Serving A Queen

by Harmony Charmer

Chapter 9: Sweet, Sweet Bubble

Umbra retired to her room early that night. If not for the fact that she was tired from that day's events, then from the fact that she really needed to be alone.

At least, that was the plan.

As the Queen began to settle into bed for the night, she heard a knock at her door. She sighed a bit and arose to answer it, expecting the company of one of her servants. Instead, it was Bubble. She hadn't expected him, but, in his short time of being there, she had learned to expect the unexpected from him.

"Hiya!" he greeted, that everpresent smile on his face brightening upon seeing her.

Umbra frowned a bit. "Bubble, I told you, I was staying in my room for the night."

"I know!"

Umbra arched a brow. "You do?"

Bubble nodded. "Yep!"

"And did you know that I wanted to be alone during that time?"

Bubble stopped smiling as surprise overtook his visage. "You did?"

"Yes." Umbra sighed a bit and she put a hand to her temple. "It's no matter. Come in. It'll save you from having to sneak in."

Bubble smiled and he bounced in as Umbra allowed him inside. "Why'd ya wanna be alone?"

Umbra took a seat on her bed. "Within the past 48 hours, my dining room experienced an explosion, I suffered a minor emotional breakdown, woke up to finding out I confessed my life story to a practical stranger, was in the middle of a revolt that turned into a magic show, and then, the icing on top of the cake, that bigoted dress shop owner was rude to the one person I enjoy being around and reminded me just how damn bitter this entire Empire has become." She sighed. "You'd wanna be alone after all that, wouldn't you?"

"Nope!" Bubble answered. He fell back onto the bed. "I know because I was there! Remember?"

Umbra felt herself smile a bit. "Well, can't argue with that logic." Her smile faded. "Still, it's always been... custom of me to be alone whenever I'm upset about something."

Bubble frowned. "Why? Being alone is the worst!"

"Sometimes, it's better to be alone," Umbra told him.

"What do you mean?" Bubble questioned.

Umbra looked off a bit. "You can't hurt anyone."

Bubble was quiet for a moment after that and Umbra wasn't sure what he was going to say. She felt a hand slide onto hers and she turned to see him smiling at her earnestly.

"I know you wouldn't hurt me," he told her. He smiled a bit more. "I trust you."

"You've only known me for two days," Umbra replied, furrowing her brows.

"And just look at what you've done!" Bubble laughed. "You've been nicer to me than most of the people here have been despite what you've been going through! Besides, I haven't had this much fun since I was back home!"

Umbra blinked. "Really?"

"Really!" Bubble wrapped an arm around her. "I trust you, Umbry." He leaned his head on her shoulder. "And I like being around you, too."

Umbra didn't know what to say for a long moment. Finally, she felt a smile come onto her face and it didn't seem to want to disappear. "I like being around you, too, Bubble."

Bubble grinned a bit more, if it was even possible, and his other arm wrapped around her tightly. "Oh, I can't wait until the ball gets here! It's gonna be so much fun for all our hard work to come to fruition!" He put on a serious face. "But we gotta work hard in order for that to happen!"

Umbra rolled her eyes. "Don't I know it." She chuckled a bit. "Let's just hope we don't get nagged by Feather."

Bubble laughed. "Please, he'll do it no matter what we do!"

Umbra broke out into laughter of her own. "Well, you're not wrong."

Bubble giggled. "I like this! Talking to each other, not having to worry about other people judging you. It's nice getting to talk to Queen Umbra, but I like hanging around Umbry more."

Umbra glanced at her crown, laying upon her vanity. She smiled, though it felt bittersweet. "So do I."

* * *

Things continued on like that for the next couple weeks. Bubble would come to Umbra's room at the late hours when no one would expect him and he'd spend time with her. Some nights, he'd leave her be to rest on her own, but, more often than not, he'd stay over just to keep her company.

How he was never caught, Umbra didn't know. He wasn't exactly subtle with his arrivals, although she had to admit he had gotten creative in entering her room. There were times where he would enter through her window like some odd hybrid between man and spider, sometimes climbing in on the ceiling or even swinging in like a wild child. Sometimes, he'd just walk in through the front door without a care in the world. How her guards never saw him, she'd have to wonder for the rest of her days.

"Umbry, helloooo, Earth to Umbry!" Bubble proclaimed, waving his hand in front of Umbra .

Umbra blinked and her vision focused on Bubble. She frowned a bit, then pushed his hand away. "What is it, Bubble?"

Bubble frowned at her. "You were zoning out! I was trying to tell you about the different dresses I picked out for you to wear to the ball, but you aren't even paying attention!" He crossed his arms. "And I picked out really nice ones, too!"

Umbra sighed. "Bubble, I thought I told you I don't want to wear any dresses. Why is that so difficult for you to understand?"

"Would you rather wear a suit, then?" Bubble asked, arching a brow. "'Cause I bet I can have my friend Elusive come in and take your measurements for one! He loves doing that!"

Umbra blinked. "Wait, you'd be... alright with me wearing a suit?"

"Totally!" Bubble looked her over. "You'd look really nice in one!"

"Uh... thanks, I suppose," Umbra replied, unsure what else to say. Suddenly, a thought ran through her mind. "Wait, aren't we supposed to be planning the ball right now?"

"We are! We're planning what outfit you're gonna wear to it!"

Umbra pursed her lips. "That doesn't count."

Bubble pouted. "It so does!"

Umbra sighed. "Bubble, we have only a— oh, god, a week until the ball! We cannot afford to dawdle around over attire!"

"But, we already have most of what we need down! I mean, tell me what you're worried about and I'll tell you what's been handled!"

"The music," Umbra started. "I don't recall having ever set up a quartet or anything of the sort to play music for the ball."

"Oh, I already got that handled!" Bubble told her. "I got a tuba player, a cello player, a piano player, and a harp player for the event!" He giggled. "I wonder if they'll do the Hokey Pokey!"

Umbra glared at him. "We're not doing the Hokey Pokey at the ball. And what about the food? I don't recall any caterers stepping up to the position."

"Oh, I got a friend of mine to take care of that! Gertrude knows how to make a mean eclair, I'll tell you that much!"

"Alright... What about the decor?"

Bubble pointed at himself. "Just leave it to me! I'll have it done in no time!"

Umbra's frown deepened. "Bubble, when you say things like that, it concerns me." She sighed, then waved a hand. "But, I'll trust you with this." She took a deep breath. "Now, what else do we need to plan?"

"Nothing, really!" Bubble told her. Then, he smiled deviously. "Except for..."

Umbra's eyes widened. "No. No, no, no, we aren't going to go—"

"Oh, yeah, we are!" Bubble exclaimed, grabbing her hand. "We're gonna try on clothes!"

"Over my dead body!"

Bubble paused in his preparation to take off and slowly turned his head towards the origin of the voice. He frowned immediately. "Hi, Feather Quill."

Umbra held in a sigh. After taking a couple days to recuperate from his attack back at the revolt, Feather had returned with a full force motivation to keep Bubble in check. He had failed time after time, of course, but it never tired his spirit for ruining Bubble's fun.

"You are not to make away with the Queen when we have so much work to do," Feather stated simply, ignoring Bubble's pout. "Your Majesty, if I recall, we have to go over the plans for the ball."

"But we've already—" Bubble tried to protest.

"Silence!" Feather snapped. "I was speaking to the Queen!"

Umbra narrowed her eyes at him. "What Bubble was trying to say, Feather, was that we had already gone over the plans for the ball. Perhaps if you had been here in a more timely manner, you would have been made aware of that."

Bubble grinned a bit. "Buuurn."

Feather cleared his throat a bit awkwardly. "My apologies, Your Majesty, I just assumed that—"

"Assumed what, exactly, Feather?" Umbra growled. She crossed her arms at him. "Do you really think me so incapable of doing my job as a ruler that you don't think I can handle a few preparations for the ball?"

"Of course not!" Feather proclaimed, horrified at the claim.

"Yet, here you are, speaking to me and my ball planner like we're fools," Umbra observed. "Making assumptions, thinking yourself to be in the right about a matter you weren't even informed about."

"I—"

"Perhaps I should have you get a trampoline," Umbra stated, her expression going blank. "Since you love jumping to conclusions so much."

Feather, red faced and flummoxed, bowed his head and took a step back. "My apologies, Ma'am."

Umbra smiled a bit. "Good." It faded in an instant. "Now go check on the kitchen staff. I'm feeling rather famished."

"Me, too!" Bubble added. "Do you think they'll be alright with me making chocolate cake for dessert?"

Umbra smiled at him, this time genuinely. "Go ahead, Bubble." As he walked away, she turned back to Feather. "Mr.Quill?"

Feather lifted his head. "Yes, Ma'am?"

Her smile stretched out a bit and her eyes narrowed to thin slits. "Be disrespectful to Bubble or myself again, and I'll have you hanging from the gallows. Have I made myself clear?"

Feather nodded, his face moist with sweat. "Yes, Ma'am."

"Wonderful." Umbra waved her hand. "That will be all."

Feather bowed once more and backed away from Umbra, who had long since turned her back on him. As soon as he was out of her peripheral vision, she clenched her hand as small sparks of a rising fire emitted from it.

'Never let them see you sweat,' she reminded herself, taking a look at her hand. She had never been one to touch others with malintent, but she had been tempted in the past. But, in the end, it never really mattered if she meant it or not; Umbra hurt others, sometimes with her words, sometimes with her actions.

Was she truly a monster or was she just deluding herself?

"What do you mean I can't make a cake?!" she heard Bubble shriek as he was pushed out of the kitchen. He frowned and looked back at the door one last time as he muttered something about "meanie meaniepants cooks". He caught sight of Umbra on the other side of the dining room and came bounding over. "Umbry, you wouldn't believe what just happened!"

"It's fine, Bubble," Umbra told him. "We always have pancakes."

Bubble rolled his eyes. "I said that, too, but they said we can't have pancakes for lunch!" He opened and closed his hand in quick succession as he mocked the chef. "'Breakfast is the first meal of the day and should remain as such!'"

Umbra chuckled. "Well, then, we'll just have to wait until the ball, then, won't we?"

Bubble frowned. "We can't afford it, remember? Because of the war, remember?"

Umbra's smile faltered a bit at the remembrance of her country's current struggle, but she pushed it away. "Do you remember the first day you got here?"

Bubble grinned. "Yeah! I met you!" He blinked in confusion and cocked his head to the side. "Why?"

"Do you remember the bits you gave us?" Umbra asked.

"Yeah, I gave it to you for any damages I might ca—" He stopped mid-sentence and his eyes went wide. "You didn't."

Umbra smiled cheekily. "I may have used some of the remaining money to get the supplies needed for, say, a three-tier chocolate cake?"

Bubble's face brightened up like the Crystal Heart. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" He pulled Umbra into a tight hug. "This is the bestest thing ever!"

Umbra chuckled. "Not so fast, Bubble. You'll still have to make that cake."

Bubble squeezed her tighter. "Yay!" He pulled away. "Thanks so much, Umbry!"

The castle staff that roamed around them went dead silent as Bubble's words echoed through the room. The waiter who had begun to bring out the appetizers for the meal paused in his step as the door behind him swung back and forth. The maid who had been setting plates watched the scene with wide eyes and her hand over her mouth to smother any sounds she made. Everyone except for Bubble and Umbra themselves seemed to be in a suspended state of shock.

Umbra cleared her throat. "Where are we with those appetizers?"

The waiter snapped out of his shock. "Oh! It's right here, Your Majesty."

Umbra smiled. "Thank you." She turned to the maid. "Thanks for adding another placement for Bubble."

"Oh, it's no issue, Your Majesty!" she replied, curtsying.

Umbra waved a hand. "That will be all. Bubble and I have plenty to talk about. I wouldn't want to bore the lot of you with our mindless chatter."

The maid's face turned a shade of pink. "I assure you, Ma'am, I'd never listen onto your conversation for my own benefit." She straightened herself. "I will attend to your wish, however. Though, I honestly doubt a woman such as yourself could ever bore one."

"You'd be surprised," Umbra told her. "Go on, now. Have the afternoon off. You definitely deserve it."

The maid's eyes widened, but she held her composure. "Thank you, Your Majesty. I won't waste it, I assure you."

Umbra smiled. "I wouldn't expect you to, Amethyst."

Amethyst blinked. "You know my name?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Umbra questioned, frowning a bit.

"O-Oh, it's not that I wouldn't expect your memory to fail you, it's just..." The maid cleared her throat. "I never thought myself to be important enough for someone like yourself to learn my name."

"Nonsense." Umbra approached her and took her hand. "You tend to my every need whenever you're available; why wouldn't I remember someone like you?" She held up a hand. "Never mind. I'll you what, how about I give tomorrow off as well? I'm sure you'd love to have a day to put your feet up."

Amethyst nearly gawked at the queen. "I-I... Thank you."

As the maid left the room hastily, curtsying on the way out, Umbra turned to the server as he returned to the room. "You take the day off, too, Serving Spoon."

Serving Spoon blinked in shock. "I-I beg pardon, but would you please repeat that?"

"Your anniversary is coming up soon, isn't it?" Umbra recalled. "For you and your husband, if I remember correctly?"

"I... Yes, in a couple weeks." He straightened up and clasped his hands. "How do you know that, Your Majesty?"

"Call it observation," Umbra told him. She smiled. "My suggestion: take him out on the town. You both deserve it."

"I'll... take that in stride, Ma'am." He smiled at her. "Thank you."

Umbra chuckled. "It's no issue. Go on, enjoy your afternoon."

"I most certainly will try," he told her. He bowed. "Thank you again, Ma'am."

As Serving Spoon left the room, Bubble came cartwheeling in. "Hiya!"

"Hi," Umbra greeted, chuckling a bit. "Having fun?"

"Not as much as you are, Umbry!" Bubble replied. He stuck the landing and held his arms above his head dramatically. "You give Ammy and Servy the day off?"

"Just like you suggested," Umbra told him. "You're right; they both deserve it. Thanks for telling me about Serving Spoon's anniversary."

Bubble laughed. "Nothing quite like making people happy, is there?"

Umbra smiled at him. "No, there isn't. What are we having for lunch?"

"Chimichangas!" he exclaimed.

Umbra arched a brow. "Chimi-what?"

Bubble giggled. "Don't worry, you'll see soon enough! I'll go get it for you! And, once we're done eating, maybe I can show you how to make a sailor hat out of napkins!"

Umbra covered her mouth as she laughed a bit. "There's nothing I'd like more."

Author's Note:

10 months. 10 months without an update. And just when the story's about to get good. Well, here's to hoping that doesn't happen again... Right?

Comments

[ShadowLDrago]

"Chimichangas!" he exclaimed.

Deadpool would be proud.

[Pinkacalypse]

10 Months is nothing, I've waited for longer .

[Grekoy]

I'm just happy this isn't abandon like other fanfics I know.

[LunaKnight145]

yay! my favorite story back! cookies for all!

[doctorpie25]

Awesome story :)
Do you know when the next chapter will be posted??

[Harmony Charmer]

6796428
Hopefully soon! It's my news years resolution to write as much as my schedule will allow.

[Mile High]

why is there a dark tagtag. it ain't even dark. mostly because the focus isn't on the war and Revolt against the queen but I think everything is going to be ok.

[Blaze the draconic mage]

Well I see a deadpool reference

[Gem of Memory]

A like and a track.
I hope to see more, pfft... 10 months? I've waited longer.