Authors: Robin Roseau
"I have something for you," Malora said once the horses were ready. She gestured, and Nori approached holding out a staff. "Be gracious," she whispered to me.
Nori was carrying a
staff, but it was a little different than the ones we practiced with. Instead of being only wood, this staff was wrapped in leather for the middle third of its length, and there was a small loop formed near one end of the leather. She handed the staff to Malora, who turned to me.
"An Amazon does not leave her village unarmed," my warrior told me. "Not even a companion. For some companions, that means a sword. For some, it means a bow. For you right now, it means a
staff." She thrust it towards me, and I took it from her.
"Thank you, Malora." I didn't want it. I couldn't begin to tell her how much I didn't want it, but she had asked me to be gracious, and I would be gracious.
"The leather makes it easier to hold," she explained. "But the leather damages easily during training. This is a weapon, not a training staff. If you train on this trip, it will be with a borrowed training staff, not this weapon."
I nodded understanding.
"There are two ways you may carry it," she explained, and Nori handed her some sort of sling. Malora put the sling over my shoulder, tightening it, then showed me how the staff could sit across my back at an angle, peering over my left shoulder and around my right knee. She helped me release the staff from the sling then replace it, asking me to do it several times. It wasn't hard, and at least I was good at putting things away, even if I couldn't use them in my hands.
"There is one other way to carry it," she said. "There is a similar sling for your saddle." Nori handed it to her, and Malora helped me attach the sling
to Fleetfoot's saddle, then we slid the staff into the sling.
I thanked her again, and then we offered our farewells to those seeing us off.
As we started out, we rode together on her horse, although we would not ride double the whole trip.
"We will stay at the villages each night," Malora explained, "and some will have arrangements for us, but some will not."
"Other than my normal duties to you, do I have other responsibilities?"
"I will from time to time ask you to take notes. We brought paper."
I had packed it, wrapping it carefully to protect it from the rain.
"At some villages, you will remain with me at all times. At some, you will not.
You may be asked to help prepare meals. At no time will you serve anyone other than me."
I nodded understanding.
"The companions of a village may wish to speak with you. Do not engage in gossip, but otherwise you should speak with them. Sometimes messages to me are sent in circumspect fashion. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
"Sometimes, most times, it will only be a friendly invitation."
"I understand."
"When we are in a village during that village's training sessions, we will probably train with them. I know this thought doesn't please you, but I require you to accept with as much stoicism as you can manage, and do your best."
"I will embarrass you."
"Do not focus on that. Do your best. That is all I ask."
I nodded, but my heart began pounding in my chest, and I didn't hear what she said next.
"Maya? Maya? Maya!"
"I'm sorry," I said.
"Have you heard anything I said?"
"Not for a while. I'm sorry."
She was quiet, but she didn't reprimand me. "What was the last you heard?"
"Do my best."
She caressed my cheek. "All right. Each village has a village chief. They are second only to me and Nori, but within their villages, we follow their rules."
"They are different?"
"The normal Amazon rules you have learned apply, but each village may have additional rules. For you to be bound by the rules, it is required they offer to present them to you. Before we arrive at a village, I will quietly tell you the rules, but someone will ask you if you know the local rules. You will always say yes, but ask for them to be repeated for better understanding."
"Why?"
"In case they change. Even if we return to a village two days later, you will ask for the rules."
"I understand."
"If no one offers you the rules, but you know the village has special rules, then you should ask. Do so in my hearing. Someone may be playing games with you by not offering, although simple oversight is more likely."
"What can I expect?"
"The first village today is Black Oak. We will arrive before lunch, stay for an hour or so, including lunch, and then travel on. Black Oak has no special rules. However, the next village is Two Bends. It is on a river. The village chief keeps a garden, and every companion in the village is expected to spend a few minutes every day tending the garden. Do you know how?"
"I wasn't a farmer, but I grew up in a town that was half fishing village, half farmland
. Nearly everyone kept a garden, but I may need to be introduced to any unusual plants."
"Your obligation will be brief, a few minutes probably spent watering or weeding. They may simply ask you to haul water, not trusting you for anything requiring special knowledge. If you step into the garden, be very careful, as damaging the plants caries a punishment. Unless the punishment dictated is unduly severe, I will not intercede for you. I may insist on being the one to apply any punishments you earn."
"You expect me to earn punishments?"
"No, but everyone earns punishments from time to time." She fingered my hair, and I laughed.
"If anyone asks why your hair is pink, you will answer her."
"So I may say my warrior enjoys seeing me in pink hair."
"You will explain it is punishment for being tardy, and if they ask for details, you will offer them. You are free to make it an amusing story. You are free to embellish. You are not free to lie about your queen."
I laughed again and leaned against her. She wrapped her arms more tightly around
me, and for the moment, we were happy.
"Some village chiefs have rules I do not care for," Malora explained. "I am their queen,
but I do not interfere in the running of the individual villages unless something is egregious. There are three villages where the companions are treated like domestic servants. They serve the meals and are not allowed to eat until the warriors have finished. The distinction between warrior and companion is much greater in these villages. I do not care for this distinction, but it is not so egregious that I must interfere. I nudge, but to do more would be to ferment dissent."
"Thank you for explaining," I replied. I snuggled more tightly into her. We rode on.
It was a lovely morning for travel. We rode together for two hours before Malora called a brief halt. When we started up again, she told me to ride my own horse. "I need to concentrate on business, and I find you too distracting," she said in explanation.
We rode quietly after that, each of us lost in her own thoughts, until finally Malora turned her horse sideways to the path. Mine, following behind, stopped.
"Black Oak is over this next rise," she said. "Do you have questions?"
"Probably," I admitted, "but I don't know which to ask."
"If some occur to you, try to find a lull to ask them, or save them to ask this afternoon."
I nodded.
"Remain polite to everyone, especially to me."
"All right, but I'm starting a tickle fight later."
She laughed. "We'll see."
She turned her horse, and several minutes later, we rode into another village.
This one was laid out slightly differently from Queen's Town, but the differences were minor. We were greeted immediately and dismounted before a small, growing contingent of women. Malora strode forth and greeted several women, then held her hand out to me, and I stepped next to her.
"This is my new companion, Maya," she said. "Maya, this is village chief
Valan." I bowed briefly to her then was introduced to the other women, using my tricks to remember their names. Valan was older than Malora; I guessed her age at mid-forties. Valan's companion was Honna, a girl of seventeen years old.
"Perhaps your companion can tend to your horses,"
Valan suggested. "Honna, please show the queen's companion to the stables."
Malora turned to me. "Unsaddle them, rub them down, and see to their needs. Everything can remain at the stables except your
staff. Bring the paper as well and return to me."
"Yes, Malora."
I collected the horses, although Honna beat me to the packhorse, and we strode together to the stables.
"Is it true?" she asked me the moment we were out of hearing distance of the queen and the village chief.
"Is what true?" I asked her.
"You're the new companion, the one who arrived bound and gagged?"
I smiled wryly. "That's me."
"How did you become the queen's companion after that?"
"Nori -- do you know Nori?"
"Everyone knows Nori."
"Nori selected me for the queen," I said. "I do not know why. She tumbled me in front of the queen, the queen said, 'You are my new companion', and one does not argue with Queen Malora. And so here I am."
"What's she like?" Honna asked.
"Very... regal," I replied.
"What does that mean?"
"She acts like a queen," I said. "But in private, she is very kind to me. She's a good queen and deeply respected, and as a warrior, I am in awe of her."
"I haven't seen her fight. I'd like to." She paused. "Why is your hair pink?"
I sighed. "Punishment for being tardy."
"Pink hair?"
"I had to wear pony tails," and I gestured, "with bright pink ribbons, and my lips painted with pink paint. Only the pink in my hair is left. I kind of like it. What do you think?" I fluffed my hair at her.
"It's... bright." She paused. "What were you late for?"
I gave her the abbreviated story.
"Oh. I was late like that once. I was gathering mushrooms for dinner, and I lay down for just a minute, and I feel asleep."
"Oh-oh. Did you get punished?"
I began rubbing down Malora's horse while we were talking, having set our tack and equipment aside. Honna began on the
packhorse.
"Yes. I got a beating." She eyed my hair. "I'm not sure which is worse. It's awfully... pink."
I laughed. "I know. I didn't mind."
"If you didn't mind, it's not a very good punishment."
"I think it serves as a reminder, and I felt badly that people worried. It's not as important that I feel punished as I feel guilty and work to do better in the future."
"I haven't fallen asleep gathering mushrooms again. Are you sure you won't be late again?"
"I am new to being an Amazon, Honna," I said. "I am sure I have much to learn." I didn't want to talk about the philosophy of punishment with her, as I was sure Malora wouldn't want me spreading my very un-Amazon views on the subject.
The girl was hard to put off, however, because next she asked what I had done to arrive tied up and gagged.
"Honna," I said, "I'm sure that story makes for good gossip, but it is not a happy story for me. Can you understand that?"
"But what did you do?"
"I told Nori, 'no'."
"That's it?"
"I was somewhat forceful about it."
"No to what?"
"Being taken from my home and forced to become an Amazon."
"But-" She paused and looked shocked. "It is our duty to be Amazons. We must protect Morehama from the demons, and if you are selected, you must go."
"I had my own duties. I was the schoolteacher. By taking me, my students no longer had a teacher. Honna, I would love to talk to you, but I do not know if I am allowed to talk about this. I have not asked my warrior."
"Oh," she said. "I'm sorry. I wouldn't want you to get into trouble. Do you have to tell her what we talked about?"
"She has not said so, but I will. She will not be angry, but she may not care for my version of this story to be the one most people hear."
She cocked her head, and I suddenly realized I had opened another bucket of worms. I held my hand up.
"Tell me what being an Amazon means to you, Honna," I said, forestalling any questions she might have. She began chattering away, and it was clear she was very proud to be here, even if at times her warrior punished her.
We finished with the horses while she was still talking. I collected paper, several pencils, and my
staff. Honna led the way back towards the huts. When we arrived, Malora was in conference with Valan and several of her warriors. Honna stopped a respectful distance away. I wondered if she had other duties, and I stepped past her to take my place beside Malora, but I got two steps past Honna, and she reached forward and grabbed my arm, pulling me back.