George Cooper, baron of Pirate's Swoop, finished tallying up the latest raid's payment. This had been a good one, a rich Carthaki ship on its way to the Copper Isles. Also, the more foreign ships he attacked, the less attention was paid to any… high taxes for travelers.
Content, he rose from the desk and wandered out, thinking dinner should be soon. He paused by a window, looking out over the cove and ocean, his view only partially blocked by a wall with guards on it. Pirate's Swoop hadn't been named for the sunken ships, or any tendency for pirates to attack. It had been named because all the lords employed, or had been, pirates.
"Captain Marek," George greeted as he walked into dinner. "Congratulations on your latest return."
"Thank you, my lord," Marek said with a slight bow.
George sat at the head of a table slightly raised above the rest of the room. With him sat his mother, Eleni, his half-sister and housekeeper Rispah, and Marek. Servants filled the other tables in the room. George was amused to notice that Rispah and Marek seemed to have something to say, but didn't want to say it. It was his mother who spoke up though.
"George, you need to get married." Once George was done chocking on his food, she continued. "You're 26 and have no heir. And it would be good for you to be seen at court and make alliances.
George just snorted. "I'm not going."
XxX
"I'm going, I'm going! Enough already!" George said as his mother herded him towards his horse. George couldn't believe he was running from his own home, but after a month straight of Rispah and his mother going on about going to court with Marek's silent assistance, he had no choice. He held his tongue to keep from muttering rude things as he mounted his horse.
"Smile, brother," Rispah said evilly. "You might find some little noble girl and fall so madly in love you start writing bad poetry."
"Keep dreaming," George told her. Once the guards were ready and the trunks packed in the cart, they started to trip to the capital, Corus.
The trip was painfully uneventful. Not even minor set backs occurred, any gossip was either dull or old, and far sooner then George wanted, they arrived in Corus.
Once all his items were settled, George went to explore the palace- the first thing he did every time he came. Relying on his Sight to inform him if there was danger, George wandered along.
He didn't nee his Sight to tell him something was wrong- the female voice cursing as badly as he could did that. He ran around the corner to find a very pretty red-head slowly lowering the most beautiful woman he had ever seen to the floor. He went and knelt next to the woman on the floor. Her eyes were closed and her skin was pale, but she was alive.
"Buri, get Jonathan," the red-head ordered, and the third woman ran off. Purple magic spilled from the red-head, and George's Sight told him it was healing magic. The red-head seemed to relax and pulled her magic back.
"What is wrong, Lady Healer?" asked George quietly.
The healer jumped, not having noticed he was there, but answered, "She's just tried from the baby. I need to…" She started to lift the woman.
"Allow me," George said smoothly, lifting the fainted woman he had identified as Princess Thayet, the woman married to Crown Prince Jonathan.
The red-head also stood and motioned for George to follow. She was short and stocky, and George wondered how she had planned on carrying the princess. He was lead to the princess's bedroom, and gently placed her on the bed.
"Stay, I may need you," George was ordered. The healer wet a cloth and started to run in over the princess's face, neck, and arms. The door opened and Buri and Jonathan entered. George bowed to the prince.
"What happened?" Jonathan demanded quietly, looking at his wife, terrified.
"The Lady Healer said she fainted because of the pregnancy, but didn't seem to be too worried," George answered calmly.
"I'm not," the lady said. Buri ordered a servant to go get Duke Baird and Jonathan hurried to the princess's side as she started to come around. The healer walked over to George.
"Thank you for your help. I am Alanna of Trebond. I don't know if you know Buriram Tourakom, or their highnesses, Prince Jonathan and Princess Thayet," Alana said after giving a slight curtsy.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Alanna," he said, bowing to her and Buri. "I am Baron George Cooper of Priate's Swoop."
Duke Baird arrived, so Alanna and George left, not needed. George noticed the sleeve of Alanna's dress had a slight outline.
"Do most noble women carry knives?" George asked idly, once the door was closed behind them. Alanna looked sharply at him, then sighed.
"Buri and I are Thayet's, her highness's, ladies-in-waiting and guards. Buri came with Thayet from Sarain, and when they found out I could use a weapon, I got recruited too."
The sounded like a very good story, but George was too busy with other details. "Do you have a fiancée or husband?"
Alanna blushed slightly. "No."
"Good. I can to court to find a wife. You'll do quite nicely."
George walked away and had to laugh when Alanna yelled at him, "George Cooper you are an arrogant pig!"
XxX
Alanna ground her teeth together as George led her onto the dance floor. It was already well known throughout the court that Baron George Cooper was considering Alanna as his wife- if she didn't stab him first.
"Sir Gareth the Younger asked if I was suicidal. Sir Raoul wished me luck. Prince Jonathan himself warned me not to let you get a hold of a sword. I had thought that you were just the first line of defense until help could arrive, but you sound like the cavalry," George commented as the dance started.
"I could show you, if you wanted to stand still," Alanna offered.
George just smiled. "Why has no one challenged me for your attention?"
"No one wants it?" there was a note of bitterness in her voice.
"Then there are some very stupid males here," George said softly. "A beautiful lady who isn't helpless, but is intelligent and a powerful mage. I don't know what's not to want."
"Tact. A dowry."
"Both of which are useless."
By the end of the second dance, George had almost gotten Alanna to forgive him for earlier. He led her off the dance floor and wanted to go sit in a corner with her, but they were intercepted by two men- an older man, and a male version of Alanna.
"Baron George Cooper of Pirate's Swoop, my grandfather, Myles of Olau, and my twin brother, Thom."
The men all bowed. Thom asked his sister for a dance, and Myles started to talk with George.
"I hope she doesn't break you too soon," the old man said with a twinkle in his eye. "The games of chess have only been doing so much. She's bored after two years here."
"How old is she?" George asked, watching Alanna dance. The violet gown was the same shade as her eyes.
"18. Thankfully, her father doesn't notice her ever, or he would have married her off already."
George looked sharply at Myles. "And you would have no say?"
Myles shook his head. "I'm her mother's father. She died after giving birth to the twins, but I still wanted to know them."
George wasn't sure what to say, but Myles had something else to add.
"She doesn't mind being a lady. But if he husband tried to make her only a lady… I'm not sure she could stand it."
The dance ended, and Alanna and Thom returned, bickering. George eyed her. There had to be some way to get her to relax more then dancing.
His chance came just before midnight. The ball would probably continue until one or two in the morning, but George managed to get Alanna alone.
"Do you want to go into the city with me?" he asked quietly.
She raised an eyebrow. "You want me to go into the city in a ball gown?"
George snorted. "I want you to go into the city with me in a pair of breeches."
All details worked out, Alanna bid good night to everyone, soon followed by George. At quarter past midnight, the pair met just inside the wall that led from the palace grounds into the city. Alanna had done her hair up so it looked like she was a boy, and George led her to the lower city. For an hour or two, the pair met thieves, watched card games, and chatted with different people. Finally George caught Alanna yawning and decided it was time for her to leave. Once out of the lower city, he scooped her up and carried her.
"Thank you," she murmured. "I had fun."
George chuckled. "I'm very glad to hear it."
The following days took some careful planning on both George's and Alanna's part. Alanna couldn't leave the princess, but there were times when she wasn't needed. So in the very earlier morning when Alanna practiced weaponry, in the afternoon when the princess sat in a meeting about the country, and during balls the pair could be together.
The pair talked for hours, sometimes causing Alanna to run when she realized how late she was. Thayet found times like that amusing to no end. They would go into the city at night at least once a week, and George made friends with Alanna's male friends, grandfather, and brother. George and Thom would never be close, but they leashed their tongues around Alanna.
The second excursion into the city did not go as smoothly as the first. George told Alanna the King of the Rouge had business elsewhere that day, and so the thieves would be a bit rowdier then usual, but it shouldn't matter.
"Should I teach you how to throw dice?" George was asking Alanna as they watched a game. Alanna shook her head and glanced around. Two men at the table next to theirs were getting drunk and a bit rowdy, but that didn't bother Alanna until one was thrown into her. She shoved him to the ground, only slightly irritated. The drunk got to his feet and turned on him. After some drunk yelling that Alanna couldn't quiet understand, he threw a punch at her.
She threw one back, shoving him into his friend. Both of them got up, and George moved to stand next to Alanna. Knives got drawn, and half an hour, several cuts, lots of cursing, and move then a few bruises later the two nobles were running through a back ally out of the lower city.
"Mithros," gasped Alanna. "That was more then I've had to deal with before. Usually her highness doesn't get into tavern brawls."
When George felt they were safe, they stopped running, right on the edge of the temple district. He brushed a lock of hair away from Alanna's face.
"You did very well, lass," he told her. Alanna grinned and looked up at him, but his face was too close to hers. She froze and he cupped her face in one hand, leaning very close to her. Alanna closed her eyes, and felt George's breath against her lips and the heat of his face…
George jerked away. Alanna opened her eyes and saw in the faint light that George was blushing.
"We should get back to the palace," he said, his voice oddly rough. Alanna nodded, and mutely the pair went back.
The next afternoon was the soonest that George was able to see Alanna, having spent the morning with a duke who invited him to go riding. When he approached Alanna, she was with Thayet, Buri, Jonathan, and Raoul. Alanna turned, saw him, curtsied… and ran the other way from him.
George stood there, blinking dumbly as Thayet and Buri giggled and Thayet said, "Oh dear."
George looked at them blankly. Thayet stopped giggling, but was still smiling as she said, "Alanna asked me about sex today. The answer seemed to unnerve her."
All the men stared at the princess. "What exactly did you say…?"
XxX
Fall passed as George continued to court Alanna, and the day before Midwinter started, he couldn't find her anywhere. Finally he asked Thayet, who said Alanna went to lie down. Ignoring what was and wasn't proper, he tried the door to her bed room, found it locked, and picked the lock. Alanna was staring dully at the fire, and George had to kneel in front of her to get her attention. He saw her eyes were bloodshot as though from crying.
"Lass?" he asked softly.
"Father… father's dead," her voice was hoarse. "He died last week. I already missed the funeral."
He pulled her from the chair so she knelt on the ground before him and held her tight. "I'm so sorry."
"Thom knows. He was the one who told me. But he never cared about father… father never cared about either of us. Not after mother died. I shouldn't care about him, but…"
"You'd have to be heartless not to," George said, rubbing her back as she clung to him. She looked up at him. They were close together, a position he hadn't allowed since the almost kiss right after they met. Now he didn't care. He leaned down and kissed her mouth.
When they finally broke apart for air, he continued to hold her. Alanna rested her head on his shoulder, trembling slightly. George cursed slightly. It wouldn't be a good idea to ask her to marry him, even if the ring was in his pocket. But there was time.
