Disclaimer: All the characters and places and other nifty things you recognize are Sherwood Smith's and not mine (unfortunately).

After the announcement, preparation for the royal tour began in earnest. Ladies updated their wardrobes to fit climates ranging from the coast to the mountains, men finished their affairs in the castle and hurried home to ready their provinces to host the monarchy, and the palace servants purchased supplies in bulk for the procession. Carpenters and sculptors and all sorts of craftsmen were hired to do a major and long awaited makeover of Athanarel while most of the court would be gone with the procession. Finally, in less time than anyone would have imagined, the flurry of activity reached its end, and the Royal Tour began.

It was an impressive sight. Colorful banners lead the way and a total of fifteen ridings flanked the sides in formation. Most of the noble men and some of the women (including Mel and Trish) rode on horseback in front of and in between the retinue of carriages, soldiers, and packhorses and supplies. Oria, the royal princess, rode between her mother and father as long as she could, emulating the way her parents greeted the country people who flocked to see monarchs and their court on parade. The first place to visit was a small but pleasant lake town south of the Akaeriki River in the province of Mnend. The townspeople were out in droves, waving streamers the green and gold of Remalna to greet the company. Vidanric stopped in front of a respectable inn at the center of town called the Rathskeller. It was going to be here that Vidanric and Mel would hold an informal court to meet town leaders, resolve longstanding issues, and set a precedent for similar issues that would inevitably arise in the future.

The meeting was a success, and everyone in attendance remarked how fair their monarchs were, and handsome to boot! Lady Tamara drew the attention of most the men as she walked through the town, and the women, old and young, wished they could be so lucky as to have the Duke of Savona on their arm. Yet it was Meliara who they held dear in their hearts, even more so as they saw her ask intelligent questions and even debate with the King over certain points! At the end of the tiring but productive day, the entire party retired to the castle of the Count of Mnend.

Mel walked into her room, giddy with success. "Danric," she called, "how wonderful that was!"

"Yes," he agreed, "exactly what we could have hoped for."

"I thought it was boring," Oria said from her spot on the lush red rug.

"Oh but darling," Mel laughed as she scooped her daughter up into a hug, "that little girl gave you a rose as you walked in the inn. Wasn't that nice?"

"She even curtsied to me," Oria added, "and not even to Lady Tara!"

Mel laughed again, "Oria don't say things like that. But I promise you will like tomorrow much better," she continued, "Your father and I will meet with the an important group of merchants from Mnend tomorrow so I am sure we can get you something nice to wear to the ball in a week."

"A new dress for a ball?" Oria asked her eyes wide with excitement.

"There will be a ball," her father answered, "but you only get to go if you go to sleep."

So with a kiss for both her parents, Oria ran off to her room.

Vidanric chuckled at his young daughter's excitement and joined Mel on the edge of the bed.

"Danric, I really feel like we did well today. It was just so different holding court in town instead of in Athanarel. The people felt comfortable and in their own setting, and we could even see what areas they were talking about. It was all more…authentic!" Mel finished, unable to easily put her feelings into words.

"I know what you mean, though you know I have a soft spot for rustics," Vidanric teased.

"Oh Danric, that's not nice! I believe I've become quite sophisticated since coming to court!" Mel replied.

"Yes well, we don't want you to become too cosmopolitan if you can help it." He smiled, "but we will need to put on our best court personas tomorrow during the meeting with the merchant guild," he said more seriously. "The nobility have certain contempt for the merchant class, but they are an important part of what makes our country run smoothly and prosperously. The Count told me this was a particularly hard bunch to impress."

"Don't worry; I'll be on my best behavior." Mel said, and sealed her promise with a kiss.


As Meliara fell asleep, the mage Norcom reviewed his plan in his room at the Rathskeller. The monarchs had done well today, though the opinion of the townspeople could be easily swayed by the respected merchants who were to meet with the royal couple tomorrow. If something were to go wrong, that gossip would travel swiftly, and the next town to host the show might be more skeptical. Yes, tonight was the night to take action…to put Meliara Astiar out of action. This had been his goal all along, and he was quite pleased with his solution. It was neat and tidy and led to very little immediate suspicion before the damage would be done.

Norcom drew a triangle of power with chalk on the floor of his room, and sat in the middle and began to meditate. The air around him began to hum with power, and his chanting, if a passerby were to hear it, would have haunted them for a long time. Sweat rolled down his temple, but he kept his eyes shut tight, concentrating with an extreme mental effort. The air continued to hum and seemed to sway. Every muscle in his body was stiff with effort. Just as the room seemed as if it was about to explode into a tiny million pieces, the stress was relieved and Norcom opened his eye with an evil grin on his face. He had succeeded in his spell, and now all he had to do was rest and wait.