“Dost thou know what thou hath wrought here?!” Golden Sparkle hissed as she pulled Prim Rose aside into a narrow hallway.
A servant who had been headed down the hallway backed away hurriedly, making himself hidden as Prim struggled not to be pinned against the wall.
“Of course not, so please enlighten this poor soul that has so frustrated thee,” Prim replied angrily, but just as quietly.
The gold mare stopped her forceful actions and began to pace in the small space, an act made difficult by Prim’s presence.
“We may yet put this right. thou needst only withdraw thy application. I shall compensate thee generously. Then Princess Luna may select the correct chamberlain…”
Prim’s eyes narrowed and she could feel her suspicion becoming anger.
“The… correct chamberlain?”
Golden nodded quickly, not seeming to notice the dangerous glint in Prim’s eyes.
“Indeed. We acquired the most skilled of alienists to take the position. One that may evaluate her Royal Highness’s state of mind, and assist her in seeing reason. Thee simply must--”
“No.”
Sparkle looked up at Prim in shock, mouth hung open.
“This is not a request, madame.”
“It is not, no. But I shan't entertain the demand regardless. If I shall go missing, her Highness shall suspect any replacement thee may assign. Whether I remit or thee have me disposed of, the only plan that may succeed from here is to employ myself in the position that the princess has assigned me. To do so, surely I have need of some education. What shall I do as Chamberlain?”
Sparkle thought over what Prim had said, and struggled to find a counterpoint. But she'd been asked a direct question, and she seemed to enjoy teaching.
“The chamberlain hath domain over three things in this castle. The Great Chamber, the financial needs of the castellan, who would be myself, and as the night court lacks a castellan thou shalt serve as seneschal for the night court.”
Prim hesitated at the long list of things she knew very little of, but this had been what she had wanted. She stood tall and nodded.
“Then I shall first learn of the Great Chamber. Dost thou have time to spare for this, or…”
Sparkle sighed and peeked out of the doorway to see Princess Celestia speaking with the new members of her retinue. Sparkle then leaned against the wall and closed her eyes, calming herself.
“Art thou not well?” Prim asked, coming to Sparkle’s side.
“I shall do my devoir,” Sparkle said coldly, standing again and gesturing down the hall away from the thrones and towards the great doors at the entrance. “Furthest door to the right side. Go.”
As they both stepped out, Sparkle stopped and bowed to the Princess. It was a low bow so that her horn nearly touched the carpet. She then followed Prim into the hallway partly hidden behind the massive entrance door. It quickly featured a two pony height staircase and then followed the inner edge of the castle wall, with arrow-slits spaced every pony-length, letting in both a sharp cross of light in repeating pattern and a slight breeze as the two unicorns trotted past them.
“These are the buried ramparts. Due to the size of such a grand castle, a single layer of ramparts wouldst leave a scarce single row of mages and archers in battle, insufficient for our defense. So there lay two ramparts atop each other, this being the buried of the two. Sufficient in thickness of wall and height, these ramparts serve during peace times as corridors to access the far reaches of the castle without crossing the great hall. To cross the great hall uninvited is a disturbance to the process of court and should be avoided.”
Prim took in all of the information, but she was beginning to dislike Sparkle’s nasal voice and penchant for over explaining everything.
“There lay two ramparts, these being the bottom ones, and I shall strive not to cross the great hall,” Prim repeated back in a carefully neutral tone.
“It shall have to do.”
They reached a heavy iron door which stood open, and passed through it into a spacious hallway, lined with further doors. This portion of the castle seemed to be of great concern to the guard, as many of them were present. They stood by pair at nearly every door, and a patrol stood in the crossway of the hallway’s intersection with another hallway that ran the length of the castle. The guards only paused in their discussion long enough to acknowledge Sparkle’s presence as she passed with a nod of their heads.
Sparkle turned right to head back towards the Great Hall, but quickly stopped at a pair of ornate oak doors that resembled the main doors of the castle. They were more well varnished and inlaid with brass that formed the Princess’s marks, the moon to the left and the sun to the right.
Sparkle drew a ring of keys from where it had been hidden in her mane, and unlocked the door before pushing the right side open enough for them to slip inside. Once the door was closed behind them, Prim took in the sight.
The room was shaped in a half-circle, the flat side being the wall that the door opened through. Built into the curved wall were two stained glass windows, one in gold and the other in blue. To the right of the two windows was a large bookcase filled with blank-spined books. Further to the right was a floor vase that held a fern native to the Everfree, and then an almost unnoticeable cabinet with a glass face. Currently empty, it was designed to hold all the things needed to serve wine properly. Bottles, glasses, corkscrew, and a genuine quicksilver thermometer all had spots to hang or rest in the cabinet.
Turning to the left, there were two chaise lounges and a scattered assortment of sitting cushions, as well as a low table that was currently empty. To the far left was a smaller cushion and a stand where a scribe could stay out of the way but hear and record everything that was said.
The floor was carpeted in royal purple, and purple drapes covered the stone walls. The ceiling was arched beams of stone that held up a circular skylight of clear glass. She could see crystals held in sconces around the room, mage lights enchanted to last almost a hundred years.
“This is the Great Chamber,” Sparkle said quietly, walking over to the windows and straightening one of the curtains so it would more perfectly match the one on the other side.
“What is it used for?”
“Important meetings. This may serve as a war room or private place of discussion between the two sisters, as well as a place to speak with foreign heads of state or other important individuals.”
Prim nodded as she looked around, walking over to the books.
“They are all foal’s story books,” Sparkle said before Prim could touch them.
“Why?”
“Inoffensive, simple, and boring. We do not want anypony spending more time reading than addressing their purpose for being here,” she explained as she went back to the door. “This is thy first responsibility. The care for this room and the activities within shall be upon thy back. There is a duplicate of this room which their Royal Highnesses manage themselves. I know it’s location, but it is for them alone, not for our eyes.”
Prim nodded quickly.
“Who sees to this room currently?”
“I do. Certainly we shall have to work together to ensure it is cared for properly,” Sparkle sighed. “What experience dost thou possess?”
Prim wondered how much she should lie, or if the plain truth would be better here. To learn what she had to learn.
“I have been a book copier, cared for children, served as errand runner to my mother, and cared for my youngest sister when she was fading. She passed, thus my wish to move here, and begin a career far different.”
“Thou hast my condolences,” Sparkle said as she stepped closer. “Thy caring past may assist in thy interactions with Her Royal Highness, Princess Luna. She is a troubled mare and oft emotional. We tread lightly to avoid her ire.”
Prim smiled a bit as she turned back towards the door.
“Her Highness seemed pleased with my boldness. I shall be cautious though, surely. It was thy statement that I shall be looking over thy finances, and serving as… As Her Highness’s…”
“Seneschal. As Seneschal thou shalt be in control of Princess Luna’s schedule, court, movements outside of the castle, finances, retinue, and much more. But I cannot assist you in that. To learn that position… Ye may find the only source is Her Highness herself.”
Prim nodded, looking around the room which was now her responsibility. As she looked, there was a rattle next to her. Sparkle was holding up a second ring of keys in her violet glow. Prim took them and looked at them as Sparkle listed them off.
“Thy private room. The great hall. The Great Chamber. The cellar. The dungeons. The barracks of the Night Guard. Her Royal Highness’s private chambers. The reading room. The treasury. Most of these places have a pony in charge of them, who will ensure thy work is proper and whom thou shalt only circumvent if instructed to do so by Her Highness. Thy private room is likely still a bit of a mess… The prior chamberlain left rather abruptly.”
Prim raised an eyebrow, but followed as Sparkle left the room and locked it behind her.
They then went down the hallway and directly across the intersection where the guards seemed to enjoy congregating. Again they noted the passing of the two mares with a nod. The hall began to become dimmer. Prim noticed that the magical lights had been enchanted to be more blue and slightly softer, and some of the skylights had blue cloth hung across them to dull the light. The doors all had a night theme with blue adornment and astral bodies featuring in the designs. At the very end of the hall was a pair of massive ebony faced doors which prominently displayed a sterling silver recreation of Princess Luna’s Mark.
Two doors before that point, Sparkle stopped and gestured to a door to the right. It took Prim a moment to find the right key, but once she unlocked the door it pushed open on well oiled hinges, revealing the private chambers of the Chamberlain of the Night.
It looked like a mess. Papers and books were spread everywhere, many of them seeming to have been pulled off the now empty bookshelves in a fit of rage. Two large desks sat one to each side of the door. The room was lit by mage-lights and a skylight. On the opposite wall, two doors were left open. One led to a sizeable bedroom with a window looking out on the gardens, and the other led to a short hall lined with wardrobes, which ended in a private bathing room with it’s own window matching the one in the bedroom.
“Looks to be thy first task may be cleaning thy own office,” Sparkle observed with a tired sigh. “Count did not leave in ideal circumstances.”
“What circumstances did they leave in?” Prim asked curiously as she began re-shelving the books en masse without concerning herself with the order they were placed in.
Her pale yellow aura wrapped around the books seven at a time, the most that Prim could control at once, and she was encouraged to see Sparkle’s violet magic joining hers in the task.
“He, being Quick Count, demanded of Her Highness an accounting of her private projects, their cost, and function. In truth there is no right in the position of Chamberlain to demand such things, but her reaction was… Severe. Her Highness listed all of her projects as being matters of state secret, and threatened to charge Count with treason if he questioned them further.”
Prim stopped, staring in shock at the mare.
“Treason?”
Sparkle just nodded. “Thou surely understand why we had sought to put into this position someone we could trust.”
Prim sighed and went back to organizing.
“I’ll not be trying to examine her Highness’s dealings, have trust in that. In the very least, I hope to serve as a sufficient chamberlain. Perhaps I may even retain the position if I learn quickly.”
“I wish thee all the best of luck.”
The two silently put some order to the office, though the stacks of paper were random and uneven, and the books randomly fitted to the shelves, it did look marginally more like a proper place to work.
With a nod, Sparkle returned to the door.
“I do recommend thee to seek out Her Royal Highness, if only to affirm that she desires thee to begin immediately, and ask for any additional commands. She should also possess her schedule, which thou shalt need to do thy duty. Guard it well, and I shall see thee on the morrow.”
“My thanks to thee, for both thy forthright conversation and thy assistance,” Prim said with a nod.
Sparkle left, closing the door behind herself, leaving Prim alone. The mare sighed, putting her head down upon one of the desks for a moment and trying to calm her racing heart. She had been planning to be a scribe, perhaps a mare in waiting if necessary, or a servant if it was the only option to earn some coin. But now she had the weight of the castle on her back, and she had no idea what she was doing.
She breathed slow and deep before standing straight. Perhaps meeting with Princess Luna would give her direction, and make it clear what her goals and priorities should be.
She stepped out of her new room and locked it before walking to the end of the hall and those tall ebony doors. On either side of the doors there were guards standing. These were unique compared to the rest of the guards she’d seen. They had slitted eyes, bat-like wings, tufted ears, and sharp fangs. She didn’t know what they were called, but they were both mares.
“Excuse me, Gentlemares, I have need of an audience with Her Royal Highness. She selected myself as her new Chamberlain.”
The night guards shared an incredulous look before one of them smirked and stepped forward to look down at Prim.
“Is there not a requirement of age for such a post?” the guard laughed, smirking as she put her hoof to the side of Prim’s head and pushed her slightly so that she stumbled to the side.
“If there was, why would Her Highness be unable to assign it to me regardless?” Prim asked bravely, returning to her straight and brave stance.
The other guard laughed, nodding.
“Twould be a thing her Majesty may do, I see the humor in it. Let us allow her entrance, Tao. At least we may see the little thing thrown out.”
Prim watched warily as Tao looked her over with contempt before stepping back into place and tapping the bottom of the door twice with a hind hoof. What struck Prim most was the guard using the term ‘Majesty’ in reference to the princess. It had been hundreds of years since the fall of the last pony Queens which would have used such an honorific, and that reference was typically seen as one with connotations to tyrannical behavior. But in this case it seemed to be used in a tone of loyalty and honor. Just one more thing to be concerned of.
The heavy doors groaned open, revealing the dark chambers within.
“Enter, Prim Rose,” Luna’s voice called.
Prim took one last steadying breath before stepping inside. The doors closed slowly behind her, and just as slowly her eyes adjusted to the darkness.
Princess Luna was sitting on a dark blue cushion with silver tassels at the corners. Immediately in front of the lunar diarch was a low table that held a teapot on an enchanted hot holder, and a single cup that let a thin stream of steam rise to be illuminated by the fireplace only a pony-length away.
Also on the table were three books and a small plate of sugar cookies, one of which was surrounded in the blue glow of Luna’s magic, halfway to her mouth.
She was facing the fireplace, which was coated in bronze, reflecting the light of the fire in a rippled pattern across the rest of the room.
The room contained bookshelves, chairs, and in the far corner there was a massive bed. Opposite of the fireplace, a tall pair of double doors made of flawless glass revealed a patio that looked down across the city of Everfree.
Prim stood there for a moment, taking it all in, as the princess ate her cookie and watched the unicorn, amused.
“We hath no need of thy services,” Luna said casually.
Prim focused on the Princess, frowning.
“Then why waste my time?”
Princess Luna raised an eyebrow and waited. Slowly, Prim realized what she had done wrong.
“Why wouldst thou waste my time, your Highness?”
“It was the simplest way to prevent our sister from continuing to manipulate our actions, now if thou wouldst show thyself out, we may return to our evening duties.”
Prim looked back at the closed door, which she would have to pull open in order to leave. She then looked back towards Princess Luna.
“Your Highness already knew of Princess Celestia’s plan to force their own mare into the position?”
Princess Luna sighed and closed the book she had been reading, turning slightly to face Prim.
“We are aware of much. Hast thou no sense of proper etiquette, when you are asked to leave, thou shalt leave.”
Again, Prim looked back at the closed door, before looking to Princess Luna, her gaze more of a frown.
“If her Highness could indulge me and be more precise, I feel there may be an understanding ahoof here.”
Princess Luna hummed to herself before letting a small smile show.
“We had hoped our command would be misconstrued as a dismissal, so that we could then claim that thou had quit,” she admitted. “But no matter, we may put up with thee as long as necessary to drive thee to abandon thy post.”
Her horn lit up and she pulled a book from the small pile on her table, and laid it at Prim’s hooves. It was elegantly bound and adorned with depictions of the moon and stars. Prim picked it up delicately, surprised at the weight.
“Thy schedule book. Thou shalt find we rarely schedule anything, as the public tends to barely notice our presence when we do attend, so that portion of thy duties shall be light. We expect that thou shalt assume the duties over our retinue as well, and over all finances, as we do not have time for it. The treasurer may give to thee any gold or silver needed for payments. If we find you taking more than your allowance we will gladly have you executed,” the princess said before settling in in front of her table.
Prim hesitated, confused, before bowing.
“Of course, your Highness, but… What allowance?”
Luna hesitated, looking at Prim with a bit of confusion.
“Thou dost not know of your allowance as Chamberlain?”
Prim shook her head.
“Where art thou from, Prim Rose?” she asked curiously.
“Trothnicum, annexed ten years past. My family survived the plague as we were farmers, far outside the city walls.”
“So, thou art not associated with our sister?”
“No, I came here looking for employment as my family can no longer support me.”
Luna looked at Prim like a puzzle she had to figure out.
“Then how dost thou know of her schemes to force our employment of her spy?”
Prim smiled a bit, daring to be sly with her new employer.
“I am aware of much,” she said, in imitation of Luna’s earlier words.
Luna’s sharp bark of a laugh startled Prim, making her flinch, but the princess continued laughing, tapping her hoof against the floor as she shook her head, slowly quieting down.
“Very well, very well. We shall let thee do thy new job, Prim. Perhaps we shall learn to work together, so we no longer have to concern ourselves with our sister’s insistence on completing our staff,” Luna chuckled. “Thou shalt receive one hundred bits every week for as long as thou art loyal to us. We shall speak on the next sunset, once thou hast prepared. Thou art dismissed.”
“Yes, your Highness.”
Prim bowed low and this time she found the door open when she turned to leave.
The doors closed behind her, and she noticed that the guards were standing at attention. Again, the moment of confusion passed once she took into account her new position. She bowed slightly to them, and they relaxed.
Unsettled by the power she had suddenly been granted, Prim went back to her room, closing the door behind herself and wandering to the bed. Falling into it, she set the heavy book on the pillow next to her. Out of the window she could see the stars, and she watched them as a smile grew.
“A hundred bits… Oh mother, thou wouldst be so proud.”