The World of Rhune

Mae kicked off her stubborn and heavy boots without much care for them, her thick wool socks sliding inside, waiting to puff up when they became free. Mae sighed, and almost smiled. Her brother’s wife always made the quirkiest things for her, including these odd yet comfortable socks. She remembered the ugly yet homey maroon scarf she’d gotten last year, which almost made her laugh. She only wore it when it was absolutely necessary, all other times it was in one of her bags, which was all she as a guardian carried. Mae finally slipped the stupid things off, laces still tied and worked to slip out of her enormous cloak, hoping to get a little sleep before her 2 am shift. The guardian disembodied herself of the cloak and worked off the layers, stocking up her fire, and slid into her four-poster bed, an extra two feet higher from the thick layers that Mae was thankful to have. She’d gone many a night freezing, too many for her but not even close to the amount as a Guardian. She closed her dark eyes and collapsed into the pillow, thankful for only the sound of the fire snapping instead of the girls, the palace life, or worse; Haazar bombarding her with questions she dared not answer. Mae pulled the layers over her cold legs, even though she had two layers of wool pants on, and felt content when she pulled the last one up onto her chin. A sense of peace came over her, and Mae found her mind running over the line Ivy had muttered over and over, “once out the day is gone, night shall come and then the dawn.” She spoke the words out loud before hearing a slight creak of her door opening. Her mind whirred and she sat up, her hands closing around the dagger hidden in her pillow, and then it hit her. Luckily she’d pulled her legs from the covers. Her attacker hit her with a force it could only be a man. He had a dark cloak but breathed heavily as he used his weight against him. Mae shoved her elbow into his gut then twisted and landed a fist to the man’s jaw. She couldn’t tell whether it’d been hard enough to lose a tooth. Her attacker was just as good though, he dug his knee into her gut and chopped her shoulder painfully, but Mae took her chance while he recovered from the jaw blow. She kicked him straight in the gut and then chopped the side of his neck. The man landed on the floor with a thud, Mae jumped right on top and tried to hold him there, “Truce! Trrruce! I be a friend, a friend!” a heavy, throaty voice shouted and tried to slither from her iron grasp. She sent her foot into his stomach, she knew that trick too well, had almost lost her life once because of it. The man tipped over forwards in pain, but lighting fast crashed his head into her ribs, making the breath whoosh from her lungs and caused her a lapse. The man jumped, taking advantage, and grappled with her, trying to put her in an arm lock. Mae was too quick though, her smaller arms slipped from his arms and she punched him in the eye, making him use a hand to cover it, and then get kicked low by her fuzzy foot. The man tipped over, and Mae watched him, though she still couldn’t see who it was, since the rotten fire had burnt out already. She looked at her fingernails for a second, and waited just perfectly as the man jumped, shed his pain, and attacked once more. Mae nearly smiled as she sidestepped him and grabbed his neck as he flew by her, but he grabbed her leg instead of her torso tripping her. She managed to stay on top and held her dagger up until they rolled across the hard wood floor and Mae still on top. She took the chance and thrust the dagger against the man’s throat, a small line of blood leaked from her weapon. “Who are you?” her natural question. “Or more-so, why did you attack me?” her second most natural question. “You guardean of Princhesses, I take ju out, I geat dem.” His voice was even throatier than before, and heavier too. The guardian looked upon the man, her eyes not moving from where his own were in shadow. Mae kept the knife at his throat and pressed a knee into his gut. She carefully fingered behind her until she felt a candle. Mae set it down next to her and pulled a match from within her clothes. She struck it and lit the candle, noticing how her body was sore and already bruising, plus she felt blood trickle from her leg, the man must have cut her with his own fingernails when he grabbed her. She looked upon the foreign man, dressed in odd furs and a well-worn cap, but she’d seen that cap before. Mae’s eyes flew up to his face, Zepher smiled upon her. “I make a mean actor, don’t I?” the accent was completely gone as well as the throatiness. Mae kept her dagger at his throat. “Why, Zepher? I mean really? I had hoped for some sleep before I had to go on the journey, since hard-packed ice and snow is so comfortable to sleep on,” Mae dug her knee into his gut, she heard a groan from Zepher, “Cause you need to be on you’re toes, and I wanted some fun. A guardian gets bored just as easily as a common maid,” Mae rolled her eyes, thoroughly bugged, and slapped his face, leaving a five-star, “Figured since I already got you’re now blossoming jaw with my fist, I’d be nice and just give you a nice red slap that all the maids would just love to tend to,” she spoke of the young girls who always crooned and swayed when Zepher passed them. She had to admit, maybe if she were a maid she might have swooned also, Zepher had a rarer handsome air to him than most. Mae still wouldn’t have liked him though, she never liked men who had too many women fallen over him. “And do you think I care? You better watch yourself, guardian. You’re gonna wake up with a monster on top of you’re bed.” Mae drew her dagger back and wiped it on Zepher’s clothing, and sheathed it. She watched as the guardian pulled himself up, rubbing his slightly oozing jaw and cracking his lower back with pain only in the deepest parts of his eyes. “You are right about one thing, those maids would give anything for a minute with me, and right now I think I’m gonna use it. Oh, and Mae, the king took to heart about the travel companion, but you may end up with more than one, being Beta to the guardians has it’s perks,” Zepher walked stiffly behind her to the door. She swiveled around quickly, her eyes and body always facing him even though her messier hair swung about nearly smacking her in the face. Zepher laughed quietly. “I sometimes think you’re too on you’re toes, Mae. But I guess that’s what a guardian’s supposed—” “Get out of that bleeping corner you…I’ll save you’re puny ego the beating. You know, you’re a fail when I can detect you.” Mae glowered and hissed at the figure leaning in the shadows against her wall just behind her small chest. Haazar stepped forwards, but still lurked in the shadows of her now dimly lit room, a slight grin playing across his features. “Got to hand it to you Mae, you’re top o’ the line aren’t you? But then again, I’d say second cause I still got in here with enough time to finally figure out what the king wanted.” Haazar mockingly clapped his hands together silently. Mae continued to glower, but her features softened somewhat when she looked upon Zepher. “Too on my toes now, am I? That’s two in a row, Mr. Beta,” She looked back upon Haazar with her iciest glare, but Haazar shrugged it off, too used to it. “Whatever, you could have told me you were going on a trip, and that a fellow would travel with you, who would better suit that than me? Huh? Even Zepher here,” he motioned to the other guardian with a gloved hand, “Couldn’t do better than me, sorry buddy,” his eyes flashed to Zepher who’s face looked as if stone in the bitter light. Mae’s breath shot from her nose ominously. “Get out, Haazar. You too, Zepher. Oh, and Haazar, it’s called a not oiled, rusty door that creaks when opened, to answer you’re question.” Zepher pulled his mouth up slightly and then left to the hallway, straight towards the kitchen where he’d be basked in affection from his small wounds. Mae glared as Haazar stayed planted. “Get your ass out of here,” Mae took a step forwards intimidating like, but when Haazar mirrored, he was taller and fit the role so much better and with ease. His mouth tugged up into a smile, “You know I’ll make sure I come, so you could just recommend me, or just find out the hard way I’m coming with you.” He stood a good couple inches taller than her, even though she was five-six, tall for the women of Folic. “I guess I’ll learn the hard way, since what about my job isn’t hard, especially with you around?” Mae countered it perfectly, but lost it when Haazar spun on his heels and stalked to the door, grabbing the handle. “Mae, you know you’re going to recommend me somehow, so why not just admit it? I’m you’re best friend, so it’s kind of obvious.” Mae scowled, she hated being known so well. “So it’s obvious, but what else is obvious is how far you’re butts going to get kicked into next week if you don’t get out. Now,” Haazar smiled, victorious. “That’s all I needed to know,” he closed the creaky door as quietly as he could before she could throw a dagger at his head, which she had half a mind of doing.