by Robin Roseau
Then I wondered why they would make such a wall. There wasn't a roof. It wasn't another of their houses or barns. It was a wall. So they weren't keeping the rain out. Why did they need such a wall? It made no sense. But I didn't get a chance to ask.
Juleena turned to me. "Wait here." Then she put her horse into a trot, moving through our troop and then riding right past the people waiting. She came to a stop before the guards. I didn't hear their words, but then one moved inside the gate, and shortly I would see he was stopping the traffic from the other side. Juleena gestured, and our troop began to ride past the waiting people. We passed through the gate, and Juleena brought her horse beside mine.
"The daughter of the clan chief doesn't wait her turn?"
"No," she said with a laugh. "She does not."
I had long given up my expectations, and so I couldn't say what I expected. But I certainly wasn't expecting what was to come next.
We traveled through the streets, finally reaching what Juleena called, "The village green," a large field surrounded by trees and planted in short, green grass. And just past it...
I leaned back in my saddle, staring. My horse took the signal to come to a stop, and so I blocked progress of the rest of our troop.
Juleena laughed and came to a stop just past me, turning her horse to watch me.
I looked up, and up, and up.
In front of me was what must be the largest structure in all the world. And here I had thought the barns were big. Like the wall earlier, this place was built from large blocks of stone. It towered over the surrounding city. I couldn't have described it.
But at least I could see it was some sort of house. There was a roof. And windows. I had learned about windows.
Juleena moved closer. "This is called a palace. It is where the queen lives."
"She has that entire house?"
Juleena laughed. "Her and two hundred other people."
"Two hundred?" I squeaked. "Two hundred?"
"Well, the entire royal family, the attendants and help, the Queen's Guard, the palace guard, and even a few ministers."
"Ministers?"
"People who help to run the country."
Juleena let me get a good long look, but then she said, "Come on. People are waiting."
"Wait!" I said, looking down at my clothing. "I'm not wearing the right clothes."
"No, you're not. But my mother won't meet you on the steps. She'll expect us a half-hour after we pass through the front door. But you can bet she's watching us and wondering why we stopped. Do you want me to tell her?"
"No," I squeaked again.
"Come on, then. It's even better from the inside."
I didn't think that was possible.
* * * *
I was wrong.
There were servants waiting at the front door. I didn't even know what a servant was, but when a young boy stepped forward with a small box, Juleena told me, "Let him do what he wants."
He set the box on the steps in front of one of my feet and then looked up at me. I looked down at him. I didn't know what he wanted. But then he said, "Your foot, if you please."
"Set one foot on the rest," Juleena said. I looked over at her and saw another boy tending to her boot. So I put my foot in place, and the boy produced first a stiff brush and began brushing the mud from my boots. At that point I understood.
They wouldn't want the dirt and mud inside.
He was thorough, brushing the mud carefully, and when he was done, I didn't see a single speck. But he wasn't done. He took out a cloth and a black paste and began to clean the boot.
"What's he doing?"
"Polishing your boots," Juleena explained. "Yalla, everything is going to be new. For now, just accept it." And so I nodded.
When he was done, the boot shined, looking as good as new. He had to prompt me to switch feet, and soon I stood with bright, shiny, clean boots.
He had one more brush, asking permission to use it. Then he began to brush away at the grime along the lower part of my leggings. Eventually he stood, switching to a damp cloth, and he brushed me nearly everywhere, cleaning off the dust from all my clothing.
Soon I stood beside Juleena, the two boys done cleaning our clothing. That was when the great doors opened in front of us. Juleena threw her arm over my shoulder, and together we stepped inside.
Have I said I was wrong that it couldn't be more magnificent inside?
I was hopelessly wrong.
I don't even know how to begin describing what I saw. We entered in a large hall, much larger than the hut of my family. Much larger. I thought perhaps one could fit an entire barn inside this one room.
Directly in front of us was a wide hallway leading deeper into the palace. But there were also hallways leading both left and right.
To both the right and left of the central hallway before us was an ornate set of staircases, both rising to a floor above us and another floor above that. The exterior walls were stone, but the staircase was wood, more wood than I may have ever seen in one place, but deeply carpeted along the center.
Not that I knew what a carpet was, either. I write these words years later, describing as best I can from the perspective of a grown woman remembering when she was a girl of ten and four summers.
Hanging above our heads was a large... I didn't know what it was. There were pieces of glass hanging everywhere, and a great many candles in candle holders, all arranged together. The candles weren't lit, but I imagined it could be exceedingly beautiful.
The floor was of smooth stone, but it looked like someone had taken a large bowl of milk and swirled in mud, letting the entire thing become solid before polishing it until it shined. I had never seen such flat rock before, much less so many of them arranged together, all of them equally flat.
It was just one marvel against all the others.
There were people waiting, all of them dressed far more finely than either Juleena or me. A woman stepped forward. She curtsied to Juleena then said, "Welcome home, Your Highness."
"Was I supposed to do that?" I whispered to Juleena in Arrlottan.
"No," she replied in the same language. "I think it's silly. Don't tell her that."
"Am I supposed to do that to your mother."
"Oh yes," she said. "I'll teach you. Don't worry." Then she switched back to Framaran and addressed the woman in front of her. "Lady Malta, may I present the Lady Yallameenara, Princess of Arrlotta?" She turned to me. "Yallameenara, this is Lady Malta. Her title is Chatelaine. That means she runs the palace, and everyone who works at the palace reports to her."
I figured out enough to understand. And so I practiced one of the phrases Juleena had been especially sure I spoke well.
"I am pleased to meet you, Lady Malta," I said.
And then she curtsied to me.
I glanced at Juleena. She said in quiet Arrlottan, "Later." And so I nodded.
"Welcome to Marport, Princess," she said.
I glanced at Juleena again. She was smirking at me and repeated, "Later."
Princess? That's what Juleena was, although I wasn't entirely sure what a princess was. But I was pretty sure the word didn't apply to me. I was pretty sure I didn't deserve the curtsey, either. I was just an inconsequential girl of the Arrlotta, regardless of how Juleena had introduced me.
"Malta, is the suite that connects to mine available?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Then unless my mother has other plans, Lady Yallameenara will take those rooms."
"Of course, Your Highness. Does your mother expect our guest?"
"I couldn't say," Juleena said. "We will head to the baths. I'm sure you can see that our things are delivered and that my mother knows to expect us shortly."
"Of course."
* * * *
The baths were another surprise. Juleena led me through the castle, and I quickly become utterly lost. But we finally pushed through a wide door into a warm, steamy room. There were two girls waiting, both of them ne
ar my own age, dressed in thin clothes and bare feet. They smiled and curtsied the moment we entered the room, neither of them saying a word.
"I'm not a princess," I said in quiet Arrlottan.
"I'll tell Mother the truth, and then you will be whatever she decides. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Your Highness," I said. It was only a little sarcastic.
"Don't tease about that," she said. "It won't go over well in certain quarters. Hmm. It won't go over well in any quarters, and if my mother hears it, she'll be livid."
"I'm sorry."
I was given just a few moments to look around the room. There were two small ponds in the room. I thought it was quite odd to have a pond inside the house. It was even more odd because there was a very shallow, narrow stream connecting the two pools. And the water was steaming like a mug of hot tea in the winter.
"Girls, this is the Lady Yallameenara. Yallameenara, these are the bath girls, Gina and Chilla." She gestured to the two girls. "Pick one."
"Pick one?"
"To help you bathe."
"I don't need help bathing."
"And yet, you're going to let one of them help you. Pick one."
"Um." I turned to the girl on the right. "You're Challi?"
"Chilla, m'lady," she said with a curtsey.
"I'm sorry," I said. "Chilla." And the girl nodded.
"Let her do whatever she wants," Juleena said quietly before raising her voice. "Chilla, do you remember when you first arrived at the palace?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Do you remember how everything was brand new for you?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Do you remember how someone had to teach you what to do?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Do you remember some of the other servants laughing at you?"
She lowered her eyes. "Yes, Your Highness."
"Lady Yallameenara is from Garneer. She is of the Arrlotta and is one of the best horsewomen now in Framara, in many ways even better than I am. But this is her first visit to the palace, and the Arrlottan do things very differently than we do. Do you understand what I am saying?"
"Yes, Your Highness. I'll take good care of her."
"And neither of you will talk about what you discover today, will you? You will only say that the Lady Yallameenara is very pretty and very kind. If necessary, you can perhaps admit she has a very thick accent and is at times difficult to understand."
They both curtsied quickly. "Yes, Your Highness."
"Do you think of everything?" I asked in Arrlottan.
"Of course," she answered. "I am Her Royal Highness, Crown Princess Juleena of Framara, Knight of the Realm, Captain of the Royal Expeditionary Force, Earl of Talwick and Lindara, Royal Knight Companion of the Order of Pressen, blah, blah, blah. I think of everything."
"Blah, blah, blah?"
"Do you really want the entire list?"
"There is more?"
"An embarrassingly long list." She looked at Chilla and Gina. "And if it gets out I said that, especially to my mother, I'll know why." She glared at them, and they looked down. But then she snickered. "I know I can trust you two. Well, I for one am ready for a bath."
* * * *
As directed, I let Chilla do what she wanted. That began with her removing my clothing for me. It would have been faster to do it myself, but I took my cue from Juleena, holding my arms away from my sides and letting Chilla do it.
She set all my things aside and then led me to the first of the pools. Juleena was already in the water. I was surprised when Chilla backed into the water still dressed in the thin clothes, although I saw Gina had done the same. Chilla directed me to sit on a stone bench under the water, leaving me in water to my neck.
And then she began to bathe me. It felt wonderful, and it wasn't at all hard to close my eyes and accept the ministration.
Chilla washed all of me, including my hair. If she was surprised by the length or rough cut, she said nothing. It felt particularly good to let her wash my hair, and by the time she was done, I felt I was perhaps cleaner than I'd ever been in my entire life.
That was when she took my hands and said, "Now we go to the other pool." I didn't understand, but I let her lead me, and a moment later both Juleena and I were in the second pool.
Or perhaps it should be counted as the first pool, as it was from this pool that the water flowed into the other.
"We only have a few minutes," Juleena said. Then she leaned back, closed her eyes, and sighed.
I emulated her.
I had never known such luxury. The water had seemed hot at first, but it had grown comfortably warm and relaxing.
"This is the only luxury I truly miss when away from the palace," Juleena said quietly. "Oh, I miss my bed, too, but I sleep easily anywhere. But these baths..." She trailed off and sighed again.
But then it was time to climb from the pool. I went somewhat reluctantly. Chilla met me with a warm towel, which she wrapped around me before she went to work on my hair, drying it vigorously. A few moments later, I found myself wrapped in a clean, soft robe with slippers upon my feet.
"Thank you, girls," Juleena said. "Remember what I said."
"Yes, Your Highness."
I tried to collect my clothes, but Juleena said, "Let Chilla keep them. She'll see they are laundered and returned to you tomorrow."
* * * *
Juleena led me through narrow corridors. "We're taking the back way," she said. Then we began climbing a set of stairs, up and up four levels then down a wide corridor until we reached a door.
"This is my room," she said before she opened the door.
Room? It wasn't one room. It was three.
Waiting for her was another young girl dressed in white. She curtsied when we entered. Juleena closed the door and said harshly, "You know I hate it when you do that, Xiella."
"That's why I do it, Your Highness."
"And I hate it when you call me that. Come get a hug."
The girl flew to Juleena, and they hugged tightly. I felt an unfamiliar emotion before I realized it was jealousy.
Juleena and the girl hugged for a long time until finally they separated. "It's so good to see you," Juleena said. "I've missed you."
"I've missed you more." She shot a glance at me. "Is this the barbarian princess the entire palace is already talking about?"
"Lady Yallameenara, this is Xiella. She is my lady-in-waiting." She pulled the girl into another tight hug. "God, I love you, Xiella."
"Please, Juleena," the girl said, struggling lightly. "Lady Yalla-" she broke off. I suppose my name was a mouthful if you weren't used to Arrlottan names. "The Lady is going to come to certain conclusions about our relationship."
"Proper conclusions," Juleena said. "I love you to pieces."
"I'm your cousin. Tell her I'm your cousin."
Suddenly my jealousy disappeared. I barely recognized it for what it was. But I'd grown accustomed to holding the majority of Juleena's attention, and it hurt that I was going to have to give that up, now that I needed her more than ever before.
"Yes, well," Juleena said, letting the girl go. "Lady Yallameenara should have the room next door." She pointed to a door leading from this room. "I wouldn't suppose our things have arrived."
"I directed them myself," Xiella said. She turned to me and offered a curtsey. "Would you tell me your name again?"
"Yallameenara," I said slowly, then helped her work her way through it. "But you can call me Yalla."
"Actually, no," said Juleena. "She can't. Yalla, you must now reserve the shorter name for only your closest friends."
"You're my only friend!"
"And thus, everyone else will call you Lady Yallameenara." She turned back to Xiella. "Is my mother expecting us?"
"Yes," Xiella said.
"We'll dress in here. If you can retrieve assistance for Lada Yallameenara..."
The girl nodded and hurried from the room. I immediately turned to Juleena
. "I'm no lady, and I'm certainly no princess."
"You are whatever my mother decides," she said. "My cousin can't marry some minor farmer's daughter."
"I'm not a farmer's daughter," I replied. "I'm just a girl of the horse people."
"You are the granddaughter of the great clan chief-" she broke off. "What is your grandfather's name?"
"He's no great clan chief," I said.
"Work with me."
"Fine. His name is Gandachardat."
I laughed when Juleena tried to pronounce it. She glared at me. "You do not laugh at her Royal Highness, Princess Juleena of Framara, blah, blah, blah."
"Maybe not, but I laugh at my friend."
She smiled. "Good. Say it again." So I helped her with the name.
"Now, listen up. You will let me introduce you however I want, and if I say your grandfather is a great clan chief, you will remain quiet about it."
"Yes, Juleena," I said. "I suppose you don't want anyone to know my father is the younger brother, and it would be my uncle to become clan chief after my grandfather?"
"Hmm. No, actually, that's perfect. Julek isn't in the direct line, either, so that's fine."
I didn't worry about that.
There was a knock at the door, the briefest of pauses, and then the door opened. In trooped a series of women, Xiella at the front. I received introductions, which were promptly lost on me, and then Juleena said, "You should-"
"Let me guess. Let them do what they want?"
"You're learning."
* * * *
Juleena looked stunning, absolutely stunning, even if the dress she wore was utterly impractical. I realized I looked plain, quite plain, standing next to her, even though I wore clothing far more beautiful than anything else I'd ever owned.
But Juleena smiled and complimented me before she took my arm and led us from her suite.
We traveled by the main passages this time, and it was only a single turn before we arrived at the top of the grand staircase. Juleena paused, looking down into the entry hall, and I saw it was filled with people, far more people than my old clan. They were all looking up at us, and I couldn't tell if they were looking at Juleena or me.