The Matriarch's Daughter

Chapter Two: The Second Female Lieutenant

Thepa set down her quill when a knock at the door pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Come in," she said sitting up in her chair. As the door opened, she fixed her green beret signifying her rank while pulling down her jacket. For as long as she could remember, she was always fixing her appearance. The action became second nature to her. As the daughter of the Matriarch, people were always looking at her.

"Morning, Captain," came the cheerful voice of her newest lieutenant, Aldermoon. Aldermoon, like many in Goldale, was a Youngling of the Stars. Her black hair was pulled back into a neat bun, and her brown eyes, though bright with enthusiasm, held a touch of timidity as they met Thepa's gaze. Thepa had taken a particular liking to her, appointing her to the position of lieutenant personally. Though she thought the woman well qualified for the job, there were moments when the woman could be starstruck, especially in her presence.

"Morning Lieutenant. What do you have for me today?"

The Lieutenant reached into her bag and pulled out a few letters; the top one bearing the Archduke's seal. "Mail call and the morning report."

"Alright," she said, taking the letters. "Break it down for me."

"Two out of formation this morning," Aldermoon said reading from a list. "One reported sick, one missing in action. Comrades report seeing him drinking the night before."

"Most likely in a ditch or in an inn then. When he turns up, put him on fire watch for the next week."

"Right," Aldermoon continued. "Night watch reports no activities, other than the normal array of drunks straying off the main path."

"Hmm. Perhaps we should start giving out maps...or better yet recruitment forms if they're so eager to find placement among the ranks."

Aldermoon smiled, joining Thepa in her revelry. A few completions ago, Thepa wouldn't have dared to make such a comment. At the moment she didn't know if she should be thankful or mortified Rory had brought this part of her to the foreground.

"As long as you assign them to other lieutenants, I'm all ears."

"Like Rhihorn?" Thepa mused. Rhihorn was the most senior of her lieutenants and, unfortunately, her least favorite. It wasn't that he was bad at his job—he just got on her nerves. A part of her, albeit a small part, felt sorry for the elf; the position of Captain should have been his, if she hadn't come along. But Rhihorn didn't make it easy on himself. He was about as popular as an orc raiding party at a farmhouse, and it was no secret that even his own command disliked him.

"Well, I wouldn't be that mean...but speaking of Lieutenant Rhihorn..."

Thepa rolled her eyes almost spitting contempt. "Esha, what did he do now?"

"Maybe nothing," Aldermoon squirmed uneasily. "As far as I can tell, it's a case of he said, she said. But you know... Rhihorn."

Thepa could feel tension in the air shifting. One of the things she liked about Aldermoon was her straightforwardness. The fact the woman before her shifted uneasily in her feet made her a little nervous.

"Do you know a Sergeant Lura under Lieutenant Theodre's command?" Aldermoon asked.

"Sure, I do. Excellent soldier. Wish I had fifty more like her."

"I agree, though you should have seen her five completions ago. Everyone was so sure she'd wash out of training. Anyway, Lieutenant Theodre came up to me the end of his shift asking my opinion on how to handle a situation. It seems Sergeant Lura came to him with a report of harassment against Rhihorn."

"What kind of report?" Thepa asked. Already she feared the worst. It was a dagger to the gut when Aldermoon all but confirmed it.

"I think you know."