That morning is the second time in the past week that Ceridwen finds himself waking up in bed right next to a slumbering mare.
I really need to stop doing this. One of these days I’m going to cause a scandal. Ceridwen shudders at the thought; the last thing he needed was Father breathing down his withers about that. So long before anypony can come to wake him up, he throws the blankets off of both himself and Saoirse, the servant grumbling in response at their beauty sleep being interrupted, a decidedly frazzled and messy-maned Blank popping up from beneath the covers with a disgruntled expression.
“Alright, come on.” Ceridwen yawns between words. “Let's get you someplace less suspicious before anypony realizes you’re gone.” Without thinking about it, Ceridwen winces in discomfort at the sound of his own voice. Somehow, even though it had only been a dream, he’d expected the voice of a colt to leave his beak, not the decidedly deeper and rougher voice of a nearly full-grown young stallion.
“But I was having such a nice dream…” Saoirse mumbles, staring down at the ground, the edges of her mouth tilting downwards. “Fine.” She follows up shortly after a moment, setting yet another pang of loneliness loose into Ceridwen’s heart. Everypony was so standoffish these days, he swore.
Moving quickly and quietly- both ponies being well adept at stealth, given a mountain of experience on one of their parts and the benefit of sound-damping feathers on the others-the duo steal away through the palace corridors towards the servant quarters, only to round the corner to the hall holding the servants dormitories at the same time Seren appears on the far side.
Ceridwen gulps nervously, while his sister across from him raises a brow curiously. “Ah. Just the pony I wanted to see.” Is all she says, before striding up… Not to Ceridwen, but to Saoirse.
“Huh? Why do you want to see me?” Saoirse asks, furrowing her own brow.
Seren just shakes her head. “Never mind that. Are you just about… Done with her?” Seren asks Ceridwen uneasily, prompting Ceridwen to step back in consternation. Just what did she mean by that?
But, not wanting to confront her or spill the beans about what they were actually up to-that the servant had attempted to run away once again-Ceridwen simply nods slowly. “She’s all yours.”
Saoirse gives a glare to both of the aristocrats present, irritated at being treated like a possession that the siblings had to share. But soon enough, Ceridwen was trotting back down the corridor, eager to wash his hands of the whole fiasco, leaving her with just Seren by her side.
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“Why do you want me along?” Saoirse Starshot questions. The two of them had retired to the servants' own quarters for privacy, where Seren had explained the task she had been given.
“There’s something fishy about this mission.” Seren explains. “I need somepony I can trust to watch my back. And more importantly, I need a pony I know won’t tell my father what I told them, since I wasn’t supposed to mention this to anypony.”
Starshot eyes her skeptically. “I get that I’m pretty awesome, but aren’t you afraid I’ll run off on you out there? You know I’m always looking for a way to escape”
Seren smirks a little at the thought. “Run off with our supplies and leave me high and dry? Nah, never. You wouldn’t do that to me. And you wouldn’t run off without supplies either, since if you were intending to do that you’d have just gotten yourself banished.”
Saoirse groans, hating how correct she is. How does the aristocrat always know what she’s up to? “You better not have used any freaky mind magic on me...” She mumbles, sullenly.
Seren quirks her beak. “Starshot, you know I wouldn’t do that to you.” She sounds almost hurt by the suggestion.
Saoirse sighs. “Alright. When are we leaving?”
“Father wanted me to leave at first light, so technically, we’re already late. I’ve already grabbed supplies, so we should set off right away.” Seren affirms.
Saoirse groans. Well, at least she’d gotten a good night's rest last night… “Ugh. Alright, fine. Just give me a minute to get packed, alright?” Supplies or no, she would want some clothes for protection from the elements.
Seren nods. “Of course. I’ll meet you by the front gate as soon as you’re ready.” Saoirse grunts in agreement, as Seren turns towards the door.
As she leaves, Seren smiles slightly to herself. Grumpy or not, she knew the servant wouldn’t let her down. “Besides.” She breathes out to herself, too quiet for the servant behind her to hear. “It’s been too long since we went out together.”
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Saoirse Starshot sniffs the air, looking at the saddlebags she’d been given. As was her wont, Seren had insisted on carrying the heavier load herself, leaving the servant feeling rather underpacked. “What did you put in these?” Starshot asks, curiously. It smells... Familiar.
“Books. Reagents.” Seren states, stretching her calves. “I figured the privacy of the road would be a perfect place to continue your lessons.”
Starshot blushes in response, looking away. “You’re really going to keep teaching me, even though I keep trying to use it to escape?”
“Hey, if you’re going to be casting spells anyways, I’d prefer if you didn’t kill yourself in the process.” Seren states, firmly, poking Starshot on the muzzle.
Starshot frowns. Charity from the aristocracy. Of course. She can’t help but feel irritated at the notion. She wanted to be the one who made her own life, not be handed it on a silver platter by Seren. Ungrateful again. What else is new with you? She sighs, shaking her head to try and clear the thoughts.
Seren jerks with her head forwards. “C’mon, let’s get going.”
The pair cross to the towering gates, flanked by two pony guards. Gazing up at the portcullis and towers on either side, Seren can’t help compare them to the far more modern structures of the city beyond. One of many relics of an older, far more violent era before the formation of the Confederation.
The deep pony guards had been rotated out for the morning, so the guards on duty now are more typical lowborns; a bicorn with their dual horns and goat-like hooves, and one of the more horse-like plains ponies. Holding up one hoof, the guard furrows his brow.
“And where are you off to? And why are you bringing the servant with you?” His eyes flick over at Starshot distastefully. The guards had dealt with that one enough times; Even if they themselves aren’t aristocrats, it isn’t hard to feel superior to a mere servant. That would have been true even if the pony in question wasn't the constant irritation that was Starshot.
“We’re going to finalize a deal in town.” Seren replies cordially. “I need Starshot’s help to carry all the goods with us.” Seren lies confidently. She generally did not like dishonesty, but she is damn good at it when she needs to use it; covering for Saoirse as foals had somewhat required that.
The guard appraises the two skeptically. It is certainly unusual for a noble to be carrying goods to sell or trade, but a deal could be more complex than that and there is presumably a good reason for it. So, he eventually shrugs. “Alright. Noted for the record.” He nods, and motions up at the gatehouse. The portcullis draws open, allowing Seren and Saoirse to trot out into the castle town beyond.
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The first stop for the pair is the train station. Their destination is rather deep in the wilderness, so the route is going to be rather circuitous; The train lines only stopped at the Hyperaustralan capitol, so they would be going past their destination by a significant margin. Still, even if the total distance traveled would be much greater than the actual distance to their destination, it is still far faster than traveling entirely on hoof.
Seren stares out the window of the first class cabin on the train they’d taken. The ride will be several hours, so there is plenty of time to just think. The route connecting the southernmost and easternmost reaches of civilization meant the vast majority of the track is entirely through wilderness, mountains and forest. As a result, this train in particular is one of the more expensive routes to maintain; Seren still remembers when she was a filly, her parents having to deal with a landslide on the tracks miles outside of any city.
But right now, it’s a welcome change. She’d been cooped up in the big city in Luddas long enough, and soon enough would be in the big city in Hyperaustralis. A bit of greenery and vast, untamed lands full of potential and mystery is a perfect break to that. Speaking of mystery, there is something quite peculiar about this whole assignment. Just how is some backwoods forest so strategically important? And what was that Evander said about a tower? Seren frowns in frustration.
“Have you ever been to Hyperaustralis?” Starshot’s question breaks Seren out of her stupor, and she looks over at the blank. The pony in question is currently lounging about quite contentedly, laying back on the wide sofa-like seating with her hooves crossed behind her head and rear legs propped up on the windowsill. Somepony was certainly enjoying the first class accommodations.
Seren shakes her head. She was far more well traveled than the servant of course, so it was a reasonable question, but she’d never been that far south. “Most of the time when I was sent anywhere it was still within our duchy. Father didn’t exactly have us traveling around for fun, and I’ve only recently been old enough to take on assignments. Though, I did accompany my mom on a trip to the northwest last summer.”
Starshot nods, stretching and yawning as she flops over onto her side. “Do we have accommodations planned?”
Seren shakes her head once more. “Nope, we left on too short notice. It’s fine, given my status we’ll be able to find someplace no problem. If nothing else, we can seek lodgings with the local aristocracy.”
Starshot groans. “Great, more nobles. That’s just what we needed.”
Seren looks over at the servant, shaking her head in consternation. “Oh Saoirse, whatever am I to do with you?” She asks, coyly. “Here, I’ll tell ya what, I’ll let you pick what we have for lunch. Will that put you in a good mood?”
Saoirse Starshot perks up. “Hrm? You mean, on the train?” When Seren nods in confirmation and hands her a menu, she looks down at it hungrily. The thought of food put in her head, her stomach growls; she hadn’t eaten anything since last night. “Alright, you win. Hardly gonna be able to stay upset with an offer like that.” She relents, flipping through the menu. “Ooh... How about eggplant parmesan? I haven’t had that in ages.”
That was rather an understatement; servants generally didn’t get meals that require that much preparation. Somepony is certainly getting spoiled today. Seren giggles in amusement and nods. “You got it.”