Tannen was running late. As he darted around tents and lean-to's he silently cursed his busy schedule. He was currently working at the training grounds and barracks helping Jeb Cain screen army recruits. Right before he'd needed to leave for Queen Lavendar Eyes' council meeting, one of the greener soldiers had run afoul of a training course and sliced open his arm. The poor kid had been so startled he'd set off a panic amongst his peers, making the whole episode much more than it should have been.
The captain thought about complaining, but then he remembered that at least there was no imminent threat against the O.Z. and he could do his job in relative peace and safety.
"Help me! Please! Someone help me, my mother – "
Adrenaline pumping, Tannen changed course and raced toward the sound. Other voices added to the cry of distress, and he felt his stress levels rise.
"Witch! Witch! You should be dead," a wailing female voice cried out, promptly joined by the sobs of at least one other person. Rounding a corner, Tannen slammed into a teenage girl, sobbing helplessly.
"Please, come quickly," she cried.
"What's going on?"
"It's my mother," the girl explained, clutching to Tannen's tunic front. "She's been horribly upset since we came to the camp and I'm afraid she's gone after the princess Azkadelia. She's delirious and doesn't mean any harm – "
Tannen didn't hear the rest of her explanation, he just sprinted for the royal tent. Flying unceremoniously through the door, he skidded to a surprised halt, the girl plowing into his back.
In the middle of the room stood Azkadelia – hair and nightdress a bedraggled mess. She held up a feeble woman who sobbed and weakly hit against her, almost sagging to the floor. DG was crying as well, trying to pull the woman away from her sister but to no avail.
"I'm so sorry," he heard the princess whisper to her attacker. "I do remember what happened to your family, and I'm so sorry."
Tannen strode into the room and neither princess blinked an eye when he pulled the older woman off of Azkadelia, placing her gently into her daughter's arms and instructing her to not go very far.
When he returned to the tent, princesses were clinging to each other and DG was sobbing incoherently to her sister. They both turned to him when he reentered.
"You!" DG cried. "Thank you again for being where we needed someone!" She ran to him and threw her arms around him in a giant hug. Tannen blushed at her brazen display. Wyatt Cain had told him about the princess' predilection for overt displays of affection, and he'd seen the older Cain man suffering silently through several large hugs from DG. Tannen agreed it was rather off-putting to be on the receiving end of such a demonstration.
"You're welcome, your Highness," he said, patting her awkwardly on the back. He looked at the other princess and noticed that she wasn't meeting his eyes.
"You're awake," he said to Azkadelia. This made her blush scarlet and Tannen mentally kicked himself for his breach of ettiquette. Someone like him wasn't supposed to know that a member of the royal family had been unconscious for three days. He watched as she self-conciously ran her hands over hair, the tracks of her tears making her cheeks shine in the evening light.
Tannen shook himself to stop his staring. "I need to go report to the Queen and Prince Consort about what happened with this woman. They'll decide what needs to be done about this whole...incident." He extricated himself from DG's embrace and moved to leave the tent.
Finally, Azkadelia spoke. "No, please, don't tell my parents what's happened! I don't want to create a scene and the woman was rightfully upset and just wanted to...to..."
"Harm you?" Tannen supplied for her. "You are not the sorceress, Princess, and people should not make you pay retribution for her actions!"
The tent went very quiet after his little speech and both women looked at him with shock and awe.
"Do you really believe that?" DG asked.
It took Tannen a moment to realize what he'd said and process his own sincerity.
"I do believe that," he replied. "And I think, given half a chance, others will also." He saw a smile crack across DG's face, but noticed that not a flicker of emotion crossed over Azkadelia's. "Although, back to the point, we do need to tell someone what happened," he continued. "But I will defer to you both as to whom we tell."
DG turned back to her sister and had a hushed conversation that became a small argument. After a few moments, Azkadelia said something to DG that made the younger princess flush scarlet, then she turned around and addressed Tannen.
"I do not wish to add to my parents' stresses at this time," the elder princess said. Though she was visibly shaking, her voice was clear and steady. "Nor do I think the woman meant any harm. She was merely overcome and I don't wish for her grief to be turned into a public spectacle. Although I will admit that my presence here will probably continue to cause similar events and I don't think that it's something my sister and I can handle on our own, so I concede to the wisdom of letting someone know what happened tonight. I would like to enlist the aid of Mr. Cain and his son. DG trusts them both completely and therefore I do as well." A small smile appeared at her lips and her cheeks, previously ashen, took on a faint pink tinge. "Besides, I don't think DG could keep something like this from Mr. Cain anyway. He can spot her moods a mile away."
Tannen nodded, agreeing with their decision completely and thinking – some where in the back of his mind – that the elder princess looked pretty with a touch of color.
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In the end, Azkadelia had been right. The moment Tannen returned with the Tin Man he'd zeroed in on DG and began peppering her with questions. It took hardly any provocation for DG to spill the entire episode and for Cain to lose his cool. And when Cain lost his cool, it brought his son to the tent, followed by the princesses' concerned parents and soon the offending party was summoned and with the distraught woman came her equally distraught family.
Now Tannen found himself in the middle of a large "discussion" and there were several women crying – not the least of which was Queen Lavender Eyes. DG was pacing back and forth between her sister and Wyatt Cain and arguing with her mother, who was trying to simultaneously make arrangements for Cain to remove her daughters to an undisclosed location until the Royal Family got settled again in Central City and refuting all of DG's protests. Ahamo was quietly trying to change his wife's mind, wanting her to keep the family together after such a long separation and Cain and Jeb were discussing adding a Royal Guard unit to the army and the consequences going forward for anyone who attacked one – or both – of the princesses.
Tannen took all this in, and noted that Azkadelia didn't participate in any of the discussions. She continued to shake like a leaf and he caught a couple of pained looks on her face. Skirting around the edge of the group, Tannen respectfully addressed the princess.
"Your Highness, you are obviously not well, may I find you somewhere to sit?"
Azkadelia gasped and turned in surprise to the captain. "No, I'm fine, thank you though," she said, ducking her head to avoid his scrutiny.
Tannen's protest was interrupted by the audible rumbling of the princess' stomach. She turned a stunning shade of red and murmured her apologies. He started to excuse her when realization slapped him upside the head.
"Good gracious Princess!" he cried and grabbed Azkadelia by the elbow. "You probably haven't eaten in more than three days! No wonder you're shaking!" Guiding her to her bed, he gently forced the princess to sit.
"I didn't want to say anything..." Azkadelia motioned feebly to the chattering group in her tent.
"More like you don't have the strength to say anything," Tannen quipped. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a small packet of dried fruit and nuts and handed it to the princess. "It's not much, but if you'll eat this now I'll get you something more substantive in a moment."
Azkadelia looked so grateful and, honestly, so pathetic that he couldn't help the surge of pity he felt for her. Leaving her to her food, he stood and cleared his throat.
"Excuse me?" he addressed the group, a little timidly. No one noticed him.
"Excuse me?" he tried again. Nothing.
"EXCUSE ME?"
His last attempt to get everyone's attention silenced the group and everyone turned to him. Between the forceful gaze the older Cain and the regal annoyance from the queen, Tannen almost lost his nerve. Fortunately, a small crunching sound from behind him reminded him that this particular tent probably wasn't the best place for the O.Z.'s next war to be playing out and he wound his courage tightly.
"I beg your Majesty's pardon, but your daughter has been asleep for three days and could use some food and drink and quiet to gain back her strength. Might I suggest we take this meeting elsewhere?"
Everyone stared dumbly at him for a moment before the group erupted in profuse apologies and prolific concern for Azkadelia – whom it seemed they'd forgotten.
The queen knelt by her daughter and smoothed down her hair. With an assurance that she would personally secure her daughter some refreshment and better protection, she kissed Azkadelia on the cheek and left the tent, followed by Wyatt Cain, who looked like a thundercloud. Jeb escorted the distraught woman and her children from the tent and DG flopped down by Az and snuggled next to her sister's side. With a frown the Prince Consort kissed both his daughter's and left the tent, muttering something about making sure his daughter got some dinner. Tannen hovered for a moment, unsure of whether he should stay or go.
Once the tent was cleared DG flopped back on Azkadelia's bed.
"Well, that went well," she groaned sarcastically.
Azkadelia gingerly patted her sister's shoulder before digging something out of the little packet of food and popping it into her mouth. "It will all work out just fine, you'll see."
DG rolled her eyes. "No, having everything work out just fine would have been if we just let that lady go, like you wanted." With a gasp, the younger princess turned on Tannen. "You!" she cried, pointing a finger in accusation. "You were the one all het up about telling Cain. This whole mess...I blame on you, Mr...Mr...What's your name?"
Despite her fiery recriminations, Tannen laughed at the picture the spunky young woman made. "My name is Tannen Evergreen. Captain Evergreen, of the resis – er, your mother's Royal Army, your Highness."
DG waved away the formal title. "I'm just DG and this is Azkadelia." The woman paused, considering something. "Although you probably knew that."
"I did," Tannen replied, bowing slightly.
"Well, anyway, thanks for getting everybody all bent out of shape Tannen," DG spit at the captain, ready to be angry again now the the pleasantries were past.
"DG," Azkadelia admonished quietly. "He did what he thought was right. And it's not like Cain wouldn't have figured out what happened anyway."
"But now mother wants to send us away and we just got here and – "
DG's frustrations were interrupted by the return of Ahamo, with a platter full of food and drinks. "I'm so glad to see you up my heart," he said to his eldest daughter, his previous frown having disappeared. "I'm sorry we neglected your for so long."
"Think nothing of it father," Az said with a small smile. "It worked out all right in the end."
"Come girls, let's have something to eat," the Consort said jovially. He set the tray down on a chair, stood with a groan and noticed Tannen standing near the door. "Young man, would you care to join us?"
"Ahamo, this is Tannen," DG interjected. "Captain Tannen." Tannen refrained from rolling his eyes at the obvious jab from the princess. It was clear she still wasn't happy with him.
"Ah, well, Captain, would you like a bite to eat?"
"No, thank you Your Highness, I cannot. I will bid you all a good night." Before he left, Azkadelia called softly to him.
"Captain Evergreen?"
He turned to see her rising from the bed.
"I would like you to let the Jeb Cain know that I do not want that woman punished in anyway."
"I'm not sure that's something – "
"Please, just tell them tonight, will you? Tomorrow when I'm feeling better I'll go discuss it with my mother, but for now, I want to make sure she receives no punishment. Not for my sake."
"Yes your Highness."
Tannen ducked out of the tent with a strange thrumming in his ears and one thought in his head: He was absolutely certain Azkadelia wasn't the sorceress.
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Author's Note: The sound track I'm listening to while editing is my dog barking. But I'm too lazy to get up and make him be quiet. Gosh, a beagle's incessant bark is really inspirational! {Sarcasm}
