Briar

Ch. 4 Introduction of the Gaggle

Her name was Victoria, a perfectly respectable name, but not one suited to her. After the first day, Rose began to call her Princess Perky. She was light, blond and seemed to have the ability to either be completely optimistic or totally unaware of all problems. Especially the ones she caused. Problem one: Perky didn’t really have a problem, and therefore no reason to be in Numberland. She said she wanted a charm to make her a master seamstress, but Jonas was too practical to do that when she could just practice. Second problem: the only men in the castle were over 50 or completely ignored her. So to comfort herself in this state of distraught, she bothered Jonas relentlessly. Their golden blobs could be seen during many hours of the day. Perky’s curls wiping as she tried to catch up to Jonas. When he had given up trying to study in the library and was starring off into her face as she rambled. Eventually he would lock himself in his workroom, and she would go off to gossip with her eleven ladies-in-waiting.
Not one of the servants were happy with the Perky development. Not only did they now have a dozen more people to feed, but a dozen more people to do laundry for, to make rooms to, to stir fires for. And despite their name the ladies-in-waiting were about as useless as their mistress. Rose suddenly went from being a helper around the house to being the busiest one. Jane, Josephine, Jena, Jenifer, Janis, June, Jena, the twins: Jinni and Janni, Joan, and finally Jillian kept Rose up late into the night. The ones higher up on the list were the worst, always demanding silly things like brighter colors for their embroidery or different arrangements for their rooms because it was too similar to other girl’s. Rose was just glad that she was inconsequential enough that she didn’t receive their criticism. Jillian the youngest lady and newest member got the worst of it. She couldn’t do anything right. Her dresses were either too short, too long, too similar to Josephine’s, had the same cut as Jinni, was the wrong color for her so she should give the dress to Jena, the list went on. Her hair was always the wrong color or in the wrong design, and her embroidery was never up to par. Whenever Rose was gone from their newly made parlor Jillian was the one who stirred the fire, fluffed pillows, and poured the tea. Jillian who Rose thought would be a sweet girl if she ever spoke.
The worst part about this whole arrangement though was that Rose was too busy and Jonas was so bothered that they rarely ever saw each other.
Jonas seemed to be in a lenient mood because it took two weeks for him to get fed up enough to tell Perky to hit the road. The first time he asked was at dinner. They were in the grand dinning hall; Rose was serving the thirteen of them. Jonas found the dinners annoying, and Rose found them to be embarrassing since the ladies always critiqued her serving order. But with those girls in the house appearances had to be kept. Perky was having herself a one woman conversation, only Jane could get a word in and only when Perky was taking a breath. They were at the end of the meal and Jonas looked to be falling asleep when he finally made a direct cut into her heavy river of words.
“How much longer do you plan on staying, Princess?” The ladies were a bit taken a back. He had cut off their nice conversation in order to ask such a rude question!
But Perky smiled coyly looking at Jonas through lowered lashes, “Well, I hadn’t really though about it, Jonas.” It infuriated Rose that way she paused before saying his name. She gave a slight glare to the little woman before continuing to pour Jena more wine.
“Well, I think you should think about leaving within the next week. I’m sure your father misses you, and you’re becoming quiet a distraction.” Rose balked at his choice of word. Every female’s eyes were on him. The ladies started to giggle and Perky just seemed pleased with herself.
The only answer she gave was, “I’ll think about it, but I’m enjoying my stay so much.” Then she placed a well manicured hand on top of Jonas’s. Rose quickly left the room and Jonas didn’t know if it was in disgust or to get a towel to mop up the wine she spilt on Jena’s best dress. Her clumsiness and Jonas’s infatuation with Victoria was all Rose heard about for days.
It was another week before Jonas brought up Perky’s leaving again. She gave the same answer that she would think about it. In the following week, she redoubled her efforts to get close to Jonas. When in private with her ladies Perky bragged that Jonas was obviously falling in love with her, and when he started asking her everyday when she would clear off, she said it only meant that he was becoming increasingly worried that she would leave her. When expressing this emotion she stood up her curls bouncing and her skirt swirling dramatically as she pressed her clasped hands to her heart.
“I would never leave him,” she exclaimed.
The ladies burst into clapping, and Rose stared in amazement at Perky wondering if she had practiced that move in the full length mirror she had demanded that she must have. Rose did want to believe what Perky said. She refused to acknowledge that Jonas might fall for someone like this girl. She was the one who had asked Rose one morning what scrambled eggs were made out of. But deep down there was a nasty little voice that echoed back what Jonas had said during the funeral, that she didn’t know the first thing about what Jonas wanted. That may be he wanted a girl in his own station, a girl with gowns that perfectly matched her complexion. It also brought up that Princess Victoria probably had a lot more experience with love sick boys that she did. If the princess said it than who was she to refute it. A servant, that’s all you are; what would a servant know of love.
The darkness that Rose had worked hard to bottle after Azzel’s death bubbled a little, tickled by jealousy.
Jonas on the other hand was almost mad with annoyance. She had been in Numberland for over a month, and it was like the little thing could live with out bothering him every ten minutes. There was absolutely no progress in his studies, and the perfect Princess Victoria seemed to have no intentions to go home. The only reason that he could mildly put up with the dumb girl was that her persistence reminded him of Rose when she was young wild eyed and dumb with innocence. But that appeal had worn out long ago. It was long past time for Perky (Rose had let it slip once, and Jonas had laughed so hard that he cried. From then on he had secretly used it) to leave.
At dinner the next day Jonas made his announcement, hoping that the ladies would help convince Perky that it was time for her to leave. After all her decision would effect them all.
“Ladies,” Jonas pushed back his chair as he stood. He had chosen to wear a wizard’s rob to dinner, hoping that it would inspire the fear he would need. Princess Victoria hoped it meant that he was finally proposing, and that they could leave this drafty castle with its impertinent servants. Vicky was used to having servant that would never dare to even look at her, let alone talking back to her in the morning.
“Ladies,” Jonas said again, looking pointedly at the twins who were arguing at how well done the steak was. “I will ask you one more time, Princess P-Victoria. Please leave Numberland. I have asked you repeatedly, and I am sorry that it has finally come down to this, but if you and your ladies have not left the premises by sundown tomorrow I fear you will not like the consequences.” With those cryptic words, Jonas left the girls to talk about their next action.
Princess Victoria obviously took over the discussion, “How sweet. He’s testing my love. He thinks that his proposal is a terrible thing. Isn’t it just darling.”
The ladies looked at each other some of the dumber ones with sweet expressions, some with skeptical. Jillian’s was the first hesitant voice to come out. She was only about five three with mouse brown hair. She was almost invisible at the end of the table next to the larger five nine Janni. But still her voice floated over the ladies, “What if he’s serious. He is a wizard after all, an exclusionary one at that, and we have been here a long time. May be he just really wants us to leave.”
Vicky’s plump lower lip began to tremble, “You-you mean he might not love me.”
It was at this point that Janni pushed Jillian out of the way and proclaimed in a base, “Of course not! What heart could deny you?”
“If you’re afraid Jillian,” sniffed the princess. “You can leave, but I feel obligated to tell you that if you leave that would be considered betraying me and I just couldn’t bear to have a girl with me that wasn’t loyal.”
Jillian was the only child of a lowly knight. It was a surprise that Princess Victoria had even accepted her as her lady in waiting. Jillian suspected that she had been chosen simply because she her name began with a J, and all the other higher class girls with Js in the kingdom had already been chosen. When Jillian had left for the castle, her father had said it was the proudest day of his life. That he could rest easy knowing his little girl would be in court and would bring back a decent husband. There was no way that Jillian could ever go home disgraced as someone not worth trusting. Not to mention what might happen if Victoria ever got in a bad mood and declared her a traitor.
“I would never leave you, Princess.”
“That’s nice to know June. That at least one of you will stay with me. I just couldn’t-”
“Everyone at this table is loyal to you, Highness.” The level ton of Jane broke through Vicky’s soprano. Jane was five years older than the Princess herself and was considered to be the spinster of the group. As the eldest lady in waiting, she commanded the most power in the group, but was also the plainest. It was her charge to keep the Princess out of trouble. “And no one will be leaving unless you do. But I do believe that Jillian is correct and that you should consider leaving. I believe that the wizard, Jonas, would like to continue his studies. As you should be continuing yours. If you will remember you have yet to master embroidery. Or did you forget that with just one look at the wizard.”
Vicky seemed a little perturbed at Jane’s words, “I have not forgotten, Jane. And I will have you know that I have improved greatly since we came here. I can now go 15 stitches without tangling the thread.”
“That is very good Princess. I’m sure your mother will be very pleased.”
Victoria’s mind rolled over Jonas’s words and actions all night trying to figure out his meaning. Well, she was pondering that or the meaning of why Jenifer always had so many more admirers than she did. In either case Vicky was thinking really hard for the unheard of time of, three hours. This time was also used to brush her hair so that it would look nice and shinny for Jonas in the morning.
In the end, Princess Victoria decided that she and her ladies in waiting would stay in Numberland and next to her beloved Jonas. After hearing her decision during breakfast, Jonas quickly went to his work room to prepare. If the truth was to be told he was excited to perform this bit of magic. He had made a few changes to the spell so it would come out the way he wanted, and he was anticipating being a bad wizard for once. Setting the same old protection and pregnancy spells was getting wildly monotonous.
Jonas called all the girls out to the lake at the every back to the estate at dawn.
His proposal sights just keep getting better and better, Vicky thought. It’s so romantic he wants us to begin our lives together with the beginning of a new day. Jonas also dragged Rose out there, mostly because he was proud of the spell and he wanted to show off.
Jonas tried to keep from fidgeting but we couldn’t help but constantly shift his glaze from the horizon and the twelve girls.
“Well are we going to get this over with or what.” Janis broke the silence she was not a morning person.
“Oh! Of course. I’m just so excited. Oh, let’s see.” Jonas sprang to life, putting the girls in a line, tallest to shortest. The twins, exact the same in height kept switching places, saying one was taller than the other. Finally Jonas just told them to stay still.
A little bit of pink could be seen just over the trees.
“Okay it’s time.” Jonas bent and picked up a bag of herbs that he had dropped earlier. He sprinkled each girl in turn, muttering an incantation that sounded to Rose’s ears to say something like, “Goosses varbottom seeum in thuses feathrum. Truthusm inith Luna inith di thid bi blackists feathrum.”
One by one, all of the girls began to shrink until they all seemed to be the same size. Then the grew bigger fatter and their heads shrunk and their legs got skinnier. Pearly skin was crept over by black, and the dresses that should have ripped long ago were separating becoming fluffy? Within a minute, twelve black geese and a very smug Jonas stood before Rose.
“Aren’t they supposed to be swans?”
“That’s all you have to say? I show you one of the oldest curses, and all you have is criticism?”
“Don’t get me wrong Jonas that was awesome, but if I remember my history right-”
“Yes, yes they’re supposed to be swans, but I thought that a goose was much more appropriate for this group.” Rose laughed at his reasoning. “Besides that will keep Princess from running home to tell Daddy, since she’ll be too embarrassed by her disgraceful state.” Rose stopped laughing. Could it be true that Jonas really loved her? Loved her enough that he would change her into a bird to keep her here? One of the black geese approached Jonas and gently nipped his shirt and tugged it. Her eyes held a hurt look in them. In bird-speak she said, I would have stayed with you. You didn’t need to do this. But of course neither Jonas or Rose understood bird-speak, and they continued on.
“Well look at you, Princess.” Jonas put his hands on her head, stroking her head. Cleverly hidden affection or prying her beak off Rose couldn’t tell. “Well, you girls know the drill right? Bird during the day. Woman at night.” Too bad that I can’t jut keep them in complete goose form without making the change permanent. “Rose, I do believe the ladies will want their breakfast now. It’s bee a very stressful ten minutes. I had your mother buy some goose feed last time she went to town.” Then Jonas wandered off muttering something about writing notes on the spell.
Rose looked down at her new charges, “Does he expect me to be a goose girl now?” They stared back at her; their beady eyes just as cold and hard as they had been in human form. “Well, I guess I’ll get some more free time.” One of the birds, who knew who it was now, snapped her beak. “Okay, don’t get rough. I’m going to get the bird seed.”
As soon as her back was turned, she heard the squawking of the girls exclaiming over their new appearances. Rose used the back door to get into the kitchen. It was the easiest way to get to the storage room, and ran into her mother.
Rose thought she might as well ask, “Where did you put the bird seed Mom?”
“Oh did he turn them into swans?”
“Geese.”
“Geese! I could have sworn it was swans.”
“He changed it.”
“Oh well. That’s good … I guess.”
“The seed Mom.”
“Oh. … Now let’s see. It’s in the back of the storage room. If not ask your father.” She sighed. “I do hope it works out for those two.”
“What do you mean by that.”
“Oh just that they seem to be a funny pair. And she certainly likes him a lot-”
“Do you think he- Do you think he loves her?”
“Well, he doesn’t seemed to be too opposed to the idea. Just the other day, when I was cleaning the library I saw them sitting on that couch. He was reading, and she kept trying to rest her head on her shoulder, but he kept pushing her off. You know how Jonas is. But after a while the Princess fell asleep, and when he noticed he laughed a little and let her head stay where it was. And now this. I think he might love her.”
Rose was crushed. It was one thing for her mind and Perky to say that Jonas loved the little brat, but her mother. Now that was completely different. Rose’s bottle just about burst. She quickly turned away from her mother and made her way to the storage room before a few tears found their way out. Rose stood just behind the door for a few minutes, trying to collect herself.
What did she care that Jonas was in love with a bird brained idiot? Or more really what did he care that she had been in love with him since the first time he had fallen into that silly lake? Rose smiled just thinking about it, and a few more tears fell. If he knew he’d probably just dismiss me, wouldn’t want me messing with his new sweetheart. And then were would you be Rose. You’ve had it easy. Rose took a few big breaths before slowly closing down her heart. She could never tell him, never.
She wiped the tears off her cheeks briskly and made her way to the back of the large room. Rose didn’t know why her mother went to town once a week. They had enough stored in here to last them a year. She found the bird seed easily. Rose eyed the sack with some worry. They had to be at least fifty pounds each. There was a reason why her father had taken them back here.
Rose was pretty tiny. She barely reached 5’5’’, and was on the skinny side, something she had always resented. Princess Victoria certainly had not trouble filling out dress. Rose’s clothes mostly her mother’s old things always seemed to be hanging off of her. But Rose would not let this stop her. I might be small, but I’m wiry. Rose swaggered up to the sack. Squatting down, she got her shoulder underneath the thing. The seeds conformed over her bones. With a grunt, Rose brought it back up. She zigzagged her way back out side, stopping twice in the long journey. Finally she got there, and the birds gave her a look for taking so long.
“You want to get your own food in the lake?” All of them looked disgusted at the thought of getting in the mold infested water. “That’s what I thought.”
Rose poured the seed on the ground before them; they almost pushed her over in their rush to get the food.
“What do you think there isn’t enough.”
The bag was lighter than it had been before, but still heavy. Rose did not see herself going back and forth with the thing three times a day.
“I don’t suppose you girls will be flying off anytime soon.” One bird bothered to look up to give her a credulous look, “I’ll take that as a no. I guess I’ll just have to clean out that shake then.”
There was a little building by the water. Mr. Fonderal had once told Rose that it had been built for a traveler many years ago who would stay there in the summer months. Rose remembered playing in it as a girl. It has been infested with cobwebs and spiders then. “I guess it would be too much to think that it would have gotten better now.”
Rose dumped the bag of seed near the edge. She wandered over to the slim boards; they seemed to be about to fall down.
“I bet it just needs to be cleaned a little.” Rose had the horrible habit to talk to herself when she was alone. It had gotten into trouble a few times, like when she baked. She always recited the instructions to herself which irritated Mrs. Fonderal who would then kick her out of the kitchen with only a half baked cake. The door squeaked as Rose opened it. Cobwebs dominated so much of the space that Rose had a bit of a hard time seeing the rest of the building. “Damn this is going to need all shorts of cleaning.” Rose was tempted to just build another hut out here, but that would mean talking to Jonas, and she just wasn’t ready for that yet.
Rose turned around, readying herself to go back to the castle. She jumped and let out a little scream to see one of the geese behind her. “Sorry I didn’t notice you there.” Her head bent like she was used to not being seen. “No. I just mean that I didn’t hear you.” The head fell farther than Rose though a goose head could. “Well, uhh… what do you want?” The head glanced to where all the other geese had indeed gobbled up all of the seed on the ground and were now fighting over who got to go at the sack. Rose could see a black little butt of what she could only assume to be Perky wiggling into the bag. “Yes, I see your point there. Don’t worry; I’ll fix it.” Rose began to walk over to the geese, “I can only assume you’re Jillian.” The head looked away before nodding. “I thought so. I also presume that you didn’t get enough to eat.” Another bob.
Rose got to the gaggle and pulled the goose out of the sack by her foot, shaking her a little just for kicks. Indignant squawking proceeded. Rose set Perky back onto her feet, and the ladies gathered around her. “Now there are two ways that this can go, ladies. Either I can get a pen or you all can remember you’re lovely ladies and act as ladies.” Rose looked at their shifting heads, degrees of shame and pride. “Now I’m perfectly willing to give you whatever you want. I’ll even get twelve little bowls with your names on them, but you ladies must act properly.” It was very peculiar to have a conversation that was composed completely by head motions and flapping feathers. Rose thought that they agreed with what she was saying but couldn’t really be sure. “Well we’ll talk about it when you’re able to use your vocal cords again.” Another squawk. “Yes, yes. I don’t dispute your having them, just use caution when using then okay. Now I’ll be needing to get some supplies from the house and since I don’t want to make two trips. Any volunteers.”
Rose knew quite well that they would push Jillian up. Her shy head bumped to the front, “Well let’s go.” Rose made sure to grab the sack, giving the other birds, especially the little one in the front with a high head, a look before they made their way back to the castle.
“Somehow I think I will get to know this route very well in the next few months.” Jillian’s head bobbed in what Rose took for the goose equivalent to a laugh. As soon as they were through the back door, Rose stopped a poured a good portion of seed on the stone floor. She sat down and petted Jillian’s soft feathers while she delicately pecked at the seeds. Rose rubbed her face in the goose’s warm body, the heat and friendly silence helping her forget her heart ache.

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This one is a lot longer than the others. sorry i have a tendency to do that. Some are really short others are long, but it's a lot better than having completely random chapter. So there's my little rant. I hope yall are liking the story and it's actually starting to take shape now.