The Serf and the Soldier

by Holly Law

  Silcor

  The gates of Silcor were very well fortified and guarded. Elara was not the only one to seek entry and so was forced to wait in line. Those who were richly dressed and clearly nobility were allowed to pass to the front of the line and were allowed in instantly. When Elara reached the front of line she was unprepared for the questions she was asked.

  “What business do you have in, Silcor?” a brisk guard asked her.

  “I'm looking for my husband. He…”

  “What's your name?”

  “Elara.”

  “What's your husband's profession?”

  “He's a soldier…he…”

  “Go through. Next!” Elara found herself through the gate before she could even realize her mistakes. She had not given her newly acquired last name or even thought quickly enough to give Corden's true profession. Desperately she looked around for another soldier. She found two standing near the gate laughing at some joke one of them had told.

  Elara hesitantly approached them. “Excuse me,” Elara said hesitantly. The two looked at her and Elara still found Corscan soldiers imposing in their armor. “I was with a party attacked in the dessert. I was separated from them. Have you seen a group of soldiers come through here in the past few days?”

  “Can't say we have,” one of the soldiers said removing his helmet noting she looked uneasy. “But we just came off a few days of leave. Taken prisoner up north, huh?”

  “Yes,” Elara said simply.

  “That will make it more difficult then. You're certain the rest of them survived?”

  “Yes, or I hope so at least.”

  “Do you know who he served under?”

  “No,” Elara said confused by the question.

  “Even harder then. See, I'd tell you to check at his assigned barracks, but you have to know which one.”

  “I don't know anything like that. He said he was done serving, that's why he was coming back.”

  “Ah, some young lord then, huh? Humph. You're in a bind,” the soldier said, crossing his arms and looking at her thoughtfully. “He'd likely be in the City of the Lord's, but they're not going to just let you in there without an escort—even claiming to be the wife of a lord. What was his name? I have some ways to get in touch with a few of them who were friends when they were soldiers maybe they could help.”

  “Corden Daliscas.”

  “Cor…” both the soldiers swore.”You're joking right? But you wouldn't joke with a name like that. Didn't even fool around with the business of the required niceties.” The soldier looked into the building then and shouted. “Captain! We need you out here!”

  A moment later, a higher ranking soldier came out with his helmet in hand. He surveyed the three of them. “What seems to be the trouble?” he asked in a gruff tone. He was older than the other soldiers with heavily graying hair and a scar lined face. The soldiers quickly explained the situation to their superior. The captain ran his hand through his hair in thought afterwards.

  “The king did return, day before last. They didn't stop at the gate, but there were signs the road had been hard for them. Rumors have been flying they were attacked and lost one of their party. More than that, I don't know. You're certain of the name you gave?”

  “Yes,” Elara said confidently.

  “It will be difficult to contact the king about this. Messages from ordinary soldiers don't normally get to him. They are handled by his secretaries. The best we can do is pass a message up through the ranks and hope it gets to him.”

  “How long will that take?”

  “Days most likely. Maybe a week at most. And you can only hope it gets to him. Some of his closer aides won't like that he married a foreigner and one likely of lower rank. But we'll do our best.”

  “Thank you, but what should I do until you get an answer? Where should I go? I don't know Silcor at all. I don't even know Corsca.”

  “Good question,” the captain grunted. “What to do with the queen of Corsca? This is a mess to be sure.”

  “My sister said her neighbor has been looking for someone to help clean up the house and the shop,” one of the soldiers spoke up. “They're a nice sort. They'd probably be willing to take her in.”

  “It will do. You willing to do that, girl—what is your name anyway?”

  “Elara, and yes, I am.”

  “Right. I'll remember that. You, uh, haven't been crowned yet?”

  “No.He said that would happen when we arrived in Silcor.”

  “Then, Elara Daliscas, we shall try our hardest to help you. Eren, take her to this neighbor of yours and then get back here. We have more to figure out.”

  “Yes, sir!” the soldier saluted sharply.

  Elara followed the soldier through what felt like miles of city. The streets were busy and she almost lost him several times, but he was considerate and kept an eye out for her. The shopping centers were insane and much of what they sold was beyond her imagination. Elara was led to one of the streets just off one of the major shopping centers and into a small shop.

  The inside was not overly large, but it had a warm and welcome environment that did not reflect the busy chaos outside. A finely carved wooden counter ran along the front of the room and a wall carved with ornate, swirling flower designs blocked most of the shop from view. It was a neat, orderly place and the fine glass windows brightened it up considerably.

  “Ho, Turbek, you in?” the soldier called to the back room.

  “Is that Eren I hear?” a friendly, male voice called. A man in a white smock that was slightly smudged came into the front of the building. He was a larger man with a mostly bald head that was fringed with white. He had a large smile that was reflected in his dark eyes. “So it is!” He shoved a tool into a pocket of his apron. Elara noted there were many unusual tools kept there. She wondered what Turbek did. “How can I be of service?”

  “You and Vasi still looking for a helper?” Eren asked. “This one showed up at the gate today and she could use the work.”

  “I could still use a helper,” Turbek admitted looking at Elara curiously. “But since when do soldiers find others employment?”

  “She showed up at the gate with an interesting story. The short of it is she got separated from her husband who lives in the City of Lords and can't get in there to see him. Too recently wed to be recognized—taken as a prisoner bride in the war, I suspect. It will take us a few days to get things straightened out. It will be difficult given who she claims her husband is. We might not get word to him at all.”

  “Who?” Turbek asked, curiously.

  “An ex-apprentice of yours.”

  Turbek raised his eye brows and looked at Elara skeptically. “You don't say? One way to know for sure I suppose. Girl, did your husband ever tell you what trade he was apprenticed to?”

  “He said a woodcarver,” Elara said promptly and suddenly understood everything she saw around her. “He was always whittling little things when he was bored.” Then remembering what he had given her so long ago. Elara pulled one of the beautifully carved little animals from her pocket. Turbek took it and examined it.

  “That's the boy's work alright. He had talent. Definitely had talent,” Turbek said, handing it back to her. “What's your name?”

  “Elara.”

  “Well, Elara Daliscas, you are welcome here until this mess gets figured out if you're willing to work. Let me see your hands.”

  Elara held out her hands, confused by the request. Turbek examined them and then said in a definite tone, “Serf.”

  “Yes.” Elara was surprised by the quick identification. She didn't know how her hands had given that away.

  “You'll work hard enough then. You might be here awhile. I rarely can even get word to the boy and I know him. I'll take her and give her room and board, Eren. If you get news bring it here.”

  “Thank you, Turbek,” Eren said, looking relieved.

  “Get back to your post before you get in trouble. This way, girl,” Turbe
k said, going back into the rest of the building.

  Elara followed hesitantly. The room beyond was a large workshop fall of saw dust and chips of wood. There were tables covered in current projects. Half finished chairs hung against the walls. A cabinet without doors rested against another wall. There was a wall where various sharp and dangerous looking implements stood.

  “Alright, you will be mainly responsible for cleaning this room. But let's get you upstairs so you can meet Vasi and the girls.” Elara found herself led up a tightly spiraling staircase and into a cozy upstairs apartment. Every bit of wood was beautifully carved and the details overwhelmed her so much she didn't initially see the carpenter's wife and two children.

  “Who's this you have with you?” the woman asked, smiling. She had sleek black hair that was just slightly streaked with a few gray hairs. She was a pretty woman with a welcoming face. She was currently scrubbing a bit of smudged dirt off of one of her two twin daughters' face.

  “Corden's wife,” Turbek told his wife cheerfully. “Pretty little thing, isn't she?”

  His wife gasped and stared at her. “Corden got married? When? I didn't hear? Is he coming up too? Oh, I wish I had known he was coming I would have made…”

  “She got separated from him outside the city somehow,” Turbek cut his wife off. “Some of the soldiers at the gate are trying to get in touch with him. She needs a place to stay and something to occupy herself with until they can manage that. Think she'll do for a helper, Vasi?”

  “Oh, of course! Poor thing, yes of course she'll work. But she looks like she needs rest for now and food.” Vasi was up in a heartbeat and had out a loaf of bread and lump of creamy cheese. She was poured a cup of warm water from a nearby pitcher. “There, eat your fill and tell us how you got separated from him.”

  Elara was so hungry it was difficult to tell the story and eat at the same time. She explained the best she could and Vasi gave her a comforting hug when she finished. “You poor thing. It's amazing you're as calm as you are. Had you been married long? I hadn't heard anything about it yet and this would be the biggest news in Corsca.”

  “We were married the day before we started heading to Corsca roughly three months ago.”

  “I hadn't heard anything about him courting anyone had you, Turbek?” Vasi asked as she started on the bread dough for the morning.

  “Hadn't heard a thing.” Turbek frowned then. “He didn't take you during a battle, did he? Boy always swore he'd never do that.”

  “Yes, but it's a bit more complicated. I got away from him, you see. Knocked him and his poor horse off a cliff trying to get away. I saved his life and he agreed to let me go. We remained friends and I agreed to marry him a few months later.”

  Turbek laughed. “You must have really caught his eye then. He never liked the idea of taking female prisoners as wives. He swore for the longest time he'd get rid of the custom.”

  “He never mentioned anything like that to me,” Elara confessed.

  “He wouldn't if he had changed his mind. He always disliked it when people contradicted themselves. Bet he was eating those words after he pulled you onto that horse of his.”

  “I don't know if he had much time to think about that. I managed to knock both of us, his horse, and a lady off the cliff.”

  Turbek laughed all the louder and slapped his thigh as he sat down. “I always knew Corden would find a spirited wife. Tell us the tale, girl, if you're not too tired. I'd like to know how this boy landed himself a wife.”

  Elara had never had tell the story of how she had met Corden before and found it awkward to explain. It was not a very believable tale, but the carpenter and his family listened. The two seven year old girls listened intently. They asked all sorts of questions about Corden. Elara could tell they were very fond of him. When she finished they looked at her for a moment.

  “Corden never did go about things in the most straightforward way,” Vasi observed. “I Wish I could have been there for that ceremony though. It's like I didn't get to see our son married.”

  “Agreed,” Turbek grunted. “Corden was like one of the family.”

  “He seemed to have fond memories of being your apprentice,” Elara noted. “I think he missed it.”

  “You wouldn't have thought that when he first arrived here,” Vasi said with a smile. “You would have thought it was the worst place he had ever been. He had spent two years being completely miserable as a serf. He was completely inept was what I heard. Then a couple of months recuperating from the ordeal in the palace and being waited on hand and foot again before he showed up on our doorstep.”

  “For about a month, I thought it had been a mistake to take him on,” Turbek told her, leaning back in his chair. “Couldn't really do anything with the wood. It frustrated him immensely. I was almost set to turn him out he was so useless. But then Corilee here got sick and he volunteered to stay up the whole night with her. Practiced his whittling then trying to make her favorite animals out of scraps of wood.”

  “I still have them,” Corilee said cheerfully. “Though they don't really look much like animals.”

  “They didn't, but they worked for you at the time. It got his heart into it and he tripled his efforts and before another month was out he was the best apprentice I ever had. If he had been born differently he would have become a master a year after completing his apprenticeship. I’m certain of that. Some of his works were already at that level by the end.”

  “I've only seen his little carvings,” Elara confessed fingering a small deer shaped piece of wood.

  “The details on those say much for him. When you get to the palace some day, he keeps a table her made in his room. A very beautiful table. Excellent wood work and a fine staining job. Fit for a king in all honesty.”

  “I'll have to ask him about it when I see him again.”

  Vasi looked out the window. “Oh, look at the time! We've kept you up so late talking. You're tired from this whole ordeal. Let's get you into bed. You can have the apprentice room. Come on. I'll get the bed all set up for you.”

  The apprentice room was very small and there wasn't room for much besides the bed, which was built into the wall. Elara watched as Vasi made it. She had tried to help, but Vasi had hit her hands away insisting that Elara could wait until the morning to work. Elara had never appreciated a bed with clean sheets so much before. It felt like an eternity since she had last been in a bed. She hugged her pillow feeling content. Everything would work out. She just knew it.

  Elara woke the following morning still feeling content and safe. She felt very optimistic about things when she emerged from the small room. She found Vasi working on breakfast. Vasi smiled at her. “Sleep well?” Vasi asked.

  “Yes, ma'am, thank you.”

  “Think you could help me with breakfast?”

  “I could, but I should warn you my cooking tends to go horribly wrong.”

  “That's alright. You won't get better unless you practice. I'll keep an eye on you and see what I could do to help.”

  Elara worked on several tasks in the kitchen. Vasi had several suggestions to improve her on all of them. Elara's mother had never taken the time to fully instruct her as Vasi was and it was an uplifting experience when the meal actually tasted good. It received no comments good or bad, but no bad comments made it worthwhile all by itself. She cleaned the dishes without being asked and Vasi was soon there to help her as were the two girls, Corilee and Marilee.

  After breakfast was all cleaned up they, took her downstairs and started showing her how to clean the room. Elara sneezed a lot in the process, but it wasn't too bad. Turbek didn't spare a lot of words for her, but he was clearly very busy with his work. The room seemed to defy a thorough cleaning because of his work, but it was very much improved by the end of the day. She was glad to be upstairs for another meal. It was after dinner that Turbek pulled out a wooden game set he had made. It wasn't familiar to Elara, but she hadn't even heard of very many games. Turbek prided h
imself on it being his own invention. She wasn't very good at it, but they all laughed and enjoyed themselves.

  Lord Koldre

  It was a week later when Elara received word from not only Eren, but his captain, a man she learned was named Arik. They showed up at the shop looking grim. The smile she had on her face when she learned of their arrival disappeared instantly.

  “The message got as far as his advisor, a man named Lord Koldre. Koldre stopped the letter and let it go no further. He sent it back saying it was ridiculous and he had never heard of such a woman. He would not pass it on,” Arik told her heavily.

  “But…” Elara began with tears in her eyes. “I don't understand. Wouldn't Corden have mentioned me?” Vasi reached out and hugged her reassuringly.

  “Undoubtedly,” Arik agreed looking tired. “I've heard rumors about you since then. I know your tale is true. Everyone is saying the king lost a recent wife on the trip home. They've even spread around a name and yours matches right enough without you even knowing the tale first.”

  “Then why would this Lord Koldre say he hadn't heard of me? I just don't understand.”

  “I've heard of this Lord Koldre. He always had his own ideas on what the monarchy should and should not be doing. Undoubtedly, marrying a serf is on the not doing list. It was well known he was pushing the king to marry Lady Isillia before he went off to war and is doing so again.”

  “But Corden is married!”

  “I know and from what I hear this sorry excuse for a lord has had poor results,” Arik shook his head looking disgusted. “We won't be able to get any word to the king. It would have to go through Koldre. I'm sorry, Elara, we have done all we can to help you.”

  “This can't be,” Elara sniffed. “You mean I'm trapped so close to him and will never get any closer? He took me three month's from my home, and I'll never even get to tell him I'm here and alive when I'm only hours from him?”