The Home Guard and the Royal Watches

The Never Ending Quest - Episode 88193

Alric [see 41191] had befriended some of the officers of the Home Guard. They were forced to vacate their headquarters at the Water Tower, and the all- male Home Guard gave way to the all-female Royal Watches. The Allarians offered to help, but the senior centurion, one Carus, politely declined. Alric chose to observe, and was impressed with the speed and organization that the Home Guard showed in establishing a camp on the Tower Yard that was adjacent to the Water Tower itself.

Two days before Astra was kidnapped, the Home Guard held a ceremony. The Queen, Astra herself, and the Commander of the Royal Watches all spoke, praising the men for their efficiency in establishing a new camp, and charging them with the important duty of working with the Royal Watches to ensure that the ground were secured from anyone who intended to harm the Princess, while the Royal Watches were directly responsible for the tower and her person.

That night, the night before the kidnapping, a great bonfire was lit, contests were held, chickens were roasted (such meat being reserved for a festive time such as the wedding week), and finally, Alric broke off to talk with his counterparts from the Home Guard.

The conversation started with the topic of what was the correct name for that cylindrical pastry that was served with the chicken, a bread that was about an inch high and two inches in diameter. Then there was salacious gossip about a scandal in the Hespaniard court, and then sober conversation about the merits of the lance in military maneuvers. With matters of logisitics now a topic, Alric raised a glass, and said, "Here is a toast to the Aqualarian Home Guard, whose ability to improvise a move of their headquarters beats anything that I have ever seen in the Great Kingdom or elsewhere."

The was a round of drinking, and a junior officer, a sort of specialist whose title was the Lookout, said, "And let us raise a toast to the Princess, to the Duke, and to the winged Countess, who killed the dragon that gave us so much practice in moving camp."

After the clanking of mugs subsided, Alric asked the lookout, "Your legion tried to kill the dragon?"

Pollio, who served as a sort of executive officer, who had the title of Flagbearer, replied, "We would have tried, if we could have done it without getting wiped out. Our main duty is to guard the city. But when the dragon rampaged, we were sometimes called to help. We would try to surprise him, but the dragon would always be one step ahead of us - or we would always be one step ahead of the dragon, because sometimes he would reappear and try to hunt us. We could move fast anyway, but we got a lot of practice with the dragon."

Alric noticed a general nodding of heads. He then said, "Did you ever think about going to his lair?"

The Flagbearer responded, "No, Sir. That would have been a good way to commit suicide - and we would have left Themyscira unguarded. The Queen herself forbade us to go north of the Shrecken foothills."

Alric turned to Pollio and said, "My good Flagbearer, there is much about this land that I do not know. Why is it that the Home Guard is all men, and the Royal Watches is all women?"

Pollio replied, "It has always been this way. Never gave it much thought. I suppose it works better."

The Lookout said, "It kind of makes sense. The most important people in the royal family are women, and the Watches is more ... social, if you know what I mean."

The senior centurion grunted, and the men fell silent. Then he said, "There is some history, too. The Royal Watches started as being the family servants of the Maia. And they were all women then."

"But I have also saw women mounted on horses when I rode down here, and they were armed. How do the children ever get raised?"

Pollio replied, "I am not sure what you mean. Knowing how to ride a horse and how to handle arms is part of how you get raised, especially out in the country. Now if your women aren't working, then that's your problem."

Alric did not want to pursue this uncomfortable line of inquiry. "Let's forget about that for now. It is just that where we come from, waging war and leadership are a man's natural work. And yet it seems that most of the officers in the court and much of the military composed of women. There are some rare examples in the history of the Havnheim kingdoms of a woman being a warrior, or become a queen in her own right, but that does not happen often. Why is Aqualaria so different?"

The Senior Centurion said, "That is because of the great fortune of the Maia."

Alric noticed that the Lookout and the Flagbearer nodded their headed and grunted in affirmation.

Alric probed. "So are you saying that they are lucky?"

The Senior Centurion said, "No, Alric, you don't understand. Aqaularia was once more like some parts of the Havnheim are now. Lots of people set themselves up as Kings, but they did not control that much more than a few farms or a field of grass with some flocks of sheep or cattle. It was the Maia that ended the Patriarchal Wars, and brought unity to Aqualaria. And the College of Seers drew the fortune of the House of the Maia. And it said, that during this era, the Aqualaria would be the Queen of the Ryngaerd, and we would be light to the other people of this world."

The Lookout said, "And indeed, I myself could have been a prince of my own tribe, south of the Styrgian River, but I rode here. I have been granted citizenship in Aqualaria, and am priviliged to server the Maia."

Pollio added, "And you have seen it yourself. You cannot dispute that Aqualaria is the Queen of the Ryngaerd. And with the death of the dragon, and the marriage of our Princess to a Duke of the greatest kingdom north of the Shreken ...."

"Hear, hear."

"... the best days are yet to come."

Alric replied, "I am impressed with your love of your country. I do have a question. Why do you call it the Royal Watches instead of the Royal Watch?"

Pollio provided the answer. "That is an administrative matter. Technically there are Four Watches, of six hours each. Each watch is its own little clique, with the Second and Third being the ones that are the most popular, and the Fourth, which stands guard from midnight to the sixth hour, being the least rewarding."

"Is it because of the night duty?"

"Yes, but not so much because of staying up at night. The reason that lots of ladies try to get into the watch in the first place is that they can talk with nobility, and make friends. During the Fourth Watch, the nobles are asleep, and if you are doing your job right, you do not get noticed."

"That makes sense."

  1. That same day, a horse pulling a cart bumps along a rutted trail. The doyeness of the College of Seers is talking to a travelling companion.
  2. The next night, a young woman shivers as she drapes a shawl over her shoulders.

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12/19/2009 10:23:10 PM

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