"What is your family name?"
Hakorhi. But I couldn't say it.
"Drek, miss,"
"Drek?" She was looking more and more bewildered by the minute, "my-- I can hardly pronounce any of them so I'll call you Nei, as you first said,"
"Yes, miss,"
"I hope we can be friends,"
I looked at her bright blue eyes and said nothing.
"Will you help me? I need to marry Prince Theon!"
"Does miss like Prince Theon?" I asked.
"Like!" she looked at me like I had committed the gravest offence in the world, "I love Prince Theon with all--my--life!"
"Oh," I mellowed, "does Prince Theon know that miss likes him?"
Her face became determined.
"This will be my only chance to prove it," she said, "will you help me, Nei?"
"Yes miss," even though that was the last thing I wanted to do.
***
Rudolph was right. Araharn was simply crazy about her looks. I changed her into almost forty dresses that day, all in the name of her appearing at the palace later that evening at her very best.
"Miss!" when I couldn't take it anymore, "you are pretty already!"
"Are you sure?" she strutted up and down in front of the full length mirror, assessing herself from different angles.
"Yes!" I said a little more forcefully than I should have, "miss," I added quickly.
"Alright then," and she stretched out her hand for me to lead her out.
Out in the courtyard the duke was waiting to see her off. Araharn curtsied to him.
"Father,"
"My dear," he came near and kissed her forehead. My stomach tightened and I wondered why.
"The palace is a dangerous place-- be careful," he held her arm tenderly. She giggled.
"I suppose I'll live there, father -- in the 'dangerous place' -- when I become queen,"
The duke sighed and patted her shoulder.
"If anything goes wrong, send someone to me at once,"
"Yes, father,"
He then led her towards the manor gate, the butler and
I following behind. I carried a bundle which contained Araharn's personal effects which she did not want the other attendants to handle. At first I only noticed the handsome man standing by the open carriage and not the young boy clad in silk who was Axlah, heir to Karlem dukedom.
"Sister Nei," was what he caught my attention with. I curtsied, feeling Araharn's eyes on me.
"You know my maid?" she asked.
"Rudolph told me that she would be here," he looked at the bundle I carried, "is big sister leaving already, then?"
"Yes," Araharn said with dignity.
"Good riddance, then,"
"Axlah!" the duke warned.
He only laughed. I wondered if this was where Rudolph was picking up his bad habits.
"Good bye and farewell." he said, then paused, "would you like my bodyguard to accompany you?" he gestured to the silent handsome man, who, I realized with a jolt, had been starring at me all the while.
"Yes, please," smirked Araharn, who noticed me starring at him starring at me.
"In that case-- go marry the prince, you have my blessings," Axlah smirked.
I helped Araharn into the carriage, the inside heavily perfumed. I, having worked all my life around powders and different medicines which gave different odors, was not bothered by it.
"Are you comfortable, my lady?" came a deep voice from our left. I pulled back the curtains and saw that it was Axlah's guard, now on horseback.
"I'm fine. Start the carriage now," she ordered, "ohh, Nei, I'm so nervous,"
"Do not worry," Axlah's guard said before I could open my mouth, "I'm sure my lady will be one of the best," he said reassuringly.
Araharn looked happy at his words. Then she thought of something that made her frown."
What's your name?"
"I am called Arhid, my lady,"
Arhid. That was no true Valencian name. I took another look at him. Could he be of the lesser magic user clans? There was only one way to find out.
"Thanks to young master for entrusting our safety to you-- we won't have to worry about bandits anymore, miss,"
He looked at me with an expression that said he was trying his best not to burst out laughing.
"Fellow mage, very witty," he said in my head.
....
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