Mark of the Ranger

XXXII. The Maids' Misery.

Three Days Passed...

          "Alright, this is just absurd." Elena stared in disgust at the "clothes" the guards had handed her. She wasn't sure if such a thing was legal, demented magic farm headmaster or not. Elena was flat-out sick of all of this. In the past four days, she had been forced to feed the headmaster, give him a bath, brush his teeth, shine his shoes(which he never wore), wash his clothes, sing him a song, tell him a story, peel him a grape, and kill the spiders in his closet. However, the thing in Elena's two delicate hands was just overboard.

          "You've got to put that on," Isabel, her new only companion, told her smugly. "You wouldn't want to disappoint Headmaster Clyde." Both of the girls knew that the guards would kill them if they didn't follow the headmaster's orders. "You know, death might be better than having to dance in this." Elena gestured to the scanty excuse for clothing. The two girls had been instructed that one would play a fast song on a pan flute, and the other would dance to the beat in the outfit Elena was holding. Though Elena had been trained in the art of using the pan flute, Isabel insisted that she play, and Elena would dance.

          With a sigh, Elena finally resigned. She swapped her almost normal clothes for whatever one would call that outfit. "I like the little frilly anklets," Elena muttered to herself to make herself feel better. She looked at Isabel, who was grinning evilly from ear to ear. "If I had a memory prism, I would so capture this moment." Elena glared at her friend, who was now twiddling her fingers in cruel joy. "I hate you," was the only thing she could say. The two walked out of the bathroom that Elena had switched clothes in.

          "About time," Headmaster Clyde mumbled, staring straight at Elena, who was now wearing an outfit she hoped she never had to wear ever again. What have I done to deserve this? Elena thought to herself as Isabel established the home tone with her pan flute. She stood in a stance, preparing to interpret Isabel's melody into movement. Isabel proceeded to shock Elena with her amazing pan flute skills. If Elena's outfit was even slightly less humiliating, she would have danced willingly to the catchy tune that Isabel played for their small audience of three.

          Elena made sure that she had no recollection of the three minutes she was dancing. All she recalled, from the moment her right foot first slid back to when she ended with the music, standing on her hands, was the entranced look that Isabel, the two guards, and Headmaster Clyde all wore on their faces. Elena would have appreciated the attention had her midriff been covered. When Elena dropped from her hands, back onto the floor, everyone shook themselves from the almost mystic trance. "Well, that certainly was...intriguing," Headmaster Clyde mumbled in response. The guards seemed to agree.

          INTRIGUING? Elena screamed internally. She ran off through the door to the headmaster's room and slammed the door behind her. She ran and found a rock to awkwardly perch on and sob for a bit. And sob she did, for what seemed like no time at all. She almost had fun crying--it was certainly for satisfying than what she had done in the past four days. She cried and thought about what had happened in her life to bring her to this moment. She had enrolled in the Ranger academy, been accepted, was sorted into Lion's team, went to the ball, where she learned that she was going to escort the Grand Wizardess. She was kidnapped, along with the rest of her team, by pirates, who took her to the magic farm, where she was forced to tend to Headmaster Clyde. 

          "Hey, Elena," Lion's voice came from out of nowhere. Elena jumped. "Sorry about that." Lion's voice snickered. "Nice outfit."

          "Headmaster's orders, you know?" Elena tried to joke, but she couldn't choke down her sobs. She felt something it down next to her. "I don't suppose you want to talk about it?" Lion said. Elena turned to face him. "After you tell me why you're in this hallway," she bargained.

          "Oscar told me to go get you two," Lion answered.

          "Oscar?"

          "The man who assigns chores. We learned his name once we told him the plan we came up with from all our ideas."

          "That's right, your ideas. You made a plan?"

          "Yeah, I'll tell you later, at lunch. Now, it's your turn to tell me what's up with you."

          "Well, I was just forced to dance in this outfit for the headmaster and his two guards."

          "But you're only thirteen! That's most definitely illegal, right?"

          "One would hope and think so. But, look at me now! Dressed in this...thing, and sobbing on a rock! I'm a noble elf--Eli'Nasudora Winaslowen! But I've degenerated into this."

          "What was that--Eli'Nasudora Winaslowen?"

          "Oh, that's my actual name. We just simplify our names so that humans can understand them."

          "Ah."

          "We're supposed to be noble, but look at these clothes! If you can even call them that."

          "Hey, don't worry about that," Lion assured her before they both heard footsteps. The man who assigns chores--Oscar, Elena reminded herself--was walking down the hall. Lion got his attention. "Hey, can you get Eli'Nasudora somre real clothes?" he asked.

          "Certainly." Oscar continued down the hall, and came back moments later with clothes like the other workers. Elena quickly put them on, so much more comfortable in a shirt and trousers. Oscar asked Lion if he had told the girls the plan. Lion shook his head, but promised he would once he had both of them. Oscar nodded, bowed, and left.

           "So, what is the plan?" Elena asked Lion. Lion twiddled his fingers evilly, just as Isabel had done moments ago--or ages ago. One of the two. The two disabled Rangers went to the Headmaster's room, and Lion asked for Isabel. When they asked why, he said it was for "secret, but important business." The guards handed her over suspiciously.

          "What did you call me here for?" Isabel asked, taking note of Elena's normal clothes.

          "We've formulated a plan," Lion answered confidently.