"This was a terrible idea," Raoul muttered as they strode down the broad street that led from the palace into Corus. Buri would have preferred a carriage on this cold night, but Raoul had insisted they go on foot. She suspected that he wanted to be as late as possible for the family dinner.
She smiled up at him. "It won't be that bad. I refuse to believe that your aunt is as horrible as you say."
The knight frowned at her. "Why? Because she has such well-mannered relatives?" He indicated himself. Buri grinned. Raoul was famous for laughing at very inappropriate times and telling the harsh truth even when delicacy was required. It was one of the reasons she liked him so much.
"No, because she'd have to be a true dragon to fit your description."
"Oh, I don't know about dragons, but I'm fairly sure there's some ogre blood in the family," he retorted.
"Well, that'd explain your size, too."
As her companion chuckled, she looked around at the large houses lining the now narrowing path. Lights were on in most of the windows, the flickering reminding her of the thousands of candles that would now be burning in the palace's banquet hall. She sighed. Despite what she had said to Raoul, she was nervous about meeting his family. What if they didn't like her? What if they did like her? What if they thought she was his... well... his lover?
She blushed, then shook her head inwardly at her silliness. She liked Raoul, but he had never given her reason to believe that she was anything more than a friend to him.
Her reveries ended when she realized Raoul had said something. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"
"We're nearly there!" He pointed to a large mansion just ahead of them. Buri gasped. Its windows were decorated with garlands of holly, all of the windows twinkling with lights.
"It looks beautiful," she whispered.
"Wait till you get inside," he murmured darkly, leading the way up the marble steps.
He had barely knocked when it was wrenched open. A pair of slender arms pulled him inside. Raoul just had time to drag Buri in after him before the large oak door closed with a snap.
"You're here, you're here!" the young woman cried. She was surprisingly small for someone with enough strength to pull someone as large as Raoul. She stopped jumping and fixed black eyes on Buri. She smiled, the skin around her eyes crinkling.
"And you brought a..." She looked questioningly at Raoul.
"Friend," The two newcomers said in unison.
"Buri, may I introduce my sister, Lyana. Lyana, this is Buriram Tourakom, Commander of the Queen's Riders."
Lyana shook her black curls, so much like Raoul's, and laughed.
"And here I thought you might be bringing a lover. Did you know Aunt Karra asked if you were bringing one of your boy friends this year?"
Her brother chuckled. "That old bat still hasn't forgotten that rumor the little Eldorne beast spread all those years ago. Speaking of beasts and bats, where is the old dragon anyway?" He looked around, as if expecting his aunt to jump out from behind one of the Entrance Hall's pillars.
"In here." She led the way through another great oak door.
Raoul bent down to Buri, his mouth almost brushing her ear. "Please don't be shocked. Aunt Karra's a regular old vulture, and she circles above any potential bride. She'll have our wedding planned before the kids open their presents."
Buri smiled, thinking of his lips barely touching her skin. She shook the thought from her head as she walked into the Great Hall beside her friend.
She could do nothing but stare. A banquet worthy of any palace feast was laid out on a long table.
What an absurd amount of food, she thought, seeing that there were only a dozen or so people gathered around the table. Although Raoul might eat half of it, she mused, glancing at her large friend.
At that moment, a tall woman sitting at the head of the table stood up, her arms outstretched in welcome. She strutted toward them –She really is like an old vulture, Buri thought– but a group of five kids beat her to the new arrivals. They surrounded Raoul and Buri, hugging him, begging for sweets and shooting curious looks at this woman with the dark skin and the proud, although very kind eyes.
Finally, Aunt Karra had reached them. After shooing the children away with rapid hand gestures more fitting to chase off dogs than humans, she embraced Raoul with her thin arms. Buri seemed to go unnoticed. She wore jeweled rings on her slender fingers and a smile on her thin lips that didn't quite reach her cold black eyes.
"Darling, Raoul, I see you brought one of your boy friends. It's so good to see you've finally recognized your true nature, it was getting ridicul–"
Before Raoul could even open his mouth to correct his aunt, Buri cut her off. "I am Buriram Tourakom, and I am only a friend of your nephew's."
The vulture's eyes, similar to Raoul's except for their expression, widened. "You're... a woman?"
"So kind of you to notice," Buri muttered. Her temper, always very short with people as arrogant as this woman, was rising rapidly.
Raoul chuckled nervously. Lady Karra smacked her lips and turned back to her nephew as if there had been no interruption.
" Well, in any case, it's good to see you're not completely alone when you're off fighting giants and ... whatever else it is you do. Now come! Sit!"
Karra gave Raoul the seat at her immediate right, while Buri was left to eat with the children at the far end of the table. Red with indignation at this much rudeness, the K'mir went to join the group of rowdy kids.
Time passed quite pleasantly, to her surprise. The kids, though quite lacking in terms of politeness, were unreserved and very funny.
Their questions ranged from inquiries about her everyday life as one of the Queen's Riders to "Are you really heathen scum like Auntie says?" and "Is it true that Auntie has ogre's blood? Do you think you could beat her in a fight?" That last question left Buri laughing for so long that even Lyana, who had been very kind to her, stared.
During the whole feast, she felt Karra's icy eyes on her. From time to time, Raoul would glance at her. Once, she caught him doing this. She couldn't be sure in the red light of the fire, but she thought he blushed before he looked away.
When desert came, the children quieted. They were very tired, their eyes –as black as all of those of Goldenlake– bleary as they yawned frequently.
While Buri was glad to have a bit of peace and quiet, the lack of noise meant that she could hear quite clearly what Karra said to Raoul.
Her high, nasal voice carried across the table, and despite all the attempts Lyana made to engage her in conversation, Buri couldn't help listening to the vulture's speech.
"She's far too… well, manly, Raoul. I always thought you liked that sort of thing, but in men darling, men! Now that I'm reassured you do in fact like women, I think you should pick someone daintier. Maybe a girl who'd make a good housewife? Not someone who's likely to trail more mud into the house than you when they come home."
Raoul sighed. "I told you, she's a friend, nothing more. I doubt she'd want to be tied down in marriage, even if she did actually pick me. And she does not look like a boy. She's certainly one of the strongest women at court. Some even say she's one of the most beautiful, excepting Queen Thayet."
His Aunt didn't bother to keep her voice down like he had. She had had quite a lot of wine. "Well, that must be a different court than the one I knew when I was young. A flatchested no-good heathen servant boy like that wouldn't have gotten far in my day. I'm telling you…"
But now even good-natured Raoul had had enough. He sprang to his feet just as Buri rose from her bench. The room had suddenly gone very quiet. Even the children looked alert once more.
Raoul stared down at his aunt, quivering with rage. He didn't seem to be able to speak.
Buri however, was sick and tired of being pushed around. She was a warrior, not a dainty little lady to be pushed around at some old hag's leisure.
She strode down the length of the table and said, in a surprisingly calm tone of voice: "Lady Karra of Goldenlake, I feel obliged to tell you that you are a miserable, ugly, lazy old hag, and I am happy that your nephew has nothing whatsoever in common with you. And if I was ever to marry Raoul, which is quite unlikely, I would make sure that you are not invited. I will leave you now to your wine and pathetic little matters."
She turned, smiling grimly at Lyana and the children, ignoring the stares of the other family members.
As she grabbed her cloak and strode down the stairs, heavy footfalls told her that Raoul had followed her.
"You were right," she said.
"About what?"
"This was a terrible idea. Lyane must hate me now. And what about the kids?"
He looked at her, incredulity in his sparkling eyes. "Are you kidding? Before that, they already loved you anyway. Now they must think that you're a hero! For generations we've waited for someone to stand up to that old hag. You're basically a prophesized angel!"
She snorted. He giggled.
A moment later they were roaring with laughter, stumbling slightly in the snow covering the street.
When Buri finally managed to breathe again, Raoul was looking at her oddly.
"What's wrong?"
"What…" he started, then grinned awkwardly. "Nothing. Forget it."
"Raoul of Goldenlake, did you actually stop yourself from finishing a sentence for once?" Her light tone barely covered up her agitation. Something was wrong. Only what? Her question was answered a moment later when Raoul stammered:
"Well, what… what did you mean when you said it was unlikely that we'd marry?"
She blushed. "Just that… well, it's not like you've shown any interest in finding a bride for the last two decades. I just thought you liked bachelordom."
He seemed to have gotten over his momentary embarrassment and mimicked her casual tone. "Yes… but you said it like it was particularly unlikely that we... you and me… would ever be involved."
Fidgeting, she leaned against a door to steady herself.
"I thought that you like me, Raoul, but only as a companion at arms. As a friend."
He drew closer. "But what if, just once, the great Buriram Tourakom was wrong?"
He bent down slowly, looked her in the eyes and then softly pressed his lips against hers. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around him as he kissed her with all the tenderness of someone who had waited years to do so.
When he drew away, all she could do for a few moments was gasp.
"Well?" He whispered, uncertainty in his eyes.
"I think… I've never been happier to be mistaken."