The Saving of the Queen

An Honorable Savior

EMMA'S POV

I'm on my way to the market to get some last minute ingredients for Khloe and Ellie. Tonight is the Festival of Harvest and Hunting, called so because the village is done harvesting and storing their food and the hunting party is back with a wagon load of meat to eat and pelts to sell.

Khloe and Ellie have been working hard all day in the kitchen to prepare food for the crowd tonight. The brothel has been closed all day in preparation of tonight. You see, once we open those doors, the men from the hunting party generally flood in, wives at home or not.

Khloe is making her favorite dish, meat pie, but she forgot her secret ingredient spice, so she coaxed me into braving the crowds at the market to retrieve it.

Rumor has it, that today the king's men are going to stop by for the festival. Sometimes they come, sometimes they don't, but the village council always sends the King an invitation.

I'm slightly excited for that part because when they do come, one or two are from the King's Royal Guard. Knights, in our small village. It's exciting, and for businesses like ours, busy.

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I'm currently helping serve the men sitting at the tables of the main room. It's more busy than usual tonight. Plus, surprisingly, the King's men did show, and there's five Royal Guards!

Ellie's getting more and more grouchy as the men get more and more handsy. Khloe passed out a few minutes ago from the heat of the kitchen, and running back and forth to and from the tables to serve.

Most of the girls have been okay, I've only had to glare at one roudy fella, and he just walked out.

I'm heading back to the kitchen to get more ale and to check on Khloe. She's spread out in a small wooden chair, fanning herself with an old rag, and drinking from a waterskin.

"How're you doing?" I ask.

"I'm alright. I just needed to sit for a few moments." She replies.

"Don't overwork yourself Khloe." I warned.
I walked over and knelt beside her, feeling her forehead. "We don't want you konking out again. We need you out there." I stood and gathered more mugs of fresh ale for the customers.

"Just take care of yourself, okay Khloe?" I said as I looked at her again.

She smiled. "Sure Em, anything for you." She winked and took another drink from the waterskin.

I playfully rolled my eyes as I walked out the kitchen doorway.

Just as I reached the bar, I hear a ruckus by the entrance. Suddenly, the doors crash open.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see the men from the Royal Guard group up around their table. Strange I think to myself.

I turn my attention fully on the entrance, where walking through the doorway, comes the Village Ass.

"Barkeep, I need ale, lots of ale for me and me mates!" He slurrs drunkenly.  His 'mates' laughingly roar behind him.

Ellie walks in from the storage room in the back, "What in the Gods' names--" she pauses abruptly.

"Well get on with it woman," He says still turned toward the bar where I'm standing. "Ale, mead, liquor! We killed ourselves a great stag this year, we need to celebrate with spirits aaannnd WOMEN!!" He shouts and laughs, his friends laughing as well.

Ellie looks to me, then to the girls and her brow furrowed when she notices the Guards' table, but turns back to me and nods an affirmative.

I grudgingly pull out enough clean mugs for Nate and his 'mates' and begin filling them with ale. The men toasts themselves and begin chugging the contents, getting more and more intoxicated.