At Your Service

3. Edoras

I had been wandering around town for three more days. Taking work where I could find it to safe up some money.
I was deep asleep when I suddenly felt someone kick my back, I woke up with a jolt seeing two guards tower over me. "Who are you?" One of them snapped at me.
I needed a moment to process his question before telling the man my name.
"What are you doing here?" The other questioned.
"I...I am on the run." I mumbled running my hand through my messy hair as I sat up carefully so they wouldn't attack me.
"Why?" The first one snapped, he was obviously in a bad mood. His eyes were dark brown and looked unforgiving, while the other had soft blue eyes and seemed rather calm and understanding.
"Because, my family, they're cruel. I... I had to leave my home. It would have been the end of me." I started tearing up mostly focusing on the youngest of the two guards.
Part of me already missed home, I missed my own bed. The warmth of the fireplace, I even missed my brothers and sisters. No matter how annoying they could be. I had loved them, we had our good moments, I missed their warm hugs, watching their innocent faces as they fell asleep in my arms. Baking bread together with Maura, harvesting the crops with Maria. Feeding the twins as they fought over the first spoon of mash potatoes.
Yet for every good moment, I had at least a hundred bad memories flashing before my eyes.
"You cannot just sleep in the royal stables, come girl we will take you to our king. He'll know what to do." The youngest guard spoke before helping me up and leading me to the palace.
This kingdom was built on a hill, the palace being the largest building completely on top.
The guards didn't speak as they led me there. The city was still waking up, only a few people were up and about. Most of the window shutters and doors were still closed as the sun was barely warming up the earth. A faint and distant red glow was the only evidence that dawn was upon us.
When we entered the great hall King Helm Hammerhand rose from his throne looking at the guards in a derogatory way.
"What is the meaning of this? I was in the middle of a meeting." He spoke with booming voice.
The men bowed their heads in apology and I decided it would be best to follow their example.
"Our apologies my lord, we did not mean to interrupt, but we found this girl sleeping in royal stables." The young man spoke taking a step forward and pushing me towards the king.
I nearly stumbled over my own feet, correcting my posture just in time before I fell forward.
The king walked closer dismissing the three nobles he had been speaking to with just a wave of his hand.
Helm Hammerhand had quite a reputation in these lands. After inheriting the throne from his father Gram, he had an argument with the son of Wulf, leader of the Dunland folks. Ferca, Wulf's son challenged the king in his own hall, in return for his insolence Helm had smacked him so hard he fell and died. Giving Helm the nickname Hammerhand in return.
I suppose it was fair to say I wasn't looking forward to a meeting with the king very much. Yet now that I was here I better put on my best façade and best behaviour as well.

"Your majesty, I am so sorry for intruding!" I spoke kneeling down to my knees almost kissing the kings feet.
"Why were you sleeping in the stables child?" He questioned skipping introductions and all that.
"I, I fled my home Sire, I have nowhere to go." I explained my voice laced with sadness as I was already on the brim of tears. Well not real tears of course. At this point I wasn't sure what I felt but it wasn't sadness. Luckily for me my play seemed to work as the king also bent down the knee and lifted my face so I'd look up at him.
"Poor child. Where do you come from?" He asked.
I took a deep breathe acting like I had a hard time even remembering "Grimslade, my lord. But there is nothing left for me there. My family is gone." I spoke my lip trembling in sadness.
"You have been traveling alone all this time?" The king asked. I nodded fiercely.
"What is your name?" The king now asked.
"Fia, my lord."
"You're safe now Fia, don't worry." The king smiled.
"Mira!" The king called one of his maids who now swiftly walked closer to us.
"Mira see to it that this child gets something to eat and drink and show her one of the guestrooms so she has a safe place to sleep for the night." The king spoke. Mira nodded understandingly before helping me up.
"Come Fia." The maid only spoke. I looked up at the king in surprise as he nodded encouraging me to follow which I of course did.
I had to try my best not to let a grin show as I could barely believe how easily I just fooled the king into offering me a room and food. I didn't even have to shed a tear for it.
All of a sudden relief washed over me, I should have left home long ago. I could have lived in luxury all along.
In my room I could barely believe my eyes. There was a queen size bed, long velvet green curtains by the windows, a couch and giant wardrobe, I even had a private toilet.
"I will bring you food and water soon, just wait here yes?" Mira asked me as I was still looking around the room in awe. I nodded hearing her close the door a bit later where after I let myself fall down on the bed and letting a loud sigh escape my lips.
"I did it!" I whispered to myself hugging my pillow tight and finally daring to close my eyes and rest.

I stayed in the palace for three days. Mira had become my personal maid and brought me all kinds of food, drinks and even went with me on walks through the city.
"How did you become a servant to the king Mira?" I asked her once as we were walking toward the market as Mira had to pick up fresh vegetables.
"I was born into it basically." She explained.
I looked at her in confusion "What you were born a maid?"
"I was born a slave." She corrected me.
"My mother was a slave, I have no idea who my father is, but as I was born into slavery. I was traded quiet often, until the king's eye fell on me. He took me in as he needed a servant for his wife and daughter." Mira explained.
I swallowed visibly. "You were sold to powerful men?" I mumbled in disgust. Mira shrugged "I was lucky a rich and powerful man such as Helm bought me eventually. Most of us end up in whore houses, fulfilling men's needs whenever and wherever they need us." She told me.
"So Grimslade, where you came from weren't there any slaves there?" She questioned me.
I shrugged. "I don't know, I minded my own business." I honestly told her.
She nodded "Good, that's wise of you. Keep it like that." She spoke, it sounded more like a warning then a compliment making me softly shiver.
When we got back to the palace I helped Mira prepare dinner for later that day.

I walked to halls that evening nibling on a leftover piece of bread as I was heading to my room.
"We found her family Sire, she is lying to you. She has a mother and four other siblings living in Grimslade." I suddenly heard a voice speak.
I knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, yet I couldn't help but walk closer to the king's study and rest my ear against the wall.
"Are you sure?" The king asked.
"I am sure Sire, the mother had it confirmed, she had a daughter Fia, who ran away over a week ago." The unknown voice spoke.
"Shall I sent her back Sire?" A third voice questioned.
"No. She ran, she lied. We will sent her to the Westfold where she will be traded on the market with the rest of the slaves." I heard the king speak.
"She will regret the decision of leaving her home and lie to her king." He continued.
I was so shocked by these words that I dropped the piece of bread and ran to my chamber.
I only hoped no one heard me. I grabbed my bag as quickly as I could before sneaking back out onto the hallway and running to the kitchen where I grabbed a bottle of water and some food. Apples and bread mostly.
With a backpack full of fresh clothes, food, a rope and my pocket knife I ran through the backdoor of the kitchen toward the royal stables. Luckily for me it was already late at night and there were no more guards at the stables making it easy for me to saddle a pony. An actual horse was far too big for me. I was merely the size of a twelve year old even though I was seventeen by now. I hung my backpack to the saddle before mounting the pony. I had never ridden a horse, nor a pony. Yet I needed to make haste if I wanted to have a head start on the guards. I could not get caught and become a slave, not after what Mira told me.
When I sat in the saddle and I pulled the hood of my cape over my head, my feet kicked the pony so hard it stormed off at once. I had to hold onto the reins and the saddle not fall off. At first the pony just stormed out the stables and ran toward the market. After struggling for a moment I slowly found my balance and learned to steer the animal in the direction I wanted. I steered clear of the market as that would create suspicion. I rode toward the outskirts of town slowing the pony down as I reached the city walls where guards kept watch.
I tried to pass by unseen, my black pony walked a steady pace until suddenly it was halted.
"Hey where are you going so late at night?" The guard questioned holding the reins as my pony looked startled.
I looked around searching an excuses for my nightly walk. When I heard a child cry I swiftly sniffled.
"I... I wanted to go look for my sister sir. You see, she went for a walk this morning and she still hasn't returned. Mama thinks she is with a boy and ran away. But I know her. Something might have happened. Please I will just go to the edge of the forest to see if I find a trace of her and I'll be back before anyone misses me." I played my part of a worried sister perfectly.
The guard looked around obviously weighing his choices.
"It's dangerous out there. You should wait till morning." He sighed.
"Please sir, please, my pony Shadow is fast, very fast! I'll be back before you know it. What if something happened to my sister, what if she'd hurt and she freezes to death?" I cried.
The guard sighed but nodded letting go of the reins. I nodded thankfully wiping my fake tears before urging my pony into a gallop again leaving the city of Edoras behind.
"Fools." I cursed under my breath before I dared to take off my hood and felt the wind rustling through my long blond hair. I had no idea if the pony's name was in fact Shadow, I decided to call her that as she was a completely black pony with just one tiny white star on her forehead.
"Let's get out of here Shadow, it's just you and me now." I spoke as I took a deep breath, in breathing out I let go of all the anxiety and relaxed in the saddle with nothing but open fields and stars ahead of us. "This feels good Shadow, together we'll be free. People are shit anyway."

Me bragging about Shadow being fast, turned out to be more than a ruse. She was so fast we had only been traveling for two days before reaching another town. We were still in the region of Rohan, but with my pony being so fast I was not worried very much about being followed so I decided to stop there and spent the night in an inn where I paid for a hot meal and a bed while Shadow could rest in the stables.