Opening remarks: What? You thought I'd let another year go by without at least a teeny, tiny bit of posting?
Well, you were nearly right. Fortunately I managed to hammer out this little update to one of my apparently less-popular efforts. Hope you who read this find it at least a little enjoyable. Closing remarks to follow shortly.
Until then...
12: The Queen's Maid and the Captain.
Maureen had spent the week following Adam and Teela's sudden re-awakening focused alternately upon her immediate duties or starting the wheels turning to prepare for the Summer Open Court. This frequently brought her into direct contact with Guardsman Roan, which was a delightful bonus and one of the few things that made running herself so ragged worthwhile. The Queen's oft-not-very-subtle directives that she "dial it down" (whatever that meant) had tapered off as Her Majesty herself had virtually retired from the public. Maureen feverently prayed this was but a temporary state of affairs for her; the rumors swirling about the parlor rooms and halls were, if anything, more ridiculous than those summoned by the Prince and Captain's three day coma, and Maureen could naught dispel a one with the truth lest it tip still more tongues awagging.
In her few idle moments, the Maid allowed herself to wonder at the subtle shifts in behavior of both Prince Adam and Captain Teela. The Prince's suddenly-lame arm aside, he clearly carried himself with more gravity than in years past. He no longer meandered or glided through the halls, but marched with most serious intent. Maureen was among the few in the Palace who knew and appreciated just how much of the affairs of Court he held direct (and indirect) influence over, always without actually standing forth and declaring so. For him to suddenly behave with such overt direction was jarring.
Then there was his how voice had deepened somewhat, though this went largely unremarked upon. Nevertheless it had sent Maureen to the library to listen to one of the few audio recordings of the King's late father. She had closed her eyes and marveled at how alike the Prince now sounded to his long-dead forebear in not just cadence, but tone and use of nuance, communicating much with the simplest statement. It left the Queen's Maid to wonder again.
Then there was Captain Teela's manner, which in contrast had gone from direct and eternally-aggressive to…well, Maureen wasn't sure exactly what to call it. Yes the Captain still commanded by sheer force of presence, but that presence now seemed more…diffuse, even omnipresent. According to Roan, she didn't manage her Guardsmen by watching them as a hawk as she used to, although it was clear still nothing escaped her notice. Rather she would simply appear with the ease of a shadow at twilight, speak what needed spoken to, then melt away as if she were just that.
Worse still, when she did speak it was without her once-trademark snarl that sent many a strong man and woman quaking in their armor. Rather Teela would be calm, distinct, and sounded for all the world as if she were relating some humorous little joke rather than a directive. She even smiled, a heretofore unheard of event in itself, and one that sent many in the Palace Garrison visiting Himon for his mild tonics.
Maureen's unease with these developments was part of the reason she worked herself like mad. The other reason was simple practicality given the King was no less busy with affairs of Court, which left her to take up the slack the Queen would normally attend to. She counted these demands as a minor blessing as it afforded her a vista into the workings of the Court she'd previously only glimpsed. That blessing came with its own curse, in the form of the same knowledge she found so exhilarating. The Court's unease translated into a slow but growing unease in the streets, which only further disquieted Maureen's thoughts, and led her to making a rather grave decision: she would have to act.
But how? That question preoccupied her to the point of distraction. She didn't dare sound out Roan for his thoughts, as much for his safety as her's; who knew how many less-than-ethical ears might overhear them. The last thing she wanted was to endanger his career by becoming an unintentional source of rumors; given she was a Maid to the palace, Maureen was expected to be exactly that.
This left her to her own devices alone. Maureen turned the problem over and over in her head for a full day, running largely upon automatic as she went through long-practiced motions. Given this preoccupation, she barely noticed much of what she was doing, and so was a tad surprised when she found herself eating her lunch at a wayhouse in Eternos. She reasoned she'd been engaged in setting orders for the Open Court, a chore that required her to visit a variety of merchants and farmers. This wasn't the first time she'd done this, albeit it was the first where she couldn't consciously recall what she'd seen or possibly agreed to.
Maureen shook her head clear of that legitimate worry and turned her thoughts back to the original issue. The trouble, she ultimately concluded (coincidentally when she finished her meal as well), was that the central source of all this bother and unease was the Prince and the Captain both. The buzz she could not help but overhear, both within the wayhouse and on the street, centered upon both. It was innocuous trivia, lacking the more salacious nonsense the courtiers in the palace indulged in.
"I hear he's crippled."
"Rubbish. Lady Aliss says he's stalking abou' like that tiger of his."
"The Captain of the Guard…she let someone poison the boy."
"Still your tongue! She fell first, so it was upon both of them."
"I heard tell the Queen has now taken ill."
"So? The woman has been managing the kingdom straight for years upon years. S'a miracle she's not fallen apart before now."
"They're delaying the Open Court. That'll cost us all a pretty coin."
"Why would they delay? If the Prince is up and about the palace, surely there's no call for that."
And so on in those many-if-interconnected veins. The people were rightly worried, all with legitimate reasons whether they supported the Crown or were indifferent to it. The Open Court brought in visitors and more to the capitol, and Maureen knew more than a few shopkeepers and tradesmen depended upon it to feed their families through the winter. Just the rumor of a delay was enough to worry even the most placid of souls.
This realization actually simplified the problem for Maureen. The Court was its own little world, and efforts to dispel the silliness it indulged in would only add fuel to the same. The citizens however were a more steady and pragmatic sort; a necessity given the ever-present danger of Skeletor's merry army of monsters, and more recently the reappearance of the legendary Snake Men. If she couldn't quiet the court, the very least she could do was calm the rest of the citizenry, who she decided in a sudden and grand epiphany were infinitely more important than the variety of lords and fools who populated the palace's corridors.
And, in that same epiphany, she knew exactly how to accomplish this.
Maureen kept her pace back to the palace calm and measured, lest her anxious running set more nerves on edge.
Upon her arrival to the palace, Maureen saw to her normal duties first before putting her vague-concept-of-a-plan into motion. The Queen's correspondence was starting to pile up, and there was an upper limit Maureen could in good conscience answer on her own. She made a game effort at drafting replies to various courtiers and others who had submitted petition, but the more casual inquiries (as if they were anything of the sort) from Ladies of the Court were beyond her. Maureen could only resolve to try to speak to the Queen herself before days end and at least try to get her to offer some reply to those harpies.
The correspondence seen to, Maureen left her office and went in search of either Prince Adam or Captain Teela. Given she walked with such purpose and carried her leather portfolio (a small gift from the Queen), none of the courtiers, Guardsmen or other Maids stood in her way. Maureen herself barely noticed this, her singular focus being upon finding…
"Captain Teela?" she called out, seeing the familiar uniform of the Captain in a nearby alcove. When the figure did not turn, Maureen approached a bit more cautiously, thinking she'd made a mistake.
Her caution seemed justified as she heard the person murmur "Fascinating!" Maureen was frozen in place as the figure turned, revealing herself as Teela. "Amazing they never…" The Captain stopped short, her wondering expression closing into something decidedly neutral at the sight of the Maid. "Yes?" she asked coolly.
"Um, Captain…?" Maureen began, her nerve faltering slightly.
Teela gave her a more measured look and asked "Maureen, isn't it?" The Maid could naught but nod. "Ah, good," Teela smiled. "I'd hoped to speak with you today."
"Oh?"
"Indeed. Are you busy just now?"
"Neh…no."
Teela nodded. "Excellent. There's things I need to go over with you."
"My office?" Maureen immediately suggested, then felt an uncomfortable stab of anxiety at the thought of being alone with the Captain. Something about the woman now felt…not off, really, but decidedly different than prior to her three-day coma. The only other time Maureen had felt such unease was around Orko, but the Trollian was both too adorable and entirely too earnest in manner to take offense at it. Teela was a different animal altogether (and not simply in the biological sense).
Maureen had no clue what prompted her anxiety, but it must have shown on her face as Teela countered with a suggestion of "The Blue Parlour will be fine." Maureen nodded, both relieved and puzzled. There was an unwritten rule in the Palace that only particular matters should be discussed in particular parlours: issues of protocol would be hammered out in the Green Parlour (unless it involved newcomers to the Palace, in which case the Scarlet Parlour was used), while the Red and Umber rooms were respectively reserved for correspondence between Peers or functionaries, and the only purpose the Gold Parlour served was for the Queen's Tea (invitations to which were sought by the foolish and the venal, but dreaded by the wise).
But the Blue Parlour? It was little more than a small library and reading room where no specific Court or Palace business was expected to be discussed. The Queen often referred to it as 'The Oasis', and the rest of the Palace followed her lead in treating it as such. Maureen silently debated whether or not it was an appropriate place for any discussion between the two of them, a debate Teela uncharacteristically made no move to unilaterally terminate.
Maureen recognized that having both the Queen's Maid and the Captain of the Guard standing there in the halls, in decidedly close quarters, would only set further tongues awagging in ways she'd rather avoid. Better hear her out quickly and be done with it so they could move on to the real business worrying her, so she nodded her assent and led the way. Within a minute they strolled calmly as you please into the otherwise innocuous side-room; the Elders must have been feeling merciful as it was unoccupied just then. Maureen paused a moment to shut the double doors behind them and turned to face the Captain full-on.
"You wished to discuss something?" Maureen opened.
"More a matter clearing the air between us," Teela stated, seating herself in one of the lounge chairs, gesturing for Maureen to sit as well. There was a subtle, gentle command there that the Maid found herself instantly moving to obey. Maureen was aware this only in hindsight, and even then long afterwards and long into the night.
There and then? The Captain had her full attention, and Maureen was attentive to her words. "First, I wished to apologize for my…over-reaction to your kindly looking in on me when I awoke. I understand you looked in on me while I was comatose?" Maureen gave a single, tight nod. "Thank you for that," Teela added with clear sincerity, and Maureen found herself actually blushing for it. A lifetime of service in the Palace had effectively inured her to praise from pretty much every corner; too much of it was faint to the point perfunctory, over-formalized, or purely self-serving to trust any of it. Even the King and Queen's occasional praise never felt more than skin-deep.
But from Teela, at that moment? Those four small words left Maureen feeling as if the Elders had just declared her their peer.
Teela however wasn't finished, and Maureen strained her attention to listen to the rest. "I understand you've taken the planning of the Open Court?"
"Yes, I have."
"Alone?"
"Um, I…" Maureen stumbled a little, once again lost around the other woman. "The Queen isn't…hasn't…"
"You've been attending her desk as well as organizing that event?" There was not a hint of reproach or sanction in her tone. A touch of incongruity, yes, and of honest concern that left Maureen floundering still further. Teela gave a small shake of her head, then asked "There was something you wished to speak about?"
"Um, yes. Yes I did." Maureen unconsciously straightened herself and met the Captain's open gaze directly. "Could you perhaps prevail upon His Highness to go with me to the markets in the next few days?" She braced for what was certain to be a firm and absolute rejection.
Thus she was suitably shocked when Teela's response, offered after just a moment of thought, was "To what purpose?"
Maureen quickly rallied herself and offered what was at best a stumbling, wandering answer that left her mightily embarrassed. "Um…I…I have, um, overheard talk on the street…about you and…and about the Prince still being…that is, about you both being…unwell…" Her voice trailed off after this, her thoughts following it to momentary oblivion. Would that consciousness would have followed suit, but alas such mercies were denied her.
Strangely, the Captain showed no sign of irritation at this. Her frown was a thoughtful one, and her sparkling eyes seemed to grow all the brighter for a moment. It must have been a combination of the diffuse lighting from the late afternoon and her own nerves, but Maureen would've sworn Teela's entire form shimmered with an indistinct aura for a long moment. She closed her eyes and gave herself a hard shake. "Ah, I see," she drawled after another moment's silence. "Our, er, that is, Adam's continued absence from the public has left everyone badly disturbed, and atop the Summer Court no less." Teela gave a small, distressed sigh that was so profoundly out of place with her Maureen was nearly sent running from the room.
Teela's gaze returned to focus upon her directly, pinning the Maid to her chair as surely as if she held a dozen blades at the latter's throat. "How long as this discomfort been building in the streets?"
Maureen needed several long moments of thought to formulate a reply that didn't sound like mere baby-babble. "For some time, I'm afraid." The fact she was shaking in her bones was, incredibly, not reflected in her voice, which returned to its formal courtesy. Teela gave her another long gaze, a small frown curving her lips. Maureen took this as an invitation to elaborate, which she promptly did. "The, well, stress between the King and the Prince has been noted by many here in the Palace." Teela snorted softly, which for some reason got Maureen's back up.
"I'm not referring to the poser pageantry, Captain," she stated, using the oft-uttered-but-never-aloud descriptive of the Court's multitude of Courtiers, Petitioners, and assorted wastes of air and meat. Like so much else of life inside the Palace, it had been coined by the Queen herself and promptly become common lexicon, though its meaning and significance appeared to be appreciated only by the non-nobility.
"I didn't think you were," Teela rejoined, lips curling in a slightly different direction now. "So, the King's frequent berating of Adam's poor act hasn't escaped attention." Maureen was once more rendered speechless, hapless confusion showing plain.
"It hasn't just been the King's actions that have generated comments," the Maid added, voice working on autopilot, delivering the implied censure all the clearer for it. Teela's brow furrowed in evident confusion, as if Maureen's forthright declaration derailing her thoughts somehow.
The Captain recovered after a short span. "Who would…oh, yes. Yes, I was…had been a bit of a harpy on that..." she muttered to herself with a bit of quirky grin.
Perhaps it was the grin, or the uncharacteristic humor to the words words, or the slight hunch to the shoulders with which the young woman sat; perhaps it was none of these things and the last week of whirlwind duties and stresses and confusion simply left her poor brain too warped to function sanely anymore. But the answer to so many questions – ones that had festered since that chaotic morning when she'd been a hair's breadth from losing an eye to the Captain's excellent aim – was suddenly there before her. And, to her eternal mortification, it was out of her mouth before her gray cells could fire up properly to stop it.
"How old are you now?"
It was barely a whisper, as if the mere suspicion alone almost too great to squeeze out her throat. Teela looked upon her again with those depthless eyes, the weight of what her brain could only interpret as age and wisdom (those two simple words being terribly inadequate proxies for the forces therein) nearly crushing her into the thin cushions; it was a wonder the chair and the very wall behind her didn't crumble to dust for it. The Captain – another wholly inadequate title if ever there was – was opening her mouth to issue some answer, and Maureen was irrationally soul-certain it would burst her eardrums and cause her entire form to explode! Yet she could raise neither her voice nor even a finger to stop what was coming…and most amazingly, Maureen found herself utterly unafraid, even as she realized she was about to prove that ages-old wisdom of warriors: only a fool is without fear!
What happened next must have been the intervention of The Goddess herself; nothing else could have saved her fool-self from imminent destruction, with the instrument of her Divine salvation being none other than Orko. The little Trollian had been notably absent from the Palace just before Adam and Teela had awoken, and the Court and citizens alike had been rightly (if quietly) disturbed that such a constant presence as his would go missing at a time like this.
Maureen's relief at his sudden appearance was almost instantly shattered when his eyes visibly bulged and his first words were a horrified shriek of "Teela…what's happened to you?!"
TBC...as soon as you hit the right-pointing button below!