CHAPTER 8: THE LADIES OF THE HOLY PALATIAL GARDENS

***The Saint’s Tree Palace, Cherwoods***

“So, how’s the situation at the city of Hurren?”

“The city elders are giving us updates on the events,” the captain of the Elf Saint’s Life Guards, Sir Eldarv, reported. “The city militia, though they were surprised at first, got back to their feet and suppressed the rioters.”

“Anything they need to bring back order in their place?”

“I already sent a company of the Life Guards to help them. I’m only worried that the unrest might spread to other cities along the coast of Cherwoods.”

“Well, as long as nothing is happening yet, we can only wait.” Kuro looked towards the windows of his room, massaging his head, “And that reminds me, how about the elf column heading to this place?”

“We sent scouts to trail them. Three companies of the Life Guards are already deployed at the borders of the Saint’s Tree, ready to block their progress.”

“Thanks for the hard work, Sir Eldarv,” the human gave him a folded paper. “Now send for some food supplies and direct it to the first line of the blockade.”

“But sir, aren’t we condoning their actions by ‘rewarding’ them with food?”

“Hmm…it’s not like they are protesting the border closures because they just wanted to. Your people is worried that their source of food supply will be gone soon, and they can only find solace in the other saints’ guidance and blessings. And we took those from them.”

“Aren’t we trying to force Her Holiness the Lady Hinwe to rule properly, so she can work out a solution to these problems?”

“That’s the point, and it’s normal for people to get angry; after all, even you would be pissed if the last thing that gives you hope is taken away,” Kuro explained. “What I’m saying is, it’s not their fault they reacted like that.”

“I understand, Sir Kuro. Now what’s next?”

“Let’s try to quell the elves’ anger peacefully by appeasing them with food supplies, and tell them, ‘the Saint’s Tree is working on the situation about the irrigation system’. Make sure you imply to them that the construction of that project is about to begin soon. I’m working with some officials from the Treasury regarding the release of funds for it, so I guess it will take some time. As for the protesters, be on your guard; the situation—no matter how peaceful it may be—can reverse at any moment. That’s all; you may leave.”

The captain of the Life Guards saluted. However, he remained on his spot.

Kuro was quick to notice it and asked, “Is there anything else to report, Sir?”

“Sire, we already found where Her Holiness is hiding,” the elf captain showed him a folded parchment.

Kuro’s headache vanished the moment Sir Eldarv said those. He immediately grabbed the parchment from the elf captain’s hand and read its contents. “So the news of the overthrow of the palace officials finally reached her,” he mused.

“I think that’s the case, Sir Kuro,” Sir Eldarv confirmed. “The spies observed that Her Holiness, along with her maid Meanor, and the guard, Gerard, are taken in under the Holy Palatial Garden’s protection. This is after the attack on them on their way to the city of the Mouth of Calabria.”

“Attack?” Kuro raised an eyebrow. “What’s going on?”

“Apparently, some of the hired knives of the palace officials traced them and attacked, with an intention to kill,” the elf captain said. “Fortunately, they were helped by another group of paladins led by the captain of the Paladin Guards herself, the Lady Sylvia, Duchess of Henristone.”

“That woman is really formidable…” the human muttered. “Wait, you’re saying that the palace officials sought assassins to kill Lady Hinwe? As far as I know, they don’t even know where Her Holiness went! Even I am only aware that they have gone to Chersea, but not the exact place where. How did the assassins trace them?”

Sir Eldarv shrugged, “Beats me, Sir Kuro. We may not know it, but some of those villains might also trying to get at each other’s throats.”

“Makes sense…” Kuro nodded. “Anyway, since Her Holiness was taken in by the Holy Palatial Gardens, we’re now facing a powerful potential enemy. I know the Paladin Guards Corps of Her Holiness the Human Saint; they are a force not to trifle with.”

“Sire? What are your orders?”

“Goodness, I can’t believe I’ll do the same thing those fools we executed did…” Kuro folded the parchment letter he received and kept it in one of the table drawers nearby. “Well, we have no time. We can’t wait for Her Holiness to change for the better,” he sighed. “She needs to go.”

The elf captain immediately understood what the human meant…

It is the dawn of a new saint for the elves.

----------

***The Mouth of Calabria, Kingdom of Calabria***

Gerard left the consulate just an hour before the long sleep, as they end the second day of their stay at the place. He went around the wharfs of the city, ostensibly to find a small ship he could hire to sail to Cherwoods. As of yesterday, the consul Lady Curzon told him that the border crossing was ‘officially’ closed. However, to fully ‘seal’ the inter-realm contacts, the power of the saint ruling the place was needed. And since the Elf Saint was hiding safely at the Holy Consulate, the closure announcement was nothing but a ‘token sealing’ of the borders.

Meaning, it is only enforced by a fleet of elf ships under the Life Guards, instead of the ‘formidable’ cut off through the saint’s god-powers. A determined blockade runner can easily slip past the guards, and dock at the port of the Saint Tree.

“…”

To get to his destination, Gerard’s plan was simple. He envisioned running the gauntlet through the fleet of elvish ships—all were still powered by oars—using a human, demon or beastman ship from the Mouth of Calabria. Unlike the former, ships of Chersea and Cherwind used steam engines to sail, though the beastmen vessels had paddle wheels because of their realm’s ‘silent’ seas. Considering his finances, the elf guard estimated that he could buy a small ship, close to the size of a large fishing boat by Chersean standards, which could be manned by three people, at least.

Once he found the ship and the crew he needed, Gerard would sail to Cherwoods, crash through the elvish blockade, land at the port of the Saint’s Tree, go to Lady Hinwe’s room, grab her dolls and laptop, try to wreak havoc as much as possible, and escape back to Chersea to fight another day.

A pretty far-fetched idea, the elf guard admits. Still, he would never move without careful consideration of his options. He believes he can make his plan succeed.

“…”

Just that, to make it work, he’s hoping no one will meddle with him. Hence, he left Her Holiness at the safety of the Human Saint’s consulate.

“…”

And, in connection to his desire not to be meddled with, he needs to remove that owl-girl, who is following him from a distance.

Gerard slipped past a crowd, to hide at a nearby alley. When the owl-girl saw that he was gone, she quickly went over to his hiding spot, not knowing that he was there ready to pounce on her.

“!!!”

His stalker had no time to react, as he immediately restrained Salis’ movements even before she could pull her weapons. While Gerard never intended to hurt her, his hands still held the owl-girl in places he had total domination over her, stopping her from making a dangerous move.

“What are you doing, milady?” the elf guard asked, relaxing his grip on her. “As far as I remember, we have no business with each other for you to follow me.”

“Sir Gerard,” the owl-girl fixed her clothes the moment she was free. “Yes, my genius self doesn’t care about you. However, that man in Cherwoods, the Lord Kuro of Arles; I believe we got something to talk about.”

“Go away, and look for a ship to Cherwoods, then.”

“Coincidentally, Lady Hinwe told me that there’s a small boat heading there, piloted by a member of the Elf Saint’s Life Guards,” Salis’ lips drew a smirk. “And since the border crossing is closed off to regular ships, I’m hoping I can hitch a ride—”

“Nope,” Gerard shook his head. “Not happening.”

“I’ll pay.”

“You’ll just be a burden to me.”

“I know. That’s why…” she spread her owl wings, “I’m thinking of scouting the seas for your boat.”

Gerard paused for a bit to consider Salis’ offer. Then, taking a deep breath, he said, “If you’re coming with me, then you better take care of yourself. I can’t watch over you because I’ll be focused with my own stuff.”

The owl-girl only smiled at him. And the elf thought it was weird, for since the first time they met, Salis was always the ill-tempered one. However, Gerard knew he needed the ‘scouting’ abilities of the beastgirl before him, so he took her in.

----------

“Oi, are you guys trying to mooch off a free ride from me?” a suspicious Gerard asked his owl-girl companion when they found the Duchess of Braunhauer waiting for them at one of the quays. While searching for an available vessel to hire, Salis kept on egging him to go to this certain part of the harbor, where they would surely encounter her human friend. Hence, the elf guard couldn’t help but raise suspicions he was being played at the palm of these ladies’ hands.

As he expected, Salis shook her head, but it was Eris who explained to him, “Sir Gerard, in case you’re not aware, I’m the heiress to the House of Braunhauer in the Kingdom of Amaranth.”

“And so?”

“So…you see, it’s impossible for me to ‘mooch off’ from you,” Eris chuckled, her eyes stared at the elf guard with an insulting expression. “If anything, you’re the one who’ll be ‘mooching off’ from me, so cut the silly talk! Also, I learned from Her Holiness the Lady Hinwe that there’s an elf who’s headed to the docks, looking for a ship to take him to Cherwoods.”

“Even a boat is fine,” Gerard replied and emphasized, “I’m not taking you, anyway.”

“Are you sure about that?” the Duchess of Braunhauer balked at the idea. “It’s a few days’ travel from here to the Saint’s Tree. You need someone to take care of your daily needs, don’t you think so, Mister Elf?”

“I can take care of myself,” then he looked at the owl-girl. “And I guess she can also do stuff herself.”

At that point, Eris snapped and stomped her foot. “Alright! I know you guys can do trivial things yourselves, but take me with you!”

“Not possible. I don’t need extra baggage!”

“Are you really sure about that, Mister Elf?”

“Yes, my answer is final!”

“You know, a duchess of an estate the size of my house won’t sail on a shabby boat.”

“That’s why—again—I won’t take you! Remain here! I’m the one who’s going to Cherwoods!”

“You’re an asshole, you know that?”

“Thank you for the compliment, lovely lady!”

“Aaargh!” the Duchess of Braunhauer growled. “Alright! I demand you take me and the owl-girl, whether or not you like it.”

“You guys…” Gerard could only shake his head. “Do you even realize the dangers of running through a blockade and possibly fighting against an army of elves?”

Salis and Eris nodded. The owl-girl reminded him, “My dear Sir Elf, if you think we’re weak because we’re ladies, I suggest you change that kind of mindset.”

“N-No, I’m not thinking of you that way,” he defended himself. “It’s just that…argh! If you want to get on a ship, I’m sorry, alright? Look, my finances are not enough for a large boat, let alone a ship! And I still have to think of our provisions, and the crew, as well!”

“I told you,” Eris laughed, “I’m a Braunhauer, the daughter and heiress to one of Chersea’s wealthiest duchies. With me around, consider your financial problems solved!” She clapped her hands.

“!!!” Much to Gerard’s astonishment, the two large ships anchored at the quay blew its horns and its steam engines hummed to life. The crews stood at attention on its decks, and on one of those, were the Lady Henristone, the orc-girl Tama’lee, Nari Tambara, and that other lady he saw in the inner room last time…

“That’s the Lady Margaret Jeanne of Malvette,” Salis told him. “She’s a former admiral from our kingdom. Her expertise in navigating and fighting over the waters of Cherwoods can be put to use, should it becomes necessary.”

Eris was pleased with herself. “See what I can do, Sir Gerard?” she grinned. “Now, you won’t sail to Cherwoods on a shabby boat. You’ll crash through the elvish blockade on two steam ships with full implement of experienced crews, courtesy of our former employees.”

----------

The ships that the Duchess of Braunhauer hired were named ‘Hagena’—after that small village in northern Calabria famous for its swordsmanship school, and the ‘Duke of Shent’—a historical person and one of the ‘founding fathers’ of the enduring alliance of the eastern kingdoms known as the ‘Confederacy of the East’. These seacrafts were part of the Kingdom of Calabria’s efforts to ‘modernize’ its merchant fleet according to the trends of Chersean shipbuilding, the technologies and concepts of which mainly came from Cherwind. As such, ‘Hagena’ and ‘Duke of Shent’ were relatively new ships, and they’re quite expensive to hire.

“…”

Gerard could only shake his head the moment he learned the price of hiring both ships, excluding its crews and supplies for the journey. Even with the prospect of giving his entire fortune, he still couldn’t pay the expenses incurred by the Duchess of Braunhauer.

Lady Eris Braunhauer is that rich…filthy rich.

“I’m feeling like you’re just slapping me with your money, milady. I’m aware that I’m poor; but this is too much.”

“Please shut up and accept help from us,” Eris’ sweet smile never left her lips, though others could tell that she was pissed at the elf guard for insisting his own views on her help. “If you’re trying to imply that we’re doing this for free, then no. We demand you take us and go to Cherwoods, and that’s payment enough for me.”

“A-Alright…” Gerard backed down and sighed in exasperation.

On the technical side, both vessels were of wood construction, though there were parts of the hull made entirely of iron-mithril alloys or steel—mostly the bottom sections where the ship’s body touched the water. Each seacraft was propelled by two steam engines fueled by coal or firewood. The overall size was comparable to an ‘East Indiaman’, a type of ship from Earth’s ‘Age of Sail’ meant to ply the sea trade routes, and were also similarly armed…though with only a single row of small caliber cannons on each side, and a single mounted gun on the stern and the bow.

Those are meant to protect the ship from pirates patrolling the profitable trade routes of Chersea-Cherwoods, and Chersea-Equality.

As for the decks, the ships resembled more the late-19th Century Earth ironclads and early non-dreadnought battleships, for the humans, beastmen and demons of Chersea and the Other Realms never fully developed sails to power their vessels. As for the crew, they were veteran seamen—some of which were former mercenaries under the employ of the Duke of Braunhauer and his house. Two engineers on duty for each steam engine were complimented by a group of five lower-rate seamen, who also had the responsibility for ship repairs and firefighting.

Overall command was on the captains. They were assisted in this role by their respective ‘ship lieutenants’, who also served as the commanders of each of the ship’s gun crews. The gun crews were five groupings of three artillery-trained seamen operating the cannons on the ship. They could also double as an amphibious force, or cargo carriers, should the necessity for those roles arose. For, though the ‘Hagena’ and the ‘Duke of Shent’ were meant for trade and transport, her crews should still be capable of squaring off against the pirates of Chersea’s eastern seas.

Their presence brought valuable ‘naval fighting experience and capabilities’ to the elf guard’s motley group.

“…”

However, Gerard still wanted to make sense of everyone who was with him.

“Okay, I’m thankful to the Lady Braunhauer for shelling out her own money to help us sail to Cherwoods,” he explained. “And yes, I need someone to ‘scout’ ahead, something that the Lady Salis of the Owls can do. The Lady Henristone and Lady Malvette’s presence also mean we can bring infantry and naval combat expertise, which might come in handy should we encounter resistance from the elves. Now, tell me, why do I have to bring you with me?”

The orc-girl was all-smiles, even as Gerard questioned her use. “The elf guard didn’t ask Nari! Why does he hate Tama?”

“Hey, look here,” he replied. “Lady Nari is the one in-charge of food on our ships. But as for you, I can’t find any benefits of you tagging along.”

“Tama wants to see the Special Scholar!” she insisted.

“And it’s dangerous for you in Cherwoods!”

“Tama can fight!”

“But you’re still a young orc. A child even…at least, in mind.”

“Tama is a proper lady!” the orc-girl screamed, and she suddenly began to undress. “If Sir Gerard won’t be convinced, then Tama will show the elf guard her charms as a lady!”

“Damn it, stop that!” Gerard and the others prevented Tama’lee from creating a scene. The elf added, “I know you’re a demon and you care less whether you’d be seen naked, but please value your body more! Don’t show it so easily to others!”

Tama countered, “But Sir Gerard won’t listen!”

“Sir Gerard,” Eris finally entered their banter. “You may not know it, but Lady Tama’lee is strong. She can help you carry off Her Holiness’ stuff while you focus on fighting off your enemies.”

“If we will be forced to fight, that is,” Gerard pointed out. “Though, I know my captain, the Lord Eldarv; I’m pretty sure we can talk to him.”

“Even so…” Salis backed the Duchess of Braunhauer. “Look, even if we don’t fight, the orc-girl’s strength is enough to help you move the things of the Elf Saint faster.”

Eris and the Lady Henristone stared at the owl-girl. They were surprised that she had a different opinion of her companions now.

“H-Hey!” she noticed their eyes on her. “I…I-I just, you know…I mean, Lady Tama’lee left the Human Saint’s residence with us. It’s only fair that she comes with us to Cherwoods as well. We’re the same group; the ladies of the Holy Palatial Gardens still believing the Lord Kuro is alive!”

“Well, he is alive,” the Lady Malvette added. “Only, the Lord Kuro changed a lot from what we used to remember him.”

“Aahhh!” the elf guard stretched his legs and arms. “You know what? I don’t give a damn about your ‘uses’ anymore. We’re already far from the wharf of the Mouth of Calabria, so it’s pretty wasteful if we turn back just to drop off one orc-girl. And I’m not also a fan of hauling people off the ships and into the seas; it’s pretty cruel. My only wish, is for you guys to just remember to keep off the dangers, because I don’t want someone standing in my way.”

“You know what, Mister Elf?” it was Eris. “You sure have a roundabout way of saying things.”

“What makes you think of me that way, Lady Braunhauer?”

“Don’t deny it,” the Lady Henristone chuckled. “Her Holiness the Lady Hinwe already dropped you, Sir Gerard. We all know that, what you really mean is for us to protect ourselves because you can’t always come for us. You’re such a worrywart, you know that?”

“I’m a member of the Life Guards, for fuck’s sake. What kind of a guard am I if I’m not paranoid about the safety of my companions?”

“Sheesh!” the Duchess of Braunhauer exclaimed. “What a cute way to say ‘I care for you guys’. Tell you what, we also care for you, Mister Elf! That’s why we want to see you succeed.”

The elf’s face blushed, and he tried to hide that expression unbecoming of him. Meanwhile, Eris and the others were surprised as well; still, they found it a ‘welcome’ change to the otherwise boorish behavior of Gerard.

“Y-Yes…uhm, yeah…”

“You mean you want to say ‘thank you’?”

Gerard, who lost his ‘ill-tempered’ façade, sheepishly nodded. It delighted the ladies, and some of the crews who watched them. Seeking to protect himself from further teasing and embarrassment, the elf smirked and waved his hand goodbye. Then, he retreated to the lower decks to kill time and catch some sleep, much to the amusement of his lady friends.

----------

The journey from the Mouth of Calabria to the border crossing of Chersea and Cherwoods took four days. It was an uneventful trip; heading to the southeast direction, parallel to the southern landmass of Chersea where the Empire of Chersea’s territories lay. Though the routes were supposedly infested with pirates, the ‘Hagena’ and ‘Duke of Shent’ encountered not a single ship, even the trades ones. The Lady Malvette suspected that it was because of the news of the border closure, that caused the merchant fleets sailing to Cherwoods to stop and divert to other routes elsewhere.

It was a welcome development. Combined with the pleasant weather at sea, the flotilla sailed to the crossing smoothly.

“…”

Guarding the border crossing of Chersea and Cherwoods fell under the responsibility of the collective naval fleets of the Confederacy of the East, composing of the kingdoms of Colveente, Calabria, Galad, Hareth and Shent. Though they were allies, there was no unified force, and it worked to their favor anyway, for the separate navies of the Confederacy had easier time scheduling their patrols to the crossing.

If they leave the border crossing unguarded, pirates will surely take control of the region and will make it hard for the trade ships from both realms to pass.

The fleets were changed every month, and this time, it was the navy of the Kingdom of Shent that was in-charge of guarding the place. However, just like the pirates, the ships of the border guards were affected by the closure as well. Anchored in the middle of the eastern Chersean waters with nothing else to do but wait for the other side to open, the soldiers expected no seacraft to arrive until the silhouettes of ‘Hagena’ and ‘Duke of Shent’ appeared at the horizon. As they were surprised, they were in no condition to bar the passage and conduct searches on the elf-guard’s flotilla.

“Oi! Hagena, the border is closed!” one of the border guards called out to the leading ship, as they went through the idle vessels.

“This is the fleet escort of the ambassador of the Kingdom of Cherwind to Cherwoods, Lady Admiral Margaret Jeanne, Duchess of Malvette!” Lady Malvette returned their greeting from ‘Hagena’s’ crow’s nest. “We ask the commander of the naval border guards’ fleet of Shent, let us through!”

“Your Excellency!” When the border guards realized the identity of the passenger of the passing flotilla, they immediately stood in attention and saluted them. However, the captain of that group added, “We implore you to turn back if possible, milady! There is a fleet of elvish galleys waiting on the other side, ready to sink any ship that won’t take orders from them.”

“Thank you for your concern,” Lady Malvette answered. “But time is of the essence! We need to get to Cherwoods as soon as possible!”

“Farewell then, Your Excellency! We pray for your convoy’s—and your diplomatic mission’s—success!”

With the border guards’ ships allowing their passage, soon, the ‘Hagena’ and ‘Duke of Shent’ were on their way to the border crossing, and into Cherwoods.