THE MOMENT
"They make such a ruckus," the King relayed his frustrations to the blonde assistant. They were in his chambers and it was still early morning, but the castle was already completely abuzz with activity. Andie wasn't his assistant, but she worked for someone who could help the King, for the right price.
"Do you have an idea how you got to this point?" she asked. Andie was a tall woman with voluminous blonde hair wearing a white housedress printed with blue stars. She stood nearby while the King was still in bed. He'd asked for an emergency, early appointment, and she obliged. She was there waiting for him when he woke up.
"The squires in training rescued a small goblin family from the Dark Lord's siege on their village, and allowed them to sleep in the barracks while their youngest recovered from an injury. I didn't learn about it until it was too late...," he shook his head.
"A common mistake for the youth," Andie giggled and shook her head. "How would you like things to be settled?" she asked.
"I would like to see things returned to normal," the King replied. His straightforward request was punctuated by cackling goblins wandering the courtyard. If it had been the first time that morning, the King might've assumed they were laughing at him. But Andie assured him it was a squad of goblins acting out military drills when the noise initially surprised him.
“Do you have any preferences on how we accomplish your objective?” Andie asked.
“As I peacefully as possible,” the King replied. “They're pests, but still citizens of the Kingdom. I simply need them to be citizens elsewhere.”
“We can arrange a village for them,” Andie nodded. “With appropriate funding. Naturally, that includes the moving fee.”
“Yes, yes, I expected as much. Just make the problem go away,” he said.
“Agreed, we're on the job.” She smiled as a tall black portal opened mid-air beside her. She stepped onto it, and it began to close around her as she gave a final summary. “Your castle will be back to normal by sundown. Excuse me while I arrange a team.”
The king sighed once he was alone. The morning sunlight was beginning to fill his chamber when someone walked in. She wore the elegant blue silk gown of a Court Advisor, but it was several sizes too large. The delicate material was dragged along the stone floor as she walked in, and she held a parchment in the material of her too-long sleeves, with much of the rest still hanging loose beyond her grip. Her stringy grey hair was haphazardly brushed in a single direction, and her face had bright colored splotches showcasing her failed makeup application.
“It’s time for your daily report, my lord,” she bowed low after explaining her presence in a raspy, high-pitched voice. But the King was more distracted by seeing her sickly green skin up close. Along with the ill-fitting gown, she was the picture of chaos. “So, the bad news, my lord, is that the castle is infested with goblins. The good news is, thanks to how adaptable goblins are, they have already developed a symbiotic relationship with the castle itself, assisting the staff in their tasks, alerting the guards to threats, and clearing out pests.”