Something With a Prince

Chapter Two: Spoon-Sucking Prince

Tallethea

As I stepped through the back door of the cottage I was hit with boisterous male laughter. My mother was giggling too, and by the sounds of it, they were probably laughing about something they should not be laughing about. Meaning, Mama most certainly had told at least one revealing, if not humiliating, story.

Placing the meat up on a chilled rack in the back room, I resisted the impulse to walk out the door and wait till they had all gone. Alas, by the time my feelings of avoiding any socialization were neatly tucked away, that same outrageous laugh sounded off again.

Today, the forest would be a more pleasant choice of company.

Since being inducted into the King's army, I have been biting back the torment of my fellow soldiers. And by "torment" I mean the tiresome, humorless, string of jokes made about things like how high I must hike my skirt up to mount a horse (among other things) or how they will "take it easy on me" in practice so that, when I lose to them, I'll still have a pretty face to match my apron. There are other female soldiers, and oftentimes, when they see my tongue waning its blade, they step in, and the group of peacocks will pipe down. But the way I see it is, if I am working toward what I want, and have a group of, admittedly tough but fair, warrior women at my side, those men can fight over my skirt for all I care. As for the remaining men, the decent ones, they have taught me a lot and I can only hope they continue to do so. That is until one of the princes' has a child, then I'll be called to serve a different task.

My family's debt to the Rikkar line all started with my Great Grandmother's mother, Gemma. Caught in a bad part of the woods, she was distracted while taking my great grandmother Cadence, who was only nine years old at the time, out to collect herbs. They were caught in the trap of some thieves, who demanded they give up all their valuables or give up their lives. Gemma tried to defend herself against them and demanded Cadence to run for help. When my great grandmother returned, she was holding hands with King Andreas, who had been returning from a hunt at the Summer Palace. Andreas saved them, and in return Gemma pledged her services to his aid and life. In fact, she pledged her whole family to his aid.

About 10 years later they were still working in the castle, but it was under terrible conditions. The King and Queen had grown lazy upon Gemma's hard work and made her care for their children on top of being housekeeper.  Gemma's husband, Caelum, a pig farmer at the time, grew so fed up with the King's treatment of our family, that he decided to break into the treasury and flee with Gemma to Cervedia. They left Cadence, who was newly twenty years old, alone in the castle to reap the penalty. Let's just say the pledge of my entire family's life service to the crown was the minimum payment for what Caelum stole, and the least my great grandmother had to pay. In Tuisedor, thieves' palms were branded with a black 'X', knuckles were burned, and fingers could even be crushed if the theft was severe enough.

My mother took on the role of caregiver with a certain pride, because the current Queen was so benevolent, but I could never understand it. I was shamed by my family's debt and angered by the collector's lack of creativity for quicker repayment. Like my mother, I am meant to take over as the next caregiver to the next line of Rikkar children. That is until they are fifteen of course. After that I will be asked to take up in the castle either as a maid to the next Queen or a low-ranking position in the kitchen.  We have been working off that debt for nearly a century, and have many centuries ahead of us, I'm sure. My plan of service, however, was a little different. If I could swing it, somehow bargain with the royal debt collectors, I wanted to serve as Commander of the King's army like my father once had.

Another round of laughter hit the room and I groaned.

"Thea, are you hiding back there?" The song of my mother's voice split the laughter, "Come here, you'll never guess who came for a visit."