Nadine Book 4

35. Open The Wine

Thora points to a case. "Wine."

We sit down beside it.

"Would you like some cups?"

"A way to open it would be nice."

The servant opens two bottles for us.

I hand her a bottle. "You too."

She sits on the floor with us and opens it. Then she starts crying. "I've never been treated so well."

We laugh. "We're not off to a good start. We're making you throw things threw magic doors. And guide us around."

Thora relaxes against the wall. "We keep bossing you around and making you do stuff constantly."

"But I felt included. Not that you were trying to be mean. It seemed you needed me."

"We do."

"Baby, you need to come up here and sort out the servant issues."

"Give me a second." They stare at me. "I need to go sort out the servants. Bring this box."

Thora stands up. "Go slow. We can drink it on the way."

By the time we get out of the dining room, we each have 1 bottle downed. The servant opens us each a new one. So we take our newly opened bottle and a full bottle. Now we don't need to carry a box.

10 minutes later, Thora trips when she walks in the king's office but catches herself.

The servant lays down on the floor. "I need a minute."

All my table is here except Bud, Daddy, and Mary. King Nox has his whole table here.

"What's the servant issue?"

Dipak rubs his eyes. "You can't steel their wine."

"I LICKED IT. IT'S MINE."

I bust out laughing and repeat what Thora said. "I licked it. It's mine... That should go for everything." I smirk at Tre. "I licked it. It's mine."

He smiles and Dracul rolls his eyes. "Do not ever say that around your father."

King Nox laughs. "She said your wine was cursed?"

Dipak nods. "Yea, we had an evil magician problem briefly. It's gone now."

Thora looks at Nox. "We have a wine shortage."

I smile. "We're wine deprived. Can we have these?"

"Of course."

I turn to Thora. "Wine problem over. We can go." She nods, and I see the servant sleeping. "Don't forget my servant Dipak."

He laughs. "Woman, we have to figure out what to do with 94 servants."

"92. 1 got cut in half and I claimed this one a long time ago."

Thora shakes her head. "I don't think she'll be very good for a day or 2."

He rubs his eyes. "What do we do with 92 servants?"

I take a drink. "How many do we have room for at our castle?"

"40 will max us."

"We'll take 40."

Thora shakes her head. "38. The half of one and this one make 40."

"We'll take 38."

Frode writes something down. "54."

Nox sits back. "I can only take 20 more for the other castle. And they will have to stay there until I can add a servant area and rooms with beds for them. I'm not leaving them to sleep on the dungeon floor."

Dipak nods. "We will pay for the servant area to be added here. But it needs showers and a sitting area for them. I want it to be nice."

"Thank you."

"34."

"Can 12 stay here in the guest rooms? They could help keep the place clean and everything while you're still over there and getting this one ready to move in. They would have a bed and a shower anyway."

"That will be fine. As long as the new servant area will hold at least 132."

Dipak looks at him. "Better to aim for 150 or so. Just to make sure."

"Ok."

"22."

"What about King Yanin? I killed some of his servants when I kidnapped his daughter that one day. Maybe he has room for some."

"Let's go ask him."

We go to the door and Tye stands up. "I'm going to make sure you get back."

"22 Tye."

We both stumble into the Yanin castle. Somewhere in the middle of it. This is not the king's office. "He's not in the office today. He'll be home."

We follow Tye around. Then he knocks on a door.

I hear his mom yell, "ENTER."

She is so surprised to see us. She runs over and hugs Tye.

"Mom, you seen me this afternoon."

"I like seeing you, son."

"I need to talk to dad."

"DARICK. YOUR SON IS HERE FOR YOU."

"What do you need? Why are you carrying 4 bottles of wine girls?"

"It's ours, we licked it." I say it so fast I don't even think about it.

Tye shakes his head and his dad puts his eyebrows up. "Ok."

"Dad, do you have any room for servants? We need 22 placed."

"Yea, I can take 22. That's fine. I think I have room for something like 50 more."

Me and Thora say, "YAY" and have a drink.

"Servant issue over."

She smiles. "Let's go man hunting now."

"Yea, that sounds fun."

Tye shakes his head. "Dad, I have to go deal with this. 22 will be here shortly, like 5 minutes, probably. Where do you want them sent?"

"Send them outside the main sitting room. I'll get a few servants down there, and I'll be down there with your mother in 5 minutes."

"Alright, thank you. Girls, let's go back and tell them we found a spot for the 22."

"You really got your hands full with this one, don't you?"

He kisses my head. "Yes I do. She makes life worth living."

"Awwww. He's so cute princess queen. You should lick him."

"I already did. He's mine."

"Frode's mine. I licked him."

"Definitely going to have to keep you away from your father tonight babydoll."

He makes us a door. "He can take the 22. He'll be ready for them in 5 minutes."

I run out in the hallway. "SERVANT."

"Yes here."

"I need all of you in the ballroom immediately."

Thora follows me and we stumble into the ballroom. Tye, Tre, and Drake follow us.

I stand up on the stage. "You look much better." They start clapping. "Don't clap yet. Unfortunately, with the state of or rather lack of living area here. We have no choice but to separate you. I know that when you are with people all the time. Sometimes you become close. You may have friends and family here. So please right now. Find them and stand with them. We will do everything not to separate you from family or close friends."

They move around.

I take a drink of the wine. "Boys, I forgot how many everyone is taking."

Tye laughs. "22 to my dad."

"Go over there." I point to a side wall on my left.

Drake looks at me. "20 for our other castle."

I point at the back wall.

Tre says. "38 baby."

He goes to the wall to the right.

I point at the first group. "How many in your group?"

"10 but 2 are missing. They're not here."

I point to Tre. "That wall."

I point at the groups one at a time and get them moved around.

"I've got 22 here, babydoll. I'm taking them through."

Drake nods. "I've got 20 here now."

"You want me to make a door for them?"

"Yes please. Can you send them to the entry?"

"Sure can." Tre makes a door and those 20 walk threw.

I point at another group. "Number."

"12."

"Come up here with me please."

"The rest of you go over to Tre's group."

Drake comes up beside me. "You 12 will remain here. You will each stay in a guest room while King Nox." I point at Drake. "This is Prince Nox. You will remain here in the guest rooms while they prepare this castle to move in. The servant area also has to be built here. So it may take a while."

Drake takes over. "We will go over it more later. But we expect you to keep the place clean. We don't expect you to do what it takes 100 servants to do, but we do expect you to work."

"Also, they may not be as relaxed as I am with the rules. You will have to figure out the behavior they expect."

Drake chuckles. "You're safe. We're not going to hurt you. And we understand you'll be learning about us at the same time we're learning about you. So relax and for now you stay in the guest rooms. Feel free to eat out of the gardens. Shower when you need to. We'll bring more clothes over, so you have more than 1 outfit." He shrugs his shoulders.

"You'll figure it out."

"I got 38 baby."

"Let's go up to the king's office for now. You can meet everyone." They follow Drake out.

I go over to the 38. "You are coming to my castle." They jump up and down. I put my hands up. "Do not get to excited." I glance at Thora, and she's trying to figure out how to open her last bottle of wine. I crack up laughing.

"IT WON'T OPEN. HOW DOES TYE DO THIS?"

I take a drink of mine. "Bring it to Tre. Maybe he knows."

Tre clears his throat and points at the servants.

"Oh sorry. I'm a bit drunk." They laugh. "You're coming with me. You'll have more than what you had here. And as a reminder, I do not like being called ma'am. Or having any titles. But others do. You should address the people in my castle as sir or ma'am unless instructed otherwise."

"SON OF A b***h. TRE COME HERE."

"What are you trying to do?"

"Open the wine Tye."

"Here." Tye takes it and opens it. Then he gives it back.

"Thank you."

"I didn't know you were back. Did they get there and meet your parents?"

"Yes, they are fine babydoll. The other servants are showing them around and making sure they have their stuff."

"Good." I give him a hug. Then I take another drink. Or try to anyway, now my bottle is empty.

I start trying to open the new one. "NOW MINE WON'T OPEN."

"Here you go, babydoll."

"Thank you sir. I want to lick things."

He gives me a hug. "I got something you can lick."

"WE'RE STILL CONNECTED TO THE FEATHERS WOMAN."

Tye shakes his head. "Sorry Dipak."

I lose it. "I forgot."

Tre makes a door. "I'm taking you to our castle now. I will hand you off to the servants already there. They can give you a tour and make sure you get everything you need."

"Guys, I brought 16 of our servants here."

"We sent them back already, baby."

"Oh good. Thank you. I totally forgot about them."

Thora staggers at me. "That's all, right? I got us both another bottle of wine from the room over there."

I take mine.

Tye smirks. "That's all other than the one passed out in the king's office."

"She's coming with us."

"Let's go get her. I'll take her through."

Dipak crosses his arms. "Did you 2 take more wine?"

"IT'S MINE. I LICKED IT."

Thora gives him a dirty look. "ME TOO."

Drake cracks up laughing.

"Stop steeling their wine."

We shake our heads.

Dipak looks at King Nox. "We're leaving now before you end up with a wine shortage too."

Tye picks up the servant off the floor and throws her over his shoulder. Thora licks her wine bottle.

King Nox busts out laughing. "These 2 are hilarious."

Tye nods. "Yea they keep us busy."

Dipak agrees. "Yea, no wine is safe around them either."

Dipak makes us a door. The last of us step in.