by Robin Roseau
“Good.” I turned to the major. “Did we need to discuss anything further?”
“No, I do not believe we do.”
I turned back to the sergeant. “Is there any reason you prefer to make arrangements for the wagon? I presumed I would.”
“I would prefer to do it with you.”
“Very good. Tomorrow after the noon meal. Are you available?”
“Sergeant Felist is at your disposal, Princess,” said the major. “She is available for anything you need.”
“Thank you,” I said.
“Darfelsa,” said the sergeant. “I am torn.”
“Between?”
“Suggesting you choose your weapon soon and waiting to see what develops.”
“If you were going to make an immediate recommendation, what would it be?”
She eyed me carefully then turned to the major. “You gave a rather interesting demonstration last year.”
“So I did,” replied the major. “Which one.”
“Cane.”
“Ah.” He looked at me. “She’ll never agree.”
“Try me,” I said. “A cane. Is that some weapon I haven’t heard about?”
“No,” he said. “It’s exactly what you think it is. A cane someone’s grandmother might use.”
“Perhaps you could provide a demonstration tomorrow,” I suggested. He inclined his head. I turned back to Mariya. “What else?”
“Two-handed weapons,” she said. “There are two basic plans. You go for quick and duck away from anything, or you go for power. You’re not strong enough for power, but I have something to show you.”
“Tomorrow, then,” I said.
* * * *
I arrived late for family breakfast, but sat down, my hair still wet. No one spoke as I collected a plate of food, and I dived in until I realized they were looking at me.
“What?” I said. “I’m starving.”
“Your hair is wet,” Mother observed.
“I got a little exercise,” I said. “That’s why I’m late.”
Ahlianna leaned closer. “Is that a bruise on your cheek?” I lifted my fingers, intentionally touching my right cheek. The bruise was on my left. “Don’t play that game with me.” She touched my cheek, and I flinched away from her. “How did you get a bruise?”
“Exercising,” I said.
“Some exercise,” she muttered.
“With Sergeant Felist of the guard.”
“One of the guards hit you?” Mother screeched.
“About a hundred times,” I said. “But I got her at least twenty, so it wasn’t all bad.”
Father grunted. “Felist is good. How did that happen?”
“I asked who could train me. She offered.”
He grunted again and nodded, and that was it.
It was twenty minutes later before Bellard, father’s secretary, slipped into the room. There was a woman with him. Bellard stepped to father and began to explain his schedule.
And the woman came around the table. “Princess Darfelsa,” she said. “You have an appointment this morning with Minister Roddish.”
“Thank you,” I said. “I’m sorry. I don’t know your name.”
“Renishta Pelonden, Your Highness,” she said, offering a bob of a curtsey.
“She’s yours,” Ahlianna said. “If she doesn't please you, you can go pick your own.”
“She’s my what?” I asked my sister.
“Your secretary, Your Highness,” said Ms. Pelonden.
I lifted my hand, finger pointed up. Father noticed, offered a gesture, and we waited. Then he turned to me. “Father, what does Bellard normally call you?”
“By my name.”
“Thank you.” I turned to Ms. Pelonden and raised my eyebrow.
“You have to actually tell her,” Ahlianna prompted.
So, I nodded. “The occasional Your Highness is fine, but my name is easier. How long is she mine, as Ahlianna put it?”
“Until either of you decide to terminate the arrangement,” Ahlianna said.
“Does she know what’s going on?”
“No. I imagine you’re going to tell her.”
“Bellard, do you know what’s going on?”
“I know I was to assign a secretary to you and thought Ms. Pelonden would serve you well.”
“Bellard,” said Father, “Darfelsa will be my envoy to Gandeet.”
“Very good,” Bellard said. “I’m sure she will set things right.” And then he went back to his discussion with Father.
I turned back to Ms. Pelonden. “How soon is my appointment with the Minister of the Foreign Service?”
“About an hour and a half,” she replied. “Will you require my help changing?”
“I will not,” I said. “Do you have other duties?”
“I am assigned to you, Princess. My duties are as you dictate.”
I turned to Ahlianna, who was watching. “I thought I was picking my team.”
“You are under no obligation. This just sort of happened.”
“And I can discuss things openly with her?”
“She wouldn’t even be in this room if she wasn’t trustworthy.”
“All right then.”
“You’ve been assigned an office near mine,” Ahlianna added.
“Do you know it, Ms. Pelonden?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Very good. Please wait for me there, and I’ll be along shortly.”
“Very good, Your Highness.”
She bobbed another curtsey then backed from the room. I stared after her then turned to Ahlianna. She shrugged. “You’ll have to teach her.”
“Is she going to Gandeet with me?”
“I imagine that’s up to you. Darfelsa, no one is forcing your team on you. This is just how things work. Father told Bellard you would need a secretary, and he arranged one.”
“And when I return to Charth?”
“I imagine that is also up to you,” she replied. “You can return her to Bellard, and she’ll be assigned somewhere else. Or you can bring her with you.”
“No one else has a secretary there.”
“Allium has several.”
“I think you know what I meant,” I said. “They’re all older than I am.”
“And you’re my right hand,” she said. “They aren’t. Darfelsa, you’re on the cusp of taking on very adult responsibilities for the entire country. Either get used to the idea or don’t, but don’t expect anyone to treat you as just another member of Allium’s staff. Those days are over.”
“My days on Allium’s staff are over?”
“No, but the days you’re just another member are.”
I decided to worry about that another time. “All right.” I looked at my plate, ate a little more, and by the time I was ready, so was Ahlianna. We both stood, took our leave, and headed for the business wing of the palace.
* * * *
Ahlianna showed me to the office, but she didn’t go in with me. My name was already painted on the door, and I stared at that for a minute before pushing through.
Ms. Pelonden was sitting at a desk, poring over a map, but she looked up, saw me, and was immediately out of her seat and offering a curtsey.
“All right. Let’s talk about that,” I said. “We’re not in court. One curtsey a day is sufficient, and really, I couldn’t care less. I’ve never seen Bellard bow to father outside of formal events. How long have you served in the palace?”
“Today is my first day,” she said. “But I’ve been at the Ministry of Agriculture for two years.”
“Someone should have taught you protocol,” I said. “I would rather drop all the formality. You should probably stand when I walk into a room, but that’s as much formality as necessary. My name is Darfelsa.” I looked around a moment. “This is cozy.”
“The inner office is larger.” She gestured to a closed door, and I realized I was given an office much like my sister’s.
“Oh. This i
s the first time I’ve been here.” I stepped past her desk and looked inside, staring for a minute. “All right. Come in. I want to talk.” I gestured, and then I moved in fully, turned a circle, then went to sit behind my desk, or at least my desk for now.
“Sit.” I gestured. She took a seat and looked at me nervously. “How soon do we need to leave?”
“An hour is sufficient.”
“I do not care to be late,” I said. “It is rude.”
“You are the princess,” she said. “They’ll wait.”
“And assuming that would be rude,” I said. “It’s one thing to be fashionably late to a social event and something entirely different to be late to a business meeting. You will assure we arrive early, even if that means interrupting me in the middle of a long tirade about the price of silk sheets.” She said nothing, and I sighed. “I’m serious, Ms. Pelonden.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Good. All right. How much do you know about what’s going on?”
“I don’t understand the question.”
“Why do I suddenly need a secretary?”
“I don’t know,” she said.
“Do you know anything about my current mission?”
“I heard the king tell Mr. Marshdown you were going to Gandeet.”
“Is that the first you heard of it?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
I nodded. “Do we need to talk about privacy?”
“I don’t understand the question.”
“Can I trust you, Ms. Pelonden?”
“I wouldn’t say a word to anyone about anything, Your Highness.”
“Good. I’ve been in Charth. I don’t know what everyone knows, so I’ll start at the beginning.” I told her about events in Gandeet. “I’m assembling a team,” I finally said. “Questions?”
“Am I going to Gandeet with you?”
“Let’s get to know each other a little. Tell me about yourself.”
“What do you want to know?”
“The basics. How old are you? Who are your parents? Where are you living? Are you married? Children?”
“I’m 19,” she said. “My mother is a schoolteacher. She lives in Resburry.”
“Is that where you were born?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“And your father?”
“We never met.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “Go on. Where are you living?”
“I have a room in the servant’s wing of the palace.”
“Since when?”
“Last night.”
“In other words, if I decide I need a secretary to travel with me, you are entirely available.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“How do you feel about that.”
“I don’t understand the question.”
“You have a life here. I’ll be gone for an undetermined amount of time. It would be a foreign country, with foreign ways.”
“Are you asking whether I want to go to Gandeet with you?”
“I guess I am.”
She paused. “Princess, I don’t know all the rules of the palace.”
“I’d say you don’t know any of them. Are you about to ask permission to speak bluntly?”
“I suppose I am.”
“Just tell me what you want to say, Ms. Pelonden. Don’t worry about making it pretty for me.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Princess Darfelsa, unless you beat me or actively try to drive me away, I’ll follow you to the ends of the world.”
“Why would you say that?”
“Do you think I could possibly find a better position? Furthermore, you don’t have a reputation of beating the servants. I know. I checked.” She smiled. “I intend to be irreplaceable to you.”
I laughed. “Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
“All right. I’ve never had a secretary.”
“I’ve never been a secretary to a princess.”
“But you’ve been a secretary.”
“And you’ve been a princess.”
“Cute,” I said. “You’re warming up. Good. I’m not sure how to treat you.”
“How do you want to treat me?”
“So I’m not going to worry about how other people have treated you,” I said. “And come to my own ways. For now, unless I say otherwise, you’ll attend any meetings I attend. Is that unusual?”
“Not at all.”
“How well do you know your way about the palace?”
“Poorly.”
“I know every nook and cranny. Do we have supplies?”
“Yes. What do you need?”
“I need to draft three formal letters.”
“Parchment then?”
“Not that formal. Stationary and the various accoutrements. I have a seal in my room. I’ll retrieve it later.”
“I know where all that is.”
“Good. Keep a small supply ready at hand.”
“Now?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll only be a minute.” She stood and slipped from my office. I walked about and was looking out the window when she returned.
“Thank you,” I told her. “Sit.” We both took our seats. “What do you know about Ressaline.”
“I thought we were going to Gandeet.”
“We are, but I’ve been based in Charth, and I intend to return when this mission is over, although Father may have other ideas. How much do you know?”
“I know Ressaline invaded Charthan when we were kids. They kicked out all the men and annexed the country. Now they’re all women, and they wear odd fashions.”
“What else?”
“I don’t know. What else is there?”
“All right. About two years ago I wrote a report on the social and cultural differences of the two countries. There should be a copy available somewhere, but I have no idea where. It might be at the foreign office, so unless you have a better idea, we’ll ask when we’re there.”
“I understand, Your Highness.”
“Good. Once we get a copy, you will read it. I will then answer questions.”
“You’re wondering if I’m going to Charth with you?”
“Yes.”
“Unless you release me from your service, beat me, or intentionally drive me away, I am.”
I laughed. “We’ll talk about it after you’ve read my report and I’ve answered your questions.”
“I’m going with you.”
“I’m going to draft my letters. Go back to your map, but make sure we leave on time.”
“Yes, Your Highness. What do you prefer to drink while you work?”
“Normally tea, but not just now.”
“Very good.”
She got up, and I watched her leave. I gathered supplies, thought for a moment, and began writing.
Lady Olivia
Duchess of Charthan
I kindly ask a personal favor. I am being dispatched to Gandeet to see to an errand for Father. I wish to travel through your duchy, but I imagine few of my traveling companions will have been authorized to do so. If you could offer a one-time dispensation, I would appreciate it. It would give me a chance to stop in Charth on my way to Gandeet. Otherwise, it will be some time before I could return, and I feel as if I have unfinished business.
I expect to be approximately two or three weeks behind my sister.
If at all possible, I would hope for word at Tebradine. If no word is waiting, or if you must decline my request, we will travel through northern Flarvor instead. I understand the difficulty of granting my request, especially on short notice.
If I am able to see you in Charth, I will ask for you to arrange my First Challenge. I will only remain in Charth for a week or so but could accept a three-day duration.
Your friend,
Darfelsa
I read it through several times and decided that it was fine. It went into an envelope.
My second
letter was to Allium, explaining what was going on and asking her to negotiate with Olivia. I explained Father had no idea this was my plan, and he may veto it. I also explained I was asking for a personal favor rather than one on behalf of the crown.
I knew she’d do her best.
The third letter was for Gretchena.
I finished that, rewriting portions, just as Ms. Pelonden returned. “Your Highness, we should go.”
“Thank you,” I said. I capped the ink and cleaned the pen, setting it aside. Then I stood. “Shall we?”
* * * *
I met with Minister Roddish, Mr. Halite, and six other people, five of them men. We exchange introductions before taking seats.
Mr. Halite was the oldest in the room by far. In comparison, Minister Roddish was quite young, only ten years older than Father. He had thin, greying hair and a hale complexion, with bright, blue eyes and a quick smile. I’d met him before, and I’d always liked him. We settled, and I turned to him. “Minister,” I said. “Father has outlined the issues in Gandeet. Are we here to discuss them further, or is this simply a meeting to discuss who will travel with me?”
“I know you were surprised with this,” he replied. “Have you read the reports?”
“No.”
“I can send them with you. We could discuss them, though, if you prefer.”
“I’ll read the reports. Why isn’t Ambassador Marlish here?”
“His wife’s family lives in the southeast,” he said. “Should I have sent for him?”
“No. That’s fine,” I said. “I only wanted to understand. You’ll provide Ms. Pelonden with copies of any relevant reports?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you. While we’re here, I also wish the report I did about Ressaline, the one for potential visitors. I don’t know where to get a copy. Well, I do, but it’s in a filing cabinet in Charth.”
“We can include a copy for you, Your Highness,” Mr. Halite said.
“How soon can I expect these?”
“We can have them for you before you leave,” he said. “It won’t take but a trice.”
“Very good, Mr. Halite.” I turned back to the minister. “Is this meeting with you, or with Mr. Halite?”
“I’m here to ensure you get what you need, Princess,” the minister replied.
“I presume the embassy has a staff.”
“It does,” Mr. Halite replied.
“But the expectation is that I will bring an additional, presumably somewhat small staff with me.”