Hello, all! This is a Kalasin/Kaddar fanfic. You'll recognize some of the characters and the places as Tammy Pierce's; some are mine inhabiting her world. I've edited it to get rid of those annoying typos, tighten up the story, and split it into more manageable chapters. Thank you for the "favorites" over the years; I'm glad people have enjoyed the story. (Updated January 29, 2012)
Kalasin of Tortall stared moodily out to sea from the porthole in her stateroom. She was alone at the moment, something rare and precious in a princess' life. Her ladies'-in-waiting wailing and fearful cries of, "Oh, Highness, do you think we'll sink? There's stories, you know, of ships sinking and sea monsters!" had driven her as close to insane as she wanted to get. She had sent them all to their own rooms, threatening to send them up on deck if they continued bothering her. It wasn't just that she didn't want to listen to their worrisome conversation, but that she didn't want to listen to any conversation at all.
Just as this thought crossed her mind, the door to her room opened, and a legend walked in. For Kalasin, Alanna the Lioness (and King's Champion to boot) had always been a fact of life, but the girl knew that for others, the woman was a striking figure. Kalasin bit back a small laugh, because she thought that if anyone could see the Lioness now, no one would be very impressed. Alanna's coppery hair was streaked with sweat, and her face was pale and tinged green. Her purple eyes had lost much of their brightness.
"Kally, please—help." Alanna of Pirate's Swoop and Olau groaned, clutching her stomach.
The girl shook herself from her moodiness and, feeling a healer's pity, took Alanna's outstretched hand. She sent a cooling wave of her deep blue magic into Alanna, calming her with soft words and doing her best to wash away the sea-sickness. When she broke the grip and whispered, "So mote it be," Alanna breathed a sigh of relief and mopped her forehead with her sleeve.
"Does anyone else need me?" Kally asked, momentarily concerned.
"Not for healing purposes. Your mother's upset that you won't speak with her, though," the Lioness said. Her tone was gentle for someone whose voice was used to war cries and roughness.
The girl turned her head, her long black hair swaying. Unwanted tears threatened to drown her eyes. "She's sending me away." She sniffed and stared at her hands, folded in her lap. A tear dripped from her nose onto a finger, and she flicked it away. "But I don't want to go. I want to be a page, or in the Riders, like Mother." She named the group that acted as a guerilla army in service to the Crown of Tortall.
Kally got up and began pacing the small room, her words tumbling out of her in her haste to explain. "I know what war is like—I was there healing in the Immortals War! I defended my country once and I want to do it again. I want to be a good ruler, and I want to heal, professionally. In Tortall. Why is that so wrong?"
"It's not wrong," Alanna said. "Gods know I would hate to be sent away, too."
"My country isn't even mine anymore. Tortall will never be my home again. I had to pack up and move away." The girl laughed bitterly. "And you know what? Doing this is the best way for me to help Tortall. I know that. So I guess all my dreams are coming true, right?"
She crumpled, and Alanna, looking somewhat alarmed, but having children of her own, held the girl until she was calmer.
When Alanna left her, Kally dried her eyes. She didn't want to be seen crying. She wasn't a baby. She had seen war before, and been a part of it. All that was going to change, though.
She knew that in Carthak, things were different for women. For one, she most certainly would not be allowed near the military, and secondly, although Carthaki women could carry titles and own land, there were no women politicians and in social relationships women were expected to be deferent to men.
She sighed and went back to staring out her porthole. She knew that dwelling on the injustice of her lot was a waste of time. After all, what was happening could not be reversed. They had been sailing for three days. They'd pull into port soon. All of them would disembark—the court officials, Alanna, Thayet (Kally's mother), Daine (the Wildmage), Numair (the most powerful mage in the world), the maids, Kally herself—and then Kalasin would meet her future husband, the young Emperor of Carthak, Kaddar.
Her father, Jonathan of Conte, had explained to her the importance of her eventual marriage as an alliance for the betterment of Tortall. She'd always known that this would someday happen to her, and Kally knew she should feel lucky that her father gave her a choice, and the chance to refuse any potential husbands, as long as she had good reason. Kaddar was naturally the best choice. He was young, and handsome in a foreign way, and after the destruction of the capital by Tortall's Wildmage some years previous, Carthak was rebuilding itself into a powerful empire that would be an even more powerful ally.
Shaking herself finally and firmly of the depression that had enveloped her since embarking on the voyage three days prior, Kalasin stood up straight, wiped all traces of tears from her face, and went up on deck with a smile.
Her mother did not immediately rush to her side, although Kally could tell she wanted to. Instead, she let her daughter come to her. "It's all right, Mother. I'm done sulking, and I'm sorry."
Thayet moved to hug her, and all eyes on board were drawn from whatever it was they were doing to watch the graceful progress of that movement. Labeled as the most beautiful woman in the world, Thayet had smooth creamy skin, full red lips, piles of ringlets of black hair, and large hazel eyes.
"The weather's lovely," Thayet told her daughter, her voice rich and husky. Thayet had not been looking forward to arriving on Carthak's shores anymore than Kally had been. Her daughter was precious to her and sixteen years did not seem quite enough. She'd been swallowing lumps in her throat all voyage, and being ignored by her daughter had only made it worse. "It should stay that way for the wedding, if the Goddess grant it."
Kally swallowed hard and nodded, repeating the oath. "If the Goddess grant it."
Kally gripped the rail of the ship with all her might, the salt wind tossing her loose hair back, her thoughts encompassing her once again. She felt, but unlike the Lioness, she was not seasick. Kally was nervous, and she wasn't used to being nervous. Healers were naturally patient and calm, and the girl always made it a point to be so. These were feelings she couldn't contain, however, and she welcomed her friend Daine's interruption of them. Thayet greeted Daine and moved away to let the two young women talk, feeling the bonds between her daughter loosening already.
Veralidaine Sarrasri, god-born and a Wildmage to boot—meaning that she had wild magic that allowed her to communicate with animals and shapeshift—came to lean against the railing next to Kally. At the same time, a mouse came and nibbled at Kally's shoes. The girl managed a smile and bent to stroke the mouse's head gently before it scampered off again. "You used to love that when you were a child," Daine reminisced. She glanced sidelong at the princess. "You're but a few years older than a child now."
"I wish I was young enough to go hide under the captain's bed or some other such irresponsible behavior," Kally confessed. "I'm scared."
Daine shrugged. "It's normal to be scared. But I know Kaddar. He's a good man," she told Kally seriously, her gray-blue eyes level. "You know that we became friends when I was in Carthak during the Immortals War and we've communicated often since. He's dedicated to bringing Carthak back to its feet, without the bloodshed and terror of his uncle's reign. He has a sense of humor. He's intelligent. He's friendly and polite." Daine grinned and leaned closer. "You'll also find that many of these Carthaki men smell very good, too—if the scent doesn't overpower you, that is. A spicy, sweet smell, had Kaddar." She winked, and Kally felt better.
"Daine…?" she asked, hesitant about how to phrase what she wanted to say. She needn't have worried.
"Will he like you?" Kally nodded. "I believe that if you make an effort, he will like you. And then maybe you can work on love." The Wildmage glanced at her own lover, Numair Salmalin, with a look that Kally was embarrassed to interpret.
She sighed. No matter what Daine said, Kally was not interested in love. She wanted to be at least content with her marriage, and then to devote herself to healing. Even if she couldn't join the military in Carthak, surely she could find some avenue for healing. Every country needed healers. There was no room for love: she had too much to do, a whole new life to become accustomed to, and many changes to make. Carthak still relied on slavery, for the gods' sake. She didn't know how long she'd be able to stomach that before bringing about a revolution. Her father's warning was fresh in her ears, though. "Kalasin, you will not like everything you see over there. But you will respect it as a way of life for those born and bred as Carthaki. You will respect their customs, the gods they worship, and the foods they eat. Become accustomed to it out of respect for your husband, and I can guarantee that he will go out of his way to make things easier for you."
Kally could do it: after all, diplomacy came with the job.
As the ship docked, Kalasin went to stand by her mother. She was wearing a long dress tunic of delicate gold, and a full-sleeved red shirt underneath. Wearing Tortall's colors to her first meeting with her future husband was symbolic of gifting a crown treasure to the emperor. She moved carefully, constantly worried that the delicate thread would catch on something and snag. When the ship finally steadied and the Tortallans began to disembark, she kept her face composed and firm. She listed off healer's herbs in her mind to calm herself. Finally, she was on Carthaki soil, and she looked up, ready to see her future husband's face for the first time.
At first, the only people she could see were the multitudes of curious commoners, white or yellowed flashes of teeth in black faces. Young, old, dirty, noisy, grinning, the portly and the underfed, the commoners were pushing up to the dock, held back by members of the Carthaki Guard. Kally took this in stride, waving and smiling politely at the crowds just as Thayet was doing in front of her. She craned her neck, trying to see the welcoming group. The Carthaki Guard was shouting but she couldn't make out the words. Suddenly the crowd was eerily silent, and Kally, still smiling stiffly, noticed that her fellow Tortallans were watching her with humor and a bit of apprehension. Through the silenced crowds, an important looking man, flanked by two guards, strode up.
"Welcome, Tortall! I am Duke Etiakret, head of the Carthaki International Association. Queen Thayet of Tortall," the elderly, well-dressed, bejeweled man said with a deep bow. "Welcome. Tortallans, welcome. And Princess Kalasin, you are most welcome. Carthak awaits your greeting." His dark skin gleamed with sweat in the hot summer sun, and white teeth showed as he smiled politely. His sweat made Kalasin aware of her own—away from the sea breeze, Carthak was hot.
Kally dropped a curtsy appropriate for the protocol between a duke and a princess. "Greetings, Carthak!" she called, and waved once more. The crowd laughed, as did Duke Etiakret, and then subsided, waiting and silent once again. She was confused. Suddenly her mother moved to her side and whispered in her ear.
"They want a proper greeting speech—they want to know that you're worthy of being their empress. I'm sorry, Kally, we should've expected something like this. But as it is—"
Shaking in her thin red slippers, and sweating profusely, Kally took a small step towards the huge crowd. Speaking Common and wondering if any of them could understand, she began, "Welcome—no, that is, greetings. Greetings, and thank you for welcoming me." Getting a hold of herself, she inwardly stepped back from the situation and coldly let her mind take over. "I have been studying Carthak ever since learning of mine and Emperor Kaddar's engagement. I wish now that I had began my studies years before. How will I ever catch up on all of your rich history? There is a beautiful wealth of peoples and cultures here. I come, not to rule at first, but to learn. When I know and respect all that I can of Carthaki gods, customs, and ways of life, then I may presume to call myself Empress. I hope, in turn, that you will accept me and respect me for my own customs and beliefs.
"I am first and foremost a healer. When a healer comes across a large, raw wound, she first learns everything she can about it: what caused the wound, how long it has been festering, and so on. Next, she cleans it. She heals as much as she can with warm water and a soft touch. Then she stitches it together. With force, she closes the gap between destruction and renewal, and she does this because it has to be done—and because of the sincerity and goodness of her work, the wound heals. Carthak has been through many disasters in recent years. I know she is steal healing. Let me help."
With that, the masses cheered wholeheartedly. Two Guards came to flank her as they had Duke Etiakret, and the duke ushered the rest of the Tortallans after Kalasin's entourage, and brought up the rear himself, chatting with Numair.