Summary: When she was six, Princess Lianne was carried off to train as a
Shang Warrior. She was disowned by her mother, Queen Thayet and now over a
decade later, she's returned to Corus in time to see Kel knighted, but her
presence will cause a little more of a scandal than Kel's knighting among
the nobles.
Author's note: I don't know much about these characters, (who all belong to Tamora Pierce except for the ones you've never heard before.) so bear with me. These characters include Kalasin, Jasson, Liam, and Lianne, all of Conté (the royal sisters and brothers of Prince Roald, children of King Jonathan and Queen Thayet.) This story begins when Lianne, the youngest Princess and main character is 6 years old and will fast forward to when she's 18, the year Kel is knighted. (Order of birth for the royal children! Roald, Kalasin, Lianne, Liam, and Jasson, I think. If not, this is how it goes in this story.)
****
Phoenix Warrior
"Your Majesties! The Shang warriors are here!" A messenger burst into the royal family's private dining room. King Jonathan looked up from his breakfast. His eldest child, Roald and his youngest, Jasson were playing a game on the floor and the rest of his children were eating.
"Of course." His queen, Thayet answered the man. "We will be there to greet them shortly." She dismissed the servingman and continued trying to coax Jasson into eating his eggs.
"Thayet? You know very well that the Shang are here to inspect our children. How in the world are you so calm?" Jonathan asked, curiosity filled his deep blue eyes.
"I know that my children won't be chosen because I won't let them." Thayet answered, standing up. "Come on children. Remember what I told you. No showing off any warrior skills." Jonathan sighed. Of course Thayet had already thought of everything and warned her offspring against anything that would catch the Shang trainers' eyes. It would be the only time that the Shang warriors have any chance of whisking his children off to train as Shang warriors. Though it would be nice to have a child trained in the Shang ways, Jonathan didn't think he could bear to be away from any of his children's childhood for so long. After all, it took all Shang warriors decades of training before they would be recognized and named a Shang animal.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Lianne looked up at the Shang Wildcat and the Shang Wolf. She had never seen more impressive looking people. From what she heard, they were looking for strong children to train in their ways and her parents wanted the children to have nothing to do with Shang training. I'm going to prove everyone wrong! They all say that no female royal would ever make it as a Shang. She was skilled in every page's regular skills. She could ride well, draw and shoot a bow with precise aim, she could use staffs, swords, daggers, and she could joust. She knew how to fight with arm and foot, could use just about every weapon she had ever tried. Though she was only six years of age, she was better skilled than the average first year squire was.
"Lady Lianne, third child of King Jonathan and Queen Thayet." The herald announced her name and she stepped forward. Already, her two older siblings had been introduced and tested. They all proved unworthy of Shang training.
"Are you trained? Can you use weapons?" The Shang Wolf asked the little black haired, blue eyed princess.
"Yes I can." She whispered. Lianne looked up to see her parents glaring at her. She had just broken her promise to them.
"Can you show us what you can do?" Merriam Lilts, the Shang Wildcat asked, with humor in her gray eyes. "With your favorite weapons."
"My favorite weapon isn't here." Lianne whispered, looking at the ground. She was afraid to look up at her parents. She knew they were disappointed in her. "May I go get it?"
"Of course." Darien iba Kilmort, a Yamani man who was the Wolf laughed as the little girl ran from the room. She returned a few minutes later carrying three weapons. At least one of them looked like weapons. "What are those?"
"A glaive." She said smiling as she presented a staff that was topped with an 18-inch steel blade. "A 'lady's fan' and a ribbon."
"You use Yamani weapons then?" He asked with interest. "I was sure no one in Tortall used them."
"Lady Ilane of Mindelan taught me to use them. The ribbon I learned by myself." She unfurled a sixteen feet length of pink ribbon that was attached to a foot dowel. "I saw some girls playing in the city with a bit of ribbon like this and I thought it was pretty so I went home and made one. I found out I could use it like a whip." She smiled.
"Can you show us?" Merriam asked watching the youngest princess.
"Yes, my lady." She began a simple pattern dance with the glaive and moved to a harder dance, swinging and slashing with her weapon. She stopped and put the glaive down and picked up the fan. She began a game of 'fan toss', throwing and catching the steel fan. One wrong move and she could easily lose a finger or two. The red fan flew twisting and turning like a giant butterfly despite its heavy weight.
"Wonderful!" Darien clapped. "Show us the ribbon. I've never seen anything like it."
"Yes sir." She folded the fan and picked up her ribbon. "I need another one." She whispered. Kalasin jumped up and produced a blue one from her skirt.
"You can do it." The older girl whispered in her sister's ear. "You'll be a Shang, I promise!"
"Thank you." Lianne whispered back, taking it from Kalasin. She did a routine that looked like a dance, snapping the ribbon back and forth. She turned and cracked the ribbon towards the glaive and the pink band wrapped itself around the staff and with a tug, lifted it to Lianne's hands.
"Thank you for showing us. We'll see to Liam now." Merriam informed her. Lianne curtseyed and retreated to her sister's side.
"You're gonna get it now!" Liam pinched her. She held back a squeak and jabbed him in the ribs with the dowel from the ribbon.
"Liam? Can you do any warrior things?" The Shang warriors asked the middle prince as he stepped forward. He looked up at his parents and over at Lianne. With a 'I just won their favor' look in his eyes he answered without lifting his eyes from Lianne.
"No. I am not yet skilled in weapons or martial arts in any way." The five-year-old boy who was intelligent for his age answered.
"Very well." Darien sighed. He turned to converse with Merriam. Silence other then their murmuring was bestowed among the hall. After several long minutes Darien looked up at the King and Queen of Tortall. "We have decide since you do not wish to have your children taken away, even though you warned them against their skills, that since Lianne seem dedicated to having her adeptness shown to us, it will be her choice whether or not she accompanies us and train as a Shang Warrior."
"Thank you." Thayet told him coldly. "Lianne will inform you of her answer within the day. Please, help yourself to lunch. His Majesty and I have some things to discuss with our children." She got up and swept out of the room, followed by Jonathan. Each child turned and bowed to the Shang and scampered off to the room where the family often took lunch.
Author's note: I don't know much about these characters, (who all belong to Tamora Pierce except for the ones you've never heard before.) so bear with me. These characters include Kalasin, Jasson, Liam, and Lianne, all of Conté (the royal sisters and brothers of Prince Roald, children of King Jonathan and Queen Thayet.) This story begins when Lianne, the youngest Princess and main character is 6 years old and will fast forward to when she's 18, the year Kel is knighted. (Order of birth for the royal children! Roald, Kalasin, Lianne, Liam, and Jasson, I think. If not, this is how it goes in this story.)
****
Phoenix Warrior
"Your Majesties! The Shang warriors are here!" A messenger burst into the royal family's private dining room. King Jonathan looked up from his breakfast. His eldest child, Roald and his youngest, Jasson were playing a game on the floor and the rest of his children were eating.
"Of course." His queen, Thayet answered the man. "We will be there to greet them shortly." She dismissed the servingman and continued trying to coax Jasson into eating his eggs.
"Thayet? You know very well that the Shang are here to inspect our children. How in the world are you so calm?" Jonathan asked, curiosity filled his deep blue eyes.
"I know that my children won't be chosen because I won't let them." Thayet answered, standing up. "Come on children. Remember what I told you. No showing off any warrior skills." Jonathan sighed. Of course Thayet had already thought of everything and warned her offspring against anything that would catch the Shang trainers' eyes. It would be the only time that the Shang warriors have any chance of whisking his children off to train as Shang warriors. Though it would be nice to have a child trained in the Shang ways, Jonathan didn't think he could bear to be away from any of his children's childhood for so long. After all, it took all Shang warriors decades of training before they would be recognized and named a Shang animal.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Lianne looked up at the Shang Wildcat and the Shang Wolf. She had never seen more impressive looking people. From what she heard, they were looking for strong children to train in their ways and her parents wanted the children to have nothing to do with Shang training. I'm going to prove everyone wrong! They all say that no female royal would ever make it as a Shang. She was skilled in every page's regular skills. She could ride well, draw and shoot a bow with precise aim, she could use staffs, swords, daggers, and she could joust. She knew how to fight with arm and foot, could use just about every weapon she had ever tried. Though she was only six years of age, she was better skilled than the average first year squire was.
"Lady Lianne, third child of King Jonathan and Queen Thayet." The herald announced her name and she stepped forward. Already, her two older siblings had been introduced and tested. They all proved unworthy of Shang training.
"Are you trained? Can you use weapons?" The Shang Wolf asked the little black haired, blue eyed princess.
"Yes I can." She whispered. Lianne looked up to see her parents glaring at her. She had just broken her promise to them.
"Can you show us what you can do?" Merriam Lilts, the Shang Wildcat asked, with humor in her gray eyes. "With your favorite weapons."
"My favorite weapon isn't here." Lianne whispered, looking at the ground. She was afraid to look up at her parents. She knew they were disappointed in her. "May I go get it?"
"Of course." Darien iba Kilmort, a Yamani man who was the Wolf laughed as the little girl ran from the room. She returned a few minutes later carrying three weapons. At least one of them looked like weapons. "What are those?"
"A glaive." She said smiling as she presented a staff that was topped with an 18-inch steel blade. "A 'lady's fan' and a ribbon."
"You use Yamani weapons then?" He asked with interest. "I was sure no one in Tortall used them."
"Lady Ilane of Mindelan taught me to use them. The ribbon I learned by myself." She unfurled a sixteen feet length of pink ribbon that was attached to a foot dowel. "I saw some girls playing in the city with a bit of ribbon like this and I thought it was pretty so I went home and made one. I found out I could use it like a whip." She smiled.
"Can you show us?" Merriam asked watching the youngest princess.
"Yes, my lady." She began a simple pattern dance with the glaive and moved to a harder dance, swinging and slashing with her weapon. She stopped and put the glaive down and picked up the fan. She began a game of 'fan toss', throwing and catching the steel fan. One wrong move and she could easily lose a finger or two. The red fan flew twisting and turning like a giant butterfly despite its heavy weight.
"Wonderful!" Darien clapped. "Show us the ribbon. I've never seen anything like it."
"Yes sir." She folded the fan and picked up her ribbon. "I need another one." She whispered. Kalasin jumped up and produced a blue one from her skirt.
"You can do it." The older girl whispered in her sister's ear. "You'll be a Shang, I promise!"
"Thank you." Lianne whispered back, taking it from Kalasin. She did a routine that looked like a dance, snapping the ribbon back and forth. She turned and cracked the ribbon towards the glaive and the pink band wrapped itself around the staff and with a tug, lifted it to Lianne's hands.
"Thank you for showing us. We'll see to Liam now." Merriam informed her. Lianne curtseyed and retreated to her sister's side.
"You're gonna get it now!" Liam pinched her. She held back a squeak and jabbed him in the ribs with the dowel from the ribbon.
"Liam? Can you do any warrior things?" The Shang warriors asked the middle prince as he stepped forward. He looked up at his parents and over at Lianne. With a 'I just won their favor' look in his eyes he answered without lifting his eyes from Lianne.
"No. I am not yet skilled in weapons or martial arts in any way." The five-year-old boy who was intelligent for his age answered.
"Very well." Darien sighed. He turned to converse with Merriam. Silence other then their murmuring was bestowed among the hall. After several long minutes Darien looked up at the King and Queen of Tortall. "We have decide since you do not wish to have your children taken away, even though you warned them against their skills, that since Lianne seem dedicated to having her adeptness shown to us, it will be her choice whether or not she accompanies us and train as a Shang Warrior."
"Thank you." Thayet told him coldly. "Lianne will inform you of her answer within the day. Please, help yourself to lunch. His Majesty and I have some things to discuss with our children." She got up and swept out of the room, followed by Jonathan. Each child turned and bowed to the Shang and scampered off to the room where the family often took lunch.