As Alanna and Grainne walked toward the center of the town from the entrance gate. They saw many different beings working in the various fields. Some were fenced in with stone walls that held sheep or cattle. Others had some form of crop growing and its tenders were busy plucking weeds and removing harmful critters. Aside from what the people looked like the act of farming seemed altogether mundane.
That is until the pair came to a untilled plot of land where a massive white bovine wandered about. There were two people that looked quite human in this field and they were sparring with a great intensity. One was a rather large man with shoulder length auburn locks. The other was an equally large woman with black hair and pale freckled skin. They fought with spear and shield and wielded the weapons like masters would.
The man thrust his spear forward and let it slide through his grasp until it impacted the shield while the woman rolled her shoulder to deflect it off to the side and counter thrust her own spear toward his abdomen. The male warrior used the momentum shift of his deflected strike to spin 360 degrees and positioned his shield over the abdomen and turned toward his right to deflect the blow in the same direction he was turning. This caused the woman's spear to be out of line to parry the sweeping strike he was swinging down at her and with the right of her body extended the shield in her left hand would be in a terrible position to accurately deflect the strike. The woman rolled forward and to her left over her spear while holding her shield up and to the left side as she positioned herself to lunge up under his shield as he moved back to base position. The male warrior tried to jump back and redirect his spear momentum to strike back at the woman but it had little power behind the blow as the momentum had been bled off. The strike was deflected by the shield already in position and his yelp of pain indicated that the woman's strike was true.
Alanna stopped walking and stood in awe of the display of skill. The whole exchange lasted seconds but it was brilliant. She felt like a child with a stick in comparison to these two warriors. Grainne watched with a complicated expression on her face. It was almost as if she were upset that she was impressed. She settled on a bad taste expression but wiped it away when she noticed Alanna's penetrating gaze. "Who are they?" Alanna asked which caused Grainne to sigh in defeat. Her shoulder's slumped but she answered after a moment. "That is Scáthach and her student Cú Chulainn. She is well was the owner of that castle once upon a time and in the overworld." She pointed at the large castle on the overhang. "That is Dún Scáith or a reflection of it maybe? The otherworlds are reflections of an ideal or a place. This is Queen Medb's realm now and as you can see by Donn Cuailnge there the queen gets what she wants. Alanna stared at the ox the fairy was pointing at and just kept staring with a blank look on her face. She had no idea what the deal with the bull was but it seemed to be significant.
They heard a loud roar of anger and it brought their attention to the fighting man and woman. Cú Chulainn went into a battle frenzy at the pain and he kicked Scáthach who was resetting her position. She moved the shield in front and the kick knocked her back several feet. Cú Chulainn dropped his shield and charged the warrior woman with great speed. He leapt at her position and brought the spear down from over his head and tried to stab her. Scáthach frowned and the display and shortened her grip on her own spear as she easily sidestepped the obvious strike. However, she did not retaliate. She stayed on the defensive and made minimalistic movements wasting no energy in dodging or deflecting the wild strikes.
This wild flailing continued for several minutes and had Alanna clutching her staff nervously as this no longer seemed to be a spar. The rage the young looking man exhibited was startling and more than a bit terrifying. He was lost to it completely. Scáthach calmly moved and when the fury seemed to be ending, as Cú Chulainn's strikes were becoming slowed and far more sloppy, she made her move. Cú Chulainn swung slow and the woman from his left to his right in a sweep that had him overextend and stumble. Scáthach struck down with her spear locking his in place and delivered a shield bash right into his face. The shield boss struck the warrior in the temple and he crumpled to the ground in a heap. Scáthach sighed and shook her head in clear disappointment then looked up to see there were people watching from the road.
Alanna stood in awe at the woman in the field. She stood like a goddess of war over a defeated foe. It was inspiring to the druidess who wanted nothing more than to be taught by this woman. Of course, she would probably need to learn some basics before she could think of learning from a master like this woman. She wasn't sure who Scáthach was yet the display she had witnessed was one that excited her. She almost started walking toward the woman but a small hand on her arm started to lead her back down the path.
"Come on druid." Grainne said. "You will have to present yourself to the queen before you do anything else." Alanna was a bit disappointed but she had a quest to see this queen so, Grainne was probably correct. They walked through town and bypassed the market square which was another disappointment to the druidess, but she did not complain. They walked to the postern gate then made their way up the to the castle.
The castle looked a bit different from the backside of the hill as there was a large portcullis that was down in front of the gate that led toward the bailey. There were a few towers visible and the corners of the curtain wall but from here the keep was not visible. As they approached the barbican the portcullis was drawn up and the massive doors opened to reveal the bailey and keep inside. Alanna was terribly excited to see an intact castle and keep. The stonework in the curtain wall was already quite incredible. The stone was not uniform by any means yet each stone was placed in the perfect spot to make up the wall. It was so much different than the construction she was used to.
The outer bailey had a stable positioned to the left of the gate and to the right there was a small smithy. Further in there was a small stone fence that held cattle, sheep, and even a small coop with chickens. There were caretakers of every mythical species Alanna could imagine running about and completing various tasks. The pair moved through the outer bailey there was a few other structures that held servants for the keep and one building that looked to be a granary of sorts. It was quite surreal to see these buildings straight out of the middle ages standing here and being occupied by its actual inhabitants. Alanna was in awe of it all.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Meanwhile, Grainne seemed to be thoroughly unimpressed with the scenery and appeared somewhat nervous as she made her way along side the druidess. The pair made their way to the inner gate of the outer ward and it was opened as they approached. There were two anthropomorphic dogs wearing scarlet and gold patterns on their clothes. They bowed and indicated the pair should enter then closed the doors once the woman past through.
The inner bailey was vastly different than the outer. There were no buildings other than the main keep and a small garden gazebo toward the left side of the keep. There were several species of flower growing in the area and a small fountain that depicted lovers in various acts while surrounded by various plants and animals. There was an honor guard of anthropomorphic animals that lined the path from the inner wall to the keep entrance. They all bowed the moment Grainne and Alanna reached their position and this continued until the pair entered the main keep. The stonework of the keep was quite similar to that of the curtain walls and Alanna found it fascinating. She looked up at the keep and found it extended several meters high. It was quite large and she understood why it seemed so imposing when she viewed it from the town. It seemed to dwarf the other structures in the castle and given its position on the hill it dwarfed everything in the valley.
Upon entering the keep there appeared to be a dedicated entrance area that was walled off with doors directly in front and to either side. A pair of beautiful women wearing long red dresses with a gold apron covering it at their front, walked up to them and curtsied. "My lady we will take you to fresh up so that you can speak with the queen." The woman on the left said to Alanna. The other just stood with her hands clasped in front as though she were waiting for orders. Grainne sighed and nodded at Alanna. "You should go with her. She will take you to a guest chamber where you can rest until the queen will see you." Alanna smiled at Grainne and nodded. "Alright," she agreed. "I guess I will see you later Grainne." With a nod Grainne turned and walked through the door to the right. Alanna watched her go with a soft smile. That woman had a lot to work out if Alanna was an accurate judge. She was looking forward to a hot bath and changing out of her filthy clothes. She was exceedingly grateful to not have to meet the queen looking and smelling like she did.
The room Alanna was led to was quite large and well furnished with a massive canopy bed and matching furniture. There were several mirrors and a rather nice changing area. The stone floors were covered in large fur carpets except where there was a massive wooden tub with steaming water off to the right side. Alanna did not even think about modesty when she tossed her pack near the tub and disrobed. There was a 3 step stool placed in front of the tub and she gingerly climbed in and sunk down in the soapy bath.
She groaned in pleasure as the hot water sunk into her body and after a few minutes she closed her eyes and just relaxed in the moment. She heard the maidservant going about and picking things up. Alanna thought it was probably her pack and staff but she was to exhausted by her trek to think about anything at the moment. A part of her remained somewhat aware of her surroundings, but she was not getting any negative feelings from anyone here. So, she submersed herself completely allowing the water to soak her head and hair.
When she broke the surface a few moments later she took in a deep cleansing breath and moved back toward the edge. "Milady I have oils for your hair if you please." The maidservant said and Alanna gave her a brief look and when seeing the soaps and oils she nodded her approval. The woman smiled and walked forward then knelt on a stool outside the tub. Alanna was not sure if she should take the soaps and oils or if she were expected to let the woman bathe her so she just kind of waiting for any indication from the servant.
After a moment the maidservant set down some of the items and rolled up her sleeves which indicated to Alanna that the servant would likely be applying the items. After a moment strong hands started to massage her scalp and a chill of pleasure ran through her body. She closed her eyes and leaned back enjoying the pampering. It took a few minutes for the soap to be applied and for a good lather to build up and Alanna was loving every moment. The maidservant washed out her hair then applied a few oils to it and brought a cloth to hold it up and dry it. She then applied a soap to a cloth and proceeded to wipe down Alanna's body. After being cleaned thoroughly the maid helped Alanna out of the tub and down the stool then covered her in a large cloth. She was then led to the bed where the servant brought out a set of clothes and set them off to the side then proceeded to dry her down.
The clothing was a green linen léine with a white brat that had black ravens embroidered into it. A silver brooch with a small emerald inset into it and matching torc were brought as well. The servant helped Alanna put them all on then clipped the brooch with brat across her left breast. Alanna felt a bit odd in the outfit but it was fairly comfortable. There were no socks or shoes though and that was a bit off putting. Alanna decided she would wear the hiking shoes she had worn previously Her feet were certainly not tough enough to go around bare.
The maidservant did not see overly thrilled based on her grimace but she never said a thing about it. She merely sat Alanna at a chair and began to comb out her hair. "Your hair is quite beautiful." The maidservant said as she brushed it out. "Would you like anything else done with it? I have a matching headwrap or perhaps you would like a braid?" The maidservant continued. Alanna felt gratitude at the compliment and couldn't hold back a smile. After a moment of thought she decided to just leave her hair be. She loved how it lay naturally and while she never really focused on her physical presence growing up, because of her seeming mental issues, she did always love how pretty her hair was. Her hair was naturally red which while not popular amongst some of the circles she grew up in. Her one clear memory of her father was him praising her beautiful hair. That somehow stuck with her and with even her mother praising the color and texture it was one thing that she held on to growing up. She smiled at the reflection she saw in front of her and took a deep breath. She was ready to see the queen.