Royal Pain in the Ass

Chapter III

Chapter III: Where am I?

I woke up staring at a strange ceiling. I had to think hard. I looked around the room I was in. Well Toto, I definitely wasn't in Kansas anymore. I woke up alone in a strange bed. Alone, alone is good. I sat up and started taking everything in. Was I in a ritzy hotel? Think Jules, how did I get here. Then it started coming back.

A Duke of something . . . . England . . . . oh my god. Twenty-one years of accepting that my father was some sort of abstract idea, and I might have found him. What the fuck? I realized my luggage was in the room with me.

My phone was on the bedside table. I looked at it, and in Florida it would be nine o'clock at night which made it about one am here. I was a night owl and nine o'clock at night I would still be at work. I threw the covers off and realized I wasn't wearing my own clothes. That weirded me out more than anything. I was wearing a long silky gown. Was it really silk? I didn't own anything that was real silk so it was kind of weird. How did I get into this? I looked around the darkened room again. It was mostly done in golds and reds. It screamed Gryffindor tower to me. I found a lamp and turned it on. The room was positively gorgeous. The bed I was in was a canopy four poster that had to be at least king sized. It was huge. I had to admit the burgundy bedspread was pretty. I was more of a purple kind of girl, but I could appreciate a nice thing when I saw it. The walls were painted gold with an oriental border. The carpet was a deep red and plush and I scrunched my toes in it. I smiled. I loved the way it felt under my feet. I took a deep breath and the room smelled almost stale, like it wasn't lived in. There was no doubt of that. There was a fragrance to the room like someone tried to cover up the staleness. For some reason I felt suddenly lonely. I opened up my suitcase and pulled out a pair of my own pajamas and changed quickly. It felt good to be back in my own clothes. I was wide awake in a foreign house in a foreign country.

Now, I wouldn't exactly call myself stupid, but I'm not exactly known for making the best decisions when I'm bored. Actually, that's what led to two of my tattoos. So, being the bright person I am, I decide it's a good idea to go exploring. Don't ask me why, even I don't know.

I found my teal converse and put them on. I opened the door and it was pitch black outside. I grabbed my phone and put on the flashlight app and started off down a hallway. The place was huge. I started wondering in whichever direction seemed a good idea. I didn't bother remembering, I doubted I'd ever find my way back. Somehow, that just didn't seem important.

I found three secret passageways and it wasn't long until I ran into someone.

"Hi," I smiled.

"Hello there. Who, may I ask, are you?" asked a girl with blonde hair pulled up in a loose bun. She was wearing a black skirt that fell just below her knees over black stockings and a long sleeved black tunic looking shirt.

"I'm Juliet."

"Oh, so you're the one everyone is talking about." She had a coy smile playing across her lips, her brown eyes glinting.

"Me?"

"Yes,"

I pondered this. "Why?"

"Well, it's not my place to say, but what are you doing up at this hour?" she asked as she glanced at her watch.

"I'm not used to this time zone. I'm wide awake."

"That would explain it."

"What's your name?"

"I'm Gwen."

"What are you doing up at this hour?"

"I'm preparing the bedding for the morning. Why are you in the servant's corridors?"