A/N: Love checking my email throughout the day and finding such epic reviews :) They make me want to put up another chapter asap.
Saberin: Have to have a few cute mother/daughter moments :)
Aubrey: All part of growing up. It can be tough.
Alice: As usual, love reading your reviews! Hope you have a fun holiday :)
Raider: No. The cursed wet stuff continues to fall from the sky.
Disclaimer: I'm not John Flanagan. And still not Australian.
Once the papers were signed, sealed, and filed Scout hugged her mother one last time. Lina would be riding to attend business in other parts of Hibernia before returning to Araluen but this was her only trip to Dun Kilty. Their goodbye was fairly short and soon Scout stood on a balcony with Sean and Kineta on either side as her mother rode off on Prince with a Hibernian Courier and two Hibernian guards before an official could approach her about her own title.
"Are you afraid?" Sean asked as they watched the party leave. Scout looked up at him.
"Should I be afraid?"
"People will now want to kill you simply because you're in the royal family."
Scout looked back to her mother. "People have tried to kill me because I'm a Ranger's daughter before. Papa taught me how to use a bow and Mama taught me how to use a knife."
Scout had never been forced to actually take another's life before but she'd defended herself plenty of times. She felt Kineta's hand on her shoulder. "It's time for you to meet your staff, Scout."
Scout watched as the riders disappeared over the hills. She turned and stared up at her cousins. "I have a staff?"
"Kineta will take you to where you need to go," Sean told Scout. He gave her a quick hug. "I'll see you at dinner."
"Come along," Kineta prompted when Scout didn't move. Scout looked back towards the road her mother had taken. Other travelers filled it now. Traders, merchants, hunters, and messengers began picking up in speed. Scout sighed and hurried along after Kineta. The queen led her to a line of people who stood with their chins parallel to the floor and backs so straight Scout wondered if they had rods strapped to them. The first was a tall middle-aged man in full chain mail. "This is Captain Jonah, the leader of your guard. You will meet the rest of them later. Next we have Lady Melissa, who is in charge of your serving staff."
"Welcome Princess Scout," Lady Melissa said with a low curtsy. Scout gave a small one in return. "A simple nod of the head would do," the gray-haired woman directed curtly. Scout complied. "Very good."
"Lady Melissa is also going to be your head maid and chief tutor so that you might learn how to act like a princess," Kineta went on. "Next we have Lady Gwen, who is your lady-in-waiting. She will accompany you to formal occasions. It is her duty to make sure you are dressed appropriately for each event and remember the names and faces of everyone who is of importance. She will keep you up to date on the concerns of the court and will manage your schedule. Next we have Miss Kelly, your personal maid. She will travel with you and Lady Gwen wherever it is you may go. It is her job to maintain your quarters and assist you in any errands you may require. And here we have Master Murray, who will manage your schedule and tutors."
Scout nodded as each one bowed or curtsied. "What am I supposed to do now?"
"First things first. Those boots and that dress may be suitable for a Ranger's daughter but you need to be made to look like a princess. Lady Melissa, Lady Gwen, and Miss Kelly will see to it you are properly outfitted. Once that is complete you will report to your first lesson."
"Which is?"
"Etiquette."
Scout grimaced but still the queen left her. A small crowd of servants followed her and Scout was left with the strangers. Lady Melissa, Lady Gwen, and Miss Kelly stepped forward as the others went about their duties. Scout took a deep breath as Lady Melissa circled her and barked instruction to the younger women. Lady Gwen and Miss Kelly appeared to be about Scout's age. Lady Gwen had dark brown hair and darker brown eyes. Her dress was similar to those Scout had seen Rosalina's staff wear. The material and design was expensive enough to belong to a princess but it lacked ornaments. Miss Kelly was dressed in a far simpler, wearing one that Scout herself might wear when she went with her parents to the castle.
"Alright then, hop to it we haven't got all day," Lady Melissa snapped. Suddenly Scout was being ushered back to her quarters. The bed had been made up since Scout was last there. Miss Kelly and several other girls who melted in from the walls filled a tub with warm water and sprinkled rose petals in while Lady Gwen took Scout's hair down from the simple braid her mother had fixed the night before. She put the comb with the silk flower on a table and pulled at the strings on Scout's dress so quickly she found herself standing in only the shift she slept in.
"Stop it!" Scout protested as Lady Gwen's hands went for the shift. 'I can undress myself, thank you!"
"Yes but it is faster if I do it for you," Lady Gwen insisted. "We've only got an hour and Lady Melissa will have my head if I don't have you ready in time."
"Are all of you going to be here when I take a bath?"
"A modest princess…well this is a first."
Scout clenched at her shift. She'd bathed in rivers with her female cousins and sister before, but this wasn't the same. She barely knew the young women and girls that swarmed her room. She gathered up her courage and peeled off the shift. Lady Gwen made a circle around Scout the way Lady Melissa had earlier.
"My goodness, Princess Scout, have you ever had a proper diet before?"
Scout wrapped her arms around herself. She'd never gone hungry and she didn't have Princess Rosalina's figure but she'd never thought herself in need of a diet. Sure, lots of game and wild vegetables were part of her family's everyday meals but they were also extremely active. Scout stepped into the bath before anyone else could see her. Her skin was scrubbed pink and her hair pulled at until her scalp felt raw. She was wretched from the water just as it began to feel cold and toweled off hastily. After being given a clean shift made of material Scout had only worn a handful of times in her life they let her wear a silk robe that reminded her of the one her mother wore from Nihon-Ja. She was made to sit at the vanity. The other maids flitted around for a few moments as Miss Kelly began combing Scout's hair. Even Lady Gwen excused herself to retrieve a gown or something from one of the closets elsewhere in the apartment.
"Must be a bit strange for you, Your Grace," Kelly whispered softly as she combed. "The other staff was talking see and I heard you are in fact the daughter of an Araluen Ranger. They say you've lived in a cabin smaller than this apartment your whole life."
Scout nodded. "It is different here."
"I hope you choose to stay, Your Grace. I think you could grow to like it here. Soon we'll be relocating to the new capitol. The castle there is so grand. Lady Gwen and I were taken to set up the heir's quarters a few months ago. It is beautiful. Her Majesty Kineta picked it out for the heir, whether it end up being you or your sister. It's a bit smaller than your apartment here but it is more open and has such a beautiful view. It's near both the sea and a loch."
"How long have you been a maid here, Miss Kelly?"
"Just Kelly if you don't mind, Your Grace. I've been a maid here since I was nine. See, King Sean set up two levels of orphanages. One is for the orphans of noblemen, military people, and ranked ladies. When they turn fifteen they can be apprenticed to one of the craft masters."
"But…you?"
"My mother died in childbirth and my carpenter father died when he came across some men trying to rob his shop. An uncle took me for a while but he and his wife had their own and decided to give me over to the king's Ward for Common Orphans."
"What comes of the common orphans?"
"Well, the craft masters are invited to find apprentices there but there are so many of us there's no way we could ever all be that privileged. We're given chores to tend while we're there and sometimes…well sometimes we just decide to pick up work before we turn fifteen. Fifteen is the cut-off age. We're turned out after that. I decided to become a maid here. At first I served a knight's wife but after a while I worked in Queen Kineta's quarters. When it came time to find a personal maid for you the queen examined all the maids ages fourteen to seventeen and decided to place me. She only knew you and your sister through letters to your parents but thought I may get along with whichever one of you came."
Scout stared at Kelly's blue eyes in the mirror. She concentrated intently on Scout's hair. She worked some sort of soft ointment into the roots down to the tips. It made Scout's hair soft and all the stray pieces joined into her thick locks.
"I'm glad you were chosen," Scout offered. Kelly smiled.
"As am I, Your Grace."
"Please call me Scout."
"I'll get in trouble if I do that."
Scout smiled. "Only if the others hear you…please call me Scout. I never had a title before today."
Kelly's fingers began twisting tiny strands of Scout's hair back. "Alright then…Scout. I like your name."
Scout smiled. Kelly held Scout's hair in place with one hand while reaching over to get the silk flower comb with the other. "My mother gave me that," Scout said just in case Kelly was thinking of tossing it out.
"I like it and the petals match the color of the gown Lady Gwen is bringing in."
She secured the comb in the twists and dropped her hands. "Is it done?" Scout asked.
"All done."
"And just in time," Lady Gwen said as she came back in carrying an ornate gown. She and Kelly slipped it over Scout's head after taking away the robe. The two tightened the strings and set out a pair of slippers for Scout to step into. Kelly stepped back quickly and stood with hands folded and head bowed as Lady Melissa came back into the room. Lady Gwen simply stood with perfect posture and head high.
"Come, you've got a lesson at lunch in etiquette."