Sergeant Maelneth

Sergeant Maelneth enters the service of The Queen's Guard, but will her true identity remain a secret?

6.

Sergeant Maelneth

 

Captain Todd did not recognize her for an instant as she rushed back into the stable a few minutes later.   

“Wow, that is quite a change,”  he said when he realized who she was. “Your hair gave it away to me first.”

“I’m going to use a magic comb to make it short, but it will take overnight for it to finish.     I’ll pin it back for now and wear my hood up while you introduce me to the guardsmen here.”

“That sounds reasonable.    I’ve told the ladies in your barracks that you will be arriving soon.  Go ahead and change into that armor and leave your clothes here.   I’ll store them someplace secure for the duration of your… mission.   I’ll be waiting for you upstairs when you are finished, just tell the guard at the main entrance who you are… well, actually, tell him who you are pretending to be.    This is your last chance to change your mind before we commit to this plan of yours.    You are certain that you want to do this?”

Arianelle nodded, “Quite sure, Captain.”

“Very well, may Yesh bless this scheme.    I’ll be waiting upstairs.”    Captain Todd turned and slipped out of the stable, leaving the young Sylvan Princess in the stall to change.

The armor fit reasonably well, though she was somewhat worried as she was of the age that most adolescent elven girls - especially those with dark elven ancestry- begin taking on a much more mature feminine form.    She was slowly gaining the curvy drow body shape of her mother, grandmother and aunts, which would be very difficult to explain if she was supposed to be just a normal 80 year old, slender surface elf.   Hopefully I can conceal it for a month or so, she thought as she purposely moved around in the plate armor, making sure it wasn’t too tight or too loose.

When she was satisfied with the fit, she pulled her hair back behind her and brought it up in a bun at the very back of head, then carefully pulled the hood of the faded green guardsman cloak forward until only her face showed.  She hoped they wouldn’t see that she had long hair pinned up, but if they did, she’d just tell them that she planned to cut her hair off, a symbolic gesture of the end of the journey and the start of a new role here.  

Arianelle knew her mother would ‘kill’ her if she actually cut her long hair, but hopefully the magic comb would solve that problem.

The girl strapped on the sword that Amala had given to her (sheathed in the plain brown scabbard of a Queen’s guardsman) and slipped on the Gauntlets of Ogre Strength before donning the metal gauntlets of the plate armor.    The magic gauntlets changed shape to perfectly fit her hands like a second skin, so she could easily wear the leather gloves under the metal armor.

The small box containing the darkness and silence stones were slipped into a pouch that she wore on her sword belt.    

For a long moment she stood there calming her nerves as best that she could.    Finally, with a deep breath, she walked out of the stable, trying to think like someone who had ridden across country all day in plate armor.    She slowed her walk and leaned over slightly as if exhausted.

The orc guardsmen at the entrance to the barracks challenged her as she approached.

“Good evening, soldier.”  She spoke with tiredness in her voice, “I am Sergeant Maelneth from King’s Reach.   I’ve been reassigned here.   I believe Captain Todd is expecting me.”

The orc guard saluted. “Yes, ma’am, you are expected, I will get someone to show you to the captain’s office.”

“Thank you, soldier.”  She replied, remembering the importance of politeness, as the Queen’s Guard was known for it.

The guard rang a bell next to his station and another orc came out and led her up three flights of stairs.    Captain Todd’s office was somewhat small in size but neat and comfortable.    He sat at his desk speaking to three lieutenants - two of them orcs and one a human.     Her escort introduced her and Arianelle saluted the captain and officers.

“At ease, sergeant.”  Captain Todd replied, rising to his feet and extending his hand, “Welcome to Westmark, I trust you’ve had a safe journey?”

“Yes, sir, I did indeed, though I am rather tired.”

“Well, we have your quarters ready for you - have you eaten?”

“Yes, sir, I ate on the road.”

The captain introduced the two orc lieutenants as Alton and Vey and the human lieutenant as Jost.   Arianelle bowed respectfully to them.

“These men are my staff officers, sergeant.   You will be one of twelve sergeants in our garrison here.     There are 48 corporals and 500 soldiers of the Queen’s Guard that serve here.    We’re about twice the size of the garrison in King’s Reach, I’d say.”

“Yes, sir.”  She responded, actually having no idea how large the guard was in that city.

“You will be our only elven guardsman, except for Corporal Linus, who is half-elven.     After looking at the report sent by your garrison commander at King’s Reach, I see that you are quite used to living amongst orcs.”

“Yes, sir, I was more-or-less raised in the garrison there, sir.”

“You’re an orphan, I have heard.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, but from your impeccable record, I am very glad that you have joined us.    I am going to give you the honor of being the personal guard for Her Majesty, Queen Aurei.     I know that you held a similar role with Her Grace, Duchess Valmiai in King’s Reach.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Well, your duties here will be the same.   During waking hours, you are to accompany Queen Aurei at all times in public and inside the palace, except, of course, for the private royal chambers.    Her life will be your responsibility.   There will be other guards assigned to His Majesty, King Eleazar, and Her Highness, Princess Aidan.    Other assigned guards will be placed on any visiting member of the royal family, upon request of His Majesty.”

“Thank you, sir, for this great honor, I will be worthy of your trust in me.”

Captain Todd seemed very pleased with how she had responded. “Very good, sergeant.     Your day will begin at 6 AM, approximately an hour before Her Majesty usually awakens.   You know, of course, to wait for her outside of the royal quarters, and then you will escort her wherever she goes.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Do you have any questions regarding your assigned duties, sergeant?”

“No, sir.”

“Splendid.    Then I will have a soldier take you to your barracks.     As we only have three other female guardsmen in the garrison here, you will be in their barracks and as senior in rank, you will have the private quarters, which should be the same set-up as our garrison in King’s Reach.”

“Yes, sir.”  She replied, as if this was the first time she’d heard the information.     Captain Todd called for one of the soldiers to escort her to the female barracks and Arianelle saluted the officers and was dismissed to her barracks.

The soldier led her down the hallway and indicated a room on the east side of the building.   He then saluted her and turned and left.

A sign on the door read simply ‘FEMALE BARRACKS’.

 

Now she had to meet the females who would share the sleeping quarters with her.     Arianelle took a few calming breaths then opened the door and entered.

Immediately three women seated at a table eating a late dinner jumped to their feet and stood at attention.    Arianelle almost laughed at their discipline.   

Two of them were young orc women and the other one appeared to be a half-orc.     Arianelle walked over to them.

“At ease, ladies.”  She said pleasantly, “I am Sergeant Maelneth; I’ve been reassigned here from King’s Reach.”

The women introduced themselves as Jeni, Tyru and the Half-orc said she was Mellna.    All three seemed relieved at Arianelle’s pleasantness and they invited her to join them at the table.  Sitting down, she had to pull her hood down which of course revealed her long hair,  so she resigned herself to just claiming (in the morning) that she had cut her hair before going to bed.   

She thanked them for their offer of food, but restated her tale about eating on the road and implored them to go ahead with their meal.

They asked her numerous questions, but they were of the sort that she expected, so her answers seemed legitimate.   From listening to them as they spoke of their jobs, she could tell that they were very loyal to the king and queen and thought highly of them.    

But their opinions of some of the men and women of the royal court were not as favorable.    ‘Toadies’ was the term they used for some of the men who tried their best to impress the royal family, but gossiped and complained about them behind their backs.     ‘Sheet Princesses’ or merely ‘Sheets’ was the amusing slang they used for the young (and not-so-young) women of minor noble birth that would gladly sleep with anyone if it benefited them.     Some tried desperately to get pregnant so they could blackmail the father of their baby.   

King Eleazar would send all of them away when he heard of what they were doing, but according to the guardswomen, there was a nearly countless stream of others trying to find a way to get introduced to the court by sleeping with some of the toadies.

Arianelle was relieved to learn that her actual family members were not guilty of any misdeeds.     The Toadies were especially interested in Katherine, Victoria and, most of all, Princess Aidan, but all three young women were not impressed by them.

Prince Nolen, who was the heir to the Marksylvania throne after his father, Gamel, was the focus of attention of all of the Sheet Princesses, though they knew they had to be cautious as Queen Aurei was very protective of her only grandson.

Then there was the Hutcaiah prince, Lee-Anke-Shinn, who the ladies of the court were just beginning to entertain thoughts of, but he hadn’t been there long enough for any of the Sheets to make serious advancements.

By the time the three orc ladies finished their meal, Arianelle had a good knowledge of the gossip of the court.

“So you get to be Queen Aurei’s bodyguard?”    Mellna asked as she collected the other ladies dishes.

“Yes, and I’m very excited but nervous too.   I hope she’ll like me.”   Arianelle hoped to convey a sense of insecurity, mixed with determination.

“You haven’t been introduced yet, sergeant?”   

“No, that comes tomorrow morning, I guess.   Do you ladies have any suggestions on how to best make a good impression with her?”

All three of them had ideas, and they all agreed that being honest and open with the queen was best.    Arianelle already knew this, of course, but she felt that she had to think as if she was really who she claimed to be.

Following the discussion, Arianelle excused herself and retired into the sergeant’s quarters.    It was small, with just a bed, a small writing table and chair and a generously sized closet.     Next to the closet, against the wall, the girl was surprised to find a full size cast iron tub, but more amazing was the copper pipes leading to a pair of valves at one end of the rim.   

It was a practical magic washing tub with hot and cold running water and pipes that carried the dirty water into the palace’s sewer system.   Next to the tub she found a small flushing chamber toilet that was a part of the plumbing package of the system.

She was amazed to find that her grandparents had paid to put the private bathroom system into not only the Queen’s Guard officers’ quarters, but the sergeants’ quarters as well.     Arianelle was pleased with the knowledge, for now she wouldn’t have to use the communal bathing facilities of the other soldiers.   

Not that she felt that she was better or more privileged than the others, but she feared that somehow her masquerade would be exposed.

Without any hesitation she filled the tub with water and bathed, amused at how different her skin looked as she washed.    For a while she just sat in the warm water, relieved to have begun her plan.

But then her thoughts turned to her parents back in Tarmard and for the second time that day, she found herself really missing them.    What is wrong with me?   She wondered as she wiped away tears.     So often she had been at odds with them and had longed to be free from their constraints.   Now she had achieved that, yet she cried every time she thought of them.

She was still sniffling when she emptied the tub and dried off.   She had to get control of herself and stop acting like such a scared child!    Arianelle found a sleeping gown in the closet and slipped it on, then slipped the magic comb in her hair and thought of very short hair.     Why was she so emotional?    She’d heard horror stories of drow girls who went through a terrible time of intense change that sometimes drove them mad.     The stories scared her to death, for they sometimes occurred at her age.   

Yet she wasn’t even half drow, so surely she wouldn’t have to go through that.     As she lay on the cot staring up at the ceiling in the small room, Arianelle prayed that she’d be spared that horror.

 

She was of several races of elves, why was the dark elven blood so strong within her?    No-one could even see the Sylvan or Faesidhe blood that she had, for she was quickly labeled as a ‘Szarkai’, the drow word for a dark elf albino, which meant ‘Ghost Spider’.   

At least for a short time, thanks to the shape-changing ring, she could look nearly normal.   What would mom think of my new look, she pondered bleakly as she wrapped herself up in her blanket and fell asleep.

***

“What have you found out?”   Prince Lee Anke Shinn whispered as the servant bowed respectfully in the dark back corridor of the royal palace.

“Master, the Princess Arianelle is known to greatly hate our people.”

“Well that is obvious!    Surely you learned more about her.” 

“Sire, she is extremely skilled in swordsmanship.    I heard about her skill from several people.     They say that she is as skilled as any in this kingdom or in Tarmard.”

The prince sighed impatiently. “Anything else?”

“Master, I learned from one of the Westmark merchants that the princess visited her shop a month ago and sold several large, valuable gemstones.”

Prince Lee looked up. “Oh?   Now that is interesting - why would she need to sell gems?”

The servant shrugged, “Sire, the merchant told me that she was tight-lipped and did not give a reason, but she received a fair price for the stones, since the merchant knew who she was.”

The Hutcaiah prince tapped his fingers on the stone wall, thinking for a moment. “If she is selling gems to get gold, then she apparently has a need for money that she does not want her parents to know about.    That is quite interesting.     She left today with her uncle and aunt and shall be gone for a month.    Yet she would not need to secretly get money for that.”

“Master, we have several spies in East Point, perhaps we could be notified when she arrives there and they could watch what she does during her stay there?”

Prince Lee smiled at the suggestion, “Very good, see to that.    Have Mou-Anqu contact our spies by scrying mirror.    Arianelle is up to something, and if she hates our people so badly, then we need to know just what she is doing.    Go and see Mou-Anqu at once!”

“Yes, Master!”   The servant bowed respectfully, pulled his black hooded robe over his face and quietly slipped from his master’s presence, leaving Prince Lee to ponder alone.