The Woes of a Queen's Champion (Private with KathyKane)

[diceroller4]

Green eyes slowly began to blink open as Millie began to stir from her slumber. She tried to curly back under the covers and return the amazing dream she had been having. It had certainly been a strange one, with her getting pulled into some sorta of fantasy world to act as the queen's champion. Sadly though it seems someone was getting tired of her refusal to get up as her blankets were suddenly whisked away and a moment later the sounds of drapes opening heralded bright light flooding the room.

With a sigh Millicent Callingwood began to get out of bed, jumping slightly when her bare feet hit cold stone. It was lucky that the person who seemed to be very polite even as they attempted to rush the blond haired teen about was there otherwise Millie would likely have walked into something in her sleep. It seemed to take much longer then usual to cross her room before she was brought to a stop and had her nightgown whisked off of her.

Millie let out a small whine and shivered as she was helped into what turned out to be a warm bath tub, eliciting a sigh of contentment. The petite girl slowly began to come more fully awake as someone scrubbed at her hair in a rushed yet gentle manner. Slowly though a few details started to trouble her thoughts, like when did her room get a stone floor? For that matter when did she get a maid, or a room larger then half her families apartment?

It was when water was poured over her that things finally snapped into place. This wasn't her room. In fact looking around this looked like the room she had been taken to in her dream. But if she was still here that meant... it was real! She was really in a magical land like her favorite stories, with knights and dragons and princesses! And she was really... being bathed by a girl she had never met!

The blonde let out a small squeal of surprise and quickly tried to cover herself, her cheeks reddening, but the violet eyed maid didn't seem to be having any of it. She wasn't mean or rough but she was firm as she continued to wash the dimensional traveler despite her protests. Luckily she seemed to be in a hurry so it was over quickly and Millie was helped out of the tub just as a second maid arrived with a pile of clothes.

The two worked together to towel the blonde dry, ignoring her protests that she didn't need the help. Looking for a distraction from her embarrassing situation she began to inspect the outfit that had picked out for her. She saw a dress in a few shades of blue with lovely symbols stitched throughout it along with what appeared to be white stockings and petticoats. Certainly not her first choice in attire, she was usually more into the lady knight look when she visited the ren fair, but she wasn't going to argue with an outfit that looked like it came right out of a fantasy book.

She was a little surprised that every item seemed to have similar designs stitched into them. It looked almost arcane, but perhaps that was just wishful thinking on her part. Reaching out she grabbed the pair of bloomers she was meant to wear, wondering at how they seemed to be an odd mix of authentic medieval bloomers and modern panties. Oddly even these had the magical looking designs on them, though oddly they seemed to be focused around the butt area.

Before she could examine the underwear further it was pulled from her grasp by one of the maids as the pair apparently finished with drying her off and were not moving on to dressing her. She tried to take over but her attempts at help were brushed aside as they helped her into first the bloomers and matching vest then several petticoats. Millie was relieved when she did not find herself pulled into an absurdly small corset like would have happened in a movie, apparently either they weren't in fashion here or there was some stipulation for their use that wasn't met.

Soon she was dressed and couldn't believe how she looked. It did seem like the odd mix of classic fantasy style mixed with modern renditions of such was going to be a thing as she couldn't help but think she looked more like a princess from some anime then the real deal. Still it was a bit frillier then she would have liked and she briefly considered asking if she could wear something else when the silver haired maid who ad woken her up began pulling her out of the room. Oh well, one day of looking like some kind of princess wouldn't kill her.

It was a brief but hurried walk as she tried to keep up with the maid's slightly longer stride, a task that actually would have been easy if she hadn't kept trying to stop and take in the sights of the castle. Still she soon found herself being gently lead into what appeared to be a dining room and towards the head of the table. Seeing breakfast laid out she eagerly took a seat next to a vaguely familiar looking teen around her age and started eating, only to stop when she realized just why that girl looked so familiar. "Um, good morning," she greeted her sheepishly once she managed to swallow her mouth full of food. "You're that queen from yesterday, right?"

[KathyKane]

Melfina Von Strasbourg, 10th crowned queen of Nerbernace had not had a good morning. After a late night meeting with her spy mistress had gone on longer than expected, she'd fallen into an uneasy sleep full of dreams that ranged from the simple and embarrassing, the entire court laughing upon seeing her champion for the first time, her holding court in her underthings while her champion danced gaily in jester's garb, to apocalyptic nightmares where the kingdom fell in flames.

She'd been awoken too early by one of her maids and had ordered her to report to the head Maid for a proper whipping for her impertinence, and had only remembered halfway through her morning bath that it she who had ordered the maid had her awoken early. She sincerely hoped the second maid she sent got there in time to right the misunderstanding in time. Her hair took doubly long to straighten and make presentable, her wardrobe refused to co-operate and she settled for a simpler garb for breakfast, and the scar on her palm was a jagged one that still wept blood to her bandage had to be changed again.

The events of the night before kept replaying through her head, her palm cut expertly with a ancient ceremonial dagger by the Magus Denetier, his eyes glassy as he was taken by the spirits of the ether. The small explosion and force of winds that had resulted from the tearing of the rift that had blown several of the royal garden's trees over and left her with a set of ringing ears and sore eyes. And after the miracle had been worked, the horrid truth. The small body laying in the center of the circle. The magus had warned her to stay where she was but Mel had rushed over anyway and found not a dark haired warrior, or fair haired prince, but a small girl, barely her age, and looking even younger. What IS this? WHAT has gone wrong? She recalled screaming the words though she couldn't hear them through the ringing in her ears, that infernal magus stepping up with that strange half-smile of his and trying to get her to calm down.

Calm down? The summoning ritual had been their last chance! A champion, summoned from beyond the stars to be her married husband and be folded by the will of the Goddess into her family. Her one chance to cut through the bureaucracy and keep the crown for her line unchallenged, now all plans were in tatters and every family member who had even a passing claim to the throne would be arriving at the castle by evening.

Eventually and with much fussing, Meflina was dressed in a white dressing gown that almost reached her knees, it was a pleasantly ruffled thing, but soft to the skin, a thicker velvet red gown was put over this, it was shoulder-less and tied at the neck with the same black bows she favored in her hair. She dispensed with the corset altogether, much to her maid's protests. Pulling on her thigh-high boots herself, she rushed out of her bedchambers to go consult with Denetier, but he'd locked his chambers and said he couldn't be bothered until he'd finished his calculations. She would have sat on the doorstep to the Magus' lab and spoken to him the moment he'd come out but her new Governess, Lilah Verger had found her and insisted she come back to the royal chambers and have her breakfast. Verger scolded her properly for dressing as if she was off for a summer riding party rather than a proper court outfit, but she stopped short of a punishment, which would only have put Melfina in a darker mood.

And so it came to pass that the newly crowned queen Melfina was in quite the dark and thunderous mood as she sat at breakfast, tapping her foot on the stone floor waiting for "her champion" to join her for breakfast. Presently, and in all honestly only a scant few minutes late, Oolina, Melfina's personal maid appeared, ushering the champion before her. Melfina blinked in surprise as the girl entered the dining hall. The enchanted garments her Aunt had gifted her fit the smaller girl perfectly, and even became her quite nicely. Meflina had to admit the younger girl, now that she'd been cleaned and put into proper clothing was quite pretty, with lighter blonde hair than her own, and the sweetest smile that bloomed upon seeing the breakfast table. Melfina's rage and brooding was forgotten for a moment at that smile.

She cleared her throat to offer a greeting and was shocked when the girl sat down and with a deft grab at the cutlery, began digging right into her breakfast without introduction or permission. Meflina was further scandalized by how casually the visitor looked up from the food she was wolfing down like a commoner, and casually asked if she was the queen from yesterday. Melfina glared for a moment at Oolina who only shrugged in amusement in response, and then fixed the newcomer with her haughtiest scowl. "Yes, we are your crowned Queen, Arbiter of the Goddess, Sovereign of Nerbnace, Meflina Lorenzo, Anquilla Von Strasbourg the 9th!"

When she received only a vacant stare of confusion in return, hope truly left her, the Gods had seen fit to not only send her the wrong age and gender of champion, but common-born one at that! Swallowing back her vitriol, she instead held up three fingers. "You are late to breakfast my dear, have been exceedingly rude in my presence, and have yet to introduce yourself, be aware I've had servants imprisoned for less." Hoping the threat had gotten through she cleared her throat pleasantly and took time to sip her tea.

"Now, what is your name traveler from beyond the stars? Who are you? And why were you sent in my proper champions stead?"

[diceroller4]

Millie blinked owlishly at the royal before her, not sure exactly what to say in the face of the sudden scolding. She honestly had only seen the other girl for a short while the day before during the brief time between when she regained consciousness and when that court wizard fellow had declared she should go rest from her journey. Still she had seemed nice at the time and so Millie had assumed that just like in the stories she was going to be the sweet queen who was nice and approachable but it seemed like that was not the case.

Carefully setting her fork down and wiping her mouth she got back to her feet to try something more along the lines of a proper greeting. "Good morning your royal majestic crowned sovereign... uh yeah. My name is Millicent, Millicent Callingwood and it's a pleasure to- oops!" Unfortunately when the petite blonde tried to pull a restful bow she managed to accidentally knock of a glass with her elbow. Hastily she moved to recover it before it made too much of a mess, managing to knock over several other things in the process.

"Sorry," she hastily babbled as she worked to try and clean up after her fit of clumsiness, blushing brightly and trying not to look up at the queen she was embarrassing herself in front of. "So sorry, I can be such a klutz some times. Oh, well I'm just me I guess. My mom's a mechanic and dad's an accountant. I really don't know why I'm here." She really didn't have any clue but she wasn't going to complain about apparently being the protagonist in a fairy tale story. In hopes of showing her sincerity she looked up to meet the queens eye, hoping she might be a bit less annoyed now but somehow doubting it.

[KathyKane]

Melfina's heart sank as the girl attempted a curtsy and proceeded to upend a cup of hot rose tea, and in her attempt to right it, upset several more glasses, pitchers, and soup bowls. Oolina, with a crisp air of expectation, flew into action, righting the upset dishes, and deftly peeling the affected table cloth from the table itself, rearranging the dishes in a tasteful manor before rushing, well walking in a poised and control manner, but at a slightly faster pace then usual, from the room with the folded table cloth in hand. Meflina stood up and pounded her bandaged fist on the table. She muttered a quick charm under her breath. "Slacksi" She knew from experience that the clothes Millicent was wearing were enchanted to serve as "Etiquette Training Charms" and the charm would make the wearing feel three to four brisk swats to their buttocks as if by a light switch or ruler. She'd blessed the day she'd been allowed to wear un-charmed clothing as a result.

Appreciating the girl's startled reaction she fixed her with a heavy glare. "Sit down and be still or you'll receive far worse a reprimand, and I assure you it will go poorly on you if that table cloth is badly stained. Now, you claim you are common blood? What do you know of our world Riven? And if you did not intend to be summoned here, did you see anyone begin the necessary rituals before your journey here?" She needed to have these questions answered, but she was beginning to see the game, there had been some kind of sabotage and the rude young woman was as much a pawn in it as Melfina herself. That was bad, but it also meant she would have to get the girl presentable to the court by that very evening. A tall order, but one she would gladly begin by teaching her proper royal conduct...and the consequences of misbehavior.

By Melfina's estimation, her rudeness had earned her one punishment, and the upsetting of the breakfast table a second one, but should she apply it herself, make liberal use of the charms woven in her clothing, or have her placed in one of the enchanted pieces of furniture scattered throughout her royal chambers for just such discipline? The girl had returned to her seat but not answered her questions yet. "You look as if you don't understand me, or or feigning ignorance to waste my time and patience." She held up three fingers meaningfully. "Answer my three questions truthfully and I will answer any three questions of your own. Now I repeat, are you common blood or royalty? What do you know about the world of Riven? And what did you see or do right before being summoned here?"

[diceroller4]

Millie let out a surprised yelp as she felt a sudden flash of pain across her bottom. Her hands flew back to protect her rear but didn't seem to do any good as whatever mystical force was assaulting her kept at it, landing four swift swats across her rear. Each swat managed to get a small noise and jump from the girl who began to look on the teen ruler with surprise and confusion.


Had the young queen really just cast some sort of spell to spank her? There were spells for that?! Actually she wasn't sure what was more shocking, that the spells existed or that the queen knew them. Where they just that common a spell or did it have more to say about what kind of person Melfina was that she knew them?

Hearing the taller teens order to sit down she quickly complied, not wanting to give her an excuse to show off her magical prowess again. Still flustered from the rather crazy morning she was having so far Millie had a hard to think up how to answer the queen's barrage of questions with out making things worse, leading to the blonde opening and closing her mouth wordlessly a few times until it appeared Melfina was losing her patience.

Then luckily the questions were narrowed down a bit to three and so after a calming breath Millie gave answering a try. "Um, well we don't really have royalty where I'm from, not for a few hundred years anyway. I think dad said once that our great something grand father was a knight or something way back when but none of that is really a thing anymore. I've never heard of Riven before, but so far it seems to be a mic of a few of my favorite fantasy novels which is awesome. So far it seems closest to the Glass Sword series though with a bit of the Ivory Armies books thrown in, but I haven't read the most recent of those."

Realizing she was starting to babble Millie stopped herself to answer the last question and throw out her own. "Well I was just walking home from school when there was this weird sudden wind storm all around and some flashing colored lights all around." Seeming to have recovered from her earlier chastisement the teen was clearly getting into the telling of her tale as she arms moved about wildly as she described the events, until her hand happened to brush a glass again. Luckily the glass only wobbled for a moment without anything actually falling or spilling but it seemed to be enough to convince Millie to wrap up her story. "And then the next thing I knew I was here," she finished somewhat lamely as she quickly put her hands in her lap.

"So you're really the queen? That wasn't my question, I just meant, you don't have like an evil uncle or a shady adviser with a goatee running things? Does this place really have dragons and fairies and elves and all that?" The petite blonde looked excited at that prospect but then seemed to wilt slightly at a thought. "Um, what's going to happen to me?" She very much loved the idea of seeing a world of magic but with how grumpy the queen seemed that might be a problem. Would she really make a big deal about her not being a noble? It never really happened in the stories, at least not her favorite ones, but she supposed there was nothing stopping the other teen from sending to off to be a farmer or a nun.

[KathyKane]

Melfina had been two steps from ordering the girl locked in a cell, but upon hearing her story, and realizing she was more or less the victim in the situation (assuming everything she'd said was true), she relaxed a little. The girl was uncouth, but Melfina was impressed by how her eyes lit up when she spoke of dragons and the elder races, and somewhat amused by her enthusiasm, the girl also seemed incapable of conspiracy, Melfina knew better than to trust appearances, but at this point she was more suspicious of Denetier the Magus then this girl. She winced visibly when her arm waving threatened a crystal glass dining cup and reminded herself the girl was in desperate need of etiquette lessons.

Steepling her hands, Melfina leaned forward and smiled sagely at the girls questions. "I'm afraid young Millicent, the common-folk manufacture tales of evil uncles and twisted advisors to account for their misfortune at the hands of the crown, the truth is far more banal and disconcerting. And that is that every court is full of ladder climbers and dangerous little megalomaniacs. We have them here in my Court as they do throughout every court in the land...but the current threat to my sovereignty and your future is not my court advisors, it is the other members of my family who lust for my crown."

Remembering all her recent interviews with her spy mistress she offered the girl a lop-sided grin. "...And while I wouldn't consider my uncle evil, he was just unusually strict on me, I do have a power hungry aunt, and a spoiled despot of a niece if that counts for anything. Also, while I doubt you'll meet many dragons nowadays, they were hunted almost to extinction and even when the Magi tried to preserve them they were prone to violent outbursts and infighting, there are many elves in the south, and not a couple here, and the Fairy people still visit us in spring from Avalon, unfortunately they tend to bring Redcaps and Spriggans with them, and they are very mischievous creatures..."

She relaxed as she spoke and went back to eating her breakfast encouraging the other girl to do the same. She kept her busy mostly with more questions about her homeland, and was disgusted to learn they had no modern structure of government that she could see, and no real defenses against the magical arts. If the great Mage Conquerors of the past had heard of such a thing, they'd surely have focused their efforts on invading the lands beyond the veil and easily succeeded. Finishing her meal she stood, and crooked a finger at Millie. "Now, come with me, if we are to survive our honor intact this evening I must prepare you for court life, and that means learning to carry yourself as a lady, simultaneously I must prepare you to function as my champion and that means sword training and horse riding, I assume you don't know much of either? But before all that we have to see to your punishment, so we will have to hurry..."

[diceroller4]

Millie nodded along the queens explanations, frowning at the thought of their being so many people plotting fro her throne. Still perhaps it was a misunderstanding or a spell that was causing her so many problems. No doubt there would be some epic quest later that clear it all up. In the mean time she couldn't help but get excited once again at the confirmation of their being dragons and other magical races she might meet. She'd have o ask what season it was later because she very much wanted to at least meet a fairy.

From that point breakfast seemed pleasant enough. The food was nice and the queen seemed eager to hear about the Millie's home. Of course the blonde would have preferred to talk about where they were now but she figured she'd being seeing it herself soon so she might as well give the queen a peek at her own world as best she could. Unfortunately she couldn't help but feel like she might not be explaining things right based on the occasion expressions she caught on Melfina's face when she tried to explain a few things like how their form of democracy worked, or didn't depending on who you asked.

It wasn't till the meal was winding down that she realized the queen hadn't answered her last question. Before she could bring it up however the queen was rising and beckoning her along. She made a face at the mention of learning etiquette but kept her thoughts to herself. She confirm for the queen however her lack of experience with swords or horses. Sure she had played around a bit with fake swords but not the real thing and the closest she had come to riding a horse was the merry-go-round. However none of that really seemed all that important when compared to the last thing that was mentioned.

"Punishment," she asked with a worried expression as they left the dining room. "Why do I need to be punished? I'll be better from now on, I promise!" Of course that promise might have sounded better had one of her hands, which she seemed to have a lot of trouble not flailing about when she talked, not accidentally knocked a stack of papers from the hands of a passing servant. "Sorry," she apologized quickly as she stooped to help them gather everything back up before hurrying to catch back up with the queen and picked up her pleading where she left off. "Wasn't that thing you did earlier my punishment, do I really need more?"

[KathyKane]

Meflina raised her eyebrows at the girls inquiry. "What thing? Oh you mean this?" And with a slight smirk she repeated the charm "Slacksi!" with a bit more force this time to make her point she smiled pleasantly at the girls reaction to the immediate pain. "That M'dear is just a momentary reminder, a indication you've done wrong and need to watch yourself, it hardly accounts for your rudeness this morning, before your queen and that's saying nothing of the damage done to the royal tablecloth. No my dear, discipline is the only way to hold you responsible."

Melfina hurried down a spiral staircase and down a long stone hall, courtiers and servants all nodded, bowed, or hailed her as they walked by, and several people stopped to stare at Millie as she hurried to keep pace with the young queen. Turning a corner they came to a iron gate that would could see through its bars and into a green outdoor garden, encircled by stone walls. One could here the babbling of running water on the other side. Gliding over the stones, the silver haired maid from before, who'd helped Millie get dressed that morning met the two of them, and producing a key from around her neck unlocked the gate and opened for them.

Mel smiled at the maid, "Ah Oolina, what did the cleaners say about the tablecloth?" The wispy, thin maid gave Millie a look of pity and then answered her Mistress. "They seemed doubtful ma'am, Rose tea on white linens don't bode well..." Melfina shurgged her shoulders with a knowing look to Millie as if to say There you see? and moved through the gate and into the garden.

Despite Millie's fear the royal garden was a rich and wonderful looking place, a babbling stream of water flowed from a fountain in the middle of the rounded garden fashioned in the likeness of woman with flowers in her hair, holding a vase from which the water flowed. A great but friendly looking dragon lay at the maiden's feet also carved from marble. The statue was polished, but everywhere else, the garden was green, red, and golden, flowers Millie had never seen before were growing in groups, and atop a great tree two fiery golden birds were singing a song. Meflina was approaching a sheltered area under the tree where a couple of strange wooden rocking horses and armless chairs stood, beutifully fashioned, but somehow a little foreboding.

Beyond the garden one could look out on rolling hills, dotted with more stone walls, parapets from which grand banners flew, and a countryside looking out on a mountain range straight out of a fantasy novel. Two moons hung lazily in the sky, and Millie could breath the fresh air of her new world.

[diceroller4]

"Eek," Millie squealed at the casting of that horrid spanking spell again. Her hands once more flew back towards her rear in vain as she hopped from foot to foot and yelped with each magical swat. Luckily it was still only four but whether due to the previous ones or the more forceful way the queen spoke they seemed to pack more of a punch. As she tried to rub the fresh sting away she grumbled quietly about mean queens and strange magic.

If it weren't for the knowledge that she was walking towards some no doubt horrible fate Millie probably would have enjoyed the trip through the castle a good deal more. As it was she still found the whole thing fascinating and by the time they reached the gate she was distracted enough by all the sights to mostly forget where they were going.

Seeing that mornings made she gave a small shy wave, noting how familiar she and the queen seemed to be. Hearing the verdict for the tablecloth did cause the blonde teen to slump slightly and let out a noise somewhere between a sigh and a whine. "I don't suppose you always hated that table cloth anyways," she threw out there hopefully. "Or that I by staining it I accidentally found the answer to some great mystery?"

Seeing the garden did bring a gasp from the petite girl as her eyes went wide with awe. She began slowly spinning in circles as she moved to continue following Melfina, not seeming to want to miss even a single sight. So enraptured was she by the beauty of the place she didn't even realize at first when they reached their destination and came to a stop. Shaking her head to bring herself out of her daze she took a look at the more immediate area and frowned. "What are we doing here," she asked curiously as she approached one of the rocking horses curiously. Honestly it seemed rather odd for the queen to even have them but perhaps they were left over from her younger years?

[KathyKane]

Melfina cocked her head and tried to understand what the girl meant about her hating the table cloth anyway, or having solved a mystery, and couldn't help but giggle a little at the girl's reaction. She was actually quite adorable.

Melfina walked straight to one of the high backed armless chairs and had a seat. The chairs were amazing works of art, twisting from the center seat into a complex, beautiful pattern and three perfectly balanced legs and a high back that was shaped in a intricate pattern. The two chairs were placed close enough that whoever sat in them could converse comfortably but not at a whisper. Both chairs faced the rocking horses that were far too big for a children's room but too small for a full grown adults, they were carved like miniature versions of real horses, and had a curious divot running along their backs. Proper buckles and even a saddle were attached to the horse but not in the usual configuration.

She indicated the other seat was for Millie to sit in. Oolina, who had quietly closed the gate behind them, stood a few feet off with a muted look of concern on her face. With a small flourish Melfina indicated the enclosed garden proudly. "This is the queen's garden, and it is a private garden so we won't be interrupted. Now Millicent, I'll tell you the same thing my mother told me when she brought me here while she as displeased, the garden is private, but not fully, people from the other gardens can hear loud noises from here, echoes from the gate echo down the halls we just came from and the encircled walls act like a trumpet rising up to the walls and balconies above, so if someone is really being punished, plenty of people in the castle will hear it. My mother called it her not-so-private-garden." Meflina sighed with a wistful expression, "And I hated being brought here because it usually meant a punishment was coming." She pointed to the wooden horses. "And if I'd been especially naughty, I'd be strapped to the horse and punished, sometimes left to cry alone by myself for hours while my mother plucked more switches from the river."

Melfina fixed Millie with a hard look. "You asked me earlier, what was to happen to you? Strictly speaking, it is customary for the noblewoman who summons the champion become bound to them in holy matrimony as...well in this case, wife and wife. It isn't unheard of for the champion to be the same sex as the summoner, but rare, and rarer still they be younger and less...accomplished then the summoner. You need to understand young one, that if I am to keep you at court and keep my crown without being saddled with a husband who might usurp my power, you will have to become my champion...and perhaps eventually...my wife." Meflina waited for that knowledge to sink in, it was as open as she could afford to be with this mysterious traveler.

"...And to be either, you will have to be taught court rules, proper etiquette, and discipline...starting with this fiasco at breakfast. I do this to motivate you to do better in the future, and to understand that from here on out...there will be consequences to every action, your living in my world now, for better for worse, and the game of power is always being played."

She smiled somewhat unpleasantly at the girl and patted her lap. "Now I know you weren't raised among royalty, so I'll be lenient with the first punishment, but rudeness of ignorance, is still rudeness my dear, come here and bend over my lap, your clothing in enchanted so I could strip you of it in a word, but I want you to come here, pull down your bloomers and lay over my knee."