ONE
June 441
Jonathan of Conté paced the hall outside his parents' bedroom, focusing on the floor in front of his feet rather than the eerie silence in the room. From his experience, silence was rarely a good thing. He bit down hard on the inside of his lip. His wife of three years raced down the hall, pretty face worried. "Any news?" she asked, gently touching his arm. He shook his head, stepping into her arms. She wrapped her arms around him.
The door opened, revealing a tired looking Duke Baird of Queenscove. Thayet looked at him with expectant hazel eyes. He shook his head sadly. "Your Highness?" Jonathan's blue eyes slowly focused on the royal healer. Thayet seized his hand and squeezed it tightly. He swallowed hard and walked into the room to say goodbye.
"Her immune system hasn't been strong for years," Gareth of Naxen murmured. Jonathan's friends gathered in his and Thayet's rooms to comfort the princess. The prince had yet to return. "We all knew it would happen soon."
"But you never know when soon is," Alanna of Goldenlake pointed out. "And, even so, that can hardly be any comfort now."
"Nothing is any comfort," Thayet said, eyes on the floor in front of her feet. Everyone's attention turned to her. Three months after her wedding to Jonathan, word came her mother had committed suicide. "Jon and the queen were close. He's going to be devastated."
"Think of the king," Raoul put in. "A blind fool could see how in love they were." Everyone fell silent, remembering the king's loving gaze. Everyone jumped to their feet as the door opened. Jonathan walked in slowly, collapsing into a chair, shielding his face with his hand. His friends exchanged glances, unsure of what to say or do.
"Jon?" Thayet asked gently, touching the arm of his chair. "How are you?" His shoulders began to shake. He gasped for air as sobs wracked his body. Thayet immediately rose to wrap her arms around him, allowing him to bury his face in her chest. "You should go," she told their gathered friends. They nodded, filing grimly from the room.
December 445
"Come on, Jasson!" Mara of Goldenlake called, running through the halls of the Royal Palace. "Stop being suck a slowpoke!"
"The snow isn't gonna go away!" Jasson of Conté whined, slowing to a walk. "And I'm not slow!"
"Are so!"
"Are not!" Tired of being shown up by a girl, Jasson began to sprint as fast as his five-year-old legs would take him, soon catching up to Mara. "See?" He smiled triumphantly at her. "Told you I'm not slow." Panting, they both slowed to a walk, nearing their destination. Jasson knocked softly at the door to his father's private study.
"Yes?" the king called. "Who is it?"
"Father?" Jasson poked his head in. "Can Mara and I go play in the snow?"
"Hi Uncle Jon!" Mara called. Jasson turned to give her a hard look. She rolled her eyes.
Jonathan chuckled. "Come in, come in." The children walked in. The king sat behind his desk, piled high with papers. The chairs across from him were occupied by Gareth of Naxen, his friend and adviser, and Myles of Olau, the spymaster.
"Hi!" Mara repeated, grinning and waving at the three men, all of who were close family friends. She turned her violet eyes to her godsfather and adoptive uncle. "Can we please go play in the snow? We promise to be careful."
"What did your parents say?" Jonathan asked the girl, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his desk.
"I couldn't find them." Mara shrugged. "I think mama went for a ride with Aunt Thayet, and…" Her voice drifted off. As Knight Commander of the King's Own, Raoul of Goldenlake often went off, leaving his wife and daughter at the palace. "But if you say it's okay…"
Jonathan glanced at his friends, blue eyes dancing. "Should we let them play in the snow?" he asked.
"I don't know," Gary said, smoothing his moustache. He turned his brown eyes to the children. "Have you been behaving in your lessons?"
"Yes," Mara answered, rolling her eyes. "Please can we go? Look how much snow there is!" She gestured at the window.
"We can find something else to do otherwise," Jasson cut in.
"No we can't!" She glared at him. "Whose side are you on here?"
"There are no sides," Jonathan told the girl. "I'm with you. Go play in the snow, but stay nearby. And take someone with you."
"Come on," Mara said, beginning to leave. "I think I know where we can find Uncle George."
October 450
"I never see you anymore," Mara said, cornering Jasson outside the dining hall.
"I'm hungry," the Prince told her. "Are you going to keep me long?"
She rolled her eyes. "I thought you'd try to save some time for your best friend."
"You try being a page, and then let me know how easy you think it is." He sighed. "Are you just here to yell at me about how I don't spend enough time with you? Take it up with Lord Wyldon."
"Maybe I will."
"You do that. Let me know how it goes. Speaking of going, will you let me eat now?"
Mara sighed and moved. "Fine. Go. But I want to see you more!"
"Come to the library. You can help us with our work."
"Why would I want to do more schoolwork?"
"Because it's important?"
"If you aren't smart enough to figure it out without a girl's help, maybe you shouldn't be in knight training."
"I'm leaving now." Mara watched him go, arms folded over her chest. Ever since he'd started his training the month before, she rarely saw her best friend. And, when she did, he was always too tired to go on adventures. She thought he would be bolder once he knew more, but the training only seemed to make him more cautious. She looked into the mess hall, checking out the pages and squires. Eight years before, Jonathan and Thayet decreed that girls could try for their shields – Mara knew this was due at least in part to her own mother's onetime desire to be a lady knight. Alanna hoped her daughter would lead the life she never had and try for her shield, but Mara wanted to follow her Uncle Thom and become a mage. She planned to study at the Royal University, even if it meant waiting an extra four years.
"Can I help you?" Mara looked up into the eyes of the training master, Wyldon of Cavall.
Mara curtsied. "No, my lord. I had just stopped by to talk to J—His Highness."
"Ah." The man nodded. "Do you still need to speak to him?"
"No, my lord. But thank you." She curtsied again. "Have a good meal." She scurried off. Lord Wyldon intimidated her. He was a formidable man, and opposed to many of the changes Jonathan and Thayet had made since taking their throne nine years before.
Mara found her way to the hall where her family ate dinner. Unlike his father, Jonathan preferred to eat in peace. His family, close friends, and advisers joined him for dinner each evening. As Knight Commander, Raoul of Goldenlake was included in that bunch. When he was away, Mara and her mother joined them, Alanna and the queen being such close friends. "You're late," Alanna murmured as Mara slid into her seat.
"Sorry," the girl whispered back. "I went to go see Jasson."
"Did you have a nice chat?" Alanna asked, knowing her daughter missed her old friend.
Mara shrugged, smoothing with the napkin in her lap. "He was too busy to talk."
Alanna patted her back sympathetically. "We'll talk about it later," she promised.
"There's nothing to talk about," Mara sniffed. "He's going to be a knight. I understand it is time-consuming and tiring, that's all." Alanna eyed her daughter warily, but left it alone. If the girl wanted to talk, she would. If there was one thing she had learned about her ten year old, it was that she could be very stubborn when she wished it.
August 451
"I'm bored." Alanna looked up from her book to see Mara standing there, arms folded firmly across her chest.
"It's barely noon!"
"So? I'm still bored."
Alanna sighed. "What would you like to do?"
"I don't know. Give me something."
"Why don't you go talk to one of your aunts or uncles? Maybe they can give you something."
"Everyone's either busy or I can't find them." Alanna recalled that many of her adoptive family members had gone abroad to Carthak on a mission for the king. Emperor Ozorne had been giving Tortall some trouble, trouble Jonathan wished to eliminate before it escalated. All those close to him believed the man called the Emperor Mage may have opened the barrier between the Human and Divine Realms, unleashing immortals into their lives once again.
"Why don't you go find Duke Baird? His son is supposed to be helping him. Maybe you could spend some time with him."
"I suppose." Mara sighed. "I miss Jasson. Or, I miss how he was before he got so gods-cursed boring." She rolled her eyes and went off to find this son of Duke Baird.
So, finally, the sequel! I have some plot ideas. Fun fact: this was started on my old laptop, and finished on my new one! I'm going to try to get another chapter up for you soon, but right now I'm trying to set the stage for what I want the majority of the action to be. Daine and Numair are both around, just for the record. Check the blog (linked in my profile) for updates! Thanks for reading.
