1 Eight years later
"Roald, calm down!" 17 year old Kalasin of Conté yelled at her brother who was still pacing back and forth across his room. Princess Shinkokami of the Yamani Islands brought a fan to her face to hide a smile.
"What if she isn't here?" He yelled. Shinko just looked confused now.
"Huh?" Kelandry of Mindelan asked confused as well.
"Lianne. Our sister. She is training as a Shang warrior. She promised before she left that she would be back to see Roald knighted." Kalasin told them as if she would make sense.
"Huh?" Kel repeated.
"When she was 6, the Shang warriors came and recruited her. Your mother knows her, Kel. Taught our Lianne the glaive and the shukusen." Roald finished.
"Um…okay." Kel answered.
"Roald?" Lord Sir Raoul of Goldenlake and Malorie's Peak, Kel's knight- master stuck his head into the room. "We're ready for you." Roald sighed and followed Raoul out the door. Just as they were entering the Chapel, Roald stopped.
"Lianne?" He stared at the young girl standing by the wall. She was in a 'fawn' gown with a scarlet cloak. She ran over and gave her brother a hug.
"Good luck, Roald." She whispered in his ear. "I must go. I'll see to Kalasin and Jasson and go. I don't want Mother to see me. I'll be back to see you knighted and be gone. I won't talk to you then. Mother will be there. I hope to see you again. Soon." She turned and left.
"A vision of beauty." Raoul whispered staring at where the girl had been. "Princess Lianne. I'd hate to see the Queen if she finds out. She grew up."
"She has." Roald agreed walking into the chapel.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Kally?" Loki whispered walking into Roald's room. She was told this was where she would find her sister and youngest brother. Suddenly she was grabbed from behind and a dagger was pressed to her throat. Eight years of Shang training took over and Loki disarmed her attacker and almost broke her/his arm.
"Lianne!" Kalasin screamed and startled, Loki dropped the arm she was holding.
"Kalasin!" She ran to her sister and embraced her. "I've missed you. Er…sorry." She said turning to her attacker.
"Ow…" Kel shook her arm. "I take it you are Princess Lianne? I'm Squire Kelandry of Mindelan."
"Not Princess Lianne anymore. Loki of Olau." She held out her hand. "Hello, Jasson."
"Lannie!" Jasson cried out hugging his sister. "You've grown so much!"
"You've grown too. Second year page, I hear. Golly, you're big."
"Liam is bigger." 11 year old Jasson informed her.
"That's nice." Kalasin said. "I want to introduce Roald's betrothed. Loki, this is Princess Shinkokami of the Yamani Islands." Shinko bowed and Loki bowed back.
"I have to go. I don't want Mother finding me here. I'll be here tomorrow when Roald is knighted but I won't talk to you. Mother and Liam will be too close. Goddess bless you all. And you, lady squire." Loki bowed and hugged them all before climbing out the window and disappearing into the night.
2 The next night
"You are dubbed Knight, Roald of Conté." Jonathan said proudly as he dubbed his son before his court. "Remember your vows and service to this Crown. Remember your promise of chivalry."
"I will." Roald said in an embrace with his father. He looked up and quickly scanned the crowd. Loki stood off to the left in a crème colored gown. She wore a smile watching her big brother made her so proud. Roald looked up at Jon. The king was also looking at his estranged daughter he had not seen in so many years. "It's her, Father." Roald whispered so that only the king could hear.
"I know." Jon watched Loki turn and retreat. "I know."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"It was beautiful." Loki told the man she was sitting with. "Thad, I wish you were there." Thaddeus Copeland smiled. Here was the girl he loved and she wanted him, the King of Thieves to be at a royal gathering. The Lord Provost would have his head! He brushed his chestnut locks from his eyes and looked at her.
"I wish I were there too. Loki, perhaps it is time you go back to your family." He told her gently. He had been trying for years to get her to give up her ridiculous dream of being a Shang warrior and just go back to her family.
"No, Thad. I'll not be leaving now that I've come so far. If you truly loved me, you would understand." She said angrily before stalking out of the Dancing Dove. He sighed. I do love you, Loki. It's just that no man will marry a warrior woman, thief or not. You just don't understand me. He thought to himself as he grabbed a pretty flower girl to relieve his manly urges.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Give up on my dreams! That man is such a, a conservative! No! Even a conservative would understand Shang training! He's just sexist. Loki finally agreed on an answer to explain Thad. She guessed she loved him, but there was always doubt in her mind. What did she know? She was only 16. Though she had every mark of a woman, she still thought of herself as a girl. It was easier.
"Loki? Pack up. We're moving camp again." Darien informed her, stepping out of the tent he shared with his life partner, Merriam.
"May I go tell Thad?" she asked as her heart fell. She didn't want to leave again.
"Go."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Thad…" Loki threw open the door that led to Thad's room. She froze.
"Huh?" He asked stupidly, looking up from the flower girl he was bedding.
"I can't believe you. You pig." Loki slammed the door shut behind her and slowly descended the steps that brought her back to the Dancing Dove. Having second thoughts, she turned and her cerulean Gift flowed from her fingers and shrunk the man's 'manhood'. She listened as he screamed and left the building, returning to the Shang camp.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"You're in a jolly mood." Merriam commented, looking at Loki's sad face.
"Thad." She whispered releasing her Gift from the man's reproductive organs.
"He hurt you didn't he?" Darien asked.
"I suppose I hurt him more. I shrunk his manhood as he bedded a flower girl." She whispered.
"Bravo." Merriam clapped the girl's shoulders. "No matter. We move out in half an hour. Pack up."
"Roald, calm down!" 17 year old Kalasin of Conté yelled at her brother who was still pacing back and forth across his room. Princess Shinkokami of the Yamani Islands brought a fan to her face to hide a smile.
"What if she isn't here?" He yelled. Shinko just looked confused now.
"Huh?" Kelandry of Mindelan asked confused as well.
"Lianne. Our sister. She is training as a Shang warrior. She promised before she left that she would be back to see Roald knighted." Kalasin told them as if she would make sense.
"Huh?" Kel repeated.
"When she was 6, the Shang warriors came and recruited her. Your mother knows her, Kel. Taught our Lianne the glaive and the shukusen." Roald finished.
"Um…okay." Kel answered.
"Roald?" Lord Sir Raoul of Goldenlake and Malorie's Peak, Kel's knight- master stuck his head into the room. "We're ready for you." Roald sighed and followed Raoul out the door. Just as they were entering the Chapel, Roald stopped.
"Lianne?" He stared at the young girl standing by the wall. She was in a 'fawn' gown with a scarlet cloak. She ran over and gave her brother a hug.
"Good luck, Roald." She whispered in his ear. "I must go. I'll see to Kalasin and Jasson and go. I don't want Mother to see me. I'll be back to see you knighted and be gone. I won't talk to you then. Mother will be there. I hope to see you again. Soon." She turned and left.
"A vision of beauty." Raoul whispered staring at where the girl had been. "Princess Lianne. I'd hate to see the Queen if she finds out. She grew up."
"She has." Roald agreed walking into the chapel.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Kally?" Loki whispered walking into Roald's room. She was told this was where she would find her sister and youngest brother. Suddenly she was grabbed from behind and a dagger was pressed to her throat. Eight years of Shang training took over and Loki disarmed her attacker and almost broke her/his arm.
"Lianne!" Kalasin screamed and startled, Loki dropped the arm she was holding.
"Kalasin!" She ran to her sister and embraced her. "I've missed you. Er…sorry." She said turning to her attacker.
"Ow…" Kel shook her arm. "I take it you are Princess Lianne? I'm Squire Kelandry of Mindelan."
"Not Princess Lianne anymore. Loki of Olau." She held out her hand. "Hello, Jasson."
"Lannie!" Jasson cried out hugging his sister. "You've grown so much!"
"You've grown too. Second year page, I hear. Golly, you're big."
"Liam is bigger." 11 year old Jasson informed her.
"That's nice." Kalasin said. "I want to introduce Roald's betrothed. Loki, this is Princess Shinkokami of the Yamani Islands." Shinko bowed and Loki bowed back.
"I have to go. I don't want Mother finding me here. I'll be here tomorrow when Roald is knighted but I won't talk to you. Mother and Liam will be too close. Goddess bless you all. And you, lady squire." Loki bowed and hugged them all before climbing out the window and disappearing into the night.
2 The next night
"You are dubbed Knight, Roald of Conté." Jonathan said proudly as he dubbed his son before his court. "Remember your vows and service to this Crown. Remember your promise of chivalry."
"I will." Roald said in an embrace with his father. He looked up and quickly scanned the crowd. Loki stood off to the left in a crème colored gown. She wore a smile watching her big brother made her so proud. Roald looked up at Jon. The king was also looking at his estranged daughter he had not seen in so many years. "It's her, Father." Roald whispered so that only the king could hear.
"I know." Jon watched Loki turn and retreat. "I know."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"It was beautiful." Loki told the man she was sitting with. "Thad, I wish you were there." Thaddeus Copeland smiled. Here was the girl he loved and she wanted him, the King of Thieves to be at a royal gathering. The Lord Provost would have his head! He brushed his chestnut locks from his eyes and looked at her.
"I wish I were there too. Loki, perhaps it is time you go back to your family." He told her gently. He had been trying for years to get her to give up her ridiculous dream of being a Shang warrior and just go back to her family.
"No, Thad. I'll not be leaving now that I've come so far. If you truly loved me, you would understand." She said angrily before stalking out of the Dancing Dove. He sighed. I do love you, Loki. It's just that no man will marry a warrior woman, thief or not. You just don't understand me. He thought to himself as he grabbed a pretty flower girl to relieve his manly urges.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Give up on my dreams! That man is such a, a conservative! No! Even a conservative would understand Shang training! He's just sexist. Loki finally agreed on an answer to explain Thad. She guessed she loved him, but there was always doubt in her mind. What did she know? She was only 16. Though she had every mark of a woman, she still thought of herself as a girl. It was easier.
"Loki? Pack up. We're moving camp again." Darien informed her, stepping out of the tent he shared with his life partner, Merriam.
"May I go tell Thad?" she asked as her heart fell. She didn't want to leave again.
"Go."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Thad…" Loki threw open the door that led to Thad's room. She froze.
"Huh?" He asked stupidly, looking up from the flower girl he was bedding.
"I can't believe you. You pig." Loki slammed the door shut behind her and slowly descended the steps that brought her back to the Dancing Dove. Having second thoughts, she turned and her cerulean Gift flowed from her fingers and shrunk the man's 'manhood'. She listened as he screamed and left the building, returning to the Shang camp.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"You're in a jolly mood." Merriam commented, looking at Loki's sad face.
"Thad." She whispered releasing her Gift from the man's reproductive organs.
"He hurt you didn't he?" Darien asked.
"I suppose I hurt him more. I shrunk his manhood as he bedded a flower girl." She whispered.
"Bravo." Merriam clapped the girl's shoulders. "No matter. We move out in half an hour. Pack up."