Royalty for a Week, and Shameless The Rest of The Time (Volume IV)

“Happy Holidays.” A tiny, reluctant grumble emerged from the recently dethroned rabbit, still sulking in the corner.

tiddlywinks said:

PLOT BUNNIES FOR EVERYONE!!!!

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Er. . .thanks, Your Majesty.

Dread Pirate Rabbits said:

“Happy Holidays.” A tiny, reluctant grumble emerged from the recently dethroned rabbit, still sulking in the corner.

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Aw. . .don't sulk. Several of us have had the pleasure of serving as monarch more than once. And you really do get a very nice stipend even as Princess.

Your Sparkling Majesty! Fine Royals!

I am feeling a bit better today. I did some more exercise and my rib-area is still sore, but with marked improvement. I hope to feel more ace for the New Year. In addition, I've managed to stay away from smoking- even around smokers, and am feeling much more energetic and happy.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday! Cheer for all!

*notes the grumbles in the corner*
*sends a certain princess a map she...um...acquired by totally legal and regal means*

Hullo, my fellow royals! I hope your day has been merry and bright. I shall have to catch up on the wrinkle Coddi has added to the running of the plot bunnies, but that shall have to be tomorrow eve, as I’m with family right now.

Until then, mind the plot bunnies - no feeding them after midnight or getting them wet. And for the love, don’t give them a pencil.

tiddlywinks said:

Until then, mind the plot bunnies - no feeding them after midnight or getting them wet. And for the love, don’t give them a pencil.

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You want us to baby sit the plot bunnies? Alright. I think we can handle that.

No feeding after midnight. Check. (Um. Which midnight, your Majesty? Which time zone? I wouldn't want them to starve.)
No getting them wet. Check. (Put the water gun down NOW.)
No pencils. Check. (Pencils? I never use pencils unless I'm drawing. I'll just hide these in a drawer until the PBs are returned to Her Majesty.)

*Yawn* It's time for me to seek my suites for a sweet slumber. But the PBs are not tired yet. I don't want them to get into the fridge or find water. I've hidden the pencils. What can I do to keep them busy while I sleep?

Oh, I know! I'll just leave this construction paper and box of crayons and gel pens out for them. That should keep them entertained.

Nite!

Good afternoon, Your Majesty, and Royals.

Thanks to all the techs and hamsters for putting AW back in gear - I'm sure it wasn't an easy task - and long hours were spent so we can get back to...ummm...whatever we're supposed to be doing on here.

Writerly type stuff, I'm shure.

Welcome back, everyone, and a happy, belated New Year to one and all!

May you all be extremely blessed in the coming year, with health and productive inspiration crowding your days.

Greetings, Your Majesty, Royals!

Welcome back, everyone! And a belated Happy New Year to all!

Well done! - to all who put things back aright. I can only imagine the tales you have to tell. Please enlighten us on the details when you're able, though I imagine you all need a nice rest after your arduous trials and toil.

Thank you for your hard work.

I'm SO glad we're back.

I was worried y'all would abdicate and move to Canada.

I'm still the Queen, right?

*cackles*

Cooooooooool.

Hulllloooooo, Royals!! How you doin'?

Hi, liz, and tiddles. I haven't a clue who's queen, but I suppose the throne goes to the one who sits on it and starts giving royal type decrees.

It's nice to be back in the realm. I sure missed you all.

WINKS!!!

*tacklehug*

Oh, um, sorry 'bout that. I seem to have forgotten my manners! How are you this fine February evening, Your Majesty?

So glad to be back! Yay!

Well, Sir Brad, I was happily spreading my glittery threads out on the throne before the Castle went down and inaccessible, so....IT IS STILL MINE MWAHAHAAHAHHAHAAHHAHAHAHAAHHAHHAHA.

*ahem*

Hello, Princess coddi. Keeping out of trouble?

...

...oh yeah. Royal decrees. Um.

Hmm.

...

Who can tell me where Princess Dread Pirate Rabbits has been digging of late? Methinks she has been up to nefarious schemes while the Castle was inaccessible. Schemes to abscond with Royal Shineyyy Things. This just will not do. Not at all.

Alas, we have returned!

*Gets overly pumped up and orders way too much wine for the royal feast!*

Woohoo! We're back!

Greetings, your majesty, royals!

One happy dragon here.

Oooh! Glitter!

*rolls in the glitter*

tiddlywinks said:

Well, Sir Brad, I was happily spreading my glittery threads out on the throne before the Castle went down and inaccessible, so....IT IS STILL MINE MWAHAHAAHAHHAHAAHHAHAHAHAAHHAHHAHA.

*ahem*

Hello, Princess coddi. Keeping out of trouble?

...

...oh yeah. Royal decrees. Um.

Hmm.

...

Who can tell me where Princess Dread Pirate Rabbits has been digging of late? Methinks she has been up to nefarious schemes while the Castle was inaccessible. Schemes to abscond with Royal Shineyyy Things. This just will not do. Not at all.

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Of course you're the Queen - you're sitting on the throne in all your glitteriness as if you've been there the whole time waiting for us to return. The sabbatical has been trying though fruitful. I'm querying, and that's a dizzy maze in itself. All those agents... nuf said.

I'm sure the Princess Dread Pirate Rabbit will surface before long. That will give you time to set snares here and there to foil her thievin' ways. But then again, maybe not.

So nice to see folks finding their way back to the castle.

A tiny white rabbit hopped along the hallway, carrot hanging from her mouth as she dragged a large sack bursting with totally non-suspicious clanking metallic objects. She paused as she heard a whirring followed by a deep clunk that echoed through the walls. All around her the lamps flickered on and light filled the abandoned hallway.

“Oh, the power came back on! Guess that means the castle is up and running again. You would think a castle with such strong defenses would have a backup generator or something to keep the gates up. Oh well! Their loss, my gain.''

She shuffled on, struggling to drag the heavy sack behind her. “I should get this to my garden burrow before anyone thinks to look for me,” the rabbit mumbled to herself.

Unbeknownst to her, a small hole had ripped in the bottom of her bag, leaving a scattering of golden coins behind her.

“Gold, gold, all mine, all mine, heehee. Shiny gold makes a happy rabbit, fear the pirate, she’ll rob you blind, soft, and fluffy.” She sang loud and clear. It was a song she was very proud to have written all by herself, WITHOUT the help of the castle bard.

“I wonder where my horse, ah, I mean Princess Coddi has gone. She could help carry my… sack.”

Congrats on the querying, Sir Brad! May your efforts be fruitful.

*spies a shineyyy in the hallway*

Ooh, look, pieces of eight! And another.

And another.

And another.



*The Queen cackles as she collects all the shineyyy gold leavings, knowing all the while that there would be a reckoning when the trail led her to the culprit*

Huzzah! We have returned! Good afternoon, Royalty? What have all you lovely people been up to during our hiatus?

I, for one, have been hibernating. Tis winter, after all, and it's hanging around - though I saw my first chipmunk of the year yesterday sitting on a boulder out front whilst the birds and squirrels were feeding. That's a sign of hope. And a few days ago I saw the first robin of the year. I've yet to see my resident groundhog. Spring will find us eventually.


Kinda grew quiet in here after the initial rush. I suppose everyone went back into hibernation.


Oh, g'day, Your Majesty and assorted Royals. Enjoy your week!

Hello, my dear Royals.

*settles into the cushy new glittery pillow she installed on the throne*

How's it hanging? Everybody frolicking about or still in hibernation as Sir Brad surmises?


*cough* Also, should any of you see Princess Dread Pirate Rabbit or Princess Coddi, please let them know I'd appreciate their prompt attendance in the throne room. We have things to discuss. *twirls a gold bit* Several rather INTERESTING things to discuss.

*shakes off the glitter*

Greetings, my queen, royals.

I'm not hibernating per se, but certainly remaining hidden. It is that time of year where interacting with the public at large is bad for a dragon.

Have not seen either princess, though.

Good afternoon, Royals.

I haven't done much hibernating this winter. I had LASIK surgery in the beginning of January. Everything went great and my vision is amazing. Then I went to Ohio for a month for work training. My last day was Friday. Now, I'm finally going to relax a bit before work starts up. Not sure when, but I'll likely be back in a couple of weeks.

Ambrosia approached the castle gates at a canter. Normally she would have stopped at the inn to freshen up before making her way home, but she had been gone so long she couldn't bide another moment away. She knew her appearance was less than ducal. Her once white leathers were grey from the road dust and her hair was not pristine. But none of it mattered. As she passed through the gates the sentries hailed her and waved. Her lips twitched into an almost smile as she raised her hand in return greeting. She was pleased someone was glad to see her return. As she turned toward the stables a glitter in the grass caught her eye. She pulled on the reins and brought her horse about to inspect the object lying near a well-known to her rabbit mound. Ambrosia could have used magic to gather it up into her hand, but she chose to dismount and inspect it. When she turned the gold coin over in her fingers she bit her lip to keep all expression off her face. Tossing the coin to the ground where she had found it she remounted and continued to the stables.

"Col, good to see you. Everything quiet here abouts?" asked Ambrosia as she dismounted and handed the reins to the groom who had met her approach.

"As quiet as can be, your Grace."

"That pleases me a great deal. Give Athena an extra measure of oats and a good brushing down. I don't know which one of us wears more of the road." She smiled at the groom's laugh. "She's carried me a long way. She deserves a little pampering."

"I'll see to it, your Grace. Welcome home."

"Thank you, Col. It is good to be back." Ambrosia turned and strode out of the stables at a brisk pace. She was tired, but she was anxious to see the queen. There was much to discuss and she missed the sparkle of her majesty's ways. And then there was also the matter of the gold.

She walked the familiar halls of the castle, noted the servants bustling here and there, heard the sweet refrain of someone playing instruments in the distance, caught the faint whiff of a cinnamon pastry as she passed a tray on the side board--none of it slowed her pace. Anyone who knew her knew she was headed somewhere and no one bothered to try to slow her down. As she approached the throne room one of the courtiers gasped and then snickered behind the fan she had just snapped into fullness in front of her face. Ambrosia drew to a full halt and turned to regard her. She heard the murmurs of other courtiers and saw some putting distance between themselves and the offending party as they recognized her. The audience chamber doors were open and she had seen the queen was holding Court. As the murmurs grew and word spread, Ambrosia knew the queen would pause, curious as to what was transpiring in the hallway. It was of no matter. The queen would understand Ambrosia's decision to meet this insolence head on.

"Do you find something funny, child?" Ambrosia's voice rang loud and soft at the same moment, creating a hush through the surrounding crowd.

"Only that you would be so plebeian as to approach our queen in rags and disarray. Who do you think you are to disgrace this assembly in such a fashion and bring your urchin filth in here?"

The woman had lowered the fan. Ambrosia regarded her silently for a moment, raised her eyebrow, and pursed her lips. She was attractive, with dark curls touching her shoulders and back, in her early twenties or perhaps late teens, dressed in expensive pink silks in the height of fashion. She was a little shorter than the duchess, but her hair was piled high and if Ambrosia didn't miss her guess the girl was wearing heels. Of attitude the child was haughty beyond her station. Perhaps she was trying to make a reputation in Court. Well, she would make one today. Perhaps not the one she wished to make, however.

"You truly don't know who I am, then?" asked Ambrosia in low, silken tones.

"A filth beyond my notice," answered the woman.

A smile played around the duchess' lips but it didn't reach her eyes. Now everyone who had been standing near the woman had backed away. Ambrosia raised her hand with the beginning of a spell falling from her lips when she heard a whisper in her ear. She's only a child. Remember. She stopped the spell and instead flung her hand toward the offending woman. All the road dust clinging to her flew from her and coated the woman. Snapping her fingers her hair rearranged itself in a perfect coiffure. The stunned woman just stared at her in shock.

"Let me introduce myself. I am Grand Duchess Ambrosia, Princess of the Realm, Defender of the Realm, and Royal Historian. Perhaps you have heard of me?" She watched as the woman's eyes grew big. She was unprepared for the fainting, however. "Oh, dear. She does seem a bit beside herself. Someone clean that up, will you?"

Ambrosia turned away and walked toward the queen, everyone giving her a wide berth. When she reached the diadem she inclined her head to Queen Tiddlywinks.

"Your Majesty, I have returned from far away lands. I bring much news. But before we converse, that gold coin you hold? You may wish to examine it a little closer. A certain rabbit got into the stash I left for her to find. There is nothing that glitters quite as well, or falsely, as a fool's loot."



I'm back.

Welcome back, Duchess! *glomp*

Hope you are well!