Hello! Here is Chapter 15. I had wanted it out yesterday but life got in the way. But it is here now! I want to give a HUGE thanks to all of you who have been reading and reviewing! I so appreciate all the love this story is getting!

Happy reading!

From her first day as lady's maid, Susan excelled at her tasks, just as Edmund knew she would. Though it didn't help that that made Tullah even more eager to be in a foul mood.

It had seemed that she was not keen on replacing Rineeda, or at least, that's what Edmund assumed. He could see no other reason why anyone would be so hateful to one so gentle and kind as Susan. It also seemed that Tullah had taken Edmund up on his offer of doing more work if she had allowed Susan to stay. Edmund wouldn't complain about that though, simply rub at his popping hip.

Through it all, Susan was persistent and refusing to grumble. It made Peter and Edmund more concerned over what all she had experienced or seen while being with Larsenilo if she was happy being constantly put down by Tullah. By the Tarkheena's own words, Susan was always too slow to catch on, constantly making mistakes, too much of Northern to comprehend the higher ways of the Calormene, and more. Tullah found issues with every single thing she could, even saying Susan stood with too perfect posture. That it was annoying and taxing to look at.

"The old woman's barking mad! Rineeda was clumsy and naïve and even needed training on how to fetch water from the well! There is no pleasing the Tarkheena!" Edmund ranted one day after hearing the constant bombardment Tullah had thrown towards Susan. And he wasn't wrong. Rineeda did not excel at any type of hands on waiting to the Tarkheena, whereas Susan picked it up with ease. Still, Susan had forbearance.

"Can't you understand it, Edmund? She is clearly upset about something. If it is like you suspect and she was closer to this Rineeda than she likes to let on, then she probably feels like she's let her down in some ways. I mean, it's not like any person in Rineeda's place will be treated well in Calormen. The Tarkheena was probably protecting her from a lot, but then her sons come in - who are already horrible - and send her away. Not to mention the Tarkheena can't do much for herself. Honestly Ed, I'd think you'd understand stubbornness like hers."

Edmund rolled his eyes, but knew she was right. Of course Susan would step in and try to make him understand the woman better. Truth be told, he had grown to like the woman before Susan had arrived, but he was tired of dealing with her now. The Tarkheena made it hard to like her sometimes. Edmund could handle it if it was just towards him, but she was truly awful to his sister.

Seeing as she was a female, Susan was able to be of more assistance to the Tarkheena than Edmund ever was. Susan would wake before dawn to meet her in her chambers and help her ready for the day. She would get the old woman dressed, comb and pin back her hair, paint her face.

She never did any of it right apparently, because Tullah would have to fix it. Though it always turned out looking much worse because Tullah wasn't able to steady her hands enough to do her makeup evenly or hold the pins to put into her hair.

She would end up cursing and yelling at Susan, "See what you've done! You're going to have to fix it. Do it better this time."

Susan internally huffed, but took it all in stride.

As a part of her job as lady's maid, Tullah had Susan wash her feet. Just like her hands, her feet were swollen, turned slightly inward, and her toes crooked and crossed. Peter and Edmund had explained to Susan about the woman's disease, but it hurt Susan to see its extend up close.

Susan had already been put to the task of massaging Tullah's hands and applying ointment that was supposed to ease a little of the swelling, tightness, and pain. She was to do the same now with her feet, as well as wash them and trim her nails.

It was not a job anyone would want. But especially with Tullah's malady.

Tullah's demeanor worsened severely when the time came to lift her skirts so her feet could be put into the basin of water. She hated her infirmity, but she hated more the way people looked at it and treated her for it. So, she was cold and hateful to Susan the whole time she watched her heat the water and gather the ointment and cloths.

But when Susan bent down onto her knees, she held no hesitancy.

"Where does it hurt the most?" Susan asked, looking up into Tullah's face.

Tullah's winkles pulled her lips into a frown. "The ridges of my feet and at my ankles. They've been very swollen."

Susan was the gentlest at those places and careful while she apply the most pressure for kneading out the knots. She was sickened at the sight and task, but not in a disgusted way. She was saddened for the Tarkheena, especially after she learned from Tullah that the disease hit her with speed and with no rhyme or reason. Every doctor she saw – and she'd seen them all – held no answers or much relief for her pain.

"I've searched Calormen far and wide and no fool who calls themselves a doctor, or physician, or medicine man can procure me anything that truly helps. This ointment is specially made by a very respected priestess of Tash. It at least helps make my movements a little easier for a time. It's ingredients are rare, making it is very expensive. Do not waste it, girl."

"I won't, Tarkheena."

Tullah watched as Susan carefully worked, unbothered by her task. Tullah would be lying if she said she wasn't surprised that Susan was always gracious and hard working. It was odd, for she had done everything to dissuade her. But it seems the girl was as stubborn as her brothers.

As Susan continued to sit on her knees doing all she could to take away the Tarkheena's pain, Tullah became taken aback with how easily the Gentle Queen performed her duty, at the kind, personable manner Susan so simply exuded towards one so openly hostile. Tullah couldn't have known this, but those characteristics were why Susan thrived as a Queen, why she and Lucy were both so beloved by their people. They simply loved others for the sake of loving them. Even bitter old women who liked to complain and boss others around.

Tullah could deny Susan's warmth no more when she did not look at her marred hands and feet with revulsion or pity. It was for similar reasons she had taken to Edmund, after all.

So as Susan worked, Tullah eventually started loosening up, closing her eyes and relaxing at Susan's slow, even pace of massaging the pain away. She even asked for Susan to tell her stories while she worked, to help take her mind somewhere else, stating that Edden spoke of may tales.

Susan spoke of Narnia, though she called it Archenland. And she noticed how the Tarkheena for once was kind to her, asking nicely for more stories of the green hills where festivals would happen, the clearness of swimming in Glass Water Creek, and the ancient tales of the constellations.

Though her pride kept her stubbornly holding out her bad mood for a day or so more, after that the Tarkheena was quickly warming to Susan, despite refusing to admit it. But Edmund could tell once it started happening.

"She really is becoming much better than you, Edden." Tullah commented to him while taking her midday meal.

Edmund looked to the side with an offended look, one which Tullah smiled at.

"I am so glad to hear she makes up for my shortcomings, Tarkheena." He spoke.

At that, Tullah actually laughed. So did Edmund. He was glad to hear her do so. She had been so put off for so many days. And no matter how much she got on his nerves, Edmund didn't like it when she was upset. He told himself it was because she would make it harder on them, but he knew it was more because he liked her, no matter her grumblings.

"Don't be so sour, Ed, there are just some things girls are much better at than boys," Susan added the jab while filling Tullah's table with a bowl of fruit.

Just like Peter, Susan was charming her way into her place that she felt comfortable making such comments around the Tarkheena. There were even sometimes - a few short moments - that it was as if they were almost friends, like women gossiping over nothing at all. Certainly not really friends, but definitely more than just what Tullah considered a slave and master.

"She is right, you know," Tullah said, her eyes going wide as if to emphasize the truth in her words. Edmund thought it funny the way it made her winkles pull at the dark kohl ringing them. "Oh, but do not feel upset, Edden. Girls are better at most things. It is not your fault. You simply got the shorter end of the stick." Then she laughed for a second time.

Edmund only smiled as he watched the ease at which Susan filled Tullah's cup, the Tarkheena telling her "That is more than enough." She still said it with a strictness that she had with Rineeda, but the sharpness wasn't there. Susan sat the glass down, then sat in a chair a few feet away as Edmund worked at fixing a broken knob on Tullah's wheelchair. After a moment of listening to her chewing and quiet curses as she struggled with holding anything in her gnarled fists, she offered Susan a piece of the fruit to eat.

"Oh, don't look at me like you're surprised, girl." She snapped. "I am not showing you favor; you simply are much too thin for being of any real use. You look as though you'd faint at the mere sight of hard work." Tullah finished, once again grumbling. But all three knew it was a sign of favor, despite her words to the contrary.

"Thank you, Tarkheena. You will not mind if I share mine with Edden? Seeing as you've shared your kindness with me, I'd like to do so now for my brother."

Raising her eyebrows, Tullah eyed her like she sometimes would Edmund and Peter. After a moment of contemplation and appraisal, she huffed and relented. "Very well. But there is no need for you both to split one. Edden may have his own. I do not need him fainting at hard work either. But do not ask me to share with Petryn, too. I know how you three are towards one another. Always pushing the luck you cannot afford."

At the end of the meal, Susan and Edmund were allowed to each take one more, and a third to save for Peter.

The sun was just starting to lower itself in the sky when Peter and the others in the fields were allowed to end their day and head towards getting something to eat. Peter was exhausted, though he felt much less of a burden than he had in his previous weeks here. Both Susan and Edmund were here and safe and he would probably get to see them for a short while at supper.

Peter slipped in the dust as he jumped over the all but dried up creek to the other side of the field. He pulled himself up, eyes set on the Tarkhaan's home, mind only thinking of a fully belly. He barely noticed the men in front of him parting to the sides as someone barreled through.

"You - Petryn!" Their voice reverberated through the heat towards him. Peter squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. He knew that voice. It was Oraleth. This couldn't be good.

"Yes, sire?" Peter asked, pulling up short.

He saw Oraleth's broad frame stomping his way with a purpose. The last time Peter had seen the man, he'd been beating Arovi severely. Peter pushed it from his mind as the Tarkhaan stopped in front of him.

His dark eyes were a warm brown in the fading light. He used them to look over Peter as he clasped his hands behind his back, straightening his spine in the process. "I have special business to talk with you, boy. As long as I have walked on this earth I have always shared many common traits with my great Mother. In some ways, more from her than my own Father. Needless to say, I keep a close eye on all that is mine. I watch those around me. And I am not only aware of the strict and meticulous rules my overseers inflict on my slaves, but allow it. For I know, as Calormen's wise poets say, a course and tight path is the best guide for those who are the followers of masters. However, I am not so blind or foolish that I would not be privy to the miscalculations, or even the...mistreatment, made towards you." His gazed flicked over Peter once more and he asked more quietly and with great curiosity, "You are a faithful servant, are you not?"

Peter immediately thought of Aslan, of the responsibilities gifted to him to rule over and protect Narnia, to watch over his family. He always felt a desire to prove himself to Aslan. To show the Great Lion his faithfulness, as Aslan had shown his. So although he did not consider himself faithful or a servant to Oraleth, he was able to answer honestly. "I strive to do my best in all that is placed upon me."

"Mmmh...yes. I know. I can tell in your swiftness to tasks, in the readiness for which you set yourself to work. The others, like Hargeph, they think you boastful, not broken enough for the work of a slave. But they are fools. I know this for I am not one. For I have much more to lose than they ever could. I have also borne witness to your honesty and loyalty to me and my house with mine own eyes."

Peter's mind replayed the wild look on Oraleth face as he beat Arovi for stealing. He was cruel, infuriated, lost. "I do not take what's not mine." Again, Peter answered honestly.

"And for that, you have proven your worth to me to be greater than others. I have thought long and with great grief to my conscience over who I would choose out of my own to serve as my valet. With Arovi's treason and Hargeph stupidity I had all but lost hope. But the exalted Tash has granted me clarity in you. I am to attend a series of meetings with the Great Council at the Tisroc's, may he live forever, palace. We will be discussing information that is not for but few ears. I need a second who will assist me, but most importantly, someone who will show case loyalty to me. Who will make it clear to all who look upon us that I am a competent ruler. And I need to know I can place my trust in this person. I choose you for such a task. There is no greater honor I can bestow upon you. Should you prove yourself useful and true than I will be sure to award you."

Peter looked surprised, baffled even. But he was grateful. He knew from all of Edmund's previous studies on Calormen that the Great Council consisted of the highest Generals and Tarkhaans. And they might just have news of Narnia. Or at least, they could share secrets of their own country that would be useful to the king of another. Peter's mind reeled at all he could learn.

"I will happily accept and serve you well."

"I should hope so." He suddenly leaned in closely, blocking the sun from reaching his face so his features were shrouded in shadow that seemed to match his tone. "For you know that I do not give mercy or leniency to those who prove distrustful. You'll notice Arovi's absence. I will be watching you more closely than ever. Do not disappoint me, boy."

Then he leaned back and resumed his prior stern, but no longer threatening, appearance. "Tomorrow evening is my first meeting. You cannot appear in our exalted leaders' home in such a state as you are now. There will be a new pair of clothes for you. And you will require a thorough cleaning. I will see to it that Hargeph allows you to leave to prepare before your usual reprieve. Meet me outside my study after that."

"Yes, sire."

Tullah had retired early for the night, having decided she had had enough interaction with other people for the day. She allowed Susan to only finish a handful more chores before she too could rest.

She had already had supper with Edmund and others of the kitchen staff, so she had then been put to work serving, filling the bowls of those dragging themselves in from the fields. Peter had been among them.

Susan was still getting used to having Peter and Edmund around her in this foreign place. She had been having nightmares telling her she was back on the ship and Larsenilo was sending her to Bengory or trying every violent act he could think of to cleanse her of her witchcraft. She wondered when the familiar sight of her tired brothers would get old, or at least, normal feeling. She enjoyed being so glad to see them - and they did too - but it made her sad to remember why. She hoped she wouldn't always hold the fear of losing them all over again. But for now she was thankful, because it felt much safer here with the Tarkheena than anywhere else she'd been.

After the men from the field were served, it was her duty, along with Edmund and other kitchen staff, to wash the dirty dishes and clean the cooking area. Then she was to head out towards the northwestern part of the property to retrieve and fold clothes hung to dry. Once she had them delivered to their rightful chest of drawers, she would be done for the day.

It was dark by the time she was able to pull away from the kitchens without a plump middle aged Calormene woman yelling at her for it. She worked quickly to gather up Tullah's sheets and clothes and fold them in a neat pile in a basket. She wanted to hurry to be done, for even though she had easy tasks compared to Peter and even Edmund, it had been a long day. And after she filled his dinner bowl (and gave him his extra fruit, courtesy of Tullah), Peter had told her that he had news. They were to meet in their new place they used to talk openly about Narnia without being heard - one of the store barns on the property. At first, she had worried about what his news could be, but he had seemed hopeful, happy even, when she'd talked to him, despite the dark circles under his eyes and the sagging of his shoulders.

As the last handful of things remain on the line and the sky grew darker, Susan felt a prickling turn the hairs on the back of her neck up. A chill forced its way down her spine, no matter the humidity. Sher turned her gaze off into the distance. She couldn't' see much, other than the fields to one side and the outside slaves quarters to the next.

She kept to her task but the feeling of being watched continued. It worsened when she realized she could no longer hear the low hum of the fire beetles or any noise coming from the house. It was silent all around.

Susan heart sped up. It was the first real time since coming here that she began to feel unsafe.

As she folded faster, her eyes continued to scan, trying to see through the darkness.

They finally landed on an odd shape that she took to be a large plant sprouting from the ground, much like the large ones in pots dotted around the home and gardens.

Then it started moving.

Susan thought it held something close to the shape of a man, but as it got closer, she realized it was too big, and too deformed, as if it were some shapeshifting creature from the legends of mythical Calormen.

She no longer bothered with folding anything. She ripped the last item off the line, threw it in the basket she carried and took off.

She could have sworn at first she heard heavy footsteps swiftly approaching her, as if whatever she saw started running after her. But the closer she got to the lit lanterns and candles of the home, the further away they sounded. Susan threw herself inside the closest servants entrance and slammed the door shut, dropping the basket and panting. The hum of the fire beetles slowly came back to life.

A moment passed and once she caught her breath, she dared a peek out the window.

Nothing could be seen except an odd looking plant in the distance. A gentle wind blew, causing it to rustle, giving it an even stranger shape. Susan felt foolish suddenly. Had she let her mind play tricks on her? Was what she thought she saw just a plant? But it had become so quiet?

She shook herself, not wanting to keep looking out the window, and picked up the basket, heading to put its contents away. Rounding a few corners, her mind was still stuck on what had happened, replaying it all. So much so, she didn't notice when one of the doors further down the hall opened until a man stepped out.

Ariondi stood only ten feet from her, stopping in his tracks as his eyes fell on her.

She went still herself, mind suddenly forgetting her fears of being chased and remembering only older ones, ones that involved Larsenilo trying to sell her to who stood before her now. She recalled how the Captain said Ariondi enjoyed frequenting the brothels near the docks, and how she herself had been in one of them.

Ariondi made her sick and she was suddenly thankful now that Tullah had been so keen on giving her so many chores. It kept her from running into him. Until now.

Ariondi's lips peeked up at one corner and he started to saunter towards her.

"Look who it is, my missing Flower."

Susan wanted to gag. Larsenilo had called her that, and she hated it then. It felt worse now. She started take steps back.

"I have chores I must be off to. Your mother has instructed me to put away these." Susan moved the basket in her grasp.

"My mother can wait."

"No, I really must-"

"-You must do as you're told." He said, walking much closer.

"By your mother, not you. I am her lady's maid." She bit back.

Ariondi looked affronted. He did not like being talked back to, but he especially didn't like to not be in control. "Now, you listen-"

"Susa-" A voice came from an adjoining hall. Peter quickly stepped out and tried desperately to not look like he was about to call her 'Susan'. It was still hard to call her a different name sometimes, and he certainly wasn't thinking about keeping up a ruse when he'd heard Ariondi sounding like he was angry. Peter's blood went cold when he saw Ari and how he looked at his sister.

"Su-Surenah, uh, the Tarkheena is calling for you." Peter said, making something up. In all honesty, he had been looking for her so they could go meet in the barn.

"Then I must be off. There can be no keeping her waiting." Susan said sternly, eyes not leaving Ariondi like she thought he was about to grab her.

Peter eyed him too as Susan started back down the hall he had come from. Peter followed a step behind. Ariondi simply gritted his teeth as they went.

"What was that all about?" Peter asked when they were out of ear shot.

"Nothing." Susan replied, pace not slowing up. "But we cannot meet in the barn tonight. We can use one of the empty chambers near my sleeping quarters." She paused, then added quickly, "Edmund isn't already out there, is he?"

"No, the cooks wouldn't let him leave the kitchens just yet. Why can't we meet in the barn?"

Susan felt embarrassed to tell her big brother who never seemed to be afraid of anything what had happened. "Just trust me, it's better we use the empty chamber."

Peter furrowed his eyebrows, but didn't question her nervousness, assuming it all had to do with the younger Tarkhaan. "Okay. Let's go tell Ed then."

There it is! What do you think, was Susan letting her mind play tricks on her or was there something out there? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thanks for reading and to all who have reviewed!