Editing/Revamping beings now! ^_^ I'm really excited about this version! It's more sophisticated (I hope), and eventually (I hope) will be beta-proofed before I release the edited-by-me version. For now, I'll do my best to iron out the kinks in plot etc. A word on dates: Obviously this never happened, because in the canon universe, Kalasin was married to Kaddar sometime roughly between Squire and Lady Knight (according to Trickster's Choice). However, I didn't want the characters leaving the Scanran/Tortallan border until the war was pretty much tied up, so I had to settle for stretching a few details. Hopefully that's okay with you guys ;). DR
Prologue
The following message appears in code.
His Royal Majesty, King Jonathan I of Tortall, etc.
To Sir Wyldon, Lord of Cavall and the Surrounding Countryside, Commander of Fort Mastiff
April the First, 463
My dear Sir,
I am much in your debt. Your work at Fort Mastiff can only be surmounted by the generous and unbiased advice you and Sir Gareth the Younger have provided me. I am pleased to say that after many months of letters and embassies sent back and forth across our borders, Emperor Kaddar Iliniat and his council of advisers have agreed to establish a connection between Carthak and Tortall with the bonds of marriage between the Emperor and our eldest daughter, Princess Kalasin. Queen Thayet and I hope that such a connection will be advantageous in the securing of our countries' relations.
As I am sure you are aware, Carthaki-Tortallan dealings have been less than cordial of late. There have been some rumors, currently being followed by Spymasters Sir Myles of Olau and Baron George of Pirate's Swoop, of unrest in Carthak from the Imperial Academy magicians, who see it as Tortall's duty to use the Dominion Jewel to assist their southern reaches with the famine they are currently experiencing. As of yet, such intervention is impossible. However, I hope that with the joining of Kalasin and Emperor Kaddar, we may make an end to this unrest before war breaks out. The royal treasuries have suffered enough with the unexpected length of the Scanran Wars.
Thus, with your blessing and advice you so generously bestowed, I write to inform you of a new mission which I hope you will undertake gladly. After their successful work in the Yamani Islands, I am sending Baron Piers of Mindelan and his wife, the Lady Ilane, to take up our more informal embassies' work in Carthak. With them will go Sir Gareth the Younger and his wife Cythera, Sorcerer Numair Salmalín and his wife Veralidaine the Wildmage, Sir Yaxley haMinch, and yourself. I know that you and Sir Yaxley will be the perfect men to lead the knights I have in mind to go along as a guard. These knights are young, but have proved themselves time in again in both training and the northern warfront. With the treaties signed and the war officially at an end, we feel it will not be detrimental to Tortall's safety to send these knights into Carthak. Further explanations and instructions are included, under code and under my seal. May the gods smile upon your dealings in Carthak.
The following is the list of knights that I and General Vanget haMinch have selected to guard the ambassadorial embassy to Carthak.
Sir Merric of Hollyrose, Sir Seaver of Tasride, Sir Nealan of Queenscove, Sir Esmond of Nicoline, Sir Owen of Jesslaw, and Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan
Four Years Earlier
September 25, 460 Human Era
Fort Steadfast
Steadfast was so full of guests attending the joint weddings of Sir Nealan of Queenscove to Yukimi noh Diaomoru, and Lord Raoul of Goldenlake to Buriram Tourakom, that Tobe had to sleep on a pallet in the corner of Kel's makeshift bedchamber. The "ladies' court" occupied the top level of Steadfast's headquarters, but the amount of women in attendance - mostly Riders - meant that many slept three to a room, the ceilings hung with heavy drapes that provided some semblance of privacy. Never before had Kel been so grateful for that privacy - until Tobe woke to the sounds of her sobs, and ran to fetch Lady Ilane of Mindelan. Lady Ilane had always had a kind word for Tobe, and since his mistress' sudden display of femininity unnerved him to the point of terror, he wasted no time in going to the baroness. Who better to deal with Keladry's uncharacteristic emotion than own mother? However, banished by the good woman from Kel's room, Tobe ended up leaving his mat to go sleep in the stables. Mithros knew, the horses and hay would be far more welcome than a cold pallet and two women dealing with whatever was ailing the Lady Knight.
In Kel's room, Lady Ilane lowered herself carefully to the floor beside her daughter's double pallet, wondering what could be the cause of her daughter's tears. From Ilane's long experience, Kel had almost never cried. Even as a child, the Yamani way of life had allowed Keladry to conceal her emotions, though Ilane was often doubtful as to the benefit of such self-suppression.
Kel's muscled body flinched in response to Ilane's gentle touch on her back. The words that followed were muffled by both her pillow and the tears running unchecked from her eyes. "Why are you here, mother?"
Lady Ilane smiled. "I see you still know your mother's touch, my dear." She fingered the rough ends of Kel's nape-length hair with a faint wince. It looked as though someone had hacked it with a blunt knife. "Tobe came for me," he murmured absently, belatedly recalling her daughter's question.
Kel jerked upright, pulling her hair away from Ilane's loose hold without so much as a flinch. "Is he still here? I didn't mean to wake him…"
"No, no… he is gone to the stables for the night," Ilane reassured her. Spotting a small porcelain tower in the corner of the room, she smiled faintly. "Isn't a fort on the border of enemy territory a bit too dangerous of a place to carry around a Yamani tea pot? How in Mithros' name did you get it all the way up here without breaking it?"
Kel gave a watery chuckle, and blew her nose. "Very, very carefully."
Despite the dimness of the room - the only source of light was the moonlight spilling through chinks in between the tapestry-walls - Ilane wasted no time in kindling a small, glowing fire in the lower basin of the contraption. Held by silver vines, the porcelain teapot that balanced above the coals gradually heated up. When it was hot enough, the expanding metal forced a tiny cup to turn over above the water, allowing a premeasured amount of dried leaves to fall into the pot. Almost instantly, the smell of Yamani green tea filled the small space. After a quick stir, Ilane poured two cups full and handed one to her daughter. Left to its own devices, the glowing coals slowly turned black, and the teapot cold. Meanwhile, the two women made themselves comfortable on the pallets and blankets.
"So," Ilane began, blowing over the silver-dipped rim of her cup. "It is not often that the Lady Knight weeps for lost love."
Keladry gave her a startled look. "How did you know?"
"I didn't," Ilane replied mildly. "Mothers have a talent for guessing that which ails their children."
Kel smiled reluctantly. "I don't know half of the why myself. All I can think is that I was so happy for Raoul and Neal, but somehow jealous at the same time… and for the first time in my life I've wished I could be as delicate and fragile as Yuki, or as striking and petite as Buri… I don't know why, I've never really cared for that sort of thing, and I did wear a dress but it made no difference… you can't hide over eight years' worth of muscle under a flimsy cotton gown…"
"Cotton?" Ilane demanded tartly. "The daughter of Mindelan goes to a wedding wearing cotton?"
"It's the only real dress I own, mama," Kel reminded her. "It's not like I would wear it to a battle with the Scanrans, or have need of it during a raid or scouting party."
"True," Ilane conceded. "Then, what was the deal breaker?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"The final reason that broke the floodgates and released six years of pent-up hormones and romantic feelings," Ilane explained dryly. To her surprise, Kel blushed.
"You know Sergeant Domitan of the King's Own."
Ilane's elegant brows rose high. "Well, that explains much indeed."
Kel squirmed in embarrassment. Apparently even Lady Mindelan had been subject to tales of Dom's fame with the ladies.
"I wouldn't think you would be the sort to fall for such a flirt, Keladry," Ilane commented, only the barest hint of reproach in her voice. Kel, as predicted by her mother, immediately flared up, outraged.
"It's not like that, mama! I rode with him for four years as a squire, and spent much time with him at Haven and during our time in Scanra. I know him, mother. It wasn't some silly crush, like the others girls who barely lay eyes on him."
Lady Ilane put down her cup, face Yamani-grave. "I have no doubt of that, my dear. Please tell me what happened."
"It was at the after-feast," Kel began. "You know I don't like liquor all that much, so I stuck to apple juice."
When she paused for breath, Ilane nodded understandingly for Kel to continue.
"The others were mostly tipsy or entirely drunk, though a few - Raoul, and my lord Wyldon - hadn't touched a drop. Dom was one of the tipsy ones, though he seemed to be holding his liquor pretty well. We were playing chess when a Rider came up and began flirting with him." As she spoke, Kel's voice dropped so that her mother had to strain to hear. "Eventually he wasn't playing at all, and Owen decided to try his luck instead. Then they left together - Dom and the Rider.
Lady Ilane raised her eyebrows yet again. "You sure you're not jumping to conclusions?"
Kel nodded miserably. "Dom is sleeping with her right now, I know it. I know the look on men's faces when they know they've made a conquest. And I don't even know why I care so much! Since I began training as a page, I've been strictly sexless. Now... I'm not."
Ilane touched her daughter's cheek gently, wiping away a rebellious tear. "Time will tell, my dear, but I don't think this man is the one for you. You must be patient. Someone will come along before you know it… someone you may already know. And how would it be if you were involved with Dom and realized this other man was truly your soul mate?" She smiled, butting Kel's forehead with her own in a surprisingly un-Yamani-like gesture. "Do not be too quick to embrace love when it comes calling, my dear, but don't rush to turn it away."
Kel made a face. "Well that's conveniently vague and un-interpretable."
Ilane laughed. "I know, and I'm sorry. I wish there was something more hopeful I could tell you. All I can tell you of love is that sometimes it's hard to recognize, and sometimes it's as plain as the nose on your face." She gave her daughter a stern look. "So don't let silly lovesick puppies like Domitan trip you up. Love will come to you before long."
Kel leaned in for a hug. "Thanks, mum. I needed that more than I knew."
