Garia encounters obstructions of various kinds as she tries to get through a busy morning. If it isn't designing forks then it's a trip to the salon that gets off to a bad start. As lunch approaches she receives an intriguing invitation which just causes further problems...

Somewhere Else Entirely

by Penny Lane

11 - Morning Difficulties

Disclaimer: The original characters and plot of this story are the property of the author. No infringement of pre-existing copyright is intended. This story is copyright (c) 2011-2016 Penny Lane. All rights reserved.

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Dawn had been a while ago but there was so far little movement about the palace. Garia sat up against her pillow, her arms around her knees, her unfocused gaze on nothing at all in the dimly-lit room as she wrestled with her problem.

Who do I trust?

It all comes back to that, doesn't it?

Is Robanar as genuine as he seems, or is he attempting to gain control over whatever I choose to reveal to this world? His plan sounds reasonable, but we'll have to think the rules through pretty carefully before I will commit myself to what he proposes.

If he has another agenda, what options do I have? He's said, and repeated in front of witnesses, that I can leave here whenever I want, but would I be throwing myself out of the frying pan into the fire? Would he really let me go? If I stay, what would he do with me? What might he do to me? She shivered. I can't really believe he's that evil, but even so. I'm still just a kid really and he's had years of running a country as absolute ruler. How am I supposed to know what he's like? I don't know how to answer these questions, and I don't know who to ask for advice.

She didn't know how long she stayed there, trying to figure out a way of solving her problem but just going round and round. Bells tolled the time in the distance but she still had no idea what they meant. The narrow door opened and Jenet emerged wearing the inevitable fluffy robe, ready for the morning bathing session.

"Mistress! You're already awake! Good morning." Jenet looked at Garia's face more closely in the growing light. "Mistress? What's the matter?"

Garia sighed and beckoned to Jenet.

"Come over here, Jenet. Have we got spare time before breakfast? Perhaps I can ask you a question or two before we get started."

"Aye, Mistress. We have time, I'll keep an ear open for the bells."

"Come over here, sit on the bed here by me." Garia patted the bed to one side.

"Mistress? Are you sure? It seems disrespectful."

"Not with me, it isn't. Come and sit down a moment, let me explain my problem and see what you think."

"If you insist, Mistress." Jenet sat cautiously on the side of the bed, her feet on the floor.

Garia said, "You've been with me almost all the time since I came to the palace, haven't you? Up until the other night, that is. Still, you were with me when Morlan tried to convince himself I was a spy, you heard me convince him I knew a great deal more than a local girl of my age might. How much of what you heard did you understand?"

"Some, Mistress. A lot was difficult, because you spoke of things I knew nothing about. I couldn't see what you wrote on the board very clearly, either, from where I was standing. Why, Mistress? Do you think that I could be in danger because of what I might have found out?"

"Quite possibly, Jenet, but that was not why I asked. You understand that I have a lot of knowledge, and that I could teach people here what I know if I chose to."

"Why yes, Mistress, and I hope that you do so."

"Hmm. Do you also understand that whatever I tell people is going to cause great changes to Palarand, and possibly all Alaesia? It could upset a lot of people. Jobs are going to be lost, customs changed and so on."

"I think so, Mistress, from what you have said before. But, surely, the good must outweigh the bad? Will we not be better off afterwards?"

"That's the problem. We don't know what might happen in the future. What happened on my world - and not all of that was good, by a long way - may be totally different than what happens here. Now, because the King understands that, he has a plan."

Garia outlined what Robanar had proposed the previous evening, explaining how she thought his plan was intended to work, telling Jenet her misgivings. The maid considered all this carefully, fully aware that she had been given privileged information.

"If you're asking me whether you can trust the King," she replied carefully, "I can only tell you what I know of him. I was born in the palace, my mother was a serving maid and my father, as near as we can tell, one of the under-cooks, so I have lived here all my thirty-five years. It's not an unusual occurrence among the staff, the children are well looked after here. In all the years I have lived here I have found the King to be a good man, thoughtful in the things that I know he does for Palarand. Of course being just a servant I don't know everything he does. I have no reason to think that he would be jealous of the knowledge you possess, Mistress. If he says he will do a thing, then generally he does it."

"Generally?"

"Occasionally things have happened over which he has no control. Like the river flooding, for example. That is something no king has any control over. It will undo the best of plans. But he has given you an undertaking, Mistress, and he will try and hold to his promises as much as he can."

"I see. Jenet, thank you, you are putting my mind at rest." Garia pushed back the covers fully. "Perhaps we ought to go and get in the bath, then."

~o~O~o~

Keren joined them for breakfast.

"I had a talk with Bleskin," he explained to Garia before they sat down. "We agreed that there wasn't a lot of point me turning up on the training ground each morning if I was then going to skip off halfway through to come and assist you with whatever's going on, and it looks like your life is going to get even more complicated for a while. I talked it over with Father too and I convinced him that you were more important at the moment than Guard training was."

"That's very thoughtful of you, Highness," she replied. A mischievous look came into her eyes. "Are you sure there wasn't another reason?"

"Funny thing," he replied with a straight face. "Father asked me the exact same question. I'm not sure I understood what he was getting at."

"I bet you didn't. I wonder if they play poker on this planet?"

"Poker, Mistress?"

"Never mind. If I get the chance, much later on, I'll enlighten you. Shall we sit down?"

Gerdas was there, fortunately for Garia seated on the other side of Robanar as befitting an honored guest. She knew that she would have to spend some time with him that day and that was probably one of the reasons that Keren had rearranged his schedule. The meal passed well, most of the court now becoming familiar with her appearance and some of them passing remarks to her at table. In her own mind she was beginning to feel less like a stranger and more like she belonged here. It would still take time, but she was feeling more comfortable with her situation with each day that passed, abduction attempts notwithstanding.

A footman came at the end of the meal and whispered in the Chamberlain's ear. He stood and approached the Queen.

"Your Majesty, I have word that Guildmaster Parrel is waiting your pleasure at the front of the palace."

"He is? Oh, of course, yes. Garia, my dear, are you ready to speak to your metalsmith? He is waiting."

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

The footman led Terys, Garia and a curious Keren through the corridors to a room like those they had used the previous day. In one of them they found an older man and a younger companion, both looking uncomfortable in tidy clothes they obviously wore infrequently.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness, Mistress," the older man began. "If I may present my journeyman Tarvan. I received word that you wished to see me. To commission a new work, I understand?"

"That's correct, Master Parrel," Terys replied. "Let me see how I can explain this." Parrel and Tarvan looked curiously at the three, puzzled as to the nature of their summons. Terys thought about how to describe what Garia wanted without burdening them with too much information that might get in the way of the discussion.

"This is Mistress Garia," she gestured at Garia and the two men bowed in her direction. "She is a visitor to Palarand and indeed the Valley. The ways of her homeland are quite different than ours and she finds difficulty in eating meals with the tools we are accustomed to use here. She has asked if someone here could make a tool that she is familiar with. I am assured that it will be a simple task for someone such as yourself."

"Indeed?" Parrel's eyebrows rose. He turned to Garia. "Mistress? Can you explain what we might do for you?"

"Master Parrel, yes I can," she said. She held up a spoon that she had 'borrowed' from the breakfast table. "What I want is something similar to this in size and shape but -" As she talked she showed him with hand and finger movements what she was thinking of. The journeyman had a bag and produced from it a slate and chalks. Garia discovered that she could draw what she envisaged quite easily.

Parrel nodded. "That shouldn't be difficult to do, Mistress. We can use a modified spoon pattern and then, instead of beating out the bowl, instead cut slots down as you describe. You desire the ends to be filed to points?"

"Oh, no, Master Parrel! This is going to go into my mouth, I wouldn't want to injure myself. What I want is blunt points like this." She showed him on the slate. "I'm only going to pick up cooked food from my plate, blunted points should be good enough to push through food that soft."

"Interesting, Mistress. This design intrigues me. It is so simple, yet no-one in Palarand has thought of such a thing. Ah. If one uses these, then how does one take gravy and sauces?"

"A spoon is usually provided as well, Master, but there are many meals where a spoon is not necessary."

"What would one call such a tool as this, Mistress?"

"At home we call them forks, Master Parrel."

"Forks, Mistress? In Palarand the word fork means a tool which is used by farmers to break up clods in their fields, Mistress."

Tarvan added, "And for shifting manure, Master."

Garia saw the potential problem. "In my country the word fork is used for many different things. A fork in the road where it splits in two or more directions. Forks in the trunks of trees. It may originally have been a farming implement, now it is used more generally to describe something that divides."

Parrel nodded. "Ah, I understand, Mistress. Well, these shouldn't take too long to fashion. Tarvan is quite capable of such work. How long do you think, Tarvan?"

The journeyman shrugged. "This afternoon, Master, if suitable blanks are available. Tomorrow morning if I have to start with a sheet. How many would the Mistress wish us to make?"

Garia thought briefly. "Four, I think, to start with. I'm assuming that the King and Queen will wish to try them?" She looked enquiringly at Terys.

"Yes, why not? And the fourth is for Keren, of course."

"Yes, Ma'am. Four it is then, please, to the same handle pattern as this spoon if you can manage that."

"Of course, Mistress. We supplied the eating ware for the palace, after all, we should be able to match the pattern." Parrel eyed Garia with interest. "Mistress, there's more going on here than a simple eating tool, isn't there? There have been... rumors in the city, especially since the alarms the other night."

Garia looked at Terys and Keren. Terys merely returned her gaze but Keren made a gesture which suggested she proceed as she thought best.

"I won't deny it, Master," she said, "but," she waved a finger at the two men, "I want this whole business kept quiet for now." She considered. "As a matter of interest, Master, what metals do you work with here? I mean, not just yourself, but all the metalsmiths."

"Mistress? Quite a few, now I think on it. Iron, of course. Steel, when we can make it. Bronze, brass, zinc, tin, lead, copper, silver and gold of course. Why, Mistress? Is there something special you wished us to make for you?"

"Um, I'd rather not answer that question just now. What I think I'd like to do first is to have a look at where you do your work, get some feel for the kinds of things the metalsmiths here are capable of. Would I be able to do that?"

"Mistress?" Parrel looked at Garia with surprise and then at the Queen. "I don't... why would a young woman wish to see what metalsmiths do? It's... not a normal thing. By custom, women are not permitted in our shops, it is too dangerous for them."

Terys said, "In the country where Mistress Garia comes from the customs are somewhat different. I believe that were you to allow Mistress Garia access she would understand much of what was in front of her."

Parrel looked at Garia with an expression that implied he didn't believe a word of it. "Mistress, I'm not sure..."

"If we may leave that question for now, Master," Terys said. "Think about our request and we'll discuss it further when you return with the forks. If I read Mistress Garia's request correctly, what she asks is very important, so I ask you to consider it seriously in the meantime."

"As you command, Your Highness." The two men bowed, assuming the audience was over.

"Thank you for your time, Guildmaster, Journeyman." Queen Terys dismissed them before walking out of the room in front of Keren and Garia.

As they walked back to the rear of the palace Terys remarked, "You have more than a passing interest in the metalsmiths, then, dear?"

"Oh, yes, Ma'am," Garia replied. "If this whole business takes off then people like Parrel will be making a lot of what I describe, at least to start with."

"Yes, I see that," Terys replied. "Do you think that Parrel ought to be on one of the councils, then?"

"Yes, Ma'am, I do. If I'm right, the metalsmiths, or what my world would call engineers, will be more important than the Questors are. They are, after all, the ones who have to turn the ideas the Questors come up with into machines that the rest of us can use."

"I never thought about it that way," Terys said reflectively, "but of course you're right. For anything new to be used, someone has to make it in the first place." She turned to Garia. "Now, dear, what do you have planned for the rest of the morning? Shall you come with me back to our sitting room for some pel? After our talk yesterday and after the meeting yesterday evening I have some questions, I'm sure you will appreciate that."

"Ma'am, that sounds a good idea. Is it a little early after breakfast for pel, though?"

"Mistress." Trailing unobtrusively behind the group the whole time, un-noticed, had been Kenila, Varna and Jenet. It was Kenila who now interrupted the conversation. "Mistress, remember you asked me to arrange for a visit to the salon this morning."

"So I did, Kenila, thank you for reminding me. Your Majesty, with your permission?"

"Of course. You are having something done about your hair, I suppose? I've been wondering about it these last few days. It's a little short for my tastes but curiously seems to suit your face, even as unkempt as it now is."

"Yes, Ma'am. I want to tidy it up at the very least, before I decide what style I want it to be. That's going to be difficult. In my world, boys' hair was cut very differently than girls' hair, and I don't know much about girls' or womens' styles either there or here."

"Do what you wish, my dear, it's your hair. You are happy for Jenet to take you? I know you asked Kenila but with Jenet back on duty she should be the one you consult now."

"That's fine with me, Ma'am."

Terys paused briefly, thinking about something, then added, "Call for me if you have any trouble, dear. I'll see you at lunch, then."

Garia and Jenet curtseyed and watched the Queen sweep off along the corridor with Keren.

"Lead the way, Jenet."

They eventually came to a long, narrow room that Garia immediately labeled barber shop. There were six chairs of which four were filled, a footman having a hair cut, another male servant being shaved, a serving girl having her waist-length hair trimmed and an older woman having something done to her face at the same time as another assistant filed and trimmed her nails. Overseeing the whole room was a plump woman dressed in a lavender cotton dress with a white apron over it, walking up and down, issuing instructions and generally impeding the progress of all the assistants. She turned sharply as Garia and Jenet entered.

"Yes?"

Jenet said, "Mistress Shelda, this is Mistress Garia. She -"

"Oh! Take the mistress through to the other room. I'll join you shortly."

Garia and Jenet walked the length of the room and found themselves in an adjoining room, fitted out similarly but furnished to a much higher standard. Garia guessed that they had gone in the servants' entrance before and wondered whether Jenet had done it accidentally. They stood waiting just a few seconds before the overseer joined them.

"How can I help you, Mistress? I'm sorry, there may be a delay before I can get to you, I'm awaiting a special guest of the King. Will you take a seat while you wait?"

"Actually," Garia said, "that would be me. I'm the guest of the King."

Shelda gave her a look of intense irritation. "I don't think so, Mistress. You're just a girl! Now, no more back-chat from you, please, just sit over there until I sort the King's guest out and then I can give you my undivided attention." Her eyes narrowed as she finally took in the state of Garia's hair. "However did you get your hair like that? Have you been fighting? Why hasn't your governess kept you properly under control? Who is your governess, anyway?"

And so it begins. Who is going to take much notice of a teenage girl anyhow? I've got to get some ground rules laid down here or I'll never get anywhere.

"Mistress Shelda, was it? I am the guest of the King that you are expecting."

"Such impertinence! Sit down there, girl, and stay quiet before I call a Guardsman to take you away."

"Jenet."

"At once, Mistress."

Jenet divined immediately what was needed and walked quickly from the room.

"Hey! You!" Shelda called after her. "Get back here this instant!"

The curious staff in the other room just watched Jenet run past them, making no attempt to stop her. Garia walked over to one of the chairs placed at the back of the room for waiting clients and sat down to wait.

"I asked you a question, Mistress, who is your governess?"

Garia gave her a superior smile. "My maid has gone to fetch her," she said, and then turned her face and ignored the woman. Shelda huffed and then left the room to go and harangue her assistants in the other one. It was a few minutes before a clattering and subdued murmurs told Garia that help had arrived. She stood and looked through the door to see Terys, Jenet and Kenila arriving. The staff were all bowing and curtseying. Terys smiled at seeing Garia through the doorway.

"Garia, my dear! Is Shelda serving you well?"

"Ma'am." Garia curtseyed. "I'm sorry to interrupt whatever you were doing. It seems that Mistress Shelda has difficulty understanding my status in the palace."

"I wondered if this might happen, my dear, which is why I'm here now to correct the misunderstanding." Terys turned to a pale Shelda. "Mistress Garia is a stranger to Palarand, Shelda, and for peculiar reasons which do not concern you she is staying here in the palace as a guest of the King and myself. Indeed, her status is temporarily that of the royal household, and you should treat her as if she were one of my own daughters. Is that clear?"

"As you command, Your Majesty." Shelda was completely subdued, having effectively been admonished in front of her own staff. Garia wondered if she would take it out on them later, after all, such people often did in her own world.

"Furthermore," Terys continued, "because she is a stranger to our customs and fashions she may not wish to be styled as you might style other girls of her age. Therefore, you are to do exactly as she requests, no more and no less, is that understood?"

Mistress Shelda's eyes flicked to Garia before returning to the Queen. "I understand, Your Majesty."

She curtseyed as the Queen and her maid turned and departed the salon. Then, she licked her lips and approached Garia nervously, curtseying again.

"Mistress, forgive me, I was not properly informed."

"Mistress Shelda, there is nothing to forgive, merely a misunderstanding." Garia stood. "Now, we have hair to fix. Where would you like me to sit?"

Garia was shown to a chair facing a mirror, no different to any male or female hairdressing establishment on Earth except that the mirror was polished metal. She examined her reflection and wondered what she was going to do with her hair, given the circumstances.

I have another decision to make, one that is totally unexpected, one that might have as many consequences as what we talked about last night, but in a totally different direction.

Do I want to blend in or stand out?

I wish I'd realized this was coming, I could have spent a little time thinking about it rather than just going round in circles on the other thing. Now I've got to make up my mind with this woman standing here waiting for me to say 'boo'.

If I blend in, then effectively I'm saying that I intend to be no different than any other Palarandian (huh? wonder what they say?) girl. Looking at the face in the mirror, I might just get away with standing out in a crowd even so. Would have helped to have been nine inches taller, though. Having said that, I've hardly met a big sample of the population yet, have I? There are probably women out there I haven't met yet who are going to make me grind my teeth and go green with envy.

What the heck am I saying? I'm a boy... no, I'm not, am I? Not any more. I'm going to have to come to terms with looking at life from a totally different direction, aren't I?

"Mistress?" Shelda stood behind Garia but they could see each other in the mirror. "Do the women where you come from all cut their hair short like this?"

"Um, no, they don't. Um, I mean, hair styles there can be as long as those here or quite short or anything in between, but my hair isn't really very representative. It's been left to grow for a while since I began traveling here." Fudge, fudge. "I know it's not very tidy, I'm trying to decide what to do with it."

"Do you wash it every day, Mistress?"

"Yes, when I bathe every morning. That's no good, is it?"

Of course, they won't have all the shampoos and conditioners like we have at home, will they?

"No, Mistress, it's too drying, especially at this time of year. It'll look a lot better once the rainy season starts. I have something here that might help, I'm surprised your maid hasn't suggested it."

"Um, my days at the palace so far have been a bit chaotic," Garia told her. "I'm not surprised something like that got overlooked. What have you got?"

Shelda turned and called to an assistant in the other room. "Sardin, fetch me a sealed bottle of karzal-nut oil from the store, will you? Immediately, please." She turned back to the mirror. "The oil I'm going to give your maid is a very light oil, and you only need a tiny amount each morning so it won't feel like your hair has gotten greasy or anything like that. She will know how and when to apply it. It will make your hair very shiny, Mistress."

I wondered how they did that, now I know.

"Have you a means of slightly dampening my hair, please?" Garia asked. "And a comb? I'd like to see what it might look like done several ways."

"Certainly, Mistress." Shelda went away and returned with a device like a large metal syringe with a little shower head at the end. This was charged from a bowl of water and the fine spray dampened down Garia's hair.

Each morning after bathing Jenet had dried Garia's hair and brushed it with a center parting. This had initially felt strange to Garia who, as Gary, had side-parted it all his life. At the back it had been collar-length and it had certainly started to cover his ears but he had made sure that the result was always tidy and trimmed. Now, center-parted, one side was longer than the other and it made Garia's face seem lop-sided. The internal discussion resumed as Shelda produced a silver comb and handed it to Garia.

I think I want to stand out, really. That might be the only way to get people to pay attention to me, to see me as an exotic visitor rather than 'just another teenage girl'. That way people will know I come from somewhere else entirely and won't try and judge me by their own standards.

Possible future benefit: I won't want long hair if I can get some progress on practising my defense moves, it will all get in the way.

Heh, that never stopped Lara Croft now, did it? She had a plaited pony-tail, if I remember correctly.

Screw that. If I want to try out long hair, I can do that later. For now, short is looking like a better option since nobody here wears theirs short.

So, what kind of short hair-do do I want? To start with, it's going to be limited to what I have available.

She combed the damp hair to either side with a parting straight down the middle.

Nope, too severe. How did girls at school do their hair? All kinds of ways! None of which I paid the slightest attention to. Sheesh. Why is it I need to know all the things now that didn't remotely interest me then?

Bangs. Try bangs.

She found a line just behind the hairline and started combing forward, leaving a strange wavy edge to the fringe.

Hmm. It has possibilities. Okay, what to do about the sides. What do they call it? A pixie cut? Nope, I think that would be a bit too radical here even for me. Let's try something longer, then if it looks off I still have enough left to try and rescue it. How about...

"Mistress Shelda? I think I have an idea, but I want to make sure that if it goes wrong I can change it, know what I mean?"

"I think so, Mistress. What did you have in mind?"

"Can you cut the front straight across my forehead, just level with my eyebrows? From here to here?" Garia indicated with a finger. "I think it needs to start a little further back than I just combed it though."

"I can do that for you, Mistress. Are you sure? Some of the young ladies do have bangs, but usually girls much younger than you."

"Yes please. You'll see when I've finished."

Shelda took a cape from a hook on the wall and wrapped it round Garia to protect her clothing. With the comb she took another line over Garia's head from ear to ear and combed more hair forward. The result looked better. She carefully cut across from the outside edge of one eyebrow to the outside edge of the other, brushing the clipped hair away from Garia's face.

"Is that what you wanted, Mistress?"

"That looks good. Right, the next step is something you probably haven't done ever before. I want you to cut all the hair that's dangling down, exactly horizontally and in line with the back of my jawline." Garia demonstrated with a flattened hand what she wanted.

I know nothing of how this is done normally. I just hope I don't goof it up.

"Are you sure, Mistress? It seems a little unusual."

"I think so. We won't have finished when you've done that, though, there's more to follow."

Shelda, trying not to flinch and trying not to cut Garia either, tentatively started clipping from one side and then carried on round the back, stepping back from time to time to see if the bottom edge was level. Garia for her part tried hard to keep her head still and horizontal.

"This is... interesting, Mistress. Is it your intention for so much of your neck to be showing? Is that what you want?"

It'll be a new experience for me, but I'm not going to tell the old trout that, am I? Besides which, one thing I do know is that girls with short hairstyles have necks every boy is going to want to kiss.

Wait a moment, did I really just think that?

"Yes, that's exactly right, Mistress," Garia replied, trying hard not to nod.

"Do you want these side pieces shortened, Mistress? They don't look right sticking out like that."

"Leave them for the moment, please. We can trim them up later if need be."

"As you command, Mistress. You said there was more to do?"

Yes. I have this picture in my mind of what I want it to look like, but I'm not now or ever have been a hairdresser and I don't have a clue how they did that. Hairdressers generally get treated with disrespect, even contempt, but I'm beginning to understand that there's as much science and craft in it as there is in making jewelry.

I can see Kelly Baines in my mind's eye. She has this hairdo I always liked because I thought it made her face look even cuter. Of course it might not look so good on me. Me, cute? What the heck am I thinking? What the heck am I doing to myself?

Focus, dammit!

"Um, now, you see how there's a lot of hair at the bottom, where you cut it? The idea is now to take away in layers from underneath, to allow the outside edge to curl in."

Shelda inspected the work done so far. "I think I get the idea, Mistress. Do you mind if I only take a little at a time? I've never attempted anything like this before."

"Go ahead."

After a number of attempts and one blunder which nearly resulted in a nick being taken out of one of her ears, Garia was almost satisfied with the result. She studied herself in the mirror.

I'm not sure this is entirely what I had in mind. Dammit, I look like a Japanese schoolgirl!

She had to try and avoid cracking up as she thought of the effect she would make walking about the palace dressed for the part. One of her ears was more visible than the other, a result of moving from a side to a center parting, but even so both were mostly covered and in a few weeks both would be completely hidden.

Calm down, there. What you look like now is way better than when you walked in here. Now you need to have a baseball bat to hand to keep the admirers off. She groaned internally. I'm going to need a pry bar to separate myself from Keren, aren't I?

Whose brilliant idea was this, anyway?

"Now we need to rub a little of the oil in, Mistress. That should make your hair sit properly as well as giving it shine. I must say, I'm not used to seeing a style a short as this but it definitely suits your face."

The oil darkened her hair and made it shiny, making the Japanese schoolgirl effect even stronger. Garia moved her head from side to side to check the effect in the mirror and had to admit to herself that she definitely looked hot. Of course, the locals, used to long hair either worn long or elaborately piled on the head might not think so. On the other hand, that was exactly the effect she wanted, to stand out from the crowd.

"Thank you, Mistress Shelda," Garia said, brushing stray hairs from her hands as she stood. "I'm sorry about the mix-up at the beginning but I think you've made a good job of my hair despite our poor start."

Shelda curtseyed. "Thank you, Mistress. I should have paid more attention to the messenger. You will want to maintain your style?"

"I think so. I'm sure I or Jenet here will know when it needs your attention again."

Jenet led Garia through the palace corridors towards the dining room. It was a little early but there was usually someone there standing around she could talk to while she was waiting, so she didn't mind. What she did mind was that every male head snapped round to follow her as she passed. At first this disturbed her but then she started appreciating it, although she was very careful not to acknowledge any of the stares she received.

So this is how they all do it, she thought. I didn't realize I could do it as well. I'm going to have to be even more careful in future how I respond to attention.

What was more difficult to take were the hard stares she received from every female she passed.

Oh, God. Please don't tell me this is how the whores wear their hair!

Ouch. Well, ultimately there was only ever going to be one way to learn right from wrong.

"Jenet," she whispered after passing a large group of female servants, "is my hair-do satisfactory? I haven't made a big error, have I?"

"I don't think so, Mistress. It's certainly unusual, that's why everyone is looking at it. I don't think anyone in Palarand has ever had their hair cut that way before." Jenet smiled. "Actually, I think it suits your face perfectly, Mistress. I bet that a lot of the younger women are going to think hard about having their hair cut the same way once they see you."

"My hair's not like, um, the ladies of ill-repute?" To Jenet's blank stare she clarified, "I mean, like a prostitute?"

"What? Maker, no, Mistress! Not at all! Oh, I understand your worry now, Mistress. No, have no fears on that account. If there had been any similarity at all like that I would never have let you out of the salon. No, your style is unique. And wonderful."

"Oh, thank you, Jenet! You're such a friend." Garia grabbed Jenet's hand briefly as they resumed walking.

They entered the dining room and were instantly the center of attention. In particular, Gerdas was there and he made a bee-line for the pair, surprise complete on his face. He bowed low before them.

"Mistress! You look amazing!"

"Master Gerdas. I must apologize, I had already arranged to have my hair seen to and I forgot to tell you at breakfast. I hope you haven't been standing here waiting for me all this time?"

"No, Mistress, I have had a profitable chat with Captain Bleskin, as it happens." Gerdas checked the as-yet sparsely populated room to ensure that they couldn't be overheard. "He is willing to let me use one of their telescopes tonight, from one of the palace watch towers. He confesses curiosity no less than mine as to what we might see. As the telescope would remain within the palace, and under his control, so to speak, he considers that there would be no harm done. We will, of course, obtain the permission of the King before we proceed." He brightened. "Might you join us, Mistress? I would be interested in your opinion on whatever might be visible." He sighed, then, and added in a much lower voice. "Mistress, if I had but been thirty years younger. Your presence will slay any man who sets eyes on you."

Garia's face blushed under the honest compliment.

"Thank you, Master Gerdas. It is difficult for me to appreciate fully the effect my new body has on everyone around me. As to joining you tonight, I think I may need to take advice. Watch tower sounds a place that might not welcome garb such as this." She brushed her hands down the front of her delicate gown. "I would like to make the attempt, though." She paused, considering. "You'll have to understand, though, that I am no expert on what we might see, I'm merely an older child who has managed to absorb various odds and ends I've heard over the years. I should not be considered an authority by any means. With that proviso, though, and assuming that it were possible, I think I would like to join you."

Gerdas beamed with pleasure. "So be it, then. Mistress, we have a time before lunch, shall we sit? I would like you to tell me of your own, what did you call it yesterday, solar system. That will give me something to compare our own discoveries against."

Garia gave him an uncertain smile. "Why not, Master Gerdas. I'm not sure I can tell you much, though."

The two found a pair of vacant chairs and sat. Garia started describing the different planets in order, telling Gerdas as much as she could remember about the characteristics of each. He questioned how her people could have found out so much and she told him about some of the interplanetary probes mankind had sent out into the void. This ability impressed Gerdas even more.

Their attention was diverted when Captain Bleskin walked into the room for lunch. Gerdas waved him over and suggested to him that Garia should join them that night.

"Aye, why not, Master Gerdas? It would make sense to have the resident expert with us for our vigil." Bleskin turned to Garia. "Mistress, you look remarkable. I would not have believed that your beauty could have been improved, it is clear that I was mistaken." Garia blushed again, but compliments from much older men could be considered relatively safe given the circumstances.

Bleskin continued, "As to your joining us, however, I should warn you that I intended to take Master Gerdas to the highest tower of the palace, in order to have the most unobstructed view. The way is steep and not intended for the ladies of the court." He gave her a grin. "You may not consider that a challenge, Mistress, after your exploits of the other night on the cloister roof, but you may wish to choose different attire."

Garia grinned back. Bleskin was the sort of man one couldn't help liking. "Maybe, Captain. This time I shall be forewarned and better prepared. I think I shall need to consult Mistress Yolda."

The tables were laid and then more people appeared. Terys stopped so suddenly in the doorway on seeing Garia that Varna collided with her. Shortly afterwards Robanar and Keren appeared and headed straight for the center of attention.

"Mistress Garia!" Robanar greeted her. "Is this the way all women on your world wear their hair? It looks amazing on you."

"Not at all, Your Majesty." Garia curtseyed while blushing yet again. "It's not even a common style but not that unusual either. It was the best I could do considering the length."

"Mistress," Keren said hesitantly. "You're not making it easy for us, you know."

"It was not my intention, I can assure all of you," she explained. "I just wanted something practical and something tidier than it was when I came here." But subconsciously she was pleased that she had had an effect on Keren. For some reason his reaction caused its own reaction somewhere inside her.

During the meal Garia explained to Robanar the proposition Gerdas had made, without making any public mention of such things as telescopes. Robanar sounded interested enough to declare that he might join them assuming nothing untoward happened during the rest of the day to distract him. He appeared to indicate that whether Garia went or not was her own decision. Terys was noticeably more reluctant to approve the idea but when it was explained to her that Garia could hardly be in safer hands she relented. Garia raised the matter of attire and the Queen sent a footman to detain Yolda at the end of the meal.

"Mistress Yolda," Garia began when they met afterwards. "I have been invited by Master Gerdas and Captain Bleskin to climb one of the palace towers tonight to observe the stars. I can hardly climb dressed as I am, is there something else available that might be more suitable?"

"I don't know, Mistress." She looked at Garia suspiciously through her pince-nez. "Do I know you, Mistress?"

"Of course. I was originally in the Lilac Chamber, then you moved me to Elizet's suite."

"Ah, yes, Mistress Garia. I have not seen you since I measured you when you arrived here, you look somewhat different."

"I have had my hair cut this morning, Mistress."

"Ah. An interesting and unusual style, Mistress. What did you have in mind, Mistress? I do not understand what it is you intend to do."

"Captain? What are we going to do?"

"There are narrow stairs," Bleskin explained to Yolda. "Chambers which are kept less clean than those in the main part of the palace. The final climb will be steep steps, not stairs, but not rungs like a ladder. I would advise a dark summer-weight cloak as well, it may cool down quite quickly."

"I'm going to need some better footwear, I think, to start with," Garia added. "These satin slippers are going to be no good. Perhaps low boots like the Captain is wearing. As for the rest, I don't know what you might have that would be suitable."

Yolda pursed her lips. "I have nothing suitable for a lady of the court to wear for such an expedition. Boots, yes, cloak, yes, but I cannot recommend a suitable gown, Mistress." The disdain was plain on her face. "Perhaps you should choose another activity, Mistress. I do not consider climbing the palace's towers a suitable use of a lady of the court's time."

"Now just a moment, Mistress Yolda," Bleskin said. Garia turned in amazement. Gone was the bluff, jovial palace courtier she had become familiar with, in his place a serious soldier well used to command and action. "I get to choose who climbs to the watch-tower, not the Mistress of the Wardrobe. See here," he waved his finger under her nose, "the presence of Mistress Garia is essential to this matter. I and my men won't care what she looks like up there, it'll be dark anyway. Just find her something practical to wear or I'll do it myself." He glared at Yolda, daring her to argue.

"Is there some problem, Captain, Mistresses?" The Queen had joined the conversation.

"Your Majesty," Yolda replied, "The mistress wishes to join Captain Bleskin and climb a tower tonight. Surely, this is not an appropriate activity for a lady of the court?"

"Mistress Garia is not a regular lady of the court," Terys replied. "She has special abilities and responsibilities." While Terys didn't actually approve of Garia's night-time outing she knew that there was more to it than just a young girl's fancy, but she couldn't explain any of that to the Mistress of the Wardrobe. "Yolda, just give her what she needs, will you? You can argue all you like but she'll get what she wants in the end, so save yourself some time and energy."

She turned to Garia. "Garia, it is time for our nap. You can go and organize some clothes for your outing afterward, when you're both refreshed."

"As you command, Ma'am," Yolda replied, but her face showed her disapproval. She curtseyed as Terys, Garia and their maids left the room then stood there watching with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Mistress?" Bleskin asked Yolda, breaking her out of her introspection.

"Yes, Captain?"

"I trust you will find something suitable for Mistress Garia?"

"As you wish, Captain."

As Terys and Garia walked through the corridors the Queen remarked, "You may have some difficulty with Yolda, Garia."

"Ma'am, I half expected something. After this morning's problem at the salon I realized that nobody was going to take me seriously, they all saw me as 'just another girl'. That's one reason I had my hair done like this, to make sure people saw me as an outsider, someone they would have to take notice of. It's all very awkward, I don't want to have to keep pulling rank on people to get something done, and I really don't like involving you or the King to make things happen."

"That's true, my dear. I'm not sure styling your hair like that had quite the effect you were hoping for, though." Garia grimaced an agreement. "And I like it that you don't want to throw your weight around, that shows your better qualities. But that wasn't what I meant."

"Ma'am?"

"Yolda has been with the royal family of Palarand for a very long time," she explained. "She started working for Robanar's grandfather and her tastes have become somewhat... conservative, shall we say. In particular, she has an expectation of the way a lady of the court should behave, and that does not include climbing towers. Or, I suspect, a number of the other things you are likely to want to do in the future."

"Yes, Ma'am. I know people at home exactly like that."

"Now, while I can't say that I will be happy about everything you might wish to do, and I have a duty to look after you while you are here at the palace, I do recognize that your life before you came here was completely different than what you now face, and you are going to want to do things that most of us are going to find completely strange. That's why I wasn't happy when Bleskin mentioned the tower. Something like that is entirely outside my experience and it is natural for me to be concerned when a young girl - to every appearance - wants to do something like that. Do you understand?"

"Oh, yes, Ma'am. I completely understand. In your place, I would feel the same, I think."

"Yes. Thank you. But I'm not sure Yolda is going to be quite so accommodating. I do not wish to cause conflict in the palace, so let me think about a suitable way of handling her, will you?"

"Ma'am, she works for you, not for me. Tell me what to do and I'll do it."

"Good girl. Now, here's your door, I'll see you on the balcony."

"Ma'am? Might there be others in the palace like Mistress Yolda?"

Terys turned, her face thoughtful. "Quite likely, my dear. I will think about that also."