The Princess’s Handmaiden

  Silver was adopted by the mage soldiers of Nytaea as the armor of choice because of its availability and reasonable protection. Other nations stick to leather or even lighter materials. Some magi have gone into battle wearing only the robes that they use to study scrolls. Advanced magical protection includes frost armor, an invention of a Lygelli water mage two generations back; spell-reinforced silver armor of the old Silversmiths (which only the most elite of the current mage soldiers are entrusted with); and heavy stone armor made of stonesung rock plates by earth magi in the far reaches of Torlega, beyond the Styrite Mountains.

  — From Secrets of Mani, by Sor the Lark

  (Dri’Shal 14, 997—Night Season)

  I awoke the next morning to Hamia shaking my shoulders. “Podda, Podda—wake up.”

  “What, Kaen?” I mumbled sleepily.

  “Huh? Oh, you’re awake! It’s time to get up, Podda.” She left me to get out of bed, fetch a basin of water to wash with, change into my day’s work clothing, and begin working. Such was the life of a maid.

  All day, I could not keep my thoughts off of Mydia, the princess. Friend, huh? The princess’s friend . . . I had no idea how this would to turn out, but she seemed like a good ally to have in the Palace. Perhaps she could secure me a better position in the Palace staff, or even spirit me inside the Underground. But what would either of those things help? If I could get closer to the Palace Dungeons, that would be one thing. I couldn’t help but feel a sort of tense anxiety as I pictured how another casual conversation with Mydia in the gardens might go. I didn’t really want to meet the Underground leaders again, but Mydia was all right. She seemed honest.

  After a day of the dreadful agony of waiting, I was almost taken by surprise when the day drew to a close and we returned to the maids’ quarters for bed. Mydia had glanced my way once when I was serving dinner, smiling slightly. That was all I had seen of her all day, though.

  My heart beating wildly, I waited for Hamia to fall asleep—most of the maids knew how to fall asleep quickly, in order to conserve sleeping time—and then rose furtively to sneak outside the sleeping quarters and into the hallways. At one point, I had to stop as a guard crossed the hallway in front of me, bearing a creaky lantern. Then I proceeded out into the Palace Gardens by way of the secret side door Mydia had shown me.

  Part of me wondered why I would ever be so foolish as to sneak out here, trusting her not to turn me in, just to please the princess, but I forced my misgivings down. And there she was, waiting for me just as she’d said. (On the same birdbath as the first night, I noted with some amusement.)

  “Yay, you came!” she said gleefully, getting up and rushing over to hug me. Her eyes looked suspiciously misty.

  “I came,” I said quietly, patting her shoulder. I felt a tear drop off her cheek and onto my shoulder. Are all princesses this emotional?

  “I didn’t think you’d actually come,” she moaned into my shoulder. But then she let me go and got a hold of herself, taking out a sparkling white handkerchief and dabbing at her eyes. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. How can you stand to be so lonely and not cry all the time?”

  “I . . . guess I manage somehow,” I said, trying to keep a straight face. As I’d told her the other night, I made a point to never cry where others could see me. Perhaps it was just pride.

  Mydia sighed and went over to one of the flower bushes and ran her hand across the retracted blooms, mouth moving absently. Under her palm, the flowers opened and flared bright red. They stayed that way for a few moments after her hand passed on, and then closed back up again.

  I stared in astonishment. “You can use magic? Or . . . Authority?” I wasn’t sure of the correct terminology.

  Mydia smiled. “Of a sort, yes. My mother had the same gift, but mine isn’t quite strong enough that you’d call it Authority. Simple Coaction. Mother made these gardens, and she used to tend to them every day. The flowers flourished under her care.”

  “I wish I could use magic,” I said wistfully, before realizing what had just escaped my lips. “I mean . . . Not really. I wouldn’t want to be a mage. Besides, that’s a silly thought, anyway.” I giggled nervously and then coughed into a hand. Despite the warnings I’d heard all my childhood about staying away from magi, something had always captivated me about them.

  Mydia didn’t say anything more about it, probably so as not to make me feel bad. After a little while, we got to talking about other things. She was curious about what life had been like for me on the streets, so I told her a bit about living at the orphanage.

  Mydia nodded, explaining that she had made it a habit to donate, not only to the Underground, but to orphanages and soup kitchens around the city, trying to help out the poor wherever she could. Her father and handmaidens never bothered to notice her disappearances at night, or at least they didn’t care. If she was ever actually caught lending money out to his enemies, though . . . She had been doing it less and less now, she said, and instead devoting money to the Under-ground in hopes that they could help the people for her where she could not.

  It went back and forth like this for some time, until Mydia pulled out her pocket watch—a luxury which no orphan or maid could ever afford—and exclaimed, “Oh, my! It’s later than I thought. Well . . . tomorrow night, then?”

  I nodded.

  “All right, see you then.” Mydia returned to her rooms, and I made my way back to the maids’ quarters. Everyone was still asleep again, fortunately.

  The days seemed to pass in a blur. Every day, I would wait impatiently for nightfall—in the Night Season, that means the time that the auroras dimmed and the world returned to its natural state of sunless darkness—to sneak out and see the princess. We would talk for an hour or more before returning to our beds to find some sleep. It was probably all right for her, but the shortened sleeping time began to take a serious toll on me. Whenever I looked in the wash-basin, I saw a tired, haggard girl with rings under her eyes. We couldn’t keep going like this, or I would mess up and drop a platter or something, only to find my head misplaced after Lord Kalceron got angry.

  One night, I couldn’t take it anymore. “Mydia,” I said sleepily, “We just can’t keep doing this. I’m afraid if I go on staying up late like this, I’ll be in danger of falling asleep on the job.”

  Mydia’s brow furrowed with concern. “Oh, really? Goodness, you do look awful. . . . I’m so sorry. I suppose the maids have to get up dreadfully early.”

  Here we go, I thought. She’s going to cry again for sure. But she didn’t.

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  “Actually, I’ve been thinking . . .” she mused.

  “What?”

  “I wonder if I could get you as my personal maidservant.”

  “Your . . . personal maidservant.”

  “Well, think about it, Podda. Wouldn’t it be better? I wouldn’t have to say much about it, nor acknowledge you as anyone but a servant in front of others, but we could talk all we want. It’d be great, Podda!”

  I considered her proposition. It really would help me out a lot. I would have a bit more credibility than as an ordinary maid, so I might not lose my head if Lady Lieda stumbled upon me again. “I suppose it’s worth a shot,” I said hesitantly. “But would you even be able to do that?”

  She waved a hand. “Easy. A little finagling here and there. No one would think it suspicious.”

  “But, don’t you have other handmaidens?”

  “Yes, but one, um . . . left recently, and isn't coming back, so . . .”

  “There is an open position?”

  “Yes. I’ll see what I can do. Until then, go get some sleep.”

  Not for the first time, I wondered to myself why she thought of me as a friend. If she could use magic, then surely she could have defended herself against a couple of no-good thieves that night. Perhaps there really wasn’t a reason.

  I simply nodded. “Thank you, Mydia. Goodnight.”

  (Dri’Shal 16, 997—Night Season)

  The next day went as usual. I woke up at the normal early hour, and tried all day to not look as tired as I was. It was just after dinner was served, while I was eating with the maids, that little Teli—who had, fortunately, healed by this time—informed me that someone had come asking for me. My first thought was that it must be one of Mydia’s servants, but no. It was Kaen.

  “Kaen!” I nearly threw my arms around his neck, so happy was I to see him finally. It wasn’t like I had not passed him by on my errands, but I hadn’t gotten the chance to stop and talk to him in a little while.

  “Shhh!” He pulled me to one side, away from the doorway. “It’s Roger, remember?”

  “Oh, yes. Sorry. Have you found anything out, Roger?”

  He shook his head regretfully. “No. I’m not getting anywhere yet. However . . .” He stepped back and gestured at his new apparel. “Ta-da.” It took me a moment to see that he was now dressed in a spear soldier’s garb, a crisp-looking, black tunic emblazoned with the green dragon of House Kalceron, complete with black breeches, boots and leather gauntlets to go with it. A belt with a green-painted buckle held the tunic fast around his waist.

  “Kae—Roger! Did you get enlisted into the Armed Guard’s ranks?”

  “I did. Must have been my shining skill with plates and platters. Easily transferable to the spear, you know.” He gave a tense laugh, and then shrugged. “No. They needed a few extra hands, apparently, and they thought I looked decent enough to draft. Hopefully, I’ll be able to go places a servant can’t. Guards like me have dungeon duty occasionally. I can’t talk long, though.”

  “Me neither,” I admitted. “I’m glad you got in. I, too, might be . . . moving up a little.”

  “How’s that?”

  “I’d rather not say yet, but . . . I hope I see you again soon. Remember, don’t be too far away.”

  “Same to you.” With that, he left to go and do whatever business he had.

  I went back inside the maids’ quarters, and was greeted by Lina with a plate of leftover noodles. She handed it to me and brushed back a strand of golden hair. “Who was it? What’d he want, anyway?”

  I shrugged. “Nothing, I guess. It was just a spear soldier sent to tell me to be more careful when I clean.”

  “Why would they send one of them?”

  “I guess it was his room.”

  Lina laughed, and left me to find a place with my maid friends and eat my supper.

  Not a half hour later, one of Princess Mydia’s own handmaidens, dressed in fine clothing, called on me and informed me that I was wanted by the princess. The maids watching nearby were astonished, but I told them not to worry as I let the woman lead me away. She was one of the oldest maidservants I had seen here, easily into her middle years.

  “Take heart, little Podda,” she said to me in a stuffy, lofty tone for a servant. “You have been chosen to be one of Her Ladyship’s handmaidens. My name is Chara, and I will instruct you in your new duties to the princess.”

  My heart sank a little at hearing that, but I went with her nonetheless to Mydia’s rooms, which were all the way at the northern end of the Palace—the back—and up a long, spiraling tower staircase. I felt ready to drop by the time we got there, though that was mostly just from lack of sleep. Normally, my stamina rarely flagged. Finally, we arrived and I saw Mydia. Arrayed in a gorgeous gown of light green, midnight hair pinned up on the sides with pins of matching green color, she looked a regal young lady; my new mistress, no less.

  She did a good job of not looking overly thrilled to see me, but I still caught a glimmer of excitement in her eyes. “So,” she said, chin held high in a noble posture, “You’ve arrived. You’ve been recommended to be my next handmaiden. I hope you will do everything Chara and I tell you. Mind your place and serve me well, and you will have more luxuries than most of the other maids around the Palace.”

  Oh, classic. I'd been ‘recommended’. How had she managed that one? “Anything I can do to serve, My Lady,” I said submissively. Chara seemed satisfied with that reply, and Mydia nodded curtly.

  And so began my tenure as Princess Mydia’s personal servant. Imagine that: Kaen, drafted into the Armed Guard, and me, a handmaiden to Lord Kalceron’s own daughter. What would I do now, even if we did find a way to break our friends out of prison? Where would we go to hide, after the princess herself knew me?

  No, put those thoughts away, idiot girl. I knew I could have no second thoughts now. We were getting closer, and there was no backing down.

  I was given over to Chara again, to be shown around the princess’s vast suites in the tower and to learn my new duties as a maid. It turned out that Chara was more like the one who made sure the other handmaidens did their job. My new partner, Julia, was a wide-eyed brunette around the same age as me. I would take over most of her duties, while she cleaned the room and ran errands for Mydia. I was to awaken my lady in the morning, dress her, serve her meals that Chara and Julia brought from the kitchen, and bathe her every day (I sincerely hoped that she was capable of doing some of that herself). In reality, it would be much easier than my former job as a plain old maid. I would be fed better, too, so that was a plus.

  At last, Chara left me alone with Mydia, taking Julia with her on some errand or another. Mydia shut the door firmly and let out a long sigh. “There. That’s better. All right; bath time, servant.”

  “Is that a joke?” I asked hesitantly.

  “Actually, no. Bath time is about this time every night. Don’t worry; it won’t be that bad. I can scrub myself, mostly; you basically just hand me all of the hideous scented soaps and perfumes, and we can chat at the same time. Bedtime will be soon after that.”

  I had to start my new duties at some point, so I grabbed the necessary things for her and followed her to the personal bathroom of her suite. Who needed a personal bathroom, anyway? Oh, well. Chara had told me the basics already, and like Mydia said, it really wasn’t that bad. I was basically just her attendant.

  As she steeped, she explained more about how my job as her handmaiden would work, how we would arrange things. Mydia offered to let me go to sleep before her, in my new personal servant’s room adjoining hers. I did have to be up before her every morning in order to wake her up, but she said that we could reverse it at least for one night. Chara wouldn’t know. We talked for perhaps half an hour while she soaked in her bubbly bath. I couldn’t help but notice that she enjoyed it far more than she pretended, but I wasn’t about to question the personal contradictions of a pampered noblewoman.

  I handed the princess a towel to dry herself off, and then did up her black hair in a soft towel, just the way Chara had instructed me. Mydia only had to give me a few pointers. Then I helped her get into her nightgown, and finally accompanied her back to her bedroom. Here, she left me to go to my own bed—one much more comfortable than the bunks shared by the other maids—bidding me a good night.

  I fell asleep almost immediately.