Deals With the Devil

For Allison

“So what was your change to the deal?” Molly asked when they got to the King’s Office. King Seth instantly escaped to the bathroom hidden in the back, hoping to postpone the inevitable torture.

“You’ll see. Just run back to our room and find my camera. We can’t let King Seth get away without his picture being taken,” Adira replied softly, a smirk filling her face.

“What do you need me to do?” Matilda asked.

Adria’s smirk grew into a grin. “Can you set out all of your make up supplies on the floor? I believe King Seth is in need of a make over.”

“Of course he is!” Matilda giggled when she realized what Adira meant. “How did you manage to get him to agree to this?”

“Well, it was clearly the lesser of the two evils. Either I tell him no in front of everyone, which would destroy his reputation. Or, he would let his sister have some fun, which could ruin his reputation if it got out that the king wears make up.”

Matilda sprinted out of the room to grab her make up supplies. While she was waiting for her friends to return, Adira pushed King Seth’s desk and all the chairs to one side of the room so that they could all just sit on the floor. When Matilda returned, she began excitedly laying out her make up.

“I’m back!” Molly gasped as she ran back into the room and saw the mess of the floor; she knew exactly what was going to happen to King Seth. “Here’s the camera. Did I miss anything?”

“Not yet,” Matilda giggled before raising her voice. “But what my brother doesn’t realize is that the longer he stalls, the more likely it is that someone will see him.”

They heard a small crash and a muttered curse from the bathroom. A few moments later, King Seth stormed out of the bathroom. The three girls glanced at each other before bursting out in laughter. When he saw that his desk had been moved and all the make up on the floor, King Seth glared at each of them and angrily sat down in front of his sister.

“Let’s just get this done and over with,” he grumbled. Then he saw the camera in Molly’s hand. “No pictures. I did not agree to any pictures, Adira.”

“You have to suffer through at least one picture, Seth,” Matilda order. “Allison would have wanted a photo.”

“Who is Allison?” Molly asked, glancing up from the make up she was inspecting. She was impressed with Matilda’s collection.

“Out older sister. She died about six years ago,” King Seth whispered. Tears lined his eyes, although he quickly blinked them away. “She would have been behind this in a heartbeat.”

“Then we will get a picture just for her,” Adira insisted. “Now, shut up and let us do our jobs.”

King Seth sat silently while Matilda applied all sorts of make up on him. The only exception to this was when they tried to apply lip stick, but he refused to let them; he claimed it was crossing a line. He became restless whenever they heard someone walk past the door. They had barely finished with the final touch ups when they heard a knock on the door.

“Go away. I’m busy right now,” King Seth shouted, motioning for the girls to remain quiet.

“All the better. You will be needing a snack since you didn’t ask for any seconds,” Chef Ambrosia said cheerfully, pushing open the door with her hip. When she saw the grinning girls sitting happily on the floor, her smile brightened. But when she saw King Seth’s face, she almost dropped her tray of food from laughing so hard. “How did you manage this, Miss Matilda?”

“It was Adira’s change to the deal,” King Seth said with a scowl. “You are forbidden from telling another soul about this.”

“Of course, my Liege,” Chef Ambrosia said with a bow. “Girls, please tell me you are getting pictures of such an important event.”

“Of course we are,” Adira replied. “We can’t pass up such a good picture.”

Chef Ambrosia wished the four good luck and a wonderful evening as she placed the tray of food on King Seth’s desk. After she left, the girls took at least a dozen pictures of King Seth’s beautiful make up before helping him remove all of it. Then, they feasted on the snacks that Chef Ambrosia brought for them.