Many thanks to those who reviewed! I decided to change the end of the first
chapter anyway; Lianne has agreed to accompany Liam for dinner. Except I
kinda messed it up when I changed it, so I'll go back and fix it *again.*
Oh, well…I'm so happy, I discovered how to make little accent marks! ^_^
It's the little things…As for the story, I forgot about the evening prayer
and about no one eating until all are present, and I couldn't figure out
how to add those elements in with little effort. So just ignore their
absence. ^_^ I don't own anything except the plot and the other squires,
but some of their names belong to Tammy Pierce, too…Anyway…
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
While Liam spoke quickly to a man inside the squires' hall, Lianne steeled herself to not giggle brainlessly at any little thing her brother or his friends said, to not stare at the handsome squires she knew must be in there somewhere, to not fulfill any expectations of the shy girl she really was.
"Princess Lianne of Contè!" boomed the attendant Liam had exchanged words with.
Lianne whirled around and scowled fiercely at her brother, but he grinned and gave her a push into the hall. "Go on, now!" he whispered.
Smothering her immediate irritation and anxiousness, Lianne plastered a smile onto her unwilling face and entered. As she stepped in and curtsied to the mass of boys and young men, they clambered into upright standing then into deep bows. Lianne couldn't help laughing softly at their antics. Seeing her jerky hand movement to sit, they did; Lianne was momentarily stunned by the power she had suddenly displayed.
"Your highness." Lianne looked up to an approaching man: the training master, she presumed.
"Do I have the honor of addressing Padraig haMinch?" Lady haMinch had told her the story behind the former training master's resignation and her brother's assignment. Lianne curtsied to the hardened, scarred man; from his tanned, leathery skin to the direct, tough expression that looked as if it had been carved into his face by a lifetime of hardships, Lord Padraig's formidable figure and demeanor easily intimidated her.
In response to her quasi-question, he nodded. "Will you be dining with us tonight?" Lord Padraig's voice held a tone of annoyance, she realized, making her even more uncomfortable.
Where is Liam? she thought frantically. How dare he leave me alone like this, with his training master, who, by the way, happens to be quite irritated? "Oh, yes," Lianne replied faintly, "I believe so."
"I assume you would prefer sitting at the head of the table? A lady's place is not among the men in this setting." Lord Padraig indicated a seat next to the one he had risen from, but, to her great relief, Lianne felt her brother's strong grip on her shoulder.
"I wouldn't put you out like that, my Lord," Liam intervened with great persuasiveness. "I'm sure there's another guest who would be more in need of that seat. It's no discomfort, however, if Lady Lianne sits with us."
After a moment of initial doubt, Lord Padraig consented, clapping Liam's shoulder amicably.
Drawing Lianne by the arm to his seat and the empty one beside it, Liam murmured, "It helps a great deal to be on my Lord's good side."
Lianne shook her head, smiling. "I'm forced to wonder what lengths it takes to get on his good side; I never figured you for the mindless lackey."
Grinning, he responded, "By no means, Lianne. My Lord favors the sword, thus favoring the top fencer."
"Liam's lucky that Lord Padraig doesn't require modesty as a trait in his favorites," quipped a tall, dark-haired young man.
"Oh, and I suppose that's your excuse for never getting into my Lord's good graces, then?" retorted Liam. To Lianne he said, "This is my—ahem—friend, Julian of Cherell." Gesturing to each as he spoke, Liam continued, "Willas of Disart, invincible with the bow and arrow even by my exalted test of standard"—he was interrupted by an assorted round of snorts and scoffs. Liam sniffed and went on loftily, "Lawrence of Sendeth, the greatest mathematical mind in the realm. And this is my sister, her Highness Lianne."
A wave of "Hullo" ran through the collected squires, and Lianne replied with a small smile and greeting of her own, praying to the heavens that she wasn't blushing; Gods knew she was nervous and awkward enough. Finally realizing he and Lianne hadn't yet retrieved trays of dinner, Liam rose to obtain food for the both of them. Silent, Lianne stared at her hands in embarrassment until one of Liam's friends—the handsome Julian—broke the uncomfortable quiet.
"Liam says you spent four years at the Minchi estates, with our Lord's sister?" he inquired, gazing at her with amazing golden-brown eyes.
"Yes," Lianne replied simply, unnerved by those astonishing eyes.
"Padraig's sister?" The brown-haired Willas shook his head. "I don't envy you that time."
Swallowing her uncertainty, Lianne resolved to actually make conversation. "For a matriarch, she actually was less domineering than I expected, even kind," she said thoughtfully. "I believe I would rather spend ten years with her than a lone year with your training master fellow. I don't envy you."
Lawrence, a brawny young man that hardly looked the part of a mathematician, laughed shortly. "He enjoys dealing out the punishment duties, that's for sure. I once got armory duty for breathing too loudly."
"Well," protested Willas. "During staff practice, Stephan of Tasride—quite a nasty youth, Lianne—hit me illegally across the knee, and Padraig imparted a whole month's stable duty for stepping out of routine. A month!"
"That's nothing!" Julian contributed in the spirit of discipline stories. "Before Lord Henar chose me as his squire, Padraig actually served as my knight-master for three weeks!"
A wince of sympathy, one that Lianne could share, passed over their faces. As a tray filled with meat, rice, and vegetables slid in front of her, Liam rejoined the group.
"Speaking of my Lord Padraig, I assume?" he asked, and without waiting for a reply launched into an absurd tale of cruel, unwarranted punishment on the part of the beloved training master.
Occasionally adding in her own comments, Lianne ate and laughed heartily with the group of squires. When supper ended, she could not thank Liam enough for dramatically reducing her shyness without her even realizing it; however, she only expressed her gratitude once and kept the other thanks silent. After she had returned to her rooms, mentally reliving the past hour's activity, Lianne could barely recognize the personality who had sat in her place. Now, she actually felt at home with her brother and his friends and more affable with the palace as a whole.
Lianne pushed open the door to see a startling figure sitting in the large armchair. Her previous merriment immediately drained, Lianne froze.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
If you have any suggestions or if you just want to, please review! Thanks as ever for reading. ^_^
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
While Liam spoke quickly to a man inside the squires' hall, Lianne steeled herself to not giggle brainlessly at any little thing her brother or his friends said, to not stare at the handsome squires she knew must be in there somewhere, to not fulfill any expectations of the shy girl she really was.
"Princess Lianne of Contè!" boomed the attendant Liam had exchanged words with.
Lianne whirled around and scowled fiercely at her brother, but he grinned and gave her a push into the hall. "Go on, now!" he whispered.
Smothering her immediate irritation and anxiousness, Lianne plastered a smile onto her unwilling face and entered. As she stepped in and curtsied to the mass of boys and young men, they clambered into upright standing then into deep bows. Lianne couldn't help laughing softly at their antics. Seeing her jerky hand movement to sit, they did; Lianne was momentarily stunned by the power she had suddenly displayed.
"Your highness." Lianne looked up to an approaching man: the training master, she presumed.
"Do I have the honor of addressing Padraig haMinch?" Lady haMinch had told her the story behind the former training master's resignation and her brother's assignment. Lianne curtsied to the hardened, scarred man; from his tanned, leathery skin to the direct, tough expression that looked as if it had been carved into his face by a lifetime of hardships, Lord Padraig's formidable figure and demeanor easily intimidated her.
In response to her quasi-question, he nodded. "Will you be dining with us tonight?" Lord Padraig's voice held a tone of annoyance, she realized, making her even more uncomfortable.
Where is Liam? she thought frantically. How dare he leave me alone like this, with his training master, who, by the way, happens to be quite irritated? "Oh, yes," Lianne replied faintly, "I believe so."
"I assume you would prefer sitting at the head of the table? A lady's place is not among the men in this setting." Lord Padraig indicated a seat next to the one he had risen from, but, to her great relief, Lianne felt her brother's strong grip on her shoulder.
"I wouldn't put you out like that, my Lord," Liam intervened with great persuasiveness. "I'm sure there's another guest who would be more in need of that seat. It's no discomfort, however, if Lady Lianne sits with us."
After a moment of initial doubt, Lord Padraig consented, clapping Liam's shoulder amicably.
Drawing Lianne by the arm to his seat and the empty one beside it, Liam murmured, "It helps a great deal to be on my Lord's good side."
Lianne shook her head, smiling. "I'm forced to wonder what lengths it takes to get on his good side; I never figured you for the mindless lackey."
Grinning, he responded, "By no means, Lianne. My Lord favors the sword, thus favoring the top fencer."
"Liam's lucky that Lord Padraig doesn't require modesty as a trait in his favorites," quipped a tall, dark-haired young man.
"Oh, and I suppose that's your excuse for never getting into my Lord's good graces, then?" retorted Liam. To Lianne he said, "This is my—ahem—friend, Julian of Cherell." Gesturing to each as he spoke, Liam continued, "Willas of Disart, invincible with the bow and arrow even by my exalted test of standard"—he was interrupted by an assorted round of snorts and scoffs. Liam sniffed and went on loftily, "Lawrence of Sendeth, the greatest mathematical mind in the realm. And this is my sister, her Highness Lianne."
A wave of "Hullo" ran through the collected squires, and Lianne replied with a small smile and greeting of her own, praying to the heavens that she wasn't blushing; Gods knew she was nervous and awkward enough. Finally realizing he and Lianne hadn't yet retrieved trays of dinner, Liam rose to obtain food for the both of them. Silent, Lianne stared at her hands in embarrassment until one of Liam's friends—the handsome Julian—broke the uncomfortable quiet.
"Liam says you spent four years at the Minchi estates, with our Lord's sister?" he inquired, gazing at her with amazing golden-brown eyes.
"Yes," Lianne replied simply, unnerved by those astonishing eyes.
"Padraig's sister?" The brown-haired Willas shook his head. "I don't envy you that time."
Swallowing her uncertainty, Lianne resolved to actually make conversation. "For a matriarch, she actually was less domineering than I expected, even kind," she said thoughtfully. "I believe I would rather spend ten years with her than a lone year with your training master fellow. I don't envy you."
Lawrence, a brawny young man that hardly looked the part of a mathematician, laughed shortly. "He enjoys dealing out the punishment duties, that's for sure. I once got armory duty for breathing too loudly."
"Well," protested Willas. "During staff practice, Stephan of Tasride—quite a nasty youth, Lianne—hit me illegally across the knee, and Padraig imparted a whole month's stable duty for stepping out of routine. A month!"
"That's nothing!" Julian contributed in the spirit of discipline stories. "Before Lord Henar chose me as his squire, Padraig actually served as my knight-master for three weeks!"
A wince of sympathy, one that Lianne could share, passed over their faces. As a tray filled with meat, rice, and vegetables slid in front of her, Liam rejoined the group.
"Speaking of my Lord Padraig, I assume?" he asked, and without waiting for a reply launched into an absurd tale of cruel, unwarranted punishment on the part of the beloved training master.
Occasionally adding in her own comments, Lianne ate and laughed heartily with the group of squires. When supper ended, she could not thank Liam enough for dramatically reducing her shyness without her even realizing it; however, she only expressed her gratitude once and kept the other thanks silent. After she had returned to her rooms, mentally reliving the past hour's activity, Lianne could barely recognize the personality who had sat in her place. Now, she actually felt at home with her brother and his friends and more affable with the palace as a whole.
Lianne pushed open the door to see a startling figure sitting in the large armchair. Her previous merriment immediately drained, Lianne froze.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
If you have any suggestions or if you just want to, please review! Thanks as ever for reading. ^_^