"What were you thinking?" Thayet roared at her youngest daughter.
"Now, Thayet…" Jon started but quickly cut his sentence short when his fiery wife glared at him.
"I'm sorry, Mama." Lianne whispered. "I really want to train and become a Shang fighter. Please don't be so mad!"
"Not be mad? You disobeyed my every order!" Thayet continued to batter her child.
"Please Mother." Roald came to his sister's defense. "Lianne just wants to follow her dream. Give her a chance."
"Yes, give her a chance Mother." Kalasin agreed.
"Send her away. She isn't a good daughter anyway. She's always getting in trouble. Always in the fields or the practice courts. What kind of lady is she? She should be sewing." Liam said, vilely.
"Sister fight!" Jasson added wanting his two piece heard.
"She'll make a wonderful Shang warrior. Maybe even a Wildcat or Dragon! And if she were to train as a Shang, it wouldn't be looked down upon. You know very well that if you don't let her do this, she'll become a page and that would cause problems." Roald said honestly.
"They're all right, honey." Jonathan said at last. Thayet glared at him.
"Do whatever you want! But if you go, you are no longer my child!" Thayet screamed storming out of the room.
"Wait!" Jonathan ran after his angry wife.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"It'll be alright." Roald told his sobbing sister.
"No…it w-won't!" Lianne yelled. "M-mother h-hates me now! I can't g-go now!"
"Of course you can!" Kalasin told her with furious fervor. "You'll be good enough to become the Shang Unicorn! Go on! Go tell the Shang masters of your choice."
"But I c-can't!" Lianne insisted.
"Yes you can! Go on! Roald and I will take care of you. We'll talk Mother around." Kalasin told her with the same amount of zeal.
"Okay." Lianne ran off toward the Shang camp.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"I'll go! I want to be a Shang warrior!" Lianne announced as she stumbled into the tent where Merriam and Darien were waiting for her.
"Good." Darien studied the child before him. She will be a great warrior. Though there is something on her mind. "What is the matter, child?" he asked softly.
"It's nothing." She looked down to the floor.
"It isn't 'nothing'." He said, placing a finger beneath her chin and lifting her head. "Tell me and I'll see if I can help."
"Mother doesn't want me to go. She said that if I go, I'll not be her daughter anymore." Lianne sniffled. She tried her hardest not to allow herself to cry. Tears welled up into her eyes.
"It'll be alright. I'm speak to the Queen." Merriam told her. "We leave tomorrow at dawn. I would ask you to pack lightly. We'll be supplying anything you'll need. I suggest you some clothes and a few coins for pretty things you should see."
"Very well. Can we keep the fact that I am a princess hidden?" Lianne requested.
"Of course. Perhaps we will give you a new name." Darien suggested.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"A name change?" Kalasin asked as she helped her little sister pack her bags. "May I help you pick a name?"
"Yes." Lianne answered, throwing her things into a bag. "I have no coins." She stated, sad. "Merriam said I should bring coins to buy pretty things they can't give me."
"No matter." Roald said getting up to go to his room. "I'll be back in a while."
"A name? Ruth? Iris? Lillian?" Kalasin suggested.
"No, no, and no." Lianne answered. "Ruth and Iris are too far from my name and Lillian is the name of the crazy countess."
"Annie? Leah? Anna? Leanna? Leila? Loki? Loki? What am I thinking?" Kalasin babbled.
"I like that one." Lianne whispered. "Loki."
"What?" Kalasin asked stopping. "Loki? Loki of Conté. We need to change the 'Conté'. Loki of Pirate's Swoop. We'll talk to the Lioness and get her leave to use her name. Or Loki of Olau. Or maybe even Loki of Trebond."
"What is going on here?" Roald asked walking back into the room.
"We're picking a new name for Lianne." Kalasin informed the Crown Prince. "We picked Loki. But we must get rid of 'Conté'."
"Loki of Olau. I'll speak to sir Myles for you. Here, Loki." He said with a grin. He held out a bag. "It's all I have. Buy something really pretty."
"But, Roald! I can't take your money!" Lianne cried opening the pouch to find over 200 gold nobles. "There's so much!"
"It's not all mine. Someone left a bag outside your door and I simply added my bit to it. I only have 37 gold nobles." He said with a laugh.
"Thank you Roald." She tucked the sack into a bag of clothing.
"I can't believe you will be leaving tomorrow." Kalasin sighed. "I'll miss you so much. You be sure to write to me."
"I will." Lianne answered, fighting back tears.
"Be good, sister." Roald kissed her forehead. "You've best get some sleep."
"Roald? I'll be there when you're knighted. I promise." Lianne said quietly. That day she knew would be Roald's proudest day. She wouldn't miss it for the world and Mother wouldn't be able to stop her from being there for her brother.
"Good night." He got up and left the room.
"Good night, Loki. Be sure to pack Rosie." Kalasin said pointing to the porcelain doll that Lianne had received for Midwinter two years ago.
"I will." Lianne watched her sister leave and picked up her doll. The doll wore a deep blue satin gown with snow white lace trimmings. Her eyes matched the blue of the gown and Lianne's eyes. She wore her ebony hair in beautiful curls with strings of pearls in her hair. She wore a silver coronet in her hair. On her feet, she wore blue satin slippers and on her arms, blue satin elbow length gloves. And on her arms and neck she had silver jewelry draped about her. "You are so beautiful, Rosie. I wish I were as pretty as you."
"Now, Thayet…" Jon started but quickly cut his sentence short when his fiery wife glared at him.
"I'm sorry, Mama." Lianne whispered. "I really want to train and become a Shang fighter. Please don't be so mad!"
"Not be mad? You disobeyed my every order!" Thayet continued to batter her child.
"Please Mother." Roald came to his sister's defense. "Lianne just wants to follow her dream. Give her a chance."
"Yes, give her a chance Mother." Kalasin agreed.
"Send her away. She isn't a good daughter anyway. She's always getting in trouble. Always in the fields or the practice courts. What kind of lady is she? She should be sewing." Liam said, vilely.
"Sister fight!" Jasson added wanting his two piece heard.
"She'll make a wonderful Shang warrior. Maybe even a Wildcat or Dragon! And if she were to train as a Shang, it wouldn't be looked down upon. You know very well that if you don't let her do this, she'll become a page and that would cause problems." Roald said honestly.
"They're all right, honey." Jonathan said at last. Thayet glared at him.
"Do whatever you want! But if you go, you are no longer my child!" Thayet screamed storming out of the room.
"Wait!" Jonathan ran after his angry wife.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"It'll be alright." Roald told his sobbing sister.
"No…it w-won't!" Lianne yelled. "M-mother h-hates me now! I can't g-go now!"
"Of course you can!" Kalasin told her with furious fervor. "You'll be good enough to become the Shang Unicorn! Go on! Go tell the Shang masters of your choice."
"But I c-can't!" Lianne insisted.
"Yes you can! Go on! Roald and I will take care of you. We'll talk Mother around." Kalasin told her with the same amount of zeal.
"Okay." Lianne ran off toward the Shang camp.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"I'll go! I want to be a Shang warrior!" Lianne announced as she stumbled into the tent where Merriam and Darien were waiting for her.
"Good." Darien studied the child before him. She will be a great warrior. Though there is something on her mind. "What is the matter, child?" he asked softly.
"It's nothing." She looked down to the floor.
"It isn't 'nothing'." He said, placing a finger beneath her chin and lifting her head. "Tell me and I'll see if I can help."
"Mother doesn't want me to go. She said that if I go, I'll not be her daughter anymore." Lianne sniffled. She tried her hardest not to allow herself to cry. Tears welled up into her eyes.
"It'll be alright. I'm speak to the Queen." Merriam told her. "We leave tomorrow at dawn. I would ask you to pack lightly. We'll be supplying anything you'll need. I suggest you some clothes and a few coins for pretty things you should see."
"Very well. Can we keep the fact that I am a princess hidden?" Lianne requested.
"Of course. Perhaps we will give you a new name." Darien suggested.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"A name change?" Kalasin asked as she helped her little sister pack her bags. "May I help you pick a name?"
"Yes." Lianne answered, throwing her things into a bag. "I have no coins." She stated, sad. "Merriam said I should bring coins to buy pretty things they can't give me."
"No matter." Roald said getting up to go to his room. "I'll be back in a while."
"A name? Ruth? Iris? Lillian?" Kalasin suggested.
"No, no, and no." Lianne answered. "Ruth and Iris are too far from my name and Lillian is the name of the crazy countess."
"Annie? Leah? Anna? Leanna? Leila? Loki? Loki? What am I thinking?" Kalasin babbled.
"I like that one." Lianne whispered. "Loki."
"What?" Kalasin asked stopping. "Loki? Loki of Conté. We need to change the 'Conté'. Loki of Pirate's Swoop. We'll talk to the Lioness and get her leave to use her name. Or Loki of Olau. Or maybe even Loki of Trebond."
"What is going on here?" Roald asked walking back into the room.
"We're picking a new name for Lianne." Kalasin informed the Crown Prince. "We picked Loki. But we must get rid of 'Conté'."
"Loki of Olau. I'll speak to sir Myles for you. Here, Loki." He said with a grin. He held out a bag. "It's all I have. Buy something really pretty."
"But, Roald! I can't take your money!" Lianne cried opening the pouch to find over 200 gold nobles. "There's so much!"
"It's not all mine. Someone left a bag outside your door and I simply added my bit to it. I only have 37 gold nobles." He said with a laugh.
"Thank you Roald." She tucked the sack into a bag of clothing.
"I can't believe you will be leaving tomorrow." Kalasin sighed. "I'll miss you so much. You be sure to write to me."
"I will." Lianne answered, fighting back tears.
"Be good, sister." Roald kissed her forehead. "You've best get some sleep."
"Roald? I'll be there when you're knighted. I promise." Lianne said quietly. That day she knew would be Roald's proudest day. She wouldn't miss it for the world and Mother wouldn't be able to stop her from being there for her brother.
"Good night." He got up and left the room.
"Good night, Loki. Be sure to pack Rosie." Kalasin said pointing to the porcelain doll that Lianne had received for Midwinter two years ago.
"I will." Lianne watched her sister leave and picked up her doll. The doll wore a deep blue satin gown with snow white lace trimmings. Her eyes matched the blue of the gown and Lianne's eyes. She wore her ebony hair in beautiful curls with strings of pearls in her hair. She wore a silver coronet in her hair. On her feet, she wore blue satin slippers and on her arms, blue satin elbow length gloves. And on her arms and neck she had silver jewelry draped about her. "You are so beautiful, Rosie. I wish I were as pretty as you."