Princess Rescue Inc (97 page)

“Yeah,
muggy, humidity does that. There may be a thunderstorm coming,” Ryans said
turning to open a cooler he had hidden away.

“Yes.”
She turned. “What are you...?”

He
smiled wickedly as his hand darted out and something icy dribbled down the back
of her neck and into her outfit. She shrieked, batting at it.

A
guard burst in sword half drawn. She glared at him, reaching for the ice.
Hastily the guard bowed and retreated.

“Nice
reaction time,” Ryans murmured holding up another ice chip. Deidra glowered at
him as she shivered then wiggled, feeling the ice leave her outfit. “Want
another?” he asked teasingly. She growled, eyes flashing.

“Oh
come on...” he wheedled, grinning in the dark. “You’re the one who was
complaining not a minute ago that you’re hot!” he said smiling wickedly. She
backed away until her back was to the railing.

“Come
on... it'll be fun,” he grinned. She ducked and rushed past him. He dropped the
ice on her in passing. She shrieked a giggle and left laughing.

He
chuckled, pulled another chip from the cooler then closed the lid and went
after her. “Keep that away from me!” she yelled laughing with him.

<==={}------------>

“Wow!
Things are improving!” Charlie murmured in approval as she watched the team
install the wiring into her lab the next morning. “Electric lights...who'da
thunk it?” she said shaking her head. The entire castle was being outfitted now
that they had access to the stored equipment and Max was hitting his stride.

“I
would. Now if you'll just mosey on out of the way, we'll get this here fan up
in the rafters where it belongs,” Max growled at her, hefting a wooden A frame
ladder. Hastily Charlie got out of the way.

“All
native?” Charlie asked as they set the ladder down and another pair of hands
brought in the box with the fan and lights.

“Yup,
all native built. Electric motor isn't all that great, but it works. Only one
speed though. We're still learning. Right boys and girls?” Max asked the group.
The workers chuckled.

“I'm
just here to supervise; once they have the hang of it they will run the wiring
for the rest of the castle. I've got to get back to the
to do
list,” he
growled. “Never seems to end... just keeps growing.” He rubbed at the small of
his back.

“Still,
this is progress Max. Major progress,” Charlie said, fanning herself with a
fan.

Max
and his helper set the ladder up under the center of the rafter and then Max
held it as the helper climbed it and started screwing in a bracket. The helper
was using a cordless drill.

“Not
there, over...” Charlie started to say then paused at Max's dark look. “Ah...
never mind?” she said weakly.

“That's
what I thought,” Max mock growled nodding.

As
the summer heat continued to bear down on them the lords regained their
bearings and started to settle in. Count Malory of Duluth was the first to
start heading back to traditional mindsets. He commented about the Terran
women's lack of makeup rather snidely. A growing number of the women of the
court were beginning to emulate the Terrans, going for understated makeup and
losing their wigs. They were also wearing simple summer dresses. Well, simple for
them, one layer but with the hems trimmed in ribbon or soft fabric.

“Problem?”
Wanda asked amused. Charlie smiled.

“Why
do you not use face paint and perfume as others do my lady?” the lord asked.
Charlie gave Wanda a glance.

“Who
said we don't?” she asked amused. “We didn't pack much, but we do have some,”
she said. She pulled out a makeup kit and showed it to him. “We keep to the
minimum. Too much make up is bad for your health.”

The
Queen looked amused. “It is?”

“Makeup,
especially makeup made by your people here has high concentrations of poisons
that affect your health over time. Mercury and lead just as an example,”
Charlie explained. “Both can cause harm since they are directly on the skin for
long periods of time.”

The
Queen blinked. “There's some sense to that,” she murmured.

“Right.
Some of the makeups also can cause skin cancer. So they create some of the very
blemishes that they're trying to cover. You have to use more to cover the
blemishes up creating a vicious circle with only one ending.”

“Ah,”
the Count said blinking. He was off balance, remembering how his mother had
died.

“Let
me guess, your mother added more and more makeup as she grew older?” Charlie
asked shrewdly. He looked confused then nodded. She grimaced. “Thought so. The
makeup damages the skin over time.” She held up the makeup case.

“And
yours doesn't?” Deidra asked amused.

Wanda
shook her head. “No, we've tested it over the decades,” she smiled. “And
we...women I mean,” she grinned conspiratorially to the other women, “have
found that men respond better to a more... natural look.”

“There's
truth in that statement,” the count admitted reluctantly, bobbing his head in a
nod. He glanced at the Queen. “No offense your majesty,” he said hurriedly.

She
waved it off. “No offense should ever be taken from simple truths,” she
chuckled softly in memory. “Andreas was ever the paramour in the morn when our
defenses were down and we felt we were unprepared for an attack.”

Charlie
snickered. “They
all
do that. It's a testosterone thing,” she said with
a slight grin. The Queen raised an eyebrow to her. “Male hormones, it makes
them stronger and randy all the time. Especially in the morning,” she
explained.

“Ah,”
the Queen murmured thoughtfully. The Queen nodded, lips pursed in a small
smile. “We had known of that but not the cause.”

“It's
also strategy,” Wanda said smiling to the Count. The count looked startled.

“I
do not follow your meaning,” he said hesitantly.

“Don't
you?” she smiled wickedly. She turned to the Queen. “Think about it. You’re
just wakening, your defenses are down... the men see an opening and go for it.”

The
Queen and others chuckled as the lord squirmed in sudden discomfort.

“Mercy
dame, I yield,” he choked out, as the girls snickered with fresh amusement.

“Wise
fellow,” Charlie said smiling again as the lord retreated.

<==={}------------>

The
count made his way down through the corridors. He bumped into Perry who looked
amused.

“From
the look you either got some news or the women were at you,” he said.

“The
women I bet since he's coming from the Queen's residence.” Ryans said smiling.
“Let me guess, either her majesty laid some news on you or...”

The
count shook his head. “Your women are... forthright.”

“You
don't know the half of it buddy,” Perry snorted. “We've developed a very...
open style of discussion lately. Bodily functions I take it?”

The
count blinked. “No, ah...”

Ryans
chuckled. “Let's let the guy get his bearings. I think the Queen wanted to see
us and we're running late as it is...” The count bobbed a nod and then walked
off, head high. He was trying to restore some shred of his dignity.

“Having
fun putting a bee in his bonnet Charlie?” Ryans asked coming into the room.
Charlie grinned.

“It
was kind of interesting messing with his head.”

“Yeah,
I can imagine. She start in on periods?” he asked giving Deidra and the Queen a
look. Both women blushed furiously.

“A
gentlemen doesn't discuss that in the presence of a lady sir!” the Queen said
stiffly.

“Why?
It's a part of a woman, not a man. Remember what we said your majesty,
knowledge and understanding are vital.”

“Knowing
is half the battle,” Perry said standing straight.

Wanda
snickered. “Thanks Mr. GI-Joe.”

“You're
welcome,” Perry deadpanned.

“Anyway,
when we confront a problem, discuss it openly and pool our resources we have a
greater chance of solving it or at least mitigating its effects... or
understanding its cause. Medicine, politics, war... education is key in many
things,” Ryans explained.

“For
instance, ” he indicated Perry and himself. “we know all about female biology.
We know what's going on every month, how it works and why. We also know that
hot flushes and irritability later in life are a part of that cycle called
menopause and how it affects your body and mind as you age.” He bowed to the
Queen. “No offense intended,” he said after a moment.

She
bowed slightly, eyes narrowed. “None taken but watch your tongue.”

“Sorry,”
he sighed. “But knowledge must be imparted for others to make use of it. If
only a few know and they die due to illness, war, or accident, then that
knowledge is lost.”

Deidra
blinked and then nodded, giving her mother a look. “He's right mother. I mean
your majesty.”

The
Queen slowly nodded. “And the cure for this?”

“To
make the knowledge available for all to learn and use. To better all your
subjects,” he waved. “Some will take this knowledge and find new ways to do
things, ways to better heal or better themselves. Their example will be
followed by others. Which leads me to the discussion we were here for,
education... we were talking about setting up a series of elementary schools
here in the capital to improve literacy in this area and later the Kingdom at
large...”

<==={}------------>

“My
lord Farnsworth, I do believe the subject at hand was taxation reform, not...”
the Queen paused to cough delicately into a hanky then she looked up at the
ceiling as the pitter patter of rain started.

“It
looks like the princess's practice is over,” Ryans murmured to himself.

“Why
do we even need reform?” Farnsworth, an old cantankerous lord growled. He threw
his hands up in the air. “All these changes. Too fast. Too fast.” He turned
glaring at Ryans. “Your fault this is. Mark my words it'll be a detriment to
all our children,” he said shaking a gnarled finger his way. He turned glaring
about. A few murmured at that.

“Lord
Farnsworth, I believe you have a problem with change? Or is it with children?”
Ryans asked as he got up. The lord glared and mumbled something. “Do speak up
please,” Ryans said encouragingly.

“Both,”
The cantankerous lord snarled.

“Ah.
Traditions must be observed,” Ryans nodded. “And you're right, cultures do
change when new things are added. Sometimes for the better, and I admit,
sometimes for the worse. Children have a way of vexing their predecessors by
embracing change and new things. I believe your daughter is in Doc's classes?”
he asked.

The
lord glared. “Yes,” he snarled. “Her proper place is at the hearth. She should
be focusing on remarrying and growing a new grandson for me, to rule in my
stead when I die.” He looked over to the Queen whose eyes flashed. “No
offense,” he said weakly.

“There
better not have been any,” Ryans said softly to himself. He sighed, fully aware
of the temper of both the Queen and princess. Farnsworth didn't know it but he
was on thin ice.

“There
are two problems here, and we can address them one by one. First, Dominus are
you proud of your daughter?”

The
lord blinked. “Of course! She's born to rule!”

“Ah.
So her acknowledging her heritage is important,” Ryans observed. He nodded. “Is
her learning to take better care of her subjects making her a better person?”

The
lord blinked then got a thoughtful look. “I never...” He looked off to the
cloudy window.

“You
never thought of it that way?” Ryans asked softly as the other lords looked
from one to the other. “We keep forgetting that one of the principle urges of
mankind, both in men and women is to better ourselves and our surroundings for
our children, give them a better life than what we got ourselves,” he said. He
smiled, bowing slightly to the Queen and Duchess Pryor.

“We
also forget our own pride... our own need to stand out from our fellows, and to
do better than our forefathers. To excel,” he said. He looked out among the
crowd. A few nodded at that.

“Each
of you are of noble birth. Now, you know you have the right to be here, but
tell me, which feels better? The fact that you are here because of that,
because of your blood right, or because you
earned
it?” he asked.
“Earned it by deed and action?” The crowd murmured a little at that little
morsel.

“Whether
it's on the field of battle, your wisdom in court, or your even hand at
managing your subjects... tell me don't you think it feels better to have
earned the right? Fuller?”

A
few dark looks answered that. “Now, extending that concept, are you proud of
your children if they earned that? If they proved themselves on the field of
their choosing?” Ryans asked. Lord Farnsworth turned back to him.