12 . 8 . 08

Three chapters in to the story, it gets put on Hiatus for 4 days shy of a year. Is anyone even reading this, I wonder? --sigh-- Well, if you are, this chapter is dedicated to you.

You might want to reread the chapters up to this point, so you're not confused.

Disclaimer: Faidn's older personality is due to the brilliance of Lobuck. She's masterminding and fantastically writing HIS story – what happened to him post-Nasap. Read it! (A Soldier At His Own Expense) Yes, she takes a long time to update. No, she hasn't abandoned it.


Faidn's impression of Iriana after lunch was that she loved children, somewhat disliked being a princess (though she took many benefits of her station quite for granted), was startlingly beautiful, but looked a little sickly, and giggled far too often to be tolerated for long periods of time.

Perhaps it was because the children were there, he reasoned as he walked in a comfortable silence with Carvin. But still, he was more than a little irked by her. As he was with most royalty.

"What did you think of Iriana?" Carvin asked, as if catching a vague scent of Faidn's thoughts.

Faidn shrugged and narrowed his sentiments into a concise statement.

"She's a princess."

Carvin laughed.

"That she is. I forget sometimes that you don't interact with the 'finer folk' – please – very often. Truthfully, she is much better than most."

Faidn shrugged again, his eyes sweeping the ornately carved walls and ceiling. The richness always made him feel awkward and distinctly out-of-place, especially wearing these fancy clothes he only took out when consorting with the 'finer folk'. He had felt much more comfortable on the battlefield four countries away than he did visiting the palace.

Carvin knew why his friend was so silent, and quickly made a suggestion so he could keep having a two-way conversation instead of minimal answers and much staring.

"Come on a ride?"

Others might have assumed that after being on horseback for the better part of two days, riding would be the last thing on Faidn's mind, but Carvin knew better.

A smile lifted Faidn's features and he clapped his friend's shoulder.

"Perhaps all this stuffy palace life hasn't made you forget everything important after all."

"Of course not," Carvin retorted. "But I have a dual purpose – I happen to know that my wife sent droves of tottery old ladies after me so they would stop asking her opinion on colors for the ball decoration."

Faidn looked at him in horror.

"We'll never escape!"

Carvin looked behind him and saw the hallway empty.

"We're safe for now, but let's pick up the pace. You never know, they might come after you for your... soldier's opinion?"

"Aye," Faidn said, lengthening his strides so Carvin almost had to jog to keep up.

Carvin looked over his shoulder again to see an older lady gaining on them holding two swathes of fabric.

"Ah! Run!" Carvin said in a muted shout.

They both bolted, leaving the poor lady standing there, blinking slowly.

"I thought I saw... Prince Carvin..." she mused, frowning.


The next week flurried by, swirling with decorations, fit pitching (mostly courtesy of Mittlan, though Lilliana contributed her fair share as well), dress fittings, gardening, cooking, and more. Servants ran into each other repeatedly and gave up apologizing, since that person was more than likely to run into them at least once.

The children were disgruntled and crabby after being dragged from their classes or playtime every hour or so to greet a new arrival for the Annual Berensian Royalty Ball. Simpering ladies, distracted lords, ancient dukes, squealing duchesses, and on and on.

"I swear, if some old lady twists my cheeks around one more time, I am calling the Royal Guard," Lilliana hissed to Ceilear over the loud introductions of a grandmotherly-looking duchess.

The girls' cheeks were still red from the last Lady they had greeted an hour ago.

"Then you'll never get your bookth back. And thtop hithing," Ceilear 'whithpered' wisely.

"Ooh, what a beauty you shall be, Lilliana! What a dear you are, look at that smile!" Duchess Livington exclaimed, pinching the girl's cheeks soundly.

Lilliana shot her sister a longsuffering look before replying.

"I thank you most sincerely, Duchess Livington. I trust your stay here will be very enjoyable."

"Such manners!" the woman remarked. "I am not one to believe rumors, young miss, – though such rumors did I hear! – and I am immensely glad to see that those spreading about you are unfounded. Ah, Ceilear, the budding rose."

Ceilear smiled politely.

The lady just looked at her for a moment with an expression not unlike seeing a very cute puppy sit on command, then she pinched her cheeks as well. Ceilear almost, but not quite, winced.

"Lovely family you have, King Alphonse, very nice indeed. It is a shame that your parents could not be here, but I am sure they are enjoying the peace and quiet in the country castle, are they not?"

"Anywhere away from her would be peaceful," Lilliana muttered.

Ceilear giggled.

"Now, who shall escort me to my room?" Duchess Livington continued, not hearing the exchange and putting her wrinkled hands on her hips.

Her eyes scanned the courtyard and Alphonse was about to offer a servant when she spotted Faidn entering the clearing from the garden.

"Ah, how about you, handsome fellow that you are?"

Faidn whirled to face her with a look of confusion.

"Me, milady?"

"Of course, you!" she cried, "are there any other handsome men about that I needn't address by a more proper title? No, there are not. Come now, why do you gape? Most unbecoming on such a fine face. Take my elbow, that's it. Good gracious, boy, have you never escorted someone before?"

Faidn threw an exasperated look at Carvin who grinned devilishly.

"Well, have you? Speak up, boy!"

"No, not exactly," Faidn answered, figuring that escorting people to prison probably didn't count.

"Heavens above, boy! You need to get into society! No, now don't argue with me, I'm not to be crossed when I've made up my mind, and it only took one look at you to make up my mind."

"Up those stairs, seventh door on the left," a voice breathed in his ear.

Faidn nodded at the messenger gratefully. The boy smiled in a very stinks-to-be-you fashion.

"With a build like yours, my – you'd be snatched up in an instant. You are not married, I think?"

"No," he said, somewhat amused by her chatter.

"No, I thought not. A wife would never let you out of her sight, for fear of the other ladies."

Faidn guided her up the long staircase.

"Now, I know quite a few single ladies of rank that would catch even your eye. I can tell you are hard to please, but even these ladies would tempt you, I am sure. Many different beauties. I see that you are of a darker variety, so perhaps a lighter lady would balance you out? Blonde or brown haired with paler skin, yes... I shall introduce you to those. Are you titled?"

"I am General of the Berensian army," Faidn said cautiously, bracing himself for some kind of outburst.

"General! Indeed? Yes, I could see that. My my my, you would be absolutely fetching in your uniform. You did bring it to wear to ball, yes? If you did not (though I am sure you must have) I will send one of my servants post-haste to fetch it for you. I could not dream of allowing you to attend the ball without it."

"I did bring it," Faidn said, deciding that he, against his better judgment, liked this woman for her bluntness, so unlike the flowery, flattering speeches he'd been put toward whenever he ventured into society.

"Of course you did, General, you must know how the ladies love the uniform. It tickles their imagination, you know. But how is it that you have come to this ball, of all the balls in Berensia? I have heard tell that you dislike social gatherings, and this is the largest social gathering of the year!"

"I am an old friend of Prince Carvin's," Faidn said.

"Aha, excellent connections then. That would explain your young age for being the general, would it not? Though I am sure you deserved it, do not misinterpret my meaning. But Prince Carvin did take a risk putting a young man in the office. The prince is also a handsome one, pity he married a woman so plain – "

"Nre is not plain," Faidn said, hackles beginning to rise at the slight of his skill and Nre's looks.

"Oh, I meant no offense in the least," she said dismissively with a wave of her gloved hand. "Her personality beautifies her more than most women, mark my words. Ah, but there are some women I have acquaintance with that are pretty both inside and out. I will introduce them to you at the ball, all of the lighter toned beauty, of course."

Fourth... fifth... sixth, Faidn counted as they passed the doors.

"Lady Tabitha, Duchesses Fiona and Meriwether, Lady Valerie, oh yes, and Princess Iriana has arrived, so I've heard, and she is a fine young specimen with an admirable temperament."

"Here we are," Faidn cut in smoothly, opening the door and disattaching her hand from his elbow.

"Very good, quite suitable," the Duchess said, surveying the spacious chamber bustling with servants unpacking her trunks. "I will summon you when I require company and we shall continue our discussion. But now, I must organize my things. Delilah! Come here at once and unpack my hats, I must see that they are in order!"

Faidn took her inattention to mean that he was dismissed and backed out of the room.


"Carvin, might I have a word?" Sarah asked.

"Of course," he said, stepping a few paces away from his family. "What is it?"

"It's Rose," Sarah said, looking worried. "There's something wrong and she won't tell me what it is. Will you please try to find out? She's been like this for two weeks now and I swear she's lost at least ten pounds. This has to stop or it's going to kill her."

"Why me?" he asked, wide eyed and confused. "Why not Dannlin, or else Stephen?"

"You're the first man she chose to trust," Sarah replied. "And for some reason she's downright furious at Stephen. Won't tell me what that's about either."

She paused and bit her lip, rubbing distractedly on her arm.

"She's always had her secrets, and she's never been the happiest person, but I haven't seen her this secretive and upset since... Ellespeth."

"But what if it's some woman thing?" Carvin protested, a small flush rising to the tips of his ears. "Like what if she's, erm, you know, pining, or something."

Sarah almost laughed at his awkwardness, but humor was harder for her to grasp than usual.

"After a man, you mean? No, I don't think so. No matter how much more relaxed she seems now, she still feels uncomfortable around men. She'll never feel perfectly comfortable around them, I think, not after all she's been through."

Carvin accurately assessed this as a bad time to ask what she had been through. He also quelled the arguments of 'Couldn't she still fall in love or something? Being afraid of them didn't make her exempt! Just, perhaps... more difficult.'

"I'll try," he said finally.

"Thank you," Sarah said, and he could hear that she meant it.


Reviewers get a piece of homemade cheesecake with your choice of toppings. Melted chocolate and sugared strawberries for me, thanks. Yum.

EDIT: Thank you, Darth Chocolate, for pointing out my typo!