The trees whispered sweetly in the breeze as the sun shone down on Charlotte and her small class. They sat there: Amber, Adam and Alissa. Charlotte walked around them, and their small eyes followed her movements with interest. Well, all except for Adam, who laid spread eagle on the ground watching the small clouds chase each other across the sky.

“So, we have the guild system of Gaiula to thank for the king and queen we have now,” Charlotte lectured. “But in another year, the elections will take place and we will get a new king and queen, thus insuring that no ruler becomes too enmeshed into the politics seen in Ashkeep.” As she walked by Adam, she nudged the boy with the tip of her shoe to bring his wanderlust attention back to the topic at hand.

“But what happens if they reelect the current king and queen?” Alissa, the youngest in the group, asked. Amber rolled her eyes at her sister’s ignorance, but kept her mouth shut.

“Good question, Alissa,” Charlotte said, shooting a stare at Amber. “Adam, what does happen if they reelect the current king and queen?”

“The Charter of Governance disallows any king or queen, once elected, to ever be reelected to the seat of royalty for a second time,” Adam’s voice came out bored, and he kept his gaze glued to the sky. “However, any previous king or queen will forever remain a part of the Politician’s Guild once their term ends, thereby allowing them an as important, or more important voice in the governance of Gaiula than the king or queen themselves.”

“Yeah, dummy. Charlotte went over that last week!” Amber’s self-control had obviously reached its breaking point during her brother’s speech. Alissa stuck her tongue out at her older sister, clearly offended by the insult.

Before Charlotte could reply, she saw a squat woman cresting the hill in the distance, ambling quickly on short, uneven legs. Her hair was done up in the coils and curls that were fashionable for the time and her short pink dress was the latest import from Summer Lake which seated the head of the Tailors Guild. It sat around her rather large rear as if she had caged the bottom portion of her body in a bird cage, and it ended unappealingly above her pudgy knees. Her shoes followed the current trend of being simple ballerina slippers. However, her grotesque feet spilled out the top of them as they were a size or two too small.

Flying near her head, tailing the woman, was one of the Raisha-An. This particular Raisha-An was in the form of a small winged horse, no larger than a mouse. Its little wings and body were a snowy white and gave it a soft appeal. The wings beat furiously trying to keep up with its master. As the woman and her Risha-An grew closer, Charlotte sighed as she could see the woman’s wobbly jowls were pinched in a look of utter annoyance.

“Amber, Alissa. Don’t fight,” Charlotte said distractedly as the woman joined their small group. “No one is ever ‘a dummy’ for asking things that they don’t know.” Charlotte kept her eyes on the woman, and did a slight curtsy to acknowledge her presence.

“Hubert paid top dollar,” the woman began, her tirade beginning without so much as an introduction The Raisha-An drew up short as she stopped and its wings slowed to a steady beat as it treaded the air. “Top dollar, Charlotte.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Charlotte replied, determined not to be cowed by Madame Vauclein. “I understand that-“

“A classroom was built on the innermost courtyard of this residence, for the tutoring of my children. We spent months before you got here preparing this classroom in every way imaginable.” The children sat unabashedly watching between their mother and their teacher, fascinated by this arguing of adults that only ever seemed to happen behind doors they weren’t allowed through.

“I felt it prudent-“ Charlotte began, but was immediately cut off by Madame Vauclein as if she hadn’t spoken at all.

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“Then, when I go to find the children to prepare them for tonight’s gala and I look within that fine classroom that was built for the purpose of teaching, I find them nowhere to be found!” Madame Vauclein had begun waving her arms around as if this would enunciate her point more clearly. The poor Raisha-An was flying up and down to dodge the dramatic emphasis of her arms, its eyes wide in fright. Charlotte cocked an eyebrow at it, watching as the animal expertly maneuvered between the expressions. “We turned out the entire house, Charlotte! The entire house! I have gnomes and sprites looking for you and the children everywhere. Gnomes and sprites that should be preparing the house for the gala, I might add.”

“Madame,” Charlotte began again, crossing her arms over her chest with indignant glare. “as their teacher, I felt it important for them to learn something today, and it seemed the only way to prevent them from spending the day dreaming about being outside was to instruct them outside.”

“As their teacher?” Madame Vauclein swelled up importantly as she launched into her second tirade. “You are forgetting, Charlotte, that you are working for us. We give you room and board for the simple price of you teaching our children. You would not get a better deal elsewhere.”

“Except perhaps an actual paycheck,” Charlotte declared hotly.

“Without references, pedigree or a clean background?” Madame Vauclein retorted. “Don’t forget that I alone know who your father really is. You are unlikely to get as good a job, or any job for that matter, while your history is as dubious as it is. While you live here, we own you. You are as the Raisha-An, a tool used for a purpose and no more.”

Charlotte’s arms dropped to her sides, her hands balling into fists as they did so. Her body became rigid at the last words uttered from Madame Vauclein’s mouth. She glowered at the stout woman and opened her mouth to say more but a movement in the corner of her eye from Adam who had finally decided to sit up to watch the spectacle had her quickly snapping her mouth shut again. The audience that sat on the ground fascinated by the interchange had Charlotte remembering her manners and the impression she was likely leaving the children who watched her now. She shook her head, causing her curly brown hair to bounce down her back. Her fists relaxed themselves as she consciously calmed her anger.

“Glad to see you finally understand your place at this household,” Madame Vauclein said, as if what she were teaching Charlotte were the most obvious thing in the world and she couldn’t understand how dimwitted a girl would have to be to not understand such a simple lesson. “Come along, children. It’s time the nanny dressed you for tonight.”

The children stood from their seats on the grass slowly, clearly disappointed at the end of their day’s entertainment and even more annoyed at the subsequent hours of clear torture that they would have to withstand at the hands of their nanny. Madame Vauclein turned to leave, the three children in tow, but before Charlotte was able to be free of her she turned back towards the governess.

“Oh, and Charlotte,” she said. “You are to attend tonight’s gala as well. You can get with Ana for a dress. You’re a bit taller than her, but she should have something that will suit you.”

“I-what?” Charlotte spluttered. She had never been invited to one of the Vauclein’s famous parties before. She looked forward to every one though, mostly for the fact that it was hours of free time that she was allowed to herself. Amber snickered and then quickly made her face blank when her mother shot her a stare. “I’m attending?”

“Well, you can’t be governess here forever, my dear,” Madame Vauclein said, her voice taking on a suspiciously syrupy quality. “Dignitaries and gentleman from the mainland will be coming to the gala tonight. Many eligible bachelors for you.” She looked Charlotte up and down as if she were inspecting her from head to toe, from the hairs that had fallen out of place all the way to the slight grass stains that had made their way onto Charlotte’s hand-me-down dress. “Though you will unlikely land any barons or guild members, we could most likely get you an older man looking for a second wife or perhaps a lonely scholar needing someone to edit his manuscripts.”

“Uh-“ was all Charlotte could get out. She stared at Madame Vauclein in horror. She had never given much thought to what she would do once she was no longer needed to tutor the Vauclein children. She had always assumed that she would move to the next available position, even though the likelihood of another position was slim. She certainly had never even fathomed the possibility of marriage.

“This is not a request,” Madame Vauclein stated, and with a snap had turned around and began leading the procession of children back to the main house. Alissa waved sadly at her as the other children followed their mother.

Charlotte sighed resignedly and began her own trek back to the Vauclein Estate.