You Are My Sunshine
This one is for Kmiri Kalasin; no excuses, just some fic. Happy, um, Midwinter.
And also for me, because I want Jasson/Kel and Kel/Lerant. And where will I ever find that, if not here?
"I think I'll court Lady Keladry," said Prince Jasson over dinner one night.
Prince Jasson was trying really, really hard to annoy his father, King Jonathan the fourth. Jonathan was, after all, more of an inconsiderate beast than a Scanran Warlord; not that Jasson knew any personally.
Queen Thayet, Mother, dropped the spoon that she was using to feed the new baby (The Prodigal Seventh Sibling), and it clattered against the wooden floor. The sudden noise sent the baby into fits of hysteria.
Ruth, the latest nanny - or maybe Ruth was the last one, and this one was named Beth? Jasson never knew these days, what with Jonathan sacking them in such rapid succession - rushed forward with a second spoon for Thayet.
"Thank you Sophie," said Thayet kindly.
The unexpected kindness prompted the maid to say "It's Beth, Your Majesty," and then dive, turning a deep pink, to the floor.
"Right, of couse," said Thayet, dabbing at the baby's chin with a napkin.
Liam, to Jasson's left, winked at the poor blustering girl who had re-emerged from underneath the table, having retrieved the silverware. The maid fumbled a curtsy, and placed the spoon in Thayet's outstretched hand.
"Keladry of Mindelan," said Jasson in louder tones. "I'm thinking of courting her."
"Oh?" asked Jonathan, not bothering to look at Jasson over his reading material - judging by the stack of papers piled sky high and current controversies, Grain by-laws. Jasson wouldn't have expected them to be so engrossing.
"I hear that Raven Armoury is manufacturing glaives these days," continued Jonathan guilelessly. "It will cost an arm and a leg of course, which won't sit well with Gary's new Royal Expenditure Approval Board. But on the other hand so to speak-" Jonathan broke into a suspicious cough here. "-it's sure to endear you to Mindelan. She can sore miss a chance like that, to take a crippled prince under her wing."
Father was a horrible man. And he never took Jasson seriously.
"Father!" gasped Lianne, hiding a small smile. "You're horrible."
Jonathan favoured Lianne with a warm glance before returning to his texts.
Jasson didn't blame Lianne for it; she was sheltered and impressionable. And Jonathan had always favoured her. Especially after he'd sent Kally away to Carthak - or more accurately, sold his eldest daughter against borrowing a few odd cups of sugar from the nasty old man next-door.
When Thayet tore her attention away from the baby, her face was worn and tired; as Thayet told it, she was determined to be a nuturing and attentive mother this time around, or make up for lost opportunities. Jasson thought that she was probably feeling old, given that her newest grandchild (mini Shinko number three) had fourteen months on her own youngest.
It seemed likely as well, that Thayet had undertaken a vow not to be outdone by her daughter-in-law. Not that Jonathan was helping the matter, cooing over his grandchildren in one breath, and making cracks in the vein of "What of my new baby? Oh, you mean the mistake?" in the next. All within Thayet's hearing, of course.
"Don't let dearest Shinko hear you speak ill of the girl," Thayet told Jonathan, looking down the length of the table. "She might take offense."
Roald's back stiffened, his posture becoming impeccable as he glared at his mother and ceased pushing peas around the plate in front of him. "What about me, Mother? You don't think that I take offense on my friend, Keladry's behalf, or at the snide remarks about my wife?"
"Don't be silly, Roald," said Thayet.
"Stop picking fights with your Mother," said Jonathan.
"I love you Roald!" shrieked Vania, noticing Roald's dark looks directed towards alternating end of the table. Vania flung her arms around her oldest brother's waist, nearly falling off of her chair in the process. "When is my pony arriving?" Vania continued seamlessly, seizing the opportunity of having her family's undivided attention.
Jonathan blinked at the non-sequitor. "Oh, err, well sometimes ponies take a while to arrive."
Vania joined Roald in giving Jonathan dark looks. "There are ponies everywhere. And none of them are mine. It's not fair!"
Thayet ignored Jonathan's pleading looks, and he looked somewhat frightened. Ha, thought Jasson.
"Darling," said Jonathan slowly, blindly reaching for inspiration. "Those aren't special ponies. You want a special pony, don't you?"
"Oh," said Vania, looking pleased, crafty, and a lot like Jonathan. "Yes, I'd like a special pony. Gnat will be horribly jealous."
Jasson saw his father tug discreetly at the sun-shaped medallion he wore around his neck; something that Jonathan was prone to do in combat situations, dire council meetings, and dealings with his daughters.
Jonathan then scrawled four letters hastily on the palm of his left hand with his quill, blew on it while Lianne pretended not to notice, and tugged at the sleeve of his tunic as if to cover the writing.
Jasson would bet his inheritance that Jonathan would be bullying Uncle Gary into bullying Aunt Onua into giving up one of her ponies in the near future.
There was a moment of rare silence and then Jasson tried again.
"You know," said Jasson. "Lady Kelady looked very... reflective at the tournament last week. Her armour was very... shiny."
Liam thumped Jasson on the back and Roald even grinned a little.
"You should tell her that," said Liam jovially. "You'll earn yourself a gold-plated invitation into her bed with pretty complements like that!"
The was a loud clatter, and the baby laughed. Jasson thought it sounded rather sinister.
"Slaughtered souls of the forsaken Gods," swore Thayet loudly, bashing her elbow on the wooden table. She then stopped mid-sentence, eyeing Lianne, who had her hands firmly planted over Vania's ears.
"Really Lianne," said Thayet, "Anyone would think that I offend your delicate sensibilities."
Lianne raised her eyebrows. "It's not just you, Mother. Tell Jasson to stop baiting Father."
"Jasson, stop baiting your father," said Thayet gamely, lifting the baby onto her lap.
"Thayet," said Jonathan. "Tell Jasson that baiting is a pleasant change from sulking and sarcasm."
Thayet glared daggers at her husband and Roald seemed to shrink a little, as if willing himself to disappear.
"Spoon, Ruth!" Thayet ordered the maid who was hovering nervously in the corner.
"Beth," said Jonathan.
Thayet absently raised an inquiring eye-brow as the baby gurggled. "What's that, Love?"
"Her name is Beth," repeated Jonathan, looking as though he wished he hadn't.
"Her name," said Thayet frostily, giving her husband momentary, undivided attention. "Is Rose, after your grandmother Naxen."
"He meant the maid," said Roald, rubbing at his temples, obviously in agony.
"He would know," sniffed Thayet.
Liam abruptly stopped leering at the hired help and looked disgusted with the whole situation, not in the least himself. "Already?" he asked no one in particular, smoothing his mustache.
Ten years ago, the family hadn't bothered to tell Liam that his mustache was ill-advised (Uncle Gary had voiced fond memories before being laughed into submission by Aunt Cythera. Nevertheless the damage had been done, and Liam had walked away looking thoughtful). The joke had grown old fast, but with an unprecedented stubborn streak, Liam refused to part with the bushy red squirrel's tail that lived on his face. Liam called it manly; that had also grown old fairly quick.
Jasson was also disgusted with his family but having no mustache to smooth, he glared at Jonathan.
Jonathan, for his part, sighed at his papers. "These are all wrong. I'll have to go see Gary about the... tax issues."
"Sit," snarled Thayet. "This is a family dinner."
"Yes, Daddy!" said Vania. "We never see you much."
Gathering his fleeting dignity, Jonathan slunk back into his chair.
Roald, looking as if he wanted to crawl underneath the table, cleared his throat instead. "Yes," said Roald. "And to that end, I must go check-in on Shinkokami and the girls."
Leaving the table, Roald kissed Thayet on the cheek and ruffled the baby's black, silky hair.
"You're such a gentleman," Thayet smiled fondly. Jonathan glared daggers at his heir.
"You know," said Liam thoughtfully. "Lady Keladry is rather well-endowed."
"Liam," said Lianne, her upper lip curling in disdain. "You are a pig."
Roald placed his hand under Beth's elbow, and steered her towards the door.
"I think it's best if you're, uh, relocated," muttered Roald discreetly. "My wife, Shinko, is looking for a maid." Jasson wondered idly how many maids Roald had hired since Rose had been born.
"I mean," Liam continued shamelessly, "A woman as strong as Mindelan; just think how good she'd be in the-"
"Liam," said Jonathan sharply.
"In the what?" asked Vania, her eyes wide and curious.
Lianne turned scarlett. "Hush," she told Vania.
"-In the jousting ring," Liam laughed heartily. "Really, Lianne, you pretend to be so virtuous."
"Liam," snarled Jonathan. "I forbid you from courting the Lady Knight."
"Oh, I wasn't planning on courting," said Liam suggestively.
"Or," said Jonathan, "Pursuing the woman in any capacity."
Liam turned towards Jasson. "That was easy," he said.
Jasson choked on his veal and hated his father with more ferocity than ever.
Fenella Melford, 2007