Poker Face
Title: Poker Face
Author: Lady Macbeth
Story: Edge of the Abyss
Character: Mayanna
Challenge: Maple Walnut #7 [Poker face], Cookies n Cream #19 [Serve], Butter Pecan #12 [Savoury]
Topping: Butterscotch, Hot Fudge
Word Count: 2,128
Summary: Mayanna and Sanda meet.
Trya lead the way through the castle, which surprised Sanda with its simplicity. She’d imagined that the King of Hania lived in the opulent circumstances she as a child had wished for herself; rooms of gold and diamonds sparkling in every corner. In actual fact, the rooms reminded her of the house Puddle used to work in, right at the edge of the Circle. The rooms were neat and warm, with monochrome walls and good quality, but not opulent, furniture.
“It’s not really what you’d expect, is it?” The head of security asked, noting Sanda’s surprised look. Sanda quickly made her expression nonchalance again, shrugging.
“I suppose not.” She admitted after a second, glancing at the burly head of Security. The woman was tall, with cropped brown hair and a strict face with strong brows which betrayed a battle scared background. Over her left eyebrow there was an acute scar and her cheek bones were acute. Sanda guessed the woman was in her early fifties; her hair showed signs of well masked greying and her eyes were surrounded by wrinkles, though they somehow matched her strict visage.
“Now, the Crown Princess doesn’t mind coarse manners, but I expect you to be on your best behaviour. Copy her manners. Don’t eat with your hands or your elbows on the table. Eat slowly; there’s always more. Don’t look greedy.” Sanda realised that the head of Security was nervous as the burly woman listed what Sanda should and shouldn’t do. She listened absently to the manners both Sanda’s Ma and Puddle had taught her, in their pride, ignoring their circumstances and simply pretending they could still afford them.
They stopped at oak doors and the burly woman paused for one second, glancing at Sanda. “Please don’t embarrass me.” Her voice was almost pleading, fixing Sanda with an earnest stare. “I thought you could do this, now go on and prove me right.”
Sanda nodded quietly. Trya opened the door for her and Sanda walked in, glancing around quickly. The dining room was small; obviously not the one they used for royal dinners. A sturdy wooden table was set for two. A petite woman with short blond hair looked up as Sanda entered.
Sanda carefully approached her as the young woman quickly got up. “You must be Sanda.” She said, smiling and holding out her hand. Sanda shook it, some nagging feeling in her gut making this woman look familiar.
“Have I met you before?” Sanda asked after a second, remembering those violet eyes from somewhere.
Mayanna cocked her head to one side, surveying Sand with the same half recognition. “Yes,” Mayanna agreed after a second, “I remember you from somewhere.” Her brow furrowed and then relaxed again as a smile lit up her face. “I remember; you were the young woman who brought me to Healer Ellis!”
Sanda nodded, remembering the hooded rider too. She grinned, happy that this wasn’t awkward. Mayanna gestured that Sanda sat down as she sat down too.
“You told me your name was Edge then.” Mayanna said after she sat down comfortably. “Do you prefer that name?”
Sanda shook her head, picking up her water glass carefully and taking a sip. “No. I prefer Sanda. Edge is what they call me in Northside though.” Mayanna’s interest was piqued.
“Why?” She asked politely.
“’Cause I have a temper like a hurricane.” Sanda explained. “So, they always said ‘Never put her on edge, she’ll rip off your head’. So, after some time I just got nicknamed Edge. It was more ferocious than Sanda.” Sanda smiled, putting down her glass again and nearly jumping as a servant served her a small, neatly arranged salad.
A smile pulled at Mayanna’s lips as she surveyed the dark haired woman stare at her cutlery in surprise. “You use the one at the edge first and work inwards.” Mayanna explained, picking up own fork and carefully eating a small morsel of food. The girl watched before mimicking the movement and portion.
After a minute of two of silence during which Mayanna watched her guest in interest and Sanda tried to think of something to break the awkward silence. All she could think of was the slight curve of the crown princess’ neck and the dip where her collarbone was, and the sparkle in her eye, as if she was laughing with Sanda at some joke, as she caught the young woman’s eye.
“I suppose we need to discuss your duties.” Mayanna sighed, setting down her cutlery carefully on her place and looking at Sanda intently. Copying her actions, Sanda nodded silently. “Officially, you’re my food taster and second body guard. The nobles will easily believe this, as will my father, because they believe Trya is becoming too old to do her duty correctly, which I can’t convince them enough, is incorrect.” Sanda nodded.
“Unofficially, though?” She asked, raising an eyebrow at Mayanna.
Mayanna’s violet eyes sparkles. “Unofficially, you’re whatever I need.” She grinned, a grin Sanda would have classed as a mischievous grin, though she didn’t know the princess well enough to know whether she was serious.
“What would this entail?” Sanda asked carefully.
“Loyalty to me.” Sanda said, her eyes hardening and her smile thinning, warning that this was essential.
For a second, an assortment of thoughts, each less appealing to say aloud, ran through Sanda’s mind as she tried to drag it away from taking off Sanda’s clothes and more to her loyalty to the queen.
Sanda didn’t need to pause to think about it. Acting on instinct, she pushed out her chair and got out her knee, holding out her knife to the princess. “If you want to, m’lady, I can swear allegiance to you with a blood oath right her and now to prove my loyalty.”
Mayanna stared at the knife for a second before carefully picking it up with her delicate fingers. “How do you do a blood oath?” She asked carefully.
“We seal our pact in blood.” Sanda said, carefully taking another knife from her pocket and carefully cutting open the palm of her hand. The princess gulped before she offered her own, shaking hand. Sanda couldn’t help but smile as she flinched at the flash of the knife. Did the princess have not truth in her healing abilities?
Sanda quickly blocked the nerves from the hand before cutting into the palm gently, fascinated by the red line which blossomed in its path. Covering the red path with her own blood, Sanda smiled at the princess encouragingly. “With this blood oath, I promise to protect you, do you every will without contesting it and trust your judgement. Moreover, I will be loyal to you, and only you. Do you accept this, my, Sanda’s, oath of fealty, Crown Princess of Hania.”
“I do.” Mayanna’s voice was breathless as
Mayanna’s blood, royal blood, seeped into Sanda’s veins as her own, coarse blood, did the same to Mayanna. The power was blindingly obvious, for both of them, as for a second of blinding pain the sealed pact made Mayanna gasp, nearly scream in pain and Sanda wince. They couldn’t release each other’s hands though, as Sanda knelt there, watching her oath seal itself.
Sanda quickly healer their hands, so when they pulled away the only blood that was on their hands was the blood of the other, easily brushed off. She almost forgot to unblock Mayanna’s nerves, though she remembered when Mayanna stared down at her hand in confusion and quickly allowed feeling to pass through them.
Carefully wiping the blood off her hand, Mayanna smiled a shacky smile before turning back to her food, desperately trying to mask her shaking hand. “That was an experenice.” She muttered, glancing up at her new employee. Sanda’s face was completely unreadable as she sat there, staring down at her half finished meal in an unreadable emotion.
“Are you alright?” Mayanna carefully asked, unsure what to expect from a girl who had a temper like a hurricane.
“I used magic.” Sanda met Mayanna’s eyes, though her expression was still unreadable, her voice betrayed fear, exultation and astonishment. “I used real magic, not only what Healers use, but real magic.”
“Were you trained in the craft of magic at all? Were you Discovered?” Mayanna asked, interested as Sanda examined her hands, as if she had only just noticed them.
“I was Discovered when I was eight, though my family couldn’t afford to pay the magician the sum he desired for taking me as an apprentice, so I remain untaught in the magic. Yet somehow, there’s something new in my veins.” Sanda looked up at Mayanna in fascination in fear. “I feel like something’s awakening.”
“Is it a good or a bad feeling?” Mayanna asked in uncertainty, uncomfortable. She wasn’t magically strong enough to be Discovered by a mage, but she did know simple tricks of magic, like lighting a candle or opening a door, which she used in her day to day life.
“Duck.” That was all the warning Mayanna got from Sanda’s suddenly frightened face as the younger woman shoved Mayanna off her chair as suddenly the east facing windows exploded in a glittering mess of fragile glass raining down on the floor in a melodious explosion. The explosion alerted Trya, who’d been listening to the conversation through the door, to enter.
“What is happening here?” The burly woman shouted at Sanda who was simply standing in front of the windows in fascination staring at the glass. Mayanna was slowly getting up from where she’d landed on her side, rubbing her arm in shock.
“Look.” Sanda answered, face still unreadable as, around her, the glass shards slowly repaired themselves, returning to their original places in the glass, leaving no hint on the large windows that this had ever happened. Trya stared at Sanda in surprise and shock.
“You can use magic?!” She demanded. Sanda shrugged, turning around to face Trya and Mayanna.
“Now I can.” Sanda answered carefully. “Anyway.” She gestured outside. “That wasn’t me.” She quickly cleared up, realising the frightened look in Mayanna’s eyes as the crown princess stared around her dining room in confusion. “Someone out there’s trying to hurt you.”
“Really?” Trya’s voice was laced with bitterness. “We thought windows just spontaneously combusted all the fucking time.” Sanda smiled in return to that, carefully dusting her place and sitting down again.
“I’ve got Gry on the case.” She said, looking up at the two perplexed women. “If there’s anyone remotely suspicious in any pub or inn in Northside I’ll hear about it.”
“She’s insane.” Mayanna muttered to Trya, breathing a sigh of relief as she sat down, gesturing at Trya to join them. “She made a blood oath to me.”
“A blood oath?!” Trya’s face darkened. “What on earth did you do that for?” She demanded, her dark gaze on Sanda.
“I felt the need to.” She answered, her eyes flashing as her amazement at magic wearing off as worry and annoyance washed through her system. “It’s a good job I did too.” She added. “I felt that magic before it had time to physically impact the windows, so I could protect the Princess. Anyway, there’s someone who knows the palace and the princess’ movements well enough to attempt to scare and harm her, and you’re worried about me making a blood oath?”
“The castle isn’t protected by any walls or gates.” Trya shrugged. “It could have just been a lucky guess.”
“No one’s that lucky.” Sanda snapped, feeling edgy. There was something going on, playing just at the edge of her senses, and somehow she knew it was bad. Something bad was coming this way and right now she just wanted to stop it. She sighed wearily, putting her had in her palm and staring at the oak table.
“It’s okay. I’m fine.” The princess’ soft fingers traced Sanda’s arm as she smiled at the young woman encouragingly. The dark haired woman just looked up, her face unreadable again.
“I’m scared.” Sanda’s admission didn’t surprise Mayanna. The girl had just discovered a latent magical ability, had to use it and made a blood oath to another woman. She had just made a great commitment to become her body guard and protect her, unaware of what was happening around Mayanna.
“I am too. People are trying to kill me all of a sudden, and I don’t know why.” Mayanna smiled sadly. “I haven’t done anything.”
“Except be born.” Trya added sadly.
“According to the world, that’s a sin enough.” Sanda agreed as she stared out of the window even though the outside was too dark to see the black cloaked figure standing the courtyard, frowning.
Author: Lady Macbeth
Story: Edge of the Abyss
Character: Mayanna
Challenge: Maple Walnut #7 [Poker face], Cookies n Cream #19 [Serve], Butter Pecan #12 [Savoury]
Topping: Butterscotch, Hot Fudge
Word Count: 2,128
Summary: Mayanna and Sanda meet.
Trya lead the way through the castle, which surprised Sanda with its simplicity. She’d imagined that the King of Hania lived in the opulent circumstances she as a child had wished for herself; rooms of gold and diamonds sparkling in every corner. In actual fact, the rooms reminded her of the house Puddle used to work in, right at the edge of the Circle. The rooms were neat and warm, with monochrome walls and good quality, but not opulent, furniture.
“It’s not really what you’d expect, is it?” The head of security asked, noting Sanda’s surprised look. Sanda quickly made her expression nonchalance again, shrugging.
“I suppose not.” She admitted after a second, glancing at the burly head of Security. The woman was tall, with cropped brown hair and a strict face with strong brows which betrayed a battle scared background. Over her left eyebrow there was an acute scar and her cheek bones were acute. Sanda guessed the woman was in her early fifties; her hair showed signs of well masked greying and her eyes were surrounded by wrinkles, though they somehow matched her strict visage.
“Now, the Crown Princess doesn’t mind coarse manners, but I expect you to be on your best behaviour. Copy her manners. Don’t eat with your hands or your elbows on the table. Eat slowly; there’s always more. Don’t look greedy.” Sanda realised that the head of Security was nervous as the burly woman listed what Sanda should and shouldn’t do. She listened absently to the manners both Sanda’s Ma and Puddle had taught her, in their pride, ignoring their circumstances and simply pretending they could still afford them.
They stopped at oak doors and the burly woman paused for one second, glancing at Sanda. “Please don’t embarrass me.” Her voice was almost pleading, fixing Sanda with an earnest stare. “I thought you could do this, now go on and prove me right.”
Sanda nodded quietly. Trya opened the door for her and Sanda walked in, glancing around quickly. The dining room was small; obviously not the one they used for royal dinners. A sturdy wooden table was set for two. A petite woman with short blond hair looked up as Sanda entered.
Sanda carefully approached her as the young woman quickly got up. “You must be Sanda.” She said, smiling and holding out her hand. Sanda shook it, some nagging feeling in her gut making this woman look familiar.
“Have I met you before?” Sanda asked after a second, remembering those violet eyes from somewhere.
Mayanna cocked her head to one side, surveying Sand with the same half recognition. “Yes,” Mayanna agreed after a second, “I remember you from somewhere.” Her brow furrowed and then relaxed again as a smile lit up her face. “I remember; you were the young woman who brought me to Healer Ellis!”
Sanda nodded, remembering the hooded rider too. She grinned, happy that this wasn’t awkward. Mayanna gestured that Sanda sat down as she sat down too.
“You told me your name was Edge then.” Mayanna said after she sat down comfortably. “Do you prefer that name?”
Sanda shook her head, picking up her water glass carefully and taking a sip. “No. I prefer Sanda. Edge is what they call me in Northside though.” Mayanna’s interest was piqued.
“Why?” She asked politely.
“’Cause I have a temper like a hurricane.” Sanda explained. “So, they always said ‘Never put her on edge, she’ll rip off your head’. So, after some time I just got nicknamed Edge. It was more ferocious than Sanda.” Sanda smiled, putting down her glass again and nearly jumping as a servant served her a small, neatly arranged salad.
A smile pulled at Mayanna’s lips as she surveyed the dark haired woman stare at her cutlery in surprise. “You use the one at the edge first and work inwards.” Mayanna explained, picking up own fork and carefully eating a small morsel of food. The girl watched before mimicking the movement and portion.
After a minute of two of silence during which Mayanna watched her guest in interest and Sanda tried to think of something to break the awkward silence. All she could think of was the slight curve of the crown princess’ neck and the dip where her collarbone was, and the sparkle in her eye, as if she was laughing with Sanda at some joke, as she caught the young woman’s eye.
“I suppose we need to discuss your duties.” Mayanna sighed, setting down her cutlery carefully on her place and looking at Sanda intently. Copying her actions, Sanda nodded silently. “Officially, you’re my food taster and second body guard. The nobles will easily believe this, as will my father, because they believe Trya is becoming too old to do her duty correctly, which I can’t convince them enough, is incorrect.” Sanda nodded.
“Unofficially, though?” She asked, raising an eyebrow at Mayanna.
Mayanna’s violet eyes sparkles. “Unofficially, you’re whatever I need.” She grinned, a grin Sanda would have classed as a mischievous grin, though she didn’t know the princess well enough to know whether she was serious.
“What would this entail?” Sanda asked carefully.
“Loyalty to me.” Sanda said, her eyes hardening and her smile thinning, warning that this was essential.
For a second, an assortment of thoughts, each less appealing to say aloud, ran through Sanda’s mind as she tried to drag it away from taking off Sanda’s clothes and more to her loyalty to the queen.
Sanda didn’t need to pause to think about it. Acting on instinct, she pushed out her chair and got out her knee, holding out her knife to the princess. “If you want to, m’lady, I can swear allegiance to you with a blood oath right her and now to prove my loyalty.”
Mayanna stared at the knife for a second before carefully picking it up with her delicate fingers. “How do you do a blood oath?” She asked carefully.
“We seal our pact in blood.” Sanda said, carefully taking another knife from her pocket and carefully cutting open the palm of her hand. The princess gulped before she offered her own, shaking hand. Sanda couldn’t help but smile as she flinched at the flash of the knife. Did the princess have not truth in her healing abilities?
Sanda quickly blocked the nerves from the hand before cutting into the palm gently, fascinated by the red line which blossomed in its path. Covering the red path with her own blood, Sanda smiled at the princess encouragingly. “With this blood oath, I promise to protect you, do you every will without contesting it and trust your judgement. Moreover, I will be loyal to you, and only you. Do you accept this, my, Sanda’s, oath of fealty, Crown Princess of Hania.”
“I do.” Mayanna’s voice was breathless as
Mayanna’s blood, royal blood, seeped into Sanda’s veins as her own, coarse blood, did the same to Mayanna. The power was blindingly obvious, for both of them, as for a second of blinding pain the sealed pact made Mayanna gasp, nearly scream in pain and Sanda wince. They couldn’t release each other’s hands though, as Sanda knelt there, watching her oath seal itself.
Sanda quickly healer their hands, so when they pulled away the only blood that was on their hands was the blood of the other, easily brushed off. She almost forgot to unblock Mayanna’s nerves, though she remembered when Mayanna stared down at her hand in confusion and quickly allowed feeling to pass through them.
Carefully wiping the blood off her hand, Mayanna smiled a shacky smile before turning back to her food, desperately trying to mask her shaking hand. “That was an experenice.” She muttered, glancing up at her new employee. Sanda’s face was completely unreadable as she sat there, staring down at her half finished meal in an unreadable emotion.
“Are you alright?” Mayanna carefully asked, unsure what to expect from a girl who had a temper like a hurricane.
“I used magic.” Sanda met Mayanna’s eyes, though her expression was still unreadable, her voice betrayed fear, exultation and astonishment. “I used real magic, not only what Healers use, but real magic.”
“Were you trained in the craft of magic at all? Were you Discovered?” Mayanna asked, interested as Sanda examined her hands, as if she had only just noticed them.
“I was Discovered when I was eight, though my family couldn’t afford to pay the magician the sum he desired for taking me as an apprentice, so I remain untaught in the magic. Yet somehow, there’s something new in my veins.” Sanda looked up at Mayanna in fascination in fear. “I feel like something’s awakening.”
“Is it a good or a bad feeling?” Mayanna asked in uncertainty, uncomfortable. She wasn’t magically strong enough to be Discovered by a mage, but she did know simple tricks of magic, like lighting a candle or opening a door, which she used in her day to day life.
“Duck.” That was all the warning Mayanna got from Sanda’s suddenly frightened face as the younger woman shoved Mayanna off her chair as suddenly the east facing windows exploded in a glittering mess of fragile glass raining down on the floor in a melodious explosion. The explosion alerted Trya, who’d been listening to the conversation through the door, to enter.
“What is happening here?” The burly woman shouted at Sanda who was simply standing in front of the windows in fascination staring at the glass. Mayanna was slowly getting up from where she’d landed on her side, rubbing her arm in shock.
“Look.” Sanda answered, face still unreadable as, around her, the glass shards slowly repaired themselves, returning to their original places in the glass, leaving no hint on the large windows that this had ever happened. Trya stared at Sanda in surprise and shock.
“You can use magic?!” She demanded. Sanda shrugged, turning around to face Trya and Mayanna.
“Now I can.” Sanda answered carefully. “Anyway.” She gestured outside. “That wasn’t me.” She quickly cleared up, realising the frightened look in Mayanna’s eyes as the crown princess stared around her dining room in confusion. “Someone out there’s trying to hurt you.”
“Really?” Trya’s voice was laced with bitterness. “We thought windows just spontaneously combusted all the fucking time.” Sanda smiled in return to that, carefully dusting her place and sitting down again.
“I’ve got Gry on the case.” She said, looking up at the two perplexed women. “If there’s anyone remotely suspicious in any pub or inn in Northside I’ll hear about it.”
“She’s insane.” Mayanna muttered to Trya, breathing a sigh of relief as she sat down, gesturing at Trya to join them. “She made a blood oath to me.”
“A blood oath?!” Trya’s face darkened. “What on earth did you do that for?” She demanded, her dark gaze on Sanda.
“I felt the need to.” She answered, her eyes flashing as her amazement at magic wearing off as worry and annoyance washed through her system. “It’s a good job I did too.” She added. “I felt that magic before it had time to physically impact the windows, so I could protect the Princess. Anyway, there’s someone who knows the palace and the princess’ movements well enough to attempt to scare and harm her, and you’re worried about me making a blood oath?”
“The castle isn’t protected by any walls or gates.” Trya shrugged. “It could have just been a lucky guess.”
“No one’s that lucky.” Sanda snapped, feeling edgy. There was something going on, playing just at the edge of her senses, and somehow she knew it was bad. Something bad was coming this way and right now she just wanted to stop it. She sighed wearily, putting her had in her palm and staring at the oak table.
“It’s okay. I’m fine.” The princess’ soft fingers traced Sanda’s arm as she smiled at the young woman encouragingly. The dark haired woman just looked up, her face unreadable again.
“I’m scared.” Sanda’s admission didn’t surprise Mayanna. The girl had just discovered a latent magical ability, had to use it and made a blood oath to another woman. She had just made a great commitment to become her body guard and protect her, unaware of what was happening around Mayanna.
“I am too. People are trying to kill me all of a sudden, and I don’t know why.” Mayanna smiled sadly. “I haven’t done anything.”
“Except be born.” Trya added sadly.
“According to the world, that’s a sin enough.” Sanda agreed as she stared out of the window even though the outside was too dark to see the black cloaked figure standing the courtyard, frowning.