by animefan78 » Wed Nov 30, 2022 2:03 pm
Settling In
“Um, Stella,” the blond maid said softly knocking on the door.
“Yes, Bell,” Stella said looking up from the papers strew across the small desk in the office attached to the stable.
“We appear to have a bit of a problem,” she said softly.
“What sort of problem, is Rocinante being obstinate again. I swear that horse is just as bad as his owner,” Stella replied.
“No, it is not Rocinante though we will need to lay down a new load of hay in his stall, it seems he ate enough that there wasn’t enough left for what came after” Bell replied suppressing a smirk as Stella rolled her eyes and groaned at the horse’s behavior. She also swore she heard her mutter something about resembling his owner too much.
“Then what is the problem,” Stella asked.
“It appears that almost the entire staff quit,” Bell replied.
“Let me guess, it’s because I’m a woman, I’m a commoner, or I’m that fat idiot Stella,” Stella replied.
“You forgot bribes, and graft. It seems it wasn’t just milk he was skimming off the top,” Bell stated looking down at her clip board.
“Honestly I should have seen that coming,” Stella sighed. “So just give me the numbers.”
“As you know we have 150 head, 20 each of horses, cows, sheep, goats, and oxen, with 25 chickens and 25 quail. While there is not a lot of head room with the quotas in regards to sheep and goat milk. The castle only needed a dozen chicken and quail eggs a day.”
“Round about 900 silver coins a year, just under a third of his milk scheme, but coin is coin,” Stella said.
“Indeed, but his real money was in studding horses,” Bell explained.
Stella froze before calming putting her pen down. An unseen foreboding power slowly emanating from the former maid, as her golden eyes began to glow. Knuckles cracking as she interlaced her fingers placing her chin on them, before looking up at Bell. “If I find out that Crispian or anyone else sent out my Sleipnir to stud like some common low brow horse prostitute. There won’t be anything left to fertilize the fields with, by the time I am finished explaining to him the error of his ways.”
“No, no, your good, we’re all good, Sleipnir was too difficult for him to handle,” Bell squeaked.
“Good,” Stella said softly her menacing aura replaced with a smile. “And sorry for scaring you. I just take a dim view of people messing with my friends,” Stella added.
“Good to know,” Bell thought. “No, it seems that he mostly used Rocinante.”
“He does know Rocinante was castrated,” Stella replied.
“Yes, well it seems he dressed up horses to look like Rocinante,” Bell replied flipping through her notes. “And it seems until your race no one else knew Rocinante was gelded.”
“Is there anything in this place besides the Tree, Sleipnir, Me, and my maids that aren’t fake, in this place.” Stella thought. “Well, that’s not our problem anymore,” Stella said standing up. “Now let’s go get some new staff.”
“Where?” Bell asked.
“The town square where else,” Stella said. All told she’d need about 75 people to get the stable, and carriage house up and running not to mention up to her standards. For years her one source of pride was always doing her best regardless of the situation. The fact that she wanted to have the best stables her merchant or mage friends had ever seen the next time they visited had nothing to do with it. Nor the thought of using the royal coffers to improve the lives of her fellow citizens was a total afterthought. If the purser was giving her a budget of 10,000 gold coins a year she might as well make use of it.
“You do realize that most of them probably hate you after kicking Crispian out,” Bell said as Stella walked past her.
“Oh, don’t be silly I’m not talking about that garish bunch of do nothings who hasn’t done anything more strenuous than talking and counting coin in their entire life. I’m talking about the real town square filled with real people who know how to work,” she replied looking at the saddles settling for a nice durable one, rather than the overly ornate piece of work that might fall apart if she looked at it wrong.
Break
“Mommy who’s that,” a young boy said pointing up at Stella as reached the outskirts of slums sitting atop Sleipnir. “Is that the big meanie princess lady.”
“I have no idea,” the mother said looking up at Stella who was a contradiction wrapped in an enigma. She was dressed like a woman who worked in labor intensive jobs, but her clothes were stylish and of a high make and lacked the usual wear and tear one might expect. Second her hair and skin were clean lacking the caked-on dirt and grime you might expect from a female laborer. Then there were her golden eyes that shone with kindness as she looked around the town almost as if she knew the place. This was all before her regal horse which must have cost a small fortune.
“Lock it in place, get the lock, the animals can’t hold it,” a man’s voice bellowed as the twang of rope snapping.
“The ropes snapping,” several men yelled.
“Everyone get back,” a man Stell could only assume was the foreman bellowed.
Stella’s golden eyes were drawn to the sound spotted wooden scaffolding around a large ancient stone structure in disrepair, with a not quite so old leaning church steeple affixed atop it. She didn’t need to be a stone mason to realize that they were trying and failing to repair the steeple. A steeple that if it fell would do massive damage to the town square and the buildings around it.
“Hiya!” Stella exclaimed pushing the heels of her boots into Sleipnir’s flanks racing into town pulling the green and gold flower from her hair. “Grow and become a mighty unbreakable rope,” she whispered trying to push her strength into the flower. “Wind spirits please aid me in striking my target,” she said before throwing the flower like a dart. A stiff breeze carrying the flower to the fraying rope. The towns people watching as thick green vines erupted from the flower growing along the length of the rope. The vines held but the rope continued to fray as the vines were holding but barely as the steeple continued to lean.
“Sleipnir you are mighty, you are the strongest, and you can pull anything,” she said patting his neck while racing to the team of draft animals. The horse would have done what she asked anyway, but with the trickle of power she was managing to push into him, only strengthened his conviction.
“Unhook the lead,” Stella yelled leaping down from her horse
“Bloody hell lady if I unhook him the rest of the team won’t be able to handle the weight,” the shocked foreman shot back just as the lead horse passed out from exhaustion. “Go before the rest give out.” He barked forcing his men into action. The scared beleaguered men worked quickly attaching Sleipnir at the head of the pack.
With but a nod from Stella he grunted lifted one foot slamming it down into the cobblestones slowly inching forward. A second foot moved and yet the steeple refused to move as another horse collapsed. All while his lady stood firm standing next to him confident in his abilities for, he was her personal horse, the horse of a powerful leader, even if she didn’t know it yet. He did, and would not fail even as the steeple pulled him back raising his front legs into the air, as the rest of the pack failed one by one. Releasing a mighty grunt his front legs slammed into the ground head bent low eyes looking right at Stella who was still smiling. His lady believed in him, gave him power, he would win. One step became another as he moved forward the stone steeple slowly moving upright.
A growing crowd watching until at last it was perfect straight once more.
“Great job Sleipnir, I knew you could do it,” Stella exclaimed running over and throwing her arms around his massive neck. A neck that would have lifted her right off the ground if not for her the heel of her boot getting stuck in a crack between the old stone slabs of the town square. Stuck between a rock and a horse, Stella’s body lost, her spine released a series of pops becoming a bit longer and straighter, while her legs and arms extended to keep pace. So could it really be called a loss if the still rather short Stella grew an inch or two.
“Bloody hell lady, you’re fucking nuts, but your horse is something else,” the foreman said as Stella pulled her boot free and adjusted her outfit.
“Yes, Sleipnir is the best boy, yes he is,” she cooed causing him to stumble in shock.
“Wait did you say Sleipnir,” he gasped.
“Yes, that is his name, a mighty name for a mighty steed,” Stella said as the men quickly went to work stabilizing the structure.
“So that makes you that crazy maid Stella, the one pulling double shifts, and beat the princess in a horse race, before rescuing her from the Arduinna,” he asked.
“Yes, except I am not crazy,” Stella replied as a young girl timidly walked over to her holding a basket of old wilted flowers.
“Miss Princess Lady,” the girl said softly.
“Yes,” Stella said looking down at the girl who squeaked and hid behind the foreman. “Oh, what pretty flowers,” Stella said softly looking at the flowers in the girl’s basket.
“Eep!” the girls squeaked before peaking her head out. “I um, they’re not very pretty, but would you like a flower to replace the one you lost.”
“How cute,” Stella thought smiling at the young girl while experimenting trying to push her power out to the daisies in her basket. Her eyes shinning as they regained their vitality. “I beg to differ I think they are very pretty, just as pretty as you,” she said pulling out a daisy looking as fresh as the day it was cut.
“Wow, how did you do that,” the girl gasped.
“Can you keep a secret,” Stella whispered giggling as the girl nodded rapidly.
“I have no idea, but plants and animals just seem to like me and mages find me interesting. So, I think it’s the power of being a nice person,” she whispered turning the flowers into a little flower crown. “Now as long as you’re a good person, be nice to nature and listen to your parents, you can play near the Arduinna and nothing from the forest will hurt you, and you’ll have good luck finding the best flower spots,” she said to the wide-eyed girl.
The adults in ear shot didn’t know what to think mixed between she’s crazy, or crazy like a fox, but they all agreed that Stella was still Stella even if she came with a lot more power these days.
“I promise, I’ll be super duper good Miss Princess Stella Lady,” the girl blurted out hugging Stella tightly before running back to her mother.
“Honestly Stella, only you,” Bell sighed finally entering the marketplace.
“What, I couldn’t just let it fall and wreck everything,” Stella replied slowly standing up her facial features shifting slightly. Her cheekbone slimming and rising a bit while her weak recessed chin pushed forwards slightly. Creating a slightly more regal look at she turned to look at the crowd.
“Bell, is that really Stella,” one of the townspeople called out, slightly confused over this powerful almost regal looking woman who saved their church, and claimed to be one of their own.
“Yes, this is our rush into anything to help others with no thought of herself Stella,” Bell replied.
“I have so many questions,” the group exclaimed.
“Good luck, because she is still as clueless as ever,” Bell replied.
Stella pouted cutely balling her fists. “Hey, I am not clueless,” she said as everyone laughed including Sleipnir.
“So, what did she do to manage all this,” the Seamstress asked. “Because I know my own work and this isn’t it. Are you throwing me away for a new seamstress, and how did you afford a horse.”
“My boss managed to not only impress a White Mage, but convinced a Black mage not to destroy Heim, while making she who farts a lot look like a fool,” Bell said.
“Bell, language,” Stella snapped.
“Fine, she who has gastrointestinal explosions,” Bell sighed.
“Wait you said boss, aren’t you a milk maid,” someone asked.
“Yes, I am indeed Bell’s boss as the new Master of Stables according to a recent decree after Princess Sarah needed to save face with a Black Mage,’ Stella said.
“So now that you’re a big shot you’ve come to lord it over us,” a woman from the back of the crowd yelled.
“Yeah….” A few more added in as the girl from before ran out in front of Stella.
“STOP IT! MISS STELLA PRINCESS LADY IS A NICE LADY AND YOU’RE ALL BEING A BIG FAT STUPID SARAH!” she yelled.
“A Sarah, what the hell does that mean,” the crowd asked.
“I believe what my daughter is saying is that you are all being as closed minded and ignorant as the princess,” the foreman said.
“Oh,” was the collective gasp from the crowd.
“Now, as to why I am here is that I am in need of workers for the royal stable and I am offering two silver a day, plus lunch, and training in more skilled labor.”
“That’s double the going rate,” several men called out.
“You can also expect similar rate hikes on more skilled positions, though tools will be provided for those positions,” Bell explained.
“I do have a few rules, the work day is 8 hours plus time for lunch, and I expect you to work while at work. I also expect you to be on your best behavior, no foul language or deviant behavior will be allowed. Or I will be upset,” Stella explained.
“And trust me you do not want to see her upset,” Bell added.
“Ooohhhhh Bell stop being mean,” Stella pouted causing the crowd to laugh before calming down. “I am also well aware of the quota system, and the graft associated with it. As some of you know I have no intention of keeping it but I want it to go to good use. The Stables of Heim will be known as the best in all of Europa, and I would l love to recommend they visit the best part of Heim,” she explained.
“Oh….. that’s what she meant,” the townspeople muttered some already thinking about how to use the incoming influx of coin to spruce the place up.
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