We Only Want The Rice To Make Rice Wine!
Author's Note: And so begins another fic! Hey! Guess what! This is a collaboration! Written by Lady Rogue and punkpixie87! This is going to be one heck of a ride!
Summary: Crown Prince and Princess Roald and Shinko escape a life of royalty by fleeing to the Yamani Islands to become simple rice farmers! So, Kel, Raoul, Neal, Alanna, George, Cleon, Dom, Yuki, Lerant, Numair, and Thom (?!), sent by King Jon and Queen Thayet, set out to bring then back....However, more eventful things happen on-board the ship, like reincarnation and relocation...read to find out if things get-er-straightened out! Kel/Dom, Neal/ Yuki. Set after Kel has been knighted.
Rating: PG-13. Probable swearing, some romantic moments. We'll leave it at that.
Genre: General-Romance-Humor-Action
Disclaimer: All of the characters and places belong to Tamora Pierce. The plot is ours!
The Missing Royalty
There was a small tap at Shinkokami's door late one night. Not startled in the least, she tightened the straps on her pack and opened the door to her visitor.
"Hush!" she insisted. "You'll wake Yuki! And then what will we do?"
Crown Prince Roald only smiled and kissed the Yamani, whose face lost its Yamani calm to grin.
"Ready?" Roald whispered.
Shinko nodded, and pulled the pack onto her back, smoothing out her plain poplin dress. She gave Roald a trembling grin and stepped out the door of her room, closing it softly behind them. She linked arms with the prince, who was also clad in plain clothing. Together, they slid from the palace unnoticed, and continued unnoticed down to the stables. They saddled two very inconspicuous but sturdy mares and slipped off into the night, making their way to Blue Harbor.
* * *
"DAMN IT MYLES! HE'S GONE!!!!" King Jonathan IV yelled to his spymaster.
"Don't worry! He can't have gone far!"
"Well! He did! I've sent scouts out for miles around and they've come back with no reports!" Jon sunk into a chair, his head in his hands.
"Jon, your son is a very responsible man! He wouldn't put Shinkokami in any danger! Wherever they are, they are safe. Roald's a fully trained knight and the Princess has been trained in self-defense! If any danger were to arise, they would survive, with out a doubt."
Jon sighed heavily. "You're right Myles, but I'd rather my son was here! Or that I knew where he was!"
Myles nodded. "We'll find them. I will see to it that everyone closely linked to Roald and Shinkokami is questioned. Now, why don't you go comfort Thayet? I imagine she needs it."
Jon got up, thanked his spymaster and left, leaving Myles to fall into an armchair, wondering where the Crown Prince could have gotten to.
* * *
Yukikami sighed and paced her room, and jumped when there was a knock at the door. She quickly let Keladry of Mindalen into her room, and resumed pacing.
"Yuki," Kel began, hesitantly.
"Oh, Kel! It's all my fault! I let them go!" Yuki exclaimed, her Yamani calm lost.
"What are you talking about?" the lady knight asked, worried.
"I knew they were planning! I should have stopped them!"
Kel put her hands on Yuki's shoulders to stop the girl's pacing and ranting. "Yuki, calm down and tell me what happened. Can you do that?"
Yuki nodded nervously and told Kel everything that she had over heard between Roald and Shinko, leaving nothing out.
"Oh Goddess…" Kel murmured. "You have to tell King Jonathan!"
Yuki shook her head quickly. "I can't tell him that! I swear allegiance to Shinko, before everyone else!"
Kel looked grimly at the Yamani. "Then we need a plan."
* * *
"Yuki!" Neal said excitedly, and carefully, knowing well that Yuki would be worried.
Kel gave him a look and he quickly said. "Kel!"
She shook her head as he kissed Yuki and took the Yamani's hands.
"What brings the two most beautiful ladies in all of Tortall to my room?" he asked, grinning.
"Save it, Neal," Kel suggested.
Neal nodded.
"We need a favor," Kel explained. "But first, we need you to swear something."
"What?" Neal asked, curiously.
"Swear you will not tell anyone, the king especially, what I am about to tell you!" Kel said, an edge to her voice.
"I swear on my sword!" Neal said proudly.
"That's nothing for you to swear on!"
"Fine! Then I swear on my shield."
"Fair enough." Kel told Neal everything that Yuki had told her, with additions from Yuki.
"And how can I help?" Neal asked, giving Kel a suspicious look.
"You can forge a note from Roald. You've forged his writing before, so this shouldn't be a challenge. Knowing you, nothing is."
Neal grinned at his friend and took parchment from his desk and began to write down what Kel was saying to him, changing it as he saw fit.
* * *
"Sir Keladry!" a servant called, running toward Kel panting.
"Yes?"
"Sir Myles would like to question you."
Kel felt her stomach drop. "Where?"
"His study. Please, follow me. I have been instructed to take you there, Lady."
Kel nodded and followed the servant, running possible alibis over and over in her head.
When she stood before the door to Myles's study, she knocked, and was immediately admitted.
"Kel, so nice to see you!" Myles said, smiling his usual warm smile.
"And so nice to see you Myles!" she said, hugging her old teacher.
"Kel, I suppose you know why you're here," Myles began.
Kel nodded.
"Did Shinkokami or Roald mention anything about running off?"
"Not to me." Her face was as calm as a still lake, her Yamani etiquette not failing her.
"And you've no idea where they could have gone?"
"No, sir."
Myles sighed. "You know nothing?"
Kel nodded.
"Can you please bring me Yukikami then?"
"Oh! Begging your pardon, Myles, but Yuki really is in no state to talk. She was crying last I saw her, and I don't think speaking of Shinkokami to her would be wise."
"She might know about the Princess's and Prince's whereabouts," Myles insisted.
Kel shook her head. "I've asked her, and she doesn't know anything. And she would tell me if she did, sir."
Myles gave her a small nod. "Thank you for your time then. Perhaps Yuki will be feeling better later then."
Kel could only shrug.
* * *
"Begging your Majesties pardon," Kel said, interrupting the king and queen's frantic discussion.
They turned to her. "Yes Sir Keladry?" Jon asked, his face shot with worry.
"Nealan and I were down in Roald's room, majesty, as we thought that we might be able to find clues as to where he's gone." She paused to let that much sink in and continued. "We found this."
She handed the king the forged letter, which he read aloud.
Dear Father and Mother,
I'm hoping you find this late after I've been proclaimed missing. I also hope that you will respect my choice and not come after us. Shinko and I need to find our own happiness, and neither you, nor life at court can provide that happiness. Shinko and I have been watched and graded our entire lives and it's not what we want. I'm sorry father, mother, but this was the one thing we could do to finally be happy. We don't want to live a life of court games and vanity. We want to live a simple life, together. I've decided that a quiet life, maybe as a shopkeeper, or ever farmer is what I want, and Shinko agrees. We plan to make our own living in the Yamani Islands, where we hope to live a quiet life. I hope you can understand our choice. Please, don't come after us. We do not want to be found. I'm sorry if I've disappointed you, as that was one of the things I hoped to never do, but this is what we want. I'm sorry.
With all my love,
Your Son, Roald
* * *
Kel could here the king's curses as she made her way back to Neal's room and closed the door behind her, then slid to the floor.
"Well?" Neal asked, from his desk where he has been leaning, talking to Yuki.
"I think he took it well."
"Is he cursing?"
Kel nodded. "Loudly."
* * *
A/N: Well there you go! That's the end of the very first chapter! Hope you liked it!