Once again I find myself apologising for taking so long to do another chapter. Having a full time job now takes up much more time than I expected! So here it is, the long-awaited next chapter.
Chapter Eight: The Return of the Lioness
The knight slowed her horse to a walk as she reached the main road up to the castle. The sun had set hours ago and the lights of the fortress were a welcome sight. Her squire pulled up beside her.
"I told you we'd make it," said Alanna the Lioness cheerfully.
"Yes, you did," replied Neal not bothering to keep the complaint out of his voice.
Alanna looked at him, shrugged and kicked her horse into a gallop. "Race you!" she called teasingly
With a sigh, Neal rolled his eyes and broke into a gallop. Not for the first time he wondered what it was he had done to deserve such a knight-master.
The next afternoon Alanna found herself dragged off bright and early to the Royal Suite in the castle at the request of the Queen.
"Good afternoon, Alanna," said Thayet as she entered.
"It would be better if I'd had any sleep last night," Alanna quipped with a smile as she embraced her friend and kissed her cheek.
Buri also stood to greet her. "What time did you ride in last night?"
"Some entirely ungodly hour. Midnight at least."
Thayet nodded. "Jon said when you sent to him the sun had already set and you were a good few hours away." She gestured for them all to sit and began to pour out the tea. "Help yourself. I thought you might appreciate some food as well."
"Ever the best hostess," said Alanna, making Thayet blush. She returned to the issue at hand. "We would have been here earlier if it wasn't for that nightmare of a squire of mine. Why I agreed to take him on…?"
"Is Squire Nealan really that bad?" asked Thayet with concern.
Alanna smiled and shook her head. "No, he's just good to sharpen my tongue on as well as my sword." She chuckled took a big gulp of tea enjoying the taste of the hot liquid. "Now, tell me what I've been missing out on while I've been in self-imposed exile with my lump of a squire."
Thayet looked over at Buri with a mischievous smile. "Well, not much except that Buri and Raoul have fallen out."
Buri shook her head and protested. "No we…"
"What?" said Alanna, cutting her off. This was new. Raoul was one of the calmest people she knew and Buri wasn't known for petty squabbles either.
"While the latest gossip has them in bed together, in reality, the two of them have hardly spoken since midwinter. Only Buri refuses to tell me what it's all about." She glared childishly at Buri.
"Thayet, I told you. I haven't fallen out with Raoul." Buri complained.
Thayet looked at her friend with a grin. "Buriam Tourakim, you can't lie to me. You've never been able to lie to me."
Buri fought the building urge to confess all. Thayet was like a sister to her, but she couldn't tell anyone about what was going on with Raoul. "Look. We had a perfectly sensible conversation last night."
Thayet looked at Buri with a puzzled expression. "Last night? But Raoul wasn't at the ball."
"He had pulled a muscle and I went to visit him."
"And I'm a stormwing."
"Thayet! Nothing is going on." Buri scowled at her friend. "If have to know we had disagreement at midwinter and we only just got a chance to make up."
Thayet looked at Buri. She obviously didn't believe Buri for one minute, but she knew when to change the subject. "Alanna, I don't believe you have been introduced to Shinkokami properly yet."
Alanna shook her head. "No, but I've been dying to give my godson's future bride the once over."
Buri smiled. "Don't scare her too much. They're delicate these Yamani flowers."
"Unless they're armed with a glaive," added Thayet.
Alanna looked puzzled. "It's a kind of bladed staff," explained Thayet. "I'll show you mine later. I think Shinko said she was going down to the camp with her ladies-in-waiting. I'm sure we can find them. Would you like to go now?"
Alanna nodded. "Just show me the way," she said, still mulling over Buri's comments.
Down in the camp Alanna was impressed. Lord Seneschal had surpassed himself. Alanna was a little disappointed that she hadn't been allocated a tent, but with Raoul already wriggling his was out of the castle, she had been willing to let Jon have his way. It was nice to have a proper bed to sleep in and having a fire in her rooms meant that she could contact George every night.
Thayet meandered through the tents to the clear area in the centre of the camp. Buri and Alanna followed her. When they arrived at the clearing they found a gathering crowd around what was evidently the group of Yamani women.
"Do you know what they're doing?" asked Buri to Thayet as they stopped to watch.
"I think it's called fan toss. I've only seen them play once before," replied the queen.
Alanna watched as the girls threw the fan from person to person. She could tell that it must be weighted at the base to make it fly so that the glinting blades wouldn't cut the catchers hands. She watched Shinko tossed to Yuki, the fan spinning and then falling gently. Yuki tossed it to a Tortallian girl. The girl was not dressed in the usual cotton gowns, but instead she wore a squire's uniform in the green and gold of Goldenlake Instantly, Alanna knew her to be Keladry of Mindelan. Expertly, the girl tossed the fan on, not noticing her observer.
The princess called a command in Yamani and the girls changed their pace. Alanna was intrigued as they slowed their movements bending with each catch and throw. The fan wafted more gently between the players.
Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by an all too familiar voice. "This is the prettiest thing I've ever seen. May I play?" Alanna nearly groaned a Neal waded into the circle. Already she knew what was going to happen. She braced herself as she watched him catch the fan and breathed out heavily as it landed base down.
"What is this thing?" he asked, making Alanna smile. She had never met anyone quite like Neal.
Yuki stalked over to him. "There is a saying in the Islands. Beware the females of the warrior class, for all they touch is both beautiful and deadly." She snatched up the fan and went to pick up a tent pole. Alanna and the other onlookers gasped as the delicate young woman snapped the fan open and used it's edge to slice through the pole like butter. There was silence as the end hit the ground with a thump.
Alanna was impressed. Thought it was not so much with the weapon as the look of horror on Neal's face. She made a note never to cross a Yamani lady.
As the others disappeared, Kel went over to pat Neal on the back. "Don't worry. Yuki cools off pretty quickly."
"She's angry?" asked Neal.
"I think you frightened her. You frightened me. Meathead." Alanna suppressed the urge to laugh at the nickname. If Kel had come up with it she was a genius. "Didn't your mother teach you not to grab things? You could have lost all your fingers. I doubt your father, good as he is, could put them back on." Once again, Alanna fervently wished she could get to know this feisty young woman.
Ever the impetuous youth, Neal asked "What was that?"
"A shukusen – a lady fan. If a lady thinks she's in danger, but doesn't want to complicate things by openly carrying a weapon she carries a shukusen."
"I want one," said Thayet from beside Alanna, making Kel look round at the crowd. Immediately, she locked eyes with Alanna. It took all the self-control the knight had not to speak. Instead, she simply nodded at the squire and melted into the crowd
On her way back up to the castle, Alanna's thoughts returned to Buri and Raoul. Something was definitely going on there, but the question was what?
Her mind elsewhere, Alanna was not looking where she was going. Half-way back to the castle she was jolted back to reality by Onua, whom she had walked right into.
"Oh, Onua, I am so sorry," she said quickly to the stout K'mir woman.
Onua shook her head, "Don't worry about it." She looked at Alanna. "I didn't realise you'd arrived. In fact I wasn't sure if you were coming at all since you haven't been near the court for the best part of six years."
"Jon made it pretty clear he expected me to be here, and when George pointed out that I might actually be able to say a passing hello to young Kel, I didn't really have a good reason not to."
"You sound about as enthusiastic as Raoul."
Alanna laughed. "I'm not surprised. I heard he'd been using the old pulled-muscle line already."
"Yes, though he'd best be careful. I don't think Jon's in the mood for that kind of stuff right now. From what Thayet says, he's like a bear with a sore head."
"It is an important time for him, let alone Tortall." Alanna suddenly smiled. "Onua, you wouldn't happen to know anything about this argument between Raoul and Buri would you?"
Onua shrugged. "All I know is that it started at midwinter."
Alanna frowned. "It's just it's so unlike either of them to fall out, but Thayet is convinced they have."
"What's Buri saying?"
"That nothing's happened."
Onua raised an eyebrow. "Well whatever it is, it's not nothing. Night the Own arrived, she couldn't keep her eyes off him, but she didn't want to talk to him."
A grin spread across her face. "Onua, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked.
"I think so, but it doesn't really make much sense."
Alanna shrugged. "The heart is a strange thing." She glanced up at the castle. "I'd probably best be getting back to the castle. Jon hasn't cornered me yet, but I'm willing to bet he'll be after me any minute."
"All right. I'll see you later then," said Onua. The women parted with a wave.
If Alanna thought her head was buzzing earlier, it was practically exploding now. Who'd have thought it? She wondered. The thing was she really needed to see Raoul, but it would be tricky without running into Kel. Not that she cared for the rules herself, but Jon had made them to protect the young squire. Alanna returned to the castle, a smile playing over her lips as she began to plot.
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