Guarding Princess--Chapter 1

Chapter 1

 “Matilda!” Captain Harold Christensen frowned down at the small ten-year-old who stepped to the starting line. The crushed, wide brimmed hat hid the impish face that would more often than not be found watching his Guards practice. But today her face held none of its usual excitement, instead replaced with sheer stubbornness. Christensen knew that nothing was going to stop her from running the course, and probably be the fastest. He watched her tighten the ribbon keeping the hideous hat on her head before she bent slightly to be ready to run when he gave the word. “Go!”

Mattie had tried to ignore the startled exclamations behind her as the boys realized that she wasn’t just another boy trying out to be a Guard, but she wasn’t sure if any of them realized exactly how different she was. She didn’t have time to dwell on it as the captains order came to start.

She fairly flew across the fifty yards of damp grass to the first major obstacle, a climb of three steps to traverse a twenty-five foot gap hand-over-hand, using the one inch steel bars available. As she grabbed the last bar she swung herself as far a she could from the obstacle and hit the ground running for the ten foot tall A-frame ladder now in front of her. She stumbled as she crossed the top, bumping her knee sharply as she stopped herself from crashing headfirst down the other side. She quickly flipped herself onto her rear and controlled her slide down.

The next challenge was a long slog through neck-deep mud. Cold, neck-deep mud she promptly found out. It didn’t help that the mud came up to her neck rather than her chest like the rest of the competitors. She slipped and her head went under the mud for a moment before she found her feet again.

She had no idea how long she’d been on the course as she pulled herself out of the pit, desperately trying to clear her eyes of mud. Though it felt like ages, the Captain hadn’t called time yet, so she kept going. She stumbled again as she ran for the final obstacle, falling to her knees. The mud on her fingers caused her to slip again as she tried to gain purchase from the ground. She let out a grunt and dug her nails into the dirt, shoving herself once more to her feet.

In order to finish the course she had to move four twenty pound sacks to a position five feet away then run back to the Captain. The sacks felt heavier than she expected and though she was able to toss the first one across, the second and third were more of a challenge and she lad to practically carry the last one to its final resting place.

Mat’s eyes sought out the hourglass as she ran back to the start line. To her astonishment, there was still plenty of sand within the top chamber. Far from looking impressed, the boys looked sullen as the captain told her she’d passed. If not for the swift wink he sent her, she’d have thought him just as unimpressed.

“Who do you think you are?!” a tall boy with short, dark hair demanded. He stood in front of Mattie and she had to crane her neck back to look up at him. He hadn’t completed the course yet and so wasn’t covered in mud.

“I think I’m cold and tired, but glad I’m done,” she informed him wryly, reaching for a scrap of cloth available for them to wipe what mud they could off. For all her preparations, neither her hat nor the braid she’d painstakingly pinned to her head that morning had withstood the obstacle course and both now hung limply down her back

 “I think you’re a stupid girl who doesn’t know her place.” He put his hands onto his waist and glared down at her. Mattie assumed she was supposed to be intimidated, but she was too tired for that. Instead she took a clump of mud she’d found in her hair and smeared it across his cheek. The boy reacted immediately shoving her to the ground. Expecting nothing less, she rolled with the shove and emerged out of it on her feet a few yards away, giving him a droll look before she resumed removing the mud. He was stalking towards her to hit her again when the captain gave a sharp shout.

“Wilhelm! Get your rear over here! It’s your turn and if I see you hit a classmate again outside of lessons, I’m going to toss you into the mud pit before I kick you out of the program!”

“This isn’t over,” Wilhelm growled before preparing himself to run the course.

Mattie plucked the loose pins out of her hair as she walked over to the bench where Christensen sat. “Do you mind if I sit here?” She saw that Wilhelm was already at the mud pit.

The captain looked at Wilhelm, too. “Are you afraid of him?” His voice was neither harsh nor gentle, but was quiet.

“Not at all, sir. I just didn’t want to disrupt the trials.”

Christensen looked down at her for a moment and she squared her shoulders, looking into his eyes. He gave a slight nod and turned his attention back to the list in his hand as she perched herself on the bench next to the hourglass.

“Walter!” Mattie willed herself to give just the barest flinch when the Captain shouted in her ear. Walter’s run was slow and he had to be pulled from the mud by the large Captain Andersen standing ready to it, but he completed the challenges.

“He didn’t finish the obstacle!” a slight boy complained. He didn’t seem to be much bigger than herself, though she was sure that her arms were thicker. He was one of three boys still clean.

“The rule is to finish in five minutes,” Christensen replied boredly. “How you do it is up to you. Jack!” I didn’t flinch this time, though the slight boy jumped. He sheepishly admitted that he was Jack and stepped to the line. “Go.”

Jack appeared to have taken the captain’s words seriously. As soon as he was told to start he ran around the bars, the A-frame, and the mud to the twenty pound sacks. Mattie guessed that he couldn’t think of a way to avoid that obstacle. He had a bit of trouble because of his size, but less than he would have if he’d actually completed the course.

She looked at the Captain who had a slightly baffled look on his face for a moment before he made a note on his paper. The Captain by the mud was trying not to laugh, but failed miserably.

Jack ran over, grinning smugly. He actually winked at Mat before standing in front of the Captain awaiting his fate.

Mattie had watched the guard trials for the past three years, patiently waiting for her tenth birthday and her chance to join. She’d never seen anything like that before and she was certain that the Captain would automatically fail him. She wouldn’t be surprised if he was banned from trying again the next year.

Captain Christensen studied Jack for a long time as they all held their breaths. “You pass. Chris!”

Chris walked over slowly, obviously confused by what had just happened.  He was almost to the starting line when he turned to the Captain.  “I actually prefer to be called Christopher, sir.” His voice was low and cracked as he spoke.

Christensen looked at him. “Did I mishear you when you signed up or did you give me the wrong name?”

“Uh…you misheard,” Christopher mumbled, his eyes looking at the ground, clearly wishing he’d kept his mouth shut.

“I’m sorry about that, but speak louder in the future.” His voice was gruff, but sounded sincere and not unkind as he made another note on his paper. “Go!”

 Christopher did not pull the same stunt as Jack, choosing to run the course as intended. As one of the tallest boys he was able to wade almost comfortably through the mud and the sacks proved to be no challenge at all.

The Captain gave him a nod as he walked past to join the boys who’d already finished. Mattie noticed that they clapped him on the back and congratulated him. Jack hadn’t been welcomed back so jovially and stood off to the side, away from the rest of the muddy lads.

The last to go was Karl who’d stepped up to the line before Christensen could shout. “Go!”

Karl started fast, but inhaled some of the mud and spent a minute or two bent over as Andersen smacked his back and helped him clear his lungs. He finally stood straight and ran to the sacks. Mattie looked at the hourglass and knew that even if he threw the sacks he wouldn’t finish in time. She was sad because she’d seen a lot of boys get pulled out of the mud and then quit right there and she’d rather have Karl, who actually completed the challenge as it’s meant to be, rather than Jack who’d essentially cheated. She shook her head at the unfairness and watched the last of the sand run out before he’d even gotten to the last sack.

The Captain looked at the hourglass and made a note on his paper. Mattie gave Karl a sympathetic smile as he jogged over to the bench. He stood with his shoulders straight as he waited for the nod that she knew would never come.

“You passed.”

Mat couldn’t keep the shock off her face and neither could Karl, though his only briefly passed over his eyes.

“Boys…and girl,” Captain Christensen amended, glancing at Mattie as he stood. “Good job completing the first challenge. There’s still too many for this year’s class so follow me.” He picked up the hourglass.

They followed Christensen to the Armory. Some years, Mattie knew, the obstacle course was the only test, but whenever too many boys made it through, a test of endurance was added. She suspected that the Captain had an alternative motive for the additional trial because eleven wasn’t an unheard of class size.

Christensen had them stand in two lines while Andersen went into the low building, emerging with the staves. He handed them around as Christensen instructed them to hold it above their heads using both hands for five minutes. Then he flipped over the hourglass.

Mattie stood next to Jack and saw that he was having trouble from the start, not setting his feet wide enough, his muscles unprepared. She’d practiced since she was seven just for this task and, just a few days prior, she’d timed herself at more than ten minutes. It was no surprise when Jack’s staff fell after a little more than a minute. Christensen shook his hand and told him to try again next year before he dismissed him. If he was happy to see him go, he hid it well.

Two more boys dropped out before the sand disappeared from the top glass. Even after the last grain fell, no one moved. It was another full minute before one of the boys finally broke the relative silence to tell the captains that the time had expired.

“And?” Captain Christensen hadn’t even bothered to look at the glass.

Someone groaned but it was another minute before Walter lowered his staff. Karl, Christopher, and three others followed suit, walking over to hand their staffs to the second captain before falling to the ground to rest.

“Heh. Looks like we have a competition,” the second captain grinned.

Wilhelm was in front of Mattie with his back towards her. She still felt good while she could see his knees start to shake. This should be easy, she thought.

Two minutes later, a knot was forming in her back and he had adjusted his feet, turning around to watch her. There was sweat on his forehead and his arms were shaking. Unfortunately, Mattie was also blinking sweat out of her eyes and her stance wasn’t as sturdy as it’d been.

“Give up!” Wilhelm called, not for the first time.

“You first.” Mattie didn’t waste her energy with loud declarations. Her chest and shoulders were starting to hurt.

The other boys had begun to cheer. Mat was surprised to hear at least two voices calling her name.

She was just about to give up when Wilhelm gave an odd noise and his arms collapsed, though not committing the cardinal sin of dropping his staff to the ground. Andersen was there to take his staff away and Mattie slowly lowered her own, amazed to see Christensen take it out of her protesting hands.

The boys, who’d gone silent at Wilhelm’s collapse were cheering loudly again, suddenly all knowing that she’d win. They were both slapped on the back as the boys congratulated them.

Mattie shook her arms out. They felt like jelly as she made her way over to Wilhelm. She held out one trembling hand to him. “You did an amazing job. I’m glad to share a training class with you. All of you,” she added, looking at the rest of the boys. Wilhelm didn’t return her handshake.

“You don’t belong,” he said harshly, shoving past her to exit the fray.

Well. At least I know where I stand with him, she thought. The rest of the boys seemed to think that her being a girl was hilarious and laughed as they described their feelings during the trial.

“Kids.” Christensen called the trainees to order. They stood around him, Mattie noticing that Wilhelm stood as far away from her as he could. “Congratulations. You are now trainees with all the rights and privileges that the title entails. In a moment I will take you to the bathhouse so you can get cleaned up before you retrieve your parents. Mattie, you’ll head over to the ladies, please. I’m sure you know where it is.” He didn’t wait for her nod. “After you’re clean, you may go home or wherever your parents are. Bring them back at five for their meeting. Dinner will be served at six. If you’re an orphan, you’ll go with Captain Andersen to the Hauses to confirm that fact—do not try to pretend you’re an orphan if it isn’t true. If you need help telling your parents, let me know and I’ll accompany you home. All right, boys, let’s go. Mat, we’ll see you at five.”

Mattie started walking towards the ladies bathhouse, but instead went into the kitchens rather than continuing to the west side of the castle.

The ever sharp eyes of the cook saw her the moment she entered the vast chamber.

“Oy! You! Get out of here with those filthy clothes!” She grabbed her rolling pin and was marching to swat Mattie with it when the girl allowed herself her first grin of the morning.

“Oh Agnes, you’d never hit little old me.”

Agnes recognized her immediately recognized her. “Mattie, for heaven’s sake, you’re still a mess and I should swat you for it.” She wagged the rolling pen at her again, though much less menacingly. “Did you pass?”

“Of course,” Mattie replied with just a hint of smugness. “My arms are killing me, though. Do you know of a Wilhelm trying out?” She eyed a pile of cookies cooling on the work table that spanned the center of the room, separating the working fires and smaller work tables from the two tables with benches that many of the servants and guards used for non-regular mealtimes.

“Can’t say that I do,” Agnes said, wrapping two of the cookies in a clean towel and handing it to her. “Why?”

“He’s as stubborn as me.”

“Lord help us all!” Agnes cried, looking up at the ceiling and crossed herself. The two assistants nearest her also crossed themselves before grinning at Mattie.

“Thanks,” she replied drily. “What wonderful friends you are.”

“You’re welcome, dear,” Agnes said absently, checking the pie filling one of the assistants was working on. Hope and Joy were twins and Mattie had ironically never been able to tell them apart. She’d given up trying to years ago. “Are you trying to get upstairs?” she asked after adding some sugar to the filling.

“Yes ma’am, if it isn’t inconvenient.”

She sighed. “Those passages are supposed to be secret and only used in emergencies, you know.” She gestured for Mattie to walk around the table, but, as most of the smaller kitchen helpers did, she ducked through one of the strategically placed gaps in the pots, pans, bowls, baskets, plates and other kitchen paraphernalia piled on the shelf underneath. She heard Agnes sigh again, but she said nothing as they walked past the work tables to the wall of fireplaces and ovens.

A girl of roughly Mattie’s age was stirring a large pot of soup in the corner of the middle fireplace. “Ellen, be a dear and get some carrots from the pantry for the soup.” Ellen nodded and ran off. Agnes shook her head as she sighed once more. “Always rushing around—she almost ruined the roast last night when she ran into the footman carrying it.”

“I hope you aren’t asking me for advice—you know I run everywhere, too,” Mattie laughed.

“Quiet, you.” Agnes wrapped her hand in a towel and tugged the iron arm holding the pot over the fire towards the center of the room. “Careful of the fire, Mattie.”

The secret door might not be very secret, but Mattie was the only person who knew how to use it. Alright, her parents probably knew as well, but they’d never actually used them, she was certain. Judging the distance between the fire and the hidden door, Mattie jumped. Her rear warmed quickly as she tapped the three bricks that triggered the door. It slid open easily revealing a narrow passageway and a steep spiral stairway. She stepped inside before turning to wave at Agnes as she touched the brick that closed the door.

She reached for one of the pair of lanterns she kept at her favorite doors before remembering that she’d taken the last one a few weeks before. Oh well, she thought, I’ve travelled this route so often I could do it blind anyway. She ran up the two flights of spiral stairs and felt pleasantly dizzy as she took the passageway towards the proper wing, unwrapping the cookies as she walked.

She’d found the passageways by accident on her sixth birthday while hiding from her mother. At first she’d been afraid of the dark unknown, but she quickly found the courage to explore them. It was two years before she quit emerging miles from her intended destinations, though.

Each door had its own unique code; each door frame carved with the proper combination. There were only ten doors that lead out of the castle proper if you included that of the kitchen fireplace. One was in the heart of the formal gardens that’d been tucked into the courtyard between the two wings, another in the back wall of a cave at the base of the cliff anchoring the northern border. Two doors were built into the eastern and southern perimeter walls surrounding the castle and the rest let out in a variety of places that had once been in the surrounding woods.

Now the woods only existed in small patches between farms and along the borders as the population expanded across the kingdom and the doorways are almost conspicuous as they’re the primary reason behind the installation of the small gardens throughout the dense town of Aelhaven neighboring the castle.

Only about thirty rooms within the castle had access to the passageways, though most of the alcoves and seemingly dead end hallways contained a secret doorway. A person couldn’t walk thirty feet without having access to them, though few knew of their actual extent. Since the passages were built singularly for the defense of the royal family, it was amazing that there are a few places where many connected and they could almost be considered rooms where as many as ten people could meet.

Mattie let her left hand trail on the wall as she counted the gateways back to the true castle. She paused at the door to her room and sure enough, five lanterns waited for her to return them to their proper doors. But that was a task for later. She had to tell her parents about her acceptance into the guards and she really couldn’t wait to soak in the bath. The mud had started to dry on her skin and was beginning to itch.

She counted two more doors and pressed the bricks to open the door into her mother’s room, momentarily blinded as the light from the room flooded the passageway even while the heavy tapestry hid her entrance from its occupants. When her eyes adjusted, she slowly drew aside the drapery so to not startle the women on the other side who she could hear discussing a new sewing technique.

“Good heavens child, you are a mess!” Nurse Collins scolded as she saw Mattie’s ash colored body emerge from the wall. Mat took a moment to close the door before she turned to address the ladies. She bit her lip when she realized that her mother’s sitting room was occupied by more than just her and her handmaidens.

“Matilda, I’d like to introduce you to Queen Beatrice of Westen des Landes. Bea, this is my daughter, Crown Princess Matilda,” said Amelia, Queen of Nordengland.