the Leathermines

Back to Chapter 10

 

Like the work I am putting up here?  Hit me up on Twitter @Leathermines to tell me and the world.

Laun had become the noble people expected.  She had started to assume things to be done because of who she was.  It came back to haunt her when she was left alone in Ifahyd’s rooms.  She was not ruling family, she was not in her household.  She was known, but not important.

The King had gone off to do whatever it was he needed to do for his kingdom.  Laun sat, looking at the changing of the shadows and light in the courtyard for a while after he left, sipping on a goblet of water that had been left from the night before.  The books within the Kings quarters were looked at, only a few that Laun could read, one helping her know more about the Rosemond languages.  She asked for a few things to be brought to her from the yurlodge which were delivered while she was sitting in the scented shade of the private courtyard.  There were a few words between herself and the Peach who had brought the items after a servant in the room directed the Peach to where to put the things.  She slept some when the day became warm, dreaming of the Midlands and her family, now changed.  She woke when one of the noble men came in to bring out evening clothing for Ifahyd.  Laun knew that some of her things were brought in, but did not know where it had been put.

Laun stood and watched the man of the night choose the pants and overtunic for his King, laying out the thin fabrics and then starting to match belting and jewels.  She waited until he seemed to have paused to ask, “Could you find my little silver casket for me?”

Her request was a simple thing, but the noble didn’t want to do it and just turned from her.

Laun was stunned.  She didn’t quite know what to do.  She stepped away, looking out into the courtyard garden with the multicolored sandy rocks to compose herself.  She took a deep breath and just looked at the beautiful cream and pink colors of the artfully placed rocks among the sparse desert plants and paths.

Laun turned and had her head bowed slightly.  There wasn’t much of an expression on her face and her voice was soft.  “I am sorry to be a distraction, Count.”  She turned back to the window and continued looking at the garden.

The Count kept setting out his Majesties court garb for that evening.  He paused and looked at the woman just standing at the long window.  The clear panes were open and the sheer drapes moved slightly from the breeze coming from the arid land around the Estate.  He thought she had been irritated that he would not find her the vessel she wanted, but she just looked calm with the sheers moving around her.

The King wanted to have this Midlands woman taken care of, even as her people were in one of the yurlodges on the Estate.  She had not intruded as the Count and the others attended the King, but her presence had disrupted the usual order.  Ifahyd seemed happier, and very distracted from his routine.

The Count changed out a piece of jewelry to be on Ifahyd’s head wrap.  He looked again and she had moved to a chair, a folio of Rosemond maps open on her lap.  Again, she had not fussed or nagged to have the attention of the Count.  She had just found something to occupy herself with.

He saw her tilt her head as she moved two of the maps to try to align them.  She was focusing on the maps, but her concern on her face was...  Charming.

The Count saw some of the innocence his Majesty had told of.  She had been quiet most of the time she had been in the main house.  Since the heir of Lady Engrid had been announced, she had withdrawn, not even seeming to want her people around her.

She caught him looking at her.  She straightened her head from the charming tilt and had a small smile.  He reflexively smiled back and then turned to fuss with the clothing yet again.

The small noise right behind him was all the indication that she had moved from the chair.  The Count turned and flushed from his startlement of her being less than a hands’ breadth away from his back.

“You are a noble in your own right, correct?”

He nodded.  “I am the count of Bal’dagalria.”

She nodded.  “But, you attend his Majesty here on the royal Estate.”

He nodded again.  He turned fully to her and saw her hands clasp together in front of her.  “It is my honor an’- and duty to be at his whim.”  He heard his accent slip and tried to correct himself as he spoke.

She blinked.  “That is different from where I come from.  Perhaps one of noble rank will attend King Falmir for special gatherings...  But we have servants at the Palace without rank for most days.”  She slightly tilted her head and smiled at him.  “To take the time from your household must strain things a bit.  You must have a very supportive wife.”

He blinked at her.  There was another lapse in his accent bringing out his lower class upbringing into his tutored Midland’s language skills as he said, “Bella Dresden, ‘ta Countess is in Bal’dagalria...  She...  I have not been home for most of the year.”

A light touch was on his arm.  “That is awful.  I can’t be away from my family for too long without missing them terribly.”  She looked at him with such an open eye, the creases between her brows the only thing marring the handsome woman’s face.  “I am lucky to have been able to bring many of my family with me on this trip...”

There was sadness in her eye.  The Count put his hand over hers, their touch on his arm seeming to comfort both.  “Is there something else, Bella?”

Laun looked away.  She had not had to look too deep to find sadness.  Knowing Gem...  Yevette es’cai Pearl had been hiding her lineage the three years they had known each other...  A tear was trembling at the corner of her eye as she said, “I came here because Iffy had asked, but I feel as though it has changed my family.”  She glanced up with a small smile as the tear trailed down her cheek.

The Count’s hand went to the line of wetness and wiped it away.  She did not pull back.  His fingers lingered and there was an urge he had not had for quite some time.

Laun saw the slight opening of his mouth, the flush on his cheek, the change in his breath.  She briefly pushed her cheek into his hand before moving away from him.  She felt his hand follow and then drop as she moved to look out the open window again.  She knew that his attention was just on her, now.  The royal garments he had rearranged several times were now forgotten on the end of the low bed.

He wanted to make her not as sad.  He had seen her stillness and boredom before.  She did not try to draw attention to herself as the noble women of Rosemond did to get something from the people around them.  She stood, the rising desert wind moving the sheer drapes around her more than she was moving herself.

The small thing she had asked for.  What had it been?

Laun turned to see the Count coming towards her, a small thing in his hand.  She waited, let him approach and speak first.

“Bella, is this what you wished for?”

The small silver case with the peach flower on it was in his hand.  She smiled and held her hand out for it.  “Thank you.  I couldn’t find it after it was brought to me.  It seems minor, but I would miss it terribly if it were truly lost.”

Laun opened it so he could see.  The dried flowers on top were moved until the small portraits of the twins were seen.  Ash and Sable were only about three years old, but both were distinctive, even in the small paint on wood images.  She did not have one of the boy, but a small lock of his brown hair was under the images.

The Count moved closer to see.  “Relatives?”

She nodded.  “My girls.  I left them and their brother back at Salam-Dir.”

He looked at the pictures and then at Laun.  “They are quite pretty.  They should be beautiful as you as they grow.”

Laun heard his attitude change.  She smiled and stroked the images a few times before closing the lid.  “They have most of the household wrapped around their little fingers already...”

He had moved closer.  His hand hesitated close to her shoulder, an indecision in his pause.  Laun did not move closer, did not speak.  The Count jumped when another voice was heard, at first frightening him.

“She seems to have wrapped you around hers, Ben al’Div.”

The Count turned and bowed to his King.  “I meant only to comfort her, your Majesty.”

There was a smile on Ifahyd’s lips, but a predatory look in his eye.  “I can see that.  My Midlands Rose, what do you have there?”

Laun turned slightly and held the silver casket close to her, open for Ifahyd to see as he came to her.  “The girls.  You haven’t met them, yet.”

The Count moved out of the way and started to poke at the clothing he had arranged on the low bed.  Ifahyd ignored the noble and looked into the casket while placing his hand under hers.

“They are beautiful, Laun.”

Laun nodded and turned the casket so that she could see the little paintings again before closing the lid.  “Iffy, I could not bring them.  I wanted to, as they are my core.  But, they are safer back there.”

Ifahyd shook his head and touched her on the cheek.  “You are always safest alongside me, my Midlands Rose.”

Laun smiled while looking at the casket, bringing that smile up to the King of Rosemond when she looked into his face.  There was a haughtiness she had not seen before.  There was also a little shadow of something that clouded his face before he smiled at her and took her chin in the crook of his finger.  She followed his lead, the kiss they shared small and gentle.

Ifahyd was distracted by something.  Laun could not tell what, but did not want to push to find out what.  She still was trying to figure out her own feelings and reactions to... Yevette, and did not want to intrude into Iffy’s own problems.

“Now, Laun, it is time for the damndable dressing for the evening.  I liked how you Midlanders were far less formal, but I have tradition and eyes upon me.”  He stepped away and motioned to the woman standing near the door.  “You have avoided coming out of this room at night for two days.  I wish for you to be at my side tonight.  I know your wardrobe is in the guest house, and far too heavy for our weather.”

Laun nodded and held onto the little casket as she was escorted by the woman to another room.  Laun did not mind the long, sheer thing she was in, but if it was traditional to have other clothing, she would flow with it.

The dark skinned woman opened the door to the room and stepped through, ushering Laun to follow.  There was a low couch and a mirror and a long pole with things hanging from it.

The woman touched Laun softly on the shoulder before saying, ”Highness, our King wishes you to have garments that you deserve.”

A wave of sadness went through Laun and a tear she did not expect was on her cheek.  She turned away from the woman and sat on the low couch.  Her voice was low as she said, “Please dress me as his Majesty wishes.”

There was a pause.  The woman did not move and the air seemed to get just a little stuffy before there was a small clearing of the woman’s throat.  “Your Highness, shall we start with your preferred color?”

Laun could not suppress the smile.  She glanced up to the woman and said softly, “I have been told that Peach suits me.”

There was a blink and an open mouth for a moment, but no words would come out.  Then a small glance to the open window before the woman turned to the garments hanging and pushed a few things to the side.  Laun watched as the woman ran her fingertips down the fabrics until she found what she wanted to pull out.  It seemed to be just a drape of fabric over the carved wooden hanger to Laun, but the woman’s nod made it seem as though it was an important decision.

“I hope that this is to your liking, Highness.”

Laun faced the woman and put her hand to the thing draped over the arm of the woman, the light pink and yellow thing bright against her skin.  The colors were brighter than Laun normally would go for, but if that was what...

Something clicked into place in Launs mind and she looked back up into the eyes of the woman before her.  The woman who was assigned to be her dresser for the evening.  The Rosemond servant who seemed concerned for Laun’s sadness.  The woman who had the emblem of the greyworld messengers tattooed on the inside of her wrist.  Laun had to test.

A hand went to the woman’s wrist, covering the tattoo.  “Sister, would something such as this smooth the trail between myself and the nobles of Rosemond?”

She blinked again, her mouth opening slightly before she said, “The knots in the road are common on these trails, Sis...  Highness?”

Laun nodded.  She pulled her hands back and into her lap, palm up to show she was holding nothing, hiding nothing.  “Sister, it is good to know one of the grey is within these walls.  I am not of any guild, but many know of my rogues.”

There was another glance to the open window.  “Highness, the color you have chosen suits you well.”

Laun nodded.  “It has been a favorite.  The Peach has soft flesh.”

The woman draped the clothing over the back of the low couch before sitting next to Laun.  “But the stone will break you if you are not careful.”

They clasped hands for a moment.

“You have a message for me?”

She nodded.  “I thought that the new Baroness was the Mistress...  Your man Daffyd sought out a lost nail to give you one message.”

Laun tilted her head and then nodded.  “He knows I like to make sure I have a network wherever I am.  The message?”

The woman nodded and leaned forward.  “First, this.”  There was a dry kiss, lip to lip.  Then she moved to next to Laun’s ear and whispered, “Sand has found Blue trails in the desert.”

Laun bowed her head.  She sighed.  “Thank you, Sister.  I was hoping that things would be avoided, but...”  Laun turned her head slightly and pecked the woman on the cheek.  “Thank you.”

There was a nod from the woman and she leaned back into Laun’s ear, saying, “Any return message?”

Laun sighed.  She nodded and said, “Track and trace.  The Dark Prince needs to take charge.”  Laun rubbed her hand on her face and nodded, mainly to herself.

“Yes, Mistress.”

The woman stood and started to shake out the garments she had brought down from the rod for Laun.  It was as if the conversation had never happened.

Onto Chapter 12, where Laun finds a place at the Kings' back at dinner