A slender young woman rounded the corner of the garden path. Long golden hair hung almost to her waist, framing a creamy-skinned face with astonishly green eyes. A long shawl, embroidered with flowers and vines with long pale blue fringe, was draped on her elbows. She made a good match to the perfection of the summer afternoon, surrounded by the flowers, the gently fluttering butterflies,and the sweet birdsong from the trees. A smile illuminated her face when she saw a tall, dark young man sitting on a carved stone bench, a clothbound book in his hands. Apart from being heir to the throne of Shandalle, Artur Paendrag Tanreall was also a poet, if a poet of only moderate skill. He looked up as if for inspiration, and his eyes fell on the young woman. Artur's mouth fell open in shock, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. " Ammy?" he asked increduosly. " You're Aes Sedai?" She nodded, and he gave a whoop and swept her off her feet into the air and whirled her around as she laughed and cried," Put me down, put me down!"
" It's wonderful to see you, Amaline!"he shouted jovially as her feet touched the ground again. She stumbled into him, and as much to his surprise as hers by his shocked look, he bent down and kissed her on the mouth. Stunned as she was-she'd never been kissed before-she did realize that she was kissing him back for one moment before he pulled away. " Sorry," he said awkwardly. " They say I'm ta'veren, but I never thought it would work on myself."
" It's all right, Artur," she said, a little shaken herself. " It's been a long time since you've seen me." Despite the difference in their positions, Artur had been her best friend when she was a girl-still was, really. None of her friends from the White Tower were anywhere near as dear to her as Artur.
" Seven bloody years," he mock-grumbled. " Seven years, for all that you wrote as often as you could. Was it as hard as you made it sound?"
" Harder, " she said, grimacing bleakly. " Necessary, yes, but a whole lot harder than the letters made it sound. They did everything short of kill me before they gave me this shawl." Artur touched the cream-colored fabric gently.
" Blue fringed..." he murmured. " You're Blue Ajah?" She nodded. Artur hesitated, something she'd never seen him do before. " Amaline...this won't change anything, will it? You won't go all Aes Sedai on me, will you?"
Amaline laughed. " Artur Paendrag, you should know better than that. You don't really think I'd let a little thing like being Aes Sedai come between us, do you? If it does change anything, it'll be because I bond you my Warder." On impulse she threw her arms around him. He was still the same Artur, and near him she felt like the same Amaline. 'Amaline Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah' had been replaced at least temporarily by Lady Amaline Tagora. Quite suddenly, she felt Artur go rigid with shock. " What is it?"
Drawing back from her, he dropped to his knees. " Lady-mother." Whirling around, she dropped into the lowest curtsy she could manage to Queen Mailinde. The Queen, dark and beautiful for all her strong cheekbones and slightly too broad shoulders, surveyed them with a hint of amusement.
" Rise, both of you. I'm quite surprised at you, Artur, kneeling like a petitioner. And you, Amaline. You return to us at last. In Court you must act so, but in private, you know perfectly well you are as daughter to me, and the King." Her sharp black eyes fell on Amaline's shawl. " Indeed, if one of us should curtsy, it should be me. Must we call you Amaline Sedai now?"
Amaline managed a smile. How much had Mailinde saw? " Not Amaline Sedai. Never that. Here, I want to be-just Amaline, like always." The King and Queen had been like parents to her since the death of her own mother and father, primarily because of her friendship with Artur. Mailinde surprised her by embracing her warmly.
" Glad I am to hear it," Mailinde said as warmly. " I would not have liked to have lost you to the Tower, Amaline." She picked up Amaline's right hand, looking closely at her Great Serpent ring. " I have heard that the Amyrlin Seat says that a woman is sealed to the Tower when they put that ring on your finger. But you were sealed to us long before you went off to be Aes Sedai." The words seemed to have a secret meaning, just between her and the Queen. Mailinde turned to her son. " Artur, I would ask you to remain here for a moment. You can have Amaline back in a minute. There are matters just for women I must speak to her of."
Artur grinned, back to himself. Mailinde obviously hadn't seen them kissing, so there was nothing to fear. " You have your women's talk. I'll just sit here and think about the lines to a new poem for Amaline's coming back until you finish, Mother." Mailinde nodded to Amaline and began walking. Amaline fell into step with her without fear of rebuke. What could Mailinde have to say that she wouldn't say in front of Artur? She knew they told each other everything anyway.
" I saw," Mailinde said simply. Amaline started to explain, but Mailinde held up a hand to stall her. It was only then she saw that Mailinde was smiling. "Absence, Amaline, often makes the heart grow fonder. Sometimes much fonder. I am of the suspicion that if we cared to go through the boxes of Artur's poetry that he doesn't show anyone, a good many could possibly be interpreted as referring to you."
Amaline gasped as she realized what Mailinde meant. " Surely you don't believe Artur has feelings for me?"
Mailinde smiled again. " You are Aes Sedai, but still a child in some ways. There is not a letter of yours he doesn't keep, and he spent hours and many drafts on each reply. When you said you were coming home, Artur was ecstatic. I myself do not believe that him kissing you was some random possibility of him twisting the Pattern, Amaline. Often the...effects...of a ta'veren on people is simply what they wish to do even if they don't know they want to do it. " The Queen kissed her on the forehead like a mother. " You have my approval and consent, which means you also have my husband's. Shandalle will not only need Artur for her King when he aceeds to the throne-she will need a Queen. " Mailinde left her then, more confused than she had ever been in her life. Artur, in love with her? Composing her face, she hurried back to him.
" What'd Mother want?" Artur asked curiously. "It's upset you, whatever it is. You never could hide what you were thinking from me."
She cursed mentally. Artur could read her too well. " Mailinde saw you kiss me. And she approves." Artur's mouth fell open.
" Approves? Blood and ashes! Approves of what?"
" Mailinde thinks you have...certain feelings towards me that aren't exactly...brotherly."
" She thinks I love you," he said flatly. " Like a wife. Mother thinks I want to marry you, and she approves."
Amaline made herself meet Artur's eyes. This is Artur, she reminded herself. You can tell him anything. You can ask him anything. He's your best friend, for Light's sake! Just ask! " Is she right?" She held her breath, not altogether sure what she wanted his answer to be.
Artur looked her straight in the eye. " I don't know," he admitted. " I don't know, Amaline. I just don't know. Sometimes I think about you in a different way, but then sometimes just like always. Blood and bloody ashes, I don't even really know what being in love is, so how can I tell if I am? Oh, Light, I prayed you'd never ask me that. Whatever I answered, I was sure it would be the wrong answer, and I'd lose you as a friend-or anything else-forever. Please tell me I was wrong. This is one time I want you to tell me I'm wrong, Ammy."
She smiled shakily and reached out to touch his cheek. He seemed rather startled by it. " You're wrong. No matter what else I am to you, I'll be your friend as long as you live and after, Artur. And you didn't answer wrong either, because I didn't know what I wanted you to say."
He caught her hand. " Mother's planning to have a ball to welcome you home. Will you dance with me?"
She smiled again. " With you and no one else." Blushing, she kissed him on the cheek. He looked surprised. " I have to go see my sister, but I'll come to your apartments after dinner and we can catch up. All right?"
Artur smiled back, with more than a little relief in it. " See you then." Reluctantly, she left her friend and went to find Nynaeve. It had been almost ten years since she had seen her younger sister, after all.
Authoress's notes: I'm attempting to write out the history of Artur Hawkwing through a series of short stories. The Guide says that it was 'certain' Amaline was not Aes Sedai, but the Guide also says lots of info was lost in the War of the Hundred Years, so I'm playing on the some-of-this-is-wrong-because-of-lost-records-and-mistranslations theory. The beside the name Nynaeve referrs to the fact that it is NOT anything to do with Nynaeve Mandragoran of the WOT series. I'm guessing the name came from a story in Nynaeve Mandragoran's case, and it's sort of likely that the sister of the High Queen-or at least her name-could get in a story.
