Alan walked down the hall quickly and quietly, hoping to avoid certain people- namely his parents, godparents, or anyone else in a position to give him something to do. With the foreign ambassadors all arriving for the feast that evening, undoubtedly if he were spotted he would be forced to socialize with some of the more unfriendly delegates- like the Scanrans or the Sarens. Because of course, the King's Champion and her family had to talk to everyone, and Alan was the only one in the family who had not inherited the Lioness' famous temper. In fact, he thought sourly as he ducked down a neglected staircase, he had unfortunately not inherited a temper at all; a trait which everyone seemed to think made him perfect for talking to enemies of state.
When Alan reached the stables, he quickly checked to make sure no one was watching and then slipped into the hiding place between the walls he and his friends had discovered so long ago. He sighed with relief, finally alone.
"Hello Alan! I didn't think you'd be here for hours yet. I was sure you could put up with it all until lunch time at least." A voice greeted him. Or not alone, Alan thought wryly. Turning to see his two best friends, Jasson and Lianne playing cards on the floor.
"Then you don't know me very well, Jay. How long have you two been here? Your parents will be furious when they find out that you shirked social duties." He replied as he joined them on the floor.
"On the contrary, the Sarens are after Annie- they think since Mother has a legitimate claim to the throne and the love of the K'mir, Annie can help keep their new king in power. When Sir Myles told Father about it, his reaction went something like; 'Over my dead body will my daughter marry the mentally unstable dictator of a country that's been having a civil war for decades and are still going strong. But Uncle Gary convinced him that it wouldn't be a good idea to tell them that, so Father told me to keep Annie out of sight for as long as possible."
"Of course, as long as possible is only until the ball this evening," Lianne added gloomily. "And then they'll have it all worked out so that the only people I'll dance with, talk with, and eat with all evening will be Sarens."
Alan watched her tuck a chestnut curl behind her ear, hating the uncomfortable feeling he got when thinking about Annie dancing with tons of men. 'She's your best friend's sister. You shouldn't care how many people she dances with.' He told himself, but he did care, he had for over a year. He put his hand through his hair and moaned.
"This day just gets better and better. We've got a ball, and we have to be diplomatic, and the Sarens are after Annie, and my mother's here, and our friends are all lovesick…" He complained.
"Who's lovesick? And for whom?" Lianne asked curiously.
"Everybody." Jasson rolled his eyes. "Alfred of Veldine and Cormack of Wellam and Linus of Meron- just everybody."
"And for whom?" Lianne repeated insistently. Jasson met Alan's eyes over her head. They both knew which dark haired, blue eyed beauty the squires were pining for. They stuttered and stalled, and then Alan had it.
"That's it! The Sarens will want to swamp Annie, so we'll have to swamp her quicker and better. There's not a squire who wouldn't help us make sure the Princess doesn't get to ever dance or speak with any foreigners all evening."
"Brilliant! You stay with Annie and I'll go recruit." Jasson leaped up and ran off.
"Thank you, Alan." Annie said smiling at him.
"Oh, no problem." He mumbled, his heart skipping a beat. "Do you want to go for a ride?"
"Yes!" she agreed, standing up and dusting off her skirts. "But it won't be much of a ride, I'm afraid, because I'll have to go sidesaddle."
"It'll be fine. It's a beautiful day."
"That it is."