Araman

~ 6 ~

   The next morning the castle buzzed with activity. The General and company were expected in a few days time and everything had to be cleaned, the food prepared and the rooms made ready for their arrival.

Raliena helped in any way she could; dressing in the plainest clothes she had and tying up her hair under one of the hats the stable workers preferred to wear. She did not want to be recognised by any of the servants or Dergen, who highly disapproved of her doing common chores that were meant for 'low class vermin', as he called them.

Araman were one of the highest ranks in the Kingdom; second only to royalty, but Raliena found the simple life the servants had, pleasantly hard work. It was good not to have to worry about how she presented herself, holding to a higher image than everyone else. It was a relief to be normal every once in a while, also she thought it was better to be busy than to dwell on the consequences of what might happen if the General Kassen recognised her. Even if he didn't remember that it had been her that healed him, the fact that she had been there at all would be difficult to explain.

However, she was confident that it was possible to use his illness to hide anything he might say on the matter. Such illnesses could leave a person delusional and it could be completely coincidental if he mistook her for someone he thought he had seen in his room more than a week ago.

The next day was particularly uneventful and come noon time on the day the General was to arrive Raliena sat to enjoy lunch in the kitchens and listen to the gossip of the servants.

"I don't see why Baynil couldn't just marry someone to this General. That has to be an easier option than knighting him." A large lady called Nagrat said to a smaller and slightly younger maid while they washed up and dried the dishes from breakfast.

"Well, neither King wants to lose any of their land to the other. Whoever marries off the husband will of course have the most power in the alliance. This way it's a mutual agreement simply symbolized by the knighting." The smaller woman, Beana, clearly had much knowledge of the politics of Fardonmeria. In a fair society she would be a valuable person to have in the King's court. But that would only happen if Beana was born to it and if she was a male.

"Who would the King marry off anyway?" Pitched in a third person named Afren, a man who had been turning the charred wood under the stove and now came to lean against the side where the ladies were.

Afren asked this question because Verxia had no rightful heir. The Queen had died long ago, even before Raliena was born, while giving birth, leaving the King heartbroken. He had not taken another wife and chose instead to surround himself with people he considered friends, Raliena being one of them. She was almost a daughter to him, as she herself had lost her mother when she was only a child and had never known her father. In a way she considered Baynil her father and had spent much time with him in her childhood. This bond had helped King Baynil out of his grief, so that he could continue to rule and Verxia did not fall into ruin through his absence of mind.

"What about Araman Raliena?" Nagrat said, causing Raliena to duck her head lower over her food. "Don't Araman usually marry the knights in the end?"

"I can't see Sa Raliena agreeing to that." Beana replied. "She has very much a mind of her own."

"And a beautiful one at that." Afren added. The others hummed in agreement. Raliena blushed under the shadow of her hat. She had never known people thought of her that way.

"I suppose you're right in any case. Set marriages don't usually work out." Nagrat said. "I knew someone who had an arranged marriage forced on her by her brother. That ended in death!"

The conversation continued casually for a while and Raliena was loath finishing her lunch to wash and change for the arrival of the General.

She washed quickly and dressed in a warm winter gown that was the traditional lilac colour of an Araman. It also had the usual gold details on the collar and sleeves and a gold ribbon that tightened at the back, accentuating her slim feminine hips.