The Pauper Princess and the Way of the Trilobite - Part 3
Part two is here.
What: a fanfiction for Girl Genius, featuring my literary stand-in and stunt double Mara
Time: I give up working out when this happens in GG Prime, but in my wwwwacky! AU, it's four months after the events of The Pauper Princess and the Born Legacy, and goes from there.
The story so far!
--Princess Mara is really neurotic
--Agatha and Violetta have made a surprise visit to Guildern to watch a play
--And it's about to begin
Legal disclaimer stuff:
"This story is not approved by, sponsored by or affiliated with Studio Foglio LLC or Airship Entertainment."
The Pauper Princess Fanfiction Theatre Presents:
The Pauper Princess and the Way of the Trilobite - Part 3!
The play was an unequivocal success, and not just for the parents in the audience, but for all. The teacher - aka the writer/director - the children, and yes, the stage effects and clanks, had managed to pull off a rather very entertaining recap of what was otherwise a rather very dark time in Mechanicsburg's history, not to mention Agatha's. It had a taken her a bit of time to accept that the events presented were riddled with inaccuracies and omissions, not just to make them suitable for all audiences, but because so much of it was not common knowledge. In fact, the mere existence of certain "players" such as Zeetha, Krosp, the Jägers, and even Violetta had to have been passed on to the writer by the Mousehearts. Not that they knew the events, but they knew the people. The ones that they had met personally were portrayed the most accurately, from their looks to their personalities. The little boy playing Ognian had the best grasp of the Jäger accent and attitude, no doubt thanks to personal coaching by the Mousehearts.
As for the stage effects and clanks that Mara was so nervous about, she needn't have been. Agatha mentally catalogued forty-seven obvious and possible contributions by her mentee/cousin, including but not limited to:
-- two enormous "statues" bordering the even-larger "Gates of Mechnicsburg" facade in the opening scene. After discreetly watching Isabel-as-Agatha pass through the gates, they hopped down to the stage, picked up the facade, and carried it away to make way for the next scene, to much audience laughter and applause.
-- a half-sized tiger clank for the boy playing Tarvek to "tame"
-- child-sized battle clanks that ran through the audience and engaged in choreographed fights
-- the dragon-faced clank that "tested" Isabel-as-Agatha in the crypt
-- a child-sized (but functional!) lightning stick that Isabel-as-Agatha assembled herself during a nicely-choreographed battle
-- an enormous "lightning storm" that culminated in the Castle Heterodyne's rebirth
-- lots of simulated weapons fire - some aimed right at the audience - that hurt no one but looked real
-- a mere portion of Castle Wulfenbach that still took up a quarter of the upper stage
-- and hordes of leaping, charging, and flying clockwork contrivances.
As for the Castle itself, there was always something moving in that giant set, whether for the main action or blink-and-miss-it background twitching. Making... how many effects again? Agatha might have actually lost count.
Throughout the show she could feel Mara sneaking glances her way whenever something Sparky showed up, but she made herself focus on the play and give no hints about her feelings.
And then, not at all least, there was little Isabel-as-Agatha! There were times that Agatha could only sit and marvel how this little girl properly owned every moment she was onstage. Not just the excellent costumes making her a striking, if quite young, version of Her Ladyship Most High, but her portrayal was thoughtful, brilliant, humorous, warm and yes, heroic. She was a miniature Agatha. Big Agatha only barely remembered by the end, when the cast was taking their bows while singing Mechnicsburg's tourism song, that Isabel was still not even five years old.
As Isabel ran to the center of the stage to take her bow, she held up her little lightning stick triumphantly, sending out a few arcs of electricity for good measure. The audience obliged with a standing ovation. Agatha also stood, and surreptitiously pulled Violetta up with her to join in. Violetta kept a wary eye on the girl who'd been playing her. Someone had coached her on the doses of dourness appropriate for a smoke knight.
The curtains closed, and most people headed for the exits, but the royal family, including their Portraitist, gathered together and then followed Mara up the stage steps and behind the curtains. The child actors were unsurprisingly still sailing on the "high" of having just given a successful performance, and were laughing and chatting amongst themselves. Agatha was more than a little tempted to walk by and see if anyone recognized her, but quashed that thought. Adults were busy herding the children, taking down backdrops and removing props and facades, including the Castle's, which took up half the stage once the action moved there. Mara spotted Isabel quickly enough, and was also looking for Mrs. Seinfrich so as to introduce her to the real star of the story, but the teacher was out of sight, no doubt directing the cleanup elsewhere.
"Where's Isabel?" said Agatha. Violetta pointed, but her Lady did not notice.
"She'll find her way over," said Mara. "All the kids just need to get their gushing over with. So... I do hope that you... Did you enjoy it?" She tried to hide her apprehension, but was no queen of the poker-face.
Agatha stared at her a moment as if deciding how to respond. Eventually she started nodding, very slightly at first, then more until she finally spoke. "Well done, student," she said. Mara didn't seem to know how to take it, so Agatha smiled broadly and patted her shoulder. "I mean that. Well done. You could take this whole show out on the road."
Mara stared in stunned silence, then finally broke out into a gawky smile and turned away a little to cover her warming cheeks. Kelvin spotted Isabel and beckoned her over. The Mousehearts were standing in such a way that the girl's view of the Mechanicsburg visitors was obscured. Kelvin bent down and scooped his daughter into his arms to pepper her with kisses, when she suddenly screamed and started wiggling. Kelvin recoiled from the noise and began to scold her. She still was not quiet, but traded the scream for giggles of pure delight.
"You came! You came! You came!" she squealed, reaching out for Agatha. Her cousin smiled and shhhhhed her until Isabel finally managed to-- well, as much as an excited small child could - calm herself.
"I did, I did, I did," said Agatha.
"And Miss Violetta! Thank you thank you so much for coming!"
Violetta threw a half-smile and a quick wave the child's way.
"Honey," said Mara, a gentle hand on her shoulder, "You really need to calm down. Remember: dignity. Always, dignity. Especially in the presence of Her Ladyship Most High."
"Really?" said Agatha. "You're going to call me that?"
Kelvin gave Isabel an affectionate shake before setting her down. From that point on she wrapped her hand around Agatha's and would not let go, nor did she seem able to stop hopping in place from excitement. Kelvin cleared his throat.
"Weee had best clear the stage now and let these fine people work."
The adult Mousehearts gathered up their group and led the way off the stage. Violetta brought up the rear, but just after hopping to the floor, she felt an unsettling presence behind her. Whirling about quickly, she looked onstage again to see--!
That girl who had played her, standing stock-still and... just... staring. Violetta stared back, trying to work out if this kid really was as sullen as she'd been in the play, or was still acting. Now the girl's face subtly shifted into an expression that could have been interpreted as... suspicion?
Agatha called out from the exit door. "Violetta! What's the delay?"
"Ahh, coming, my Lady!" She rushed to join the others, and decided not to look back. It would be more than she could take if the girl were suddenly gone.
*****************
Agatha and Violetta were given the choice of joining the Mousehearts for lunch with King Silas and Queen Lily in their bedroom, or breaking away to eat with Mara and starting their tour early. The reason it was presented as a choice was that King Silas was ailing, and had been for some time, from Hoffmanite Gravesco Terribilis. Agatha gladly chose meeting Their Majesties, to Mara's quiet relief.
HGT's effect was to cause the body to behave as if subject to greater and greater gravity over time. Agatha was no medical doctor, but had heard of it, and had not heard of there being a cure. Neither had Guildern's Royal Physician. The most that could be done was to keep him comfortable and prolong the ultimate crushing and implosion that would finally end his life. Mara discreetly told her that the prognosis for him was a year at best. The King's mind was still quite intact; until the inevitable, Prince Kelvin had been co-ruling with his father. Queen Lily was more than able to run the kingdom herself, but decided that her place was by her husband's side.
Today was a better day for the King than most. He was bed-ridden but could sit up and move his arms almost normally due to his last treatment. As always for their meals with the grandparents, there were chairs and small tables set up around the bed so everyone could converse easily. The first to enter were Isabel and little Edward, both of whom ran to their grandfather's bed, covered him with kisses, then remained on either side of him for the duration of the meal.
The Mousehearts showed the King and Queen no signs of sadness or hopelessness. It was simply not their way. Isabel started telling him all about the play, when Kelvin shushed her and reminded her that her grandparents would be watching the whole recording as soon as the Portraitist was finished preparing it. Mara took a moment to help her youngest, 10-month-old Silas, demonstrate his burgeoning ability to walk, to the delight of his grandparents.
Once the initial clamor and boisterousness subsided, Mara cleared her throat and properly introduced Agatha and Violetta. The others fell silent to wait for Their Majesties' reply. Finally, the King spoke, marveling quietly how he never thought he'd live to meet any Heterodyne, but had now met three of The Heroic ones. Agatha was puzzled, then smiled and nodded to Mara.
"You misunderstand, My Lady," he said. It was clear that simply breathing took effort. "There were a few times - long past - when your father and his brother visited here. Oh... they came quietly. Not in disguise, exactly, but discreetly. We - the Mousehearts - still recognized them. I myself invited them to be our royal guests, but they politely declined, preferring to stay with and wander amongst our people, most of whom did not recognize them. We respected their privacy. Of course we can only speculate, but I like to think that they came here to escape the - I hope you'll forgive me - 'wildness' of the world outside our borders." He paused to take in more breaths. "Such kind men. I think they both would be quite proud of you."
After a long silence, Agatha quietly thanked him for the story and remarked that it was not one that she'd heard before. Nor had Kelvin or Mara, it turned out. The King was not one to make up stories. Perhaps it was one that he felt could only be told at the right time.
The remainder of the lunch was animated and joyful, with most of the attention on Agatha, who responded to every question the King and Queen lobbed her way. Mara was normally the chatterbox at these gatherings, but was silent this time, preferring to sit with Kelvin and baby Silas while Agatha spun her yarns. Eventually it was the Queen who put a stop to all the chatting by ordering the King to stop wearing himself out. They had been married long enough for him to know when his wife could be challenged; this was not such a time. But before all were dismissed, he begged Agatha's indulgence for a kiss on her cheek. She obliged.
Afterwards Isabel begged her mother to let her tag along with her and Agatha. This request was gently but firmly declined. Isabel pouted, but then brightened at the suggestion of playing with her friends for the rest of the day. There was still the last-minute reminder from her mother not to refer to Agatha as "cousin." Isabel had trouble grasping this concept, but agreed to it, anyway, as she had so far. The family would reconvene for supper.
**
Mara sighed loudly after the group went their separate ways, and was with Agatha, Violetta, and her own personal shadow, Heather. "Ahh," said Mara. "Exhausted yet? Do you need to retire to your rooms and-?"
"Nope. But then, our coming here was a surprise, so if we're imposing-"
"NoNoNoNo," said Mara. "No. No such thing." She slipped an arm around her cousin's. "In which case... To the royal tour!"
Part four is here.