The Serf and the Soldier

by Holly Law

  “Technically, she had every right to speak to me like that,” Elara reminded him.

  “True, but she did not know that. Did what she say about your father bother you?”

  “Yes,” Elara confessed. “But only because I miss him. You didn't kill my father, Corden. Even if you led the attack that was not you. And the soldier who did was just doing as he was told to do.”

  “I'm sorry, Elara. If I can do anything to…”

  “It's done,” Elara cut him off. “The past can't change.”

  “I always thought your father was part of the reason you refused me.”

  “No, he has nothing to do with that.”

  They both ate in silence for a few minutes. “Perhaps after breakfast you would like to go for a walk through town with me? I would like to show you off the little bit I am able.”

  “I think I need a walk after this morning.”

  “Agreed.”

  “Let me get changed into my armor and we'll go out.”

  “Why would you get changed into your armor?”

  “Protection,” Corden explained. “I'm much harder to kill in my armor, and I have many enemies around here. As Viora's presence indicated, Brogden isn't as ignorant to my presence as I would like. Give me a couple of minutes.”

  Corden disappeared into the other room and Elara waited patiently. He came out once more dressed in his armor. His helmet was hanging from a loop on his belt. “Isn't all of that heavy?” Elara asked.

  Corden grinned. “You get used to it. Besides it keeps me in good shape. Let's get going.”

  Corden showed her outside and into the town. Seeing the town with Corden was a drastically different experience than it had been with her brother. People were very polite to Corden and frequently moved out of his way. Elara suspected it had to do with him being a Corscan soldier, but could not object. The town was a much friendlier place with him by her side. Corden did a very good job of keeping an eye on her, too. She never once felt nervous about losing him.

  She also found quickly that Corden was very free with his money. Elara made that discovery when they were looking at a small booth full of hair ornaments. There was a small clip with jeweled bird that looked absolutely adorable. “How cute!” Elara said, smiling at it. Corden, without pause gave the man who owned the stall some coins and put it in her hair. Elara was beyond startled.

  “Corden! I didn't…” Elara began.

  “Yes, you did want it,” Corden said dismissively. “You admired it, and I think it looks good on you. I see no reason you shouldn't have had it.”

  “But I don't want you to…”

  “Elara, don't even think of objecting to me spending money on you. I spent far more than that last night. Money has very little meaning to me.”

  “But that was so much!”

  Corden leaned over and whispered in her ear. “Less than pocket change or has it not occurred to you yet that I am the wealthiest man in the world?”

  Elara stared at him and Corden grinned. “I see it had not. I will buy you what I want, Elara. I see no harm in it.”

  Elara was very careful after that not to comment on anything in either a positive or a negative way. Corden realized that quickly and instead asked her what her opinion was of certain items he seemed to think she should like. She didn't always like the same things he did and had no problem telling him that. She quickly discovered the error in the doing that because when she didn't react strongly against something she found it bought and wrapped to be sent back to the inn.

  “I wish you would stop, Corden.”

  “You dislike what I have bought you?”

  “Well, no, but…”

  “Then you have no reason to object.”

  “I'm not trying to beg things off of you!”

  “Even if you were it would not matter. I think I enjoy spoiling you a bit. You take pleasure in such simple things. You make me sourly tempted to take you dress shopping.”

  “That would be a waste since I'm not going to be here longer than this afternoon.”

  “Elara,” Corden began and then paused “would you consider staying? Perhaps not as an engagement just yet, since you do not seem willing, but just to allow me the chance to court you properly. I can understand you not wanting to be taken in a battle, but would you object to me courting you as I would have any woman back home?”

  Elara hadn't fully expected the question and could not give him an answer instantly. His question was so genuine and he clearly was intent to make her more comfortable with him. After all, he had done for her Elara could not help considering his question for a moment.

  Elara shook her head. “No, Corden, I am not interested in you.”

  “Even though you are unlikely to ever get another offer?”

  Elara paused at that reminder. “I would rather not think about that.”

  “Elara, I know you dislike the idea of marrying a Corscan, but I know you are likely to change your mind eventually. Sooner or later, I don't know, but you will. Sooner would be far better for us. I am only here perhaps another month. After that, it is highly unlikely we will ever meet again. Even if you were to come to Silcor no one would let you near me. Once I am gone from Brogden reconsidering will not be an option. Forgive me if I force the topic a great deal, but I at least will regret if I return home without you for a wife. I don't like the thought of not seeing you again, but unless we are married that is unlikely.”

  “Will you at least come and say goodbye before you leave?” Elara asked, thrown off by that sudden bit of news. Corden had explained before that he had to be a soldier for only a set period of time, but she hadn't realized he would leave so promptly when the time came.

  Corden frowned. “I don't know if that will be possible. If I can yes, I will. I honestly hope to come and take you as a prisoner-bride when your village falls under Corscan control, but I have to go where I am needed.”

  “So I most likely will not see you again after this afternoon?” Elara asked and felt sad at the thought.

  “That is your choice.”

  “Just because I am unwilling to marry you doesn't mean I don't want you as a friend, Corden.”

  “Our difference in rank would make friendship impossible.”

  “And yet more is possible?”

  Corden let out a short humorless laugh. “Yes, you have stumbled upon one of the peculiarities of my present circumstance. I could return home with you as a wife and suffer no consequence and neither would you. My marrying a serf would be shrugged off as a sudden impulse, but you would be accepted. If I returned home and chose to continue having you as a friend both of us would be open to ridicule and worse.”

  “But if you're the…” Elara began and Corden's hard look made her pause. Elara grimaced at what she almost said publically. “I just don't understand why there would be any consequences for you if you are so high ranking.”

  “Yes, I suppose to a serf it would seem I could do whatever I wanted, with no questions asked. I depend on the support of the nobility. If I were to annoy too many of them I might find daggers at my back or poison in my food. I am not immune to what the opinions of the world are, even if I do not fully agree. I can work to change them slowly, nothing more.”

  “Your life sounds complicated.”

  “It is, but it has its perks.”

  “I could imagine.”

  Corden grinned at her. “I doubt that. The room at the inn is luxurious to you. I don't know if your imagination could conjure up a palace.”

  “Probably not,” Elara conceded. “I couldn't have even imagined a place like Velshire.”

  “Then I will hope you get a chance to see Silcor someday.”

  “It doesn't seem likely.”

  Corden made a face. “The serfs in your village will be moved, Elara, and you with them if they are still there. I would at very least make sure you were on my own personal land. Most of the land I own is in or near the capitol. I can promise you I will make sure you are in a ho
me more comfortable and easily farmed than you would normally find in the situation.”

  “I would rather stay where I was, Corden.”

  “I know, but it's a policy I won't ignore.”

  “But our home is all we know!”

  “I know that, Elara, I assure you I know that. This is not an easy situation for anyone. Can we find something more pleasant to discuss?”

  “Like what?”

  “Oh, I don't know. Are you hungry?”

  “A bit,” Elara confessed.

  “Then why don't we go back to the inn and you can get something to eat before your brother comes to get you.”

  They walked back to the inn together and Corden turned the conversation to lighter subjects. Elara was laughing by the time they reached the inn. He asked a serving girl to bring their lunch up and it was only a couple of steps behind them on the stairs. It was set on the table for them and Elara thought it looked delicious.

  They ate their meal together and Elara took care to remember the table manners Corden had taught her the day before. The nice dress seemed to encourage such thoughts. Elara wondered if the manners came from concern for the expensive clothing. She didn't voice that question to Corden, she doubted he would think so.

  “So what are you going to do first when you are back in Silcor?” Elara asked Corden politely. He spoke enough of Silcor that she knew he must miss it a great deal.

  “That would depend on whether or not a return with a wife,” Corden said with a mischievous grin.

  “Assume you don't,” Elara replied.

  Corden gave a short laugh. “Spend some time with my younger sister. We don't see each other that often. Or we haven't since I was fulfilling my duties as a young nobleman. We were close when we were younger and we still write each other often.”

  “How old is she?”

  “Salia is eleven—nearly twelve. She will be twelve by the time I'm home. I suppose I should get her something nice from Brogden.”

  “I didn't think your sister would be so young.”

  “I had two other siblings before her that died shortly after they were born. It would have been nicer to have a brother or sister closer to my own age. Fifteen years difference in age has often made us go in different directions.”

  Elara frowned then. “Wait, you're that old?”

  “Old? I am twenty-six. Our ages are not so different, Elara.”

  “I am only eighteen.”

  Corden looked a bit surprised at that. “I thought you a couple years older. But it makes little difference to me. What do you do for fun, Elara?”

  “Fun? I don't have a lot of time for that.”

  “I know, but you must have a little. What do you do to amuse yourself?”

  “There's a nice pond near the village. I go there and watch the water a bit. In the spring, there are always baby ducks who are curious enough to let me touch them.”

  “You like birds?”

  “I suppose I do. Doesn't everyone?”

  “No, some people hate them. If I remember correctly, Princesses Viora hates them. She was never one for animals.”

  “You don't share that opinion?”

  Corden grinned. “I share a common trait with some of the wealthier kings of the world. We tend to try to collect the most exotic animals we can find. Yes, I like animals. I've inherited one of the more impressive menageries in the world. Did you know there are cats that are as big as a man?”

  “No, I can't imagine a cat that big.”

  “Then I will hope that I can some day show you what you cannot imagine,” Corden sighed then. “Your brother should be by soon.”

  “I should probably get changed back into the dress I came in. I shouldn't travel in a dress like this.”

  “Do with the dress as you please,” Corden said dismissively.

  “I'm not going to ruin such a fine dress.”

  “It is a fine dress to a serf. You would seem only a merchant's daughter in Silcor dressed as you are.”

  “Then it's a good thing I'm a serf so I can continue to think of it as a fine dress.” Corden laughed.

  Elara went into the other room to get changed. It took her a minute of trying before she realized how important a maid was to a lady. She simply could not get out of the dress on her own. The strings were just out of reach. Elara sighed and stepped back into the other room.

  Corden looked at her a bit surprised. He was sitting at his desk reading over a paper, but looked at her when he heard the door open. “I thought you were going to get changed,” he commented.

  “I, uh, can't manage to get out of this dress,” Elara confessed in embarrassment. “I can't reach the strings.”

  Corden laughed and it was a truly amused laugh. Elara flushed in embarrassment all the more. “I'm sorry, Elara,” Corden apologized grinning. “Had I thought, I would have arranged for some help for you earlier.” Corden walked over to her. “Turn around.” Elara looked at him confused. “I can at least loosen them enough for you to wiggle out of them.”

  “That's not…” Elara began.

  “Elara, I saw most of your back when I was treating your wounds before. Turn around and let me help.”

  Elara sighed and did as he asked. Corden deftly undid the strings on the back of the dress. He also undid the corset strings underneath. “You didn't try to put anything on these for the scarring?” Corden asked her and his fingers dressed the scars that remained from her wounds. They were thin and barely noticeable, or so her mother claimed.

  “My mother didn't think it necessary. She said they were barely noticeable,” Elara replied, looking over her shoulder at him. Corden's eyes were intent on her back. His fingers continued to trace the scars.

  “A hair more than barely noticeable. Though they should fade more in a year or two, I suppose. You need to eat more,” Corden said abruptly.

  “I eat fine,” Elara replied.

  “These strings were barely tightened at all. You need more fat on you. I bet I could count every rib if I tried.” Corden's hands slid around the edges of the dress and rested on her ribs. Elara was shocked by the intimate touch.

  “Let go of me,” Elara said sharply.

  “As you wish,” Corden replied at once and removed his hands. Elara gave him a dark look and Corden colored briefly in embarrassment. Elara closed the door and managed to wiggle her way out of the fancy dress and back into her own. She laid out the dress carefully, not wanting to wrinkle so nice a piece of clothing. Just as carefully, she let down her hair before returning it to its normal braid. She looked at her reflection and found she looked completely unexceptional once more.

  She walked back into the other room and Corden looked very awkward for a moment. “I am sorry, Elara,” Corden apologized at once. “I should not have touched you like that. You trusted me, and I abused that trust. I am sorry.”

  Elara wasn't certain what to say. She felt as awkward as Corden looked. “I thought better of you than that, Corden.”

  “I thought better of myself as well. I am sorry, Elara. Perhaps it is for the best you are going today if you refuse to marry me. You would be too much of a temptation otherwise, and I am far too accustomed to getting what I want. I wish you no disrespect. I promise you, I will never touch you that way again.”

  “Thank you,” Elara said still feeling awkward.

  “You should eat more though, Elara. You are thinner than you should be. I'm going to worry about your health now.”

  “I eat as much as anyone else in my village,” Elara said dismissively.

  “Perhaps your village does not have enough to eat then.”

  There came a knock on the door. “I've come for my sister, Corscan,” Elara heard Lairk call from beyond the door. Corden winced at his voice and sighed.

  “You may enter, Lairk,” Corden replied. The door opened a moment later and Lairk entered the room. “I was just discussing with your sister that she doesn't seem to have had enough to eat. Is food in short-supply in your village?”
/>
  “We have what we need,” Lairk replied and looked at Elara with a frown. “Though Elara normally does not get her share. Mother seems to think she eats too much.”

  “Then I hope you can fix that opinion,” Corden replied. “She is far too skinny—unhealthily so.”

  “I'll see if I can talk to mother about it, but she tends to be a bit stubborn where Elara is concerned.”

  “If the soldiers who will be taking over your village eventually do not pass along to me a report that Elara has gained weight I will be very unhappy.”

  “I can't change my mother's decisions, Corscan,” Lairk replied with a bigger frown. “I look out for my sister the best I can, but our mother is a difficult woman to argue with. And she has always had her opinions about Elara.”

  “Good or bad?” Corden asked levelly.

  “Our family is none of your business.”

  “None of my business? I am concerned for you sister. It is hard enough letting her go without feeling I need to worry about her welfare.”

  “I'll be fine,” Elara told Corden earnestly.

  “We need to be going,” Lairk told her. “The others are waiting for us at the gate.”

  Elara nodded and moved towards the door. “You are forgetting your things,” Corden told her.

  “Corden, I…” Elara began.

  “Either you take them with you or I will discard them. I have no use for them. They were meant for you and I will not give them to another.”

  Elara sighed and nodded her head. She walked into the other room and carefully packed up all Corden had given her. She found her arms were full of items. When she walked back into the other room her brother looked surprised by all she carried.

  “Thank you,” Elara told Corden politely. Corden inclined his head silently to her. His eyes were torn and Elara didn't dare draw out their goodbye any longer. “Stop by and say hello before you go home.”

  “I will try,” Corden told her politely.

  “Good bye,” Elara said and was out of the room in an instant. Her brother followed her down the stairs.

  “You're really leaving?” Rushal asked at the bottom of the stairs. He was dressed in armor and his helmet was at his waist.

  “You thought I would stay?” Elara asked him surprised.