around her and resting his cheek against her hair.

"But I saw how you didn't look at it. And I know you're homesick."

[kitchen_maid]

"How can you see someone not do something?" she asks, almost laughing, and then frowns a bit.

"It came back the same day Mrs. Rowlands did," she says. "And then so much happened with that, and there was Ingress' party and . . . wanting to be home didn't seem enough of a reason to go."

[man-of-all-work.livejournal.com]

"Well, you've a reason now," he tells her, grinning, "and I hope it's a good enough one, otherwise I've really no idea what I'll do."

[kitchen_maid]

"I do, and it is, but if it weren't," she says, grinning back at him, "you would wait.

"And there are some things I should do, and people I need to speak to, before we go, but soon.

"I love you."

[man-of-all-work.livejournal.com]

"I love you, too, kitchen maid."

And he sings, very softly, into her hair, before ducking his head to kiss her:

"Lavender's blue,
rosemary's green,
when I am king,
you shall be queen."