Mystery? In a Royal Court?
What price do you pay to protect someone? What cost to yourself do you pay to make sure tender dreams are not crushed?
There are no dragons (not on this planet, everyone is glad about that). Dungeons are generally fo...
The King wakes early. The queen being absent was enough of a change to rouse him early. A girl's night for her, Yva and Emme.
The King grabs his secret cloak. The castle is staffed mostly by older people. The young were released to go earn livings elsewhere in the seven kingdoms.
He has been performing the heavy lifting without the staff knowing. Barrels, firewood, and clothes are all moved quickly by the King in the mostly hidden stairs. He uses the empty barracks for any cleaning and then appears dressed as King upstairs.
He checks into the supplies left by his grandfather. It is a box of printed fliers. One side shows the pajamas being made today. The other side shows night dresses. One with no sleeves and short labeled for warm nights. Next to that one, a long sleeve version with a long helm. The ribbon on the inside (to lift the fabric up) was present in these. The collar ribbon shown as is the same for all three styles.
In the box, a paper separation has a phrase in his grandfather's hand, 'hold back twenty'
He takes the box to the staff and tells them to offer these pajama fliers to customers as they see fit.
Orders for pajamas have been arriving from highly placed households. The demand was starting to exceed the ability of the staff.
It was the early harvest, so workers were in demand.
The castle staff consulted with the King. They had a plan, but it might mean paying at once. He thought they had made a good plan.
Older staff walked out to check nearby settlements. The harvest needed able-bodied (young) people. Older experienced women did not have the needed endurance.
Almost a dozen were found. Walking with sticks and sometime leaning on each other, they came to the castle.
They turned the barracks into a sewing workshop and brought all the magic lights there.
As the night turned long, they were on hand for a rush of orders. Many orders requesting royal purple ribbon. Orders with that color ribbon were given a sewn bag for them. Pajamas in the bag and then placed in a delivery box. The fliers are first used for the royal orders.
Visiting ladies are paid in a silver coin (much higher than usual for sewing). Each getting one and a personal thank you from the King.
Several of the ladies swap for copper coins of equal value. A few women tuck coppers away before getting home. Other ladies even get purchases from the castle merchant door.
They might not have any quicker of a step in going back home, but they all had very good spirits.
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