Panther's Last Plunder

Chapter 4- The Boring Life of a Prince

Panther was startled awake by a woman. She was not much in beauty. She was short and thin, though this did not make her particularly unattractive. What accomplished that was the large nose and the equally big mole on the side of said nose. Her eyes were hard and she kept grumbling about whatever was going through her head. She picked up the various pieces of clothing Panther had gone through and discarded the night before (they were all dresses, or parts of them). All the while, Panther watched, in much the same way a jungle cat would watch its prey-superior and above.
"Get out of bed, you lazy girl!" commanded the woman. Her voice was grating.
"Who are you?" asked Panther, still watching in her cat-like way.
"Athalie, that's who," the woman said gruffly, "Now get up."
Panther obeyed, if only to get the woman out of her room sooner. Athalie's raucous voice was getting on her nerves.
"Wear this," Athalie commanded, throwing her one of the discarded dresses Panther had thrown on the floor.
"No," Panther said. She threw the dress back to Athalie.
"A proper woman wears a dress, so put on this dress or so help me I will force you into it myself!"
"The whole reason that I am here is so that I can guard the prince. If I wear that frilly thing, then I will be incapable of doing my job! Bring me trousers and a tunic, then I will dress," Panther growled, no more amused with this woman.
The woman muttered and walked out of the room. Not too long after, when the sun was just starting to peek over the horizon, Athalie came back with a pair of brown leather trousers and a white tunic. Panther tried them on. They fit perfectly. Then, Athalie forced her into a chair in front of a mirror and began to rip at the tangles in her hair. Panther looked into the mirror and saw her own face, grimacing with pain, staring back at her.
"I am going to be late," Panther said through gritted teeth.
"I am going to have to cut it off," Athalie continued, ignoring her.
"If I get beheaded by the king because you are keeping me from doing my job," Panther warned. Athalie continued to ignore her. She reached over and grabbed a pair of scissors from the desk next to her and began to cut of Panther's exceptionally long hair. Panther glowered and growled.
"Ladies do not growl," Athalie said, "Though I suppose you are more beast than girl."
"I will bury you when I am finished, if that is of any comfort to your spirit," Panther said. Athalie had the nerve to laugh! And Panther was not even joking.
Finally, after what seemed like ages, Athalie finished cutting. Quickly, Panther got up, grabbed her swords, and ran to find the prince. She was so late! Panther ran right into him as he came out of his room. He grabbed her shoulders to steady her, then, as if realizing who she was, removed his hands and glared. She met his gaze.
"Running late?" he asked, teasingly.
"It is the handmaiden's fault! She wanted to cut my hair when it would have been just fine to tie it back," Panther complained.
"What handmaiden serves you? Who in their right mind would volunteer for that?"
"Athalie," Panther said dryly. Alagan laughed. Panther glared at him. Perhaps he would stop laughing if he realized that the biggest threat to his safety was currently his body guard. This day was off to a "wonderful" start. She doubted it would get any better.
Once he had stopped laughing, and caught his breath, Alagan began to head outside. Panther followed like a shadow, a very observant shadow, that is. Alagan greeted everyone he passed, but Panther looked them up and down, assessing weaknesses and strengths and if they could have any concealed weapons on their person. Eventually, they met a balding man with black graying hair. His eyes were blue and seemed to have a glimmer in them, as if he was sharing a joke with Panther. Yet, she had to resist the urge to hide behind one of the lovely tapestries that hung on the wall. She hoped he did not recognize her.
"Alagan, how are you?" the man greeted him warmly.
"Very well, Kian, how are you?"
"Same as you," Kian said.
"Any word of Meri?"
The man frowned, the light in his eyes dying, "I have heard no word of or from my niece. It seems that she has disappeared off the face of the world itself," his eyes lit up again and he asked, "And who are you traveling with this day? Has a woman finally found your company pleasant?"
Panther snorted, "Hardly."
"That is if we consider you a woman, Panther," Alagan snipped. Panther glared again.
"Is this the infamous Panther that has caused the king so much trouble?" Kian asked, raising his eyebrows. He was likely wondering why the king would even let her be in the same room as his son.
"My father decided she would be an ample guard for me," Alagan said somewhat remorsefully.
"Is Panther your real name?" Kian asked.
"It's the only name I respond to."
"Now hold on," Alagan said, "What is the name your parents gave you?"
Panther shifted uneasily on her feet. What would the Master do if these two men were to figure out her identity? Would he hurt them? Panther considered the possibilities, not that that helped. She did not know all of what the Master was capable of doing. She feared what he could do to her friends and family if she were to say I'm Meri.
"That name is nothing more than a remnant of a time long since past," Panther said, "It is nothing."
"If it is nothing, than you should not mind telling us," Alagan pushed.
"If you keep this up, the biggest threat to your health will be me," Panther responded. Her eyes held a nervous glint and she fingered the hilt of her sword. Alagan looked at her for a moment with a calculating stare. Panther looked everywhere but his eyes. Seeming to realize he was aggravating a cornered animal, Alagan dropped the subject.
"Good luck, Panther," Kian said as he began to leave, "You'll need it! I have some business to attend to. So long."
"So long," Alagan repeated.
Panther did not say anything as the prince resumed his journey to the palace gardens. She simply walked behind him, still observant, but more subdued. She desperately wanted to tell Alagan who she was, and let their relationship continue as if she hadn't been taken by the Master. But she did not want him hurt; she wanted him and Kian safe even more desperately than a continued relationship.
As Alagan and Panther exited the palace and entered the lush tropical garden, Panther panicked. So much foliage! Anything could be hiding in here. Panther's entire body went rigid. Alagan sauntered in as if he had not a care in the world. He sat down on a bench next to a man of about the same age as him. It was Calev! Panther began to stock the area. The trees and bushes made it hard to discern anything hiding in the underbrush. Panther kept her ears focused on the prince and Calev. Their constant chatter was the only reason she felt sure enough to turn her back and search the area. When she was reasonably sure that it was safe, she sat at the prince's feet as there was no room on the bench, much to Alagan's obvious satisfaction.
"Oh look," Calev said, "the lowly thief sits at the feet of the prince."
"Oh look," Panther responded as her eyes scanned the garden, "the doctor who wants his teeth kicked in."
"Now, now," Alagan butted in, "watch your temper, Panther."
"Would you like to join him?" Panther asked. The boys simply laughed.
Panther wiped the sweat off her forehead with her sleeve. How could they stand it? The humidity made the outdoors absolutely insufferable. Yet here they were, talking and laughing as if it was no problem.
Panther heard something rustle the leaves. Quietly, she stood up and unsheathed her swords. The boys noticed her movement were suddenly quiet. Her eyes scanned the foliage around her and her ears were pricked as she tried to listen for the sound again. Panther's body was tense, prepared for a fight. The rustle grew louder and louder until... Kit emerged from the underbrush. Panther managed to stop her sword mid-swing. She let out a breath that she did not know she was holding. The boys laughed behind her.
"Be careful, Panther!" cried Alagan, "He might be dangerous."
Panther flushed and turned to Alagan, "Forgive me for doing my job!"
Calev laughed harder. Meanwhile, Panther glared at Alagan, and Alagan grinned stupidly at her. Poor Kit looked exceptionally confused. Panther, tired of their laughing, turned to Kit.
"Why are you here?" Panther asked him, not intending to be rude.
Kit grinned, looking proud of himself, "I am a message deliverer for the king! He has gotten me a tutor to teach me the language of the capital."
Panther smiled. She had learned the intricate workings of the nobleman's language from her uncle and mother. Kit would be much more able to move up in Nerezza if he knew how to speak the language of the upperclass.
"Work hard," Panther said, "This is a great opportunity."
"Panther," began Alagan, who had stopped laughing when she had begun talking to Kit, "what language are you speaking?"
"Nerezzan," said Panther. He nodded, as if he now remembered she was from Nerezza. She nearly rolled her eyes. Panther turned to Kit again.
"Do you have a message for the prince or Calev?"
Kit nodded, looking proud. This was likely because he had managed to find Alagan in a palace that was bigger than the whole of Nerezza. He handed the note to Panther, who handed it to Alagan. Alagan opened the note and read it. Panther waited patiently. Eventually, the prince rose and and gestured to Panther.
"Come on," he began, "My sister wants to see me."
Panther nodded to Kit and told him where they would be. Kit smiled and went to go receive and deliver more messages. Then, she followed Alagan out of the garden and into the palace.
"Is this all you do? Everyday?" she asked him as he led her down the complex passages.
"Everyday," came his answer.
"I'd go mad if this was all I did"
"Sometimes I hazard studies or travel throughout the kingdom as my father's envoy, but other than that, not much else," he continued.
"How boring."