Day of Worship

[Trillian]

It was the day Lord Dagger had promised to collect Keely, but he did not come himself. Instead, a fancy black carriage pulled by a single black horse pulled up in front of the Falcon Mask Inn, looking like it had no right to be there. A uniformed guard sat in the driver\'s seat, holding the reins, due to his presence and status, he was less likely to be targeted for a crime. When he drew to a stop, he thumped a fist upon the carriage wall behind him.
 
A door opened, and another uniformed guard stepped out. Both guards were Weapon Guards, told by the grey ribbon sewn upon the chest of their uniform. He carried a shortsword at his side, though sheathed, and pushed upon the tavern door to find it locked. He then raised a gloved fist and pounded upon it. "King\'s Guard! Open up!" he yelled, identifying himself as someone important rather than a patron who wished to get himself drunk on the Day of Worship after services. Something that was not allowed.

[Erebus]

“Keely, would you get that? I’m covered in flour.”  Regan, wearing a dress nearly identical to the one she had every day, was baking bread.  Nothing unusual there.  She’d been to the early services and was taking advantage of their closed doors by baking as much as she could so Oneday wouldn’t be as hectic.  
 
Keely glared at her mother’s back and made a noise of agreement.  They were not on speaking terms at the moment, having spent the past three days arguing with one another about her future.  She didn’t want to leave.  She wanted to stay here in familiar surroundings, not be uprooted and shoved into a world she detested.  
 
She loved her mother, but by Adora’s tears, she didn’t like her very much right now.  
 
“Coming!” She called out, brushing by chairs and tables until she made it to the front door.  Without thought to who might be there (she hadn’t heard the announcement of King’s Guard), she pulled open it open.  “Oh.  You.  No one is here now.  Come back later,” she mumbled upon seeing uniform and ribbon, and then tried to shut it before they could come inside.

[Trillian]

The guard was expecting something along these lines - in fact, he was expecting the door not to be opened at all, so having the opening revealed was a pleasant surprise (as he was deducing he would have to break the solid looking door down).  Two hands were thrust out to catch the door before it could shut in his face, and his strength far outweighed the lass who was attempting to shut it.  The thick wood reverberated between them and he stepped inside.
 
"The King\'s Guard thanks you for your hospitality, miss," he declared, as though she\'d opened the door wide and invited him in.  "I\'m here to escort Keely to the Silky Oak Estate."
 
He waited for her to either confirm or deny that she was Keely.  It was a shame he didn\'t have a last name, but how many raven-haired young women lived at the Black Falcon Inn anyway?  The Lord had described her to him, and the attitude most certainly matched.

[Erebus]

She\'d caught the door with her hip to keep it from flying open and grunted as she planted her feet to make sure it didn\'t budge another inch. It was a losing battle, however, because as the guard had noticed, she was a slight thing in comparison to him, and her feet kept sliding.

When it gave way completely and he came inside, she pursed her lips in frustration. "My pleasure," she growled.

"Wait, Keely? That little twit? She stole my only hair ribbon last night, and then had the guts to say she bought it! Are you sure you aren\'t here to take her to the dungeons?" She stuck her head around the door, the rest of her body still smashed behind it, and smiled up at the guard. "If so, I\'ll be just a minute getting her."

[Trillian]

"Collect Regan as well, if you please," he ordered, nodding for her to get Keely.  He\'d fallen for her ruse due to the smooth flow of the words.  He knew as well that relatives worked at the Black Falcon Inn, often he\'d come here to raid the place for illegal trade, and always were the serving wenches and every other worker here related to Balkan, the owner, in some fashion.
 
Lord Dagger had insisted that the guard deliver a message to Regan as well, however, and that the woman should help usher her daughter into the carriage.  He didn\'t know why the Lord wanted this girl, especially when warned she wouldn\'t come willingly - though there were a number of imagined scenarios he had in mind.  If he\'d been paying closer attention, he might have seen Dagger\'s eyes in the girl before him as well (except that she was hiding behind the door he\'d forced open).

[Erebus]

Her smile only widened as he fell hook, line, and sinker for the deception. And these men protected the king?  Ha.  Keely wormed her way from behind the door and then flounced off (looking thirteen instead of eighteen) to the kitchens.
 
"Who was it?"  Regan asked, hands now massaging a lump of dough that nearly covered the counter completely.
 
"Oh, just some guards from Lord Dagger," She replied lightly as she passed and pinched off some of the gooey substance to nibble on.
 
"Keely," said warningly.
 
"What?"
 
Her mother sighed, grabbed a washrag, and then snapped it at her daughter\'s legs.  She yelped and nearly lost her piece of dough.  
 
"You know better than this, young lady.  Now come on."
 
Keely\'s protests were loud as she was grabbed and bodily shoved toward the front door again.  "My apologies, kind sir, but I believe you have already met Keely."  The girl rolled her eyes as she was prodded in the ribs.  "The cook here is easily confused, you know?  Calls me Melinda or Natalie half the time and - ow!  That hurts mama!"  Her face colored and she looked at the floor after she realized her mistake of labeling the cook as her mother.

[Trillian]

The guard watched this display and realised his mistake.  Dagger had even warned him about the girl and she\'d still fooled him.  Damn her, she better not breathe a word about it.  Casting her a glare, he reached into his pants pocket and drew out a cream envelope of fine paper, sealed with Lord Dagger\'s mark.
 
"Can you read?" he asked the cook before he made to offer the note over.  If she couldn\'t he would break the seal and read the note inside out loud to her.  If she nodded, then she would have the note to read privately to herself.

[Erebus]

Keely snorted. "Can she read? Can anyone in this sty read or spell anything besides ‘Ale’?"

Regan shot her a warning look and shook her head. "I cannot," she said without shame. There was no disgrace in never having time to learn - only in not having the wit to do so.

"Would you?" And she gestured to the letter while Keely continued to inspect the patterns on the dirt floor.

[Trillian]

He nodded and tore open the envelope, breaking the seal in doing so. The note was also cream and printed on expensive paper, smooth and waxy between the guard\'s gloved fingers - the feeling lost to him.
 
"To Regan, the..." he paused for a moment before continuing, "...mother of my child, I offer that you make your path to the dwelling of the merchant Hollings, who are toymakers to the King. They wish for a trusted housemaid of high moral fibre and I have recommended your name. The carriage will be sent to you for your use on your nominated day. Send either my guard back with the information or make use of a messenger. I thank you for your wisdom in your choice. With faith, Lord Dagger."
 
The guard then folded up the note and tucked it back into the envelope before handing it over.
 
If Keely hadn\'t been told about her bloodline before, she most certainly knew it now.

[Erebus]

Keely stared wide-eyed at her mother.  "He wants you to work for a bunch of toy makers?  That\'s a steaming pile of horse shit if I hav-"
 
Regan cut her off with a gentle hand over her mouth.  "Keely.  You need this."  Keely scowled and her mother tried a different path. "If for not for yourself, then think about us still living in the Inn.  I can\'t survive here."  
 
She removed her hand and Keely rubbed at her lips like a fitful child.  The guilt had burrowed its way into her heart as planned, and because of that she remained silent as her mother captured her in a hug and petted at her hair, completely disregarding the guard.
 
Keely knew her mother wouldn\'t last long with her back being like it was without her here to provide extra coin for pain medicines.  Even then, they were scraping by - not living.  And if her mother thought they\'d have a better life apart rather than together, then fine.
 
But that didn\'t mean she was going to make things easy for the man that claimed to be her father.
 
"Fine."  She wiggled free of her mother\'s arms and glared at the guard.  "Take me to him, then.  Or do your abilities stop at being fooled by girls and being able to read?"

[Trillian]

Still glowering at her, he found himself unable to hold back a sharp response.  "I learned something about bundling ignorant girls into carriages and masking their mouth with a strap, as well."  He ignored any look that might\'ve been drawn from the mother at that threat, and gestured for Keely to walk in front of him.  "The King\'s guard requests you to join me in the carriage outside," he said politely, as though the growling threat had never been uttered.

[Erebus]

Before Keely stepped outside as directed, she swooped in to give her mother a tight hug. "Love you," she said gruffly, and brushed her peeling lips across Regan\'s cheek. Between the two of them, there should have been buckets of tears, but they both remained dry-eyed.
 
All seriousness aside, Keely sloppily saluted the guard and walked toward the carriage, not really seeing it or the horses in front. "I\'m sure you have to pin down all your women like that," she said under her breath to the guard, wanting - and hopefully getting - the last word.

[Trillian]

She did have the last word, though the guard still heard the comment, but the last word only lasted until they were both in the carriage and he thumped the wall near her head before sitting opposite her, indicating for the other to go.  The horse hooves clip-clopped and the guard sat down while lowering himself to her standard.
 
"Most of them find that they like it," he replied tartly.  In reality, he wasn\'t much older than her, but really should\'ve known better.

[Erebus]

She opened her mouth to shoot off another barb, but snapped it shut when she realized he\'d bested her. "Well done," she said dryly, "you won the insult game." Trying to make herself comfortable was not hard in this carriage, for the seats were softer than her bed.
 
With her hands clasped in her lap, Keely was silent for a moment before she regarded the guard with an intense stare. "Can\'t I trade you in for better company?"

[Trillian]

"No, but if it makes you feel better I cannot do the same either. A hound would at least be friendlier."
 
She was truly getting under his skin, irritable at running Lord Dagger\'s errand and at being fooled so easily at the tavern. He simply knew she would announce his mistake the minute she was in the Lord\'s presence, and he despised her already for something he assumed she would do and hadn\'t yet done.