Princess Domeriette
Bagsy’s Mission - 2014
THE CAST:
Princess Domeriette/Domi, The Captain of the Guards
Domi skipped into the main library of the Palace of Ancestors chattering to her toy animal, Bagsy. The young Princess appeared to have boundless energy, much like any four-year-old Vercetian. Lessons were over for the day; time to play magical games.
She went straight to her favourite book – Princess Domeriette’s Big Gift Book – hoping she would have a present inside. These books were birth presents every Vercetian child was given, containing hollowed out spaces in the pages where small presents could be left. Every time they opened the gift book a new story would be programmed, so it was always magical. But occasionally, there was a present. That’s when it got exciting. Domi hadn’t had a gift for ages. It had only been a week, but to her, it felt like forever.
She put the tome on her reading table and opened it slowly. Peeking in, she could see something in the hollowed out area.
‘We’ve got two presents Bagsy, but what are they and what do we do with them?’ The young Princess gingerly removed the first one. It was a small silver tube with no way of getting into it. Her touch set a little green light flashing. The second was an Envogram key. She knew what this was. Bakta the Overseer had shown her one the other week. By pressing a button, the light would flash, and the Envogram would open, revealing a message. Unimpressed, she put them both down and started reading the new story.
‘Princess…’
Princess Domeriette picked up the small silver tube again and stood up. ‘It’s a tiny treasure chest, Bagsy,’ she said, turning it over and over in her fingers. ‘Perhaps it will fit into your tummy.’ She undid the small zip that allowed access into Bagsy’s secret compartment. The silver tube fitted perfectly. ‘We can leave it there until we find out who knows the secret of Bagsy’s treasure.’ She slipped the key into her pocket and, grabbing her toy by its front legs, skipped toward the Pre-eminent Chamber, hoping to visit Bana Domeriette, her High Council counterpart.
She approached the Chamber security zone surrounding the High Councillor’s meeting room, and prepared to play dodge with the guards. The guards made pretend lunges for her, with Domi squealing trying to evade them. The captain of the guards stopped the Princess’s little game.
‘The High Council are in session, Princess,’ he said. ‘Can you come back later?’
Her shoulders dropped. ‘Oh, okay then.’ Dejected, she started to turn away. But a thought struck her and she turned back, imploring the captain, ‘Bagsy can help them. I’ll put him on one of the seats. I’ll be quiet.’
‘No,’ the captain replied.
‘Can I put him by the door then?’
‘Okay, then. But don’t open it,’ he said, ‘and go through the scanner.’
‘Thank you.’
But Domi’s passage through the scanner set the alarms off. Within moments, six guards surrounded her.
‘Princess,’ the captain asked, ‘what do you have that would set our alarms off?’
‘Nothing, Captain,’ she replied. ‘Just me and Bagsy.’
‘The key…’
‘Wait.’ She reached into her pocket and pulled out the key. ‘Would it be this?’
‘Yes,’ said the captain. ‘That would be it. Put it back in your pocket and be quick.’
The little Princess tiptoed to the door and left Bagsy guarding the entrance.
She passed back through the guard checkpoint with a smile of thanks for the captain and danced over the connecting bridge, leaving the South Tower behind to return to the library.
Thirty seconds later the proximity sensor on the device the Princess had secreted inside her toy was triggered. The minuscule particle of grey matter was no longer in suspension.
Back in the library, Princess Domeriette felt the whole building shake. Through the window she saw the South Tower and the connecting bridge crashing to the courtyard below.
‘Well done, Domi. Now go play.’
With no small amount of annoyance, she put her hands on her hips. ‘Oh dear,’ she said, ‘my poor Bagsy.’ She stomped to her toy box, rummaged about and chose a white wolf-dog with dark flecks on its coat. ‘You’ll do. I think I’m going to call you… Krankel.’