Just cuz I'm cool like that O.O
Life Lately, Quarantine Edition
5 years ago
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Sunday, July 5, 2009
New New Header
Eh.....it didn't come out too well, did it? I'll try to find a way to make it fit better. Or I'll make Katie fix it. :-P She has better picture-editing stuff than I have.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Happy 4th of July!
Happy Independence Day!! Today is the day when the Declaration of Independence was signed. Or rather, they started to sign it. Technically, it took a few weeks for all 56 signatures to find their way to the Declaration. But this day is important anyways, because the 4th of July started it all. Not everybody may like the direction our country is going in these days, but even though we have our differences politically, you have to admit that this is pretty good place to live.
God Bless America!
-The Katies
God Bless America!
-The Katies
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
The End
In which Henrietta makes a discovery (or two), a battle is fought, and we eventually arrive at happily ever after.
-5-
Henrietta was not happy- at all. She was perfectly capable of holding her own in a battle, and he knew that. She had been fencing since the age of 7 and had defeated Max in friendly duels with wooden swords plenty of times. Yet here she was, bumping along in a carriage headed towards her father's estate several miles out of the city. She mumbled uncomplimentary phrases about Max under her breath.
"Would you stop that?" demanded Brianna. Brianna was very good at demanding.
Henrietta glared at her. Brianna glared back. Father intervened.
"Why don't you read a book, Henrietta?"
She stopped glaring at Brianna and glared at him instead. "Alright," she said. "Did you bring any books with you?" He handed her a small, thin volume. She opened it.
"A History of the Royal Family" was on the cover. It had been written recently, just 10 years ago. She opened it, thinking that her father knew her far too well. He knew that the mere sight of a book she'd never read instantly made her forget everything else, and he had used it against her. Defeated, she began to read.
****
Max's stepfather was inspecting his new armor. Max was in the room, being measured for his. The two of them were talking about a very serious topic generally known as war.
"What is their motive?" asked Max.
"We are," replied the king. "That crazy wizard is convinced that he can take over the kingdom."
"Idiot," said Max.
"My thought exactly," agreed his stepfather. "So anyway, this Eugor's main plan is to march through the city, violently forcing the people into submission as he goes, surround the palace with dragons, and send infantry in to find our family and drag us outside. He'll try to force us to submit to him. If that doesn't work- which it obviously won't -he'll give the order and those dragons of his will fry us."
"What about the soldiers? If they're still standing around when he incinerates us..."
"He doesn't care. Neither do they. They wouldn't work for him otherwise. He's done something to them so that they're incapable of emotion and thinking for themselves."
"That's horrible!" ejaculated Max. The king grunted a little as he started trying on his suit of armor. "Indeed it is, Max," he said soberly. "That's why he needs to be stopped. If not, he'll do that to the entire kingdom to prevent any uprising against him. Eugor will rule a nation made up of blind, unthinking machines."
Max was shocked. "Are we sure about this?"
"Our intelligence service is excellent. Each spy is trained from the age of ten to tell nothing but the plain truth. They couldn't exaggerate if they tried."
They fell silent for a while. The fellow taking Max's measurements was about to leave when Max suddenly stopped him. "Stay a moment," he said.
"What are you up to?" asked the king.
****
Henrietta found the book to actually be quite interesting. As she came towards the end, the book began to talk about the current royal family. There was a page with paintings of all of them. One was of a little boy. She estimated his age to be about eight or nine. As she looked at it, she wondered why he seemed so familiar. She read the caption: "Prince Maximilian III at age 8".
She stared at it in numb shock. Several things were suddenly falling into place. "HE'S THE PRINCE!" she practically shrieked, startling her family. "You're joking!" scoffed Rain from her perch on Mother's shoulder. "What on earth are you talking about?" asked Brianna. "Max! He's the prince!" Henrietta still didn't know exactly how to feel about this. She figured she should either laugh or be mad that he didn't tell her. She chose to laugh. Trying to control her giggling, she explained. "Don't you see? He said he lived at the palace, he just didn't mention why." She tossed the book to her sister. "Look at the picture there." Brianna's eyes widened. She looked at their parents. "Did you know about this?" she asked. Father and Mother were grinning and trying not to laugh. "We suspected it," said Mother. "But we didn't want to tell you in case it wasn't true," said Father. "Aaaaaaloo!" said the baby.
****
"Uh, what exactly is the point of all this, Max?" The king was trying on armor again, but this time it looked exactly the same as that of any regular soldier. "It's simple," said Max. "The soldiers that the madman will send in after us won't be able to recognize us if we're dressed like ordinary footmen." Max was already wearing such armor, holding the helmet under his arm. The king blinked. "Why didn't I think of that? Simply ingenius, son." Max started, and suddenly a lump threatened to rise in his throat. His stepfather had never called him that. The king coughed slightly, as Max tried to wipe his eyes without it looking like he was wiping his eyes. "Er...(sniff) thanks." Blast! I'm not supposed to cry. Not the time, Max!
Moving on with their conversation (and trying to get past an awkward moment) they walked over to a table with a map on it. "Eugor's footmen will enter here," he pointed to a spot on the map," here and here." He marked three of the city gates on the map. "The dragons will fly in and surround the castle from all directions. We'll assume for now that Eugor will be riding one of them." "Everyone has been evacuated, right?" Max asked. "Everyone, and we're calling in troops from all the neighboring provinces," replied the king. "How long will it take them to get here?" "Two days at the most." "How long until Eugor arrives?" "We're not sure. We're preparing for his attack as fast as we can. Why all the questions? I thought I already told you all this." Max mused. "Just thought a review would be nice. I'm going to take off this armor. I'm working on an idea...I'll tell you about it later." And Max left the room, leaving his stepfather with a confused expression on his face.
-6-
At last! They arrived at the country estate. A good sixty leagues away from the city, it was a very long ride, almost eighteen hours in a bumpy carriage. Rain was already flitting about the house, exploring every nook and cranny. Henrietta followed a servant carrying her things to her room. She had by now gotten used to the fact that Max was royalty. After the servant left, she sat down on her bed and looked at little Max's picture again. She realized now what the "something" he hadn't told her about was. His father had died, and his mother had remarried. Closing the book and putting it on a shelf, she said softly to herself, "I'm in love with a prince." What?! Where did that come from? I'm not....oooh dear. I am! Bother.
"Mother, I have a predicament." Mother put another nightgown into the wardrobe of her's and Father's room. "Can it be worse then war?" "Not exactly," said Henrietta. She closed the door. "This is stictly confidential, you understand." Mother nodded, an amused look on her face. Henrietta began with, "Um....well....." "What is it?" asked Mother, now nearly grinning. Henrietta took a deep breath and tried again. "I love Max!" she said in a despairing voice. Mother's reaction was not what Henrietta expected. She laughed and laughed, and at first Henrietta didn't understand. Then, sheepishly....she began to laugh too. Rain flew into the room, and Mother explained it to her. She laughed too, and Father, in the hallway, wondered what all the merriment was about.
****
Max and the king sat down to a hurried supper before rushing off to supervise the warlike preparations taking place all over the city (the queen had already left town). "So, what's this idea you've been hinting at?" asked the king. "Well, it's really just a basic battle-plan. What I thought we'd do was, when Eugor's army shows up, they'll storm the palace and find it empty." "But--" the king objected. Max continued, cutting him off. "They'll have orders from Eugor to spread out and search everywhere. But we won't give them a chance to. Our men will be hiding in the turrets above the main gate and in the courtyard behind the front door. As soon as Eugor's men come through, we'll shut the gate behind them, the men on the turrets will drop down and the men in the courtyard will come through the door, and we'll have them surrounded. From there, you get the idea."
The king thought a moment. "Interesting. Not bad at all, really. And what about those outfits you picked out for the two of us? If no one's going to be looking for us, what's the point?"
"Precautions," said Max. "And in case you decide not to go with this particular plan of action." He handed his empty plate to a servant. "Well, if we do that, what next?" asked the king. "I haven't a clue," said max. "I told you, this is just a basic idea. We're going to need to do a lot more than that if we're going to defeat anybody. Any ideas concerning the dragons?"
****
"Father, may I send a letter?" Henrietta asked. "To whom?" he replied. "Max." He looked up from his desk. "Why?" he asked. "I want to ask him a few questions. Please, Father. The messenger will be there and back long before whatever idiot wants to take over gets there." Father sighed and leaned back in his chair. "All right." He gave her some paper, a quill and some ink. "Thank you, Father," she said, kissing him on the cheek.
Dear Max,
I know you're the prince. Don't bother asking how, I'll tell you another time. I thought you should know that. I'm not sure why you didn't tell me, but don't worry. I'm not angry or anything. I am sorry though...about your father. He was a good king, and knowing you tells me that he was a good father. How can I tell? Because you turned out pretty well. He would be proud.
Getting to business; what exactly is going on? Who is attacking, why and how? I'll just say that Rain's curiosity is rubbing off on me. Let's hope it isn't permanent.
Affectionately,
Henrietta
She had thought of telling him about her newfound feelings concerning him, but decided not to tell him. He could bring up the subject if he wanted to. She folded the letter and sealed it with wax. She was about to take it downstairs to give to a messenger, when she had a crazy idea. (Also a very silly one. had someone more sensible come along and shown her the folly of it, things might have turned out very differently.) Without stopping to think about it, she quickly changed into her old riding clothes. She had worn these two years ago, during a tomboy phase. The loose trousers and belted tunic still fit, thankfully. She added a cap and a small knife, and the outfit was complete. She snuck outside by the back way, stopping only to leave a note on the kitchen table and to grab some provisions, ran to the stables and chose a fast horse. As she saddled it, she heard a small, accusing voice behind her.
"Just where do you think you're going?" She whirled around. Rain was there, with a face like a thunderstorm. "Running off to battle, are we?" Henrietta looked angrily back. "Do you intend to tell on me?" Rain huffed. "Of course not! I'm only wondering why you didn't think to take me along!" Henrietta laughed.
And so, the two reckless companions galloped off down the road.
(To be continued.)
-5-
Henrietta was not happy- at all. She was perfectly capable of holding her own in a battle, and he knew that. She had been fencing since the age of 7 and had defeated Max in friendly duels with wooden swords plenty of times. Yet here she was, bumping along in a carriage headed towards her father's estate several miles out of the city. She mumbled uncomplimentary phrases about Max under her breath.
"Would you stop that?" demanded Brianna. Brianna was very good at demanding.
Henrietta glared at her. Brianna glared back. Father intervened.
"Why don't you read a book, Henrietta?"
She stopped glaring at Brianna and glared at him instead. "Alright," she said. "Did you bring any books with you?" He handed her a small, thin volume. She opened it.
"A History of the Royal Family" was on the cover. It had been written recently, just 10 years ago. She opened it, thinking that her father knew her far too well. He knew that the mere sight of a book she'd never read instantly made her forget everything else, and he had used it against her. Defeated, she began to read.
****
Max's stepfather was inspecting his new armor. Max was in the room, being measured for his. The two of them were talking about a very serious topic generally known as war.
"What is their motive?" asked Max.
"We are," replied the king. "That crazy wizard is convinced that he can take over the kingdom."
"Idiot," said Max.
"My thought exactly," agreed his stepfather. "So anyway, this Eugor's main plan is to march through the city, violently forcing the people into submission as he goes, surround the palace with dragons, and send infantry in to find our family and drag us outside. He'll try to force us to submit to him. If that doesn't work- which it obviously won't -he'll give the order and those dragons of his will fry us."
"What about the soldiers? If they're still standing around when he incinerates us..."
"He doesn't care. Neither do they. They wouldn't work for him otherwise. He's done something to them so that they're incapable of emotion and thinking for themselves."
"That's horrible!" ejaculated Max. The king grunted a little as he started trying on his suit of armor. "Indeed it is, Max," he said soberly. "That's why he needs to be stopped. If not, he'll do that to the entire kingdom to prevent any uprising against him. Eugor will rule a nation made up of blind, unthinking machines."
Max was shocked. "Are we sure about this?"
"Our intelligence service is excellent. Each spy is trained from the age of ten to tell nothing but the plain truth. They couldn't exaggerate if they tried."
They fell silent for a while. The fellow taking Max's measurements was about to leave when Max suddenly stopped him. "Stay a moment," he said.
"What are you up to?" asked the king.
****
Henrietta found the book to actually be quite interesting. As she came towards the end, the book began to talk about the current royal family. There was a page with paintings of all of them. One was of a little boy. She estimated his age to be about eight or nine. As she looked at it, she wondered why he seemed so familiar. She read the caption: "Prince Maximilian III at age 8".
She stared at it in numb shock. Several things were suddenly falling into place. "HE'S THE PRINCE!" she practically shrieked, startling her family. "You're joking!" scoffed Rain from her perch on Mother's shoulder. "What on earth are you talking about?" asked Brianna. "Max! He's the prince!" Henrietta still didn't know exactly how to feel about this. She figured she should either laugh or be mad that he didn't tell her. She chose to laugh. Trying to control her giggling, she explained. "Don't you see? He said he lived at the palace, he just didn't mention why." She tossed the book to her sister. "Look at the picture there." Brianna's eyes widened. She looked at their parents. "Did you know about this?" she asked. Father and Mother were grinning and trying not to laugh. "We suspected it," said Mother. "But we didn't want to tell you in case it wasn't true," said Father. "Aaaaaaloo!" said the baby.
****
"Uh, what exactly is the point of all this, Max?" The king was trying on armor again, but this time it looked exactly the same as that of any regular soldier. "It's simple," said Max. "The soldiers that the madman will send in after us won't be able to recognize us if we're dressed like ordinary footmen." Max was already wearing such armor, holding the helmet under his arm. The king blinked. "Why didn't I think of that? Simply ingenius, son." Max started, and suddenly a lump threatened to rise in his throat. His stepfather had never called him that. The king coughed slightly, as Max tried to wipe his eyes without it looking like he was wiping his eyes. "Er...(sniff) thanks." Blast! I'm not supposed to cry. Not the time, Max!
Moving on with their conversation (and trying to get past an awkward moment) they walked over to a table with a map on it. "Eugor's footmen will enter here," he pointed to a spot on the map," here and here." He marked three of the city gates on the map. "The dragons will fly in and surround the castle from all directions. We'll assume for now that Eugor will be riding one of them." "Everyone has been evacuated, right?" Max asked. "Everyone, and we're calling in troops from all the neighboring provinces," replied the king. "How long will it take them to get here?" "Two days at the most." "How long until Eugor arrives?" "We're not sure. We're preparing for his attack as fast as we can. Why all the questions? I thought I already told you all this." Max mused. "Just thought a review would be nice. I'm going to take off this armor. I'm working on an idea...I'll tell you about it later." And Max left the room, leaving his stepfather with a confused expression on his face.
-6-
At last! They arrived at the country estate. A good sixty leagues away from the city, it was a very long ride, almost eighteen hours in a bumpy carriage. Rain was already flitting about the house, exploring every nook and cranny. Henrietta followed a servant carrying her things to her room. She had by now gotten used to the fact that Max was royalty. After the servant left, she sat down on her bed and looked at little Max's picture again. She realized now what the "something" he hadn't told her about was. His father had died, and his mother had remarried. Closing the book and putting it on a shelf, she said softly to herself, "I'm in love with a prince." What?! Where did that come from? I'm not....oooh dear. I am! Bother.
"Mother, I have a predicament." Mother put another nightgown into the wardrobe of her's and Father's room. "Can it be worse then war?" "Not exactly," said Henrietta. She closed the door. "This is stictly confidential, you understand." Mother nodded, an amused look on her face. Henrietta began with, "Um....well....." "What is it?" asked Mother, now nearly grinning. Henrietta took a deep breath and tried again. "I love Max!" she said in a despairing voice. Mother's reaction was not what Henrietta expected. She laughed and laughed, and at first Henrietta didn't understand. Then, sheepishly....she began to laugh too. Rain flew into the room, and Mother explained it to her. She laughed too, and Father, in the hallway, wondered what all the merriment was about.
****
Max and the king sat down to a hurried supper before rushing off to supervise the warlike preparations taking place all over the city (the queen had already left town). "So, what's this idea you've been hinting at?" asked the king. "Well, it's really just a basic battle-plan. What I thought we'd do was, when Eugor's army shows up, they'll storm the palace and find it empty." "But--" the king objected. Max continued, cutting him off. "They'll have orders from Eugor to spread out and search everywhere. But we won't give them a chance to. Our men will be hiding in the turrets above the main gate and in the courtyard behind the front door. As soon as Eugor's men come through, we'll shut the gate behind them, the men on the turrets will drop down and the men in the courtyard will come through the door, and we'll have them surrounded. From there, you get the idea."
The king thought a moment. "Interesting. Not bad at all, really. And what about those outfits you picked out for the two of us? If no one's going to be looking for us, what's the point?"
"Precautions," said Max. "And in case you decide not to go with this particular plan of action." He handed his empty plate to a servant. "Well, if we do that, what next?" asked the king. "I haven't a clue," said max. "I told you, this is just a basic idea. We're going to need to do a lot more than that if we're going to defeat anybody. Any ideas concerning the dragons?"
****
"Father, may I send a letter?" Henrietta asked. "To whom?" he replied. "Max." He looked up from his desk. "Why?" he asked. "I want to ask him a few questions. Please, Father. The messenger will be there and back long before whatever idiot wants to take over gets there." Father sighed and leaned back in his chair. "All right." He gave her some paper, a quill and some ink. "Thank you, Father," she said, kissing him on the cheek.
Dear Max,
I know you're the prince. Don't bother asking how, I'll tell you another time. I thought you should know that. I'm not sure why you didn't tell me, but don't worry. I'm not angry or anything. I am sorry though...about your father. He was a good king, and knowing you tells me that he was a good father. How can I tell? Because you turned out pretty well. He would be proud.
Getting to business; what exactly is going on? Who is attacking, why and how? I'll just say that Rain's curiosity is rubbing off on me. Let's hope it isn't permanent.
Affectionately,
Henrietta
She had thought of telling him about her newfound feelings concerning him, but decided not to tell him. He could bring up the subject if he wanted to. She folded the letter and sealed it with wax. She was about to take it downstairs to give to a messenger, when she had a crazy idea. (Also a very silly one. had someone more sensible come along and shown her the folly of it, things might have turned out very differently.) Without stopping to think about it, she quickly changed into her old riding clothes. She had worn these two years ago, during a tomboy phase. The loose trousers and belted tunic still fit, thankfully. She added a cap and a small knife, and the outfit was complete. She snuck outside by the back way, stopping only to leave a note on the kitchen table and to grab some provisions, ran to the stables and chose a fast horse. As she saddled it, she heard a small, accusing voice behind her.
"Just where do you think you're going?" She whirled around. Rain was there, with a face like a thunderstorm. "Running off to battle, are we?" Henrietta looked angrily back. "Do you intend to tell on me?" Rain huffed. "Of course not! I'm only wondering why you didn't think to take me along!" Henrietta laughed.
And so, the two reckless companions galloped off down the road.
(To be continued.)
Thursday, May 28, 2009
A sneak peek....
At The End.
I'm still at a loss for the title of this story. Please, PLEASE if you have any suggestions, go ahead and say them. I'm getting desperate.
Anyways, here is a sneak peak at the last part of [insert title here].
Henrietta was not happy- at all. She was perfectly capable of holding her own in a battle, and he knew that. She had been fencing since the age of 7 and had defeated Max in friendly duels with wooden swords plenty of times. Yet here she was, bumping along in a carriage headed towards her father's estate several miles out of the city. She mumbled uncomplimentary phrases about Max under her breath.
"Would you stop that?" demanded Brianna. Brianna was very good at demanding.
Henrietta glared at her. Brianna glared back. Father intervened.
"Why don't you read a book, Henrietta?"
She stopped glaring at Brianna and glared at him instead. "Alright," she said. "Did you bring any books with you?" He handed her a small, thin volume. She opened it.
"A History of the Royal Family" was on the cover. It had been written recently, just 10 years ago. She opened it, thinking that her father knew her far too well. He knew that the mere sight of a book she'd never read instantly made her forget everything else, and he used it against her. Defeated, she began to read.
****
Max's stepfather was inspecting his new armor. Max was in the room, being measured for his. The two of them were talking about a very serious topic generally known as war.
"What is their motive?" asked Max.
"We are," replied the king. "That crazy wizard is convinced that he can take over the kingdom."
"Idiot," said Max.
"My thought exactly," agreed his stepfather. "So anyway, his main plan is to march through the city, violently forcing the people into submission as he goes, surround the palace with dragons, and send infantry in to find us and drag us outside. He'll try to force us to submit to him. If that doesn't work- which it obviously won't -he'll give the order and those dragons of his will fry us."
"What about the soldiers? If they're still standing around when he incinerates us..."
"He doesn't care. Neither do they. They wouldn't work for him otherwise. He's done something to them so that they're incapable of emotion and thinking for themselves."
"That's horrible!" ejaculated Max. The king grunted a little as he started trying on his suit of armor. "Indeed it is, Max," he said soberly. "That's why he needs to be stopped. If not, he'll do that to the entire kingdom to prevent any uprising against him. He'll rule a nation made up of blind, unthinking machines."
Max was shocked. "Are we sure about this?"
"Our intelligence service is excellent. Each spy is trained from the age of ten to tell nothing but the plain truth. They couldn't exaggerate if they tried."
They fell silent for a while. The fellow taking Max's measurements was about to leave when Max suddenly stopped him. "Stay a moment," he said.
"What are you up to?" asked the king.
I'm still at a loss for the title of this story. Please, PLEASE if you have any suggestions, go ahead and say them. I'm getting desperate.
Anyways, here is a sneak peak at the last part of [insert title here].
The End
In which Henrietta makes a discovery (or two), a battle is fought, and we eventually arrive at happily ever after.
-5-
In which Henrietta makes a discovery (or two), a battle is fought, and we eventually arrive at happily ever after.
-5-
Henrietta was not happy- at all. She was perfectly capable of holding her own in a battle, and he knew that. She had been fencing since the age of 7 and had defeated Max in friendly duels with wooden swords plenty of times. Yet here she was, bumping along in a carriage headed towards her father's estate several miles out of the city. She mumbled uncomplimentary phrases about Max under her breath.
"Would you stop that?" demanded Brianna. Brianna was very good at demanding.
Henrietta glared at her. Brianna glared back. Father intervened.
"Why don't you read a book, Henrietta?"
She stopped glaring at Brianna and glared at him instead. "Alright," she said. "Did you bring any books with you?" He handed her a small, thin volume. She opened it.
"A History of the Royal Family" was on the cover. It had been written recently, just 10 years ago. She opened it, thinking that her father knew her far too well. He knew that the mere sight of a book she'd never read instantly made her forget everything else, and he used it against her. Defeated, she began to read.
****
Max's stepfather was inspecting his new armor. Max was in the room, being measured for his. The two of them were talking about a very serious topic generally known as war.
"What is their motive?" asked Max.
"We are," replied the king. "That crazy wizard is convinced that he can take over the kingdom."
"Idiot," said Max.
"My thought exactly," agreed his stepfather. "So anyway, his main plan is to march through the city, violently forcing the people into submission as he goes, surround the palace with dragons, and send infantry in to find us and drag us outside. He'll try to force us to submit to him. If that doesn't work- which it obviously won't -he'll give the order and those dragons of his will fry us."
"What about the soldiers? If they're still standing around when he incinerates us..."
"He doesn't care. Neither do they. They wouldn't work for him otherwise. He's done something to them so that they're incapable of emotion and thinking for themselves."
"That's horrible!" ejaculated Max. The king grunted a little as he started trying on his suit of armor. "Indeed it is, Max," he said soberly. "That's why he needs to be stopped. If not, he'll do that to the entire kingdom to prevent any uprising against him. He'll rule a nation made up of blind, unthinking machines."
Max was shocked. "Are we sure about this?"
"Our intelligence service is excellent. Each spy is trained from the age of ten to tell nothing but the plain truth. They couldn't exaggerate if they tried."
They fell silent for a while. The fellow taking Max's measurements was about to leave when Max suddenly stopped him. "Stay a moment," he said.
"What are you up to?" asked the king.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
The next part of my story...
Enjoy! Criticism and suggestions are welcome.
Cliffhanger! MUAHAHAHA!
The Middle
-3-
She spun in circles and watched her dress twirl. She felt her hair fly straight out from her head and laughed.
"What in the world are you doing?" asked a small voice from the windowsill.
"Spinning, of course!" was the jubilant reply.
"Why are you spinning?"
Henrietta stopped abruptly and her hair hit her in the face. She flipped it aside and said, "It's fun."
"Why is it fun?" demanded her friend.
"Why, oh why are fairies so inquisitive? It just is. And no more questions, Miss Rain, or I shall put you in a jar." The fairy pouted. She was very small- not yet full grown- and like all her race, she was exceedingly curious. Her skin was lightly tinted with pink, and if she were sick or sad it would become very pale and grayish. Her eyes were violet colored and looked large in her small face, which was encircled by dark wavy hair. Her tiny dress was blue that day, with little silver vines running up and down it. Her name was Raindrop (Rain for short) and she sat on the windowsill looking irritably at her human friend. "Why not?"
"I give up!" said Henrietta. She huffed, then smiled at the fairy, picked her up in her hand (Rain's wings were still growing, so she couldn't fly) and was about to show her how fun spinning was when there was a knock on the door. "Brianna, will you get that please?" No answer. Henrietta went to the door herself, and opened it to find a familiar face. "Why, hello!"
****
He had used the front door that time, and had told the guard to tell his officer to tell his officer to tell someone important to tell his stepfather that he was out for a walk through the city. He went by her house (need one elaborate on who "she" is?) and decided, after a great deal of debating with himself, to drop in. He knocked, she opened the door.
"Why, hello!"
"I was in the neighborhood and dropped by to say that exact same thing," he smiled. She smiled back.
"How kind of you. You know, we were never properly introduced. I'm Henrietta," she said, holding out her hand. He shook it a bit awkwardly. "Max."
"Won't you come in?"
"Well...just for a minute."
"Wonderful!" She led him to the sitting room.
"Uh.... nice house," he said, for lack of better comment. He thought he heard a giggle, but it didn't come from Henrietta. He looked around. There was a young female fairy sitting daintily on the small tea-table. "Is that the best compliment you could think of?" she asked, rather mockingly. He paused a moment, laughed slightly and bowed to her. "I was simply lost for words at the sight of your beauty, madam," he said grandly.
"You didn't see me until just now," she pointed out.
"Your overwhelming presence, then."
Rain giggled again. "I like you," she said. "Even though you are a little slow. Who are you? Where do you live? Are you Henrietta's beau?"
Henrietta laughed and asked if he would like tea.
"Does it come with cookies?"
"All kinds."
****
Max became very good friends with both of them after that. He called often. When asked where he lived, he simply said "The palace." The girls thought he was just a page or some such person, never bothering to ask. Henrietta's parents liked him immensely, and even Brianna conceded that he "had a charming sense of humor, much more pleasing than Henrietta's". He, Rain and Henrietta spent most of their time either teasing each other ruthlessly or discussing everything from politics to fashion to why spinning is fun. Rain often drove the others crazy with her never-ending flow of questions. However, in a few months her wings grew completely, and she spent so much time flitting around and trying new tricks in the air that she only asked about one question per minute.
One day, about three months after their first meeting, Henrietta and Max chanced to meet each other on the street while it was raining. "History repeats itself!" said Henrietta. The only difference was that this time, she was the one with the umbrella. They laughed. She held out her umbrella and said, "It's big enough for both of us." He entered under it gratefully.
"Where be ye headed, fair lady?" asked Max.
"To the milliner's," said she.
"The what?"
"It's where you buy hats and ribbons and such."
"Ah, I see. And what is your errand there, miss?"
"To buy hats and ribbons and such, of course."
"I knew that." He walked her to the milliner's and stood around while she tried on headgear. She looked at a long pink ribbon and squealed. "Ooh! Isn't it lovely?!"
He blinked. "What's so special about it?"
She smirked at him. "I guess you wouldn't know."
"I guess not."
As she wandered around the shop, she glanced at him now and then. He looked bored. But more than that. He had that melancholy look that was always on his face when he wasn't occupied. I'll ask him about it, she thought.
He noticed her looking at him and flushed. "Er, are you done here?"
"Yes," she said. Actually she wasn't, but she felt bad for making him stay there. "Let me just buy these and we'll be on our way."
****
On the way back to Henrietta's house, Max wondered why she had been looking at him so pityingly back in the hat shop. He also wondered why she was being so quiet. What was going on in that mind of hers? He'd better say something. The silence was getting awkward.
"How's your baby brother?" he asked. Mother's baby had been born a few weeks ago.
"Oh, he's fine," she said absently. "Um....Max?"
"Yes?" Maybe now she'd tell him what had been going on.
"Is something wrong?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Well... it's just that you look so sad sometimes. I wanted to know if you were alright."
He hesitated. If he told her about his father, she'd figure out who he was. For some reason, he didn't want her to know just yet. "It's nothing you need to worry about," he said finally.
"Then there is something wrong. I'll decide what I want to worry about. Just tell me."
He tried to smile reassuringly at her. "Maybe some other time."
She looked at him, concern still lining her pretty features. "You sure?"
"Yes."
-4-
Their friendship continued, but Max never told Henrietta more about the "something wrong". She still wondered about it, but she didn't pry. He'd tell her in his own time. After their conversation on the street, she noticed that he consciously tried to be more cheerful more often. She would have told him he didn't have to, but she didn't want to bring up the subject again.
Meanwhile, there were preparations being made for Brianna's wedding. Max, of course, was coming. She'd invited him to bring his family also, but he hadn't said anything to that. Her curiosity about him increased, and suspicions started to form in her mind. Rain thought something was up, and said so. Henrietta ignored her. She was puzzling over Max's melancholy-then-cheerful countenance and she was also trying to decide what dress she should wear to her sister's wedding. "The green velvet or the blue silk?" she mused.
"Either one. What is silk made of?"
"I don't know and I don't particularly care."
"Why is green called green, and blue called blue? Why can't blue be called green, and green be called blue?"
"Stop!" Henrietta implored. "You're giving me a headache!"
"Do you think Max is handsome?"
Henrietta glared at her fairy friend. "Go find someone else to bother." Rain pouted. "Max is never that rude to me."
"AAGH! Please Rain, just a little peace? Please?"
"Alright, alright! I'll be quiet." Henrietta sighed wearily. "Thank you," she said.
"Why is pink called pink?
****
"Max," said his mother one day.
"Yes?"
"Go to the study. Your father wants-"
"To speak to me. Alright," he sighed. He ran his fingers through his dark hair and walked down the hallways to the study. On entering he said, "You wanted to speak to me?"
"Yes, come sit." Max obeyed.
"Am I in trouble?"
The king shifted in his chair. Max realized that he never thought of him as "Father" but always as "the king" or "Mother's husband". That's depressing, he thought cynically.
His stepfather spoke. "You and I have been edging around each other ever since I married your mother. Why do you think that is?"
Well, the man sure knew how to get straight to the point. Max was rather startled. "Well....you...I....what I'm getting at is...well....oh, must you spring things at a fellow like that?" he demanded.
"I thought we should talk about it. I didn't see any reason to lead up to it gently," the king said bluntly. Luckily, his answer gave Max a moment to pull his wits together. "What about you? Let's hear your reasons for 'edging' first," he said flatly.
The king remained undisturbed. He put his fingertips together and replied, "I realize that you miss your father. I know you feel that I'm here to take up a place that you don't want to be filled. I've been giving you space, giving you time to sort things out on your own. You should have had time enough by now. Do you think that, instead of my trying to be your father, you can let me be your friend?"
Max was startled once more. Then again, you don't have to be terribly perceptive to know someone's feelings about their dead father. Max was grateful that the king was being considerate about this, not trying to be a father. He decided he might as well go along with it. He wasn't sure he could take any more awkwardness.
"Friends," he said. Suddenly the door opened and a messenger rushed in. He looked out of breath. He handed the king an envelope. The king opened it and read. When he finished, he handed it to Max with a solemn face.
****
The doorbell rang. "That should be Max. He said he'd come today," said Rain. Henrietta left off taking measurements for Brianna's wedding dress to let him in.
"Hello! Long time no see," she said when she opened the door. Then she realized that (oops!) that was not her friend standing there on the threshold. It was Brianna's fiancée. He looked flustered.
"Henrietta, where is your sister?" he demanded immediately. Henrietta was taken aback by his urgent behavior.
"Is something wrong?"
"Where is she?"
"Sh-she's upstairs," said Henrietta, eyes wide. He pushed past her and started up the steps. "Sir, you can't go up there! She's busy! We're making her wedding dress!"
He huffed. "Send her to me as soon as possible. I'll be in the parlor."
Henrietta went upstairs and told her sister to go down to her husband-to-be, and quick. Brianna hastened to the parlor. Henrietta followed.
"My love," said he, "Start packing. You are leaving this city immediately." At that moment Max came running in through the front door (Henrietta had left it open).
"Henrietta!"
"Max!"
"You and your family must leave. There is going to be an attack on the city."
Cliffhanger! MUAHAHAHA!
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