Random Challenge #6
Sat, Oct. 30th, 2004 01:38 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
annarti
Title~ Strawberries and Cream
Author~ Annarti
Disclaimer~ All mine~
Notes~ Doing these: "her~ [being Queen Alurié] and~~ hormonal moodswings =D" ~set by Garney ^^
And yes, I'm well aware this is in tpyo rather than yrae. The server yrae's on is being pissy right now, so I'm getting pissy and am sticking it here until further notice. Woo.
~ ~ ~
Queen Alurié of Raykin sat demurely on her velvet-covered chair at the breakfast table, rapping her nails on the mahogany surface as she contemplated the steward’s question.
“Strawberries and cream,” she said finally, a satisfied smile on her face.
Mithé looked up from the report he was reading to cast a warning glance in the steward’s direction.
The steward’s face remained professionally blank, but Mithé could see the faint lines worry crease his brow.
“Forgive me, Majesty, but we have no strawberries at the present time.”
A vague look of irritation passed over Alurié’s features, narrowing her eyes slightly. “The market is but a short walk away,” she said pleasantly, but it was the kind of disturbing sweetness that her husband had come to recognise as the calm before the storm. He hoped desperately that the steward knew it as well.
“Majesty,” the young man said carefully, “Strawberries are a Kazinian fruit not in season for several months yet.”
Mithé cringed. ‘I’ll do all I can’ would have gone down much better, despite the lack of strawberries. Doubtless Alurié would forget about them by lunch time anyway. The steward was just digging a hole for himself.
“And?” The edge was creeping into the queen’s voice and her hard eyes bore into the poor man.
Somehow, the steward managed to maintain a professional air. “At the present time, not a single strawberry exists in the kingdom, nor do they on any of those on our borders.”
Alurié rose slowly, one hand on her growing stomach. While her full height reached barely to the steward’s shoulders, she was nevertheless a formidable figure. Mithé did his best to subtly catch the steward’s eye, but without success.
“Your queen has requested strawberries and cream,” the queen said darkly, “Is it of your mind to disobey a request from your queen?”
“Most certainly not, Majesty.”
“Then get me my strawberries! I care not if you must search every footstep of the northern kingdom for them, nor if you must grow them by your own hand, I demand strawberries and cream for breakfast!”
Finally the man cast a worried glance in Mithé’s direction, and the king was able to apologetically indicate the door with a near-indistinguishable jerk of his head.
The steward bowed deeply and left the breakfast room, leaving Alurié to lower herself back into the chair, smoothing out her skirts as though nothing had happened.
Mithé lowered his eyes back to the report. “You really must learn to keep a handle on your temper, my dear.”
“Temper?”
The king allowed himself a wry grin. He knew better than to open his mouth.
Author~ Annarti
Disclaimer~ All mine~
Notes~ Doing these: "her~ [being Queen Alurié] and~~ hormonal moodswings =D" ~set by Garney ^^
And yes, I'm well aware this is in tpyo rather than yrae. The server yrae's on is being pissy right now, so I'm getting pissy and am sticking it here until further notice. Woo.
Queen Alurié of Raykin sat demurely on her velvet-covered chair at the breakfast table, rapping her nails on the mahogany surface as she contemplated the steward’s question.
“Strawberries and cream,” she said finally, a satisfied smile on her face.
Mithé looked up from the report he was reading to cast a warning glance in the steward’s direction.
The steward’s face remained professionally blank, but Mithé could see the faint lines worry crease his brow.
“Forgive me, Majesty, but we have no strawberries at the present time.”
A vague look of irritation passed over Alurié’s features, narrowing her eyes slightly. “The market is but a short walk away,” she said pleasantly, but it was the kind of disturbing sweetness that her husband had come to recognise as the calm before the storm. He hoped desperately that the steward knew it as well.
“Majesty,” the young man said carefully, “Strawberries are a Kazinian fruit not in season for several months yet.”
Mithé cringed. ‘I’ll do all I can’ would have gone down much better, despite the lack of strawberries. Doubtless Alurié would forget about them by lunch time anyway. The steward was just digging a hole for himself.
“And?” The edge was creeping into the queen’s voice and her hard eyes bore into the poor man.
Somehow, the steward managed to maintain a professional air. “At the present time, not a single strawberry exists in the kingdom, nor do they on any of those on our borders.”
Alurié rose slowly, one hand on her growing stomach. While her full height reached barely to the steward’s shoulders, she was nevertheless a formidable figure. Mithé did his best to subtly catch the steward’s eye, but without success.
“Your queen has requested strawberries and cream,” the queen said darkly, “Is it of your mind to disobey a request from your queen?”
“Most certainly not, Majesty.”
“Then get me my strawberries! I care not if you must search every footstep of the northern kingdom for them, nor if you must grow them by your own hand, I demand strawberries and cream for breakfast!”
Finally the man cast a worried glance in Mithé’s direction, and the king was able to apologetically indicate the door with a near-indistinguishable jerk of his head.
The steward bowed deeply and left the breakfast room, leaving Alurié to lower herself back into the chair, smoothing out her skirts as though nothing had happened.
Mithé lowered his eyes back to the report. “You really must learn to keep a handle on your temper, my dear.”
“Temper?”
The king allowed himself a wry grin. He knew better than to open his mouth.