Guarding Princess--Chapter 4

Most of the boys grumbled about the seven o’clock breakfast Monday morning, but Mattie was used to it. Sleeping late was not conducive to spending as much time away from her mother’s sitting room as possible and waking early meant spending more time watching the Guards train.

“Are you going to eat that?” Walter asked, pointing at the boiled egg on her plate.

“Yes, but I’m sure Agnes will give you another if you ask nicely.” She’d already eaten two, but it’d been awhile since the bread and cheese she’d snacked on before bed.

“The way she waves around that rolling pin? No thank you. I’d rather go hungry.”

“She’s not mean. She just waves the rolling pin to make sure people do as she says. She doesn’t like people to leave her kitchen hungry.”

“I’m surprised there’s still food available the way you two eat.” Wilhelm sat down across from them.

“You’re late,” Mattie informed him, ignoring his comment.

“I had something to do before I got here. And don’t touch the food on my plate. I’ve seen pigs eat less than you do.”

Mattie didn’t deign to answer him. She’d shove every single one of his words down his throat during training today and every day after that until he learned to respect her. So instead she rolled her eyes at him.

“Hurry up and get outside,” Andersen called from the table he shared with the other trainers. Each age group was assigned to a different pair or trio of instructors and Captain Christensen had been in charge of the first years for the past thirty years. Everyone knew Andersen was only training first years as a stepping stone to being in command of all Guard training, but that wasn’t being held against him. If he wasn’t suited for the work, no one would let him continue with it.

Mattie stuffed the last of the boiled egg into her mouth before standing to take her plate to the basket next to the kitchen. She followed the rest of the trainees out to the patch of grass outside the kitchen, lining up with her classmates to wait for their respective Captains.

The Guards of Nordengland used a simple ranking system. There were the Trainees and their trainers were Captains. Once a trainee became a Guard, that was his title until he earned a command role. The Chiefs were in charge of their respective divisions and there were two Commanders reporting to King Frederick: that of Training and that of Defense. The Guards served to police the kingdom as much as they did to protect their royals and most Guards spent their first five years simply patrolling their division to keep the peace and learn the habits of their neighbors.

Captain Christensen walked up, inspecting their lines before ordering them to the enclosed practice field. “Ten laps.”

Mat enjoyed running and she set out at an easy pace. Usually she sprinted to get wherever she wanted to be faster, but when she’d decided to become a Guard she knew she’d have to practice long distances. She found that it was an excellent time to plan her escapes out of the castle walls.

Mattie sighed as she rounded the fence to start her fifth lap. She saw Walter ahead of her. She’d passed him at the start so she sprinted to catch up with him.

◙◙◙

“Hey.”

Walter nodded to Mattie, panting too hard to speak. He was slightly confused when she started telling him the story of trying to keep a rabbit in her room when she was five. All had gone well until a queen visited and brought her annoying lap dog. The rabbit got loose, the dog smelled the rabbit, the soup ended up on the queen, and Mat spent the next two weeks scrubbing castle floors.

Her story entertained him enough that he forgot some of the pains from running. He hated running and he’d never been athletic. When his mother insisted he try out for the Guards he thought she was crazy, but he did it anyway, surprising himself when he passed. He wasn’t sure how well he’d keep up with the others, but he’d try. The alternative would be trying to find a place at his uncle’s bakery and as much as Walter enjoyed eating, he hated to bake.

Walter was pretty sure that the princess was one reason his mother had asked him to try out. He’d seen Mattie at the bakery often enough the past couple of years, but he’d never talked to her. She was nice, of course, but still a princess.

After the story of the rabbit and the queen, she went on to tell him about how she and her sister nearly caused an ambassador to have an aneurysm when he didn’t realize there were two of them wandering the castle.

“We didn’t know what was going on either,” Mattie said, laughing. “He kept asking me about stuff he’d talked to Hil about and then Agnes ended up serving him two boysenberry tarts for dinner because we’d both said he’d requested them. Poor man. But now Dad knows to mention the twin thing immediately to guests.”

They rounded the fence to start Walter’s last lap and he didn’t have the heart, or the breath, to mention that he knew she should be finished. They passed the captains and the rest of the boys. He was surprised Christensen just nodded for him to finish and didn’t yell at Mattie to leave him to it.

She would have been the first one done, but instead she’d kept him company, letting the rest of the class pass them while he trudged along, trying to keep his feet moving. He was tired, winded, and his side was starting to hurt, but he didn’t feel that Mattie was trying to take pity on him. He knew she wanted him to succeed as much as she wanted to be the best.

“Wilhelm’s glaring at me again.”

Walter grunted in agreement. Everyone knew that Wil didn’t like Mattie, but no one knew why. He figured it was his pride since he focused entirely on the fact that she was a girl and not because she could handle herself on the practice field.

The rest of the guys couldn’t help but like her, though they hesitated to stand up against Wil for it. Only Christopher was taller, but it wasn’t by much and he lacked the necessary muscle. And they hated to admit that they didn’t like Mattie quite enough to ask her to defend them from Wil’s fists—there’s only so far a guy is willing to go.

They finished the last lap and it took everything Walter had not to flop onto the ground and refuse to move. Andersen handed him a flask of water that he took a deep, but slow drink from before handing it to Mattie. Her cheeks held a slight flush while he felt like his heart would beat out of his chest.

No one mentioned how long it’d taken him to finish and he appreciated that. From what he’d gathered so far, as long as he improved, he’d be fine.

Christensen led them to the armory. “I want you all to look around. These will be the tools of your trade. For now, as you’re all still growing, you’ll use these shared weapons. They’re ordered from lightest and smallest to heaviest and largest, so choose accordingly. When you become Guards, you’ll be fitted with a personal set of armor and the weapons of your choice made specifically for you.”

The stone building was roughly forty feet square with a low roof. Wooden shelves lined the back wall and rain barrels covered the floor with barely enough room to move between them. The barrels were used to store the mass of pikes, spears, bows, swords, and staves. The shelves held their armor as well as a box filled with bowstrings. One wall held their shields while another held quivers full of arrows. Christensen had them to each choose a staff.

 “All right, gather around in a circle,” Christensen instructed. “Hold your staff in both hands, about shoulder width apart from the center. Step back so that you have enough room to move without hitting your neighbor.” When he’d decided that they were spaced adequately, he showed them how to set their feet to maximize their stability. “You want to keep your feet about shoulder width apart with your dominant side slightly ahead of your other with your knees bent slightly. This way, you won’t tip over when you get hit.”

He had Andersen stand incorrectly while blocking a blow to the top of his head and they saw how he wasn’t able to maintain his posture, instead having to step to the side to maintain his balance. After he readjusted into the proper technique, Andersen showed that not only could he accept the blow without moving, but by subtly shifting his hips as he moved his staff upwards, he could shove his attacker’s staff aside and regain an advantage.

“Now, the two other basic blocking techniques are very similar.” He showed them how to shift their staff to either side to block attacks from that direction. Again, he emphasized the importance of not only getting the staff into the proper position, but in having their stance set to properly be able to maintain their balance. “Remember, it’s not about having a stance that is immobile; it’s having a stance that allows you to quickly adjust and keep your center.” He had Andersen stand with his knees locked in what would be a stable position if his attack came from that direction. When the attack came from the opposite direction, Andersen was left scrambling to keep his feet. “Keep your knees bent with your hips in line and you’ll be able to withstand any attack.” He and Andersen went into a short bout that illustrated this point.

He showed them the form he wanted them to practice, moving from guarding their left, to above their head, to the right and the reverse without stopping. Christensen and Andersen moved amongst them, correcting stances and staff position as necessary.

An hour later, Walter’s arms felt like they were about to fall off. Wil, Christopher, and the others looked like they needed to sit down. Mattie, at least, looked a little sore.

“You have ten minutes to break then come back here. Make sure you drink plenty of water.” Christensen didn’t waste words and the boys didn’t waste time putting their staves back into the rain barrel they’d come from and circling the water bucket provided for them.

 “I think I’ve finally got enough breath to speak to you now,” Walter said, as Mat joined him. He filled one of the wooden cups and handed it to her before filling one for himself. He sighed in contentment as the cool water cleared his parched throat.

“That’s fine. I remember when I first started to run long distances and about halfway through I’d just fall over and stare up at the sky for awhile. We don’t have that luxury here, unfortunately.”

“Thanks for the stories. They really helped me keep my mind off the running.”

She shrugged. “It’s why I did it.”

“It also helped that you got to run an extra lap and show the rest of us how fit you are.” He smiled at her to say he wasn’t bothered by that reason.

“Only stupid Wil needs to learn that lesson. God he’s such an ass.” She kicked at a small rock hidden in the grass.

“It’s his loss. Period.”

Christopher came over from where he and the other boys were gathered. “We’re planning on watching the play after lessons tonight. Do you want to come, Mattie?”

She groaned. “I can’t. I have about six other lessons on how to be queen that I’ve promised to attend. I only have Sunday afternoons off. Sorry.”

Christopher shrugged. “You’re a princess. Seems only fitting that you’d have more classes. We’ll be spending plenty of time bonding anyway.” He glanced towards the others before continuing. “We’re placing bets on what Wil does first when we have barracks duty. He’s keeping mum on it.”

Mattie rolled her eyes. “I’ll be prepared.”

The rest of the morning was spent practicing the defensive motions and when Christensen finally released them for lunch, Walter felt like laying down and refusing to get up for three days. His arms felt like lead. Once he got to the dining room, with no small amount of encouragement from Mattie, he could barely find the energy to eat, dredging his bread in the bowl of stew to lessen the amount of chewing required and trips to his mouth with his spoon.

“Shall I take my sewing to our classes this evening so I can poke you awake with my needles?” Mattie grinned, shoveling her second bowl of stew steadily into her mouth.

“No.” He was too tired to form any more of a reply, which Mattie seemed to find hilarious.

Their first afternoon of school was bearable. Andersen was there to supervise while they listened to the tutor explain the curriculum and hand out the tests to determine each of their skill levels.

Everyone was surprised when Jon, a small, unassuming fellow, finished his tests first and was permitted to leave early. Wil finished not far behind. Mattie seemed to be taking her time and Walter assumed it was because she knew finishing early wouldn’t keep her from her other lessons, so she might as well get the highest grades.

Walter found the tests to be straightforward. He’d been average in school so far and he was sure he’d do the same here. When he finished the test, he left Mattie, Christopher and Mark still hunched over their papers.

◙◙◙

“No, no, no!” Francoise Ruchames shouted later that week. Mattie stepped away from David, wondering what she’d done wrong this time.

This was her least favorite lesson—dancing. She sent an apologetic look to David, sorry that he’d been wrangled into being her partner that day having appeared in the wrong place at the wrong time. One rumor was that guards only received formal dance instruction so that the multitude of females born into the royal family would always have a dancing partner.

“Keep your back arched elegantly. You’re standing like a pole!” Francoise’s accent and exuberant nature led most people to believe that he was a dandy. Mattie knew the truth and had felt the whack of his cane across her back just that morning.

She sighed and tried to arch her back as she knew he wanted, but trying to keep her head and stomach forward while pushing her shoulders back was more tiring than a morning spent swinging a staff. She felt off balance, which she had a sinking suspicion meant she was in the wrong position. But Francoise wasn’t very good at explaining proper posture, hence the use of his cane.

“Here,” David said, stepping close. He nudged her feet into a comfortable stance before taking her waist with both of his hands. “Lean back as far as you can comfortably. I’ll hold you up.”

“What are you doing?!” Francoise shouted, noticing their defection.

“I’m showing her how to get her weight balanced. She doesn’t trust her body.” Mattie smiled gratefully at him. All her previous dance partners had been as anxious as her for the lessons to end and none had taken the time to help her understand such foreign concepts as box step, heel turn, or free spin.

Mattie set her right hand lightly on his shoulder while reaching out in what she figured was an elegant manner with her left. She’d learned enough to establish that her hands only purpose in dancing was to read her partner’s intentions—holding on for dear life got her nowhere.

Confident that David would not let her fall, she leaned backwards as far as she could shifting her weight purposefully to swing off balance and concentrating on the point in which she felt the most stable, just as she did while spinning her staff every morning.

“There!” Francoise exclaimed swinging his cane over his head. Mattie and David laughed; they’d finally reached a consensus on her posture. “Now let her go boy! Really, it’s quite shameful the way you grasp her so.”

Mattie rolled her eyes. David was ten years older than her—practically an old man!

Francoise called for the lone violinist to begin the simple melody and began to count out the steps. David led her slowly around the ballroom, trying to hide his winces whenever she stepped on his feet.

The ballroom was an exhibit of opulence. The honey colored wooden floor had been set in a crosshatched pattern and had been waxed and polished into a reflective surface. Floor to ceiling glass doors and windows framed by dark gold curtains led out to the garden, letting in natural light during the day whilst up above a dozen chandeliers, masking their mass and strength behind dainty ironwork, would brighten a ball even to the earliest hours of the morning. The walls had been covered in dark blue brocade; the ceiling painted by a master artist to illustrate their traditional childhood tales:

The young girl haunted by the great bear. The evil queen vanquished by the patient seamstress. The old man teaching his grandson how to weave. The ball where the mouse danced with the cricket next to the dragonfly and the sparrow. And Mattie’s favorite, the shooting star streaking across the room to pair the young shepherdess in one corner with the baker in the other.

◙◙◙

Mattie was concentrating so hard on her steps, she did not see the small crowd gathered at a window to watch her dance.

“Why’s she dressed up?” Mark asked, shoving some popped corn into his mouth.

“Her mother’s insistence, I heard” Walter said taking some corn for himself. Mattie was wearing a shimmering blue gown with long, full sleeves; her hair in its customary braid down her back. David stood a foot and a half taller than her, though his thin frame lessened the amount that he appeared to dwarf her. “Her mum thinks it’ll help her learn to be more careful if her gown is expensive. I’m not sure how that’s working.” They watched as she stumbled after stepping on the hem.

“How do you know so much?” Michael asked, sipping some cider.

“Talking with a maid.” Walter said quickly.

“Ooh!” the boys jeered, Michael shoving him playfully.

Walter rolled his eyes. “It’s not like that. Man, can you believe that we’re going to have to do that in a few years?” he said, changing the subject.

They watched as David’s hand left Mattie’s back attempting to guide her gracefully into a spin. She seemed to get lost for a moment, fully extended from her partner, before suddenly spinning in a quick circle. The dance instructor started waving his arms over his head dramatically, shouting something that sounded like, “chaotic hurl.”

“Eh. It doesn’t look too hard.” Mark reached for the cider in Michael’s hand.

“You should have gotten your own,” he said, yanking the bottle back.

Walter rolled his eyes again as the cousins rolled under a bush, hitting each other and returned to watching Mattie and David’s dance. The instructor seemed to have calmed for the moment, nodding his head in time with the music with only half a grimace marring his face. They’d almost completed a full circle of the room when somehow Mattie went spinning into the wall.

“Hahaha!” Walter turned around to see that Wilhelm had joined them in spying. The latter was bent in two, holding his stomach as he laughed. “She’s such a clutz!”

Walter narrowed his eyes. “Why are you here Wil?”

“I heard Mattie was dancing and figured it’d be good for a laugh or two. And I was right.” He wiped away a tear.

All they could see of her now was two white stockinged legs protruding from the bundle of fabric that had previously a curtain. Walter could imagine Mattie gently, or maybe not so gently banging the back of her head on the wall. There was slight movement at the top of the pile.

The dance instructor’s face turned a frightening shade of purple as he stormed out of the room while David and the violinist shared a look of composed amusement before moving to help Mattie out of the curtain.

◙◙◙

They were never going to let her live it down. A week after the disastrous dance lesson, the boys still took every opportunity to remind her of the trip into the wall.