Prologue
To: Baron Piers and Lady Ilane of Mindelan
In regard to your daughter's wish to become a page and train for her knighthood, We have decided, along with the training master Lord Wyldon, that it is only wise to put her on probation for her first year to prove that she is willing and able to dedicate herself to this lifestyle. She must also promise to, at all times, be modest and act with the propriety of a lady of her age. If she wishes to go through with her plan, then she may arrive on August 20 for the beginning of the year.
King Jonathon of Conte III
Queen Thayet of Conte I
Keladry of Mindelen vowed that one day she would go to the palace and prove to everyone that she should have been accepted, no questions asked. Her final decision was, in the end, to join the Shang instead of going to the convent. Kel would never settle for second best. She went to the Roof of the World to study at the Shang Beginner's School. There she met the Shang Dragon, who saw great potential for a warrior. He brought her under his wing, and she became his Shang Adept.
6 Years Later
It usually took about 10 years to finish Shang, but Kel managed to pass her tests at age 16. She had only 6 years of training. When the Naming Council tried to decide what her rank was to be, they found that she was able to beat everyone. So, they gave her a title that hadn't been used for 5 centuries- Shang of the Elements. The "elements" were: water, time, wind, weather, heat, and cold. She was also given the position of Shang Princess.
16 year old Kel was probably the most beautiful female living at that time. She had dark brown hair that hung past her elbows, and hazel eyes that revealed no emotion what-so-ever. She was tall and thin and had light tan skin. She was muscular, but you wouldn't know. Her smiles were rare in coming, but that made them all the more precious. She had a certain grace to her and a presence so strong, that if she walked into a full ballroom unannounced and she would still be noticed. Kel was incredibly graceful and a wonderful fighter. She was hard and fast. She hit like lightning and was fulfilling that vow which she had made just over 6 years ago. She was going to prove Tortall wrong.
Chapter 1: First Impressions
"Princess Keladry of Mindelan of the Shang; Shang of the Elements," the herald cried. All heads turned as they heard Mindelan, the newest nobility in Tortall. A beautiful girl in breeches and a tunic walked down the Grand Staircase. Her hair was up in a stern ponytail and the only jewelry she wore was a necklace identifying her rank as Shang princess and a bracelet signifying her rank as Shang of the Elements. She had no escort, which was very unusual for a female. As she approached the monarchs, Kel gave the king a letter.
Read it," was all she said as she walked away. She did not bow or curtsy; she only said "read it."
King Jonathon opened the letter and read:
To: Baron Piers and Lady Ilane of Mindelan
In regard to your daughter's wish to become a page and train for her knighthood, We have decided, along with the training master Lord Wyldon, that it is only wise to put her on probation for her first year to prove that she is willing and able to dedicate herself to this lifestyle. She must also promise to, at all times, be modest and act with the propriety of a lady of her age. If she wishes to go through with her plan, then she may arrive on August 20 for the beginning of the year.
King Jonathon of Conte III
Queen Thayet of Conte I
Everything came back to him: the terrible fight with Alanna, the queen not speaking to him for 3 months, the Shang's cold-heartedness, and the disappearance of this girl. All of a sudden he felt very ashamed of himself for his past behavior.
The next morning, Kel requested an audience with him. She told him that the Shang court was going to be arriving in a week and that 30 suites must be prepared for them.
"And how are We supposed to accommodate to your wishes?" the King wondered.
"I don't care. The Shang has put off your turn as long as possible. It cannot be ignored anymore. I do not care what you have to do as long as you do it," Kel replied as she left.
Every court had to host Shang-it was done in turns. But Shang had decided to punish the countries that took advantage of Shang abilities. Too many countries had requested Shang warriors, only to end up ungrateful and uncaring about what happened to the elite. The Tortallan's turn was in the middle of this, so it had been skipped. But now it was time for them to pay up.
"How long has Keladry been like this?" Jonathon asked Piers.
"Like how?" he wondered.
"She is so hard and unforgiving. No child her age, or anyone for that matter, should be this uncaring. It is just not natural," the King stated.
"She was brought up in the Yamani Islands, and then was faced with your cruelty," a new voice stated. "She has no more need for emotions, for her they have only caused grief and anger. She now only expresses great loathing of emotions. But this is usually an advantage of hers; her opponents are never able to guess what she is going to do. But then again, she refuses to accept things such as love and happiness. Because of this, she experiences great loneliness. It is impossible for even me to figure out what she is thinking and feeling. I feel great pity for her; her path is a hard one and, if she doesn't learn to love, it always will be," he continued.
"I apologize for forgetting to introduce myself. I am the Shang Dragon. I cannot give you my name, as I do not have one. I am the Nameless Shang. It was I who taught Keladry," the Dragon said.
"I would prepare those rooms now. We will also need a room to act as a court room at all times. You are of course invited to watch us, as long as you stay out of our way. The same policy goes to all of your subjects-noble and common alike. Please send reservations to the Princess. There are many who want to observe court, Shang included," the Dragon stated before leaving.
"I suppose I must order Oakbridge to prepare a banquet," the King sighed to Queen Thayet.
