“7:20 a.m.: Wake Beaumont family... Gently…”
“7:40 a.m.: Assign daily duties. Objections receive one hour of mandatory stable duty...”
“8:00 a.m.: Prepare breakfast...”
“8:30 to 11:30 a.m.: Monitor maids...then bring Lady Giselle her afternoon tea: chamomile, two…three sugars? No, no, definitely two... Shaken...or was it stirred...? Ooh...”
The alabaster spires of House Beaumont betrayed cacophony within its walls. While Master and Mistress Beaumont oversaw their subjects, servants scampered to keep their abode spick and span.
Head maid Alanna von Carlisle’s tall, young frame hurried down the halls and rushed along the red carpeting, hefting a tray of tea and biscuits carefully. Her brunette ponytail, navy dress and white apron a blur as she approached the gardens.
(Hever castle with rose garden by Graham Bould, taken from Wikimedia Commons)
“Goodness! Alanna!” She gasped. “You’re exhausted! Would you like a seat?”
Alanna huffed as she sat the tray down. “No concern…Lady Giselle… Merely some…’mishaps’ on dishwashing detail and the occasional…miscommunication.”
“Are the other maids chastising you, again?” Giselle sighed.
“… What others think of me poses no risk to my job.” Alanna replied. “What does hamper my performance, however… Milady, why the armor?”
A strange uniform for maids, indeed; upon closer inspection, steel boots and spaulders, a breastplate, and leather gauntlets clashed against Alanna’s elegant attire.
The lady of the house smiled curiously. “Don’t you like it?”
“Whether I like it or not is irrelevant.” Alanna flatly stated.
The Beaumont daughter pouted. “I know when you’re not honest, Alanna!”
“I am honest when asking what the purpose is for a maid to wear armor.” Alanna said.
“Not the point!” Giselle retorted. “Remember when we were kids?”
Those words sent nostalgic shivers down Alanna’s spine, far away memories resurfacing.
Alanna is the sole child in the twelfth generation of the von Carlisle family, a lineage of knights sharing good relations and dedicated service to the Beaumont family for decades. In her childhood, she ardently engaged the teachings of her predecessors and fostered fervor to follow their footsteps.
Alanna knew Master Beaumont’s daughter even then; he would often bring her to play in town when visiting Alanna's father, retired from knighthood. The two girls became fast friends.
To strengthen ties between houses, Giselle was discussed for arranged marriage, though she had yet to come of age. Simultaneously, her noble status distanced her from commoner children, who considered her affairs above themselves, as taught by their parents.
Unfortunately for Alanna, cultural tradition held only men could become knights, leaving the poor girl receiving much ridicule among her neighbors’ children.
Even Giselle was skeptical at first meeting, eventually coming to respect Alanna's passion when she stood unfazed by Giselle's status. Similarly, Alanna sympathized with Giselle's loneliness.
Growing into adult responsibilities drew them apart, but they never forgot their friendship. However...
“Weren't you the one who requested I become your maid?” Alanna inquired.
“You wear that better than any maid or knight!” Giselle chirped.
“With the clumsiest feet...” Alanna muttered downcast.
Giselle’s turn to Alanna, concerned. “Alanna…”
“You and I both know I have never been good at household labor!” Alanna snapped. “Why hire a maid hardly worth her salt, more so appoint her as your head maid?!”
“That... Um... Well...” Giselle stammered off, averting her eyes.
“Milady...” Alanna clenched her brow, confused.
Lady and maid remained in silent standoff until the rustling leaves broke it.
“What was that?” Giselle cautiously asked.
The air blew stiff as Alanna and Giselle stood quiet.
“Milady! Stand back!” Alanna barked, shoving Giselle away. Within a flash, she drew a rapier hidden under her dress, screeching steel erupting.
A man garbed in dark clothes sprang from a nearby hedge, meeting Alanna’s rapier with his dagger. An assassin, most likely.
His eyes widened at seeing an armed maid, giving Alanna the perfect opportunity: With a flourish of her blade, Alanna disarmed the assailant and drew the tip to his chest.
“Listen closely...” Alanna growled. “Leave these premises immediately, otherwise I promise judgment will be dealt not by jury, but by my blade.”
Breathless and at blade point, the man quickly cowered through the foliage.
“Milady... Are you all right?” Alanna asked.
“Y-Yes...! Alanna, thank you! I knew you wore that the best!”
“Milady...” droned the maid, “We have been over this. I am-”
“You are more than my maid!” Giselle cried.
Alanna gawked at Giselle, “Huh...?”
The Beaumont lady began tearing up. “The more we grew up, growing apart... I-I couldn’t stand it, so...I...requested you to be my maid...”
“Milady, that...”
“Was wrong!” Giselle interrupted. “I felt so guilty! Ruining your dream...for such selfish reasons... I wanted to apologize, but was too afraid to say it upfront...”
“So...the armor...?” Alanna whispered.
“I...stole it from the armory. I thought it would show that being a maid doesn’t define who you are. But...I just made you feel worse...”
Alanna remained silent with an unreadable gaze. Giselle glanced guiltily toward the ground, noticing the tea had fallen over in the chaos.
“I’ll...clean this up. You don’t have to anymore...” Giselle mumbled, reaching for the mess.
But was stopped by leather hands picking up the scattered teacup shards.
“Don’t touch broken glassware without gloves.” Alanna said.
“B-But, Alanna...! You don’t...!”
“It’s my duty to stand by you,” Alanna countered, picking up the tray, “my hands at your call...” she grasped the hilt of her rapier with her free hand, smiling at Giselle, “and my sword at your side.”
Giselle sniffled, slowly smiling, “Alanna...”
Alanna quickly bowed, “Apologies for my outbursts, milady. I will prepare more tea, posthaste.”
Giselle Beaumont beamed, wiping away her remaining tears. “Okay! But... one condition...”
The maid knight stared curiously, “Condition?”
“No more of that ‘Milady’ or ‘Lady Giselle’ stuff. Not when we’re alone. Just my name. Please?” Giselle requested.
A cheerful grin illuminated Alanna von Carlisle’s face. “Alright... Giselle.”
Today we interrupt your daily dose of supernatural shenanigans for a more down-to-earth story, once again written on inspiration from elements in the reading as a whole, rather than one specific story. One thing that stood out to me in The Mabinogion was shifting character roles, such as Pwyll and Arawn's switching kingdoms and Elphin's capture by Maelgwn. The character of Rhiannon and her conflicts regarding forced marriage and accusations of cannibalism forcing her to leave her home reminded me that I need to write more female protagonists.
With these in mind, I crafted Alanna and Giselle to interrogate two roles often found in fantasy: the knight and the princess. Alanna's conflict concerns the gender rigidity of knights and maids, with a message of society does not determine who you are. Giselle's life is a defiance on the glamors of princess life in the palace, with a message of bad results can come from good intentions. The lynchpin being the trust between the two friends being strong enough to learn these lessons, come to an understanding, and grow stronger for it.
Normally, I like to write vivid imagery into my stories, but the character-driven nature of the plot called for necessary trimming down to meet the word limit and keep the story vivid and sensible. The other challenge writing was writing the characters' backstory and interactions, as I didn't want one to seem totally in the right or wrong about the situation, nor did I want the progression of events to be stilted. It was challenging, but also one of my favorite subjects to tackle, with two of my favorite characters to create.
Alanna von Carlisle (car-lyle) was inspired by the "lady knight" vibes I got off of Rhiannon, aspects of her appearance in my head taking inspiration from characters with that aesthetic, such as Fiona Mayfield of Arcana Heart and Saber from Fate/stay Night. "Alanna" is a feminine corruption of "Alan," of which the meaning is uncertain, to play into her limbo between maid and knight. "Carlisle" stems from a city in northern England, of which previous meanings contained "stronghold of Lugus" and "fort" applied to it, to suggest her strong nature. "Von" is either used in German cases of nobility or a prepositional surname meaning "from" or "of" in cases of commoners. It has no significant meaning other than to make Alanna's name sound more distinctive, as well as a bit of a nod to the character of Valkenhayn R. Hellsing from the BlazBlue series of fighting games.
Giselle Beaumont appearance and initial demeanor stemmed from common elements of fictional princesses: beautiful, innocent, naive, emotional. This was done to make the ending and her backstory more of a contrast. "Giselle" derives from a Germanic word meaning "hostage" or "pledge," working twofold through both her and Alanna's backgrounds. Beaumont was chosen more out of a desire to find a pretty name to attach to Giselle's family, though I suppose it could also be an ironic thing considering what I set out to to do with the characters.
The plot initially had a confrontation with one of Giselle's suitors, but I could not write it into the story so that it seemed natural and stayed within the word limit, so it was trashed and replaced with the conflict with the assassin. I consider it a bit of a missed opportunity, honestly. Regardless, I enjoyed writing this one, and would love to revisit and expand on the world of our maid in shining armor.
Bibliography
Mythology & Folklore Mabinogion Pwyll & Taliesin Unit, translation by Lady Charlotte Guest
