by Lisa Daniels
We stayed in the small town where no man was willing to marry a bastard daughter, but they had plenty of other less savory offers for me as I matured.
That was why I had ended up, short hair and all, at the castle.
It was difficult to mask my figure, even in the castle clothing. Probably because the man assigning the outfits had intentionally given me something several sizes too small. My mother had taught me how to sew, so I had done the best I could to let out the areas that were too tight. Still, there was only so much that could be done when there wasn’t much extra cloth.
Those first few days weren’t so bad because I trained with the other female servants. Many of them also came from other small towns and villages, so most of us were new to the palace and did not know anyone else. It created a sense of comradery because we were all in the same unfamiliar situation. There was an air of uncertainty and lack of confidence in that first week that would bind us to each other in the beginning. People were nervously nice while trying to figure out who was friendly, and I was almost happy.
Almost.
As they began to get comfortable with each other, I increasingly stood out, and any hope that I would finally find a place where I felt I could belong was quickly squashed. I didn’t gossip. I didn’t preen or try to attract the attention of men who worked in the palace. Perhaps my biggest fault, though, was that I worked, and the other servants began to feel that I was making them look bad. I heard the whispers begin to grow the more I insisted on working. Despite being singled out because of my work ethic, I stuck to what my parents had told me. I still hoped that by working hard and keeping clear of anything questionable, I would not fall victim to some of the problems that a number of the servants encountered after the first few months. Many of them had snuck away with the men, their trysts rarely remaining secret for long. Within the first six months, two of them had been dismissed after they got pregnant. I never had to worry about this, and that contributed to the resentment among the other servants.
After a while, I started to get reassigned to new areas without any previous warning. My first position as a maid cleaning the halls lasted the longest, and it was easily the most enjoyable position I held in the beginning. Next, I was moved to working with the artisans, cleaning up behind the extreme messes they left in their respective work areas. When I refused to pose for them or remove my clothing for other activities, I was moved unceremoniously to work with the ladies-in-waiting. My time with them was the most unpleasant, but that was blessedly the shortest position I held. No matter how lecherous the artisans were, the ladies-in-waiting were just plain cruel. Having thoroughly offended them with my presence, I was moved out of their circle within a week.
That was when I ended up helping the cook. That got me out of sight of most of the men of the castle, at least most of the important ones. For the first time, I was just as happy as the majority of the women in the castle. That did not mean that I was completely in the clear, as the muttering voices outside my door indicated.
Making more noise than was necessary, I was giving them a warning sign that I was about to leave. Not that they realized that was what I was doing. To them it was a moment where I wasn’t perfect. The snickering as I heard their steps going down the hall let me know that it was alright to sigh without being overheard. Still biting my tongue, I left the room and headed to the kitchen, pushing the last stray hairs out of the way. After nearly a year, my hair was already past my shoulders, and I was beginning to contemplate whether I should cut it short again.
I should write Father before he starts to worry. My mind was already going through all of the important things I would need to do once the work for the day was done. My father was always one of the first things to come to mind. I cared about my mother, but I clearly had not gotten much more than my looks from her. She was sweet, flighty, flirty, and cheerful. Delightful to have around, I knew that she did not think about me much when I wasn’t around. She simply wasn’t bright enough to think about things that weren’t immediately in front of her. My mother was barely literate, so trying to read a letter would have been more of an annoyance for her. My father would share what he felt was important, and that would be enough for my mother. And I would be very selective about what I told my father. There was a lot that I did not tell him because I did not want him to feel guilty about my situation. Instead, I would color my letter to sound like everything was going great and that I was learning a lot. This would be enough to protect him
As soon as I stepped into the kitchen, I put all thoughts of my personal life aside and started thinking about what I needed to do. It was still a few hours before many of the inhabitants would start to stir, let alone want their breakfast, but there was plenty to do while they slept. No food was ever saved from the previous day, which meant we started from scratch every morning.
I had finished tying my apron on when I heard the huffing and puffing of the main cook. Turning around, I saw her round face appear in the doorway. She leaned against the frame, her body shaking a little.
“Sorry,” she panted at me.
“It’s alright, Mrs. Teasdon. You didn’t need to hurry. I can get everything started and you can sit down.” I moved over toward her and pulled out the closest chair.
Shaking her head, she said, “I know that, my dear. You are quite the little worker.” Moving forward, Mrs. Teasdon sat down as she continued to try to catch her breath. “I wasn’t apologizing for relying on you.”
I smiled at her. Of all the people in the palace, she was the only one who had been nice to me based on my abilities. Most of the other servants in the kitchen were terrified of her, and she would never allow them to see her like she was at that moment. It showed just how comfortable the main cook was with me, and I fully appreciated it.
When she had caught her breath, she looked up at me. “I know about what the girls were trying to do to you.”
I simply looked at her, a small smile on my face.
Wiping her forehead, she continued, “I heard them talking on my way here, and it isn’t just some little prank. At this point, I think that the best way to proceed is to get you out of the palace entirely.”
This was not what I wanted to hear. Where was I supposed to go if I didn’t work in the palace? My smile was faltering. Forcing my lips back into a smile, I tried to reassure her, “It will be fine Mrs. Teasdon. I can handle them.”
“No, dear, I don’t want to see just how wrong things could go. Those girls are far more foolish, and I will see them severely punished. However, for now, I am going to have you transferred.”
“But—”
Putting on her stern face and pulling herself up to her full height, Mrs. Teasdon started to treat me like she did the others. “It has already been done.”
I flinched at the tone in her voice. It was impossible to fight with her when she adapted that tone—her voice was like the sound of a cell door slamming shut.
Immediately the main cook looked sorry, and she patted my shoulder. “It is temporary, I promise. Once those girls are put in their place, you can come back.”
I gave a little nod as my eyes stared down at the floor. Temporary changes in the castle always meant that a person would be removed from the palace. As much as I wanted to trust Mrs. Teasdon, it was impossible not to feel that perhaps even she felt like I was more trouble than I was worth.
Before either of us said anything else, I heard the sounds of heavy steps on the stairs coming down from the upper chambers. A stern voice spoke from the door way. “Where is she, Mrs. Teasdon? Where is this ideal helper you have thrust on me? Or do I have to wait for the lout to wake up first?” There was no humor or kindness in that voice.
Turning my head slowly, I took in one of the most intimidating figures I had ever seen. Standing there in the doorway was the captain of the guards, and he was every bit as stern and commanding as I had heard. My heart stopped and my stomach dropped. Is this where Mrs. Teasdon had decided to stick me? Just what c
ould a servant do for the guard? I knew that things were about to get a whole lot worse. His eyes were a deep blue that reminded me of the sky on a cold day. He was much thinner and a bit shorter than I had expected, but there was no way anyone could match up to their reputations. Especially someone as well known and feared as the captain of the guards.
Mrs. Teasdon had on her business expression. “She is right here and ready to go with you.” Her hand yanked the bow of my apron, then pulled the thing off of me.
I wanted to protest, to say that I needed more time or that I was in the middle of making something and it would have to wait. Unfortunately for me, it was obvious that I hadn’t started anything. There was no other excuse to ask for more time.
His eyes turned to me, his thin face almost pretty in the fire light. Appraising me, he looked over at Mrs. Teasdon. “Surely this is a joke.”
“Do I look like the kind to joke, Master Falmen?” It was not a question—she was letting him know that she was offended by his comment.
“My apologies,” he gave a slight bow. “One look at her, though, and it is obvious that she has never worked outside of the palace. I am not sure how she is supposed to benefit me, apart from distracting my men.”
Mrs. Teasdon nodded, “That was exactly my first thought when I saw her, and—well, here she is, ready to work even before I arrived. Giving her to you is certainly not my first choice, but right now it is necessary. Don’t worry, once I get everything settled, I will want her back. Gods know I’m not going to live forever, and I need someone who can take over for me once the inevitable happens. I dare say it is going to be important within the next few years.”
The captain looked at her, “Are you planning on leaving us?”
Giving a wave of her hand, Mrs. Teasdon moved over to the larder, “I don’t think that death is going to wait for my approval. If I can have a few years on my own, so much the better.”
I thought I saw a faint smile pass over the captain’s lips, but it could have just been the flickering of the lights. “If she is so valuable to you, why are you sending her away?”
A very stern look crossed the cook’s face as she strode over to the counter and placed several large slabs of meat down on it. “Once upon a time, I helped you, and you refused to answer any questions. Consider this repayment.”
This clearly did not sit well with the captain, but it also shut him up. He scowled at me when he finally started talking, “Do you know anything about being a guard?”
“No, sir.”
“Do you know anything about weapons?”
“Nothing, sir.”
He pursed his lips, “You have an accent. Are you from the north?”
“Yes, sir. A little town called Ridenbach.”
“I take it that means you do not know the laws of the city.”
“Not beyond the usual. Don’t steal. Don’t kill.”
The captain clenched his teeth. His eyes remained on me, but his words were directed at Mrs. Teasdon, “I have no idea how to use her.”
With a quick wave of her hand, the cook dismissed the problem. “She’s very capable. Her abilities in the kitchen were limited in the early days. I have no doubt that by the end of the day, you will have found a use for her.”
The captain remained almost motionless as he considered just what he was supposed to do with a servant who had no experience in his line of work. At no other time since my arrival at the palace had I felt incompetent. I could not fault his obvious reluctance to use me. With one of the most important jobs in the city, he had to keep the peace. Trying to figure out how to use a woman who had no idea about what the job entailed was certainly much more of a burden. I had always been able to quickly prove myself, but in this case, I had no idea what was needed, let alone how to go about doing it. What did I know of anything in that world outside the palace? Cleaning was one thing, but going out on the streets was something I had never had to do since coming to the city. The idea of being on the streets terrified me, and that alone I knew would make me more of a hinderance than a help.
When there was no response to her words, Mrs. Teasdon looked over at the captain, “I know for a fact that you don’t have a runner. It doesn’t matter if she doesn’t have a uniform, she can serve the purpose very well. She’s also very competent and does not mince words. If you need someone to deliver messages, you have the perfect candidate right in front of you until you can replace the last fellow.”
“But she is a woman. There are rules against them being in the guard, as you are well aware.”
“Then make sure everyone knows that she is just on loan for now. I do plan to take her back, so don’t go getting attached.” After this, the cook turned her back on us to close the discussion.
Pursing his lips again, the captain clearly wanted to say something else. Unable to find anything, though, he simply turned his cold blue eyes on me. With a wave of his hand and a sigh that was barely audible, he let me know that he had lost. I was to follow him. He did not look back to make sure I was following him, leaving it up to me to try to catch up and keep up with his incredibly rapid gait. I was several inches shorter than him, but his legs were clearly more powerful than mine as each step seemed to take him further and further away, no matter how quickly I pressed myself to keep up. Soon I was all but running as he went down some winding stairs.
That would hardly be the worst thing to happen that morning. Captain Falmen didn’t bother to introduce me to anyone, and most of the time he ignored me entirely. Standing around wondering just what I was supposed to do, I tried to blend in with the walls as much as possible. The best I could do was observe to see if I could pick up anything of what was going on as men came and went at a pace that I thought was impossible to track. I would have tried to clean up, but the place was spotless. That came as a shock, but I knew to keep my mouth shut. It wouldn’t have been surprising if they had their own servants. Or more likely, the captain probably made the men keep the place clean. His control over the people was even more impressive than Mrs. Teasdon’s control in the kitchen.
Captain Falmen quickly dispatched men with each report and summoned servants who were much higher up than I was to do tasks that I did not even realize were part of a servant’s job.
Not more than two hours had passed when a tall man came charging in, and whatever he said made very little sense to me. The only words I caught were criminal, courtyard, and shifter, none of which meant anything in the world I had inhabited for the last year or so.
But the man had barely finished talking when the captain was on his feet. It was only when he reached the door that he turned to look at me. “Well?”
Confused, I simply said, “Sir?”
“Don’t just stand there. I may have use for a runner.”
“Oh, alright.” I had no idea what a runner was or what I could possibly do without a basic understanding of the job he was suggesting. Judging by the name and what Mrs. Teasdon had said, I would be responsible for running messages. But how did that relate to a criminal who had managed to get so close to the palace? Someone who had managed to reach the courtyard? The one thing that was certain was that I was not going to get a chance to ask questions. I tore off after the captain, but quickly fell far behind as he ran at full speed.
The guards' station was a long way from the courtyard, so by the time I finally caught up, I had missed a lot. The scene that greeted my eyes was terrifying, and I knew then that I would not be able to last in this position.
The captain and a few of his men were standing in a semi-circle around a man who immediately caught my eye. He was absolutely stunning, as if he were an angel fallen into the middle of these armed men. Whatever he looked like, though, it was clear that his intentions were anything but honorable. In his arm was a woman who looked absolutely terrified. I had no idea what had happened or how any of them had come to be there, but it was clear that things had gone very wrong before I got there. Moving as close as I dared, I watched the scene unfold,
my heart in my throat the entire time.
The gorgeous man was smirking at all of us as he spoke, “A lowlife such as myself would be more than happy to sacrifice someone for his own safety. That is why the burden is all on you to call them off and let us go. Including your prized prisoner.”
There was something in his voice that told me there was something else going on, something that was not obvious. My eyes moved up and to my horror there were guards pushing a gargoyle forward, as if they planned to push it onto the two people below them.
They wouldn’t, I thought. It would kill anyone, and judging by what the man had just said, the woman he was holding was not a part of whatever was happening. I was about to say something when the captain responded.
“I have no time to go saving every fool who ambles into danger. My job is to capture criminals like you.” With a small nod of his head, the world seemed to go in slow motion. The guards pushed the gargoyle so that it tilted over the edge. The woman looked terrified as the man shifted her body in front of him. I opened my mouth to shout, but someone beat me to it.
“Don’t you dare, Falmen. Don’t you dare! If you go through with it, I swear it will be the last thing you do as captain!”
I had no idea who spoke because my eyes could not tear themselves away from the horrible sight in front of me.
The gorgeous man simply laughed, and I thought he probably did not know what was literally about to hit him. He was looking directly at the captain when he spoke, his mouth next to his victim’s ear, “Ah, sweetheart, just what kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into?” His expression suddenly changed, and he whispered something to the woman in his arms. His body moved a little, and for a second, I could have sworn he was doing it to shield her. Maybe she wasn’t a victim, but an accomplice. I had no idea what their relationship was, and I was not going to ask any of the guards about it.
