Thanks to everyone who reviewed!!!
Marie ()
Lily Fireheart
DaniSue(=
jilla kala
Read some of their stuff. It's fair brilliant!!!!!!
Disclaimer; I own everyone in this chapter. Except Carthak, Baron Piers, Mindelan, and the Yamani Islands. And the Shang. If you recogniza anything else, it probably isn't mine.
2. The Duchess of Herris
I was six when my newest governess arrived. She was the Duchess Adelaida of Herris. She was a young woman of 27. Her hair was a muddy brown color that matched her eyes perfectly in color. She was an extremely tall woman - the tallest IÕd ever seen in fact. Her skin was unfashionably swarthy - she couldÕve passed herself off for one of the many Carthaki ladies in waiting in my mothers court. Yet I heard she was from a strange country called Tortall.
Laida - as I was allowed to call her (although familiarity with those below your station was frowned upon in my motherÕs court.)-told me she was part KÕmiri.
ÒWhy even Queen Thayet herself is half KÕmiri! She has a group of fighters called the Riders who fight all over Tortall!Ó
ÒAre those the soldiers who admit women?Ó I asked mystified.
ÒThey are.Ó She replied pridefully.
ÒBut..but...my father says women arenÕt fit to bear arms!Ó I exclaimed. It was a belief I had been raised with all my life, yet it seemed to hit Laida the wrong way.
The Duchess gaped at me ÒArenÕt Fit ! ARENÕT FIT ! Tell that to the Lioness!Ó
ÒThe Lioness?Ó I asked.
ÒLady Sir Alanna of PirateÕs Swoop and OluaÓ She said impatiently. ÒThe first Tortallan lady night in centuries.Ó
We had heard of her. My motherÕs ladies still talked about her (though not in front of me, though I heard them anyway) in a derogatory way. She had supposedly dressed, acted, and almost became a boy to win her shield. I was intrigued.
ÒDo you know how to use weapons?Ó I asked.
ÒOf course. My mother was KÕmiri. She taught me all she knew. And my father was the Shang Wolf. He taught me Shang ways. And my brother was in the KingÕs Own in Tortall, he taught me the use of weapons. And I have spent three years with the Yamani delegation under the Baron Piers of Mindelan.Ó She replied
Ò My cousins are Yamani.Ó I said.
Ò They know the use of weapons.Ó She told me. I knew that. It was that reason (and many more- as I was soon to learn) that was the reason we were so separated from our cousins.
Ò I want to know how to use them!!!!Ó I exclaimed
ÒOh really?Ó She asked mildly.
ÒI demand to learn weapons!Ó I pouted
ÒAnd what of your father? Will he not object?Ó She asked
ÒI donÕt care! I want to learn to fight!Ó I howled
ÒAll right,Ó She agreed Òfirst lesson is falling. Do it like thisÓ And she promptly fell to the ground.
Our lessons continued for the next few weeks. I had mastered falling and was now moving on to more advanced stuff. Such as a kicks.
The bow Laida was teaching me to use was huge. Since no one knew of these secret lessons, we couldnÕt get another one so I was using her old one. It was hard to draw and the arrow kept falling out of my small hands.
ÒIÕll never learn!Ó I cried tearfully to Laida.
ÒNonsense. Pick the bow up and keep working on itÓ Laida replied scornfully.
This was how most of our lessons went. I would get discouraged over something I couldnÕt do, such as wielding a Yamani glaive, and she would tell me to keep practicing. I owe all my determination to Laida. She taught me never to give up.
But you know how things are. Someone was bound to find out. But the worst of it was that Lukviian was the one to find out.
Had it been a servant, I couldÕve easily bribed them. Had it been my mother, I couldÕve talked her Ôround. But with Lukviian, it was different. He hated me.
His mother had been my fatherÕs mistress in Carthak. When my father had married my mother, then a Bellezan princess , the affair had rightly been ended. But it was too late. The woman was pregnant.
Traditionally, children by a mistress are ignored. As was my brother, at first. But when I was born, two years later, my father began to worry. What if he did not have a son? Who would his country be ruled by?
If my father did not have an heir, Belleza would revert back to Carthak. My mother would never agree to that. The Bellezans are fiercely independent; wanting to only be ruled by native peoples. The only reason they accepted my Carthaki father was that he was married to their princess.
So, as worry set in, my mother agreed that it would be best to have an heir. She agreed that Lukviian would be brought to Belleza. And he was.
Lukviian blamed my mother for his motherÕs poverty. After becoming pregnant, she had been dismissed from her position. And as many employers frown on unwed mothers, work was difficult to find. Lukviian also blamed her for tearing him away from his mother just when she needed him most; she died from the sweating sickness when Lukviian was only four.
As he couldnÕt take his anger out on the queen, he picked a closer target; me.
But I digress.
I really shouldÕve known better than to practice my kicks out in the garden. But you canÕt change what happened and that was exactly where I was on that day. Out in the open gardens. Where Lukviian was known to frequent.
I was trying to kick. If you could call it that . I was actually sticking my foot out, swiping with it in the air, wobbling, and falling down. Lukviian came strolling my way with five of his servants; all walking five paces behind him to show respect.
So there I was, on the ground, as Lukviian approached. I was totally immersed in my practice, or else I would have remembered the proper protocol to follow as the heir approached you.
He noticed me as he approached. Now, as I think on it, he might have been looking for me. Looking for me to do something wrong, I mean. And he had caught me. It couldnÕt have been better for him.
He stood behind me for quite a while, I was told, waiting for me to notice him. I didnÕt. DonÕt ask me how, because I have no idea. So as he stood there, getting angrier and angrier, I was oblivious to the storm clouds of anger growing behind me.
ÒWhat are you doing? Do you not see the heir behind you? Are you going blind? Have you forgotten your manners?Ó He asked nastily.
ÒGo away LukiÓ I replied hastily. It was dumb, and it sparked a violent response.
ÒDO NOT TELL ME TO GO AWAY!!!!! I AM ALLOWED TO DO WHATEVER I WANT!!!! I AM THE HEIR DAMNIT!!!!Ó He screamed. ÒWHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE???Ó He cut himself off, though I knew he had more to say. They were quite strong words for an eight year old, but he would not be punished for it.
That got my attention like nothing else had. I kneeled in the dirt, further dirtying my skirt.
ÒPardon me, your grace.Ó I said venomously. As I said before we hated each other. ÒI did not see youÓ
He smirked. ÒI see you were practicing kicks Phemia. Where have you learned them? Who has taught you?Ó
ÒAde..Ó I started to say, Then I realized what I was doing, and I shut up.
His smirk widened, he was truly enjoying this. ÒAdelaide of Herris?
ÒNo.Ó I protested. ÒJust something I.....picked up.Ó I said weakly.
He didnÕt believe me. ÒDonÕt lie,Ó he said softly. Hatedly he added Òsister.Ó
I knew trouble was coming when he turned to his favorite servant. ÒTell father I request a meeting about the princess Phemia.Ó
ÒBut..Ó I protested.
ÒDo not speak or I will add argueing with the heir to your list of offenses.Ó And with that he was off.
I waited untill he had rounded a bend near the rose bushes and ran to my chambers.
ÒLaida! Laida!Ó I shouted ÒCome quick!Ó
ÒPhemmy? Is something wrong?Ó asked Laida nervously. ÒFrancesca said you ran off...Phemmy whatÕs wrong?Ó She asked as I started to cry.
ÒLuki, he.... he.... Oh Laida!Ó I cried throwing myself at her.
ÒPhemmy, what happened?Ó Laida was really worried now.
ÒLuki is going to father because he saw me practicing some kicks!Ó I finally got out.
Laida paled. Teaching women to fight, particularly since I was a royal, without consent from the parents, is a capitol offense in Belleza. Laida was facing death if it was proven she had had some hand in this.
ÒLaida! Why must it be like this? Why do they insist on keeping women as meek and defenseless as mice? Why canÕt women learn the fighting arts? Why canÕt Belleza be like Tortall?
ÒShhh, Phemmy. It is Bellezan tradition. Tortall is different because of King Jonathon and Queen Thayet. Maybe one day royals here will change it.Ó
ÒWhen I am queen I will change it.Ó I said. Forgetting for a moment that I was third in line, forgetting for a moment that my life may be at risk if my father was angered at me learning fighting, forgetting that it was very unlikely that Belleza would tolerate a queen, I made a vow. In my reign, women would be encouraged to fight.
Laida laughed. ÒI have no doubt Phemmy. I have no doubt.Ó
ÒI will!Ó I insisted. ÒAnd I will also see Tortall.Ó
Laida nodded. ÒYou very well may, Phemmy. But if your father requests to see us, you need to be presentable.
She proceded to brush twigs out of my long, dark brown hair.
ÒNo time to wash it, if his majesty requests us soon.Ó She explained.
By the time I had changed and done everything, my fear at being callled to an audience was fading.
But then, just then, my door burst open. It was my fatherÕs advisor, Duke Lorden of Nansemond.
ÒThe King demands an audience.Ó
Marie ()
Lily Fireheart
DaniSue(=
jilla kala
Read some of their stuff. It's fair brilliant!!!!!!
Disclaimer; I own everyone in this chapter. Except Carthak, Baron Piers, Mindelan, and the Yamani Islands. And the Shang. If you recogniza anything else, it probably isn't mine.
2. The Duchess of Herris
I was six when my newest governess arrived. She was the Duchess Adelaida of Herris. She was a young woman of 27. Her hair was a muddy brown color that matched her eyes perfectly in color. She was an extremely tall woman - the tallest IÕd ever seen in fact. Her skin was unfashionably swarthy - she couldÕve passed herself off for one of the many Carthaki ladies in waiting in my mothers court. Yet I heard she was from a strange country called Tortall.
Laida - as I was allowed to call her (although familiarity with those below your station was frowned upon in my motherÕs court.)-told me she was part KÕmiri.
ÒWhy even Queen Thayet herself is half KÕmiri! She has a group of fighters called the Riders who fight all over Tortall!Ó
ÒAre those the soldiers who admit women?Ó I asked mystified.
ÒThey are.Ó She replied pridefully.
ÒBut..but...my father says women arenÕt fit to bear arms!Ó I exclaimed. It was a belief I had been raised with all my life, yet it seemed to hit Laida the wrong way.
The Duchess gaped at me ÒArenÕt Fit ! ARENÕT FIT ! Tell that to the Lioness!Ó
ÒThe Lioness?Ó I asked.
ÒLady Sir Alanna of PirateÕs Swoop and OluaÓ She said impatiently. ÒThe first Tortallan lady night in centuries.Ó
We had heard of her. My motherÕs ladies still talked about her (though not in front of me, though I heard them anyway) in a derogatory way. She had supposedly dressed, acted, and almost became a boy to win her shield. I was intrigued.
ÒDo you know how to use weapons?Ó I asked.
ÒOf course. My mother was KÕmiri. She taught me all she knew. And my father was the Shang Wolf. He taught me Shang ways. And my brother was in the KingÕs Own in Tortall, he taught me the use of weapons. And I have spent three years with the Yamani delegation under the Baron Piers of Mindelan.Ó She replied
Ò My cousins are Yamani.Ó I said.
Ò They know the use of weapons.Ó She told me. I knew that. It was that reason (and many more- as I was soon to learn) that was the reason we were so separated from our cousins.
Ò I want to know how to use them!!!!Ó I exclaimed
ÒOh really?Ó She asked mildly.
ÒI demand to learn weapons!Ó I pouted
ÒAnd what of your father? Will he not object?Ó She asked
ÒI donÕt care! I want to learn to fight!Ó I howled
ÒAll right,Ó She agreed Òfirst lesson is falling. Do it like thisÓ And she promptly fell to the ground.
Our lessons continued for the next few weeks. I had mastered falling and was now moving on to more advanced stuff. Such as a kicks.
The bow Laida was teaching me to use was huge. Since no one knew of these secret lessons, we couldnÕt get another one so I was using her old one. It was hard to draw and the arrow kept falling out of my small hands.
ÒIÕll never learn!Ó I cried tearfully to Laida.
ÒNonsense. Pick the bow up and keep working on itÓ Laida replied scornfully.
This was how most of our lessons went. I would get discouraged over something I couldnÕt do, such as wielding a Yamani glaive, and she would tell me to keep practicing. I owe all my determination to Laida. She taught me never to give up.
But you know how things are. Someone was bound to find out. But the worst of it was that Lukviian was the one to find out.
Had it been a servant, I couldÕve easily bribed them. Had it been my mother, I couldÕve talked her Ôround. But with Lukviian, it was different. He hated me.
His mother had been my fatherÕs mistress in Carthak. When my father had married my mother, then a Bellezan princess , the affair had rightly been ended. But it was too late. The woman was pregnant.
Traditionally, children by a mistress are ignored. As was my brother, at first. But when I was born, two years later, my father began to worry. What if he did not have a son? Who would his country be ruled by?
If my father did not have an heir, Belleza would revert back to Carthak. My mother would never agree to that. The Bellezans are fiercely independent; wanting to only be ruled by native peoples. The only reason they accepted my Carthaki father was that he was married to their princess.
So, as worry set in, my mother agreed that it would be best to have an heir. She agreed that Lukviian would be brought to Belleza. And he was.
Lukviian blamed my mother for his motherÕs poverty. After becoming pregnant, she had been dismissed from her position. And as many employers frown on unwed mothers, work was difficult to find. Lukviian also blamed her for tearing him away from his mother just when she needed him most; she died from the sweating sickness when Lukviian was only four.
As he couldnÕt take his anger out on the queen, he picked a closer target; me.
But I digress.
I really shouldÕve known better than to practice my kicks out in the garden. But you canÕt change what happened and that was exactly where I was on that day. Out in the open gardens. Where Lukviian was known to frequent.
I was trying to kick. If you could call it that . I was actually sticking my foot out, swiping with it in the air, wobbling, and falling down. Lukviian came strolling my way with five of his servants; all walking five paces behind him to show respect.
So there I was, on the ground, as Lukviian approached. I was totally immersed in my practice, or else I would have remembered the proper protocol to follow as the heir approached you.
He noticed me as he approached. Now, as I think on it, he might have been looking for me. Looking for me to do something wrong, I mean. And he had caught me. It couldnÕt have been better for him.
He stood behind me for quite a while, I was told, waiting for me to notice him. I didnÕt. DonÕt ask me how, because I have no idea. So as he stood there, getting angrier and angrier, I was oblivious to the storm clouds of anger growing behind me.
ÒWhat are you doing? Do you not see the heir behind you? Are you going blind? Have you forgotten your manners?Ó He asked nastily.
ÒGo away LukiÓ I replied hastily. It was dumb, and it sparked a violent response.
ÒDO NOT TELL ME TO GO AWAY!!!!! I AM ALLOWED TO DO WHATEVER I WANT!!!! I AM THE HEIR DAMNIT!!!!Ó He screamed. ÒWHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE???Ó He cut himself off, though I knew he had more to say. They were quite strong words for an eight year old, but he would not be punished for it.
That got my attention like nothing else had. I kneeled in the dirt, further dirtying my skirt.
ÒPardon me, your grace.Ó I said venomously. As I said before we hated each other. ÒI did not see youÓ
He smirked. ÒI see you were practicing kicks Phemia. Where have you learned them? Who has taught you?Ó
ÒAde..Ó I started to say, Then I realized what I was doing, and I shut up.
His smirk widened, he was truly enjoying this. ÒAdelaide of Herris?
ÒNo.Ó I protested. ÒJust something I.....picked up.Ó I said weakly.
He didnÕt believe me. ÒDonÕt lie,Ó he said softly. Hatedly he added Òsister.Ó
I knew trouble was coming when he turned to his favorite servant. ÒTell father I request a meeting about the princess Phemia.Ó
ÒBut..Ó I protested.
ÒDo not speak or I will add argueing with the heir to your list of offenses.Ó And with that he was off.
I waited untill he had rounded a bend near the rose bushes and ran to my chambers.
ÒLaida! Laida!Ó I shouted ÒCome quick!Ó
ÒPhemmy? Is something wrong?Ó asked Laida nervously. ÒFrancesca said you ran off...Phemmy whatÕs wrong?Ó She asked as I started to cry.
ÒLuki, he.... he.... Oh Laida!Ó I cried throwing myself at her.
ÒPhemmy, what happened?Ó Laida was really worried now.
ÒLuki is going to father because he saw me practicing some kicks!Ó I finally got out.
Laida paled. Teaching women to fight, particularly since I was a royal, without consent from the parents, is a capitol offense in Belleza. Laida was facing death if it was proven she had had some hand in this.
ÒLaida! Why must it be like this? Why do they insist on keeping women as meek and defenseless as mice? Why canÕt women learn the fighting arts? Why canÕt Belleza be like Tortall?
ÒShhh, Phemmy. It is Bellezan tradition. Tortall is different because of King Jonathon and Queen Thayet. Maybe one day royals here will change it.Ó
ÒWhen I am queen I will change it.Ó I said. Forgetting for a moment that I was third in line, forgetting for a moment that my life may be at risk if my father was angered at me learning fighting, forgetting that it was very unlikely that Belleza would tolerate a queen, I made a vow. In my reign, women would be encouraged to fight.
Laida laughed. ÒI have no doubt Phemmy. I have no doubt.Ó
ÒI will!Ó I insisted. ÒAnd I will also see Tortall.Ó
Laida nodded. ÒYou very well may, Phemmy. But if your father requests to see us, you need to be presentable.
She proceded to brush twigs out of my long, dark brown hair.
ÒNo time to wash it, if his majesty requests us soon.Ó She explained.
By the time I had changed and done everything, my fear at being callled to an audience was fading.
But then, just then, my door burst open. It was my fatherÕs advisor, Duke Lorden of Nansemond.
ÒThe King demands an audience.Ó