Stahlia, 17 Years Old, Eighth Month of 949

After being on the road traveling through various cities and towns of the Kingdom for the better part of two months, I finally arrived home. Back to Ris, the village where I had been reborn into this world in the first place. Except, it wasn’t really home. Not anymore. The welcome I had received here was… subdued. People looked on in silence as my carriage rolled to a stop near the entrance to the village proper. It was not the largest crowd of onlookers we had seen, but it was by far the quietest.

“This is… certainly different.” One of my maids, Peoni, mumbled behind me.

Or it could have been Beatrice. But, unfortunately, even after months on the road and in their care, I couldn’t remember their names half the time. They were correct, though; things were different.

At all the other stops, there had been parades and banquets. Each time, it had been a multiple-days-long affair before we could get back to the relative tranquility of the road. But even at the most minor locations, it differed from this.

I wanted to believe that people would be excited to see me back, but I can understand where all of this is coming from.

The last time I was home, I looked more or less ordinary. There was an invasion from a goblin army. Since then, I had leapt nearly every social rank to the highest possible. I looked four years older than I should have. Then, there was the small army that accompanied me.

…Like it or not; I don’t think I can continue to call Ris home anymore. My home is in the capital now…

Since we were sitting on the roof of the carriage, thus in view of the people, I held my head high. But that realization was like a weight trying to drag it down, “Frieda, we are going to change our plans. Please, send for Lord Alriss.”

I’ll do the bare minimum here, then depart.

We had initially planned to spend a few days in Ris before heading toward the border. But it was abundantly clear that my presence was making the villagers uncomfortable. It would be best to say my goodbyes to my family, then leave before I became too much of a strain on the locale. Of course, as Queen, I could simply force my way, but of all places, this was the last I wanted to do so with.

Lord Alriss arrived rather quickly to my summon. He had been expecting them since, by me not immediately exiting my carriage, we were already off-script. He bowed, “My Lady?”

“Thank you for such an expedited answer… Have your second take the men and fall back half the distance from the village to the fort. It is clear that both their and my presence is distressing to the local population.”

He didn’t argue against the sudden change of plan, simply giving a quick nod before asking a clarifying question, “And your security?”

I nodded, “I do not expect any issues, but I would like you to bring one squad of knights and accompany me into the village. We will spend only a single night, then depart for the border… Traveling at an easy pace, we should not arrive there ahead of schedule.”

“By your word.” He bowed once more and then departed.

I’ll give him a minute or two to make arrangements.

“My lady, are you certain?” Frieda gave me a questioning glance.

“Yes, things are better this way, I think.”

Our voices had not carried, but it was evident to the people that something had happened when the assembled soldiers and most of the knights turned about and departed. Not that the whole number was visible from here, as the road was too narrow for that; a not insignificant number of them were very likely closer to the proposed camp than the village.

Once the visible men made an about-face and began marching in the other direction, a low murmur carried through the assembled villagers. That was my cue to stand and make my way down from the roof of my carriage. My father was waiting near the door to escort me down. When I took his arm, he glanced at Frieda before smiling sadly.

“For whatever it might be worth, I am glad you are back again.” With that said, he nodded, and Frieda opened the door for us.

Fortunately, I had a fair bit of practice at masking my emotions by this point, so I could hide that my father’s statement was almost enough to make me cry. If my emotions were a bucket, seeing everyone acting so distant had been filling it up, and his reassurance just now had been the few drops to make it overflow.

Together, we walked down the street that ran through the middle of the village. My knights fell into step behind us, led by Alriss. My mother, siblings, and Jacqueline were already at my father’s house, having traveled there ahead of me to be part of the welcoming reception.

Ah… I will have to tell them that I’m not staying as long as I had initially planned… Shoot.

As we walked, the crowd followed with their eyes, then filled in behind us, trailing all the to the gate of my father’s house. Even if they were a bit uncertain and uncomfortable, none of them were willing to miss what was likely a once-in-a-millennia occurrence, that being the queen of a nation being escorted through one of its smallest villages.

Even without the many soldiers and knights, there was still quite the entourage by the time we covered the short distance to the home. It would have been heartwarming if they had been happy to see me, but instead, it was just eerie. The fact that my knights seemed a bit on edge only exacerbated my feelings, and I quickened my pace slightly while subtly gesturing at Alriss to back down.

I’m not letting anything happen here, of all places. Gods no.

“Stahlia!” A woman’s voice pierced through the general silence, one that was familiar to me from a relatively long time ago.

Turning around, I saw her pushing through the crowd; it was Crystil, Giogi’s mother. One of the knights moved to intercept her, but I waved him away.

…And how to deal with this? I can’t very well go and punish her for disrespect, not without losing the respect of the villagers, whatever little I have left. But, on the other hand, I also can’t just ignore it…

Fortunately, as she saw the knight approach only to be called back, it seemed she realized what she had done, “Ah! M-my lady, no, your majesty, p-please forgive me.”

It sucked, but it was a reaction I could use. Affecting a faint, sad smile, I nodded, “Crystil, was it? Please, pay it no mind. You… you were anxious about Giogi, correct?”

Though he had slipped my immediate focus in the wake of everything that had transpired, it wasn’t as though I had hung him out to dry. He was on track to be elevated into a full knight once he came of age and finished a period as a squire. Someone of his birth and skill level couldn't be posted as one of my knights, given my own station. Crystil bit her lip and nodded, probably a bit uncertain of how to speak and nervous, owing to my armored knights seemingly staring at her through their helmet slits.

I shot Alriss a side look, and he ever so slightly tilted his head in response before approaching the woman. He next removed his helm before speaking, “Miss, my apologies for my men frightening you; I can see that you are merely worried for your son.”

Ah, that’s clever.

Though not strictly prohibited, removing his helmet for a commoner woman while on duty was a rather large sign of respect towards her. Especially given that the crowd was only a short distance away. The way he was speaking then wasn’t simply for Crystil but for that same crowd; his voice was intentionally loud enough to carry the short distance between us.

He was genuinely concerned some of them might try something and is trying to defuse the situation in a way he thinks I’ll appreciate.

While I had my objections regarding his assumptions, even if they were nervous, I didn’t think anyone from my own village was so far gone as to attempt to harm me. Far more likely, one of them would do something rash as Crystil had done. That said, I appreciated his sentiment and the dedication such worries indicated.

It took her a moment to answer, but when she finally did, she nodded emphatically, “Y-yes, I haven’t heard anything from him… Not since…”

Her voice trailed off, and she shot a worried glance in my direction. It was likely that the last time she had heard anything from Giogi was when I had been back to Ris before the fallout with Count Francois and my ascension.

Lord Alriss nodded, “Yes, I imagine that the boy is gripped by youth and has neglected to attend to his mother’s worry. However, he is alive and doing quite well in his studies and training. The fact that he has caught my eye is a rather impressive feat for one of his station. You should be proud of yourself to have raised a fine son.”

Pff! Giogi, a fine son? I suppose anything is possible… Still, that’s actually something. If one of the commanders of the Royal Knights is watching him, he must be doing well.

There was a possibility that Alriss had only said that to assuage Crystil’s worries, but if it were a lie, it would have been told in my presence. The odds were that he had spoken the truth, and Giogi was making more progress than I had been aware of.

I won’t meddle, but it might be worth looking at his progress more closely than I have been once I return to the Kingdom.

Alriss held up his fist and waved a quick gesture. Following that, all of the knights in my current retinue doffed their helmets. The tension in the air broke, and the people began to smile, and a low hum of many whispered conversations suffused the air. Though they were not completely ok, it seemed that much of the previous apprehension had dissipated. Crystil was silent, but it looked like she was trying very hard to hold back relieved tears when she melted into the larger crowd as we resumed our walk.

Alriss took a half step closer to me, anticipating I might have something to say. He was correct, and once he was within range, I tilted my head to carry on a short, whispered conversation, “Thank you for handling things the way you did. It must not have been easy removing your helmet before someone of such low birth.”

“Not at all; far easier to remove my helmet than draw my sword.”

“Do you really believe it would have come to that?”

There was a pause before he answered, though the angle of my gaze prevented me from discerning his face, “Perhaps. Though, as your majesty suspects, I do not think it would be from malice. Rather, one of the villagers acting rash or forgetting their station… But, if I may, I believe it would still be best to depart on the morrow.”

My father’s arm stiffened in my grip; I had yet to inform him of that change of plans.

And he’s right… Actually, things might be a bit more dangerous now than they were. We’ve personalized ourselves now. It would be terrible if someone forgot or overstepped their boundaries, forcing my knights or me to act.

“…Yes, I am inclined to agree. But, father, as Lord Alriss indicated, given the general attitude in the village, I believe I shouldn't linger; we now plan to depart tomorrow.”

He didn’t respond but brought his free hand up to rest on mine, gently squeezing it. His face betrayed his emotions, however. Not as good as my [Acting] Talent, he was only partially able to prevent the sadness from his expression. My father was intelligent, though; it would not be the first time he set aside personal feelings because he needed to do so. He might be sad now, but he would stand by my decision. Not because he didn’t have a choice but because he chose to support it.

I can only hope that the others will be even half as understanding. Mother… Will be upset but probably understand. Regardless, she’ll ultimately go with whatever my father decides. Rosial, Felicity, and Rosin… Yea, no way. There’s going to be grief there.

Rosial and Felicity were eight and nine, respectively, so they wouldn’t throw a tantrum. Probably. Despite having an excellent brother-sister relationship as far as I was concerned, Rosin and I could not be said to be particularly close.

Felicity will probably be hit the hardest, though Claire will hopefully be able to blunt the worst of it… Rosial will understand better than the other two, but I hope it doesn’t have any lasting adverse effects on her, given everything that’s already happened to her.

Stop. I need to stop.

I was spiraling again, worrying about things that I couldn’t really control. Me leaving early was something that would have to happen, and it would upset people. It would bother me, but it still had to happen. Best to break the news and then enjoy the time I did have. As I came out of my thought spiral, I saw that we had arrived at the house, and the crowd was dispersing. My mother and siblings were outside in the garden to greet me. Stil was also present, lounging in the grass next to a Stawri I didn’t recognize.

Probably the one father was saying he had recently acquired. Well, it seems that they are getting along.

The home was different from how I remembered it. There had been some additions built on. For one, the garden was more prominent, and there seemed to be another slope to the roof jutting out from the back. Evidently, an extension had been put in at some point. The home overall now approached the size of one of the smaller Baron’s estates of the capital.

A servant boy came running up to open the gate for us, and with a start, I realized it was Sark, one of Giogi’s friends who had been a member of the original “Stahlia’s Knights.” His class was Scholar, and my father had apparently hired him at some point. The typical greetings were exchanged, even though we had only separated yesterday. My mother invited me inside, and once we made it through the doorway, I dismissed everyone I could; even if it was a bit larger, the building was still small.

I would love to let my mask off, but not everyone here is a part of my inner circle…

Once tea had been served, and we had all had a few minutes to relax, it was time to break the news about the schedule change. Looking around the room, I first confirmed that everyone important was present; better to rip the bandage off all at once than do it repeatedly. First, Sasha was attending to Jacqueline, who was attending to my mother. Next were Felicity and Rosial, both sitting docilely on one side of our mother. Finally, my father, who was sitting on my mother’s other side. Everyone else was a member of my immediate party.

First, I cleared my throat lightly and addressed Jacqueline, “Ahem, Jacqueline.” She straightened and turned her full attention to me, “Jacqueline, now that we are back in Ris, you have a choice to make; whether you wish to re-enter my service yourself. When I leave, I intend to take Sasha with me. This trip will be too long to leave everything to Frieda. If… If you choose not to then,”

She made a small gesture, not cutting me off but indicating that she wanted to speak. I paused and nodded, prompting her to say what she will, “If I may, your majesty, I have spent a great deal of thought on the matter… And I am conflicted. Miss Sasha is excellent as an attendant, in many ways superior to me. However, I do not believe that I have anything to offer.”

There was a brief pause wherein she fixed a steady gaze on me, one loaded with many conflicted emotions and feelings. As she stared, they slowly subsided, and her expression took on a subtle hardness. One that would not be recognizable to any who did not know her well, “…That said, if your majesty still has use for my abilities, then I would be honored to re-enter your service.”

…But not as a maid. After everything, she’s offering her sword.

I took a long moment to consider the importance of her words and the meaning behind what she was saying before I nodded firmly, “I do. Sasha, going forward, you are to resume your role as my head maid; Frieda will be your second. Please integrate Jacqueline into the duty roster in a manner best fitting her ability.”

Sasha bowed her head; the meaning was clear. Jacqueline would re-enter my service, but not as a maid. Thought that was to be her cover; she was first and foremost to be my blade. I could personally attest to how effective she was at the role.

I only hope I don’t have to wield her that often. I won’t even attempt to fool myself and say I’ll never use her. Now, for the challenging part.

I took a deep breath, “Then, with that settled, I must announce a change of plans; Mother, Rosin, Rosial, and Felicity, I will be departing tomorrow morning and heading for the border… I do not believe that it is wise for me to linger lest a villager does something unwise.”

My mother blinked, then nodded slowly as though to indicate she had thought this might be what would happen. Further, contrary to my expectations, none of the younger ones seemed to be overly upset. Rosin shrugged and tried to appear tough, though he only looked cute. Rosial glanced at Felicity, then nodded. Lastly, Felicity merely grimaced and clenched her fists, not expressing disappointment beyond a simple question.

“…And, when exactly do you plan to leave?”

“Tomorrow at dawn, I’ve already made arrangements with my men.”

She nodded, and a dull silence hung heavy in the air for a short while until my mother clapped her hands, “Then, we do not have much time. Let us have one more meal together, and perhaps you three can stay up a bit later tonight.”

The proclamation of a relaxed bedtime did much to lift the mood, and Sasha trailed after Jacqueline to prepare the dining room, Sark hurrying to catch up to the two older women.

This is for the best. Things would be a lot worse if I stayed.