Alice glanced into the library, the only library, Baroness Aeris Flirlai’s library. It was small and cozy. It had two tables and three chairs. It was a perfect place to sit in and just calmly read, watch the hours melt away. The Baroness put it to use from time to time, though most of the rest of the time she spent up at her office or somewhere else.

But what was eating at Alice was that the library was being occupied by the wicked hag and her cronies. The three oldest women in the group of offworlders, Miss Dodson, and two others who Alice had not bothered to remember their names. The three weren’t even reading, just chatting away.

Taking a step away before she could be spotted, Alice berated at herself. She knew the trio had set-up shop in the library to mess with her. And though she’d have normally not bothered to worry over it, this lethargy that had taken over their lives in this outwardly idyllic middle-of-nowhere village was sapping her far more than she thought possible.

There was just too much time to think about anything and everything, and it was all too easy for Alice to get lost in thought.

“Is everything alright, my lady?”

“Would you happen to know any spells that could make people want to vacate an area?”

The Valkyrie perked up. “I do have a spell that unleashes a blinding flash of light.”

“Not exactly what I was looking for.” Alice shook her head, walking down the corridor and away from her defiled sanctuary. “Do you know where the other girls are?”

“As of right now, the only group of offwolder women I am aware of are taking classes in etiquette from the Baroness.”

“Just…” A slight frown. “I could’ve sworn you’ve been beside me all day. How did you find this out?”

“I overheard the Baroness’ personal knights talking over coordinating guard rotations with the maidens protecting the ladies for the day.” Helga straightened her shoulders and threw a smile that could have illuminated the whole building. Her wings certainly ruffled and seemed bigger for it.

Nodding a little, Alice could only really acknowledge the young woman was far more attentive than she sometimes appeared. “Let’s go take a look, then.” Anything better than just walking the same cobblestone roads for a hundredth time to try to work around the feeling of everything having slowed down and being wrong in some fashion or another.

Village life did not agree with her.

They reached the ‘second dining room’ and found it being closely guarded by no less than six maidens, three of which sporting the pale blue armor that made Alice’s skin tingle whenever she got too close to it.

Helga moved ahead of Alice in a flash. “My lady seeks to observe the lesson.”

The only reaction they showed was a stiff nod. “Certainly, one moment.”

The tallest of guards stepped through and inside. Ten seconds later, she stepped back outside and opened the door, gesturing for her to step inside. Not Helga, though, which appeared to be protocol, so Alice just held back from adding a comment and followed through.

The dining room had been cleared out of the large table, only the chairs remained. A dozen, each occupied by one of the former students or parents. The women of the offworlder group, and looking just about bored out of their minds. She quickly noticed the half-glazed and unfocused eyes and the distant looks. It seemed things were as tedious here as she’d expected them to be.

“Miss Alice, welcome.” The Baroness gave a slight courteous nod at her, the only perked up smile in the entire room. “We were talking about the proper steps to take in addressing members of the noble houses by their rank.”

She smiled slightly. “Just bow and do that thing with the bending knees. They’ll be slobbering over you, anyway.”

That earned a slight chuckle from the room. The baroness didn’t quite look that amused, but nodded slightly. “A lady is to keep her wits about her, no less when single.” Her gaze was sharp as she turned to the others. “Never accept invitations alone. Always bring at least one other human with you. Not doing so can be seen as an… invitation in itself.”

A rather uncomfortable memory bubbled up for Alice, her lips thinned a little. “Have you talked over owning maidens yet?”

“Considering that aspect of military service will not be of too much importance, I was reserving only a small amount of lessons to it.” There was a slight defensive tone in her voice, only seeming to notice the myriad of reactions the others present had. “Though I take it, this is an important topic to some of you.”

“Why wouldn’t it be? Don’t we get to trust our lives to them at the end of the day?”

“Indeed, though I-.” She stopped herself, taking a slight step back and crossing her arms as she tapped at her chin. She smiled. “You have had a chance to witness bonding ferals and have the potential to bond a maiden yourself. Maybe you could have some insight to share?”

“I-.” Suddenly in the spotlight, she hesitated, but regained her train of thought rather quickly. “They’re people.” She said this and scratched at the back of her head. “Don’t blind yourself to what they are, focus on who they are.”

“All very wise words.” The Baroness nodded. “Let us consider a hypothetical situation. You own two maidens, support types, very poor choices in combat. And you are going to be sent to an area that is expecting a feral rush. Do you sell them to acquire a maiden that could more definitely protect you? Head out with the two maidens? Or disobey orders from your superior and refuse to head out?”

Alice’s head swiveled and focused on the woman in a snap. “I would put the maidens that could die in the field under the care of a close friend and head out without any maidens to protect me.”

That caught the woman by surprise. Her eyes widened slightly. “That would be suicidal.”

“If my superior is aware of my unwillingness and inability to operate without the ones I’ve come to trust as my partners, then the responsibility of the resulting events would be on their shoulders,” she said.

“And why would you be unwilling or unable to operate?”

“Because a maiden isn’t some hammer that can be replaced by any other hammer.” Alice pointed with her thumb over her shoulder at the door. “I can trust Helga is listening to my every word and is just about ready to jump in if I cry for help. If she were replaced by someone else, I would not trust them nor know what to expect from them.”

There was a muffled sound from outside, one Alice could only guess at being a cheer of some sort.

The declaration made the baroness frown slightly. She nodded absently, taking a moment to look at the other women in the room. She must have seen something in their faces, as she nodded a bit more firmly the second time.

“I can see that some of the Hunter’s point of view on things has rubbed off on you.” She finally conceded. “There is certainly some merit to the mindset, but it is undoubtedly going to cause some issues if you were to keep it once having joined the King’s army. Maidens in the army do not belong to you, they are the King’s property.” Her hand gestured at the door. “My knights spent the first two years under my care not being truly mine. Green collars up and until I had earned the right to give them the azure collar.” A slight pause. “You start within the army with the right to a single azure collar.”

“So your initial question was a trap.”

She laughed lightly at this. “I must admit I was curious about your answer.” A slight smile as she cocked her hip. “It is, in truth, a question posed to Hunters. The army is not expected to participate in a feral wave, their duty is in the protection of the Kingdom’s heart and its laws.” She glanced at the others. “Who remembers why the army and the hunters were split apart?”

The room was filled with groans.

Alice’s brow furrowed as her mind latched on to something else. “Wait, I’m not enlisted.”

“Hm? That is correct.”

“How can I legally own Helga?”

“You’re a human female, citizen of the Kingdom. You have the right to have a guard regardless of our status, we all do.”

“Then… they do too?”

There was a sudden collective thoughtful look from everyone present, the only exception being the Baroness herself and the sharp stare she had focused on Alice. There was a quiet warning in those eyes.