036 – A Few Days Of Rest, Then Up The Next Mountains

Journal of Steven Caplan: Day 26

Abey is hurt and I could use a rest. This seems like as good a place as any.

The next morning, they had breakfast, and then mulled around. Caspian wanted to get going, but Abey was not yet ready to go. Steven decided that they needed a few days of rest, and that these people were kind enough. So they stayed. Caspian busied himself with the local magic users, for as far as they would talk to him. Abey took time to get fitted for a leather singlet, and equipping herself with some local goods. Steven just found a good shade spot, watching some children, and dozed for a bit.

He was aroused by hearing a class of youngsters being drilled in some oral tradition. Three old men and one old woman were taking turns teaching the children their lessons. Two were recitation drills. One was evidently math, and the last was some kind of test on previous material.

In the afternoon, Steven helped clean up some of the debris from the night before, and was invited to try his hand at some hunting and stalking. Steven was mildly surprised to see a co-ed party, as he half expected to see it as men-only. Abey later explained that the party was chosen by skill, and need, thought there was a patriarchal undercurrent to the society. While the men took the lead in providing, the women were not discouraged from their own talents and skills, whatever these are.

They outfitted him as one of them, in a singlet and poncho, instead of his shirt. It was as big as their largest man wore, and was still a bit short for Steven, though plenty in girth. They passed on changing out his boots and BDU trousers. He got a head band and some face and arm paint. He impressed them with his stealth, for being so large. He took his crossbow out with a hunting party, and used it to bring down a local deer-thing.

Steven realized that part of the reason that he did not like hunting anymore was it was too close to what he had done in the Marines, as a sniper. His dad had taught him and taken him hunting as a boy. But once in the Corps, his hunting days were through.

Now, he slaughtered his kill, not as clean as the natives, but well enough to impress them that he had a grasp of the subject. That night, Steven and Caspian ate with one of the families. Not a feast as the night before, but just as filling.

Journal of Steven Caplan: Day 28

Nice place to visit, nice people. But I don’t want to live here.

Abey showed up with her left arm still in a sling, but otherwise ready to hit the trail, after two days. She was dressed closer to the locals than she had been prior; wearing a leather singlet with her leather belt over a linen tank-top, and her trousers and boots. She wore a native choker of semi-precious stones intermixed with claws and teeth, with a matching arm band on her left bicep. A claw and a fang hung from a piercing each on each ear. Also there was now a dangle from each of the seven tiny braids on the left side of her head. She had a new roll of something added to her bedroll, tied to the top of her backpack. Her shoulder bag, full of food, hung at her left hip. Steven noticed a knife on the outboard side of her right boot.

As they walked, she detached and unrolled a new poncho, the new roll from her bag, and put it on. Steven realized this replaced the thinner fabric cloak her mother had sent. She also had her own sling and shot bag, now. Lastly she carried but did not put on a set of gauntlets. Steven had noticed several of the locals wore a fingerless gauntlet set when hunting, and presumed that this was a pair of the same.

Steven recognized Abey beginning to walk in an assured predator’s gate.

They talked some as they traveled about how to present themselves. The truth would do well enough, but might not be fully believable. The idea of passing her of as married to either man was briefly considered, then dismissed. None of them would be comfortable acting that part. Soon they settled on her being fostered to Steven. He was not sure he could fumble his way through acting as if she were his actual daughter; Abey likewise did not want to try too much artifice. But a fostering relationship in this area was one step removed from Master-Apprentice, and that was acceptable, as he decided to start helping her make a ghillie suit, and one for himself, just to see how much of that he could remember.

Traveling in the direction they were going, they had one more mountain range to climb, then ultimately down on to the coastal plains. Caspian was loath to admit that he had only traveled this way once, and had only vague memories of the specific layout. He did not even remember the names of the area. But he did remember the maps he had seen and the tracker held true. He just hoped he could find a good path over these mountains, and quietly hoped that Abey might be of help that way. Along the way, Abey realized that Caspian and Steven did not even know the names of The Kingdom, Dorston, or of the capitol city they were heading for, Veradale. The Jemed Highlands they had left as they climbed the Gulco Mountains was in the Duchy of Jemela.

Caspian had sheepishly admitted to not really being worried about names. “We are just passing through. We don’t need to worry about where we are, just where we are going.”

*          *          *

Roxanne had quickly realized that while the Pages were sent about on a first-come-first-served basis, there were some favorites played by both the staff and the pages. One girl had taken a particular liking to Rox and showed up more often than any of the others. In a free moment, she asked Rox to teach her how to fight. On asking, Rox learned that this girl was considered by the Guard instructors too young to teach, yet; also she had seen Rox practicing one morning. After being asked, when Rox had a free moment she would show the girl the basics of her style of martial arts. The Sorceress caught her doing this, and revealed that the girl was the daughter of a peasant, and therefore looked down on by some. She then scheduled a bit of time each day for Rox to practice herself, and teach this girl. The Sorceress even sat in to watch some.

In return the page-girl had begun to show Roxanne all around the Palace, and its adjoining buildings. From this Roxanne had realized this Palace Complex was on the first tier up the side of the mountains from the valley floor. Some of the towers and wings were tall enough to look across at the second and third tiers. Depending on the tower and viewpoint, she could see any horizon in any direction, save south. The north side of the palace crossed an outcrop that had nothing directly below it on the east or west, to the city below on the valley floor. She also learned the name of the city, Veradale, and the name of The Kingdom it was capitol of, Dorston.

Now Rox sat on a wall-seat she had been shown, watching The Queen’s return in a courtyard below. A guard stood nearby where Rox sat, pike in hand, observing everything.

Two closed carriages with a platoon of cavalry entered, followed by three open cargo carts. The cavalry moved off as the wagons turned in the yard and stopped by some stairs that Roxanne had learned led into the royal wing. Two women got out of the front one, the first stepping aside for the second. Rox guessed that the second was The Queen, by etiquette, as she could not judge their clothing from this angle. The second carriage pulled up to the official entrance and two men and two women got out and went into the wing where the throne room was.

Some porters attacked the cargo carts. Two chests were removed from one and taken into the royal wing. Another was taken into the office wing. The rest were left on the carts and they were taken out into the guard’s yard and out of Rox’s sight.

That evening, the Sorceress did not show up for the usual dinner practice. Rox asked the stewards what was happening.

“The Queen is returned, with the new Ambassador from The Kingdom to the south. There is a formal dinner tonight, and all the Ministers are required to be in attendance.”

Roxanne picked up and crunched into a vegetable slice. Then did what she would scold her own kids for, and while chewing said, “I guess it’s just as well I don’t rank that.”

The Sorceress returned late that evening, exhausted. She wore a green colored formal gown unlike any Roxanne had before seen, and several pounds of gold jewelry. A page came and helped Rox help The Sorceress out of her jewelry and formal gown. The Sorceress stood on a pedestal as she was undressed. Rox wanted to speak, but The Sorceress would not while the page was there. Once the main layers of the gown were removed, and the next loosened, The Sorceress dismissed the page. She still had an underskirt, girdle, flounce and whatever was under that. She had stepped out of her formal slippers as she mounted the pedestal.

“My assistant will be sufficient from here. You may report back to your superiors.”

The page bowed and left.

As soon as the door closed, The Sorceress seamed to sag under the weight of the foundation garment and petticoats. “I hate formal state dinners; so tedious.”

Rox started the conversation at the only place she could think of. “My Lady, is there something going on between the two kingdoms, or is this simply a changing of staff?” She continued to open the fasteners on the layered under skirt.

“There is a trade agreement being worked out. The Queen was there surveying their textiles and wool. We are offering both money and some minerals. They want what I think amounts to war material. As I understand, their neighbor to the south is getting belligerent.”

Rox got the last button opened, and The Sorceress held the under skirt up as Rox opened it and then slid it up and over The Sorceress’s head and put it carefully aside. “Peace through strength is good, so long as you have enough strength to show your neighbor it is not worth the effort of conflict, my lady.”

The Sorceress pulled at the strings for the girdle that laced up her back. “Yes. But in this case I think both sides are trying for peace through a first crushing blow. My concern is which side is really doing the provoking.”

Rox loosened the girdle up its length. The Sorceress relaxed visibly as it released. “My Lady, that is not anything I have any idea about, and I think not really my business.”

The Sorceress took a deep breath. “No, it is not.”

Rox pulled the girdle up and over The Sorceress’s head and arms. She still had a flounce and last petticoat, but other than that was down to a strapless shift. The flounce was quickly removed, and this bottom petticoat quickly followed.

Rox presented a dressing gown and the Sorceress tied its sash as she stepped down and over to a chair. Here she removed a pair of linen stockings, wiggling her toes as she did.

Rox felt a little apprehensive about what she really wanted to talk of. “My lady, what about what we have talked about, about The Queen and King? How does that go?”

The Sorceress wiped makeup off as she spoke. “I see The Queen tomorrow, and can start to talk about it then. So far all the girls are fine with it. The one with The King now is anxious to get out of the Palace and enter a religious order. I might be worried about that, except her family wanted her there from the start. The Trade Minister thinks an heir is fine. The Military staff all thinks it is high time for an heir to be appointed. The Lands Minister will be relieved, as he is wondering whether he might be carving up bits for new countesses. The City Minister has no complaint. The Church tells me they have already been bugging The King about this discretely, out of my earshot. It turns out they thought I was part of the problem. As far as my responsibilities, several of the women have left the harem over the years, and are married or have taken vows, or are in the diplomatic service. Others are almost useless downstairs, freeloading on the palace budget.”

Rox stood aside watching. “How is that, about the church, my lady?”

“Most of the church endorses marriage. The part that does not is celibate and usually in a monastic order of some kind. They tolerate harems, so long as there are no troubles about them. But they figured that I was continuing to supply new women to The King to keep him away from his wife, not at her request. I think I have begun to smooth that over, but will need to proceed carefully. I gather that they have also begun to press The Queen, but I am not certain. If they have not yet, we may be able to ally over this.”

Rox watched and guessed that there was more to what The Church had said to The Sorceress, from the way she talked about them as much as from what she was not saying. But again that was not Rox’s business.