Good Boy! Part One
#1 of Good Boy!
When I woke up, as usual, I had forgotten were I was. As I stirred awake in the fine linnen sheets, the feeling of my silk under robe esquisite on my flesh. I rolled awake, looking upwards at the great cealing of my 4 poster bed, thin gauze silk penning me in. I pushed it back and strode onto the lush rug over the hard floor boards. I moved the curtans aside, the sun shining through the thick iron rimmed glass of the stone and plastered wall. The view was, as always, esquisite. My room, high in the 3rd tower, had a view over the outer wall and the moat, and into the sprawling towns, and beyond them, the lush forests to the south, and also the great, bass stocked lake just outside the wall, and the lush green lawns of the royal palace.
Every morning I awoke to my roal finery and the esquiste view, the great clothes, and the excellent aid of my servents, I felt like I was in a dream...And to think that two years ago I had been a cast off in an orphanage in Cliffshire? I could barley believe it! As I ran my fingers through my hair and began to dress myslef, I realized that today was my birthday. Icy fingers went up my spine; Could life get any better? Definatly not!
Just on time, my servant, Cate, came in. She smiled and curtseyed, and I returned it ackwardly.
"Good morning, Lady Emily." I smiled and greeted her in return. After she had assisted me in dressing (Which I still wasn't entirley comftorable with, even though it made the proces imesraubly easier, especialy when it came to my corset). She also helped me brush back my long, blond hair and do it up. It took no longer than two shakes of a lambs tail, and then I was downstairs.
For that day I wore a robins egg blue dress, which matched my eyes well, the dress tight around my hips, bottom and breasts, and I could see my brother in law, Sir Hillcrest and his parents, Lady and Lord Hillcrest. It was directly their fault that I came to my current position; With out them, and Lady Hillcrest sense of insecurity of not having a daughter, I would still be in that hell hole of a orphanarium in the hearts of the dingy city.
Sir Hillcrest was tall and lean, with a ruggedly handsome face and hair he kept strictly short, and, as always, he had arisin early and was painfully clean shaven. He was frequenly mistaken for a Prussian, and he lived as such. He was a genuis, too. Perhaps not in arithmitic or in his other studys, but he would become the foremost military mind in the world within my lifetime (And what woe it would cause!). He bid me good morning and happy birthday, as did the Lord and Lady. Breakfast was short, consisting of some bacon, cerals, and boiled eggs, and of course tea, which I loved imensley.
After breakfast I went on my way, miss Cate following me, as I was still only 14. I buisied about the castle for most of the day, before taking tea and lunch on the lawn. Then it was time to prepare for my birthday celebration that night.
Miss Cate helped me dawn a corset, and my formal evening dress, which was of a simmilar shade to the one I had wore that day. I tided up, and made my way to the banquet hall.
The banquet hall was well lit by hundereds of candles, with a small, cushioned throne at the end of a long, red carpet. I was already anxious, and I became even more so when miss Cate directed me to this. For the next hour guests, associates of my father and mother, or my new ones, anyway, and they presented small gifts or trinkets to me, at which I would smile greatley and say "Ohh! Why thank you!" or some such simmilar thing, and accept it, and then hand it to one of the palace guards who stashed it away. The night grew on, and once every one was done presenting me gifts, we had a formal dinner. The dinner was long and arguious, and when it was finaly over, I was nearly exhausted by my constant manners and will at good social grace.
Since I was so tired, I was imensley releaved when the guests faded away, and it narrowed down to just my adopted family. Lady Hillcrest smiled at me, and her husband did as well, and even Sir Hillcrest, my 17 year old 'brother', whos first, christian name was Patric, smiled.
"I'm sure your quite tired, Kim, but please, we have one final gift for you before bed." Lord Hillrest said laconicly, sipping a glass of wine before a servent took it away along with the other left over dishes.
"Eric, bring out Rya!" I was puzzeled by this. A side door to the formal dining hall opened, and I couldn't help but to put a gloved hand over my mouth to supress the small gasp that escaped.
Rya was tall and very thin, even more so than my 'brother', Patric. He wasn't quite as tall, and he looked young. What caused a gasp was the tail and ears.
Rya had short dark blond hair, a cute, sharp nose, and a excellently Tutonic shaped face, and was wearing a dark gray tight fitting uniform, reminiscent of both our palace guards and the Prussian Army's. He also wore a black leather collar around his neck, like many dogs. As I mentoined, he had a tail, which was slightly busshy at the end, and hung to just above the ground (And was currently brushing back and forth rappidly), and sharp ears near the top of his head. The resembelence to a dog was startiling.
Of course every one had heard of them...Extremely rare in mainland Victoria, off the coast of mainland Europe, were they were supposedly more common. Half man half animals, anthropormorphic horses, wolfs...dogs...They were supposed to be bigger, and harrier, but I immediately took a liking to him. He moved forwards, striding with great grae in the nearly knee high black jack boots. He stopped not far before me, and bowed.
"Good evening and happy birthday, 'M lady." He said, smiling. I must of reacted badly when I saw his teeth, which were longer than a normal humans, especialy the canines on the front sides...But he didn't appear to react.
"This is Rya, your new servent...He is to replace Miss Cates, as she is needed elsewere and on the verge of retirement...He is also to be your playpal."
Rya blushed a little at that, and smiled.
"My pleasure to serve, m'lady." He said. His accent was funny, definatly not the civilized twang of a Victorian, but more the flat, militant accent of a Prussian.
"Well?" Lady Hillcrest asked. I blushed and stood. I moved forwards and curtseyed.
"Its very nice to make your aquaintence, Rya. Please, call me Emily." He bowed slightly again and took my extended hand and kissed it once, holding it gently in both hands, which were perfectly norman and human, aside from the faint claws were nails should have been. I moved back and sat down, and he followed, sitting near me. He turned and smiled, very charmingly.
"Perhaps you two would be ready to retire?" Lady Hillcrest asked.
"Oh, most certanitly!" I said quickly. "Ah, yes. Ill follow Emily, m'lord, Rya said. I got up slowly, Rya doing the same, and I began to walk up to my room, my new assistant in tow.
"So, has your day been good, Emily?" He asked. I responded that it had, and that I had never had such a wonderfull day in my life. He paused for a second.
"Your previous birthdays werent as grand?" I blushed at that, and opened the door to my room. He looked sheepishly around.
"Err...Do you need my assistance to dress, m'lady?" He asked slowly. He seemed embarassed, and I declined his aid.
"Your room is right in there." I said, pointing towards Miss Cates old room.
"Ah, okay." He responded. He walked in and I undressed, slightly ill at ease having a male servent in a room so close. But I was sure that if Lord and Lady Hillcrest had chosen him, he would be exceptonaly polite and loyal. When I was undressed, he moved out without me even calling, and tucked me neatly into bed, smiling happily all the time, his tail wagging.
"You never explained about your previous birthdays." He asked shyly. I chuckeled.
"It's a bit of a story, but ill tell you if you wish it." He smiled and sat down on the foot of my large bed, brushing the silk curtan appart.
"I would love to hear it, if your willing to be kept up past your bed time..."
I began to explain, and he rested his hands on his lap, staring at me happily, and I could feel his tail whapping aginst the bed. I'm not sure how long I went on telling him about my childhood as an orphan, and about the wonderous day I was selected by Lord and Lady Hillcrest, a minor noble family of Victoria, and of my year long attendence at a ladys finishing school were I learned propper manors and the propper behavior for a noble lady. Through out the whole story, Rya kept his head cocked to one side, smiling or laughing during the happy or funny parts, and he seemed to feel genuine pain for me during the sadest parts. I'm not entirley sure when I fell asleep.
The next morning in a state of half sleep I rolled over, my hands finding something soft and fuzzy. I unconciously began to scratch it, and what ever it was emitted a long, drawen out sigh or moan. I awoke slowly, and to my great supprise, Rya lay on my bed, his head rested on my lap. I gently scratched behind his ears a little more, and he rolled over onto his stomach.
"Rya...Wake up, Rya." I said slowly, and he began to wake up. He sat bolt upright in shock as he realised what he had done. I rubbed behind his ears again.
"Its okay. Don't wory about it. Lets get ready for the day, okay?" I asked. He nodded.
"Good boy!" He scoweled at that, and made a sound almost like growling. I started back, and he stopped.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Please, its just a subconcious dog thing. Don't be scared of it...I hate it when I'm treated like a dog. The Prussian army was hard on me." A bolt of lightining went down my spine as I heard the words 'Prussian Army'...It had been beaten into my concious that the Prussians were nothing but warlike spartin barbarians with only world domination in their soul less plans. I never knew how wrong I was.
Prussia had arisin in the late 1600's, and had risen cruley, from what Ive heard. I can only make my synopsis based on gossip and the bits ive heard from military commanders, as I am no historian. After Prussia had arisen, it had formed the best, if not smallest, army in the whole world. They dominated Germany, Austria and the Swiss republics, and set out to conquer France and Russia. The Prussians were held at bay by superior Russian numbers and nearly impenetrable Franco-Roman defenses. The invasion stalled and bogged down, and now the world stands at peace; No one expects it to last. Victoria, the small island off the coast of France and Prussia, is nearly defenseless except for its superior navy and strip of ocean between it and the rest of Europe. Prussia was always portrayed as evil, and as the worlds protaginost, a threat to the civilized world and especialy Victorias colanies through out the world.
Rya stared me in the eyes.
"What is it?"
"Your...your...Your Prussian?" I asked. My voice sounded higher than normal, scared. I was unconciously holding myself.
"Yes, I am...Not anymore, though. I was...captured and reformed."
"And you were in their army?"
"Theres hardly any other job in Prussia than the Army, Emily...Yeah, I was. Calvlary for a breif time, and artilery corps for much longer." His voice was kind, and explanitive, not the usual consinding sing song of any other person explaining something so complicated to a simple little girl. I had heard the term calvlary before...Patric would rant about how obsilete they were at any chance...But never of an artilery corps.
"How was it? Whats an artilery Corps?" I asked. Rya smiled.
"That's a story for later. Now lets get dressed."
He helped me dress with complete profesonilisim, and his eyes never wondered. Then he disapeared and came back out wearing black slacks, a tight matching black shirt and a heavy leather jerkin. He wore the same knee high boots, and I noticed a small buldge on the inside of the right boot. He smiled and opened the door for me.
Breakfast was quick and more pleasant in Rya's company, and he engaged in a lengthy debate with Patric on calvlary and their tactics. Rya was of the oppinion that they were usefull only in certan conditions, except for dragoons, (Which he explained to me later were essentialy main line soldiers mounted on horses, used for rapid response), which were a godsend. Patric rebuted, insisting all calvlary were useless, and Rya had a counter point ready for every point Patric made, and Rya would turn to me and smile or give a rougish wink when ever he hit home. By the end of breakfast, to my great supprise, Rya had earned Patrics respect, and not his anomocity. That would soon change.