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The Unbreakable Branch

The rolling wheels and the horrifying stomping hooves thunders on the upsloping avenue leading to the citadel. The golden carriage with the bun-haired Taryna sits at the helm as she drives the black-armored horses straight past the guardhouses on either side of the innermost portcullis; it greets the carriage with openness because the wagons with Xe’Reth’s possessions drove through recently.

‘To the east side, Miss said,’ Taryna thought while steering the monsters to the right side instead of going forward into the main courtyard of the citadel where the fountains of water lies.

After driving for a minute or so, the carriage comes onto another courtyard with clean-cut white-marbled houses that’re built spread-out beside the six-cornered hexagon formation of cobblestoned tiles. And since Taryna has entered one part of the servants’ section of the citadel, more and more adult women treads around in their self-made clothes with the Tertin signature sewed onto the back.

Taryna drives onwards to the east side while being greeted by the working servants who tends to their own duties in handling the somewhat favored occupation: gardening. And because the citadel had been built on a highland, the sun shines over the toppling fortification to nurture the emerald grass, the various self-grown trees of variation, and the numerous small gardens which the servants tends to with such aptitude as if their lives depends on keeping everything up to the finest standards.

As the carriage drives on, Taryna smiles and waves at the servants which she knows, but when Taryna gazes ahead at the gateway that leads into the main plaza where all of the younger servants lives, it stands closed while two adult women argues violently with arms flying in every direction. And the women’s eyes turn wide with two gaping mouths as they gawk at the incoming carriage of gold.

With a pull of the reins, the horses halt completely in front of the two women. But as Taryna stares at them, the servants fall immediately to their knees in a pleading fashion while their heads and hands touch the ground.

“What is the meaning of this, why isn’t the gate open? Explain yourselves!” Taryna strictly shouted with a pointing finger at the now flinching women. “Because the Honored Malinda needs to use her side entrance to get to her wing, so open up immediately!”

Neither of the women dares to speak, but another woman comes out from the gatehouse above the double-doored giant gate and walks hastily down the long flight of stairs.

As the woman strides with hands clutched together in front of her stomach, she shouts out when she touches the tiled walkway while staring nervously, “Honored Handmaiden Taryna! I am terribly sorry but the gate has been damaged! We’re trying to repair it at once, but the servants that normally builds and repairs, they’ve left the citadel to go into the city to purchase materials for the new project that they’ll build in the Sanctuary for the children.”

A click emits from the carriage’s door as Malinda peeks out to investigate why they’ve stopped. But the voices could be heard inside so she knows everything already. And as Malinda makes eye contact with the women who shouted, she frowns while saying, “Can’t you open the gate by pushing it?”

“My Honored Lady!” the woman, too, falls to her knees as her face grimaces in anxiety at Malinda’s frowning mood.

“Oh Divine… Get up and stop being so dramatic,” Malinda demanded with hand covering her face while she sighs at their overly submissive way. “Tell me… Why aren’t the wagons by this gate if it’s brok—I told you to get up! And you two over there, get up too, now!”

“Yes… our Honored Lady…” the servants gloomily responded as they stand up while the two servants in front of the carriage has lowered heads, not daring to stare at Malinda, but the one who came down from the gatehouse gazes with a slight opened mouth and widened eyes. She waits for her doom, because her duty only includes opening and closing the gate, which she has failed miserable in.

“Answer my question, and I want it to be quick but explanatory, now,” Malinda snapped as her arms crosses while narrowing her eyes to stare at this fiddling gate-keeper.

Xe’Reth’s mother needs to be quickly taken to her room, but this unforeseen event makes Malinda worried for Theresa, because she has been dazing in and out of sleep on the journey here, while Malinda had sat next to Xe’Reth, which made him have two women on either side of him. Malinda and him had talked about all the events that has happened today, and being so close to each other, feeling one another’s warmth, did Malinda a huge favor as they whispered words to not disturb his mother. A calm ride home.

“I… I was doing my duties as always, then when the Battle-Mistress returned with the wagons, I opened the gate for them. After they went through, I closed it again, but…” she hesitates while biting her lower lip, for the consequences that might come to the perpetrators if she were to reveal everything could be horrible. “I beg of you, my Honored Lady, they’re only children. They sneaked into the gatehouse while I went to… to powder my nose. And well, the children played with the mechanism that opens the gate. But one of the children accidently dropped a branch and now it’s stuck in the chain. It won’t open.”

“Please, as I’m a senior servant, please don’t throw them out of the citadel, please! It was my fault for leaving my post! They will learn from their mistakes, so please my Honored Lady, don’t throw them out!” she pleadingly wailed with praying hands clutching together while she has furrowed eyebrows, and a pair of eyes on the verge of crying.

“Children? And how could they possibly get into the gatehouse, surely you weren’t alone?” Malinda asked but turns to the two other servants as both of them froze up when they heard her words. She raises a brow while turning back to the pleading servant. “Well?”

“T-Those children were smart… They earnestly wanted to see how the gate worked, and through their curiosity, they had one to distract those two,” she said while pointing at the two servants standing there with sunk heads of shame. “Then as I wasn’t there, they waltzed up the stairs on the other side of the gate and simply began opening and closing it, over and over again until one of them dropped a branch which I just said. It was just them playing. They don’t know any better because those children had recently been brought in from an orphanage, so they’re still getting used to all of the rules. Please my Honored Lady, do forgive them for their childish acts. And I am completely ready to receive punishment in their stead.”

‘What will Xe’Reth think of me if I do punish her,’ Malinda thought as her body turns to the opened carriage door, but her eyes widen as she sees Xe’Reth coming out with an extremely calm looking expression. No worry on his eyes, brows or mouth, only his regular mask of excessive compassion.

“Malinda, I may not know how the rules works here, but everyone makes mistakes,” Xe’Reth said as he places a hand on her cheek with a smile on his lips. “So do forgive them. It wouldn’t really give a great first impression if you punish them because of my mother’s hastiness to get to your wing.”

All three servants’ gawks with wide mouths and round globes of various colored eyes at this rugged-looking young man who came out of the carriage. A man in this part of the citadel? It’s unheard of. Not even the General dares to tread on these grounds because many of the younger servants who’re still in training haven’t even seen a man before, much less a young one. Only the geezers and the General has the full-fledged servants seen, though, those who venture out on errands has seen the crowds of people.

“X-Xe’Reth… I was hoping you wouldn’t have come out…” Malinda regrettably said as she gently places her hand on his, which caresses her own cheek. “And you’re right. Of course I won’t punish them. But I can’t just look away at their incompetence in doing their duty. Your mother needs to get to her room right this instant. And they’ve—”

“Malinda, it is enough,” Xe’Reth retorted somewhat sternly as he lightly pinches her cheek playfully. “How can you expect people to respect you, if you can’t show forgiveness for something so minor.”

He lets go of her cheek as he inspects the area around him; high decorated walls with various old carvings. Numerous white buildings from where they came, beside the tiled road grows emerald grass that lights the scenery around him, and those three servants who stares at him in wide-eyed astonishment.

To actually dare to be so bold to one of their Honored rulers in such a demanding manner. Never in their life have they seen a sight as surprising as that. But yet, their hearts rejoice in relief upon hearing those words coming out from his mouth.

Who can he be? No, they already know by simply looking at those affectionate eyes which now gazes at the troubled Malinda while she stares at the ground, looking at her own feet in shame. Why? Why is this guilty feeling hanging on Malinda’s heart? She can be stern when it comes to rules, though from the verses Xe’Reth uttered, she can’t help but to give him an appearance of embarrassment.

Taryna, however, rejoices inside her own heart. Because finally Xe’Reth will be put in his place. No one dares to speak to her Miss in such a tone, and in a tone that’s so shaming. ‘Miss, go ahead! Tell him to take his damaged mother and leave! To let him return to his own filth!’

The fickle heart of a maiden can be complicated.

‘Oh Xe’Reth, you’re too kind for your own good… Divine, I can’t bear to punish them anymore when you say those things to me,’ Malinda thought as her head raises a tiny bit to give him her response by slightly nodding in defeat while saying, “Okay, Xe’Reth, I won’t punish them… But you three!”

“Yes?!” the servants startlingly replied. Straightening their bodies as they take their eyes off of Xe’Reth, to gape at Malinda instead.

“Listen, I won’t give out any chastisement this time, but know this: Next time… I won’t be as generous. Oh, and this man here is my lover, remember him. He made me change my mind about not punishing you, so give him your thanks. You shall pronounce his first name as Xe and then Reth, Xe’Reth. And his last name is Quinery, now, show your gratitude,” Malinda said with a demanding index finger whipping in every direction while the servants follows that violent finger with their dead-set eyes, being mesmerized by their Honored ruler.

With smiles of total relief and gratitude upon their faces, they curtsy elegantly as they’ve been trained to do with opened mouths while gapingly saying, “Thank you, Sir Xe’Reth Quinery, for convincing our Honored Lady to be merciful.”

While they give their thanks, Taryna stands there dumbfounded as she sees that Xe’Reth isn’t being thrown out by her Miss. Her anger utterly boils on her angled flaming eyebrows, her clenched revealing teeth, and her agape staring eyes that has death directed at Xe’Reth as she ponders in her mind, ‘Why isn’t she furious at him?! None has talked to Miss in such a demanding tone before and left unscathed! Why Miss?! Why does he get special treatment from you?! You’ve only known him less than twenty-four hours! What has happened to you when I wasn’t with you?! Damn it all… He doesn’t deserve to be with you… Please, Divine Queens, one of your subjects is in dire need of aid. Smite this man down, for he’s a hideous being that’s not deserving of my Miss! Smite him, and let my Miss find someone who IS worthy!’

‘That’ll send out a clean message that I’m not to be feared, though, hopefully they’ll spread their words around this place. But wow, it truly is astonishing workmanship with cleanliness in every nook and cranny in this citadel. Nothing is out of place, not even one single leaf is below the autumn’s changing colored trees. And the servants, too, is somehow flawless. I guess they live generous lives here in the citadel,’ Xe’Reth thought as he keeps scanning with his eyes after he had given the three servants smiling bobs of his head to show his mask of kindness which grasps ahold of their sheltered naïve minds, giving them a rather favored picture of Xe’Reth’s personality.

*Clap*

“Now, now. We’ve spent too much time here dallying on petty squabbles. Hmm, why don’t you let me take a look at that chain with the branch stuck in it? Because, well, I don’t want to brag, but I’m pretty handy in all departments there is,” Xe’Reth said with a chuckle as his hands clapped together to break the air of awe from the servants, Malinda’s stern lowered eyebrows directing to them, and Taryna’s gaze of death which stares at Xe’Reth.

Yet that gaze goes unnoticeable by the three servants and Malinda, though Xe’Reth knowns of Taryna’s feelings towards him, so he can’t really do anything about her… at this moment at least.

“Sir, it might be hard… because…” the servant hesitantly said while biting her lip, who’s the same servant who came down the gatehouse; blonde hair, a slender body that fits her servant’s clothes, and light blue narrowed eyes of worry. “Because the chain dragged it down into where all of the parts of components are. If you wanted to help, you would need to climb down a hole which’s completely dangerous if you haven’t built it or have been versed in how it works. So please Sir, don’t risk your life f—.”

Xe’Reth casually raises a hand to stop her from speaking as he opens his own mouth with a grateful nod, “Your concern is greatly appreciated, but unnecessary.”

“Xe’Reth, she’s right. We can bring in your mother through the front entrance instead, or just go up the staircase and go down on the other side. But come, let us go back to the front courtyard, to let those who’re experienced handle the repairs on the gate,” Malinda said with a tugging arm, pulling him towards carriage door. But as Malinda almost drags him forcibly into the carriage, he stops dead in his tracks, becoming unmoving, which makes her surprised by his upset narrowed eyes looking straight into hers.

With a yank of his arm, he effortlessly closes in on Malinda as he leans in to whisper into her ear, calmly but enthrallingly, “Malinda, please, let me do this. I’ve given my mother water mixed with THE herb, so she’ll be able to stomach it longer than you think. Please, my beauty of a lover. Let me fix the gate by my means. I might not know how it works, but I only need to inspect the gate’s situation, then, if I can’t really repair it, I’ll listen to your command, okay? It’ll only take a couple of minutes to see if I can or can’t patch it up. And… wouldn’t it be completely awe-inspiring if I do repair it? For it will give you recognition from the servants because you picked me and no one else. Plus, if they hear that I’m helpful, they won’t be so scared of me. For I’ve seen their somewhat frightened eyes staring at me, as if I am a complete new sighting to them.”

As Malinda drifts off by his verses of soothing words, she can only give a slight nod with crossed arms, but then as she gazes at him, Xe’Reth closes in even further, to give her a smooch on the lips.

Which turns the servants’ mouths agape with hands covering their eyes, only peeking out from the cracks between their fingers as a violent storm shakes their inexperienced minds of love to its total limit. The servants stand there acting as if they’re in their teens, but they’ve never even met a young man before, so this kiss that Xe’Reth gives Malinda, can be counted as their first time witnessing such a steamy act.

Xe’Reth unlocks his lips from hers as he says while caressing her cheek, “Watch my mother as I try to repair the gate, I won’t be gone long… honey.”

She stares at him with dazed blue globes as she puffs out air in quick intervals with scarlet cheeks, for that kiss took her by surprise, even more so because of this place, the servants’ sanctuary.

Since long ago, rules had been set in stone, and one of those rules: Celibacy. When the servants join the ranks of the Tertin family for real, they must take an oath to never break the rules, but that oath can only be taken when they reach fourteen. The servants who complete their training has two choices to make when they’re a full-fledged servant.

The first choice: Take the oath of servitude to the Tertin family and all that includes in its guidelines.

Or the second choice: Leave the citadel to find something else than being a servant, but once you leave, there can be no turning back.

The Sanctuary has an extremely sheltered environment; high walls that blocks off any contact with the outside world, living quarters and schools for children and adults, everything that’s needed for children from four to fourteen. But even full-fledged servants can still live in the Sanctuary since not enough buildings have been built.

The white houses that the carriage had driven past is the only other living place and it’s already at full capacity. Though inside the Sanctuary, plenty of rooms are still available.

Taryna’s boiling mind wants to scream and reprimand Xe’Reth for being so impudent, but she can’t. Malinda has already told her off, and giving her more reasons to be mad at her, is something she cannot allow.

With clenched fists she sees Xe’Reth speak with the one who came down from the stairs, and with an elegant arm forwarding her to show him where the chain is, they start walking up the stone stairs while Malinda has gone inside the carriage to care for his ill mother.

She can’t allow this foolishness to continue, because within a couple of days, Malinda will be around his grasp so tightly that it’ll be a problem to separate them… Taryna must do what she must do. But what can she do? Frame him…? No, too suspicious. Have him murdered…? No, also too suspicious.

While Taryna ponders to herself, the remaining two servants stands completely motionless to await her orders, but no order comes, only the frowning handmaiden who tries to puzzle out what kind of plan which can help her break them up, but with a long exhausting sigh, she gives up such thoughts. Because if Malinda were to ever find out that it was her who separated Xe’Reth and her, then a volcano would certainly burst forth, and Taryna would be swept away by its volcanic spewing lava.

As Xe’Reth takes his first step onto the rampart that leads in two directions, he turns to look with a raised eyebrow at the gate-keeper who follows somewhat far behind him down the stairs.

With his body turning back to inspect his left side, he sees a dead-end that’s blocked of by the castle’s high stone structure. And to the right side, the guardhouse’s wooden door hangs on its hinges with metal borders going around the whole door.

A thick and sturdy door with a metal bared window where a person can peek out of.

Without waiting for the nervous stair-stepping gate-keeper, he strides to the gatehouse while looking over to the other side where he sees females of all ages going about. Some of them has gathered in various sized groups, some walks alone, and some treads in pairs while giggling to each other about the recent gossip.

He’s completely amazed with a pair of wide eyes as he stares at the large buildings that’re standing there in its splendid foundation with multiple levels in height. But the view of wonder disappears when he arrives at the door.

Xe’Reth turns around again to gaze at the gate-keeper who can’t keep eye contact with him, for every time her eyes reaches his, she looks down at her own feet. This turns Xe’Reth rather angry, but he still doesn’t show his real emotions that he wants to yell. Emotions of how they need to stand up for themselves and not be so pathetically submissive.

The gate-keeper walks to his side bravely and opens the door for him with a turn of her brought up key in the lock.

“This way, Sir,” she said with a curtsy as fast stepping feet resounds when the gate-keeper moves to where the mechanism of the gate lies. And Xe’Reth casually follows behind her with ever-alert eyes that sharply scans the inside of the gatehouse; a three-legged table, four-legged chairs, shelves with supplies, and the obvious gate mechanism. “Here it is, Sir. And down there, look, there is the stick wedged.”

“Wait… That’s it?” Xe’Reth surprisingly asked with a raised brow and upper lip.

He can clearly see the wooden stick stuck to the chain, though, with the chain’s movement, it had taken it further down. But it doesn’t look challenging at all for Xe’Reth to get to it. He simply needs to climb down on the metal cogs and pull the stick out from the chain. No, wait. Xe’Reth detects the weights on either side… They’re shaking slightly. “I see, that’s why you couldn’t fix it. If you were to pull out the branch, the cogwheels would begin to move again. In the process it could heavily injure someone if they would be caught in them.”

“Sir… y-you’re right. That’s why we’re waiting for the repairers to return from their errand in the city’s construction district,” she responded at first with flickering eyes of surprise but immediately returned to her meek manner. “Can… Can you fix it, Sir?”

Xe’Reth looks up from his crouched position to stare at her once again, though his expression of smiling pride grabs ahold of the gate-keeper’s mind while he says, “It will be dealt with easily. Hmm, you can relax, I’ll be back in less than a minute.”

With that, he lowers himself down the square opening with his hands as he places his feet firmly on the metal cogwheels, which’re trembling slightly by the burden of the weights trying to open the gate.

Xe’Reth moves carefully as he slithers around metal poles downwards to the branch of wood. He’s quite amazed that such a twig can hold back the force. But Xe’Reth knows if he removes it, all of the mechanisms will start moving again so he needs to be quick, really quick to not sustain any injuries, though with his extremely serene appearance, he worries not.

‘Alright then,’ Xe’Reth breathes in calmly as he supports himself to not fall down. With an exhale of air, he narrows his eyes to show his complete seriousness with a deep imbedded frown on his brows.

He grasps onto the branch, and with a strong pull, all of the cogwheels and chains begins to move faster than he thought, but he simply presses his hands and feet on either side of the wall in this crampy place, to let the gate open up so the mechanisms would seize its movements. Of course he could’ve tried to climb up while everything went on, but as he wasn’t going to take that chance, he takes the safer option.

Down by the carriage, Taryna stands cross-armed while tapping one of her feet impatiently with the two servants being motionless in front of her, sighing their day away in dismay. But with the noise of a gate being opened, all of them turns to look at it. Taryna gapes with wide eyes in astonishment, though she grits her teeth hard as she knows now that he has repaired the gate.

“Yeaah! Sir Xe’Reth really repaired it! Hahaha!” one of the servant rejoiced while slightly jumping up and down with hands clapping to show her extremely impressed mood.

“So quick, too! It hasn’t even gone five minutes yet! Sir Xe’Reth is truly someone who’s worthy of our Honored Lady if he has such skills, and he looks so young now that I think about it!” the other servant also celebrated yet she isn’t as jumpy as the other one. Only her broad smiling mouth directs at the widely opened gate that leads into the Sanctuary.

As both of the servants turns joyfully around to see Taryna, their stares of wide-eyed shock displays. Her completely sour expression takes them aback, totally an unforeseen face that the servants questions themselves about. Why she isn’t happy for her Miss’s sake? But as the click from the carriage’s door declares itself, Taryna puts up a forced guise as her whole face turns back to her normal collected self.

“He did it…!” Malinda uttered triumphantly with fisted hands as her gaze wanders off to the wall’s staircase, where Xe’Reth walks with the totally awed gate-keeper treading closely a few staircases behind him. And as his gaze connects with hers, he waves while smiling proudly at Malinda. ‘Thank you, Divine Queens, for giving him to me, even though you aren’t real, but if you’re real, thank you.’

With praying hands touching her mouth, Malinda gazes up to the Divine Sky as Xe’Reth raises an eyebrow at her unusual stance. Though when he returns to be by the carriage, he’s greeted with smiling faces from the two servants while their two pair of eyes gawks intently at him, which makes him show a mask of slight embarrassment as he treads to be by Malinda’s side. And he’s greeted by her with an extremely lovable embrace. Her head places on his uninjured shoulder with arms coiling around him.

“You did it. I am so sorry for ever doubting you, will you forgive my disgraceful self?” Malinda said teasingly with a wide smile while hugging him.

“Hmm, I don’t know… Should I?” Xe’Reth replied irritably with a head turned in another direction.

Malinda hastily jolts her head up to stare awkwardly at his turned skull, but as he turns back to give her a light kiss on her stunned expression of anxiety, he says with lips removed from hers, “Was there ever anything to forgive? Heh.”

“Oh Xe’Reth, you tease!” Malinda shouted as her upper-body recoils while lightly slapping with one hand on his chest. “Hahaha.”

Both of them laughs while the three servants surprisingly also giggle at their playfulness with each other, though, one of the servants’ gazes with suspicious eyes at the composed Taryna as she giggles with the other two.

“I am sorry for interrupting, my Honored Lady, but I must congratulate you on finding such a resourceful lover,” the gate-keeper earnestly said with all her heart put into it while a beaming face aims at Malinda, which makes her feel happier somehow. Because the success of a chosen reflects on the chooser. “We had heard that you found someone, and someone like Sir Xe’Reth is a great addition to the Honored Tertin family. And I am most Honored to be one of the first servants to meet him.”

‘You did excellent without even being told to do it, great,’ Xe’Reth gleefully thought while holding Malinda in his arms.

“You hear that, Xe’Reth?! Hehe, it’ll be spread throughout the whole servants’ quarters! You three, I want you to spread it!” Malinda fawningly shouted with an overbearing happiness while her head has glued itself onto Xe’Reth’s shoulder. “And Taryna, prepare the horses, we’re leaving now towards my side entrance!”

“Yes, our Honored Lady!” the servants bravely replied but yet loudly, making Taryna snap into action as she climbs up to the driver’s seat, feeling completely defeated. Even an exhausted puff of air escapes from her mouth.

“It was a pleasure to meet you three, until the next time we meet,” Xe’Reth said with a graceful bow as he had let go of Malinda to show his forged compassionate poise that doesn’t rank people only because they’ve a different upbringing and life.

As Xe’Reth and Malinda disappears into the carriage to take care of his mother, the three servants curtsies elegantly as their arms and legs bends in a flawlessly trained female bow. Then with the regular click of the door, the carriage disappears through the gate and into the Sanctuary where only women roam everywhere…

Thanks for reading!

The start of something new has begun, and if a person wants to survive, he needs to make friends, not enemies. But with Xe'Reth... everything will be around his grasp. Friend or foe, what does it matter? :/ We'll just have to see.

If you think that the servants are romance-able, then no. It may be a women's citadel, but still, it wouldn't be great to be caught in bed with a servant by Malinda. I have irks too, so, hehe. But who knows, something might happen, I haven't thought that far yet though, but cheating is complicated so we'll see later down the line.

Voice your thoughts!

Oh, and by the way. Happy Christmas! Well I had one yesterday here in Sweden! And I might be able to release one more chapter on Sunday, if everything goes as it should!

Until... Next Time, Hohoho.

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