Aly leaned against the rail of the royal barge. Today after fourteen years she was finally returning to Tortall. Her reddish gold hair flew with the summer breeze as she stared longingly into the distance with her glistening green eyes. Aly was escorting her eldest daughter,Celania of Yimosuat or Nia to her family and friends, to the palace to start her page training.
"You shouldn't worry so much, you know?" said a melodic female voice from behind her.
"I know Milady, its just that Celania is only ten and she wants to be like her Granma. Then of course there are the matters on the Isles. I just…am worried" Aly explained to her companion.
"Now I'm sure something is wrong with you, you just called me Milady. Honestly Aly you have got to calm down Celania will do fine your family is there to watch over her and about the matters on the Isles its just a little conflict with Carthaki and Sarai's marriage with Zaimid years ago helps ease everything. So you see your fussing about nothing"
"I'm sorry Dove, I guess you are right I am fussing too much. You should be the one fussing anyway its your first time out of the Isles." Aly said to her friend Dovsary, Queen of the Copper Isles, who was on her way to Tortall on a state visit.
A girl around the age of ten ran on the deck while being chased by her father. The child had the dark black hair of her father but green eyes as that of her mother. Celania had two other siblings George, who was named after Aly's Father, and Alanna, after Aly's mother.
Nia had always been an extraordinary child. Her father was a crow and the commander of the Royal Navy while her mother was the Isles spy master. Nia had herd so much about her mothers land Tortall and about her relatives there, she had always dreamed of going there one day and becoming a knight just like her grandmother Alanna of Pirate's Swoop and Olau, otherwise known as the Lioness.
Nia ran to her Mother and Godsmother with her father Nawat pretending to chase her.
"Nia remember this is no longer the Isles the landscape and the people are different from those back home. Now go below deck and change into your Tortallan dress the sailors say they see land, we'll be docking soon, understand?" Aly said to her daughter who rushed off to obey.
Nawat placed his arms around his wife and told her "How do you make that child follow you?"
The two ladies simply giggled and left Nawat on deck, alone.
Aly ran off the ship to fling her arms around a man who had the same reddish gold hair and green eyes.
Nia hid behind her father who was smiling at his daughter.
"It's alright Nia, come here." Aly motioned to her daughter who still seemed confused "Celaniathis is your uncle Alan, Alan this is Celania of Yimosuat. Dovsary gave us the Fief Nawat is now a duke and I a duchess brother. So how far have you gone?"
"Well dear sister, I'm a Knight of the realm and I have a wife who is the only child of a rich baron. I've done well haven't I?" Alan said as he laughed at his sister who only shrugged in reply. "Come I'm supposed to escort you to Corus but you dont mind passing by the Swoop do you?"
Nia's mother suddenly jumped with joy then controlled herself and introduced Dove and Nawat to Alan.