The Serf and the Soldier

by Holly Law

  “You must be joking!” Lady Elisa exclaimed upon seeing Elara. “You can't really expect this unwashed serf to keep me company. Just look at her father.”

  “If you hadn't scared off your last maid you wouldn't have this problem. She is good enough to get you to the capital. Your uncle will find you someone better once you're there,” Lord Westor replied, clearly irritated by his daughter's response. “Now off with you. I don't expect to hear from you again until you've caught yourself a decent husband.”

  “This is completely unreasonable,” Lady Elisa sniffed in discontent.

  “You refused a perfectly fine offer of marriage. If you can't find a better match I'll disown you.”

  Lady Elisa pouted as she climbed onto her horse. A few minutes later, they were all on their way. Lady Elisa rode surrounded by guards and Elara was given the dubious privilege of riding on a horse beside her. Elara had never ridden a horse before and found it uncomfortable.

  Elara did not speak with Lady Elisa and looked ahead deliberately. It wasn't until they set up camp for the night that Lady Elisa spoke to her and then it was only to order her around.

  “Set up my tent!” Lady Elisa ordered her as soon as they stopped for the night.

  Elara looked at the tent supplies in dismay. It looked like a confusing mess of canvas, ropes, and poles. She had never seen a tent before in her life. She examined the pile for a few minutes before she attempted to try to get it up. She got no more than two poles up before it collapses on her. Frustrated, Elara tried again and achieved the same end result. After three more tries Elara kicked at the canvas.

  Thankfully, a few soldiers took pity on her and helped her with the difficult task of getting her tent set up just right. They made it seem so easy that Elara felt a bit depressed. No sooner was that done then she was ordered by Lady Elisa, “Find me something to eat! I'm starving!”

  Elara wordlessly complied. Every chore she was given was tedious and to Elara most of them also seemed pointless. How many times did someone really need their hair brushed? Elara was also given the dubious pleasure of having to sing Lady Elisa to sleep. Elara rarely sang and found it to be a painful chore. She was exhausted by the time she was ready to curl up in her blankets outside and sleep.

  “I don't envy you,” her brother commented as she laid down with a sigh. “She'll keep you hopping the whole way.”

  “Yes, she will,” Elara said sourly. “Do you have any idea how many times I had to brush every lock of her hair? A hundred! Isn't that ridiculous?”

  “Completely.”

  “I can't believe she expects people to treat her like this? Can't she do anything for herself?”

  “She probably could, but if she did it for herself she wouldn't be a noble woman.”

  “If you ever hear me wishing I was a noblewoman knock me upside the head.”

  “Gladly,” Lairk said with a laugh. “Get some sleep, Lara. It's going to be a long trip.”

  Corscan Soldiers

  The morning was filled with more pointless chores and if Elara had thought Lady Elisa demanded too much attention to her appearance at night it was doubly so during the day time. Lady Elisa refused to emerge from her tent until her appearance was perfect. Elara even tactfully tried to point out that the soldiers were not likely to care if she appeared in a way that was just a hair shy of her best.

  Lady Elisa had simply looked down her nose at her and said, “Well, they might not care about my appearance, but that doesn't mean my standards have changed. And who are you to lecture me on appearance? You're dressed in rags and haven't brushed your hair even once since we set out! Perhaps if you paid more attention to your appearance you would have been ineligible to be my maid. It's no wonder you're unmarried given your appearance.”

  It had taken all of Elara's self control to not tell Lady Elisa exactly what she thought of her. She had been grateful to be back on a horse once more and riding down the road. Or at least she was until Lady Elisa, clearly bored, began to talk to her. The soldiers were a respectful distance away and so Elara had no place to escape to.

  “How many boys do you have trying to court you in your village?” Lady Elisa asked abruptly.

  “Um, none,” Elara replied not certain why the aloof lady was speaking to her. She also wasn't certain what business Lady Elisa had asking the question.

  “What did you do to scare them all off?” the irritating lady asked with a smirk.

  “I…nothing. There are just many prettier than me in the village who can cook better. What did you do to scare off all the boys near the keep?”

  “I won't lower my standards to their level,” Lady Elisa said, sniffing. “Why should I marry a merchant when I'm a lady? I simply won't do it. They're fun enough to flirt with for sure, but I won't marry below me. That father thought I would was sickening. He even encouraged the senseless lout!”

  “There were no other lords chasing after you?”

  “How many lords do you know of in the area of Westfil Keep?” Lady Elisa asked her disdainfully. “We're on the outskirts of civilization. There was simply no one to meet. It's really very depressing, particularly when I hear all the gossips and goings on in the capital. Can you imagine a place full of nobility? It will be so wonderful!”

  “I can't say I can imagine, but I'll just be happy enough to be home.”

  “Even you should be able to appreciate Norval. There is bound to be someone desperate enough there to take you off of your parents' hands. Perhaps this trip will do them a favor, since you clearly have no prospects back home.”

  “I have plenty, thank you! Or I will just as soon as Lessie marries one so they'll all stop mooning after her.”

  “At least I have never been leftovers. I can get any man I want.”

  “I doubt that.”

  “Then I shall have to prove it to you.”

  “I'd rather you didn't.”

  “Let's see who shall I have fall hopelessly in love with me?” Lady Elisa looked around speculatively. “How about that one? He looks like he has some potential.” She gestured to show which soldier she meant. Elara laughed to see who she had gestured to. “You think I can't manage it?” Lady Elisa looked angry at the laughter.

  “That's my brother. Trust me, he won't have any interest you.”

  “Then this should be all the more interesting, now shouldn't it?” Lady Elisa rode forward then, leaving Elara alone. The lady rode straight to Lairk and seemed intent to engage him in conversation. Lairk looked at her as though she were the oddest thing he had ever seen. Elara could tell he answered Lady Elisa politely, but had no real interest. She knew he would prefer Lady Elisa left him alone. Eventually, Lady Elisa returned to her side with her brow furrowed. “Your brother is a very difficult man to engage.”

  “Only when you don't know him. Most people in the village find it difficult to get him to shut up once he starts talking.”

  “I have the rest of the trip to start him talking. He'll be wrapped around my finger by the time we get to the capital.”

  “I seriously doubt that.”

  “Then watch and learn. Or perhaps you would rather make a competition out of it? Choose a soldier. If you can get him to fall in love with you before I can get your brother completely smitten with me, I won't say another word on the matter.”

  Elara gave a short laugh. “Not interested. Find another way to amuse yourself, that is a game I won't play.” Elara stubbornly refused to have any more discussions with Lady Elisa all day. That put Lady Elisa in a foul temper. She was even more difficult to get to bed than the previous night and Elara was very thankful for the sleeping space away from the lady.

  “What was all that about today?” Lairk asked her as she curled up in the sheets.

  “All what about?” Elara asked with a yawn.

  “Why was Lady Elisa talking to me?”

  “Oh, that.” Elara made a face. “I told her I didn't believe she could get any man she wanted. She set out to prove me wrong. She chose you
to do so.”

  “Good grief, what a nuisance that girl is. I think the Corscans would be doing the world a favor if they captured her. Better still if they botched the job and killed her. She's more bother than she's worth.”

  “Agreed. How's life as a soldier?”

  “Easy so far. I don't think father is enjoying it though. He's been keeping to himself a lot.”

  “I noticed. Father has never really liked being around lots of other people.”

  “I don't think that's what's bothering him.”

  “Then what do you think it is?”

  “I think he's worried about the Corscans, honestly. We're going to be travelling on the edge of the territory they've been trying to invade for the past month. The soldiers think it likely we're going to run into some Corscan soldiers at some point. I think that worries father.”

  “That worries me too,” Elara admitted, making a face at the news. “I'd rather stay far away from Corscans. They're bad news.”

  “And very good soldiers. They conquered Marinal in less than three months and Marinal was known for its army.”

  “Hopefully, we'll get to the capital and back without incident. I never thought I'd ever have to worry about the Corscans. It's one thing to have nightmares about them, but something else all together to have a chance to really run into them.”

  “I know and honestly, I don't know how much good I would do against them. I don't think I'd be much of a protector for you against them. I think it's the thought of you being captured by the Corscans that worries father.”

  “I don't even want to think about that.”

  “Well, at least we both know any Corscan who tried to take you for a prisoner wife would be miserable for the rest of his life. His dinner would be burnt every night and he'd risk food poisoning with every meal.”

  “Lairk!”

  The next few days passed without incident. Lady Elisa settled for babbling on and on about the latest fashions to Elara, even though Elara rarely responded. That seemed to be fine for Lady Elisa, who was content to think everything she said was important. Lady Elisa had not given up on Lairk either. She spent at least a quarter of every day trying to get him to talk. Lady Elisa still insisted she could get whatever man she wanted, even with his stubborn refusal to acknowledge her presence.

  The road eventually left the familiar valleys and forests and headed into the rocky foot hills. Some of the ancient mountains had been cut away to make room for the narrow road that would lead them to Norval. The road went along a sloping, rocky edge that went down to a shallow river. The air was chillier in the mountains and Elara was grudgingly obliged to thank Lady Elisa for lending her a spare cloak. Elara rode huddled in the cloak and was not very happy when the soldier in charge of the party signaled them to halt. The air was cold and the wind made it unbearable.

  “Why are we stopping in this horrible weather?” Lady Elisa demanded from under her scarf. Elara doubted she could even feel the cold wrapped up as she was.

  “Something doesn't feel right,” the soldier informed her, watching the trail ahead warily. A faint frown was on his face.

  “Why?” Lady Elisa demanded.

  “I don't know. Just a feeling and my feelings are normally right.”

  “This is absurd! We're not stopping because you have a feeling. Keep going.”

  “I'm not cer…” the world erupted in a rain of rock and the ground shook. The horses reared in fright and Elara found herself thrown from the horse as sharp bits of rock showered her. A thick cloud of smoke filled the air and Elara cowered on the ground as she heard chaos around her.

  People were shouting and she heard her brother calling her name. She looked up and through the slowly thinning smoke she could see Lady Elisa trying to regain control of her horse. Elara saw two men making their way to her. Elara recognized both of them. It was her father and brother. Shaking, Elara climbed to her feet as the smoke cleared and the rain of rubble stopped.

  “What happened?” Elara demanded of the soldiers near her.

  “Are you alright?” her father asked her, ignoring her question. “I saw that horse throw you.”

  “Sore, but fine,” Elara assured him. “What was that?

  “I don't know, but I think we had best get out of here,” her brother said softly as the soldiers began to regroup around them.

  “Too late, I think,” her father said as all their ears perked to the sound of horses and men approaching quickly.

  The sound of jangling metal told Elara what was happening before she even caught a glimpse of the first enemy soldiers. They struck quickly before the soldiers protecting Lady Elisa could regroup. It was like some horrible nightmare come true. Elara had heard about Corscan soldiers her whole life and suddenly found thirty of them swarming the ten poor soldiers.

  Elara felt all breath leave her and could only stare in horror at the nightmare made real. The soldiers who came over the rise were every bit as terrifying as she had heard. Most came on foot. Shinning metal plates covered their padded clothing. Fierce designs were etched into both metal and cloth. Their helmets sent a deep chill through her.

  Those were legend. Each was designed specifically for the soldier and each was unique. Each helmet showed the face of an animal. Some were real animals, others legend, and others still arose out of the sculptors imagination. Each looked fierce and deadly. There were silvery fangs and inhuman muzzles. Some even had horns. The blades they bore were brightly polished and glinted in the light coming through the smoking rubble.

  The three that were on horseback were even more terrifying. The horses wore armor that made them look like horrible mythical beasts of metal and cloth. Sharp horns and spikes protruded from the armor and Elara had no doubt those horses knew how to use those spikes.

  Their riders had an even fiercer appearance and bore not only swords, but also foreign weapons she could not recognize. It was those weapons that led the attack.

  The weapons were roughly a forearm length long and were made of wood and metal. The soldiers on those horses pointed the weapons at soldiers around Elara and the ends exploded in a brief moment of flame. There were cries of pain from nearby soldiers as something tore into them. It went straight through the metal protecting their torsos. Elara saw two of the soldiers fall dead near her and screamed.

  Chaos followed. It was madness Elara found terrifying. Her father and brother pushed her behind them as the soldiers approached. The fighting was beyond her ability to take in and accept. The enemy soldiers were terrifying and more skilled than those who served Lord Westor. The soldiers protecting Elara and Lady Elisa fought desperately, but it seemed to be no use. They fell on the blades of the enemy soldiers and wounded no others. The desperation of the situation did not fully sink in until the worst happened.

  Elara watched as one of the sharp, glittering blades of a Corscan soldier sliced open her father's throat. “Father!” Elara cried as she saw him fall to the ground before her. The soldiers advanced forward with deadly skill.

  Lairk was forced from Elara's side in an effort to keep the enemy swords at bay. It was at that moment Elara saw Lady Elisa being cornered by several soldiers. She looked terrified as she was trapped against both cliff and ruined road. It simply couldn't be happening. Elara tried to get to Lady Elisa so they could at least be together in the madness.

  “Elara! Stay back!” her brother cried as he fended off the blades. His lack of skill was made up for by his desperation.

  “Lady Elisa needs me!” Elara told him. “I can't leave her alone.” She forced her way under blades of startled soldiers on both sides. She would help Lady Elisa.

  And then the horseman was before her. Elara hadn't noticed him forcing his way through the soldiers earlier to get to her. She looked up terrified at the massive horse that shimmered like some mythical beast. Its hooves churned rock and dirt on the ground. The rider was even more frightening. The detail on his armor was intricate, and she saw scenes of brutal battles fought on the etching
s. His mask was of some horrible sharp toothed creature that took the worst traits of both bear and wolf. Dark eyes surveyed her only a moment.

  In the next instant, Elara found herself pulled onto the horse roughly. It happened so quickly she couldn't even register it had happened at first. “Think you'll make a good wife, pretty one?” the soldier asked her softly.

  Elara completely panicked as the soldier tried to right her in the saddle. She kicked and scratched at both him and the horse. He seemed unaffected by her struggle and even killed a soldier as she struggled against him. In desperation, she gave the horses reins a sharp jerk. “Are you insane!” the soldier exclaimed as the horse turned violently “You'll get us both killed if you do things like that!”

  “Let me go!” Elara exclaimed as he tried to pull her hands away from the reigns.

  “I saved your life!” the soldier told her harshly in her ear. “Either I take you or you are killed today. Is that what you want?”

  Elara did not respond and got a hand free from his and jerked the reigns again. The horse reacted even more violently and the result that followed she hadn’t expected. The horse rammed directly into Lady Elisa's horse. Both horses lost their balance and they fell. At the first bump Elara knew what had gone horribly wrong. They fell not onto the road, but down the steep slope that led to the stream. On the second bump, Elara was thrown from the saddle. She tumbled and twisted on every rock. Every hit hurt.

  The Rider

  It took Elara several stunned moments before she could lift herself from the river. She looked around and saw Lady Elisa pulling herself from the river. Lady Elisa's horse did not rise from the river bank and Lady Elisa was a dirty, wet mess. Her fine clothes were torn and her cheeks were scraped and bleeding. Elara looked around and saw the Corscan soldier's horse pulling itself up. She did not immediately see the soldier.