Catalina's somber gaze did not waver from the dusty road before them. The short procession stretching behind her (the funeral procession as she liked to call it), was nearly silent save for them soft plod of the horses hooves. The five people on either side of her were just as silent, tacitly expressing their communal displeasure over the situation.
In a foreign land, with her father's soldiers behind her, and the only comfort of her mother's people resting in the men beside her, Catalina was not in the finest of moods. She had been sent by her father, the Emperor of Hadra to complete an alliance that would bind Tortall and the Hadrian Empire. No longer would Tortallans fear conquest by the already mighty empire, and no longer would the emperor worry that Tortall would seek to defy him, not with a match such as this.
The sorrow of her impending nuptials was stuck in Catalina's heart like an arrow. With each stride of her horse, she was moving closer to captivity. She had already glimpsed her future husband through her visions, and while handsome, Prince Adrian held no appeal for her. She was being wrenched from the only home she had ever known with her Mother's people in the northern reaches of Hadra, learning the arts of war and magic, as well as honing the gift that all the women in her family possessed. The gift of prophecy, the visions, which fell to the women in her Mother's family, had not bypassed her. That, along with the fact that she was born of a union between Emperor Cassius, and her Mother, Alona, a noblewoman of the Aurelians, had sealed her fate, a fate that placed her as the bargaining chip between two great nations.
Anger burned in Catalina's chest as she took a deep breath, trying to avoid the thoughts that only caused her pain. She had grown wild and free, bounded only by the bonds between her and the rest of her proeliator unit. The proeliatiors were her family, in Aurelian custom the strongest children were singled out and sent to the Loethra keep where they were placed together in groups. They trained within their groups, weeding out those who were weak till only a bond stronger than blood remained, all members one in body, mind, and magic.
"Lina!" At the sound of her nickname, Catalina turned to see Antonius pointing at a small band of riders rushing towards them. Glancing to the back of the train, Catalina saw the soldiers tightening against a rear attack as well. Marcus and Ptolemy were holding out their hands at either side of her, ready to use their collective power to cut off the attack before it even began, but Catalina had another idea. Quickly pointing at Antonius and Culchulain, she motioned for them to follow her.
"Lina where do you think you're going?" Ptolemy glared at her.
"I'm going to teach these bandits a lesson, they should know not to attack diplomatic envoys."
"You can't run from this forever Lina." Catalina sent Ptolemy a dirty look.
"I haven't the faintest idea of what you're talking about." Wheeling her horse, she kicked him into a gallop, Antonius and Culchulain following closely behind her. She whistled and in moments, a silvery shadow was at her horse's side, her wolfhound Aella.
"Continue on to Tortall, we will follow behind once we have dealt with these bandits!" Giving a wild battle cry, Catalina descended upon the bandits, herding them to the hills, where she was sure, that given the cunning intellect of these particular bandits, she and her men could be days, weeks even. Smiling slightly, Catalina focused on the chase. Prince Adrian and the marriage could wait.
The Hadrian ambassador spoke amiably with the King and Queen, his rounded belly protruding slightly from the folds of the sweeping toga he wore, the age-old dress of his country. The Tortall court spoke in hushed tones from where the waited in the throne room. Prince Adrian sat beside his parents, his hand fingering the pommel of his sword while his foot tapped methodically on the floor.
The great doors swung open to admit a liveried guard who made his way to the center of the room before stopping in the middle of the room. He stopped with a smart click of his heels and bowed.
"Your Majesties, the Hadrian Princess has arrived." The room hushed as the guard stepped to the side. The royal family rose, as everyone turned to face the doors. Two lines of Hadrian soldiers marched through the doors, their short tunics drawing excited looks from the ladies of the court. They stopped, drawing their swords and turning to face each other and holding their swords up in a military arch.
Prince Adrian resisted the urge to crane his neck to see if he could spot the Princess coming through the door, but he could see nothing but the towering heads of some escorts as they marched through the arch of swords. These men stopped in front of the throne dais, bowing before the King and Queen before nodding to the Ambassador.
"Your Majesties, Ambassador Pollideysies, The Emperor of the Hadra sends his deepest regards." Adrian glanced around impatiently for the Princess, curious despite himself. As he did, his eye caught the Hadrian Ambassador.
Curiously, the Ambassador had turned pale and seemed to be shaking.
"Where is she?" His voice sounded strangled, as though he were suffering a great deal of pain. "Where is Princess Catalina?" The men before the dais exchanged a look, and to Adrian it looked as though they were on the verge of smiling.
"We ran into a problem along the way. The train was attacked by a group of bandits, and the some of our unit became…engaged, in a chase. They should be along soon enough." Adrian could definitely see the smiles now.
"Do you think this is funny? Do you?" Pollideysies pointed at the two escorts, his body shaking with rage.
"Ambassador! Please calm yourself!" The King's voice was steady, but Adrian could tell that his father was irritated.
"Now, what did you say your names were?" The King directed his gaze at the two men before him.
"Marcus and Antonius your highness, there are two more from our Unit outside, Nero and Romulus."
"And two of your men went with the Princess?"
"Yes your highness."
"And why is it that she was allowed to go off alone to fight potentially deadly bandits?" One of the men turned his head away, presumably to hide the laughter that was causing his shoulders to shake. The other man permitted himself a small smile.
"We don't allow the princess to do much of anything your highness. We are a unit, and while she is our leader, we exist in a state of equality. In fact, if anyone were to do the ordering, it would be her. For one she is far more powerful than any one of us, and for another, she is of royal blood. Her mother's people, the Aurelians, and the Commodus line, on her father's side, are known for being….iron willed rulers. The princess will do what she likes."
"Well she had better learn how to start listening because I won't stand for this sort of behavior." Adrian made sure he made eye contact with the two men before him who were obviously not all that cut up about the fact that is fiancée had run off.
Clearing his throat, the King stood. "Well then, we shall expect the Princess' arrival shortly." A frown barely visible on his handsome features, the King held out his arm to the queen who took it, nodding at the two men, before they exited the dais through the side door, the whole court kneeling as they left. Before he took his leave, the Prince glanced at Marcus and Ptolemy, who were both looking at him with what could only be undisguised dislike. Narrowing his eyes at them, Adrian took his leave.
"My maid saw them unpacking the princess' trunks and you should have seen her face as she was talking, she said she had never seen such clothes in her life. She said many of the clothes were similar to those of the ambassador, but more beautiful. She said there were silks and cottons and dresses, I hardly know whether to believe her or take her words as fanciful tales!" The lady Lorraine of Golden Lake let her fan flutter slowly, trying to ward off the unusually warm late spring heat.
"Well, her father is an Emperor, I would assume that her dowry and clothes would match that status." Lady Adelle leaned in closer to Lady Lorraine on the divan, her feet tucked under her long dress. "Of course judging by the shortness of the envoys tunics, who knows what she wears!" The ladies around the two giggled.
"Come now, what are my two lovely flowers discussing now?" The young lord Malven settled himself between the two ladies with little regard to their personal space, sending the girls into another fit of giggles.
"If you're talking about that damnable princess again I shall send you from the room." The Prince's surly tone was in sharp contrast to the light words of the court ladies as he stalked into the room, loosening his shirt as he did. The other young noblemen merely laughed as they entered the Prince's personal sitting room, draping themselves over furniture and the ladies.
"Oh come now Adrian, I have heard that the Princess is quite the beauty." Said Lord Malven around the mouthful of grapes several of the ladies were feeding him. Lady Adelle scowled, her dainty features giving off a carefully practiced air of pretty petulance as she yanked the grapes away from Malven.
"I don't give a damn how comely she is, no match can be worth this much trouble. She just ran off from the train for Mithros' sake! I don't care if she can see the future; there are plenty of lovely flowers right in our own court who would do just fine. The prince settled himself in the window seat, winking appreciatively at Lady Adelle.
Feeling slightly mollified, the lady smiled. "Well as long as the mysterious princess is gallivanting about, we shall have to distract our Crown prince from his troublesome bride." Smiling coyly, The Lady Adelle stood; making sure her ample bosom was directly in the Prince's sightline. Smiling, The Prince let Lady Adelle approach, the Princess of Hadra could arrive whenever the damn well she pleased; he'd just have to entertain himself adequately in her absence.