In Which I Find Out Something Shocking

Janna
By: Brittney

I walked down the palace’s corridor away from Princess Porsha’s room when Miss Barley stopped me.
“What do you think you are doing young lady!?!’ She asked her plump hands on her wide waist, “today is your day off.’
Miss Barley was the head maid of the castle and was in charge of all the other maids; she was often a great nuisance…. Make that all the time.
I rolled my eyes. “I was just checking in on the princess,’ was my blunt reply.
Miss Barley’s eyes scanned me critically as if I was a common criminal, ‘The Princess has been missing for a few hours, and the whole castle was in an uproar! I heard she had been in the Library the whole time, yet I had already checked that room.”
I gave Miss Barley a sly smile, “She probably was just taking a break to use the privy.” I said in a smart tone.
Miss Barley snorted, “and where were you then?’ She asked.
I cringed at all her questions; she was making me feel guilty for lying, ‘I just arrived a few moments prior to her recovery.” I said calmly.
Miss Barley looked over me again and then turned on her heels, “I don’t believe you Miss Janna! And believe me I’ll find out what you two girls have been up too and I’ll report it to the king! You can’t hide anything from me!”
I shivered and then ran down the stairs and out the palaces gate; I needed to get home before Hosea wondered where I was.
“I must tell Porsha about Miss Barley’s suspicions,” I thought to myself, “We must be more careful or else the king will know of Porsha’s lies, and that would not be good for the peace treaty…”

Porsha

By: Me

As soon as we were safely in my chambers I told Janna what had taken place in the throne room and then she told me of her own time to which I wasn’t sure what to make of.

“I feel like a prisoner…even more than at home” I groaned.

“Well we’re going to have to get creative then.” Janna said decisively nodding her head. “I’ll do all I can so that you can escape this dingy old castle without those tyrants noticing.”

“But not today,’ I said thinking. ‘I have to attend a feast in less than an hour.”

“Alright then tomorrow, unless something prevents us.”

I nodded in compliance than frowned, “You’ll have to be at the feast to attend me…sorry.”

“That’s okay I can sneak notes to you that way.” I smiled.

~~~~>P<~~~~

The feast began promptly at 8 o'clock and it was at 8:30 that something truly terrible happened.

I looked down at my plate smiling as I read the slip of paper Janna had just laid on my plate, but just as I was about to write a reply on the other side the king thumped a huge hand on the hard wooden table.

“Friends and honored guests tonight I wish to tell you of the peace treaty I have signed with the Terabithian King.” I looked up confused, who didn’t know about that yet? Surely it had been told to all present before my arrival? The king began again, “In order to sustain the aforesaid treaty the King has offered his sister to be the wife of my son.”

He turned his red head over to the handsome youth who had just entered, and I could tell just by looking at his cocky face that he knew it.”

I gaped at the boy then his father and then whirled around to look at Janna who looked equally amazed. I was not going to marry that…that boy I had heard tales of Prince Charles and how he thought the world revolved around him.

This was preposterous, what was my brother thinking!!!

In Which I Find Sewers a Useful Way of Breaking into Castles

Janna
By: Brittney

Me and Porsha peeked out from behind a pile of flour bags outside of the palace’s gates. Guards surrounded the whole palace.
"How can we get in unseen?' Porsha whispered to me, ‘and then when we do what shall I say? If my brother finds out that I was in the market alone, he’ll be so angry!”
“I don’t know about what you’re going to say, but I have an idea about how we can get in.” I said, “But I don’t think you’ll like it.”
“What is it?” she asked, ‘we must hurry!’
“the only possible way in without being seen would be through… the…uh…’
“The…?” Porsha said prodding me on.
“The sewer” I said wrinkling my nose.
Porsha made a discussed face and then sighed, “I guess we 'have' to do 'have' we got to do. But we must hurry, if I don’t show up soon my brother might blame your king for kidnapping me, you know how our countries don't trust each other!”
“You're right,” I said, “Come on I’ll show you the way to the opening.”

We turned a few corners until we came upon a smelly opening near the palace’s walls.
I plugged my nose, and pulled my wild red hair back over my shoulders so it wouldn’t get filth in it.
I looked over at Porsha who was looking at the sewage in disgust.
“Come on,” I said, “This tunnel leads up to the privy which is right across the hall from your room.”
“ All right, I hope this works.”

Porsha

By: Me

I hoped it worked too my eyes and ears were already full of enough stink to kill an army and I didn't want to find out how long it took to kill a princess...uh stinks.

Finally we were able to get out of the sewage system and climb in through a sewage window not far from my room and you can be sure that I immediately took a bath and scrubbed so hard that when I came out Janna insisted I was redder than the color itself I merely shook my head and urged her to take a bath as well and as she did so I made my way to the throne room where I could see a very fat and very pompous looking man fuming atop a way overdecorated throne.

"I WANT HER FOUND, I WANT HER BROUGHT HERE IN CHAINS THE NERVE, THE NERVE!!"

He turned his beet red face over to me and instantly it took on the expression of a calm and collected individual with all the grace and splendor or a skunk. "Why princess." He said folding his hands into each other with a smile so fake it could kill a puppy. "We have been looking all over for you, where have you been." 

"Oh, not far I was in the library." I lied, looking behind me where a guard was clearly wondering whether to arrest me or leave the room.

"Oh, go Jarvis can't  you see she's found, your false assumptions have caused much trouble amongst us."

The guard fled the room and I rolled my eyes. "Next time you leave your highness you might tell somewhere you are going so as to prevent so much worry." 

"Of course your highness." I said with my own fake smile. The king nodded with satisfaction in his eyes. "I'll have my ladies maid tell you." His smile dropped. 

"Well...yes, yes *ahem* that's fine." 

 I'd have to be more careful in future attempts I told myself  as I walked out to meet with Janna...

Continueing Series with Brittney Ann

Janna
By Brittney

Sun shined down on my face as I looked out at the street from my bedroom window. The street was alive with horses; their hooves hitting down on the cobblestone; peasants & beggars pleading for money on the street corners, women looking at all the streets shops, and salesman yelling out all the good deals of the morning.
I sighed with exhaustion but I knew that no matter how tired I was I still have to go to work. I threw on my worn, calico dress, brushed my hair and placed a bandana on top, and then I pulled on my old shoes that were way too small and pinched my feet.
“Hosea!” I yelled to my younger brother, “I’m going to work now, won’t be back till late tonight! I got lots of work to do since the princess of Terabithia is comin’.”
“All right.” Hosea said in return.
I walked out the front door and down the four blocks to the castle. I was one of the castles maids and I was dreading a day of hard work, and each passing moment I kept on getting more nervous about the princess Porsha coming to our kingdom- Nopelia, because just yesterday I was informed that I am to be Porsha’s personal maid!
“ Oh, I hope she is a nice girl unlike all the other snobby princesses I have encountered!” I said wrinkling my nose.

Porsha

 by Sarah 

I glanced out the gold rimmed window of my carriage and thought once again how much I hated being escorted "in style" so that my brother could satisfy his need to impress the royals of Nopelia but at least the ride was only a week give a few days and we were almost there now thank goodness!

We'd made it and I was being escorted to my room, I asked to be left alone and luckily nobody asked why they just said they'd come and get me when the king called, I nodded and as soon they were gone I burrowed into my bag and pulled out my disguise; a servants dress and a headscarf so no one would see my face. I intended to know every inch of this place and the kind of people it had before the king called....I always felt I was born into the wrong lineage I always wanted to be a commoner, to be  a commoner would mean to be common and common people didn't have to go to balls and parties and dress up in stiff silk gowns and stay in the palace doing nothing but stitching and lute playing, stitching and lute playing and an occasional spout of silly poetry about a princess being rescued by a prince was expected too
for it seemed fashionable princesses nowadays were the ones who were brainless and incompetent, why if anyone ever caught me reading they'd have the book taken away, and if I was caught riding "unladylike" as they put it the horse was taken away from me, now I'm not a feminist but I don't like being treated like a doll and not a person!

I glanced back into the room...if they'd only treat me less like a princess. I sighed and climbed out the window.

A Continuing Series With Brittney

I'm writing a continuing series with Brittney Ann unofficially called Silver Sunsets read and tell us what you think in comments.

Porsha

By Sarah

Light streamed in soaking everything with the gold and silver of the setting Terabithian sun. I sighed rubbing my hands against polished marble and scuffing my cream colored slippers on the cold tiled floor. I was tired, tired of staying in one place, and tired of being stuck up here as I had been since I was a little girl leaving the ruling of our large kingdom to my older bother and his Queen Genevieve. 

Tomorrow I was being sent to a neighboring kingdom so we could "bind" our alliances, as my brother so bluntly put it. He seems not to realize that that was not exactly the escape I had wanted and I didn't like being sent as a peace package like I didn't have my own opinions, hopefully this trip would have more than it seemed to promise so that I wouldn't get bored at the very least I hoped I could get out and see the towns without someone coming to collect me (as so often happened here) 

 

Oh well we'd see what tomorrow would bring.

Special Note to Brittney:

for your first chapter write something about her personal life and opinions and then you can do whatever you like, it would be nice if you would place her in to neighboring Kingdom that Porsha is going too.