A/N: Happy Saturday!

Aubrey: :)

Raider: Haha :P Oh what some will do to get close to the princess :P

Saberin: This one's a big shorter :)

Disclaimer: I'm not John Flanagan. And still not Australian.

Scout sat down for dinner with Sean and Kineta as usual. She'd gotten used to her new repetitive life. Letters from Araluen came about every other month. She sent Caitlyn a leather headband with carved wooden beads braided into it for her birthday. The thank you letter in her little sister's slanted handwriting was extensive. Scout saved each Araluen letter in a satin-covered box kept on her desk. Scout took to rereading them each night when she failed to receive a new one. In addition to Kelly she befriended Warden, one of her guards. Warden's father was a close friend of Sean's. She hadn't really ever had the opportunity to talk to any of her guards before but her waltz partner just happened to sprain his calf, whatever that meant, and failed to notify the tutor in time. Warden was on duty at the time and drew the short stick when he and Vincent were recruited to fill in.

She found dancing with Warden easier than the usual partner. He committed to the steps and led her without hesitation. His steps were bigger than the other partners she'd had and he spun her more often than even Sean. After that she tried to weasel her usual partner into missing more and more lessons so that Warden could replace him. She didn't dare write about Warden in any of her Araluen letters, though she wanted to share him with Caitlyn. There was no guarantee who all would see them

"We've got news for you Scout," Sean announced at dinner.

"What is it?" Scout asked.

"You've been here sixteen months. We think it is time you go on a diplomatic trip," Kineta told her. Scout tried not to show too much excitement. She, Kelly, and Gwen ventured to places in Dun Kilty on occasion and she'd even found a hunting partner in Marcus, the son of the Royal Chef who kept his father in supply of wild meat. They hunted secretly, of course. Scout was sure Sean and Kineta were aware of her sneaking around but they had a silent agreement not to speak of her ventures.

"Where will I be going?" Scout asked.

"We are planning to make the move to our new capitol. However, someone of this family needs to go sign a treaty with Skandia. It won't be too difficult. You will have a few lawyers with you to hash out the details but the Oberjarl will attend so it is only right one of us go as well. The signing will take place in Arrida and the mediator will be Araluen," Kineta told her.

"Araluen?" Scout asked with too much hope in her voice. Sean laughed.

"I thought that would grab your attention. We're not sure who will make up her security detail but the actual mediator will be a certain Courier called Lady Alyss…and you will go to Arrida on a combined convoy. You are to leave for Araluen in two days."

"Really?" Scout exclaimed. Her cousins smiled at her enthusiasm. "You mean it?"

"Just make sure you board the proper ship when all of you sail home," Sean laughed. "You will be away about eight weeks and when you return, dear Scout, an escort will see you to the new capitol in Roscrea. See to it your maids know to pack whatever you value."

Roscrea was on the coast nestled between the sea and a loch. Scout hadn't been there but looked forward to seeing it after Kelly's detailed description. The maids had been making roundtrips between Dun Kilty and Roscrea for several weeks now, preparing the new home for its royal family.

"Thank you!" Scout stood and ran around the table to hug each of her cousins. "Thank you so much! This is wonderful!"

Kineta hugged her in return. Sean just rubbed her back. "I thought you'd like going," Sean laughed. "You'd better start packing."

Once dinner was over Scout ran back to her quarters. Gwen and Kelly sat side by side on a bench at the foot of her bed as she flitted around gathering her personal possessions. There weren't many. She found Princess Caitlyn's music box. Since it'd been passed to her she filled the small space with sentimental tokens. All the gifts she'd received on her last birthday in Araluen were among the pack she fixed. The pendant the princes gave her rarely left her neck. She'd emptied the wine and added smelling salts, deciding something of use would be a better use of the space. Perhaps if she ever developed a taste for whisky she'd do like Prince William and save a shot but Scout barely tolerated the watered down wine she was given each night for dinner. Sean said her aversion was inherited from her mother.

Gilan and Jenny's skillet hadn't been used as often as she'd originally thought but it came in handy when she went on the secret hunting trips. She had about half left, the others unable to be retrieved on hunting trips. Sean and Kineta approved of her putting them onto Hibernian arrow shafts and carrying them in her quiver when she shot arrows for public viewing, allowing her to save what was left. The Courier-hilted saxe knife from her grandparents always rested against her hip. Royalty carrying ornate knives was common and the saxe not only brought her comfort but safety.

She took out her letters. Gwen and Kelly already knew about them and their hiding place. She'd learned secrets were hard to keep as princess and confiding in Kelly and Gwen was a necessary evil. She opened the music box and emptied the contents. She carefully selected what would be in it. There was an emerald pendant some duke or earl or something had sent to her on her first birthday in Hibernia. Kineta told her she was to accept these types of gifts but didn't have to actually wear or even keep them. She thought it would look pretty on Caitlyn. Green was, after all, her sister's favorite color.

Scout added a necklace Kelly made for her out of leather string. She found a silver charm in the shape of a leaf she hoped to give her mother and finally an onyx ring she wanted to give her grandmother. She carried it to her bedside table and wound up the box. Gwen and Kelly both grinned as the simple lullaby sang from the woodwork.

"It's so pretty," Gwen offered. "Your mother gave it to you, you say?"

Scout nodded. "She said it belonged to Sean's mother but could only be passed to girls so she got it."

"Will we ever meet your mother?" Kelly asked. Scout shrugged. She really hoped so. She turned to study her lady-in-waiting and maid. Dressed in simple robes and shifts the only way to tell them apart was by the way they held themselves. Kelly sat slightly hunched as she leaned forward in interest. Gwen sat with a straight back and bright eyes as her only form of enthusiasm.

"Will you two be going to Araluen and then Arrida with me?"

"I will," Lady Gwen said. "Lady Melissa and I are to accompany you wherever you go."

"I haven't been told," Kelly answered glumly. "I would like to if the opportunity arose but I'm not sure if it will or not."

Scout made a mental note to ask her cousins next time she saw them.