Verita - The Guardian of Darkness

14

Her own maid had waited for her return in the assigned guest room. "Your Majesty, finally! I was worried that the king did somethi–"

Laris cleared her throat loudly as if to remind Myrel that this palace belonged to Aetrian of house Gratia and everyone in it must show loyalty to him.

To Elanthin's surprise, Myrel didn't even attempt to apologize. Instead, she shot the older head maid a poisonous look. Had something happened between them?

"Well then, I'll be leaving for today if there's nothing else that Her Majesty needs", stated Laris calmly. Either she didn't think much of Myrel's hostile behavior or she didn't want to cause a diplomatic issue. Both were fine with Elanthin, who was exhausted from a long day filled with uncertainness. All she wanted was to collapse on that soft bed in front of her "From tomorrow on, there'll be a designated palace maid who will assist Her Majesty's servant. Please excuse the fact that we weren't ready."

They probably thought I'd arrive with more Veritan servants in tow, assumed Elanthin resigned. Nothing in this place allowed to feel less than inferior. "I'm not bothered. You can leave now."

"Thank you, Her Majesty." Laris bowed deeply before leaving the room in a silent manner.

She'd barely left the room, when Myrel clicked her tongue.

"That woman is treating me like a fool and you, Your Majesty, like a helpless child. Before she went to collect you, I was given a lecture on how to bathe and groom you correctly. You're queen of the Plains, not some pet dog."

"But we're not on the Plains", reminded Elanthin the sulking maid. She didn't try to hide the slight impatience, which had found its way into her voice. If she'd known that Myrel was full of difficult opinions, maybe she wouldn't have allowed her to speak freely.

"We're in a strange castle, which means we should try to adhere to protocol – even if it is ridiculous."

Elanthin thought about the court dresses she'd seen in passing; the wallowing skirts and the golden corsets keeping it all together; but what had surprised her more than anything were the hats decorated with lace veils and metal vines. How in the world did Gratian nobles see where they were walking?

Reacting to her mistress' tone, Myrel bowed. "Then I shall show Your Majesty what I've learned."

"Please do. I want to go to bed soon."

As Myrel hastened to close the curtains, the warm glow of the fireplace became the only light source apart from the runes on the walls. The maid went on to check the water temperature in the big tub besides the fire and Elanthin started to loosen her corset strings in the meantime. The corset's thick leather groaned and creaked, stiffened into its form by weather and time. She felt the Plain's dust, left-overs from a long ride cross-country, trickle onto the carpet under her feet. Mixed into it were the tiny insect-like monsters, which saturated the air and moved like dark clouds in some parts of the Plains.

These Nima are the reason why we don't have carpets, she thought with an apologetic look down, where the white-and-blue colored rug had become a dirty beige-and-grey.
Losing her light armor piece for piece, she felt like she was freeing herself of the anxiety which had dominated her travels. First, she had thought that she was going to die without ever laying eyes on Gratia. Then she'd waited for a public execution upon arrival in the palace, before, finally, Aetrian had thought of clearing up the misunderstanding.

Because she thought of him, Elanthin frowned. Disregarding the fact that Aetrian was part of house Gratia, she had no reason left to be hostile towards him. While she felt like becoming a vassal of the Gratian kingdom was comparable to the ultimate defeat of house Verita, he hadn't forced her or made any comments in that direction. Logically speaking, she'd been offered a sound deal: The Eternal Barrier's protection and the mages' knowledge, in return for her houses' loyalty and assistance with the unification.