Part One
It was the first night she had ever slept outside of her father's manor, and though this may sound surprising for a girl of seventeen, it wasn't such a wonder if taken into account the number, or lack thereof, of friends Sae had. Not being a particularly friendly girl, or more to the point, being very introverted and withdrawn, she did not make friends with the other chatty, lively maidens her age, and so, when said young ladies were inviting each other over to spend summers or winters at their estates, Sae was not included. Which suited Sae's reserved manner just fine, or so Sae told herself. Spending her first night outside of home, and in a palace no less, made Sae come to terms with all she had been missing. The excitement, however small on her part, she could not deny feeling. As she lay down to sleep in a bed the size of a boat, almost twice the size of her own bed, which she had always thought rather big, she pulled the soft silk sheets imported from the east over her. They were not unlike the ones she had at home which made her feel more comfortable, as she stared up at the magnificent canopy surrounding her bed and wondered what it would be like to live in the palace for the rest of her life. That was, of course, if she were able to pass the six tests that the six ladies before her had all failed. Would she like palace life? Roderick, the soon to be Royal Advisor had described it as being so unfriendly, so cold, though she suspected that was just his own personality he was describing. Would she like it though? Or would palace life prove to be too much for her. Well, she figured as long as she was here endeavouring to meet the Queen's requirements, this would likewise be her chance to observe the true environment of the palace.
The next morning she was awoken to a familiar sight. Maids were in her room, drawing curtains, stoking the fire, and setting out her apparel for the day. As her vision came to she recognized her three new ladies-in-waiting, Beda, Alesia, Phélie. Beda had secured the curtains on their parting knobs and was now opening the windows to let in fresh air. Alesia was carefully emptying the shoot from the fireplace and replacing the ash with new freshly cut logs. As soon Phélie had placed the pink summer gown by Sae's bed Mayah walked in and began pulling Sae's covers back saying, "Come Sae, we have the bath prepared for you."
At home Sae was usually assisted by her maid Tila in bathing and dressing, so she felt a little conscious having four new ladies pouring the lukewarm water over her and helping her scrub her back, then placing the robes over her and finally helping her into her garments and dress. Would she ever get used to this? Would she even need to? She couldn't help wondering though, as the whole process was being done, if perhaps all the palace women were mentally checking and noting things about her body, ready to report back to the Queen should there be any defects. Well, she had nothing to worry about, though the thought still made her blush a little, much to her annoyance.
Her maids directed her to the breakfast room, and Sae found herself eating alone on the occasion. Perhaps her hosts all kept different hours in the palace. She wasn't sure if she had woken up too early or too late. After her morning meal she was left to wander the palace, her ladies-in-waiting having left during her breakfasting for other pressing matters, and Mayah had long left, having a previous arrangement with the Queen.
On her first day in the palace, Sae had been convinced the place went on for miles to which she would never memorize. Now on her second day, once she had the chance to explore, she became convinced that the halls were never ending and she'd find herself lost in some obscure corner of the palace soon, never to be heard of again. Goodness, she hoped one of the challenges wasn't to navigate through this labyrinth masquerading as a King's home.
Just as she was about to give herself up for lost, after having come down the same hall with those ancestral royal family portraits for a third time, she noted at the end of said hall were three people, a man and two small children. The man was dressed regally, yet in a comfortable dressed-down sort of fashion. She recognized it as casual knight garb. . With sandy brown hair and a broad back Sae could easily say he was one of the handsomest young men she had ever seen, and quite possibly the tallest. Next to his tall stature, the children he seemed to be half-heartedly scolding were quite miniscule. The eldest child, a girl Sae doubted had yet reached the age of ten, was staring defiantly back up at the knight. Her arms were crossed resolutely in front of her and she had dark brown hair, which was styled with multiple braids laced together at the back to form a long double braid. The younger boy beside her, maybe around seven Sae guessed correctly, had lighter brown ruffled locks of hair, and as Sae came closer to them, she noticed his bright green eyes twinkled mischievously.
Once close enough so the young knight noticed her, he suddenly stopped scolding the children, though with the smirk he was lecturing them with Sae doubted he was being truly serious. He looked up to her, straightened himself up because he was no longer talking to pint-size children, and Sae was able to fully take in his incredible height. The smirk he wore when telling the children off now turned into a genuine smile as he asked in a silky voice, "and may I inquire after you, lovely maiden? Who may you be?"
"I'm Sae." She said, giving him her hand to kiss.
He took it, and grinning at her kissed it lightly. "Lady Sae, it's a pleasure to be in your presence. I am Sir Lisario at your service."
The children next to them suddenly coughed in indication, and Lisario smirked, not taking his eyes off Sae. "Oh, and these two are the royal brats, my cousins and cousins to the Princes, Cornelia and her brother Whitmark. Though everyone here just calls them Con and Wit because they're sharp little tricksters. You had better watch out for these two and their misdeeds during your stay here. Unfortunately their keeper, Roderick, never does have time to watch over them, so they run quite wild around here."
"Do not talk about us as if we were not present." Cornelia huffed, and her brother added an avid "yeah!"
"Did you say their keeper was Roderick?" Sae asked.
"Aye, I did. I'm guessing you've met him then. He's their older brother, but as the new Royal Advisor it seems he doesn't have time to keep these two on a leash. Which reminds me," Sir Lisario turned back to the children, "I'll put you two on my own leash and tie you outside in the knight's training grounds if you two pull a stunt like that again."
"Wait, did you say he's their brother? Then he's related to the royalty too then?"
"Of course, we're all cousins. How else do you think at two and twenty he's in line to be a Royal Advisor? Or me, for that matter, at twenty-three and already a full-fledged knight. Not that I am complaining however, I am quite grateful for the honour of my position, especially since Fu Naru is one of the last modern countries who still employ knights."
"It is?" Sae asked thoughtfully, for all her life she had heard of the famous Fu Naru knights.
"Yes, quite. Since the last century I dare say knighthood is a dying race. They've invented a new style of defence for the crown, a sort of assembly of men they call an "army" funny enough. Regardless, my point my lady was that family connections run deep in Fu Naru."
'So you're all related then." Sae said more to herself then him.
She was just about to add something else when the head servant, Gallagher, popped up out of thin air, or so Sae was convince he did, and said, "Lady Sae, I've been looking for you everywhere. You are scheduled for riding lessons right now."
"Riding lessons?" Sae raised an eyebrow to that.
"Oh your highness." Cornelia suddenly got down on the floor bowing to Gallagher.
"Oh, your majesty." Her brother Whitmark followed suit, and soon both of them were dancing around him garnishing him with royal titles left and right.
Gallagher pushed them away in his harassed manner, calling them troublemakers and telling them to quit with their mischief. As they wouldn't stop and Gallagher only seemed to get nervier, he turned to Sae and barked at her to hurry up and go to her chambers and get dressed for riding, leaving the hall in a huff.
As soon as he was out of sight both the children and the knight all laughed, and when noticing Sae's confused expression, Sir Lisario said after he had his good laugh, "Well, they aren't called the royal pains for nothing. I've warned you milady, watch out for these two."
Sae left them in the hall to go and get ready. Her three ladies-in-waiting were all in her room tiding up the place and changing the bed sheets.
"I have riding lessons apparently." Sae explained to them and they helped her get ready.
As Sae walked over to the horse stables she observed the extent to which the fields and pastures went around the palace. There was a lot of good land for riding, and yet the grass looked soft enough to sleep on. She wondered how many servants they had taking care of the palace grounds.
"Hello, you must be Lady Sae."
Sae turned to see a young man dressed in loose fitting breeches and a hemp shirt; he had warm honey-hazel eyes, sandy brown hair, and a calm, soft voice.
"Yes I am, but please just call me Sae. You are the stable boy I take it?"
He softly laughed, quietly adding. "Among other things."
"I am here for riding lessons, but I'm sure you know that."
"That I do. The mare you'll be riding, Ivory, is this way if you'll follow me."
Sae followed him into the stables and stopped at the third stall as he went in to take the ivory-white horse out. First however, he said hi to Ivory, brushing her mane with his big hands and whispering things to the horse Sae could not hear. Once out of her stall Sae was impressed by how big and fair the mare was.
The stable boy got Ivory saddled up and bought her out into the riding fields.
"You do know how to ride correct?" He asked, steering Ivory with the reigns as he walked onto the open fields.
"Of course. We have a stable back home, though I admit my mare is no where near as beautiful as this one is."
"Alright" He seemed to visibly relax. "She's a gentle one so you should have nothing to worry about. I just feel better knowing you can ride her without falling off. Now, this is Ivory, Ivory meet Sae."
Sae stepped forward and looked into the horses' eyes, stroking her with her hand. "And what is your name?" She added, looking to the boy suddenly.
"Condor," He said, looking out into the fields. "It looks like a nice day to ride too. Well, I'll help you on then."
"Could you tell me Condor, why is it I must have riding lessons?"
"Queen's orders. She wants to make sure the lady to marry her eldest son is able to ride a horse. The Queen feels it is beneficial both to a lady's daily exercise and her refinement in talents."
As he helped her mount, she said, "I am able to ride though, so I suppose I will not need lessons. Still, it would be nice to have a ride daily just to clear the mind."
Condor smiled. "So you like riding then, good. The last lady had an aversion to horses, and I was very happy to see her go."
Sae didn't know whether to smile at this or not.
"Most here at Fu Naru do love riding though. His majesty the younger prince Fabian for example, rides whenever he gets the chance. He went off earlier this morning with his horse; he usually goes riding out into the farther fields and even through the woods. If you come to ride everyday as the Queen advises for all the young ladies, you may see him around here."
Sae nodded, thankful he was giving her hints about the Queen. Grabbing onto the reigns and swinging her heel against the horse to initiate the ride, the mare Ivory then took off and Sae found herself enjoying an hour of riding.
o-o-o
"Now that is some way to spend the morning." Sae sighed deeply, falling back onto her heather bed, her arms spread out and her face tinged pink from the fresh air of the riding fields.
"I take it milady had a good time then?" Her eldest lady-in-waiting, Beda with the crow-coloured hair, inquired with a polite smile.
"Yes, it brings back memories of home." Sae closed her eyes turning to her side on the bed with a deeper sigh. She had barely been here a day and already thinking about home. She needed to stop it.
"It is great exercise for a young maiden, and the fields of Fu Naru are quite favourable for horse riding." Alesia, Sae's red-haired and unarguably prettiest lady-in-waiting noted, as she restocked the fire.
"Speaking of the fields, I think that this is the perfect outfit for you to wear now." Phèlie, the youngest maid with the shining blonde hair that reminded Sae of Mealina, came forward from her armoire holding out a pale green summer gown.
Sae pulled herself up to a sitting position on the bed and looked down at herself. True, she would be expected to change out of her riding clothes, though at home she was quite used to leaving them on after riding, always ready should she feel up to another ride before sunset. However, being at the palace meant she had to follow a new set of rules.
"Yes, thank you." Sae said, getting up. "It will do just fine I think."
"Actually milady," Phèlie continued, holding up the gown, "I thought it would be perfect apparel should you give us the opportunity to show you some more of Fu Naru's magnificent fields. The riding grounds are nothing compared to the strawberry fields the palace is famous for. I thought perhaps we could introduce you to them."
"Ah, and go strawberry picking yourself as well?" Beda added, her tone half-disproving, half-teasing. "Yes milady, you must watch out for little Phèlie here, she is a strawberry fiend."
Sae smiled at the girl. "And why not? Strawberries are quite sweet, and you Phèlie I think are the sweetest girl around my age I've ever met."
Phèlie smiled and blushed at the praise but Alesia laughed good-naturedly, saying, "well Lady Sae, you can't know too many girls your own age then, can you?"
It was meant as a joke, which is why all three ladies laughed, Phèlie included though it was a playful jab towards her, but Sae did not laugh. Mostly, because though they didn't realize it, but the fiery-haired maid was correct.
When they noticed the slightly abashed looked on Sae's face however, they ceased immediately.
Phèlie, who did not have the tact Beda and Alesia did, or perhaps she was just too genuine a person, impulsively said, "Well, from what I've seen of the six ladies who have come before you, I do not blame you for not having friends such as them in this kingdom."
"I do have one or two…acquaintances I have met at social gatherings," Sae admitted to, "but nothing more, I am afraid."
"Phèlie," Beda scolded, "Do not talk of your superior ladies in such a way. The Queen would be ashamed if she heard her servants speaking in such a liberal manner about her past guests."
"Oh, the servants talk about everyone all the time, just not in front of the guests, so I do not see how I am doing such a wrong thing. I said nothing impolite about Sae after all. Now she is a lady I can tell I shall get along with." Phèlie smiled, and Sae found herself slowly smiling back.
Alesia laughed lightly. "Well Beda, that is true. Phèlie has in fact said nothing vulgar about Lady Sae, just about, ahem, some of the past ladies. Anyway, milady," she turned and addressed Sae directly, "how about we get you washed and dressed and ready for those strawberry fields?"
And as the ladies helped Sae get freshened up after her horse riding, and get changed into the pale green day gown, Sae began to note things about them. It seemed as though the decade difference of age between Beda and Phèlie meant they had two very dissimilar outlooks on most things, while Alesia who was a year older then Sae and happily in the middle of the other two, always seemed the one to smooth things over, or at least very good at changing the topic, and there by diffusing any situation.
"Oh Sae, you're about to see why Fu Naru palace is so famous for its strawberry fields, I'm very excited." Phèlie said, linking arms with her as they made their way down the dusty path towards the fields.
The other two trailed behind them, Alesia with a smile playing on her lips and Beda with pursed lips. It did not go unobserved by her that in the space of one day since the new contender's arrival, Phèlie had gone from calling her the proper "milady" to now addressing her simply, shockingly as "Sae" and she was holding her arm as if they were childhood chums, and not servant and mistress as they ought to be. What only made matters worse was that the guest mistress in question did not rebuke Phèlie for addressing her so friendly, so boldly, no, it seemed the young maiden was comfortable with her maid linking arms with her and talking to her so intimately. This was not the right behaviour of a future Queen, indeed Beda thought, it most certainly was not.
Once they reached the edge of the fields, Phèlie pulled apart the two baskets stacked together which she had been carrying in her free hand, and passed one to Sae. Alesia carried the third woven basket in her arms and Beda chose not to participate.
"Now milady, feast your eyes upon that." Alesia said, her violet-blue eyes sparkling in the sunlight as she made a gesture with her long graceful arm towards the fields that lay before them.
"Oh my!" Sae felt herself cupping her cheek in wonder at the sight before her.
The clear, robin-egg coloured sky hung above the fields, dazzling everything below. Though it did not rain much in Fu Naru during the dry season, the grasslands were rich with green hues, fresh and abundant tufts of healthy grass blanketed the field. Though green was not the only colour to overwhelm Sae's eyes. Patches of tantalizing red were scattered artlessly everywhere her vision could reach, far onto the distance. The sight alone made her tongue tingle for the taste of the sweet strawberries; she could only imagine how heavenly they would be once she got the chance to try them.
"It's beautiful." She said, and she meant it. "Like a landscape portrait, only no colours of paint could not do this justice."
"Well then," Phèlie said happily, tightening her hold on her friend and pulling her along, "let's quench our appetites, shall we?"
Sae found herself laughing, not something she did very often, as the girls set about to finding the perfect strawberries to pick for their baskets. They were having a hard time of it though. There were too many perfect ones to choose from, and more likely then not the strawberries would end up in their mouths rather than their baskets
"Alesia," Phèlie called, "here I have found a path of baby strawberries, probably still another week to grow, but they match your hair perfectly."
Alesia laughed and made her way over, making a show of pulling a long strand of her red locks across the patch of strawberries Phèlie had crowded by, just to see if she was right. Sae admired the way her scarlet hair shone in the sun, a very deep rich red, much like the strawberries they were picking. She envied how both Alesia and Phèlie's hair lit up under the daytime shine, and her eyes wondered to Beda, who had that same black hair she did. Perhaps Beda noticed as well?
Beda had found herself a dry, clean tree stump and sat herself down. She was not picking any strawberries herself, and she was not watching any of the girls either. She looked like she was off in her own thoughts, and Sae had only a moment to wonder what it was that had Beda so distracted before Phèlie grabbed her arm again and pulled her over to what was apparently a gold mine of especially juicy strawberries.
As the girls continued to pick strawberries under the vibrant sunbeams, Beda turned her attention back to them. Maybe, Beda thought after recollection, she was being too harsh in her judgement on Sae. The Queen Ryona herself was after all very close with Mayah, her oldest, most dear lady-in-waiting and friend. And as she watched Phèlie pulling Sae every which way to look for the best strawberries, and how awkwardly Sae reacted to having another girl her own age, or close to it, being so friendly with her, Beda remembered that Sae admitted to not having many friends, and who knew if she had any at all. So perhaps the young maiden was starved for friendship, and the brazen young servant girl was the very one bold enough to reach out and pull the reserved mistress out of her shyness. Watching the girls on their hunt for strawberries, Beda changed her mind. Sae reminded her more and more of herself at that age, and with the flood of sympathy and understanding that followed this realization, Beda began to like the girl more and more.
As the ladies made their way back to the palace, they encountered Prince Sevastian walking beside his horse and leading the creature by the reigns, and Condor, the stable boy walking on the other side, both of them in light conversation.
The moment the ladies saw them Phèlie let out a squeal. "Oh, it's his highness and S—" but then she stopped, blushing profusely.
Beda gave her a disproving look and Alesia quickly added for Sae, "don't mind her, she likes to call the stable boy Condor, Sparrow, some silly game they played as children."
"Oh, you've known Condor since you were young then?" Sae asked as they came closer to the two young men.
Phèlie nodded, blushing further and not meeting her eyes. "Yes, well, we both did grow up working in the palace."
Then again, Sae thought to herself, it was interesting how Phèlie was now avoiding her glance, as if she was trying to hide something, something Sae was pretty sure she'd already figured out. Phèlie it seemed, cared more about her childhood friend then perhaps she had meant to convey, and she was now embarrassed.
The men reached them in no time, everyone saying what was proper and expected. Sae noted that Condor's body tensed yet his face softened, though he didn't seem to be looking at or avoiding Phèlie. So perhaps Phèlie's feelings were a one-sided thing?
"Would you like some strawberries?" Alesia offered to Condor who stood opposite from her.
Without speaking Condor nodded and took with care from her basket, his face lighting up at the taste. "Every year these little red delights throw me off; whatever I'm expecting to taste, the result is always better."
"Lady Sae," Sae jumped slightly when she realized Beda was discreetly whispering behind her, "why not offer the prince some strawberries?"
Sae plastered the nicest smile she could muster onto her face and looked up at the ever-smiling prince Sevastian. "Would you like to try some your highness?"
"I would indeed." He licked his lip in anticipation as she handed him a strawberry.
From the moment it entered his mouth he looked like he was in bliss. "This is wonderful. Thank you Lady Sae, you have picked the best ones, I see. May I trouble you for another one?"
Sae found herself beaming at his friendly and easygoing behaviour. "You may have as many as you like."
The Prince had taken three more before Condor interrupted, saying, "Your majesty, we must continue on if you need to get back by afternoon."
"Yes, you are quite right." He nodded, smiling at the ladies. "Well, we must be off. Thank you though for the strawberries. If there is one thing I love, it is sweet tasting things. Farewell."
"Farewell." They all answered back and Condor gave them a small smile before leaving with the Prince.
"Well, the Prince really does love his strawberries, doesn't he?" Alesia said as if she found it comical.
"When I suggested you offer some to him, I didn't think he would attempt to eat your entire basket." Beda's mouth twitched. "He would have, had the stable boy not called him away."
"He only had four," Sae said in his defence, "though I admit he was eating them rather quickly, I suppose Prince Sevastian really does love sweet things."
All three ladies-in-waiting shared an amused look and Sae wondered what they knew that she apparently didn't.
"Well," she added in an afterthought, "I suppose he could have had them all anyway. A strawberry or two is good enough for me, then I lose interest in them, my sweet tooth isn't very expansive, and I do have no one else to offer these to, though I suppose I could offer some to Mayah."
"Offer some to Roderick!" Phèlie suggested suddenly but looked further embarrassed as Beda shot her a sharp look.
Sae looked to Alesia for another explanation, she seemed to be good with those, and Alesia rolled her eyes and answered Sae's wondering gaze. "Isn't it obvious though? Phèlie has a crush on the Royal Advisor."
Phèlie opened her mouth to say something, but fell silent, blushed and looked away from Sae again.
"But I thought—" Sae began but she was cut off by Beda.
"He does not like sweet things anyway. Now, are we all going to continue standing here or are we going to get back inside? The sun is beginning to give me a headache, as is Phèlie's childish adoration for every single young man in the palace."
Sae had been about to say, 'But I thought she cared for Condor.' After Beda's words however, she wondered if the young servant girl was perhaps a little fickle in bestowing her feelings.
They made it back to the palace just in time for midday meal. The Queen was there to dine with her again, and Sae was informed that every afternoon and evening meal she would be sharing with the Queen, so that they could get better acquainted. Her sons, Queen Ryona has apologized, were always off busy with their own plans, so rarely did they dine with her. Though she told Sae not to be alarmed should they one day join them, it was known to happen once in a blue moon. As for morning meal, the Queen always took that in her private apartments, so Sae would have to excuse her hostess for abandoning her in the morning, but it was the one habit she could not break. Finding the Queen to be very mysterious in her hushed quiet tones and the tired look in her eyes, Sae didn't mind too much not having her as a breakfast partner.
When Sae made it back to her room that afternoon she found Mayah waiting for her.
'Hello Sae." Mayah said kindly, "and how has the day been treating you thus far?"
"Quite pleasantly." Sae answered, feeling the kind aura from Mayah engulf her and calm her nerves from having just dined with the Queen. "Today my lady's maids and I picked strawberries, which reminds me," Sae went to grab the basket that sat waiting on her cleared writing desk, "would you like one Mayah?"
Mayah smile was gentle and as infectious as the Prince's. "I would love one, thank you my dear. You know, this palace is quite famous for its strawberries. It is a shame his highness has no taste for them."
"But Prince Sevastian ate four of my strawberries." Sae said in confusion.
"I mean his highness Prince Fabian. He is a wild young man. I'm sure you met him your first night here? Yes well, he is the type who would rather be out riding his horse or hunting wild game, then sitting continently in the sunshine eating strawberries. Poor thing never likes to sit in one spot when he can be running all over the place."
Sae remembered her first impression of him, a wild, caged bird, trying to free itself and get out. Nothing Mayah had said surprised her in the least.
After Mayah had taken a strawberry Sae inquired, "where are my lady's maids?"
"Oh, first they are having a meal of their own, then they will be doing further servants work, though they should be back shortly. Their main task now after all is to look after you and see to it you are never in want of anything."
"Yes, well they are doing a splendid job, I do very much like them all." Sae said, and she meant it. Being a girl who did not have friends to speak of in general, she was happy to find she liked all three ladies very much, even Beda who was perhaps a little more reserved then the other two, but suited Sae just fine, because she herself was a detached sort of person.
"I am happy to hear it then." Mayah beamed. "But I did come here to meet you for another reason. In five days Sae, you will be performing your first task, and so, it is time to go visit the Royal Advisor. He will inform you of all you need to know."
"What, already?" She couldn't believe it. It had barely been a day since she arrived, and already she was expected to begin preparing for her first task.
"If you'll just follow me then. I was worried that Gallagher did not give you sufficient directions to the Royal Advisor's study, but as it is Gallagher is busy with other things, so the task falls upon me, and I gladly take it for you Sae" she added kindly.
As they made their way down corridors and halls Sae tried her best to memorize, she noticed midway that she was still clutching onto the basket of strawberries. Oh well, she supposed she could take Phèlie up on her suggestion and offer some to the Royal Advisor, though she doubted he'd take it.
Once they made it to the familiar solid dark oak doors, Mayah knocked smartly and from within Sae heard that same deep drawl, "Come in."
Just like the night before, Sae took in recognizable aspects of his study. The warm colours of the walls, the sturdy looking bookshelf taking up a whole wall, with more books then she could count in a day. She noted that the window, which was pitch black the night before, she should now make out clearly. Though it was stain glass like all the windows in the palace, the sides of it were clear, and looking out she was surprised to see a lovely view of the strawberry fields. Focusing back on the room she took into account the same wide desk, with the same man, those same piercing blue eyes, sitting there waiting patiently for her.
"Well, here you are then, I'll just be off." Mayah said merrily, leaving and closing the door behind her.
"I trust your day has been going well?" Roderick asked politely, then his eye caught the basket she was holding and she saw his eyebrow twitch up for a fleeting moment.
Her gaze followed his, and when she realized what he was looking at she raised the basket up to the desk, smiling sheepishly.
"I don't suppose you would like a strawberry? I spent the morning with my ladies-in-waiting picking some of the most beautiful ones I've ever seen."
"Yes" he said wearily, as if he himself were tired of hearing it, "we do, after all, have the best strawberry fields here, as the palace is famous for."
When she held the basket out for him, he raised his arm and made a brush off gesture. "I thank you for offering me one, but I detest sweet things."
"Oh," she said, pulling the basket off the desk.
Well, they had told her that, after all. She suppressed from laughing at the irony that his office should have a view of the strawberry fields, and that he should be taking up residence at the place that was famous for its strawberries, when he detested them.
"So you are here," he began, breaking her from her train of thought, "and I am sure Mayah has informed you of this, because your first task is five days away, and it's time I prepare you for it."
She nodded her head once to show she was listening and he went on.
"The first task is one that will test your knowledge. The Queen has dubbed it, "The History Test". Namely, you must prove yourself to possess a thorough understanding and familiarity with Fu Naru's history. You will be tested on the past five hundred years of it to be fair, even the Queen feels anything before then will be excess information and not relevant to the aspect she is looking for in the future Queen. Explicitly, she believes a ruler must know their past in order to rule the future, without making the same mistakes again."
"A test in the nation's history?" Sae let her careful composure slip for one moment and she looked genuinely distressed. "And five hundred years worth? How am I going to accomplish that?"
Roderick stared at her for a moment then answered. "If you don't feel up to the first task, then by all means resign now and go back to the comfort of your home. These tasks were designed to find the best woman for the Prince, Lady Sae."
"Don't be preposterous, of course I won't be give up without a good try. Do you think I came all the way from home just so I could turn back at the first sign of exertion and disappoint my father, my whole family? I will not resign, I will…I will give it my best shot."
Roderick nodded once approvingly and said, "Now that is the attitude the Queen is looking for. It may be a comfort for you to know that of the six girls that took the test before you, five of them passed it and moved on. They all, I might add, cleverly choose the right person to prepare them for it. And that is what you now must do as well. You have five days to prepare, so I suggest you decide on whom you wish to assist you in studying up for the first task as soon as possible."
"Would it be possible…"Sae began, "if, that is…I mean, when you told me I could have the help from someone in the palace did you mean anyone? For instance, if I wished to ask the Queen herself, could she help me?"
Roderick stroked the skin of his chin in thought before answering, "You know, you are the only lady to have asked that. I'm afraid the Queen is the only person in this palace with whom you cannot ask, and that is because she is the judge for every task, and therefore it would be conflicting on her part. No, I'm afraid she is out of the question."
Sae smiled regardless. "Well, that is good news to me then, because I had no intention of asking her, but I am happy to know that I can ask anyone else. In fact, I was hoping you would be the one to assist me."
When his blue eyes bore straight into hers she looked away again, uncomfortable with his intensity, and focused instead on the numerous books he carried in his study. Though she did not know what these books were filled with there was no doubt in her mind that he was just the person knowledgeable enough to help her.
"Yes, I was the one all of the previous successful ladies of the history test chose. Perhaps it was because I am the Royal Advisor to the future King and had been appointed in charge of explaining all the tasks to each of them as it was, but they all felt I could help them out the most."
Good, Sae thought, if they all managed it with his help then maybe I can pull through with this as well.
"Though I warn you," He continued, "I do not go about things halfway. If you wish me to prepare you, you must be ready to put in hard work, effort, and sacrifice. That means on sunny days when your lady's maids wish to go out and pick strawberries you are instead in my study pouring over books and repeating back to me what you've learned. When you wake up you must spend an hour of revision before going to dine, and similarly before bed you are to spend another hour reviewing what you have learned during the day."
So serious, so sombre, Sae thought to herself, as he continued describing to her what the next five days would be like should she appoint him as her history tutor. Was it his eyes or his words that felt colder, she could not decide. One thing she knew though, the next five days were not going to be pleasant, not with this man of stone. But she wasn't doing this for him, she reminded herself, she was doing this so she could pass the Queen's ominous tasks, so she could marry Prince Sevastian, so she could become ruler of Fu Naru; so she could please her father.
As she left his study he reminded her to take her basket of strawberries with her, lest they rot on his desk because he would not be eating them. Several minutes later Sae was walking through the corridors, trying to remember how to get back when she came across the two youngest people in the palace who were both out of breath and wore matching bright glints in their eyes, as if they had just escaped from being caught. Instead of asking what mischievous thing they had been doing—Sae had a vague idea she may very well hear about it soon anyway—she smiled at them and asked them politely how their day was going thus far.
"Fine." The elder one, Cornelia, said, eyeing her suspiciously. "And your day, Lady Sae?"
'It has been well." Sae smiled pleasantly. "I spent the morning picking strawberries. Which reminds me, I don't suppose you two would like a basket of them, would you?"
Sae held out said basket and Whitmark, the younger one took it from her hands greedily.
"Wit!" Con protested. "You mustn't just grab sweets so rudely, what would the Queen say if she saw you do that?"
Wit gave Sae an apologetic smile, his mouth already full of two strawberries, and Sae thought amusedly of a chipmunk.
"It is alright, he may have them. I have had my fill of strawberries and was hoping to find someone to take them from me."
Cornelia narrowed her eyes for a moment. "Well, they had better not be poisoned, or you can say goodbye to your chances of marrying the prince."
Sae laughed, though she was surprised. "Poisoned? Why would I want to poison you?"
"Sir Joust-a-lot warned you about us, after all. Told you we would try and confuse you, called us the palace brats, remember?" She may have been the same age as Mealina, but Sae couldn't help but notice how strikingly opposite they were in personality.
"Yes, he did, didn't he?" Sae said, feigning deep thought. "Well, in that case I suppose it was a good idea of mine to poison those strawberries after all. One of you down, one to go I suppose."
Whitmark spit out the remains of the strawberries in his mouth, grasping his neck and gagging at her words.
Cornelia grabbed his hands from his neck and pulled them away with her superior strength, looking sharply at Sae and saying, "that wasn't funny."
Sae gave them a small smile and couldn't help but say, "well, I thought it kind of was."
Once Wit was convinced the strawberries weren't poisoned he resumed devouring them and Cornelia sighed in defeat admitting, "Okay, so it was…but only a little."
When they parted Sae had a feeling that the palace brats would soon be playing a little trick of their own on her, but with a smile she thought, if they are as good a pair of tricksters as my twin half-brothers, I'll be ready.