Moria -Maeve's Edition

Chapter 6

Maeve knew she had fallen asleep as she pulled into the courtyard of Hiraine, the scent of the forest filling her nose.  Her long black hair fell over her shoulders, unbrushed and wild.  Her dress fell behind her ruggedly as she stepped from outside the carriage where Nadene, her mother, was waiting for her. 

"My prodigy finally comes home. And yet you're leaving again. I've taken the liberty of having the maids pack your things on your arrival home."

Maeve grumbled as she followed Nadene into the castle grounds.

"Why must I leave again Mother, is this because of the letter?"

"Foolish insolent little brat-" Nadene whipped around in a fury and slapped Maeve across the cheek, her face burning red. "You failed to plant that letter, and now I have had to fix your mistakes.  The one good thing about you is that you were born female. "

Maeve rubbed her cheek and looked at her mother feeling smaller than she had in the past few weeks. She felt safer in hiding than she did in her own home.

"Merriweather is taking you for his bride, and you- my dear will secure your mother a rather large army.  Within a fortnight of your union, Breyos will fall."

"Mother I-"

Nadene held her hand up.  "I will hear no more, or you will feel more than just the backside of my hand.  Prepare yourself and get your affairs in order.  I will not bear the sight of you after tonight."

Maeve walked into her room and stumbled onto the bed.  Her legs were traveling weary and all she wanted to do was rest, yet her life was yet again uprooted and thrown elsewhere.  She motioned for her handmaid to bring a page and ink. 

"Do you know how to write?"

The maid shook her head no.

"Very well, thank you.  Could you attend to my hair while I attend to this?" 

Maeve always found it sad that lower-class people weren't able to read or write because they often could not afford to waste the time on it.  If Maeve had her way she'd have opened a facility for it, but she was born a girl meaning she'd been born a pawn. On the other hand, the common folk would never be able to steal information for the enemy nor skew it before delivering it.  Maeve wrote a detailed list of supplies that were to be sent to Orphic.  This would be her last letter as the heir to Hiraine, as she would become the property of  Moria upon marriage. The first thing on the list was numerous bushels of the addermire flower and as well as basic supplies they could make use of. 

Maeve stood dressed in her house colors breathing heavily.  The maid had done a good job of brushing her hair, though unwashed in a few days it was silky and without a knot. She looked up at  Moria's gate their presence daunting now as she passed through towards the doors.  The gates thrust open as a tall slender woman walked out, her hair was silver and pulled back into a braided style.  It was custom that once wed a woman's hair must be kept either short or held back but never down.  Maeve never really understood why.

"Maeve, darling welcome home. Come inside, I'm sure Merriweather would love to see you are well.  Your feet must hurt so much from all that travel from home to here! I'll have the maids draw a hot bath and make dinner for you as well."

She felt overwhelmed as the queen spoke so fast.  She didn't want to see Merriweather much less have a bath.  Maeve wanted to climb into her bed and hide under the sheets from this nightmare.  It took a moment for her brain to click into place, this must have been why Merriweather wanted to end the war with Jax and have her sent home.

Merriweather came in from around the corner and offered his arm to Maeve. 

"I'll take her from here, mother."