Ok, I am giving up on my other TP fic…I don't know what to do with it..any ideas? Let me know if you do have any. But here is a fic I've been dying to write…
Ages: Ok, I did my research and this is what I've come up with…Tell me if one is wrong, since it will probably mean they are all wrong…
In the year 465:
Roald of Conte- about 24
Liam of Conte- about 19
Alianne, Spy mistress of the Copper Isles- about 19
Nawat Crow-he should still appear to be in his early twenties.
Dovasary, Queen of the Copper Isles- I am to lazy to find her actual age, but I am saying that she is 16.
Lianne of Conte- younger than Liam in my world…she is 17.
Oh, yeah and the O O O O O O show a page break, like a lapse in time or change in perspective...
Two Months After Midwinter 465:
"Really, Your Majesty, you shouldn't be so worried. They'll love you, I'm sure of it." The woman's smooth drawl made the queen even more anxious.
"Easy for you to say, you lived with them for 16 years." The Queen of The Copper Isles was nervous to say in the least. Her hands tightly gripped the wooden railing, causing her knuckles to turn white, and Aly to feel nervous.
"Excuse me, Miss, Your Majesty, but we're preparing to dock." The captain's right hand man spoke to the two young women before he turned and walked back to his post. The men on deck began to move around as they began the preparations for unloading a royal, half of her court, and all of the luggage that came with courtiers. Needles to say, it was quite hectic on deck.
"Alright, I can do this." Dove spoke quietly to herself, ignoring the look Aly was giving her until it became rather obnoxious. "Oh, what is it?" Dove asked, still nervous and flustered.
"It's just that I've never heard you give yourself an inspirational talk. It's making me nervous." Aly told her Queen, a little worried for the poor woman's mental health.
"Oh, hush Aly. You would be nervous if you were I. I am going to meet my possible-future-husband, and his family. Excuse me if I'm nervous." Dove snapped as the ship knocked gently into the dock.
"Dove, may I remind you how you helped take over a ruined country, remove the insane ruling family, and begin to rebuild said country all within a two year period?" Aly neglected the titles as she spoke to Dove, looking the young woman in the eyes with a rather serious expression on her face.
"Well, I suppose your right, but really, even you would be nervous." Dove hung onto the rail for a second more, before she let go, pushing herself away from the rail as she walked towards the plank that had been lowered. Aly followed her sovereign, falling in step behind the queen, and alongside her bodyguards.
"She still nervous?" Junai asked Aly out of the corner of her mouth.
"A little, but I wouldn't expect her to not be nervous." Aly replied, just a quiet.
"I can hear you, and as your Queen, I am ordering you to shut your mouths or I shall have you be-headed." Dove spoke loudly enough for her other guards and assorted important court members to hear her. Many of them had trouble concealing their laughter.
"But, Your Majesty, who shall arrange my be-heading once Aly is killed?" Junai asked, in a very out of character voice.
"That is why you shall be going first, Junai Dodeka." Dove said, placing her foot on Tortallan soil for the first time.
Their conversation came to an abrupt end however, as Crown Prince Roald, and his wife, Shinkokami stepped forward along with the younger Prince Liam.
"Welcome to Tortall, Cousin." Roald addressed Dove before his wife stepped forward.
"We hope your stay here will be pleasant, if you and your court require anything, you have only to ask." Shinkokami's warm voice helped relax many of the courtiers standing behind Dove.
The Islanders were dressed in warmer versions of their every day court attire. The guards wore a more elegant version of the leggings and wrap around jackets that many native Raka wore. The Queen and the women wore gowns that resembled the bright and exciting sarongs Aly normally wore; while the men wore variations on the traditional Tunic and Leggings worn by Easterners.
Dove bowed her head slightly in return to the greetings before she offered her own.
"Thank you for your offer, but I am sure a country so grand as Tortall will not be lacking in anything, so I do not believe I shall have to ask for anything at all.There is one thing I must ask though, is it always this chilly?" Dove smiled as she spoke, trying to lighten the mood that was currently very stiff and polite. Shinkokami laughed.
"Oh, it is actually quite warm today, Queen Dovasary." Shinkokami said her smile bright.
"Please, Dove, Dovasary if you must." The Queen told her Royal Cousin, "If this is warm, I would hate to know cold. I am afraid our Islands stay warm unless you live in the highlands, and I haven't been there in two years almost." Dove said smiling just as brightly as Shinkokami.
"In that case, please call me Shinko, luckily, it is the end of our winter season, so it won't be to terribly cold." Shinko stepped aside with grace and motioned to the people standing behind her. "I'd like you to meet Prince Liam of Conte, and his younger sister, Princess Lianne." The two bowed royals and curtsied respectively.
"A pleasure to meet one so famed, Your Majesty." Liam stepped forward to kiss Dove's hand briefly. Dove could not help but blush a little as the handsome young knight took her hand. The Prince stepped back before Dove could respond, and Lianne rushed forward.
"You're Majesty; please don't call me Princess, just Lianne. I've heard about the flying horses on the Isles, and I was hoping you could spare a few minutes to tell me about them!" Lianne gushed excitedly, and Dove laughed a little, it was so nice to meet someone so much like her sister sometimes; unless of course, they were causing problems; like her sister had done.
"Any free minute I can." Dove promised. Roald scowled at his sister, before he gestured to the horses that had come down from the ship while they had been speaking.
"I believe now is as good a time as any to begin our ride. With luck we should be at the capital before night fall." Roald led his wife to her horse, and Shinko mounted with no difficulty.
Dove's horse was led over, a beautiful mare, a gift from her sister, and she mounted. The rest of her court followed her lead, and the group started out. The Queen found herself at the front of the procession next to Shinko, with Prince Liam on the other side. She could hear Lianne and Aly behind them trading news.
The princess made small talk, and Dove was grateful for it, the rider on her other side however remained quiet for most of the ride, until they stopped for a short break, and he helped Dove to climb down from her horse.
"Thank you." She told the taller man, at 16 she was still rather short, and expected to be that way forever.
"My pleasure, Your Majesty." Liam told her, bowing slightly, before he left her to talk with his brother and Shinko. Dove walked over to talk with Aly and Lianne.
"And your brother, Alan, is at court right now, so you can see him when we arrive. Thom I believe is off somewhere north, he might be up at Trebond, but you never can be sure with him. Your mother and father are on their way, they had left home two days ago, or so my father told me. Almost everyone else is at court, so you should be able to see them all. None of them are going to believe this is you, and that you have kids!" Lianne said, giggling.
"Yes," Aly drawled, "three of them. The little brats never stop going." Aly said, and as if they knew that she was speaking of them, they all waddled over, half crawling half walking to their mother, Nawat was not far behind.
"Ma!" they all chorused. Aly smiled and opened her arms, all of the chubby children hugged her back, giggling like mad.
"Nap time is over already?" she asked her husband as he came to sit by her.
"Of course, now, Junim was complaining on the whole trip, he wished to ride with his mother and Auntie Dove." Nawat smirked as he picked up his son, the giggled happily as he grabbed some of his father's thick hair, which he seemed to have inherited. Nawat smiled back at him before he tweaked his nose and tickled the boy. Junim opened his mouth, revealing pink gums speckled with little white teeth.
"May I hold them?" Lianne asked. The girl looked at the children with such joy that Aly had only one question.
"Which one do you want?" Dove laughed merrily, as Lianne picked up one of the girls from her mother's lap. Little Ochobai looked at the princess with confusion before her rosy little cheeks scrunched up, and her dark brown-eyes, like her father's, filled with tears. Ochobai did not like the Princess.
"Oh!" Lianne cried, and she looked at loss for what to do. Aly simply laughed at her old friend's expression before she took her daughter back.
"It's alright, she just has to get used to you." Lianne didn't look convinced, in fact she looked very put out.
"Honestly, don't worry, she used to cry when I took her from her father. She just has to get used to it." Aly spoke seriously and Dove laughed as she remembered those frustrating weeks. Lianne looked up startled.
"Here, Junim really likes to play games. Watch." Dove knelt in front of her god-child and placed her hands over her eyes.
"I see you!" she cried when she removed them. Junim laughed and clapped her chubby little hands. Dove turned to Lianne, "Here you try, it works best if you laugh with them." Dove traded places with the confused princess. "Go, on. Give it a try." She told the younger girl.
"I see you!" Lianne said, removing her hands from her face. Junim giggled once more and Lianne laughed at the girl.
The next few minutes were spent playing "I see you!" with Junim.
"Here, hold her will you? I'm going to sneak away and properly say hello to your brothers." Ally handed off her daughter, dragging her Queen away with her. Lianne was left with Junim; Nawat had wandered off with the other two a few moments before.
Lianne eyed the baby in her arms with apprehension.
"Well, now what do I do?" she asked the smiling Junim, worried. Junim giggled and pulled on Lianne's hanging ear-bobs.
"Ouch!" she cried. The baby giggled, "Now, that's not funny. That hurt, don't do that again." Junim giggled again, this grown-up made funny faces when she was mad. She stretched her little arm up again, but Lianne caught it and brought it back down. Junim looked very put-out for a one-year old. Lianne settled the little girl on the ground in front of her and began a simply hand game her mother had taught them all.
"Patty-cake patty-cake." She began, clapping her hands together with a smile as she watched Junim try and clap too. "Baker make me a cake." She continued. "Roll it." She rolled her hands in the air, "pat it." She patted her hands as if she were patting a cake. Junim followed her example, "mark it with a 'b' and put it in the oven for baby and me!" Lianne cried the last part, laughing when she had finished, clapping along with Junim.
"Well, I do believe that is the happiest I've seen her since she discovered the miniature flying horses." The voice that spoke was sweet like honey, deep and heavily accented. Lianne turned quickly from her position on the blanket to see a very handsome young man smiling at her and bowing. Lianne scooped up Junim and stood.
"Oh, well." She tried, the man's smile brightened.
"My name is Zuahyr Kloulechat, it is an honor to finally meet you, Princess. Stories of your beauty has reached even our halls." Lianne was thoroughly charmed as the man bowed once more.
"It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Lord Kloulechat." Lianne said, smiling at the charming young man.
"Please, call me Zuahyr." He told Lianne, smiling once more, his dark eyes were enchanting, deep pools of obsidian and Lianne found it hard to break their gaze.
"Very well, Zuahyr." Lianne murmured, finally breaking the gaze. Her lips formed a small smile, and her hazel eyes sparkled. "If that is the case, then I insist on you calling me Lianne."
"Whose your friend, sister dear?" Roald examined the young raka nobleman as he addressed his sister, "I don't believe we have had the chance to be introduced." Lianne winced before she answered her brother.
"Zuahyr Kloulechat, I would like you to meet my eldest brother, Crown Prince Roald." Lianne smiled hopefully at her brother, they had never been close, their age difference and him training to become a knight along with her training to be a lady had interfered with that, but these last few months had proven him to be an obnoxiously protective brother. The trait, it didn't take her long to discover, was annoyingly common in all the men of her family; the women of course, did not know that or they would have chopped off their husbands heads from the outrageous suggestion that they needed protecting.
"Prince Roald." Zuahyr murmured, bowing low. Roald inclined his head.
"A pleasure to meet you, but I'm afraid that we need to ride once more. Lianne, Aly has been after me for more news, do you think you could ride next to her? I can't keep up with all of her talk." Roald gently dragged his sister away from the charming, dark-eyed, copper-skinned man.
"What is the matter?" Shinko asked, looking from her husband's stormy face to her young sister-in-law's flushed one.
"Nothing is wrong, except for the fact that Lianne has to go flirting with every man she sees." Roald muttered under his breath.
"I do not." Lianne said sharply. Really, where did her brothers get such ideas?
"In that case call me Lianne?" he questioned. "You don't even know him! All you know is his name, and that he is with Aly and her Queen. You do not give foreign strangers permission to call you be your name! They call you Princess or Your Highness. Never do they earn the right to call you Lianne." Roald, who was normally a calm man, seemed very upset by this whole thing.
"Really, dear, please calm down, it is only a name." Shinko laid a hand on her husband's arm, trying to calm him down. Lianne quickly escaped as soon as Shinko had his attention.
"I hope I did not cause any problems." Zuahyr stood behind Lianne, the reigns of two horses held in his hands. He was smiling still, but he looked worried.
"Of course not. How did you know which horse was mine?" she asked him, trying to move onto a more comfortable topic.
"I asked Aly, she told me." Zuahyr presented the horse to her. "Do you need any help?" he asked, but stopped himself as Lianne climbed into the saddle with grace. She smiled down at the man.
"I believe I can handle it." She told him. Zuahyr climbed into the saddle.
"Of course, my apologies." Zuahyr spoke as the two turned their horses with the rest of the group. They were soon caught up in the bustle of a large court, and Lianne found herself introduced to several young courtiers.
"That is Ferdolin Tomang, funny when he wants to be, his mother can be rather grouchy, but they throw wonderful summer parties. Next to him is Druce Adona, he a bit mad for horses, much like the Queen's sister. Speaking of her sister, there is one of her old friends, Islaena Obemaek, that girl can be very nasty." It continued on in this fashion, until Aly decided to invade upon them.
"Zuahyr, I hope you aren't trying anything funny. I would hate to have to get rid of you, your such a promising student." Aly spoke to the two with a wicked glimmer in her eyes and a tone in her voice that led the listener to believe she was talking of the weather.
"Never, Duani, would I dream of such a thing. I am merely observing the beautiful scenery and explaining to Princess Lianne here how our court functions." Zuahyr adopted the tone of innocence.
"You haven't actually gotten that far." Lianne stated.
"Hush, Princess. You're destroying our cover story." Zuahyr joked. Lianne and Aly chuckled, which caused him to mutter about women and how they never took a poor raka seriously.
"The real reason I'm here is to inform you, Lianne, that Shinko would like to introduce you more thoroughly to the Queen, and that Prince Roald is requesting Zuahyr's presence to discuss horses or some such with him." Lianne fidgeted nervously, she wasn't sure if it were safe to leave Zuahyr alone with her brother, she had only just met him, and she liked him; she didn't want her brother to scare him away so soon. If her brother requested it, she must oblige him, Lianne sighed and resigned herself to the fact that she may just loose another friend.
"Very well, I suppose we must go then." She said aloud, and nudged her horse lightly to make her way to the front of the group where her sister-in-law was riding with the Queen.
"There you are! I've been wondering where you rode off to, Dovasary was just getting ready to tell me about the flying horses they have on the Isles." Shinko welcomed Lianne into the conversation warmly, just as she always did, and Lianne found it hard to remember that Zuahyr was facing her brother alone; or so she thought.
"I've found him Roald, he was hanging in the back admiring your wondrous scenery." Aly rode up, with one of her more promising noble students trailing behind.
"What do you think?" Roald asked the younger man.
"It is beautiful, your highness, much like out jungles, only drier and with fewer monkeys and loud birds." Zuahyr said honestly with a small smile.
"I was thinking the same thing, but really, they aren't at all similar except for the fact that there are a large number of trees. Look at how different the trees are, and…" Aly trailed off, and Zuahyr relaxed a bit; he hadn't really wanted to be chopped to bits in polite conversation with the Crown Prince.
O O O O O O
The group traveled all day, Lianne had mingled with both the small group of Tortallans, and the large Raka court, enjoying some more time with Junim (whom she was very fond of) and Zuahyr. Her brother really hadn't been very please with the last bit. She had even had the chance to notice her brother and the queen talking, she had ridden up behind the pair to eavesdrop.
"The last time I saw snow, was when we were living at Tanair on Lombyn. I can't say that I miss it." Dovasary said with a small smile.
"I had the pleasure of riding through it with my knight master last year, and again this winter on an errand for my father. My memories of it are not at all pleasant either. I'd much prefer the constant warmth, like we have in the dessert."
"The sun is a much better companion than clouds. I do enjoy the rain though, its soothing, I have to stop what I'm doing when I hear the rain and just listen to it."
"I don't know, it makes it awfully hard to keep my armor clean, the mud gets every where after a jousting match when it rains." Liam said.
"Well, yes I suppose it is terrible for knights work, but I don't know much about that; I'm very interested, my father was never very forthcoming with details."
Lianne smiled as her brother launched into an explanation of hazing, chivalry, and the trials of being a knight as she rode off to find better companions.
O O O O O O
"Well?" Jonathan asked his eldest son.
"She seems very nice. She and Liam talked for a while, she is very intelligent, but what else can you expect of a 16 year-old queen? From what Aly told me, she and Liam match up nicely." Roald addressed both his mother and father, who were seated next to each other in his father's large study.
"What did you think, Lianne?" Jonathan asked his second daughter.
"Oh, yes, she was very nice." Lianne said. "She likes horses." She added as if that explained everything. Lianne went back to staring out the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of the visiting court and a certain raka noble.
"Lianne dear, will you stop staring out that window and pay attention?" Jonathan asked his daughter.
"Sorry father." Lianne said meekly. A knock sounded on the door.
"A message for you sire." The palace man said before he hurried off. Jonathan sighed and opened the paper, he turned to his wife, "I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut this meeting short, Gary needs to speak to me. I will see all of you at dinner." The king kissed his wife gently before he exited the study.
"Very well, children, I suppose that means we are free to go as well." Thayet smiled and her children hurried out, anxious to leave the discussion.
O O O O O
"What did you think?" Aly asked her queen.
"He was, very polite." Dove tried.
"Honestly, Dove, is that all you thought?"
"Well, he is very handsome. Smart too."
"So you think it is a good match?" Aly asked with concern.
"Really Duani, must you bother her Majesty so?" Zuahyr stood from his chair in Dove's suite.
"Oh, hush you. No one really likes you any way." Aly said, fighting a smile.
"I don't know, the princess seemed to like me well enough." The noble-man said with a smile.
"It is my job to make witty remarks, young man, and that job has not yet passed to you. If you mess this up, it never will pass to you. The friendship between you and the Princess will stay exactly that; a friendship. Nothing more. Do you understand me?" Aly asked with a scowl.
"Of course, Duani. If you will excuse me, I am going for some air. Your Majesty, Duani." Zuahyr bowed out of the elegant room. He shut the door behind him quietly before he strode off down the hall, in search for some more lively company.
"Pardon me, Your Highness." Zuahyr muttered as he rounded the corner and nearly ran into Prince Liam.
"Not at all, Zuahyr is it? You were speaking with my sister earlier, weren't you?" the Prince asked kindly.
"Yes, Your Highness, I was." Zuahyr said, still speaking quietly.
"I hope you didn't find her too talkative. One of my friends mentioned that she ahs the ability to talk a persons ear off. I have to say, I agree." Liam said with a smile. Zuahyr smiled back, this brother was not trying to test him, he could see that.
"She was not trouble, I enjoyed speaking with her." Zuahyr said honestly.
"One among the many, strangely enough."
"Not so strange really, she is an interesting young woman." Zuahyr said, picking his words carefully.
"My family is full of strange women, you'll be able to meet them all except for my older sister, Kalasin, tonight. She lives in Carthak now with her husband." Liam spoke so honestly that Zuahyr was a little bit shocked.
"If you'll excuse me, I've promised to give Dovasary a tour of our gardens. You wouldn't happen to know which room she is staying in would you?" Zuahyr pointed the room out. The prince hurried off, and Zuahyr couldn't get rid of the through that he was a strange man, in a way, but perfectly suited for Dove. She would love his openness with words, so very different from her own.
Zuahyr, in turn, also went in search of another royal beauty, one by the name of Lianne.
A/N: Yay! I did it; I like this chapter, despite its length…barely seven and a half pages single-spaced. Better than nothing, but not as much as I would like. Plus, Lianne and Zuahyr went and stole the show, I had meant on them being a background romance, but no, they wanted to be center stage. I'm going to try and juggle both them as well as Liam/Dove, but it may be difficut…
Remember, no update until I get reviews. I think five is a good price for an update within in a week and a half, don't you?
I'll be waiting!
Haley