Royal: Chapter 3
A Sapphic, Medieval Fantasy Love Story (Romantic, not a Romance)
[ All chapters are posted in their most raw form; please forgive minor grammar or spelling mistakes, they will be caught during the editing process ]
Almost two weeks had passed since Arden was hired. In that time, there had been at least one mistake made each day when it came to formality, duty, and respect between her and the Princess. However, these missteps only occurred when the two were alone, almost as if Arden knew better than to slip up around other members of staff or visitors to the castle.
Rianne took note of this, too. Each time she reprimanded Arden, she realized it was always something new, always some different boundary that she pushed, gently, and never enough to truly upset Rianne. When guests came to call, Arden was silent. Standing still beside Rianne’s chair observing the room from her post. When handmaids dressed her or cleaned her chambers in the mornings, Arden stepped out into the hallway, ensuring no one breached the door without explicit permission.
She was eventually fitted clothes that separated her from the other house servants. No longer did she feel coerced into skirts and tunics cut for a smaller form. In fact, Arden seemed happier in the guards clothes; fitted chainmail, men’s trousers, and looser fitting tunics that didn’t strain around her shoulders. Rianne found herself staring at her more and more as time went on. The more masculine appearance seemed to suit her.
Today, the pair walked in near silence through the gardens. The overwhelming stench from fresh fertilizer had faded over the past two weeks, allowing Rianne a fairly comfortable stroll. She glanced over her shoulder briefly to the taller woman who followed her.
“You’re awfully quiet today.”
Arden smirked. “Indeed, ma’am. Wouldn’t want to disturb your peace with my…overactive tongue.”
Rianne rolled her eyes. “Oddly enough, I’ve grown somewhat fond of it.”
“My tongue?”
The princess scowled over her shoulder. “Your commentary.” She faced forward again and slowed her pace to observe a butterfly. It’s paper thin wings folded behind it while it fed on the newly bloomed lilies. “You have a unique perspective of the world. For someone who did not grow up well read, you can name almost every plant and creature in my garden.”
Arden stalled her pace as well, slowly stepping closer to the princess. She stood tall beside her, but just behind. “I’ve always been observant.”
Rianne felt her guard standing close to her. Not close enough to feel her breath or her touch, but close. She extended her finger for the butterfly, and it fluttered off away from her hand. “Yes. A sharp mind and memory.” She turned around to continue her walk, and found her path blocked by Arden. The butterfly had landed on her instead, waving its wings like a movable lapel pin on her chest.
She was looking at it too, resting on her chest. “I dripped some jam on my shirt this morning.” Arden glanced over to Rianne. “Looks like she found it.”
Rianne felt the corners of her mouth turn upwards. It was brief, a small expression, barely noticeable. But Arden noticed instantly.
“Ah- almost got you there.”
Rianne tensed her cheeks and stepped around her guard. “You did nothing of the sort.”
Arden stepped off behind her. The butterfly took off to find another floral feast. “I saw it. That was the closest to a smile you’ve given me.”
“I was observing the butterfly, not you.” Rianne pressed her hands together, letting her bell sleeves fall forward over them. “If court jesters and well-educated princes cannot make me laugh, what makes you believe you can?”
“Well, if I may speak freely…”
Rianne stopped her pace and turned to look back at Arden. “You may.”
Arden stopped too, and placed her hands behind her back. “Men don’t know much of anything about women. How to compliment them, touch them, or make them laugh. But a lady knows a lady better than anyone. Now, I know I’m not a high born miss like you. But…” Arden shrugged, and turned up her mouth in a coy half smile. “I am just as stubborn. I won’t quit ‘til you’re smiling so hard your face hurts.”
The princess couldn’t help but blush at her words. It almost felt like she wasn’t talking about laughter at all. Rianne held the guards gaze for a moment longer before slowly looking away. “I’ve…heard similar words before. It’s not so much that I don’t find humor in things, I just don’t think I have much to smile about. My life is all work, and meetings, and ensuring my kingdom does not fall apart.”
Arden’s smile fell. She knew to some extent how difficult it was to do what Rianne did almost entirely by herself. All the more reason to try harder to give her a sense of reprieve from it all. “Joy is just as human as anguish, your highness. You can be dutiful and purposeful without sacrificing time for fun, as well. Don’t you have hobbies?”
Rianne huffed and continued her walk. “I used to. I loved embroidery, painting, playing the harp. But I haven’t had time for such frivolities since…” She sighed, her eyes scanning over a rosebush.
“Since the Queen died.” Arden added, her tone softer than normal.
Rianne nodded. “My lessons changed abruptly after that toward how to manage a kingdom. All knowledge that my future husband is meant to know, and yet…I sincerely doubt I will find a man that does.” The princess dropped her hands to her sides, lifting one to cradle a blooming pink rose.
“I’m sure you will find a suitor that meets your needs.” Arden said simply. She watched Rianne’s delicate, soft fingers cradle the rose petals. Imagining such fingers playing the harp or sewing through embroidery made her tense in her pose.
Rianne chuckled under her breath, and looked back at Arden. “Perhaps you will be the first to make me laugh after all.”
Arden’s smile returned. It was nice to finally have a normal conversation with the Princess without feeling as though she was walking on eggshells. Her decorum had changed dramatically since she arrived, and yet, she was eager to befriend the Princess despite their difference in status. From the moment she saw her in the great hall, she was enamored.
The sound of shouting came from over the hedges nearby. They were close to the stables, but not enough that they should hear them. Loud braying and the crack of a whip joined the shouting. With only moments to react, Arden rushed forward and grabbed the Princess by her shoulders, pulling her into her chest. She then pushed them both to the ground, pressed between flowers and hedges, as a horse burst through the bush beside them, rushing through the garden. Had they not moved when they did, Rianne would have likely been trampled.
As the galloping faded away, Arden pushed herself up to look down at Rianne, pinned beneath her, cradled to her chest. She felt something wet drip down her cheek.
“I’m- sorry about that, your highness…”
“It’s alright, you were trying to protect me.” Rianne added, sitting up slowly as Arden backed away to her knees. She reached forward, using her sleeve to wipe Arden’s cheek. “Looks like one of the rose thorns got you.”
Arden smiled, using the back of her hand to wipe away the small trail of blood. “Are you hurt?”
“Not at all. Just…” Rianne looked at her gown, now covered in dirt and fertilizer.
The stable hands pushed through the hedges in search of the horse. When they found Arden and the Princess, they bowed deeply. “Most sincere apologies, your highness, I- I didn’t think she would take off like that, it is entirely my fault-”
Rianne, now moved to her feet with Arden’s help, brushed off the dirt from her knees. Her eyes landed on the apologetic stable hand and shook her head. “Animals are wild at heart, Elroy. It happens. Now go find her before she eats her way through the gardens.”
Elroy stood up, clearly surprised by her response. He was expecting a verbal lashing like he’d gotten in the past. His eyes darted between the princess and Arden, then to his companion, before they took off in search of the loose horse.
Arden’s attention returned to Rianne. “We should get you changed and cleaned up, m’lady.”
“Agreed.” Rianne started to walk back toward the castle when she was suddenly lifted off the ground. A soft yelp escaped her as she found herself cradled once again in Arden’s arms, this time completely off the ground, with her legs draped over Arden’s bent elbow. “What are you doing!”
“My job, your highness. If the horse comes back, it will be easier to move you this way. Plus, you might be injured and not yet know it.” Arden smirked at Rianne’s pouting face. She felt lighter than a sack of potatoes in her arms.
She considered fighting back, insisting that she be put back down at once. But something stopped her. Perhaps it was the closeness, the sensation of touch she was not used to. Never had she been this close to another person before, aside from childhood hugs for her parents and other family members. Even her maids barely touched her when they washed and dressed her every day. It was nice, to be held like this. Rianne crossed her arms over her chest and looked away from Arden, worried the warmth in her cheeks would give away what she was thinking. “Fine, then. Back to my room, please.”
“Of course, your highness.”
Arden placed the princess down in the hallway outside of her bedroom. Rianne opened the door and stepped inside, leaving the large door ajar behind her. She paused and turned to face her guard. “You coming inside?”
“Oh- I, uh, thought your handmaids would be able to help you.”
“They’re off doing their afternoon tasks. I don’t normally change during this time of the day.” Rianne pursed her lips together, trying to mask the coquettish smile that nearly escaped. “And I can’t take this off by myself.”
It was Arden’s turn to blush, a deep mauve shade invaded her cheeks as she stepped into the bedroom. With the door shut behind her, she quietly locked it and followed the Princess toward her changing screen.
Rianne pulled her hair away from her back and held it over her left shoulder. “You know how to tie and untie a corset, correct?”
“I-” Arden cleared her throat, looking down at the intricate lacing down Rianne’s back. “I’ve never worn one myself. But I can unlace a boot, I’m sure a corset isn’t much different.” She reached forward hesitantly, as if pulling that one long lacing would unravel more than she was prepared to handle. Arden pulled the knot free, and watched as the bindings loosened on their own. She heard a soft sigh as Rianne exhaled, clearly relieved from being trapped in that tight, strict bodice all day. Arden felt her throat tighten as she continued to loosen each row, sliding her fingers beneath each taught strand. Her curled fingertips tugged and released the bound tension, allowing the corset to finally slide down over her hips to the floor.
Rianne pulled up her skirts and stepped out of the corset, picked it up, and draped it over the top of her changing screen. She seemed so relaxed during this process, which seemed to send Arden into a mute state. The princess extended her arms to the sides. “Untie the sleeves and gown too, please. I can do the rest myself if you’re not comfortable.”
Arden opened her mouth, and quickly shut it again. It wasn’t discomfort she was feeling, but specifying that now seemed uncouth. She did as she was asked, and untied the small lacing around each sleeve. Her hands drifted to the back of her gown, careful not to graze her bare skin in the process. Her broad, calloused fingertips almost gravitated to her smooth, bare shoulder, but she pulled away before they touched. The lacing down the back of her gown was easier to untie than her corset.
“Will you be taking a bath as well, Princess?”
Rianne held the fabric as it began to fall off her body, revealing her loose fitting white underclothes beneath it. The sheer linen barely covered her decently. Arden made sure her eyes were up, over Rianne’s head, staring at the wall.
“I suppose I should. I have dirt and cow dung in my hair, too.” Rianne picked through the ends of her hair, pulling small remnants of the garden from her otherwise well kept tresses. She sighed and tossed her hair back over her shoulder.
“Allow me.” Arden stepped around the curtain and crossed the room swiftly. She remembered what she was taught during her first few nights, how to draw a bath for the King or Princess if asked to. She tended the fireplace inside the bedroom to build the flame, then pumped water into the large tin bucket and hung it over to warm up.
Rianne pulled a robe around herself as she watched Arden haphazardly heat up water and begin to fill her bath. She felt another grin start to form, but didn’t give Arden the satisfaction of a smile. Not yet. Though she was beginning to think this personal guard of hers might actually be the first to do it.
She crossed the room into the bathing area and pulled out a few scented oils, a bar of olive oil soap, and a comb. After setting up the selection on a small tray over her tub, she sat beside it while Arden carried each bucket full of hot water to the tub, dumping them in one after the other.
“What’s the bathing area like in the servants quarters?”
Arden shuddered. “It’s about as you’d expect, ma’am. Busy, dirty, and the water ain’t always hot.” She filled another bucketful and began to fill up another. “But it does what it’s meant to. No use complainin’ about it.”
“Mm. Well, if you ever find yourself in need of a hot, private bath,let me know.” Rianne stood up and untied her robe. “You’re more than welcome to use mine once in a while.”
“Oh, I couldn’t do that m’lady. But I appreciate the offer.” As Arden returned with the final hot bucket of water, she paused to see Rianne’s bare legs, rear, and back facing her. She felt her grip tighten on the handle of the bucket before she poured it into the tub, desperately trying to keep her eyes downcast. “That’s the last one.”
“Thank you, Arden.” Rianne stepped into the tub carefully, and slowly sat herself down, sighing as the steam rose up around her. “You may wait in my bedroom until I’m finished.”
Arden was glad to know Rianne did not see her face, for she was certain it was red as a beet. “As you wish, m’lady.” She turned quickly, and walked back toward the bedroom, hoping to calm her racing heart and clear her busy mind.
Rianne grinned then, now that she was totally alone. She poured oils into the water, and rubbed a small rag over her body to wash away the afternoon sweat and garden dirt. It wasn’t clear to her, not really, how easily she could fluster her guard. Arden was a hard worker, diligent and capable, and smarter than the average villager she’s hired to servant staff. Today was the last test of her loyalty, and it was evident in her actions that she had proven herself worthy of the role.
Tomorrow, she would officially become Rianne’s personal guard.
