Title: Candidate and Companion
Characters: Taniya, Freed the Brave Wanderer||Pairing: N/A
Chapter Word Count: 783||Chapter Count: 1/1
Genre: Friendship||Rated: G
Challenge: Diversity Writing, B070: write a pre-canon fic; Collect the Seven Stars: Taniya; Character Diversity Boot Camp, #17, prefer; Word Count Set Boot Camp, #24, 783 words
Notes: This takes place pre-canon.
Summary: Taniya enjoys herself with a drinking contest and thoughts of what her future might hold.

People of all kinds thronged in the tavern, mostly because they'd heard an epic drinking contest would be going on. That generally happened when Taniya turned up there. It wasn't always a drinking contest; sometimes she arm-wrestled whoever had the nerve to challenge her. Once in a while she dueled them. But one thing happened, every single time.

Taniya won.

There were contests she couldn't win at, she knew, but no one around here knew those games, which made it something of a moot point. It also annoyed the living daylights out of her, because winning all the time bored her.

At least her fellow Amazons knew how to challenge her in ways that she couldn't top. Not yet, anyway. She thought she could learn how to win those games, in due time. But she had other duties to take care of which meant she couldn't devote all the time that she wanted to learning other skills and games.

And all too soon, she wouldn't have the time to game anyway. Her grandmother remained in good health, but even an Amazon's life had an end to it, and with her mother already fallen, Taniya would have to take up the mantle.

Until then however, she had time to search for a suitable mate. Tribe tradition held that she could mate with anyone, a male wasn't necessary for a long-term commitment. But bearing an heir would be a good thing, even if she didn't long-term mate with the sire.

She didn't know if she wished such a mate to be male or female or something else altogether. But one point remained the same: she hadn't yet found one that suited her tastes.

She slammed her cup down on the table and gestured to the closest servant. "Make it something with some kick this time," she ordered. "Not this water!"

It wasn't water. It was some of the finest beer that the area had to offer, and it still didn't do that much for her. A good taste, but nothing more.

She glanced at her drinking competitor: Freed, the Brave Wanderer. They'd sparred with one another a few times, and she considered him a strong warrior. Even better, she knew he considered her the same. Mutual respect.

He set his cup down beside hers with a decisive nod. "As she said," he agreed. "Something fitting for warriors."

Taniya held back a tint of a smile. He wasn't entirely to her taste, but if push came to shove, if she had no one else that she could ask, she would at least broach the situation to him. He'd probably be suitable to sire a child or two with. She would have to find out if he would prefer to raise any offspring with his mate though. While that worked for some relationships, an Amazon raised an Amazon.

When the new drinks were brought, Taniya took a long slug of hers and nodded. This was much more like it.

"How have matters been with your village?" Freed asked. She knew that he had a small following of his own, somewhere on the other side of the tavern. That made another point in his favor for mating: he knew the troubles and trials of leadership.

"The crops are coming along well. Better than last year," Taniya allowed. It wasn't good to give away too much information in a place like this. One never knew when someone might decide a prosperous settlement deserved a raid.

Granted, when it came to the Amazons, that tended to end up with the attackers dead or worse. But if someone dared to strike at the Amazons, they earned whatever they got.

"Our herds are in fine shape." Freed nodded before he returned his attention to her. "Perhaps we could arrange some form of trade?"

Taniya let a sweet little smile trail over her features. "That could be arranged, I think. Let's talk about it after we're done."

Oh, this would be very interesting. She drained her cup and beckoned for more. Freed followed a heartbeat later and the two of them settled down to the serious business of attempting to drink one another under the table. She looked forward to the discussions later as well.

After all, being heir to the leadership of her people meant so much more than just finding a mate. She needed to make alliances and bonds between her people and others, and Freed's people would be a good addition to their allies.

She would start off with her people on the high ground in these trade negotiations by winning this drinking contest. It wouldn't be the first time she'd done this.

Any hangover would be absolutely worth it.

The End

Notes: I like Taniya. A lot.