The day was sunny, the road was dry, not a cloud in sight and the wind was fresh. Under normal circumstances, it would have been perfect to go out on a walk or for a lengthy stroll. Maybe even a hike up a mountain or through a forest. Spring was in full swing, and it almost felt like things were as idyllic as they could be.
If not for the shrieks, howls, and moans that sometimes came out of the woods, Alice would have agreed with that impression. That, and the platoon of knights that were escorting them down the road, felt like they were in some sort of military parade.
The clanks of armor were not exactly reassuring. It was a marching rhythm that had not relented. Every knight marched perfectly in step with one another, reducing the days into a clank-clank of boots that clearly served to scare off potential ferals that might feel curious about the several dozen bodies moving down the road.
The human women were being kept in either carriages or wagons, saving them from the hardship of the march. And yet, Alice could only watch in awe at the knights, the maidens keeping up with their transports as if it were not much of an effort. From one of the two carriages, she’d only been able to look out the open window at the passing scenery while they rolled their way down the road.
The group of women had been split into two groups. The ‘elder’ women occupied one of the carriages, Ms. Dodson being the unofficial ‘head’ of the group. Alice was in the second carriage, with May, Natalie, and a few other former students. They were the ones that had been considering the options for not joining the academy, to pay off the tariff to remove their ‘mandatory service’ as a part of the Kingdom’s feral-fighting force.
To avoid participating in the slavery that was owning and selling maidens.
And that had made the Baroness furious, of course. Alice had half-expected the noble to lash out, but she’d been firm in that regard. She could try becoming the unofficial leader of all the women who’d come from Earth, but that would involve playing political games she was not going to be prepared to handle. So why not establish their own presence in their own way? Make themselves separate from the machinations of the nobles and put themselves as their own power?
The people that were on the wagons were the rest of the women and the few men that had come. Those that were looking forward to potentially joining the kingdom’s military academy in Balet, and had remained unconvinced of Alice’s plan. But that had, fortunately, also seen Ms. Dodson as the hateful shrew that she was and didn’t want anything to do with her. Alice was still unsure what the old lady was potentially looking to pull off, but at the same time, she expected the old lady would seek to carve out some small corner to terrorize and make herself eventually irrelevant once she kicked the bucket.
If Alice never saw the old crone again, it would still be too soon.
The woman could only sigh.
“The trip won’t be much longer.” Helga’s voice drifted from outside of the carriage. She was right next to the door closest to Alice.
The Valkyrie had spent hours flying above, and was ‘resting’ by walking.
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“We will be reaching Seledo soon. The Lord there has had more than enough time to prepare for our arrival.”
“It feels like it will be one of those situations that the Baroness warned about.” Next to Alice, Natalie let out a long, tired sigh. “Think he’d try something shady?”
“The Earl’s knights are with us.” Alice shook her head. “If anything happens, it would have to be with the Earl’s approval. My bets are on trying to tempt someone to stay, but that’s about it.”
Unless the Earl had plans for them he’d not shared. Alice didn’t want to think about that too deeply. Last she’d heard, Rick was currently over with him in Balet. And the Baroness had pointed out that not getting any news at all was a good sign of things going smoothly.
“There will be a feast for sure.” Helga hummed from outside. She was clearly in very high spirits. Someone coughed, and the Valkyrie perked up at the sound. “Oh, I have to return to my watch.”
“Don’t overexert yourself.” Alice called out, only catching a glimpse of the maiden’s white wings as she leapt up into the air. “And… she’s going to work herself to the bone again.”
“Does she have any other settings?” May giggled.
“She does not.” With a slight groan, Alice leaned into the cushions that served as her seat. The carriage was moving through bumpy roads, though she doubted there would ever be such a thing as smooth ones. “What are you reading?”
“Oh, it’s a story about the fall of the chevaliers.” May lifted the book to show its cover, of a woman with dark skin and white hair holding a glowing staff in one hand and a sword in the other.
“Anything interesting?”
“They were a knight order from before the rebellion, so… about a hundred something years ago.” May muttered. “They were a part of one of the major religions in the kingdom at the time.”
“Sounds interesting.”
“It is!” The younger woman gushed. “Their order consisted of maidens from the genus of Dark Elves exclusively. Apparently, Dark Elves are a species of maiden that was brought to the kingdom hundreds of years ago by a traveling merchant, and they were bought and raised by the church of the thousand armed God. Their powers in disrupting elemental energies allowed them to work as peacekeepers amongst maidens.”
“And how did they fall?”
“I haven’t reached that part yet.” She giggled. “The book starts with their rise as peacekeepers, and I’m at the part about how the chevaliers had become corrupt, attempting to impose their law over that of the nobles and knights.”
“Sounds like politics.” Alice shook her head. “The book wouldn’t happen to have any details over how to earn money, right?”
“It does say that the chevaliers and the church of the thousand armed God earned money through their services in helping maidens form bonds.” May declared, then shrugged. “But that’s about it.”
“I don’t think we’re going to be able to monetize that.” Natalie sighed, shoulders slumping.
“Bonds do weaken if the maiden and human feel distant enough from their partner.” Alice pointed out. “Maybe we could start a consulting office to help them work through grievances?”
“A marriage counseling office doesn’t seem like the sort of thing that would gather much attention when a worn out bond can be just reapplied like a coat of paint. But why not? Add it to the list.”
“It’s a very short list.”
“We don’t exactly have a broad repertoire of applicable skills.”
“Not ones that aren’t outmatched by super powered women.”
Groans all around from those that weren’t, somehow, napping. They slumped further into their seats, wandering gazes, focusing on the world outside and the problem within. Humans weren’t competitive in most markets when compared to maidens. Just what sort of work could they do to earn money?