a/n: I have no excuses. Sorry it took forever.
Thanks to anyone who has reviewed, I write these for you, otherwise I would just let the story hang tight in my head and never worry about typing even part of it.
Zuahyr rolled over on his stomach and tried to ignore the bright light that was streaming through his window. The same window he had made sure to close and cover the night before. He opened his eyes and saw that there were three children crawling around on his bed and that Aly was standing near the window with a tray of food.
"Morning, I brought you some food!" Aly smiled at him as he sat up in bed.
"What do you want?" he asked her skeptically, pulling Junim onto his lap. The little boy squirmed as Zuahyr tickled him.
"Oh, you know, just to tell me how it went…" Aly said, putting the tray down and sitting on the bed.
"It went fine." He told her as Junim began to giggle.
"Fine? I demand that you give me a full report on your mission." Aly told him.
"It wasn't a mission, Aly, and I'm not giving you a report."
"Alright then," she huffed, "I'll just take my breakfast back." She picked up the tray and walked out, leaving the kids with him.
When Ulasu saw her mother leave she started to cry. Ochobai heard her sister and started to cry too. Junim took this as the opportunity to spit up all over Zuahyr.
"Aly!" he cried over the noise of the girls. When he looked down at Junim, the baby smiled and clapped his hands together. Zuahyr just glared at him.
00000
"What is on the agenda for today?" Jasson asked his father as they all sat down to a breakfast in his study.
"I was thinking that after the negotiations this morning, we should all go on a picnic." King Jon told his family as the took a biscuit from the tray. "We haven't all done something together in a very long time."
"Can Alan come, and maybe Dove?" Liam asked.
"What about Aly and Lord Zuahyr?" Lianne asked before he brother was even done speaking.
"If they're coming I want Fianola to come too." Jasson said stubbornly.
"I think a picnic sounds like a wonderful idea, father." Vania said sweetly, "and it would give me the chance to meet everyone."
"Jonathan looked at all his children slowly while his wife hid her smile, "I was hoping that it would be a family thing." He told them.
"Please, Father?" they all chorused. Jonathan sighed and everyone cheered.
00000
"Good morning everyone. We've made very good progress, I'm happy to say, and I think that we should only be here for a week or so until everything is worked out." Jonathan's opening words encouraged everyone who was there, and most sat a little bit straighter in their seats when they realized an end was near.
"Let us move onto the more specific matrimonial aspects of the negotiation."
And that was how the rest of the morning proceeded.
00000
The cooks were busy in the kitchens preparing a light meal for the Lords and Ladies that would be going on the picnic and the stable hands were rushing around as the time drew nearer for them to prepare all the mounts that would be needed. It is pointless to mention how busy everyone was, and how easy it would be to overlook the two pages standing in the shadow of the mews conversing quietly.
"Are you sure I would be welcome on this, picnic?" Fianola asked him softly, her hands were fidgeting, betraying her nerves.
"I'm more than sure." Jasson told her, trying to resist the temptation of grabbing her hands to still them.
"I just don't know…I mean, the only person I'll know is you." Fianola bit her lip, and Jasson couldn't help but smile at the expression on her face. "See! You are not even taking this seriously, how can I believe you when you laugh at me like that!" She covered her face with her hands in embarrassment and Jasson stepped closer to try and comfort her.
"I wasn't laughing at you! I was smiling because…well, because I thought you looked really pretty right then." He told her, pulling her hands away from her face.
Fianola's eyes were wide as she stared at him.
"Jasson," she said quietly, looking down at the ground, "I don't think you should say things like that."
"Why not?"
"Because, you shouldn't say things that you don't mean; it's rude to lead people on." She told him pulling her hands out of his and taking a step back.
"Fianola," he tried.
"I'll see you at dinner." She told him shaking her head and quickly walking away. Jasson punched the wall of the mews once she was out of sight, cursing and wondering why he had to like one of his best friends.
00000
"Freedom!" Liam said with a grin as he and Dove made their way over to the kitchens to retrieve their baskets of food for the picnic. Dove smiled as he threw his hands in the air and took a deep breath.
"The morning did seem to take forever," she agreed with a quiet smile.
"Oh, I thought that they would never stop arguing about the little things! Why does it matter if the baker is from Tortall or the Isles! Who cares, as long as the cake is good?" he joked with her.
"What about cake?" Alan asked as he caught up with the two.
"Nothing really, are you coming to retrieve the food too?" Liam asked, slinging an arm around his friend's shoulder.
"Yes, I was sent by my mother, who said that Queen Dove should not have to carry anything." He finished his sentence with a bow in her direction.
"I don't mind," Dove protested.
He finished his sentence with a bow in her direction.
"I don't mind," Dove protested.
"Yes, well, orders are orders; especially when from my mother." Alan told her gallantly.
Talk then turned to more trivial things, such as the weather and horses. Fishing even came up once or twice, as well as family pets, and the boys discovered Dove's love for animals.
"Back home, we have miniature kudarangs. They are very rare, but there are a few that live in our stables, and there is one family that has taken up residence in the garden outside my study. They're beautiful creatures, and the foals are adorable when they are learning to fly."
"Miniature flying horses, I wish I could see that." Alan said wistfully as they reached the kitchens.
"Gladys! Oh, Gladie, where are you?" the three had reached the back door of the main kitchen and Alan was standing on the threshold yelling into the hot room with a broad smile on his face.
"Hmph. I knew trouble would be here soon." A large woman with powdered-covered arms walked into view with a good-natured scowl on her face. Liam and Alan smirked at her as she drew near.
"Aw, you know you love us!" Alan proclaimed.
"About as much as I love them spidrens." she answered. "I suppose you're here for them baskets for the picnic then?"
"Of course! And the chance of seeing your lovely face," Alan said.
"Oh, get out of here you rascals!" she cried, handing over the baskets of food, Dove could see the small smile in her eyes though as she gave them the food.
Liam and Alan divided it up, leaving Dove to carry the smallest, lightest basket of the bunch. She protested and they simply walked away, leaving her outside the kitchen.
"Really, I can carry more." She told them once she had caught up.
"I'm sure you could, Your Majesty, but I would hate to stress such a pretty thing like yourself with any extra work. Its not good for you to be tired out from such mundane things when you have a country to run." Alan said all of this with a very straight face, and only broke when Dove gave him her most imperial look.
It wasn't long before they arrived at the stables to find everyone there and ready. At least nearly everyone.
"Where are Aly and Nawat?" Dove asked once the baskets had been dispersed amongst the riders.
"I think they are just running a bit late, maybe we should go hurry them along. Would you like to come?" Zuahyr was there with Lianne, standing next to his mare as he spoke to Dove.
"I would, thank you, I need to change out of this dress. It's not exactly made for riding." Zuahyr escorted her out of the stables as everyone else chattered and waited patiently for the rest of their party.
00000
Aly and Nawat were riding at the back of the party, watching as everyone enjoyed themselves. They had just reached a clearing and everyone decided that here was a good place to stop and set up their numerous blankets and baskets.
"Aly! Come over here and tell me all about the crows!"
"Why don't I let Nawat handle that one?" she responded with a smile as both her and her husband walked overto where Lianne was seated with her brother.
"Very well, Master Nawat, please tell us about the crows!"
00000
"What are the jungles like?" Liam and Dove were seated off to the side, some would say in a secluded corner, but still well within the sights of their many chaperones and therefore of no real worry.
"Well, there are more animals than you can imagine. Hundreds of types; birds, insects, frogs, mammals. Of course, most of the jungles are unexplored, its much too dense and dangerous for people to wander in on their own."
She was sitting with both legs tucked underneath her, a small glass of juice in one hand as she spoke. Liam, in turn, was lying on his back as he listened to her melodious voice. His head rested near her knees and Dove was resisting the urge to play with his hair by avoiding looking at him.
"That sounds like an adventure, unexplored jungles with gods-know-what type of dangerous animals lurking about." Liam said with a smile.
"Yes, and if you venture in there, I have a feeling you wouldn't be coming out in one piece."
"No I suppose not." Liam said.
"We have jungles are on nearly every one of our islands. On Lombyn though, we have highlands which get nearly as cold as it gets in your north. That is where Tanair Castle is, that was where we got to know Aly and where most of the revolution was planned." Dove's digression from jungles to highlands and rebellions did not go un-appreciated and Liam sat up very quickly with a curious look in his eye.
"Will you tell me about the rebellion? I have only heard brief discussions of it from our own spymaster. What was it like, being a part of that?"
"I can only tell you what happened later, and then of the actual battle at the castle. I only knew what they let me. It took me a whole winter to piece it together and finally ask to be a part of it."
"Tell me that then."
"There were four main leaders of the conspiracy, two of which died in the what I call the last battle, even though in reality it was really the first battle. There was Ulasim, Aly used to call him the General, he was in charge of the warriors, making sure we had them, training them, things like that. And then there was his mother, Ochobu, our resident Mage. She was a very powerful woman, full raka like her son; hated Lurians on principal. She was the head of what Raka Mages called "The Chain", there was a mage on every island who was part of it. They were all very powerful. Next, would be Fesago, I guess he was second in command to Ulasim in a sense, he took care more specifically of my self and my sister. Aly would gather intelligence, and spread news to the people. This created unrest amongst the people at their rulers. She was very good at what she did, single-handedly took out the realm's spy-master." Dove smiled at the last bit before she continued.
"Like I mentioned, there were others, Cheanol was the cook and also the supplier of virtually any weapons. The woman in charge of spies at the palace, the woman in charge of spies at home, Nawat who was in charge of the crows. Ysul, who was Ochobai's second in command; and I'm told by Aly her equal in power. Juani, Ulasim's daughter and Aly's personal bodyguard. There were everyday people who belonged to Aly's group of spies, some died in the rebellion and some lived. We lost a great many leaders and friends in that fight. People I won't ever forget." Dove took a shaky breath before she kept going.
00000
"Forgive me, Sire, but Squire Alan is needed immeadiately. Third Company is leaving now and Lord Roul requires his squire."
The peaceful feeling was disrupted as a messenger rode into the clearing, speaking quickly to the king.
"Squire Alan, it appears as though you are needed." Jonathan said to Alan as he left the group he had been seated with and strode forward.
"Of course, your majesty." He mounted his horse and rode off with a nod of goodbye to everyone.
It didn't take long after that for everyone to decide it was time to ride home and so the food and blankest were packed up as quickly as possible and everyone rode out of the Royal Forest at a trot.
00000
Prince Jasson had ridden at the front of the group, in a hurry to get back before someone else he knew left. He left his horse at the stables and ran to the squire's wing, counting the doors as he went down the hall until he reached the right one.
"Finaola!" he cried, knocking desperately at the door. It was opened quickly and he stumbled in.
"Sir Merric has been asked to ride with Lord Roul, we leave in a few moments."
Jasson reached out and grabbed her hand with both of his own.
"Be careful Fee. Promise you won't go and get your self killed?"
"I've ridden out before, Jasson." She reminded him softly, examining their hands.
"Yes, but I was always with you." He told her with a smile. "I could watch your back and not have to worry. Now, you'll just have Sir Merric to take care of you." Jasson was being a bit silly, trying to say that Merric couldn't take care of her, but he was so worried that he didn't really care.
"I'll be fine, Jasson. Promise; now I really have to go." She tried to pull her hand from his but found they were holding her fast.
"Not yet," he said, and before she knew it, he swept her up:
in a hug.
Fianola couldn't help feel disappointed, but was also relieved that he hadn't kissed her, because then she would have to decide what to do. But with a hug? Well, friends gave each other hugs didn't they?
"Be safe." He told her after a moment.
"I will."
00000
"What are you so happy about?" Liam asked his little brother as they were playing chess later that evening.
"Nothing."
"I don't see why your so happy when your love has just rode out with the King's Own on some dangerous mission." Liam remarked casually as he took out his broher's rook.
"I'm not happy about that," Jasson replied with a shrug.
"Hmph."
"Oh, fine. I'll tell you! I hugged her, okay? And she hugged me back and it was great because she didn't slap me, and she felt so nice in my arms." Jasson sighed happily and Liam sat there for a moment.
"You do realize that you sound like a girl, don't you?" He asked with a snort.
"Do not!" Jasson replied, sounding very much like a girl indeed.
Liam just smirked and continued to set up his trap for Jasson's Queen.
"Do too!"
"Do not!"
"Do too!"
"Not!"
"Too!"
"Not!"
"Too!"
"Check mate!" Jasson cried triumphantly.
"What, how did you do that? You've been playing with Myles haven't you?" Liam asked incredulously.
Jasson just smirked at his older brother and left.
00000
"Princess, would you care for a stroll in the gardens?" Zuahyr was standing outside of Lianne's room with a pleasant smile on his face.
"I would love to." She answered, blowing out her candles, shutting her door, and walking down the hall on Zuahyr's arm.
"How has your evening been, your majesty?" Zuahyr asked once they reached the gardens.
"Simply wonderful, and yours Lord Kloulechat?"
"Excellent, excellent." He answered in his most suitor-like-drawl.
Lianne couldn't help herself and giggled as the reached the bench.
"What have you been doing all day?" Lianne asked him after a moment of quiet chuckling.
"Honestly, I've been in the library; reading up on Tortall's history. The ancient female knights are particularly interesting."
"I wanted to be a knight when I was younger." Lianne told him.
"Really?"
"Yes," she nodded her head vigourously, "that is until I saw Liam at dinner one day with all these bruises and cuts. And of course, Papa wouldn't have let me if I had wanted too when I turned ten."
"Why not?"
"I'm not really sure of his reasons, I just know that he told my older sister Kally that Princesses couldn't be knights. She really wanted to be a knight, it broke her heart that father told her no."
"But, she grew up and married a wonderful man. Isn't she happy?" he asked her.
"Oh, now she is, but when she first got there it was horrid. I used to sneak into Mama's study and read the letters. We were far apart in age, but me, Kally, and Vania stuck together on account of the boys. Anyway, the letters made me feel so bad for her. She used to say that it was so hot! Bugs everywhere, and the slaves! That was one thing she couldn't get over. And the men there treated her horribly, no one liked her at first. And then Emperor Kaddar is so awfully shy, and so is Kally that it took a very long time for them to get to know each other. Kally used to think he hated her."
"It all worked out in the end though, I bet that they look back and laugh at how shy they were around each other." Zuahyr said quietly. He looked down at Lianne's smiling face, how her eyes lit up, how her lips curved when she grinned.
"What?" she asked him, worried as he kept starring at her.
"Nothing." He told her, running his rough hand along her smooth cheek softly.
"Just looking at how beautiful you are."
"Flattery!" Lianne made a 'tsk tsk' noise and shook her head against his palm. Zuahyr rolled his eyes.
"Princess?"
"Hmm?" she asked him, they had moved around a bit, both were on the ground with Zuahyr leaning up against the bench and Lianne leaning up against Zuahyr.
"Can I kiss you?" he asked her quietly. She sat up and looked at him carefully.
"I-I don't really know."
"Do you want me to kiss you?" he asked patiently.
"Well, yes." Lianned shifted uncomfortably, a bit embarrassed by now.
"Then there is your answer!" he told her brightly.
"I mean, I just don't know if we should," she started, sitting up on her knees a bit and putting both hands on Zuahyr's chest to keep him in place. He raised a dark eyebrow at her and Lianne bit her lip. "Alright, one little kiss." She told him with a stern look. Zuahyr nodded solemnly and leaned forward to kiss her gently.
Lianne melted and when he pulled back, she followed him, nestling closer than was really necessary.
"Lianne," Zuahyr whispered against her lips. "What happened to one, little, kiss?" he asked gently.
"I changed my mind, I want lots of big kisses." She told him as she wrapped her arms around her neck.
And who was Zuahyr to deny the Princess?"
00000
Dove was sitting in the library, searching the shelves for something interesting to read. Of course she had her own library at home, one she was working on getting better stocked, but why pass up the chance to look through one of the best in the world?
"Do you need any help with that?" Dove was standing on tip toes, trying to reach a book that was about the tribes of Sarain, when Liam walked in and startled her.
"I can't quite reach." She admitted.
"Which one is it, then?" he asked her with a smile.
"The red one, right there." She answered after a dizzy moment of looking directly at him. Liam reached up with no trouble and pulled down the requested book. He took one look at the cover and said "Good luck."
"What do you mean?" Dove asked him as she walked over to the cluster of chairs and tables.
"That's going to be a very bloody book. The K'mir were very violent people, especially to the non-K'mir." He sat down in the chair across from Dove.
"The raka are also very violent people." Dove reminded him.
"That's true." He admitted as she sat down and opened her book to read.
Liam just sat there, and Dove was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable by his quiet. To her, time seemed to drag on, and finally she was fed up so she slammed her book closed and looked at him.
"Are you just going to sit there all night and watch me read?" she asked him.
"No. I was going to start talking to you in a little bit, but I didn't know how to interrupt your reading time." Dove blinked as she looked at him.
"Oh. What did you want to talk about?" she asked him.
"You, me, us. How do you feel about this whole thing since we haven't really talked about it." He said with a shrug.
"How about we go for a walk?" she asked him as she tried to decide what to say. "Not many people are outside right now, and I would hate for someone to walk in on our conversation."
"Of course." He said offering her arm before leading her out the library and down the hallways till they reached the garden.
"Why don't you start?" Dove asked him once they had reached the gardens.
"Very well. I've been thinking about this whole thing, and I'm worried about something. Your people have just gotten rid of one lurian king, are they really going to want another one? I don't want to put you, or myself, in a dangerous situation by becoming your husband." He seemed to pause before he said the last word, and Dove had to admit that the idea of being married was a rather nerve-racking one. Especially to a man she had only known for a short while.
"I'm going to be honest with you, people aren't going to like it at first. They aren't going to like you at all. That's why its so important that when we do, get married," the ineveitable, horrendous pause preceded that word too, Dove discovered. "For you to be knowledgeable about being Raka. No one is going to ask you to abandon your Lurian traditions, but as the King of the Copper Isles its important for you to be aware of the cultures of your new home. You're going to have to put up with a lot of rude people, maybe some mobs, and assassins; which I deal with now."
Dove stopped walking and looked up at him. "It'll be hard, but you won't be alone. There are Raka here, Zuahyr for example, who have met you and know you; they see that you are a great man and they will spread the word when we get home. Some will be dubious, and others may not even care. But, whatever you do, please, do not forget that you are lurian in a raka country." Dove smiled wider now and reached up to touch his face. "I'd hate to loose you to a stupid mob."
Liam held her hand to his face and drew her a bit closer with his other hand. He leaned down, mesmerized by her smile.
"I won't" he breathed before he kissed her.
Dove responded whole-heartedly to Liam as his lips crushed against hers. Both of his hands traveled to her waist where they drew her flush against him. Dove tangled her small hands in his hair, winding it around her fingers and enjoying the soft feel of it as her body reeled and tingled from Liam's kisses.
Abruptly, he pulled away and Dove was worried she had done something wrong.
"Shh," He told her needlessly, "I think I hear someone." He drew her with him towards the wall of bushes that separated their path from the other. The pulled apart branches and were greeted with a sight neither particularly wanted to see.
Lianne and Zuahyr were, well, all over each other on the other side of the bushes. Liam made a retching noise and Dove smirked at him. She drew him back to their own path.
"I think we should go interrupt, don't you?" she asked him with a sly smile. Liam nodded and they turned at the fork in the paths and once more came upon Lianne and Zuahyr.
Dove cleared her throat.
Lianne looked up from the ground and blushed.
Zuahyr looked up and blushed as well.
Liam tried very hard to maintain a straight face as he glared at the other man.
And Dove simply raised one eyebrow at the couple.
"Interesting weather, don't you think?" she asked mildly.
At the sound of her voice, the two sprang up and dusted their clothes off.
"I should be going." They both said at the same time.
"Not so fast, Lianne." Liam said, moving forward to escort his sister. "You are coming with me." Dove had never seen anyone's face that red before.
"Aly is going to love this." Dove told her friend once Liam and Lianne had left. Zuahyr gulped and followed Dove meekly as she led him back to her and Aly's rooms.
a/n: I really like the end of that one…19 pgs double spaced!! 4,506 words!
I need help with raka wedding customs…and also, should there be a 'grand-progress' in the Isles to 'show off Liam'?
I plan on ending this one pretty soon, only a couple more chapters…I'm running out of creative ideas.
So, send me wedding ideas, what else I need to talk about in the negotiation thingies, and 'grand progress', or no 'grand progress'?
Thanks,
Haley