Crossfire

6

"Git git git! Thar waitin fer ya! You haf ta work too, ya know!" Palka gasped as water smacked her in the face and seeped through her clothes. The servant that led her to her room was now standing over her with hands on her hips.

"W-wut?" is all that came out of her mouth.

"Da guess! Ya ned to tend ta dem."

"The what?"

The servant huffed. "Da guess!"

Oh, the guests. "What guests?"

"Tey arrived fiv minoots ago. Dar herses er ready fer a nice stell."

"Mm." Palka forced herself out of bed and the servant left. She slipped on clothes, half aware of what she was actually doing.

When she got to the stables, it seemed to be just after midnight, according to the moon. There was a stern looking slim man standing with his horse at his side. His face, arms, and legs were noticeably long. He wore a wide, fluffy black hat with a feather sticking up from it.

"Who's he?" she muttered to herself.

"He's a traveler, paid for by the king of Shermask himself."

The voice made Palka jump, just a little, before she regained her composure. Charar stood behind her.

The empire to which Chrilst belonged to was separated into six areas of kingdoms. Each were numbered based on when they were claimed, one being the oldest and six the youngest. Chrilst was in three, Shermask in one, and Palka's hometown in four.

"Why's he here? This place has, well, already been discovered... if anything it's kind of popular. People come from all over to see-"

"The king sent him to learn about our culture, how we might react to certain things, what sort of resources we sell, et cetera," Charar said. When he saw the glare from Palka he commented, "I had to cut you off so we wouldn't take too long. He already thinks we have." He nodded towards the traveler who was scowling at the both of them. "He's staying at an inn, but his horse will stay here, until stables closer are open."

That didn't quite make sense to Palka, but it was what it was.

······································

Taking the saddle and bridle off the horse went by in a blurry way, Palka never fully aware of what was happening through the time. Charar, as a guard, escorted the traveler to a nearby inn that was suitable for "someone like him," according to Charar.

"So, I didn't get to say this earlier, but-" Palka's statement was cut off by her own yawn, "so he's basically a spy, right?"

Charar laughed. "Yes, basically. Other than the fact that everybody knows it."

"Mm," Palka forced her eyes to stay open. They were waking across the courtyard to other side of the castle. The only thing she had focus on was her bed.

········································

(Shomy's POV)

An old friend is here. It's been a long time.

He came to see me in the forest. I was happy to see him. He didn't seem happy to see me.

He wasn't upset, sad, or scared to see me. Just not happy.

"Something's not right here," he said. "The merchants aren't as spritely, and they all act like they're going out of business." He shook his head. "Even the man who owns the mill seemed somber. Usually he tosses travelers small bags of sugar. Today he looked so sad and couldn't make eye contact with me. Maybe you need to talk to some guards, get clarity for some things, anything to make this town alive again!"

I shook my head. "The guards won't listen. Ever since the old chief died, the guards have become dishonorable. The new chief has no morals, and he barely respects the swear all knights take. You know, the knight and guard swear are different from each other. The knight swear involves much more composition, and all chief guards must take it. But this new chief, well I would say he barely respects the guard swear! Any time a guard tries to point this out, he banishes them from the castle! The king won't do anything to change it, and the queen... I don't know about her. She seems like she's kept in the dark from everything happening in the kingdom."

"I understand, Shomy. Don't get worked up now, you know how that can end. Tell me, are there any guards or knights in training? Perhaps they could be of service."

I thought for a second. "There is one that I trust. He has a couple friends whom he talks fondly of. It is possible they could help."

"Very well. I will come again tomorrow night, for the day is filled with tasks. Goodbye." He pumped his right fist against his left shoulder, the sign of greeting and fare-welling where we grew up together. I did the same with my paw.

·····································

(3rd Person)

Clip clop clip clop clip clop. Clip clop clip clop clip clop.

The sound of sixteen hooves trailed Palka as she led her four horses into the pasture. It was that time of day that Palka loved. The sun's warmth could be felt with the cool, damp nighttime air. Winters in Chrilst always end abruptly, with spring heat melting the snow and thawing the ground. The stables were much more alive and active than they had been the day before. Apparently, a lot of guards and knights decided to take patrol by foot today, so horses needed exercise.

Katana and Ginke had to be exercised by Palka regularly, as Ginke was hers and Katana wasn't used yet. Other than those two, Palka needed to exercise Melody and Harmony, inseparable twins, who were five years old.

Palka decided when she got to the stables to exercise her horses later, so there would have less of a crowd. As long as it didn't get too hot, and it probably wouldn't, she would be fine.

"What are you doing?!" came a familiar screechy voice. "You do not do that!" The man who had yelled at her to get the queen's horse the day before grabbed the end of the rope connecting to Melody, folded and unfolded it several times, and gave it back to Palka the exact way she had it before. "This is how you hold it." He turned away. "Pfft, the youth of this country don't know anything."

««««««»»»»»»

A/N
Okay, so that ending was a little random.
But I promise it'll contribute to the story.
Hopefully.
A

lso, if you see any mistakes, feel free to point them out.
Thanks for reading!!!