by J. D. Rogers
"Somebody had to help Bokham and Shu with those nets. You were too hung over and the Lady Tabitha is too much of a lady."
"I'm not criticizing you, Your Highness. I'm just pointing out one of the differences between this part of the world and yours."
"As long as you don't expect me to change who I am."
Edgerton smiled. "I exist to enlighten royalty, not change it."
"What of your queen? Will she expect me to become as useless as the royals in this part of the world?"
"Queen Catlett didn't bring you here to change you. She brought you here to change our world."
We reached the duke's castle. There was no wall surrounding it, no moat surrounding it, just a couple of guards standing watch in front of its heavy oak doors. The guards wore black riding boots, yellow knee breeches, and long sleeved black tunics topped by brass breastplates. Their brass helmets had a dome that fit over the head and a broad brim that circled the dome. Each guard held a tall pike in front of him. When we reached the doors, they crossed the pikes in front of us, baring our way.
"I'm Chancellor to the Queen of Vassa," Edgerton said to the guards. "I seek an audience with the Duke of Genese."
Shu stepped forward. "I'm Shumaredena Kestan, daughter of Romeus, and these are my friends."
The guard on our left opened the double doors and disappeared inside, closing the doors behind him. The guard on our right remained as he was, standing at attention with his pike baring our way.
About five minutes later, the double doors opened all the way. Standing beside the guard that disappeared inside was a short thin man with long white hair pulled into a ponytail. He had a neatly trimmed white beard. He had the same olive colored skin as Shu as well as the same small flat nose. He wore black knee breeches tucked into black riding boots and a long sleeved black shirt that tied in the front.
"Does anybody in this part of the world have an adviser that doesn't have white hair and a white beard?" I said, more to myself than to anyone else.
Edgerton ignored my comment and stepped forward. He took the man's bony hands in his. "Romeus, my old friend, it's good to see you."
Romeus returned Edgerton's smile. "Edgerton, you old fool. I heard a rumor that you were headed across the Great Desert in search of a princess. Can I assume the rumor was an exaggeration?"
"The rumor was true, Romeus. I crossed the Great Desert and returned."
"With a princess?" Romeus looked at me then at Shu. He wrinkled his brow when he saw Shu. "Shumaredena? Is that you?"
Shu stepped forward. "It's me, father."
Romeus hugged Shu. "What are you doing with Edgerton?"
"Counselor Jarvo tossed the princess into the high sage's harem. I helped her escape."
Since no one else seemed in a hurry to bring it up, I decided to do it myself. "Some of our men are being pursued by pirates, about a day's ride east of here. They're on foot and out numbered two to one. If you could send a squad of men to aid them, it would be greatly appreciated."
Romeus looked at me. "You must be the princess."
I extended the back of my left hand. "Lila Marie Haran. Youngest daughter of Bella Justine Haran, the twelfth Queen of Adah."
Romeus took my hand in his cold bony hand, kissed it, and bowed at the same time. You speak the Common Tongue very well, Your Highness. Yet I detect an accent that I've never heard before."
"And may never hear again," I said, switching to my native tongue, so he could get a sense of the language and how it sounded. I switched back to the Common Tongue. "Will you send a squad of men to aid Captain Hubbard and his men?"
"You seem very concerned about them."
"I'm concerned about anyone that risks their life to save mine."
"I don't have the authority to send soldiers out on missions. Only the duke can do that."
"Then I would like to speak to the duke."
"The duke is out hunting. He should be back by nightfall." Romeus stepped aside. "Why don't you come in. You must be tired if you've come all the way from Istansada City."
"Any weariness I'm experiencing is due to my concern for Captain Hubbard and his men." I stepped forward and placed a hand on Romeus's shoulder. "Do you have the authority to send a squad of men out in search of the duke?"
"I do."
"If those men headed east along the Southern Road and ran into Captain Hubbard and his men, could they not render aid?"
"How many men are we talking about?"
"Twenty armed men on horseback would even the odds."
Romeus turned and whispered to one of the guards. The guard nodded and hurried off.
"I've sent twenty men to the Landish border in search of the duke," Romeus said. "Since the duke never hunts in that part of the country, the odds are they'll run into your friends before they run into him."
With Captain Hubbard and his men taken care of, Romeus had Shu take us to the guest quarters. The inside of the castle reminded me a lot of our palaces in Adah, with gray stone walls covered in tapestries and lots of heavy wooden furniture scattered about. Shu found a room for each of us on the castle's second floor, then headed to her old suite at the other end of the floor. There was a third floor in the castle, something our palaces didn't possess. The third floor contained the duke's private residence.
My room was actually a suite, containing both a bedroom and a drawing room. Serving girls carried a brass bathtub into my drawing room then began filling it with pitchers of hot water. While they did that, another serving girl brought some clothes for me to wear. A gown and boots cut in the same style as the gowns the Lady Tabitha preferred.
I had no desire to put on that restrictive clothing. I liked what I was wearing, liked the freedom of movement it gave me, liked that I could carry a cutlass on my hip. I was definitely going to have to find a tailor, have some outfits made up in the styles my mother preferred. They looked as good as the styles popular in this part of the world, but allowed enough freedom of movement to enable one to defend themself should the need arise.
Still, it didn't seem appropriate to meet the Duke of Genese dressed in the garb of a harem wife, so once I finished bathing, I donned the clothing that had been laid out for me. The dress was silk and a deep green in color. It had long sleeves, a high collar, and a tapered ankle length skirt. The lacing ran all the way from the top of the collar to the top of my thighs. The boots were similar to the one's the Lady Tabitha gave me. They reached the top of my calf and had those high narrow heels. The only difference was they had been dyed the same green as the dress. The undergarments were also the same, thigh high silk stockings, silk briefs, and a corset the same color as the gown.
A serving girl lingered just inside my door dressed in a gray cotton jumper, a white cotton blouse, and practical brown shoes. I waved her on over and she helped me dress, lacing up the corset, then the gown, then the boots. She brushed my freshly washed hair. While she did that, I asked her a question. "How did you find clothes in my size?"
"I believe they were made for the Lady Shumaredena."
"She speaks the Common Tongue with an accent that's different from her father's."
"She was raised by her mother in a small village south of here. Counselor Kestan didn't learn of her existence until her mother died."
"At which point?" I said, prompting her to continue the story.
"At which point, he brought her here."
"And trained her as a spy?"
"Training her to be a spy was the duke's idea. Counselor Kestan wanted her to stay here and marry a man appropriate to her station in life."
"What did Shu want?"
"She liked the idea of becoming a spy much more than she liked the idea of getting married." The serving girl leaned closer, and lowered her voice to a whisper. "Truth be told, Your Highness. The Lady Shumaredena prefers girls to men."
"And you know this because?"
"She used to tease us serving girls mercilessly, pinching our bottoms, whispering things to us that would ma
ke us blush."
"Tell me about the duke."
The girl smiled and her eyes glazed over. "He is a most handsome man, tall, with broad shoulders, dark hair, and bright blue eyes. He dresses as fine as any king. He is a first class bowman and an expert swordsman. He is also well read and well traveled, having visited most of the civilized world. He is greatly admired by the fairer sex. Many ladies dream of winning his heart."
It sounded like she was one of those ladies. "Did Shu get along with the duke?"
"Heavens, no," the girl said. "The duke flirted with the Lady Shumaredena when she first moved here, as he does with all members of the fairer sex. But she showed no interest in him. They didn't get along after that."
Not only was this girl in love with the duke. It seemed the duke was in love with himself. He sounded like a male version of my sister, Salisha. I had spent a good portion of my childhood catering to Salisha's ego and had no interest in spending any portion of my adult life catering to the egos of other vain and vapid royals.
"Tell me what the duke thinks of Queen Catlett."
The girl blushed. "There's a rumor that you are to be Queen Catlett's heir."
"I've never met Queen Catlett," I said. "Now, tell me what the duke thinks of her."
"The duke holds a point of view held by many men in this part of the world."
"I'm not from this part of the world. You'll have to tell me what that point of view is."
"They feel Queen Catlett's lack of an heir is a curse from God, placed upon her for daring to think a woman can rule a county without a man by her side."
"Do the people of Vassa feel that way?"
"I've heard the people of Vassa are very fond of their queen."
"Women have ruled my county for over twelve generations," I said. "We've never had a king and we never will."
The serving girl didn't respond to my comment. She just finished brushing my hair, then stepped back. "You look beautiful, Your Highness."
I checked my appearance in the mirror. I looked like I did the last time I dressed like this. I was beginning to wonder if the gowns worn at court existed to remind women of their place in the world. I noticed in my vision that Queen Catlett hadn't been wearing a tapered gown. Her gown had a loose skirt and belled sleeves. The gown had been silver in color with the hem and cuffs turning a pale blue. It was actually a very nice style, elegant, yet comfortable enough to allow freedom of movement.
I decided right then to find a tailor and have several gowns made up for myself in a similar style. I would also have some made up in one of my mother's favorite styles, specifically the gowns where the top and skirt were actually two pieces and the skirt wasn't really a skirt, but a riding skirt.
A knock at the door tore my attention away from the mirror. The serving girl answered it. Shu was standing in the doorway wearing a black version of the gown I was wearing. The gold hoops were gone from her ears, as was the scimitar she had worn around her waist.
"Leave us," she said to the serving girl.
The serving girl curtsied and hurried out of the room. Shu marched into the room, slamming the door shut behind her. Perhaps marched isn't the right word. Her gown, like mine, didn't allow one to march or stride or hurry. The most you could do was shuffle.
"I hate the fashions currently popular among the ladies at court," Shu said. "You can barely move in these things."
"Let alone fight," I added.
"Precisely."
"Perhaps it's time to start a new trend."
"My station in life isn't high enough to start fashion trends." Shu shuffled to the nearest chair, grabbed the handles, pushed her bottom out, kicked her feet up, and plopped down, just like Tabitha had taught me. "My father is only an adviser to a duke."
"I saw the way he looked at you when he first saw you."
"How did he look at me?"
"Like a father who hasn't seen his daughter in awhile and has missed her greatly."
"I've never known what to make of my relationship with my father. We've only known each other for a few years. In truth, I'm very uncomfortable around him, never quite sure of what I should say or how I should act."
"You could try being yourself."
"Time to change topics." Shu looked at me and a wicked grin crossed her face. "What do you say we talk about how well you fill out my gown."
"That's one of the things I want to talk about. It's been weeks since I've worn my own clothes. I need to find a tailor and have some clothes made specifically for me."
"The duke keeps a tailor here in the castle. But he's not very good with women's clothes. Mostly, he sews for the duke."
"What about in the city?"
"There is a very fine tailor here in the city. He sewed the gowns we're wearing. Well, him and his wife."
"Do we have time to pay him a visit?"
"Easier for him to pay us a visit." Shu swung herself out of her chair, shuffled to the door, and said something to the serving girl waiting outside.
"I'd also like to talk to the cobbler that made these boots."
"Consider it done."
Shu relayed my request to the serving girl. Less than an hour later, a tailor and a cobbler were in my room. I sketched out the designs I wanted on parchment and gave them to the tailor, along with my measurements. I described the alterations I wanted to my boots. The cobbler nodded attentively then hurried off. A few minutes later, a serving girl informed us that dinner was ready.
"You haven't asked me about the duke," Shu said, as we shuffled off to dinner.
"I already asked one of the servants about him."
"And she waxed poetically on his numerous virtues. Yes?"
"She did indeed."
"He won't be happy unless you fall madly in love with him. He expects all women to fall madly in love with him."
"Then he should prepare himself for disappointment," I said. "For it sounds like I couldn't love him nearly as much as he loves himself."
Chapter 20
"Shumaredena," the Duke of Genese said when we entered his dining room. "I heard you were back. And that you brought me some guests."
Edgerton had yet to arrive, but Bokham and the Lady Tabitha were with us. Bokham wore his red and white uniform. The Lady Tabitha wore a dark blue gown.
The only people in the room besides the duke were four young women, two sitting on his right, two sitting on his left. They wore gowns cut in the same style as what Shu, Tabitha, and I wore. Where our gowns were black, dark blue, and dark green, theirs were made from pale pastels, green, blue, rose, and yellow. The girls themselves weren't particularly pretty. But they did seem to be fawning over the duke, which I suspect made him happy.
The duke looked to be in his mid-twenties. He had dark brown hair that reached to his shoulders. He wore it in a ponytail and had a neatly trimmed beard. He had a narrow nose, high cheekbones, and full lips. His eyes were a pale blue. I couldn't tell how tall he was since he was sitting, but he had broad shoulders and a narrow waist.
He was expensively dressed, in black silk knee breeches, a black silk shirt that tied in the front, and a gold velvet waistcoat. He used a gold ribbon the same color as his coat to hold his ponytail in place. He was handsome, but not unusually so.
"Princess Lila and the Lady Tabitha," Shu said, introducing us. "And Captain Bokham of the Queen's Guard."
The duke stood. He wasn't as tall as Bokham, but he wasn't short either. He clicked his heels together and bowed. "Britt Torrell, Duke of Genese. May I say, it's a pleasure to have a princess as my guest."
He was addressing himself to the Lady Tabitha. Perhaps because Bokham was walking beside her. Perhaps because she stood out walking beside two dark haired girls.
Before Shu could correct the duke, he turned to the two girls sitting on his right and told them to move next to the two girls on his left. They didn't look happy about it, but they obliged. The duke pulled out the chair closest to him and smiled at the Lady Tabitha, waiting for her to take it. She glance
d at me, not quite sure what she should do. I nodded, letting her know it was all right with me if she sat next to the duke.
The Lady Tabitha sat and the duke slid her chair toward the table. He held the next chair for me. I sat. He slid my chair toward the table, saying, "Lady Tabitha."
"I'm Lila," I said. "She's Tabitha."
The smile disappeared from the duke's face, and for a second, he looked apoplectic. He covered his mistake by pulling his chair out and smiling at Shu. "Why don't you take my chair, Shumaredena. I'll sit between the princess and Captain Bokham. That way the captain won't have to listen to you ladies talk about the latest fashions, or whatever it is ladies like to talk about."
Shu accepted the duke's chair. The duke took the chair on my right, with Bokham sitting on his right. He clapped his hands a couple of times and the servants brought dinner, which consisted of roast venison, steamed broccoli, baked potatoes, and freshly baked bread with butter and honey. A dark ale was also served.
"I wasn't aware there were any princesses in this part of the world that I haven't already met," the duke said between bites of venison.
"I'm not from this part of the world. My country lies on the other side of the Great Desert. What we call the Desert of Shifting Sands."
"May I ask what prompted you to travel so far from home? The hope that Queen Catlett will make you her heir?"
"A dart with a knockout drug, a gag, and some sturdy rawhide around my wrists and ankles is what originally prompted me to come here."
“You were kidnapped?"
"That's one way to put it."
"I'd offer you sanctuary, but my brother, the king, has an alliance with Queen Catlett. I don't think he'd appreciate it."
"That's all right. I've come this far. I figure I might as well meet her. She sounds like an interesting person."
"Some think so." The duke's tone made it clear that he didn't agree. "You do know she's a parvenu royal."
"I've only been speaking the Common Tongue for about three weeks. There are words in your language I have yet to learn."