The World of Rhune

Mae’s boots thumped heavily against the cold stone floor of the walkway. She came up to the bookcase door and grasped the iron handle, pulling the heavy door across the floor and wincing as it grinded slightly. She stepped out and started towards the girl’s bedrooms where they were being taken care of by staff and prepped for bed. She looked around quickly, her cloak slipping slightly from her shoulders, and cut to the right sharply without hesitation. Mae walked down the short corridor until she came to a life-size portrait of His Majesty King Vladimir, propped up in a corner. She pulled the picture forwards and slipped into the narrow hallway that was cleverly hidden behind it. She replaced the picture exactly where she’d found it. Mae walked hurriedly down the freezing hallway, passing all the traffic and scuttling servants as they dusted and went about they’re everyday routine. She passed different hallways and her eyes widened slightly to adjust to the lack of light; only a torch once in a while fueled the ghostly shadows that lurked upon the walls. She passed a corridor and heard footsteps that she instantly recognized. Within a minute they’d caught up to her with a slight breeze, the same type of boots echoing off the dark floor. “What’re you doing here?” Mae felt free to talk above a whisper, but her voice hardly echoed off the solid walls. “Information, my job,” the figure came up beside her, his shoulders taller and broader than her’s making the hallways become more compressed and claustrophobic. Mae sighed, “Your job, what a lame excuse. Any guardian could see through that crappy excuse.” She avoided the question nimbly; not breaking her stride and not letting her fellow guardian get infront of her. He flashed a slight grin in the faint light, and then hid it deep within himself. “So? An excuse is an excuse, now would you so kindly tell me what’s happened?” She looked up at Haazar’s face annoyed and quickened her stride, only a hundred feet or so from her destination. “Aren’t you supposed to be watching the objects? I’m sure the King would hang you if his daughters were scratched or bit by a spider.” She didn’t bother turning her head to see him, but she heard him shrug, “Zepher is a very nice cover, and Gyros will do about anything for a bottle of strong whiskey every once in a while.” He scuffed his boot across the floor and sniffed in the frozen air that lingered stale in the unused hallways. Mae snorted silently. “Great guardian he is, that lazy ass guard. I was wondering where the bottles had come from in the guardian common room,” She looked up to the door before her. She slid the well-oiled bolts out and opened the door. She came out behind a thick tapestry into the hallways that contained the girl’s quarters, as well as her’s, Haazar’s, and a couple other guardians’. Haazar stepped out behind her, but Mae didn’t wait. She immediately went to check in on Ivy while Haazar went into small Beoa’s room. The foot soldier that stood watch outside the bedroom acknowledged her and quietly admitted her, and she came in to Ivy piled in layer after layer; her cheeks almost flush from the heat. She sat on her favorite rug, the owl bear one that had been dyed a light green, and listened as a maid read some fairy-tale from a nearby rocking chair, her feet crossed and she herself plump with hairs sticking out untidily as it was the end of her day. Mae smiled in her mind, thankful her thin, silky hair that never tangled or went out of place from it’s boring straight down. She walked and leaned against the mantle of the fire place, casually looked around the room, her gaze sharp though as she picked out the things that were different and categorized them whether they were good or bad or threatened Ivy’s safety. She noticed Ivy carefully keeping her eyes on the floor, her wide mint eyes still and emotionless. The maid clapped the book shut making Ivy flinch and look up. “My darling princess Ivy, time to slip into bed and I’ll comb that lovely hair of yours again.” Ivy’s shoulders slumped slightly but she pulled herself up, letting some of the multi-colored furs slip to the cushioned floor almost thankfully. She walked to her cushioned bed and the maid quickly pulled them back, leaning over and making her rump stick out like a pig’s. She helped Ivy into bed, Mae tracing the movement carefully, and tucked her in. She then went to pick up the brush but Ivy snatched it from her, quicker than the older woman. “I don’t want my hair brushed again, it hurts, but it’s all silky now and in a braid, so it’ll hold. I don’t want it brushed.” She hid the brush under her and her covers, and ended up laying on it. The old maid tutted with her tongue. “Now, now, child. Give the brush back to you’re nice nanny, dear. Don’t you want your hair silky soft and gleaming?” she inched closer to the child; Mae took a couple steps. Ivy shook her head no quickly. “I don’t want that brush running through my hair again. You’ve already pulled it through my hair more times than I can count. I don’t want my hair brushed.” Ivy scooted under the covers to cover the brush more, and pulled the covers up to her chin. The pompous maid pursed her lips and sat her hands on her hips. “Now, princess. Why are you being such a stubborn fool? You’re father wouldn’t want a child of his growing up a stubborn fool, would he?” Mae stepped even closer, “I don’t want my hair brushed I said!” Ivy turned over and faced the painted wall, opposite to the maid. “Princess Iv—” “That’s enough, the princess doesn’t want to be hurt by you, leave now, before I force you,” Mae’s voice cracked like a whip through the now silent room. Ivy rolled over and pulled the covers up to her face, leaving just her eyes so she could peep. The maid hurriedly bowed, but she could see distain coloring the fat maid’s features. “As you wish, Guardian,” she started muttering under her breath, bending over slightly as if she had a bad back, and exited. Mae felt like punching the old woman, she didn’t seem to understand this was the King’s daughter, not some random noble’s offspring. Mae went over to Ivy, pretending like she had any idea what she was supposed to do now. “Ivy, do you need anything else? If not, then you’re to go to bed now, understood? I saved you from the maid, but you’re not getting out of anything else.” Mae felt awkward, she’d never really known comfort like this, and she had been too young last time it had ever happened to her for her to recall it properly. Ivy looked almost disappointed at her, but she kept it to herself. “No, I’m fine. But can you bank the fire? They keep it so hot in here I almost wish I could open a window.” Mae nearly blanched at the thought of the below zero weather in the room, she walked to the stone fireplace and stomped the fire out a bit. “Anything else, Princess Ivy?” She walked back to the bed, her hands behind her back. Ivy seemed like she wanted to say something but clamped her mouth shut almost in a pout. “No, can you call in Fienza?” She slumped into her pillow, ruffling her thick black hair. Mae bowed her head slightly, “Yes Princess,” Mae stopped midstep, “Actually princess,” she walked back almost ruefully. “I can’t leave you alone, so,” she barely paused, but she still paused, “if I can do anything this Fienza can, then just say,” Ivy looked up at her almost afraid to speak up, but she pushed through her little fears. “Guardian Mae, Can you do the bedtime routine? And tuck me in like her? Fienza tucks me in one fold at a time, then brushes my hair back and kisses my forehead, then slowly counts down as she puts out all the lamps but one, and slips my special shade on it. Can you do it, Guardian Mae?” Mae felt overwhelmed; she’d never been trained for this. “Sure, princess.” Mae went over the steps again in her head and tried to replicate them. She went right up to the bed and pulled the sheets up and in sort of the right places from where Ivy had pulled them. She tried to imagine how her mother used to tuck her in started shoving her hands into the sheets so they wrapped around Ivy as tightly as possible. She had to lean over the princess to get to the other side, when Ivy started giggling. Mae’s brow shot up, “Yes, princess?” Ivy immediately stopped, “Nothing, Mae,” The guardian returned to the routine; Ivy started giggling again, “Yes Princess?” “Nothing,” the girl’s face was serious once more. Mae finally finished tucking in, and Ivy’s face had the biggest smile she’d ever seen on that girl. “Princess, is something wrong?” Mae stood back up; cracking her back making Ivy burst a short laugh, until she smacked her mouth. Mae’s brow shot back up again. “Princess, why are you laughing so?” even Mae couldn’t help herself, she had to know. Ivy smiled, “You’re a guardian and you’re acting like a house maid, like Fienza.” Ivy seemed to forget her normal stiffness and slapped her hand to her face, covering it and laughing. Mae felt a grin play onto her face, let Ivy see it, and then made it vanish. “I guess it is ridiculous, princess. But a guardian must do what a guardian must do, isn’t that what you’re maid are always saying about their jobs and yours?” Ivy giggled slightly again and made a seem between her hands. “Yes, guardian Mae, that’s exactly what that old maid said to me before you walked in!” she threw herself against her pillow, Mae’s hand shot behind her head before it could knock into the hard headboard. “Well then, I have something right tonight, isn’t that so? Well, I’m going to turn out the lights and you’re to get some sleep, it wouldn’t do for your father to wonder why you look like me,” Mae felt it slightly appropriate to be funny, and fingered her dark eyes. Ivy giggled shortly before clamping her hand back to her mouth. “I’hmph nuot being prinshess liske.” She mumbled through her mouth, proving her point. Mae pretended to harrumph, “Well then we’ll have to change that, aye?” Ivy nodded her head, “Yes, or as you say aye?” “Aye,” Mae tucked in a lose fold and went to the lamps. She slowly put them out, and heard Ivy mumble something like, “Once out the day is gone, night shall come and then the dawn,” Mae blew out two more lamps, and heard Ivy repeat the words each time. Mae went slower now, and heard the words mumbled over and over, and grew to like them by the tenth lamp with only three to go. “Ivy? Where is you’re shade?” Ivy pointed to a closet, “In the wardrobe behind the black coat in the hat box I had Fienza get me,” Mae dug through the cloaks that were just as thick as her own and found the painted black box with white decorations and a gold paint inscription in neat but childish writing, “Princess Ivy Saize of Folic,” Mae smiled and pulled the box out. She carefully removed the lid, never actually holding one before, and removed a light blue shade with white flowers on it. She blew out another candle, Ivy murmured the rhyming line. Mae blew out the last one, and listened as the girl repeated the line for the last time. She placed the shade upon the lamp and watched as the white flowers were shown on the walls in the now dark room. Mae looked back at Ivy, “Are you okay now, princess?” “Yes, thank you Guardian Mae,” Mae bowed, and walked towards the door. She started to lock the snap ones, and Ivy uttered her name, “Yes princess?” “Thank-you,” Mae dipped her head and exited the room. “You finally out, Mae?” Haazar called, walking from Klea’s room. “Yes, you grouchy guardian,” Haazar’s mouth grinned one second and was serious the next, “Smart alec, girl, you still haven’t told me what happened,” Haazar walked up to her, Mae held her ground, “And I never will, mate,”