Set three years after Trickster's Queen. I'm guessing that is about the right timing.
Disclaimer: It's all Tammy's. Duh. I'm just satisfying myself that Aly DOES actually see her family again.
Special note to Abbie Ahila: Feel free to ignore this one. It deals with a fandom you aren't a part of.
Home Again
One month before Midwinter"Aly, what's wrong?"
'Nothing, Your Majesty. Nothing's wrong. Well, it's possible you could be facing a minor rebellion in some of the outer isles, but I'm confident that the army will put that down without too much trouble."
"Aly, don't try to trick me, I know you too well for that. Something's been bothering you for the past few weeks. What is it?"
Aly sighed, and looked up from the papers she had been going over when Dove had walked into her office.
"It's really nothing, Your Majesty. Nothing that I can do anything about, at any rate."
Dove looked at her, her small face twisting slightly in irritation. "Well, Aly, if you don't tell me what's wrong we can't figure out if there is actually something we can do about it, can we?"
Aly smiled, her small, unreadable smile, but now it was tinged with just a hint of sadness. "Really, Majesty, there is nothing that we could do."
Now it was Dove's turn to sigh, only her sigh was one of frustration. "Look, Aly, you've been much quieter and more distant in the last few months than I've ever seen you. You also have been distracted, and honestly, I'm not sure I'm comfortable with my Spymaster being unable to focus on her duties! Now, tell me what's wrong before I'm forced to start exerting my power as queen."
Aly sighed again, this time because she knew that Dove was right. She had been distracted lately, and this was not a good thing, what with the important information that was given to her every day. Not that she was particularly worried about anything at the moment, but Dove, and the kingdom, deserved that she give the best she had.
"Fine, Your Majesty," she said, this time given a slightly ironic tinge to Dove's title, because she knew that Dove hardly ever used her position to force people to do something they didn't want to, and never would with her. "It's just that Midwinter is coming up."
Dove looked puzzled. "Why is that upsetting you?" she asked. "The celebrations will be great."
"I know," Aly said, her voice sounding much more despondent than excited. "It's just that this Midwinter Alan is having his ordeal of knighthood." Dove exclaimed softly in understanding. "When he started his page training eight years ago," Aly continued, "I promised him that I would be there for his Ordeal, waiting in the chapel when he came out."
Dove hated to see Aly like this, so unlike her normal, cheerful self. She knew how much Aly missed her twin brother, and that her separation from him was harder for her than anything else.
"It's going to be one of the most important nights of his life," Aly went on, "and I can't believe I won't be able to be there." She sighed a third time, and then shook herself slightly. "But I know I can't," she said, forcing her voice to be more lively, more like it usually was. "So why bother dwelling on it?"
"Hmm," Dove sighed, her small face serious, contemplative. She looked up at Aly. "Why couldn't you go?" she asked suddenly.
"What!" exclaimed Aly, looking at Dove incredulously.
"Why couldn't you go to be at Alan's ordeal?" repeated Dove. "There's a merchant ship leaving for Port Cayne in five days, you could go on that and reach the capital in plenty of time for Midwinter."
"Well… There's a million reasons I couldn't go," Aly cried, looking at Dove as though she were crazy. "First, I would need more than five days to make sure everything here would run smoothly if I were gone for an extended period. Second, it would look too suspicious for your Spymaster to just pick up and go to Corus for Midwinter; I would have no good reason. Third, you know that security always needs to be extra sharp around Midwinter, with all the visitors and parties. Um, and I mentioned a possible rebellion in the outer isles, right?"
Dove smiled at Aly, looking amused. "It never ceases to amaze me how convinced you are that the government will collapse if you leave for so much as a day," she told Aly, who looked both offended and slightly sheepish. "Believe it or not, we can handle things without you. You've trained your people to be almost as good at this as you are, and I really think that all of my other advisors and guards will be able to protect me. And I have complete faith in your ability to either invent a reason for your visit to Tortall, or else hide the fact of your going. No one could do it better than you."
Dove's smile faded slightly, and she continued in a more serious tone. "Besides, Aly, you haven't had a vacation practically since I was coronated," she said. "You deserve to go see your family. Your parents have never even met their grandchildren, and you should see your twin become a knight."
Dove could see that Aly's resolve was wavering, so she hardened her voice slightly, and when she spoke again it was in a more regal tone, that she hardly ever used. "Aly, I not only give you my complete permission to go to Tortall for Midwinter, I give you a royal order to," she commanded, although was unable to keep a straight face for the last part, and grinned at Aly.
Aly grinned back. "Your Majesty is most persuasive," she said, mockingly bowing her head slightly. "I see that I have no choice."
"I hereby give you the rest of the day off from your regular duties, in order to begin whatever tasks you must accomplish to prepare for your leave," Dove said, this time giving in and giggling slightly at her prolonged attempt at regality.
"Your Majesty need only command me," Aly said, beginning to assemble the papers on her desk, and already beginning to make a list in her head of everything that needed to be done before she could go.
Dove smiled at her and turned to leave the room, but was stopped at the door by Aly's voice.
"Dove," she said, in a low voice. Dove stopped, but did not turn around. Aly hardly ever used her first name. "Thank you," Aly said, the emotion in her voice clearly illustrating how much she meant it.
"Nobody deserves it more," Dove said as she left the room.
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When Nawat entered the apartment he shared with Aly that evening, he was startled to see empty bags sitting in the middle of the room, and many of their belongings scattered around.
"Aly," he called, surveying the piles of clothes, baby toys, and other objects that littered the floor. A streak that looked vaguely like his wife hurtled out of their bedroom and into his arms, wrapping it's arms around his neck and kissing him full on the mouth. "Aly?" he said again, this time sounding slightly worried.
She moved her face away from his, still keeping her arms around his neck, and beaming up at him.
"I have, not only Dove's permission, but her royal order that we go to Tortall for Midwinter," she announced, delight shining out of her eyes.
It took Nawat a second to understand what she was saying, and then a smile spread over his face as well, and he pulled her into a tight hug. He knew how much being at her twin's ordeal would mean to her, and had been upset over the past several weeks that he could do nothing to cheer her up. This, he knew, was what she had wanted more than anything else in the world.
"When do we leave?" he asked, looking around at the piles on the floor.
"Five days," she answered, smiling fondly at him, then looking around, slightly abashed. "I know I'm not going about this packing in the best way, it's just there's so much to do before we can leave," she said.
Nawat leaned over and started sorting out the garments in one of the piles. "Let me take care of packing, and getting the children ready," he told her. "You must have a lot to do to make sure everything will run smoothly while you are gone."
For some reason, Aly felt her eyes suddenly get watery, which was slightly alarming considering how unsentimental she usually was. She walked over to him, and once again wrapped her arms around him.
"I love you," she said simply, hiding her face in his chest.
"I love you too," he answered, kissing the top of her head.
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Well, good? Bad? Constructive Criticism would be beyond appreciated. I'm not sure when I'll be able to update, hopefully not too long.