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It was a sunny day in the now peaceful kingdom of Angielle.
Somewhere lost in the many hallways of the castle, a small and quaint maid was whistling a merry song while going on with her not so daily tasks. This matron, loved but also feared by many, was dear little Manja, the castle's well known gossip queen.
She had been tasked with assisting in readying the palace for the great arrival of the Brugantia royal family for Princess Lucette's and Prince Klaude's grandiose engagement party as the Prince would call it. She was so busy that she didn't have time to gossip or even eavesdrop on gossip, which made her feel very cross about the situation. She was, however, also looking forward to meeting the Brugantia royal family, having heard a lot of gossip about their sometimes outrageous open behavior.
Dusting around the main hall near the entrance, she noticed a particular knight wandering around a little bit lost. Raising an eyebrow at the unusual sight, her brow furrowed when she recognized exactly which knight was roaming around. "Don't you have anything better to do, Sir Fritzgerald Leverton. I don't want to have to clean up behind your mess just before the Brugantia's royal family's arrival." Manja cleared her throat to hide an amused smirk at Fritz's reaction. She knew very well that he didn't really like being called by his whole name and took pleasure out of it.
Flustered and caught unaware, Fritz stiffened, feeling goosebumps all over, recognizing very well the voice of the matron of gossip. Her presence had been so unexpected that he ended up dropping what he was fumbling around with in his hands and cursed unwittingly, which was a very rare occurrence in his case.
"That's not a way to talk in company, Sir Fritzgerald." admonished the quite older and motherly maid with a stern look. She had always been much harder on the poor knight since he had broken some of the finest silverware in the palace. She now had quite a grudge against him. Fritz, however, didn't have time to comment on it, mumbling a short apology as it was courteous, and immediately dropped on his knees to scrutinize the floor where he had heard something drop with a clear cling at the impact.
Raising an eyebrow at his curious behavior, Manja actually closed up on him to maybe see what he was actually doing. "Are you looking for something?" Fritz only kept on mumbling and rummaging around, visibly ashamed and not really upfront about the matter at hand. It seemed very important to him but he didn't seem willing to share the reason.
Rolling her eyes at his ever more pushover behavior, Manja also looked around and her raven eyes immediately caught the sight of something glittery near one of the sideboard's legs. Unafraid of dirtying herself or looking ridiculous, all for the sake of some juicy gossip, she crouched down on her knees and reached under the table at the far right corner, picking up a glittery silver ring with inscriptions on the inside.
With love from your dearest Fritzgerald.
Manja's eyes widened at her discovery. She hadn't expected such a big scoop. Who was the lucky or, in this case, rather unlucky lady who caught this little rascal's heart?
That'swhen she remembered the pretty lady she had met a few times in the castle's walls in Sir Fritzgerald's company. "Don't tell me you are going to propose to the poor girl who fixed the cutlery for you last time? She is too good of a girl for a lad like you!"
Her eyes had a mischievous and suspicious glint in them. Should she really give him back the ring? She was really thinking over it and fear was visible on the young knight's unusual pale complexion given his tan skin.
However, Fritz's puppy eyes right at that moment and most of all sweet Luisa's happiness meant more to old Manja than her own pettiness and she decided to give it back to Fritz.
Fritz was so overjoyed and thanked her profoundly. He didn't know which deity had favorably shone down on his luck, but he was forever grateful and bowed many times to show his gratitude. Without the ring he would have really been fucked up.
Unfortunately, in the heat of the moment, he had not noticed how close his elbow had actually been from one of Princess Lucette's favorite china vase she had gotten as a gift from her unexpectedly good friend and future cousin Rosie.
In slow-motion, the vase tipped over the stand and Fritz turned white as a sheet as soon as he turned his head over his shoulder to see what exactly he had run his elbow into. He immediately twisted his body in an angel that didn't seem comfortable at all in hope of catching the vase in its fall… Stretching out his hand, then his fingers to the tips…but ended up missing the handle for one lousy millimeter… grasping only fine air.
It seemed like his soul and vitality left his body with the crashing sound of the vase hitting the ground…
Manja was speechless and stiff. She had not budged even an inch, nor had she even twitched, so fast did everything happen. She was slowly wondering if Fritz had not been cursed with some kind of mishaps or something like that.
With each inch the vase had closed in on the floor, Manja's face had paled a little bit more and when the vase finally hit rock bottom with a loud crash, it turned in the same way a deep angry tone of red. Her eyebrows furrowed, she grabbed the broom she had leaned against the wall while crouching down earlier and lifted it up menacingly.
"Fritzgerald Aiden Leverton. What have YOU DONE AGAIN." Lifting up the broom to clearly hit him over the head with it, Manja nearly toppled over when said broom suddenly squirmed in her hands.
Fritz didn't wait for her to hit him and immediately took his legs into his hands and fled the scene of the crime. 'Oh God, I'm so dead!'
Meanwhile, Manja was busy gripping on her broom, not understanding what was going on, and trying to collect her wits to not simply freak out. Sir Fritzgerald, the biggest troublemaker, forgotten for now, she shook a little bit the broom in her hands and nearly screamed, letting go of it, when it squirmed again against her palm.
"What the hell are you?" She exclaimed maybe a little too loud, gaining a few onlookers from afar. Manja was however too preoccupied by the mystery in front of her to be bothered by it. Could she consider this the latest gossip material… a sentient broom?
The broom was levitating in front of her and swinging around trying to get a message across, which Manja was too baffled to actually even try to decipher.
"Oh Mr Broom." Someone called out from behind Manja all of sudden, making her jump up and a bit more aware of the situation. It seemed like one of the onlookers had gotten curious or maybe someone simply came by more closely?
Manja kept a close eye at the broom who actually swung in the hand of the person who called it and Manja finally identified said person.
"Princess Emelaigne!"
"Good day Manja. I see you got acquainted with Mr Broom." She smiled at the maid as if it was completely normal to have a sentient broom dancing around against her palm.
Next to her appeared her dear little brother Rod who looked a bit exasperated at the maid. “You are working in the palace and know that the crown princess is also the Tenebrarum bearer but still freak out about a broom?"
Her face quickly turned slightly pink from embarrassment. Well he did make it sound worse than it was. It wasn't only a broom but a sentient one but otherwise he was actually right about it. She simply wasn't aware something like that existed and even less that it would be here in the castle!
"I'm really sorry for the scene I caused your Highnesses. I have to get another broom and some supplies to clean up Sir Fritzgerald's mess. Please excuse me!" Quick as she was on her feet, she curtsied in front of the Princess and Prince and took back the broom in her hands, fleeing with Mr Broom in hand while Princess Emelaigne and Prince Rod took notice of the poor broken vase nearby.
"Oh no, Lucette will be so sad about it."
"You rather mean, she will be pissed off. It was a gift from Rosie after all."
But Manja couldn't really be bothered by their talk. After all, she had some business with the broom!
And that's how Manja met Mr Broom.
The next day, Rod was going to check on the main hall to see if everything was indeed ready.
As he approached the big entrance doors, he could hear faint music ringing around the hallways. Curious as he was, he slightly opened one of the doors ajar. He already knew that Lucette had trained her magic on making the instrument play on their own. He wondered though who was actually taking advantage of it.
The sight in front of him shell shocked him. He had not expected that at all. Inside the main hall, Manja was sweeping the ground with Mr Broom, while clearly dancing around with the rhythm of the music. Mr Broom also seemed to enjoy himself. They probably became good friends after yesterday's happenstance?
“For the love of….” Rod was mumbling but got interrupted by a casual hand on his shoulder. Startled, he turned around only to see Sir Fritzgerald with a finger in front of his lips and puppy eyes literally begging him to stay silent.
As long as Manja was dancing with Mr Broom, she wouldn't ponder about skinning Fritz alive...
Though Rod didn't really seem convinced as usual, he simply sighed lowly and shrugged. He did understand Sir Fritzgerald's reasoning but the knight was only postponing his doom… by the hands of his beloved Princess…