Something falls behind a chest

“Let me just make the bed and we can spread out the things here,” Ana said.

“All right, dear, but don’t hurry,” Bethoc laughed. “No one need know how long it really took us. I think we can make this job last until dinner.”

The two maids had come up to the Queen’s pretty room to empty the great chest of all of her dresses, robes, and jewelry so that they might be moved into the chest in the new bedroom in the tower.

“In that case, I’ll just spread myself out on the bed for a while,” Ana said.

“Oh, wait! Let me go get Bran!”

“Oh, no no!” Ana laughed. “In his dreams!”

“I wouldn’t put it past Bran to dream about having you in the Queen’s own bed,” Bethoc said as she inspected herself in the Queen’s own mirror.

“I suppose it would be the first time this poor bed had ever seen such a use.”

“Oh, Ana!” Bethoc giggled.

“Don’t ‘Oh, Ana’ me! She’s going back to his bed, isn’t she?”

“Sure she is, but I heard he’s leaving it.”

“No!”

“Oh, yes! I heard his things are being moved down here as soon as hers is moved up there.”

“Well, that’s a funny game of musical beds they’re playing!” Ana laughed.

“A little like you and Bran and Cenric?”

“Oh, no, not Bran! Never again!”

“You say that every time.”

“This time I mean it. But I wonder how come the Queen and King are swapping beds? Did you hear?”

“I didn’t.”

“I thought they must have made up.”

“Not likely. She can’t stand him.”

“Well, how do they get their babies then?” Ana asked.

“I don’t know. Perhaps not from each other, if you know what I mean,” Bethoc winked.

“Oh, Beth, you don’t think?”

“Well, what about the young Prince? He don’t look a thing like his Papa. Everyone says.”

“I don’t see what her problem is. That King is an eyeful. Have you ever seen him with his shirt off?”

“No, have you?” Bethoc breathed.

“Yes, and oh, darling, you should see the arms on him. He can wrap ‘em round me any time!”

“Oh, as if he would!” Bethoc laughed.

“Why shouldn’t he? He must get awful cold and lonely in that big bed of his at night. Besides, we’re pretty enough, aren’t we? Those noble ladies don’t have nothing we don’t, except lots of pretty clothes and jewels. Dress us up like them and you could never tell who was a lady and who a maid.”

“Why don’t we?” Bethoc said excitedly.

“Why don’t we what?”

“Well, we got to take everything out of this chest anyway, don’t we? All of the Queen’s pretty things. Why don’t we just try a few of them on?”

“Oh, Beth, no!” Ana gasped.

But Bethoc already had the chest open.

“Oh, Ana!” she moaned. “Have you ever looked in here?”

“I’m sure I never dared. I don’t dress her.”

“Why, there’s nothing but silk as far as the eye can see! Pink and blue and white…” She pulled out a long pink scarf and twirled around with it.

“Don’t get it dirty, Beth…”

“I won’t, I won’t. Come on, Ana!” she said, pawing through the piles of fabric. “We have to move all of this anyway. Might as well have a look at it first.”

“Then look, but don’t muss it up. We were supposed to just take things out the way they was already folded.”

“I won’t muss anything up. We can just fold ‘em all again. Oh, what’s this?” Bethoc laughed. “It’s just a scrap of dirty plaid in with all the silk – oh!”

They heard a clinking sound as something fell on the floor.

“What was that? Did you drop something?”

“I don’t know – I guess I did.”

“Well, what?” Ana asked, sitting up.

“I don’t know,” Bethoc said, kneeling on the floor. “I think it rolled behind the chest.”

“Oh, now you’ve done it! Can you reach it?”

“I can’t even see it!”

“Are you sure it’s not under the bed or something?”

“Well, help me look!”

The two young women crawled around a while but found nothing.

“I’m sure I heard it fall back there,” Bethoc said.

“We’ll never be able to move the chest.”

“Well, do you think it’s something she’ll miss?”

“Oh, Beth!”

“Well, what do you suggest we do? We can either tell or not tell. If we tell, we’re in trouble for sure. If we don’t tell and they don’t move the chest, then no one will ever know. Or maybe they will think the Queen lost it a long time ago.”

“And if they do move the chest and they do know, I’m telling them it was you who was playing with the Queen’s things.”

“Fine, just do that! But either way, I guess we had better just get our job done and get out of here.”