~Jon's POV~

No, no, no! I thought as bright colored flowers sped past my vision. I'm late, I'm so late! I sprinted through the back gardens, racing towards the castle. It started twenty minutes ago! I'm so dead! The bells on my hat jingled wildly and my lute bounced against my back. I kicked up gravel and dirt as I navigated past the lillies and into the rose garden. I came to a split in the path and skidded to a halt, the castle looming large above me. I looked around quickly before taking off down the path on my left.

I arrived at a fountain near a beautiful stone patio which lead to a few stairs and a pair of glass doors. I hesitated in front of the stairs, debating whether I should risk entering here or not. I saw someone pass by the doors on the inside and determined that I'd probably have a better chance of not running into anyone if I went in through the kitchen.

I ran around a few more hedges, hugging the castle wall until I came to a much smaller wooden door. I burst through it and was immediately greeted by the clatter of pots and pans and the aroma of spices, bread, and some sort of meat cooking. I didn't have time to take in anything else as I hurried through the kitchen. I grabbed a piece of bread off of a counter as I passed by, breaking off a part of it and taking a bite. I grabbed an apple and put it into my pocket then headed towards the door, only to jump at the sound of a strong voice calling my name.

"JON! What have I told ya about coming into my kitchen when you're covered in filth!" I turned towards the big figure of the head cook and smiled, quickly giving her a funny little bow and swallowing.

"Sorry Ms. Katherine, I'm just passing through!" I explained. "I need to get to the Common Room for the announcement!"

"I don't care where you're going, as long as you've got dirt on your cheek and sticks in your hair, you're not to step foot in my kitchen, understand?" She stood with one meaty fist on her hip, the other shaking a dough covered rolling pin at me.

"Yes Ms. Katherine!" I said, turning to leave.

"Oh, and if ya value your life, boy, ya ought to clean yourself up a bit before presenting yourself in front of the steward. He'll already be angry that you're late, he'll be even madder if ya show up looking like ya just crawled out of the woods."

"Thanks Ms. Katherine!" I called as I hurried from the room. I heard the cook muttering to herself as the door closed. I chuckled and stuffed the rest of the bread into my mouth. The cook was a kind lady, but extremely firm and she tolerated nothing but perfect order in her kitchen, a perfect order that she often claimed I disturbed.

My soft shoes slid against the freshly polished corridor floors as I narrowly avoided crashing into an expensive looking vase. I slowed down as I reached the heavy door of the servants common rooms. It was shut tight and I couldn't make out any voices on the other side. I stopped and bent down to rest my hands on my knees as I panted, red faced trying to catch my breath. I straightened up and readjusted my hat, trying to get it to cover my wild hair as I worked up the courage to enter. My only chance at avoiding a lecture, I thought, is sneaking in quietly. As long as no one notices me, I can pretend that I've been here the entire time!

Smirking at my ingenious plan, I placed my hand on the doorknob and quietly twisted it. I opened the door a crack and silently slipped in, closing the door behind me without a sound. Phew. I thought.

"Ah, Jonathan, how nice of you to show up." I flinched at the icey tone of the steward, head of the castle staff. Oh Mighty Seer, have mercy on me. I prayed before plastering a smile on my face and turning around.

"Mr. Baily! Funny seeing you here... in the Common Room... where you... called a... meeting..." I trailed off as I took in the almost entirely empty room. Mr. Bailey sat at the head of the table on the other side of the room, writing something on a piece of paper with calm, fluid movements.

"Yes, 'funny' how that is, though I suppose you would know all about 'funny', now wouldn't you?" He replied coolly without looking up from his paper. Unsure of how to respond, I waited, shifting from foot to foot anxiously. I pushed my glasses up the bride of my nose then decided to take a seat, walking down the table to a chair a couple of seats down from the steward. The uncomfortable silence was only made worse by the jingling of my bells and scratch of his quill. Finally, Mr. Bailey seemed to finish whatever he was doing and looked up at me expectantly, setting down his quill and folding his hands neatly. It was clear he wanted me to say something.

"Uh, so, where is everyone else?" I asked. He sighed, casting me a brief look of disappointment as if I had failed some secret test of his.

"All other members of staff left half an hour ago when the meeting ended." He replied.

"Wait," I said, "I thought the meeting started-"

"Well clearly, you thought incorrectly." He said, cutting me off with a sharp wave of his hand. "Honestly, if circumstances were different, I would report this behavior to the king immediately, but at the moment he's far too busy, what with the party from Nihl Dragdan coming-"

"Wait, what party?" I asked, snapping to attention at the mention of Nera's sister kingdom.

"Don't interrupt me." Mr. Bailey snapped irritatedly. The steward sighed, rolling his eyes before briefly massaging his temples.

"If you had chosen to exert the slightest amount of self control and showed up to the meeting on time rather than go gallivanting through the forest, or some such nonsense, you would have been here for my announcement." He said. Without feeling any real guilt, I hung my head. When Mr. Bailey started lecturing me about my 'lack of responsibility,' it was easier not to argue. "In three weeks a party from Nihl Dragdan, including some of its royalty, will be arriving to meet with the king in order to discuss matters of diplomacy. Their party will be staying at the castle and there shall be a festival to welcome them. As you know, there has always been some tension surrounding our relationship with Nihl, and so it is of the utmost importance that absolutely nothing goes wrong during their visit." The steward cast his eyes pointedly at me. "This means that no one shall bother them or give them a reason to complain."

My eyes sparkled with excitement. We haven't had a festival in so long! I thought. "That's gonna be fu-"

"This means," the steward continued forcefully, "that our guests should not have to see you at any time other than their arrival, their departure, and communal events, unless you are performing or are summoned for to entertain."

I nodded, though I wasn't really listening at this point. Sensing that he had lost my attention, Mr. Bailey snapped sharply in front of my face. "This is serious. Now, I will say this slowly so that even a moron like yourself can understand. You. Will. Behave. I will remind you of the rules which you seem to find so difficult to abide by. You will stay out of sight and you will not go near the guest wing. You will not use any of the main hallways or doors, if you have to go anywhere in the castle at all, you will do so by using the servant corridors and stairways. You will not disrupt the cook and you will show up to all events tidy and ontime. You will stay out from underfoot and you will not speak to the guests unless spoken to." He narrowed his eyes at me and I shuffled nervously.

"Does playing music count as speaking?" I asked sheepishly, lightly tapping the lute on my back. Apparently, Mr. Bailey didn't appreciate the joke. Glaring at me, he stood up, his tall frame towering over my short one. When he spoke his words were laced with poison.

"I am aware that your entire point of existence is to make a fool out of yourself, but I will not have you making a fool out of the royal court. If I find that you have done so in any way, shape, or form, I will make sure to deal with you personally. And it will not be pleasant. Do I make myself clear?"

I felt a chill run down my spine as the steward left without waiting for me to answer. As the sharp tap of his shoes retreated down the hallway, I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

"Well, I guess that went better than I expected..." I mumbled. The room suddenly felt extremely unwelcoming and I decided I would be better off anywhere else in the castle. I quickly walked out of the Common Room and hurried down a different hallway, not really caring where I was going, as long as it was away from the direction Mr. Bailey had taken.

"Gosh, that guy takes his job way too seriously." I muttered after gaining a comfortable distance from the Common Room. "It's like he expects me to screw up. I'm honestly surprised that he didn't do more than yell at me, I guess I got off easy. I just don't understand why he hates everything, especially me, I mean I didn't do anything to him, but he thinks I'm just a mistake. I'm not a mistake." I grumbled.

And then I turned a corner and ran into a suit of armor.