Maid in Fantasy - Facts of the World II

Story Hub: [link]

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The Architect of Nonsense:

            The Royal Palace is the primary setting of Maid in Fantasy and the home of most of the characters. It’s a massive structure the size of a small city that towers over the rest of New Celene and acts as the seat of government for the kingdom. Its layout makes no logical sense, but that’s by design.

            If one were to try and map out all the halls and passageways within its walls, you’d be there for quite a while, bordering on forever. As a magical place at the heart of a magical kingdom, on a hotbed of pure magic, the palace is far from ordinary and is not bound by conventional logic. It is best to think of the area inside its walls as a “flexible space” and that despite already being a massive structure, the interiors are, in fact, bigger on the inside.

            That’s how you can have an auditorium that descends so low it should intersect with the basement storehouses, yet it doesn’t. That’s what allows the basement to be a maze of endless halls that loop back in on themselves yet seem to go on forever. That’s how they can fit enough rooms for the royal family, the high nobles, the entire extended Diane family, and most of the Regas family, plus enough soldiers and guards to secure the place, in addition to all the infrastructure to accommodate that number of people (bathrooms, kitchens, dining halls, baths, and laundry, etc.) and still have room for a half dozen grand halls, auditoriums, a garden and tennis courts.

            Of course, the palace being as massive as it is, navigating it isn’t as easy as walking from point A to B. There are multiple hovercraft shuttles to move residents between all the major buildings. The workers, however, have the special privilege of accessing the “flexible space” between the walls of the palace (as seen in Chapter V). They’re basically a series of magical passages that act like an elevator, zipping the workers to where they need to be almost instantly. While a convenient tool, it’s only meant to shuttle a handful of people at a time, no more than your average elevator. Thus, they can’t use it to summon a large number of guards to wherever they need them to be.

            Besides the obvious residents like the royal family, the Diane family, and the Regas, most high nobles have permanent rooms in the palace. Lady Aphros and Lady Aré’s rooms have already been depicted in the story, but Lady Ze and Lady Herme also reside in the palace. Lady Aphros basically lives at the palace year-round. However, she has personal homes and summer cottages she retires to on occasion. Lady Aré is a more frequent traveler and lives in various homes worldwide, depending on her current duty, and only stays at the palace about half the year overall (but not consecutively). Thanks to her duties, Lady Ze is also in the palace year-round, barring the occasional matter that draws her away for a few weeks every year. Lady Herme spends the least time in the palace and finds herself all over the kingdom with an irregular schedule.

            There is more to say about the palace, namely its exact layout, history, and other facts, but that will be saved for another time.

 

Penelo’s Guide to the High Noble Bathrooms:

            A journal recovered from Ms. Penelo Gataki’s bedroom, detailing her experiences with the bathrooms of the high noble she passed through on her quest to clean every toilet in the palace.

 

Lady Herme: Very clean, orderly. Everything is in neat, organized piles and rows. The towels are organized by size and color. The bathroom is marble-themed, with an extra-large bathtub complete with a bookrack? (Looked like a bookrack, with all the books on it and stuff.)

The toilet was already clean, I kind of felt bad touching it, like I’d made it dirtier than it was before.

 

Lady Ze: Very simple, open-air eastern-style bathroom. Lots of wood in the design. I think the rugs were made of bamboo. The toilet was also made of bamboo. Had a built-in exercise room, complete with dumbbells (I think they’re broken, the sides said they were 100 kilograms each, but they didn’t feel that heavy…Oh, is that why they’re labeled light exercise?).

 

Lady Aphros: Really big and glitzy, covered in topaz jewels. Even the toilet was made of gold! Also, everything is seashell-themed: the bathtub is a giant seashell, and the toilet has a seashell cover, top, and handle (and the toilet paper is seashell printed). All the soap is really foamy, even the spare cleaner under the sink made things foam (the sink is also shaped like a seashell, with seashell knobs). The bathtub was more bubbles and foam than water, I think.

 

Lady Aré: I haven’t figured out how to get in there yet. Lady Aré always yells at me when I try to get in with silly stuff like “How did you get into my closet?” “Why are you coming in through my window?” and “You destroyed my ceiling!” It’s not my fault her front door keeps moving, and it’s easier to get into her room in other ways.

 

Queen Celene: The Queen says I’m not allowed to talk about her bathroom, no matter how fluffy it may be.

 

Princess Atlanta: Don’t know it very well, she kept throwing things at me while I was trying to clean it. It’s really pink, though.

 

Princess Irene: It’s like if pink and a pinker pink had a baby. Also, rabbit-themed everything. (I want to know where they got a rabbit head shaped bathtub, it looks fun!)

 

Princess ??? (what’s the Second Princess’s name again?): Actually, I haven’t found her room yet…does she have a room? She goes somewhere every night, right?

 

Lord something or other: Apparently, I wasn’t supposed to be in there because it’s a “crime scene” or something. He has really nice soap, though…

 

???: I don’t know whose bathroom this was, but it has more seashells than Aphros’s room, oh, and seahorses and dragon designs, too! Lots of mirrors, I think my reflection was looking at me funny.

 

???: It’s like being on a cloud!

 

General something or other: Will return, I can’t clean a toilet that’s on the ceiling...yet. 

Why is the room all upside down anyway?

 

???: Why does the bathroom have six clocks and three eerily real-looking skulls?

 

???: The toilet burned my hand. Why is there a model train in the bathroom?

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90% of the reason I wrote this was for the Penelo's journal section. The palace's architecture is important too, but I just had so much fun writing things from Penelo's perspective.

Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy.

Eclectic Narratives - Balance

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I want to do it all, I want to see it all.

Every movie, every book, every game, every sight, every sound.

I want to master the arts and perfect my music.

A novel series, an album, a masterpiece, and a bestseller.

I want to paint an army of miniatures, win a game tournament, and compete on the world stage.

Master one hobby, win in another, and become the greatest in the last.

I want to reach the end of my bookshelf and polish off my game shelf.

I could say I read and played them all and sit back in pride.

Alas, there is no time to do it all.

You have to work, you must eat, you got to sleep.

Balance your time as best you can, but you can only do so much.

Make what you can do count.

It’s better than an ‘if only.’

>>>~~~~<<<

Life is all about finding the right balance.

Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy.

Maid In Fantasy: Chapter XXIII - Spears and Rapiers and Halberds, Oh My!

Story Hub: [link]

\\~~~\\       I       //~~~//

Maia 12^th 758

            There were only a few things certain about life in the palace. Petty, political nonsense was the name of the game; not a week went by without something insane happening, and Lady Ze always kept to her word. On that note, Serena slept comfortably in her modest bed in the servant’s quarters. At least until Lady Ze kicked open her door at 4:00 am.[1]

            “Good news, Serena, your regular duties are canceled for today,” the Captain of the Guard declared. “Meet me in the courtyard in 30 minutes, we’ve got a lot of training to catch up on.” Ze turned on her heel and left the room as quickly as she came.

            “The heck?” Serena sat up in a haze, not quite sure if she had imagined the whole exchange.

            “Oh yes, don’t forget your tracksuit,” Ze poked her head back in the room for a second before she disappeared again.

            “No, that was real,” Serena stumbled to her feet. “It’s going to be one of those…oh, forget it,” the maid yawned. There would be time for sarcastic quips later, but being late to one of Ze’s training sessions was not a wise thing to do.

\\~~~\\              //~~~//

            Serena and Orion stood bleary-eyed and half-asleep in the usual courtyard for their training. Neither of them had their heads in the moment; they were too busy longing for those precious hours of sleep they had just lost. As a result, they missed most of Lady Ze’s initial chatter, something that did not go unnoticed.

            “Attention!” Ze’s voice thundered. The fully armored Captain radiated with a very tangible authority.

            “Ma’am, yes, ma’am,” the two workers jumped to attention, very much awake now.

            “As I was saying,” Ze continued, “because of your unorthodox education compared to other servants, parts of your training have been neglected so you could perform your most basic and constant duties first. An unfortunate necessity.”

            ‘So now we’re going to have you run ten laps around the world to compensate,’ Serena thought. It was an exaggeration, to be sure, but not quite as much as she wished.

            “It is high time we get to the real meat of your training,” Ze declared, “We’ve touched upon weapons before, but it’s been a while since we’ve done a real deep dive. Today, I shall present you with new personal weapons, and you shall master them.”

            Ze brought out a pair of large cases. The first was very long, and the second was more modestly sized. She delivered the bigger one to Serena and the other to Orion. The two servants quickly cracked open their gifts and revealed a new halberd for Serena and a rapier for Orion.

            “Didn’t you already give me a fancy halberd?” Serena asked as she picked up the weapon. It felt just a bit too big for her, but it was balanced so well that she almost didn’t notice. Unlike the standard issue variants around the palace, this halberd was sleek and futuristic. It even had the jets built into the top like Serena’s old one, but they were much smaller and more inconspicuous.

            “Yes, but that was just retrieved from the palace’s stock of existing weapons,” Ze explained. “I had this custom built with you in mind. It’s part of why I was gone so long. This one is made from an azure stone alloy, with all the piercing properties and much less toxicity.”

            “You didn’t have to do that, Lady Ze,” Serena was flattered and a little overwhelmed by the gesture.

            “But I did,” was Ze’s reply. “You have an important duty, and part of my job is to ensure you’re equipped to fulfill that responsibility. And don’t worry about the size. You’ll grow into it.”

            At the same time, Orion observed his own gift. The new rapier fit perfectly in his hands and was precisely the right size and length for his build. Like Serena’s weapon, it had an air of the future about it but was also far more ornate. It still had the odd feature where the grip was more like a gun’s than a sword’s.

            “Lady Ze, if you don’t mind me asking, why is the grip shaped so oddly?” Orion inquired.

            “That was a request from Lady Aphros,” Ze revealed. “She said it’ll make sense one day.” Orion looked at her quizzically but accepted the logic. It wasn’t like that was the first time he heard such words be ascribed to Aphros, and he knew it wouldn’t be the last.

            “Now then,” Ze retrieved her own spear. The ornate weapon was long, colored emerald and gold, with twin serpent dragons spiraling from the base of the spear’s head to the tip. It looked like a prop or ceremonial weapon, but Serena had seen that thing in action and knew it was the real deal. However, she still couldn’t shake the notion that the spear looked more like a shortsword at the end of a staff. “Let’s start small and work our way up,” the noble stood tall before her two pupils, “shall we?”

\\~~~\\       II       //~~~//

            After some basic tips on balance and a few corrections to the workers’ stances, Lady Ze let the two loose to practice with their weapons freely. Serena quickly adjusted to the weight of her new halberd while Orion took his time to feel out his own weapon. Serena enjoyed her time with her new weapon as she had always found herself with a strange affinity for halberds. However, as much as Serena wished she could say she couldn’t imagine a use case for her gift, the maid had been in more than enough predicaments at this point to imagine several.

            “Is this feeling right to you, Orion?” Serena asked as she took another practice swing.

            “Very. The grip is comfortable, and the blade is perfectly balanced,” Orion replied.

            “Figured, another point to Lady Ze,” Serena commented.

            “Point?” Orion looked at her curiously.

            “She is the only noble I unconditionally respect,” Serena explained.

            “Serena!” Orion was taken aback. “I understand your...um, complicated relationship with Lady Aphros, but you don’t respect Lady Aré? Isn’t she your mentor now?”

            “I don’t, because whenever she gets on a flight, she has to reserve a second seat for her ego,” Serena explained. “Or you know, how she uses every religious festival to prop up her failing singing career. Or the televised pancake baking competition she started with me to humiliate Aphros by proxy.”

            “Well, what about Lady Herme?” Orion suggested.

            “I don’t have an opinion on her because I don’t know her very well,” Serena remarked. “Sure, she seemed a little scatterbrained, but I’m pretty sure she had a concussion then, so I won’t hold it against her.”

            “Princess Atlanta?” Orion asked.

            “The royalty gets their own category,” Serena replied. “But respect isn’t the right word. I sympathize with her.”

            “The Queen?” Orion grew concerned.

            “I fear her,” Serena stated.

            “So, you only respect Lady Ze?” Orion changed the subject.

            “I respect her greatly,” Serena clarified. “She’s dignified, no-nonsense, and takes her job seriously. Saving my life that one time helps, too.”

            “I get it,” Orion nodded.

            “The only thing that confuses me about her is how can such a serious person handle the wacky life in the palace so unflinchingly?” Serena wondered.

            “Lady Ze never takes her armor off in public,” Orion pointed out. “She could be making faces for all we know.”

            “True,” Serena agreed, “you can barely tell anything about Lady Ze physically. With her being so tall and her voice so muffled under all that armor, I mistook her for a man at first. Heck, beneath that helmet, she could have three eyes, a full beard, and be bald, and we’d be none the wiser. I guess she could be silly, and we…Oh crap, here she comes.” The two workers cut the chatter as Ze came over to check their progress.

            “I heard some chatter. I take it you’ve grown comfortable with your new weapons already?” Ze inquired.

            “Certainly, Lady Ze,” Serena lied.

            “Well, I wish to see a little proof of progress then,” Ze stated. “I want you two to spar with your new weapons. No holding back.”

            “You want us to spar with these?” Serena was taken aback. “I mean, we’ve sparred with practice weapons and hand-to-hand a little bit, but with real weapons?”

            “I know it may seem extreme, but you must grow used to such things,” Ze affirmed. “Your enemies will not come at you with wooden swords. You have first-hand experience with that.”

            “You’re right, but…” Serena looked over at Orion. The thought of accidentally hurting each other did not sit right with either of them.

            “Don’t you worry,” Ze put her hand on Serena’s shoulder. “I’ll be on standby to ensure no one suffers serious injury. Besides, accidents are what the panacea is for.”

            ‘Don’t worry, even if you horribly maim each other, we can heal you in an instant to do it again,’ Serena translated the statement. ‘I don’t like it, but at least she’s clear with her reasons.’

\\~~~\\       III       //~~~//

            The duo’s uncertainty hadn’t wavered even as Serena and Orion squared off for their spar. An anxious tension had draped itself over the courtyard like a wet blanket, and the two workers were smothered. Yet Lady Ze still looked at them expectantly, as if oblivious to her pupil’s concerns.

            “Feel free to begin. There’s no starting whistle,” Ze assured.

            “Alright,” Serena hefted her halberd and took a half-hearted swing at Orion. She couldn’t imagine putting any real force behind such a blow. If she did, there’d be no way to course correct in the instance he’d get seriously hurt. However, this made her attack clumsy and weak, so much so that Orion needed no effort to jump out of the way.

            Orion responded with a thrust from his rapier, but like Serena, he held back considerably. His weapon being swifter and lighter, the butler had more precise control over his blows. However, that meant he needed to slow himself down much more obviously. Normally, Serena’s clumsy strike would be a prime opportunity to counterattack, but Orion took it so slowly and cautiously he might as well have been in slow motion.

            Serena jumped aside and replied with an awkward overhead swing. Orion danced right around it and struck back with a hesitant stab. It was faster than before, but the obvious delay gave Serena plenty of time to recover and dodge. Serena prepared another counterattack before Ze abruptly stepped in.

            “That’s enough,” Ze grabbed both workers. “What has gotten into you two? I know you’re both better than that!”

            “Lady Ze, these weapons are so dangerous,” Serena protested. “If we went at this seriously, we could easily maim each other.”

            “I feel similarly,” Orion added.

            “That’s why I’m here,” Ze assured, but the looks on both teen’s faces made it clear they hadn’t been persuaded.

            “We just don’t feel comfortable stabbing each other. Is that so strange?” Serena exclaimed.

            “And I told you that such a thing won’t happen while I’m here, yet you refuse to listen,” Ze sighed. “If you won’t listen to my assurances, then listen to my orders. One hundred laps around the courtyard, both of you!”

            “Lady Ze?” Both were taken aback.

            “Do I need to make myself clear?” Ze’s voice thundered.

            “Ma’am, no, ma’am!” Serena and Orion put down their weapons and immediately bolted off to do their laps.

\\~~~\\              //~~~//

Maia 13^th 758

            The next day began with another mandatory training session with Lady Ze. Serena and Orion’s duties were “put on hold” until they could “achieve sufficient mastery” in Ze’s current training regimen. This led to the Captain of the Guard offering the two a choice.

            “Since there were issues in yesterday’s training, I decided to prepare alternatives ahead of time today,” Lady Ze explained. “Now behold our vaulting hurdle,” she pointed behind her.

            “Lady Ze?” Orion was confused, “that’s a three-story building.”

            “Yes, an excellent hurdle for your skill level,” Ze nodded.

            “What’s the alternative?” Serena inquired.

            “That is the alternative,” Ze clarified. “Today, we will continue real weapon sparring unless there are objections?”

            “None, Lady Ze!” The two servants shouted.

            “I’m glad to see some enthusiasm. However,” Ze became stern, “if you two continue to be hesitant and unable to commit yourself to your sparring, you’ll be doing the alternative exercise regardless. Do we have an understanding?”

            “Ma’am, yes, ma’am,” the two affirmed.

            “Good, let’s begin immediately after a brief warm-up,” Ze beamed.

\\~~~\\              //~~~//

            “That could have gone better,” Serena dragged herself back to her room.

            “At least you cleared two stories,” Orion tried to look on the bright side.

            “I went through a window, Orion,” Serena reminded him. “And…are you sure you’re okay after what happened?”

            “It’s no problem. The roof spire only scratched my leg,” Orion tried to assure, but he didn’t sound very convinced himself.

            “Maybe tomorrow will be easier,” Serena lied to herself.

\\~~~\\              //~~~//

Maia 14^th 758

            “Lady Ze, that obstacle course is more razor blades than course,” Serena pointed out. The day’s alternative to sparring wasn’t any less ridiculous than the last one. In fact, it was more so to an almost nonsensical degree.

            “You’re right. This kind of trial would only maim you at your skill level,” Ze sighed as if disappointed in herself. “But don’t worry, I have a couple two-ton boulders you two can push instead. Unless you’re ready for real weapon training after all?”

            “Um…” Serena hesitated. “Yes?”

            “Good,” Ze nodded. Spoiler warning, they were not ready.

\\~~~\\       IV       //~~~//

Maia 15^th 758

            “This isn’t working,” Serena admitted as she rubbed at her poor back. After yesterday’s disastrous spar, which was immediately followed by back-breaking boulder pushing, this morning was much of the same.

            “I’m very much not a fan of Lady Ze’s method of encouragement,” Orion commented as he tried to get the feeling back into his arms. “But I don’t know what she expects of us in our spars. She doesn’t really intend for us to fight as though our lives were on the line for a simple spar, does she?”

            “Knowing her, that’s a likely possibility,” Serena affirmed. “If we don’t figure out something soon, hurting each other in a spar will be the least of our worries.”

            “At least it can’t get any worse than this,” Orion tried to be positive.

            “Orion, you know better than to say that,” Serena winced.

            “Well, well, looks like the shoe is on the other foot,” a familiar voice mocked them from behind.

            “What do you want, Medy?” Serena groaned as she turned to see the brunette maid carrying a small basket with a blanket inside.

            “Oh, nothing, just wanted to confirm a rumor that you two became Lady Ze’s newest victi- I mean star pupils,” Medy smirked. “I guess the rumors were true. It’s not so funny now that you’re on the receiving end of her ‘training,’ is it?”

            “Shouldn’t you be more focused on your assigned duty of watching over Jace while he’s being punished rather than distracting yourself with the rumor mill?” Serena chided.

            “Unlike some people, I am more than capable of multitasking. Jace is right here,” Medy held out the basket. A tiny yellow piglet poked its head out from beneath the blanket and snorted in the directions of the two Diane servants.

            ‘Lovely, Jace hasn’t changed one bit,’ Serena rolled her eyes. So much for learning humility. I bet he’s still bitter over being punished, even though he started that fire and decided attacking Orion was more important than helping.’

            “Is he okay in there?” Orion asked with genuine concern.

            “He’s fine,” Medy huffed. “I feed him plenty of slop and brush his coat daily.”

            “Right,” Serena sighed. “While I’d love to stay here and trade barbs with you all day, I have to lie down before my back gives out again.”

            “Fine, I’m off to town anyway,” Medy turned her nose up at the two and sauntered off.

            “She seemed to be in a good mood,” Orion commented.

            “Then I’m terrified to imagine what she’s like when she’s in a bad mood,” Serena looked at Orion incredulously. ‘Lord, Medy can be annoying sometimes…actually all the time. Especially when she puts on her little acts to get out of trouble. They’re so bad I wonder if she ever bothers to rehearse them, or maybe she thinks she’s an improv genius and…wait, acts…acting…rehearsal…’ Serena’s eyes perked up as she had a wonderful thought.

            “Serena?” Orion noticed her expression. “You have the insidious look on your face again.”

            “Lady Ze wants us to have a good spar, right?” Serena grinned. “But who says we can’t practice for the fight?”

            “I don’t follow,” Orion scratched his head. “Isn’t that already what we’re doing?”

            “You might say we’re going to put on a show,” Serena explained.

            “Um,” Orion was even more lost.

            “Gah,” Serena facepalmed, “have you ever watched Diamond Arena [2]?”

            “No, Lady Aphros suggested avoiding such programs, but I think I understand what you’re implying,” Orion nodded. “Wait, do you watch it?”

            “N-not really,” Serena stuttered. “You know, just when there’s nothing else on and…forget it. You know what I mean, so I have a plan.”

\\~~~\\              //~~~//

Maia 17^th 758

            After being given a day to recover from their last round of training, Serena and Orion appeared in the courtyard, quite literally armed and ready. Serena held up her halberd like it was her nation’s flag, and Orion thumbed his rapier as if he were about to enter a world championship. The two had never seemed so eager to begin training before, and Lady Ze took note. The Captain of the Guard approached her pupils with a keen curiosity.

            “I was going to present your next alternative exercise,” Ze admitted, “but you two seem so gung-ho about sparring that I see no need. If you are ready, take your places and begin.”

            “Ma’am, yes, ma’am,” Serena and Orion replied before they faced each other in the center of the courtyard. With little delay, they began their duel.

            Ze watched with a bit of pride as Serena made a mighty swing with her halberd that Orion sidestepped before he struck forward with his own blade. Serena spun to the side to dodge it, using the momentum to carry into her next strike, which Orion ducked under, and the pattern continued. It was beautiful, like poetry in motion, almost too much so.

            “Strange to think their hesitation would disappear after a single day,” Ze noticed. “They are trading blows effectively, but…” she watched as Serena’s next blow was a close shave for Orion, but he still avoided it all the same. The butler’s follow-up was a similar close call for Serena, and while on the surface, it seemed like they were evenly matched, Ze felt something was off. “That’s enough, stop,” Ze’s demanded. The two workers nearly tripped over themselves in surprise at the sudden order.

            “What? Already?” Serena was taken aback. ‘There’s no way she can be satisfied with that. It’s barely been two minutes.’

            “Serena, your strikes were true and without hesitation. However,” Ze began, “you’re putting too much spin into your movements. It may look fancy, but a halberd’s strength is in reach and versatility, not agility.”

            “Orion, you attack with precession and great form, yet,” Ze continued, “you use far too much power in your strikes. A rapier is not a club you stab with. While it is not fragile, the tip of the blade can still snap.”

            “That’s fair,” Serena nodded and chided herself for her overdone footwork.

            “Still, while it was a good effort, your performance leaves much to be desired,” Ze declared. “You’d have to get up fairly early in the morning to fool me with such theatrics.”

            “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Serena looked away.

            “Do not think you’re the only worker who tries to covertly watch Diamond Arena, Serena,” Ze warned. “You clearly modeled your ‘spar’ after last month’s title match.”

            ‘Dang nabbit, I should’ve known Ze would be a Diamond Head [3],’ Serena winced.

            “Are we in trouble?” Orion asked.

            “Normally, attempting to deceive me in such a way would prompt punishment. However,” Ze explained, “I see this was born not out of malicious intent or laziness but desperation. It seems my alternatives were a little too much for you to handle, and you overcorrected.”

            “So, we’re not in trouble?” Serena hoped.

            “Promise me you won’t attempt something again, and all shall be well,” Ze assured. “I understand why you did such a thing, but it will be little help to you in the long run. Such rehearsed fighting will cause you to become predictable. Falling into such habits and patterns in battle is the quickest way to get yourself killed against a superior or even an inferior opponent.”

            “You have my word.” “I promise it won’t happen again.” The two servants bowed.

            ‘She does have a point,’ Serena noted.

            “Now, let’s resume our training,” Ze declared. We’ll practice on training dummies today and resume sparring tomorrow. May I trust that you’ll be ready to spar for real by then?”

            “Ma’am, yes, ma’am,” the two servants shouted.

\\~~~\\       V       //~~~//

Maia 18^th 758

            Another day came, and Serena and Orion once again found themselves in the palace courtyard. Today, they would spar with real weapons and reach Lady Ze’s expectations, or they’d be back to square one and suffer another “alternative” exercise. While still understandably nervous about the possibility of hurting each other, the two servants had little choice in the matter. They gave Lady Ze their word yesterday, and now it was time to make good on their promise.

            “Are you ready, Orion?” Serena squared off against her friend.

            “Ready as I’ll ever be,” Orion nodded. Lady Ze watched the two expectantly. She clearly had high hopes for them, but they were obviously tempered by the duo’s prior failures. Maybe today would be the day, or perhaps this was another disaster in motion.

            “Began at will,” Lady Ze declared.

            “You heard the woman,” Serena took the initiative and stabbed forward with her halberd. While she didn’t strike with her full strength, there was much less hesitation in her movements. She knew Orion could dodge this kind of blow. It wasn’t even meant to hit, just an opening act meant to feel him out.

            Orion hopped to the side and made a quick strike of his own. Like Serena’s, it wasn’t meant to hit. His retaliation was an obvious response to her strike, and there was more than enough distance between them for Serena to notice and prepare a defense. However, Orion immediately followed his first strike with a flurry of follow-ups. He wouldn’t give Serena a chance to fight back.

            Serena was on the back foot as Orion had closed the distance and eliminated her biggest advantage of better range. A halberd was a large, versatile weapon, but it was meant to fight at a distance. You couldn’t really fight with it close up. This made it all the more surprising to Orion when Serena closed the distance even further between them, to the point that he couldn’t comfortably stab forward with his rapier.

            “Too close?” Serena joked as she got up in his face. It was an insane tactic, but Serena found logic and reason had little place in the palace. Orion was in a dilemma. He had the size advantage over Serena, so a close-quarters fight should favor him. However, he also knew Serena wouldn’t try such a thing unless she had a plan, so he felt it would be foolish to stay so close when he didn’t know what she was up to. Alas, if he retreated, Serena could do the same and take back her advantage.

            “Yes, much too close,” Orion decided to take the bait and tried to grapple with her. Perhaps he could pin her and end the fight quickly or force her back into his range. Serena just ducked under his arm, went stiff, and headbutted him in the chin. The butler cursed himself, that attack was a basic self-defense tactic Lady Aphros had always spoken at length about. He should have trusted his instincts.

            “Then allow me to back off,” Serena took her chance to make some distance between the two of them. Orion was too stunned to stop her but regained his composure before she could prepare her next blow. Alas, now the pointy tip of a halberd prevented him from getting closer to Serena, and she wasn’t about to make another attack that he could just dart around.

            Orion remained light on his feet, but Serena kept her halberd’s end firmly between them. The two stood their ground and waited for the other to make the first move. The tension grew thick, and the winds of fortune could easily swing either way.

            “Excellent, that’s exactly what I’ve been looking for,” Lady Ze announced, breaking the worker’s focus.

            “It is? I mean…huh?” Serena realized she had been so sucked into the fight she had forgotten her initial hesitation. But now made aware of the circumstances, she felt it creep back in as her focus fled away.

            “First off, Serena, that first strike left something to be desired,” Ze advised, “I saw your intention to feel out Orion, but it was far too casual and left you far too open. That risky strategy to regain distance was quite smart. However, it was still dangerous, especially so early in a fight. Your headbutt posture was perfect, though.”

            “R…right,” Serena bowed.

            “Orion, you mostly did everything right,” Ze complimented. “You pressed your advantage and tried to end the fight when you had the chance. However, you clearly knew something was suspicious about Serena’s brazen strategy, but still took the bait. You should be more willing to heed your instincts, even if they tell you to deviate from best practices. They aren’t always right, but you’d be surprised by how often they are.”

            “Thank you, Lady Ze,” Orion bowed.

            “Now you may continue,” Lady Ze allowed. The two servants faced each other again; however, the moment had passed, and their adrenaline no longer flowed. Serena took a few stabs forward but couldn’t find the same focus she had before. The same was true of Orion.

            “Curses, it seems I shouldn’t have interrupted you,” Ze sighed.

\\~~~\\              //~~~//

Maia 19^th 758

            The next day began the same as the previous, back to real weapon sparring. With refreshed minds and a clean slate, Serena and Orion could get back into the thick of things without hesitation. Serena took Ze’s advice to heart and focused on keeping Orion at a distance while Orion tried to trust his instincts more.

            “Come on, Orion, you won’t accomplish anything if you don’t approach,” Serena chided as she forced him back with the point of her halberd.

            “I’m certainly trying,” Orion replied as he nimbly bounced from side to side. Serena sensed the incoming feint but wasn’t willing to get too aggressive lest she make the same blunder as yesterday.

            “If you won’t come to me, then I’ll just stay on the advantage,” Serena declared as she moved to sweep his feet. Alas, this was what Orion had waited for. He hopped the swing and circled around Serena in the opposite direction of her strike. ‘Dang it, I fell for it,’ Serena cursed herself.

            Orion was poised for a decisive blow, but he knew Serena was fast enough to at least dodge it. Still, that would give him more time to get closer and reach his preferred range. He half expected Serena to repeat her strategy from yesterday, but he knew she wouldn’t be careless enough to try the same trick twice.

            ‘He’s closing in, Plan B,’ Serena doubled down on the force of her swing. Ze said not to spin so much with her weapon, but she hoped the noble would allow this time as the exception. Rather than stop in her tracks and prepare to dodge, Serena spun all the way around, threatening to clock Orion in his side.

            Orion realized her plan when he noticed she hadn’t started to dodge. With her back to him, he’d have a free shot. Alas, that wouldn’t necessarily stop the momentum of her swing, and he’d still take a nasty hit. Serena was trying to force him to decide between his own safety or getting a free hit. So, Orion chose both.

            Orion rolled under Serena’s 360-degree attack. When he finished, he’d be behind her and poised for another free shot. Unfortunately for him, Serena stuck her leg out as he was in mid-roll and tripped him up. Both servants tumbled to the ground before quickly regaining their footing, back at their initial distance. Serena was at her preferred range, but Orion regained his footing an instant faster. Both used this precious half-second to contemplate their next move until Lady Ze stepped in again.

            “Wonderful, you two, a marked improvement,” Ze praised. “You may stop now, I’ve seen enough.”

            ‘Oh, thank the Lord,’ Serena breathed a sigh of relief and set down her weapon. Orion stood tall and sheathed his own before he released his own and allowed his posture to slack.

            “While it’s difficult to say how this duel would have panned out,” Ze admitted, “I’ll call it a draw for now. The victor would have depended primarily on what choices you two made in the next moment, and none of them were easy or obvious.”

            “Have we performed to your expectations, Lady Ze?” Orion inquired.

            “I’d say yes, for now,” Ze nodded. “We’ll continue with sparring in the future, but it will no longer be our primary focus. I’ll release you to your regular duties again starting tomorrow.”

            ‘I cannot believe I’m looking forward to going back to chasing Irene every day,’ Serena thought.

            “Despite my displeasure with your attempt to deceive me, it seems that rehearsed spar had some benefits for you after all,” Ze pointed out. “It helped you overcome your initial fears, learn each other’s limits, and most importantly, you realized it was a mistake and improved from it.”

            ‘Well, it’s good to get praise for once,’ Serena was grateful this would finally be over.

            “Serena, I will have to speak to Lady Aré about your tendency to employ risky strategies,” Ze warned. “She is not a fan of such tactics and will try to dissuade you of them.”

            “Of course,” Serena rolled her eyes.

            “But enough of such things, I believe it is time to celebrate your progress,” Lady Ze declared.

\\~~~\\       VI       //~~~//

Maia 19^th 758

            While Serena was not one to turn down a reward, she had a touch of trepidation when she accepted. The last time she got personally rewarded by a noble, she was almost shot by a sniper. Not that it was Lady Aphros’s fault (at least Serena didn’t think it was, but she had long since stopped trying to comprehend that assassination plot), but it set an uncomfortable precedent. Thankfully, Lady Ze’s reward was actually quite simple. She had one of the soldier’s bathhouses set aside for their exclusive use for a couple hours. Plus, Lady Ze herself would join them, so Serena wasn’t concerned about any surprise gunmen attacks.

            The bathhouse was very generously sized, which made sense because it was supposed to service about a third of all the soldiers and guards in the palace. As Serena broke off from Orion to enter the women’s section, she noted how clean the whole place was. Even the grout looked freshly scrubbed.

            “Oh right, Penelo,” Serena recalled her friend/self-proclaimed rival’s new job. “At least someone cares about doing a good job around here,” the maid chuckled as she entered the changing room. She wasted no time, grabbed a towel, and found a locker to store her clothes, but before she could disrobe, Lady Ze entered the room.

            “I see that you’re eager to partake. Has it been a while since you’ve had a good bath?” Ze asked as she snagged her own towel. The noble was still in her full armor, which confused Serena, but she knew better than to question the eccentricities of the high nobles. The answers were never what you wanted to hear.

            “Several months at least,” Serena admitted. “I’ve bathed with Irene several times, but that’s hardly a relaxing experience.”

            “That’s an accurate assessment. She’s always been troublesome,” Ze laughed. “Serena, I wanted you to know that I’m very proud of your progress. You’re a far cry from the untrained child who couldn’t survive a day of training at the fort. Your growth has far outpaced all expectations. It makes me wonder what you’d be like if you’d trained here since birth.”

            “That’s…” Serena paused. She was happy about the compliment, but she didn’t know how to tell Ze she would have preferred never stepping foot on the palace grounds in the first place. “I’m not that good. I can’t be.”

            “Don’t sell yourself short,” Ze assured. “No one has been able to handle Irene as well as you except for Dusa, and even she has never had to handle her for so long. I know you are not pleased with the path your life has been forced to follow. You have good reason to, but you still do your job at the end of the day. Despite your complaints, you have a wonderful sense of duty.”

            “It’s not about duty,” Serena turned away. “Irene is still just a kid. I don’t feel the need to protect her because she’s the princess but because she’s a kid who doesn’t always know better. I could never get truly mad at a kid, especially a sheltered child like Irene, who seems to think she’s invincible. I need to get that idea out of her head before she gets herself and other people hurt.”

            “That sounds like a sense of duty to me,” Ze chuckled. “You sound just like someone else I could name.”

            ‘Please don’t be who I’m thinking of,’ Serena tried not to gag.

            “At the end of the day, Serena, we both have the same job,” Ze declared, “ensuring the safety of the royal family. That’s been my job since the day I met Her Majesty. To the world, you may seem like a simple maid, but you are something more. I’d be proud to have a woman like you fighting by my side in the future, Serena.”

            “Yeah, more of that secret protector thing nobody told me about, but everyone expects me to know,” Serena muttered.

            “Lady Aphros, didn’t tell you?” Ze cocked her head.

            “I’ve long since learned she doesn’t tell me anything, especially if I need to know it,” Serena sighed.

            “Aphros,” Ze sighed. “We’ll discuss this in depth another time. For now, just relax.”

            “Thank you, Lady Ze,” Serena curtsied. ‘Once again, Ze proves herself as the only noble with an ounce of sense,’ the maid thought as she disrobed and wrapped herself in her towel. With her back to Lady Ze, the raven-haired girl considered the rare opportunity before her. ‘This will be the first time I’ve seen Ze’s face. Heck, it’ll be the first time I’ve seen any part of her unarmored body. I wonder what she’s like?’

\\~~~\\              //~~~//

            “Um, Lady Ze, is that comfortable for you?” Serena looked on in shock.

            “Of course, cleansing is both a mental and physical process,” Ze assured, “besides, this is how I’m most comfortable.”

            “Whatever you say,” Serena dropped the subject. She decided she would not focus on the fact Ze was bathing in her full armor or how hot the inside of it must be right now. ‘Sensible or not, a high noble is still a high noble,’ Serena lamented.

            Meanwhile, on the other side of the baths, Orion hummed a jaunty tune to himself as he soaked his worries away. At least someone was having a good time.

May This Fantasy Continue A Little Longer…

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[1] See Maid in Fantasy Chapter 17, she's returning exactly when she said she would.

[2] Popular tv show, especially in the continents of Hyperion and Zodiac. Basically, professional wrestling mixed with martial arts.

[3] A fan of Diamond Arena

>>>~~~~<<<

Training outside of your comfort zone can feel like an uphill battle, but it's important to push your limits to encourage personal growth.

Author's Note: And with that we have the return of Lady Ze to the story. If she were around the past four chapters, a lot of the plots would have ended in about five minutes. That aside, this was a nice standalone chapter, meant to slow the pace of the story as we near the end of volume 3. Speaking of which, the next chapter is the last of this volume, and following that we'll get into volume 4 which will be quite the experience. But before then, we have to deal with the return of a pair of troublemakers, dealing with the fallout of their previous actions.

Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy.