To Serve or Protect - Tales From the Kingdom of the Red Sun

Author's Note: Thank you -very- much for reading this installment of Tales From the Kingdom of the Red Sun. I hope you enjoy it! Our update schedule is twice weekly with primary entries in the series occurring Wednesday and supplementary ones on Saturday. More information, other entries and links to my other fiction can be found at http://johnenright.info

Tales From the Kingdom of the Red Sun

 Series 1

 To Serve or Protect

 Chapter 1

 Tamira ran the tips of her fingers down the silk braid wrapped around her waist, trying to calm her nerves. She sat in the middle of the servant's quarters, pinned to the chair by an old ferret woman who went through great pains to ensure Tamira's long blonde hair had perfect coils and laid between her upright ears in such a way that highlighted her features rather than hid them. The process was laborious and Tamira's restless foot kept bounding up against her dress at a gallop a minute.

The ferret tending her hair tutted softly. “I thought rabbits were known for their patience and wisdom, where's the Tami Diqune I used to bounce on my knee, hm?”

Tamira's bright grey eyes flit towards the woman and she set her foot flat against the floor. “My apologies, you are right as always. I should be focusing on what is to come, but time is short, will you have it done before. . . that man arrives?”

Kulla chuckled. “Boy you're just like your father, he was funny that way too. . . Always worried about appearances!” She carefully removed a coil from Tamira's hair. “But neither of you seem to remember that I changed your diapers!”

“Kulla!” Tamira almost broke her focus from the point on the wall. “That is hardly appropriate talk for a--. . . That is to say. . .” her cheeks warmed. She had no right to speak to such a close family about social status.

“Ah, yes every bit like your father.” The woman patted her back, dancing around the chair to consider her work from multiple angles. After a moment she nodded in satisfaction. “Say what you like but don't forget, you're made of the same stuff as those you rule over. Duchess or not, you're a fur first and a woman too--”

She knew where this was heading and tried to cut it off. “I will remember that, of course. Are you done?”

“Mmmm could be.” Her narrow head weaved left and right, abruptly she frowned. “Ah, seems I left something in that crows nest.”

“Please, be done with it! I have important work to do!”

She reached for Tamira's hair, lingering at the base of her ear, “ah, there it is.” She pulled back with a tiny gold medallion neatly held between her foreigner and thumb. An engraving of Samien and Urda standing back to back had been embossed within a wreath of silver. It was blasphemy of the highest caliber, a human god and the Mother of all furs depicted together, but to some it was a symbol of hope.

“I-- where did you find it?” Tamira stared at the charm. “It was missing from father's study!”

Kulla smiled. “Little Lisine made off with it, he tried to give it to his mother as a gift! The poor girl nearly had a heart attack!

“Lisine. . .” She bounced her foot a couple of times.“The chambermaid's son?”

“That's right.”

Tamira took the charm in her palms and hugged it close. The most personal thing her father had ever shown her and now it was where it belonged.“I will have to thank her for returning it, ah--” she smiled. “And thank you, as always.”