[center][h1][b][color=DAF6C7]Ríoghnach "Riona"[/color][/b][/h1][/center]
If someone declared that Riona finally went off the rails, she wouldn’t be able to refute the claim. Within a single hour, she violated at least five of the cardinal rules for house servants. She skirted around the rules for years (breaking minor ones once in a while and being cautious enough to breach the major ones in secret), but she never consecutively broke as many rules as she did in such a short time frame. It empowered her as much as it worried her. How long would it take her to lose her grip on… well, herself?

[i][color=DAF6C7]“You had 12 f**king years to try and I’m still here. What’s wrong? Losing your touch?”[/color]
“Hmm…” manicured hands with a peaches-and-cream complexion lifted Riona’s chin. The other woman’s violet gaze traveled the lines of the maid’s body, taking her time to appreciate every mark she made. “I don’t know about that.” Her heart-shaped lips formed a coy smile when their eyes finally met each other. “You put up a brave front, but the cracks are showing… it won't be long…” she purred. “Kitten.”[/i]

The sadistic bloodhound had a keen sense of smell for detecting weakness, so Riona didn’t doubt the bitch was wrong. Part of her wished she had more time. The rest of her couldn't wait. 

[hr][center][color=DAF6C7]Location:[/color] Danrose Castle
[color=DAF6C7]Time:[/color] Morning[/center]
To say that the other workers freaked out when they saw Riona strolling indoors in stablehand’s garb was an understatement, but the alarm that swept through them like a hive mind when she mentioned Anastasia’s breakfast was palpable. A flurry of activity exploded from the room in an instant. The cooking staff scrambled in the kitchen, making quite the ruckus as they prepared the food trolley. Maidservants jumped Riona, stripping her down and scrubbing every part of her body that wasn’t covered by her undergarments or bandages with damp towels with the same ferocity they used to clean sooty pots. Once they got Riona into presentable attire, they hurled her out with the trolley. 

Efficiency wise, everyone knew it would’ve been faster to send someone else to deliver the food (Riona was banking on it too). With the incident with Darryn still fresh in their minds, however, the servants avoided the princess as much as possible. No one wanted to be executed for trivial reasons, especially not for something like serving breakfast late, because a certain maid decided not to inform the cooks as soon as possible. If someone was going to be in trouble for that, then it should be the maid and the maid alone. [color=DAF6C7][i]Fair enough,[/i][/color] Riona conceded.

She’d soon find out that the servants were pulling their hair out for no reason and, for the umpteenth time, Riona remembered how terrible communication between staff could be in the castle.

[hr][center][color=DAF6C7]Location:[/color] Palace Corridor
[color=DAF6C7]Time:[/color] Morning[/center]
Riona knew she’d find no one inside Anastasia’s room when she didn’t see guards posted at the door. A passing manservant informed her that the princess had left the castle with friends to enjoy the archery tournament. [color=DAF6C7][i]Well, that didn’t last long, did it?[/i][/color] Apparently, Riona gave the princess too much credit by thinking her guilt would last at least a day. It didn’t even last till noon. She went off to have fun with her friends after a solid hour (if that) in time out while Darryn remained caged in a cell, waiting for death. In the dark, alone and afraid. Riona stormed out, slamming the door shut behind her.

The laughter and chatter of women greeted Riona in the corridor. The heads of a few servants cleaning turned for a moment before they returned to their work when they registered who the women were. King Edin’s courtesans might’ve lived like royalty, but it didn’t mean the staff regarded them as such. At best, they were the highest-paid female employees; at worst, they were “just whores.” To Riona, they were the unsung protectors of the young women working in the castle. Riona shuddered to think how many more girls would’ve been preyed upon by the king if the courtesans weren’t there to curb the worst of his infamous appetite. If he ever put his hands on Mathilda…

Riona stroked her stomach to untie the knot inside. She did her best to hide her unease when she nodded at the courtesans. Each one returned the greeting in their own way. One gave Riona a particularly dazzling smile. As they resumed their conversation, they abruptly froze, their attention fixed on something on the opposite side of the hall. The servants, curious as to why it got quiet, followed the women’s gaze and found their answer. On cue, everybody in the hallway chose a side to stand on and inclined their heads.

The light footfalls, followed by heavier ones, got louder with each step until the edge of a dress came into view. The figure halted in front of Riona, making the chiffon sway forward and gently back. “Kitten, is that you?” a sweet voice asked. A rhetorical question asked only to tell Riona the woman had business with her. Soft hands grabbed Riona’s face and forced her to look at Lady Morrigan.

Lady Morrigan, the personification of “don’t judge a book by its cover.” The carefully crafted illusion, catered to King Edin’s tastes, presented her as a youthful innocent whose head was filled with so much air she’d float straight into the sky—it rarely took long for new staff to figure out she was anything but. As far as Riona could tell, Lady Morrigan had never aged in over a decade. During her years as a maid in training, Riona and her peers spooked each other with horror stories of the various ways Lady Morrigan devoured children to extend her youth. Now older and wiser, Riona knew that Lady Morrigan had no problems bathing in the blood of any living creature of any age; pure evil was a kind of innocence; and a wise wolf hid its fangs.

“Me, oh, my! Why, it is you! What are you doing here, darling? I thought you’d be working at the stables today.” Lady Morrigan's eyes darted between the food trolley and the door to Anastasia’s room. “Unless,” she trailed off, releasing Riona, “this is the stables? Is ‘filly’ code for Anya?” Her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. “Do you mean to tell me the stableboy was working here this entire time? Oh, no wonder he’s in such big trouble! So naughty.” She giggled, “She really does like her boys in servitude, doesn’t she?” The hall of living statutes gave no answer. Unperturbed, Her Ladyship turned her full attention back to Riona. “What are you doing here? Not… cheating, I hope?”

Riona frowned slightly before remembering the punishment. [color=DAF6C7]“Of course not, Your Ladyship.”[/color]

“Good!” Lady Morrigan lifted each cloche to check anyway, “I’d be so disappointed if you cheated this early, but….” She placed the last cloche down, “I’ve noticed you didn’t answer my question again, Riona. So… I’ll ask one last time.” Lady Morrigan’s smile and voice lacked malice, but it was there, somewhere hidden below the surface. “What are you doing here?”

Riona considered telling the truth, then decided against it. What did Lady Morrigan want with her? She rarely stopped a servant in the hallway to chit-chat with them and left it at that. She wanted something and wasn’t going to leave Riona alone until she got it. Which threw a wrench in Riona’s plan to visit Callum. She needed to find out if Darryn’s situation changed and, if it hadn’t, find out when the execution would be so that she could bust him out before then. Not a conversation to have in front of other people—[i]especially[/i] Lady Morrigan. Not to mention, they needed to avoid giving the impression that Callum and she were on friendly terms, too. [color=DAF6C7][i]Emphasis on the word terms. Good terms. Not friends. Never friends.[/i][/color]

She could deliver the food to Prince Auguste and see if that shakes Lady Morrigan off. The second prince was generally nice to servants. He’d cover her lies if she did her best puppy-dog eyes. [color=DAF6C7][i]On second thought, maybe not.[/i][/color] The last time Riona pulled off puppy-eyes, she was still a kid. If she tried that today, it’d look like she was giving the stink-eye. Even if she convinced Prince Auguste, it didn’t guarantee that Her Ladyship would leave Riona alone long enough to talk to Callum and get Darryn out. Lady Morrigan tagging along also wasn’t entirely a bad thing. A second longer she was with Riona meant Darryn lived that much longer.

[color=DAF6C7][i]Ah, f*ck it.[/i] “I am bringing…”[/color] Her eyes shifted slightly from the woman to the window behind her. The sunlight shone brightly, casting shadows at specific angles. It was too late for breakfast, too early for lunch. [color=DAF6C7]“Brunch to Prince Callum, milady.”[/color]

“Alaric?” The use of the prince’s middle name sounded foreign to Riona. She never understood why Lady Morrigan preferred to call the princes by their middle names. Riona guessed it had to do with sorting all of Queen Alibeth’s children into the “A” category (for some reason with Prince Auguste she flipped-flopped between Auguste and Alden, and Anastasia was just Anya). Not that she exactly cared why Her Ladyship did it. 

“Hmm.” the strawberry blonde pouted and began drumming her fingers on her lips, her gaze pinned to the ceiling. The solo percussionist drummed in a silence that stretched long enough to make some of the living statues squirm. Just as Riona was wondering if Lady Morrigan planned to stand here till the food turned cold, the woman finally–[i]finally[/i]–turned to her, “I think I’ll join you.” She turned to the knights behind her. “Shall we?”

[hr][center][color=DAF6C7]Location:[/color] Callum’s Bedroom
[color=DAF6C7]Time:[/color] Morning
[color=DAF6C7]Interaction:[/color] Callum [@Halo][/center]
Riona hurried into Callum’s room as soon as they were allowed inside. [color=DAF6C7]“I have brought the brunch you requested, Your Royal Highness.”[/color] Riona blurted out before he could contradict her. 

Lady Morrigan popped out from behind the maid and wiggled her fingers in the prince’s direction. “Good morning, Alaric. How are we feeling? Better?” She moved past Riona and gave a cursory glance of the room, then exclaimed. “Alaric! What in the world happened to your wall?”

Some time between borrowing supplies and now, the young prince apparently decided he'd have a go at making art: a provocative, controversial statement piece. Rough words with rough edges, hope in larger letters, carved deep into the purple canvas that once was a wall. It ensnared its viewers’ attention with its boldness. 

Riona’s heart rose at the sight of the carvings. The proclamations alone were enough to feel proud of Callum, but he did more than that. The etchings were the most permanent thing he had ever done. 

It’ll remain there, as servants receive the order to buy wallpaper. When the new wallpaper inevitably covers it, it’ll still be there. It’ll continue to stay there, even as people act like it never existed in the first place. As words said fade in time and memory, this wall will remain.

Riona bit her cheeks in an attempt to prevent her from smiling, but her facial muscles had other plans. A small battle of wills ensued. Riona’s lips twitched, her jaw opened and closed repeatedly, until she relented. Riona pushed the trolley to the closest table and flashed a grin, teeth and all, at Callum. Once she got that out of her system, Riona sculpted her face back into a bland expression and began setting up the table. 

Lady Morrigan assessed the damage to the wall while telling Callum the obvious ramifications of the vandalism. The knights that accompanied the two women peaked into the room on occasion, but stayed outside of the room. Riona beckoned Callum to sit closer to her. [color=DAF6C7]“I didn’t know you were into interior design.”[/color] Riona whispered, [color=DAF6C7]“Very edgy. I like it. Especially the last bit.”[/color] She checked on Her Ladyship again. The topic of her one-sided conversation transitioned to something about this being the perfect excuse to redesign Callum’s room. She showed no signs that she heard Riona.

[color=DAF6C7]“And you can start being better,”[/color] Riona reached over and wrapped her fingers around the neck of the bottle in Callum’s hand, [color=DAF6C7]“by being a little kinder to your liver. It’s been working overtime. Give it a break.”[/color] She squinted her eyes at the prince’s fingertips when her other hand gently peeled his fingers off the bottle. On his light complexion, the tiny crimson patches around his nails stuck out. Riona rubbed her thumb against one of them, confirming her suspicions. Automatically, Riona took a step in the direction where the medicine was stored and quickly stopped herself. 

Flowing waves of white chiffon and strawberry locks tinted with gold fluttered in the corner of Riona’s vision. Lady Morrigan migrated at some point from the wall to the fireplace, poking and prodding ashes with a fire iron. She continued her complaint about the purple color scheme as she knelt down. Again, she showed no signs that she was paying any attention to Riona or Callum. Something that didn’t bring as much comfort as Riona thought it should have brought. Somehow, it didn’t feel right. 

Riona’s fingers picked at the bottle’s label. She leaned down closer to Callum, but kept her eyes fixed on the other woman. [color=DAF6C7]“Hey, about Darryn,”[/color] she ventured, [color=DAF6C7]“when—”[/color] Lady Morrigan shot up from her crouched position, causing Riona to stiffen at the spot. She dared not move.

“I really don’t see the appeal to it—no offense, Alaric. What’s wrong with having other colors? Why do you boys insist on having such dark color schemes for your rooms? No wonder you’re all so depressed.” Delicate fingers covered in ash danced across the surface of the furniture along the walls, leaving traces of gray behind. They slithered through every nook and cranny. Exploring. Searching. [color=DAF6C7][i]…Searching?[/i][/color]

A little chill crept down Riona’s spine. [color=DAF6C7][i]There’s no way.[/i][/color] Lady Morrigan’s hand continued weaving its way forward, drawing closer to one of the spots only three people should know about: Riona, Callum, and whoever built the hidden storage; at least one of those people had a signed death certificate. [color=DAF6C7][i]There’s no way that she knows.[/i][/color] But the strawberry blonde didn’t stop touching, she didn’t stop advancing, and Riona thought she saw those violets eyeing her.

[color=DAF6C7][i]A bloodhound,[/i][/color] Riona reminded herself. The maid straightened her back and let the grip on the bottle loosen. [color=DAF6C7]“Thank you for your patience, Lady Morrigan. We may go now.”[/color] She turned to the prince and bowed. [color=DAF6C7]“Enjoy your meal, Your Highness.”[/color]

Lady Morrigan twirled around, her face brimming with delight. She bounced over to Callum and did what “that one overly affectionate relative” did to younger members of the family. She pinched his cheek with her clean hand and planted a wet kiss on his forehead. “There’re plenty of ladies who find brooding men irresistible. Go get them, stud.” After the comment about “filly” being code for Anastasia, Riona couldn’t help but feel like Lady Morrigan was taking a jab at someone, though she had no idea exactly at whom.

“Oh, and, Riona darling?” Lady Morrigan circled around the prince and plucked the bottle from Riona’s hands. “Don’t be so cruel. There are people in this world who can’t function without liquid courage.” Her Ladyship placed it on the closest surface. There, the bottle sparkled in the sunbeam, like a showpiece. It wasn’t nearly as captivating as Callum’s work on the wall for Riona, but she worried it wouldn’t be the case for the budding artist.

“Come, kitten. Let’s not take more of Alaric’s time.” An ash-covered hand grabbed Riona’s waist and led her to the door. Lady Morrigan looked over her shoulder, “Ta-ta!” she said before the knights closed the door.

Riona sighed, [color=DAF6C7][i]Plan B it is.[/i][/color]