Once Upon a Dream | Peter Pevensie

I know you

Rory arrived at the cleaning cellar and left all her supplies. She closed the door and walked back to the kitchen where her three aunts were waiting. Aunt Faryn had just finished dinner. Her Aunt Florence was washing her hands. Clearly she had just finished tending the garden and was washing up the dirt. Aunt Mary was taking out the china from the pantry, ready to serve the food.

You see, each one of her aunts had a different job to do at the Professor's mansion. Aunt Florence worked as a gardener. She had huge knowledge on botany and adored spending time on the outside. She always grew the most beautiful flowers and plants, so naturally her talents were used in the garden. Aunt Faryn was one of the cooks. At the beginning her food used to be inedible or so the professor told her. Rory had apparently experienced only the great cooking of Aunt Faryn. Her cooking was great but her baking was legendary; the entire Mansion was treated with delicious scones and pastries. Aunt Mary worked as one of the maids in the mansion. It was one of the heaviest jobs so it was unanimously decided that once Rory turned of age she would help Mary with the cleaning.

When she arrived at the kitchen, Rory sat at the staff's dinner table waiting for her Aunt Mary's next orders. The noise drawed her three aunts to stare at her.

"Hey, what took you so long?" Aunt Mary asked worried," Everything's alright?"

"Yes, everything is fine," Rory said, still thinking about her encounter with the little girl, "I met one of the guests. I think she was the youngest, her name is Lucy.."

"Really and how was she?" Aunt Faryn requested.

"She is really something, " Rory smiled, " A bundle of excitement embodied in a little girl. Had to ask her not to mention my presence to anyone, I don't want Macready to know that I broke one of her precious rules."

" Oh that bitch!" Aunt Florence roared.

Aunt Faryn and Rory laughed but Aunt Mary was scandalized . Mary immediately began chastising her sister.

"Please Mary," Aunt Florence rolled her eyes," That woman is trying to make Rory feel inferior against these kids. If she knew who she was dealing with..."

Aunt Mary shushed her and even Aunt Faryn was worried at Florence's outburst. Florence seemed to realize her mistake for she immediately began stuttering apologies. Rory shrugged at their strange behavior. It wouldn't be the first time they spoke in cryptic riddles and it certainly won't be the last.

"What I'm trying to say," Florence corrected herself, " Is that Macready has had it out for our Rory since that little water incident."

All four ladies present began laughing. When Rory was eleven, she discovered the wonders of April's Fool Day. Aunt Florence and Aunt Faryn were quick to encourage their little niece and declared a prank war. As much as Aunt Mary pretended to be above that childish behavior, she ended up playing her own set of pranks on her sisters. Everything was going great, until Rory decided to have her revenge on Aunt Florence for giving her bitter coffee instead of sweet hot chocolate. Rory had waited hours for her aunt to appear on the kitchen's staff door with a bucket of water. Ready to splash her Aunt after a long day of gardening. Good thing is, the prank was successful. Bad thing is, it was the wrong target. Instead of splashing her Aunt Florence , she got Mrs. Mcready. Despite Rory's apologies, Mrs. Macready remained furious for weeks and after that she deemed Rory as a problem child. Poor Rory didn't have a chance though. Mrs. Macready hated children and she greatly disliked the Browning sisters for encouraging immature and unlady-like attitudes. Rory's prank (however unintended as it was) did not endear them any more to her.