Day One-Thirty-Eight: Bosses are also the pits

Man, and I thought Bernard was a jerk. I found a bigger one, diary: Driscol the Count. What an a-hole!

I usually take for granted that nobles are gonna be mean to me. If you saw the abuse they heap on commoners like me, you wouldn't blame me a bit, diary: it's always "Get out of my way" this or "Kiss my feet" that or "Clean out my latrine right now, I don't care if you're a guard, just do it - and do it with your tongue, that will amuse me".

(True story. I won't share how it ended.)

So, really, I shoulda known better than to interrupt Driscol when he was talking to the queen. I shoulda known what was gonna happen. But Queen Daena is so nice to me that, well, I guess I figured I was safe? Stupid, stupid Dragomir.

The building of the queen's new enclosure for the winter continues, and Bernard was off with one builder getting some fresh mortar, so I got to stick close to the queen for a while - and I was there chatting with her when Driscol the Count came strolling up with his entourage and waved me away. I didn't LEAVE, really, but I did step back a bit.

"Greetings, your majesty. I trust you are having a good day? I apologize that you're forced to speak with such riff-raff." He threw me a dirty look, and when he turned around again I gave it back.

The queen smiled. "This young man isn't riff-raff. But a good day to you as well, Driscol. What brings you to my humble tree?"

Driscol bowed, then flicked a few flakes of snow out of his fur coat. Such a picky bugger. "I wanted to see how the enclosure was progressing. Is it to your liking?"

"I suppose." The queen didn't look content with her stone home. "I was perfectly happy with my tent, you know. My kicking keeps me more than warm enough. I take it this extension was your idea, Driscol?"

He puffed himself up. "It was, your majesty. I know you enjoy the outdoors, but a person of your stature must be better protected - both from the elements and potential attackers. It would have been remiss of me to let this travesty stand. I hope you will not begrudge me the desire to keep my lady safe and sound?"

I wanted to say "Then why didn't you do this a couple years ago?" but I bit my tongue.

"No, no, of course not." The queen sighed, looking grumpily at the walls slowly rising up around her. "I will miss looking at the sky, though. You will, I trust, remove most of this after the winter has ended? It will get terribly dark without sunlight, and I'll have trouble reading."

This was the place where I should have bit my tongue again. Some dimwitted part of me decided that I should try and score some points with Driscol, though, and I honestly did believe (and still do!) that Queen Daena was being an itty bitty bit reckless. So I spoke up.

"Queen Daena, the count is right. You need-"

Aaaaand that was the end of my opinion, because RIGHT after that Driscol slapped me in the face.

"Insolent worm!" he cried, lashing my cheek with his knuckles. He's a lot stronger than he looks. "Don't you dare talk in the midst of your betters! I am speaking to the queen, not you, so you shut your gods-be-damned mouth!"

And I, stuck in a snow bank, my legs dangling over the edge of a half-finished wall, didn't know how to respond.

The queen did. "How dare you! You help that man up right now! Dragomir, are you alright?! I should have you whipped for this, Driscol! Apologize!"

Driscol had no intention of apologizing, I could tell by his expression, though after a moment of hesitation he did help me up. As he was doing so, though, he whispered something in my ear: "I'm on to you, dog of The Baron. Watch your back."

And he left, after bowing to the queen.

She kept apologizing to me, and I assured her that it was alright, that I was used to this kind of treatment from the nobility, but I was pretty damned shocked. Yeah, nobles are jerks to us guards, but Driscol… he wasn't mad at my job. He was mad at me, he was targeting me.

The last thing I want is an enemy in the aristocracy of Castle I'mTiredOfSnowIWantSomeDamnSunlight. As a poor little guard, I'm pretty damn vulnerable, you know?

Sigh. And here I figured I might get the chance to ask the queen about Captain Cedric. Maybe tomorrow.

…

Dog of The Baron? What the hell does THAT mean?

Sincerely,

Dragomir the Guard