SEVERAL MONTHS LATER!
"Why in Mithros' name am I doing this?" Loki yelled with frustration when Miriam informed her that she would have to be stuffed into yet another gown. *I don't think I can take this! It's bad enough that I'm hiding my pregnancy; I'm being stuffed into skintight gowns, too! *
"Because you wouldn't let you father subject you to a Grand Progress. That's why." Miriam answered, hiding laugher.
"I'm starting to think that Neal and I should elope! Does father plan on a party every night?" She said, stepping behind a screen to change.
"Just for one more night. Then a week to prepare for the wedding and then this is all over, Lianne." Queen Thayet answered, unaware of Loki's slight bugling. She, like everyone else, couldn't tell. Even Neal didn't know. Loki had created an illusion with her magic to hide the growing child. In a matter of just 12 weeks, Loki was just starting to barely show. She was lucky to be able to have such a small gain of weight in her condition.
"I can't wait. I'm impatient enough, not to be with Neal already, but to be in front of all those stuffy conservatives who like to criticize me for not being the perfect Princess. And calling me a hussy for being a Shang. I don't think they've realized it's extremely difficult to fight any form in a skirt. And loose clothing often restrains movement. That's why I prefer tighter, form fitting clothing. I'm proud of my assets. Thank you very much." Loki babbled, letting Lalasa fiddle with the gown.
"Perfect, as always, Princess." Lalasa smiled, being the only person to know of Loki's truth. There aren't very many ways you can explain why you need to have the measurements to all of your gowns altered to a clever woman like Lalasa. Loki had gone to her and told her, requesting that all the clothes made hid the growing child.
"Good. Now what should I do about my hair? I'm tired of wearing it in curls and in nets and all the fashionable ways these days. 3 months of that torture is plenty, thank you. I want something different."
"Perhaps a simple Yamani style would work on our 'delicate' Princess." Shintokami, Prince Roald's wife, said, handing her month old son to her lady Yuki, who was nursing her own child by Sir Faleron. Shinto reached over and brushed Loki's hair straight and smooth, with patience. She worked with the curls, taking her time as the curls fell into straight, long locks. Then she divided the hair into two portions, a top and bottom piece. Then she twisted the two together, pinning hair down with 'bobby pins' as she went. The end result was a messy, yet beautiful, complicated, yet simple bun.
"It looks great." Kel said, brushing her short brown locks away from her eyes.
"It needs something." Kalasin said, pondering. Trying to think what was missing. "I know!" She ran out of the room, returning a few moments later with sprigs of blossoms from the cherry trees. She carefully arranged them in Loki's hair, the soft pink and white blossoms giving off a sweet fragrance as she did so.
"Thank you, Kally." Loki stood, shaking the wrinkles from her gown. Diane reached over and placed a small creature on her shoulder. Loki looked at it and smiled, knowing that the animal would cause a mad panic in the nobility crowd to find as many of those as they could. But it would be impossible for them to do so, because Diane was the only one who could find the little darlings. They had the ability to blink themselves to another location when scared. This one, though, became attached to Loki because she had been present at its birth. The creature trilled a soft note, wrapping its tail about the girl's throat like a delicate necklace.
"You look beautiful, Lianne." Thayet whispered, placing her arm lightly on the sleeve of Loki's creamy pink gown.
)~(~)~(~)~(~)~)~(~)~(~)~(
"PRINCESS LIANNE OF CONTE AND HER ESCORT, SIR NEALAN OF QUEENSCOVE!" the herald yelled out. Loki smiled nervously, reassuring her 'mind-speaking' friend that everything would be all right. 'It's okay, little one. I'm here.' Loki rested her hand on Neal arms and let him lead her down the stairs and into the ballroom below. The room went silent as the deadly beautiful Princess and her fiancé walked to the front of the room and bowed, curtseyed, to her parents.
"I think they like Tiera." Neal whispered.
"I hope so." Loki answered, reaching up to stroke the dragonet. The dragonet was a relative to the dragons. They are exactly like a dragon, only smaller in size. Not growing much bigger than a large house cat. They could communicate through mind speech and came in many shades. Tiera was a silvery blue creature whose shade depended on her mood or surroundings. Today, Tiera was a silvery purple. A very pale purple, almost pink, like Loki's gown.
"What is that thing!" the whisperings started as the nobles stared.
"My lords and ladies of the court," Loki turned addressing the crowds. "May I present Tiera. Tiera is a very exclusive creature called a dragonet. She is one of the many newly discovered Immortals. They are not pets and her hard to find, being able to blink out of sight when frightened. I managed to find Tiera when I stumbled upon her hatching. Dragonets are born in eggs in certain requirements that have not yet been figured out. The mother leaves them in eggs underground until hatching. Then they hatch and dig their way up and out of the ground. I happened upon Tiera when I was in the desert with Diane because she had heard of strange sound and reporting from the animals. Tiera was one of the last Dragonets hatched. Those of her brood were long gone when we got there. She was having trouble getting out of her shell, and I, not thinking, reached down and helped her, not knowing that she would become attached to me. And now, may I turn your attention to the dining hall, where dinner will be served in a few candle marks. If I could interest you into taking your seats, we will begin our meal."
)~(~)~(~)~(~)~(~)~(~)~(~)~(
"That went well." Loki whispered, stroking Tiera's soft, scaly head.
"Yes, it did. But this is the last one. Then it's a week off, and then we're married. And I'll have a Lady Queenscove." Neal answered, rubbing her arm, lovingly.
"I don't understand why father's letting us marry. What happen to the diplomatic marriages that were going to benefit Tortall? Did I just miss all of that?"
"I'm not entirely sure." He answered.
"Well, Father's solved that problem by marrying Neal's sister to a Prince. And I'm marrying the Crown Prince that you turned down." Kalasin answered, gazing prettily over at the Tyran Prince. "He is so wonderful. Thank you for choosing Neal, Loki."
"Well, you're welcome! Besides, it would be difficult to explain why she has." Loki trailed out, realizing that she almost spilt the beans about the baby.
"She what?" Neal asked, when Loki didn't finish.
"Huh? I'm sorry. I was answering something Tiera had said out loud." She covered up her mistake.
)~(~)~(~)~(~)~(~)~(~)~(~)~(
"Kel, is Loki hiding something from me? Do you know anything about this?" Neal whispered to his best friend, sitting on the chair across from her bed as she polished her blade.
"I don't know Neal. If she is, I'm just as lost as you are." Kel answered, not looking up from her sword.
"I just get the feeling that she keeping something from me and it bothers me a lot!"
"Why in Mithros' name am I doing this?" Loki yelled with frustration when Miriam informed her that she would have to be stuffed into yet another gown. *I don't think I can take this! It's bad enough that I'm hiding my pregnancy; I'm being stuffed into skintight gowns, too! *
"Because you wouldn't let you father subject you to a Grand Progress. That's why." Miriam answered, hiding laugher.
"I'm starting to think that Neal and I should elope! Does father plan on a party every night?" She said, stepping behind a screen to change.
"Just for one more night. Then a week to prepare for the wedding and then this is all over, Lianne." Queen Thayet answered, unaware of Loki's slight bugling. She, like everyone else, couldn't tell. Even Neal didn't know. Loki had created an illusion with her magic to hide the growing child. In a matter of just 12 weeks, Loki was just starting to barely show. She was lucky to be able to have such a small gain of weight in her condition.
"I can't wait. I'm impatient enough, not to be with Neal already, but to be in front of all those stuffy conservatives who like to criticize me for not being the perfect Princess. And calling me a hussy for being a Shang. I don't think they've realized it's extremely difficult to fight any form in a skirt. And loose clothing often restrains movement. That's why I prefer tighter, form fitting clothing. I'm proud of my assets. Thank you very much." Loki babbled, letting Lalasa fiddle with the gown.
"Perfect, as always, Princess." Lalasa smiled, being the only person to know of Loki's truth. There aren't very many ways you can explain why you need to have the measurements to all of your gowns altered to a clever woman like Lalasa. Loki had gone to her and told her, requesting that all the clothes made hid the growing child.
"Good. Now what should I do about my hair? I'm tired of wearing it in curls and in nets and all the fashionable ways these days. 3 months of that torture is plenty, thank you. I want something different."
"Perhaps a simple Yamani style would work on our 'delicate' Princess." Shintokami, Prince Roald's wife, said, handing her month old son to her lady Yuki, who was nursing her own child by Sir Faleron. Shinto reached over and brushed Loki's hair straight and smooth, with patience. She worked with the curls, taking her time as the curls fell into straight, long locks. Then she divided the hair into two portions, a top and bottom piece. Then she twisted the two together, pinning hair down with 'bobby pins' as she went. The end result was a messy, yet beautiful, complicated, yet simple bun.
"It looks great." Kel said, brushing her short brown locks away from her eyes.
"It needs something." Kalasin said, pondering. Trying to think what was missing. "I know!" She ran out of the room, returning a few moments later with sprigs of blossoms from the cherry trees. She carefully arranged them in Loki's hair, the soft pink and white blossoms giving off a sweet fragrance as she did so.
"Thank you, Kally." Loki stood, shaking the wrinkles from her gown. Diane reached over and placed a small creature on her shoulder. Loki looked at it and smiled, knowing that the animal would cause a mad panic in the nobility crowd to find as many of those as they could. But it would be impossible for them to do so, because Diane was the only one who could find the little darlings. They had the ability to blink themselves to another location when scared. This one, though, became attached to Loki because she had been present at its birth. The creature trilled a soft note, wrapping its tail about the girl's throat like a delicate necklace.
"You look beautiful, Lianne." Thayet whispered, placing her arm lightly on the sleeve of Loki's creamy pink gown.
)~(~)~(~)~(~)~)~(~)~(~)~(
"PRINCESS LIANNE OF CONTE AND HER ESCORT, SIR NEALAN OF QUEENSCOVE!" the herald yelled out. Loki smiled nervously, reassuring her 'mind-speaking' friend that everything would be all right. 'It's okay, little one. I'm here.' Loki rested her hand on Neal arms and let him lead her down the stairs and into the ballroom below. The room went silent as the deadly beautiful Princess and her fiancé walked to the front of the room and bowed, curtseyed, to her parents.
"I think they like Tiera." Neal whispered.
"I hope so." Loki answered, reaching up to stroke the dragonet. The dragonet was a relative to the dragons. They are exactly like a dragon, only smaller in size. Not growing much bigger than a large house cat. They could communicate through mind speech and came in many shades. Tiera was a silvery blue creature whose shade depended on her mood or surroundings. Today, Tiera was a silvery purple. A very pale purple, almost pink, like Loki's gown.
"What is that thing!" the whisperings started as the nobles stared.
"My lords and ladies of the court," Loki turned addressing the crowds. "May I present Tiera. Tiera is a very exclusive creature called a dragonet. She is one of the many newly discovered Immortals. They are not pets and her hard to find, being able to blink out of sight when frightened. I managed to find Tiera when I stumbled upon her hatching. Dragonets are born in eggs in certain requirements that have not yet been figured out. The mother leaves them in eggs underground until hatching. Then they hatch and dig their way up and out of the ground. I happened upon Tiera when I was in the desert with Diane because she had heard of strange sound and reporting from the animals. Tiera was one of the last Dragonets hatched. Those of her brood were long gone when we got there. She was having trouble getting out of her shell, and I, not thinking, reached down and helped her, not knowing that she would become attached to me. And now, may I turn your attention to the dining hall, where dinner will be served in a few candle marks. If I could interest you into taking your seats, we will begin our meal."
)~(~)~(~)~(~)~(~)~(~)~(~)~(
"That went well." Loki whispered, stroking Tiera's soft, scaly head.
"Yes, it did. But this is the last one. Then it's a week off, and then we're married. And I'll have a Lady Queenscove." Neal answered, rubbing her arm, lovingly.
"I don't understand why father's letting us marry. What happen to the diplomatic marriages that were going to benefit Tortall? Did I just miss all of that?"
"I'm not entirely sure." He answered.
"Well, Father's solved that problem by marrying Neal's sister to a Prince. And I'm marrying the Crown Prince that you turned down." Kalasin answered, gazing prettily over at the Tyran Prince. "He is so wonderful. Thank you for choosing Neal, Loki."
"Well, you're welcome! Besides, it would be difficult to explain why she has." Loki trailed out, realizing that she almost spilt the beans about the baby.
"She what?" Neal asked, when Loki didn't finish.
"Huh? I'm sorry. I was answering something Tiera had said out loud." She covered up her mistake.
)~(~)~(~)~(~)~(~)~(~)~(~)~(
"Kel, is Loki hiding something from me? Do you know anything about this?" Neal whispered to his best friend, sitting on the chair across from her bed as she polished her blade.
"I don't know Neal. If she is, I'm just as lost as you are." Kel answered, not looking up from her sword.
"I just get the feeling that she keeping something from me and it bothers me a lot!"