Chapter 4: Settling In

Astra followed Aleron as the knight waved to his subordinates and then led her towards the smaller of the two dorm buildings overlooking the training grounds. “Normally, I’d put you in the guest wing of the palace, and not the barracks,” he said over his shoulder, “but as Lexi is staying in the city with Ladron, I thought you might be more comfortable staying near me.” It wasn't proper etiquette to treat a guest this way, but the Astra he knew would prefer this over luxury. After seeing her train today, and guessing that much of her time would be spent doing just that, he’d confirmed his decision to house her in the women’s barracks.

Aleron was much the same. He himself had a set of fine chambers and a connecting office in the noble’s wing, but he much preferred his smaller room near his men. Aleron came to a stop in front of a door. “This used to be a storeroom for weapons,” he explained, “but since we built ourselves a new one, it has been left empty. I had the servants bring in some basic furnishings ahead of time.” He pushed the door open and stood aside so she could enter first.

Astra walked in slowly, eyeing the small space. Though it was a little cramped, there was an open window that let in fresh air and the evening sun, giving off a cheery atmosphere. A bed stood in the corner, a bookshelf tucked along one wall - a sizable one, though it was currently empty. A short wardrobe was placed beside the bed, and a writing desk sat nearby, already with a sheaf of blank papers stacked atop it and a pen and inkwell set to one side. In the far corner of the room was a small but serviceable vanity, with a basin and a small mirror.

“I know it’s quite plain,” Aleron began apologetically, but she held up a hand to forestall him.

“It’s perfect,” she said softly. “Thank you.” She’d been secretly dreading having a room in the guests’ wing - or worse, in the noble quarters, she thought wryly. Her encounters with multiple noblewomen today had told her that she would be spending most of her time with the soldiers, where no one would throw passive aggressive insults at her - at least, she hoped not. “The bookcase is a luxury I wasn’t expecting, though.”

"I know you enjoy reading." Aleron smiled and gestured to the object in question. “I will send you some recommendations later. I am sure that, should you ask them, the soldiers will be happy to lend you more.” He ushered her back into the hallway, gesturing to a set of doors farther down. “Those are the baths – the men and women are separate. I doubt anyone will try anything untoward, but please, be sure to let me know if anything makes you uncomfortable.”

“I will,” she promised.

Satisfied, Aleron smiled at her. “The barrack kitchens are also available to you; I daresay the men will probably come to love your cooking as much as Ladron did. We passed them on the way in - the large archway.” When she nodded to tell him she remembered, he continued, “I’ll leave you to get settled in. If you need me, my room is the farthest in inside the men’s dorm building, and Jeorge’s is next to mine. If I am unavailable, don’t hesitate to ask him for anything.” Nodding, Astra promised that she would, and he went on. “Tomorrow, I would like to show you around the palace. I know Liam likely did a fine job as tour guide, but I should like to take you myself.”

“That’s fine by me,” Astra replied dutifully. Knowing she probably wanted some time to herself, Aleron bade her goodnight and headed into his office. He had a lot of paperwork to catch up on.

Astra sank deeper into the water with a grateful sigh.

It had been a long day… and this open bath was the best.

The women’s bath was an open-air bath with showers lining the walls and a large pool of hot water to soak in. After moving around all day, the relief for her aching muscles was welcome. There was a wooden divider between the area she was in and the men’s bath, though the top did not quite reach to the ceiling, allowing sound to carry through. She was careful not to make too much noise as she used the provided soaps and lotions to clean herself off before slipping into the pool to relax.

A noise from the entrance gave her pause; someone else was entering. With the soft patting of bare feet, a tall woman appeared in the doorway, holding a small basket with a towel and other implements, and paused as she realized the bath was occupied.

“Hello,” Astra greeted even as she sank lower into the water, a little shy.

The newcomer was extremely well-built, with clear muscles and a lean frame despite her height, and had a mass of bright red locks that tumbled down her shoulders. She was pretty – stunningly so, making the noirette feel even more self-conscious.

“You’re that newcomer that the Captain brought home, aren’t you?” the redheaded woman asked cheerfully as she bundled her hair up in the towel and then padded down the steps into the water. “I’m Ilia.”

“My name’s Astraea.”

“I heard the men making a fuss about you earlier today. I was surprised to see our stick-in-the-mud Captain bring home such a cute little thing,” Ilia sang as she slipped the towel from her hair and accurately slung it over to her basket of things, where it caught on one of the handles and stayed. “How unexpected of him.”

Astra stiffened a bit. “Excuse me?” though she hadn’t meant to, her tone came out harsher than intended.

Ilia’s smile didn’t falter in the slightest, but she raised a hand in a gesture of apology. “I’m sorry – that was meant to be a compliment, Astraea. The Captain's a good and honest man.” Leaning back and crossing one bare leg over the other, she added, “But he is a stick-in-the-mud, make no mistake.”

A smile was tugging at the corners of Astra’s lips no matter how hard she tried to hide it. “Well… I can’t argue with you there…”

“See?” Ilia sat up with a splash and reached for the bar of soap. “If he’d loosen up a little, I bet he’d have every noblewoman in the palace flocking to him. His good looks are wasted on all us rough-and-tumble soldiers.”

Astra started to laugh. Such a statement seemed even more ludicrous coming from a stunning beauty like Ilia. If she’s a rough-and-tumble soldier, I'm a turnip farmer. “Have you ever tried saying that in Aleron’s hearing?”

“Oh, I’ve said it to his face. He just looked embarrassed and told me that I shouldn’t be worrying on his account.” A smirk graced those crimson lips, the same colour as her hair. “So what’s your story with the Captain? A secret lover from far away, perhaps?”

“As if,” Astra replied sarcastically, seeing the other woman grin at her wry response. “I’m more like his parent than anything else. Besides, he apparently has a fiancée.” Which she’d only found out about today, thanks to someone deciding to keep secrets - she was being petty again. Astra let out a sigh that Ilia didn’t hear.

“Oh, the high-and-mighty future duchess?” Ilia wrinkled her nose and huffed as she reached for a bar of soap. “I don’t like her. The woman’s got a killer sense of fashion, but her personality could use about three centuries of work.”

Astra, who was rapidly liking Ilia more and more, raised her brow. “Oh?”

“I’ve told the Captain about a hundred times that he deserves better than that uppity noblewoman, but he’s never been the kind to listen when someone tells him to break protocol.”

The noirette’s smile turned sideways in a bitter manner. “Did he spout off something about duty and responsibility?”

Ilia gasped as she clapped her hands, scattering water droplets everywhere. “How did you know? I guess you two really are close.”

Like that, lightly ribbing the poor Captain who was not present to defend himself, the two women spent a pleasant time chatting as they washed. Ilia’s room, which she shared with two other female recruits, turned out to be next to Astra’s, to both of their great delights. The redhead bid Astra goodnight before she slipped inside and shut her door.

For a long while, Astra stood alone in the hallway, a towel still draped over her shoulders to catch the water from the ends of her still-damp hair.

For the first time today, she finally had a proper moment to herself.

The king. Sir Orphys. The Crown Prince, and his guard Sir Azela.

Syrrah. The other noblewomen - she'd already forgotten their names. Liam, Jeorge, Conrad, and Ilia. Today had been filled with stressful encounters and enjoyable ones, but she still felt wrung out.

“Tomorrow had better involve less socializing,” Astra muttered to herself as she went inside.

In another room on a higher floor of the palace, a young man with raven hair was sitting at his desk, rolling a small white stone ceaselessly across his fingertips.

He was staring hard at the map he had Captain Aleron mark out for him earlier in the day, as well as the contents of an old, worn book which was laying open atop his desk.

Click.

He put the stone down with a light tapping noise and opened his mouth. “What do you think, Azela?”

His usually-silent guard, who was standing behind his chair as always, tilted his head. “It is worth investigating.”

Sighing, the Crown Prince sat back in his seat as he looked over the information he had gathered. “If we’re wrong about this, I doubt father will overlook it.”

Azela pointed something out in his usual flat tone. “If we are correct, he won’t be able to.”

A bitter chuckle slipped from the prince’s lips. “Astute as always, Azela.”

“I live to please, your highness.”

Feeling better with his guard’s reassurances, the Crown Prince got to his feet and walked over to his window. In the distance, he could see the twinkling lights of the lamps in the city, and close to where he stood, he saw the training yard that the soldiers used, still lit up with torches. Here and there, a few small figures could be seen still hard at work despite the gradually darkening sky.

Though the barracks he could see from his office were those of his Raven Knights, not the Castle Guard, the sight reminded him of the young woman from another world that he had met today. She should have settled into her rooms in the barracks by now. 

The girl hadn't met his expectations. Not that he'd known what kind of expectations to have for a traveler from another world. But she was interesting, and quick-minded. The king had believed that she was merely a merchant’s daughter who had grown up in a Lyndran settlement, not knowing her truly staggering origins.

The Crown Prince, of course, knew better.

"Her name was Astraea, was it?" an affirmative sound came from his knight, prompting the prince to stroke his chin, deep in thought. "Perhaps she could be useful."