Alternate Endings
Chapter Five
Smiling as she stepped off the Yamani trader, Kel bowed to the Yamanis on deck, even though she was wearing a plain, Tortallan traveling dress.
The boat would not be leaving for several days, so she was safe to leave her belongings. Stepping off the trader was like going suddenly from sleep to awareness. There must have been hundreds of people in Port Legann.
Clutching the note that her mother had given her, she politely asked a seaman where she might be able to find Lord Imrah of Legann. When the man laughed and pointed to a large castle, Kel couldn't help but feel very foolish.
Slowly, she made her way to the castle. Once she was let inside, she saw a maid and sent her to ask Lord Imrah if he might grant her audience.
After a few minutes, the maid returned saying that Lord Imrah would see her in the study, and showed her the way.
Upon entering the room, Kel roped into a curtsey just polite enough to be exchanged between two nobles.
"May I have your name, young lady? And your reason for requesting to speak with me? Sophie didn't seem to know."
Standing straight and tall, Kel answered, "Keladry of Mindelan, my lord. I have a letter from my mother for you, sir."
He accepted the sealed parchment room Kel, then said as if he was remembering, "Ah yes, Lady Keladry, this is my squire, Prince Roald of Conte." He gestured, eyes on the contents of the letter, to the young man who had been sitting t a desk alongside the east wall. Kel curtsied as best she could for the shadowy figure that was the heir to the throne, and he stood and bowed in turn.
"You came from the Yamani Islands to become a Queen's Lady then, did you?" Lord Imrah asked, "And you need me to suggest someone trustworthy to escort you to the capital?"
"If your lordship pleases."
"My lord, if I may interrupt?" The prince spoke up, though not very loudly, and the knight and Kel both looked at him. "My mother isn't very far from here at the time. She's with Lady Alanna and the Bloody Hawk. We could, perhaps, toke her there personally?"
"And what lesson would that sere to teach you squire?"
"How to help a nice lady whom, if she's working with my mother, I might not want to get on her bad side, and know how to get out of having to do a lot of bookwork, my lord." The prince smiled handsomely.
"I think that you've been around the Queenscove friends of yours too much." Lord Imrah kept a straight face, but Kel saw his eyes laughing before the smile spread to his lips. "But, if would be nice to get out for a few days, we've been holed up long enough."
"My lord?" Kel asked politely.
"Can you be ready tomorrow morning? Good. Do you have a mount? No? Well, I can lend you one. The queen will supply one for you until you are able to get one of your own."
"Thank you ever so much, my lord." Kel curtsied to Imrah then prince Roald, and left.
Kel toured Port Legann for few hours. She was grateful that she was being allowed to sleep on the ship one last night, as that saved her money and the pains of finding a safe place for her to stay.
She was admiring some swords being sold in a small booth a little while later on Market Street when she heard a deep voice in her right ear. "Keladry of Mindelan, right?"
"She looked out of the corner of her eye, reaching for the shukusen that she had with her. "Your highness!" She said in surprise.
"If you're going to be working with my mother as you say, you're going to get pretty sick of titles very fast. Just call me Roald."
"Thank you. Will you please call me Kel then?"
"Now that we're re-acquainted, would you mind if I walked around with you? Technically, I'm supposed to be readying my lord's things, but since he's at home, the servants are taking care of everything."
After a short while of silence, Kel said, "Pardon me for asking such a rude and personal question and feel free not to answer it, but I was surrounded everyday by the topic. I was wondering how you feel about your marriage to a Yamani Princess." She knew she was being bold and stupid, but the question had come tumbling out.
He looked at her sharply. "That's right, your family is over in the Islands acting as diplomats, negotiating my future." Roald said blandly. "I don't mind. It will be good for Tortall."
Kel couldn't help but notice that he didn't really sound happy. He didn't seem affronted that she's asked the question, and he had just accepted it and answered her. That was how he sounded. Just accepting.
Chapter Five
Smiling as she stepped off the Yamani trader, Kel bowed to the Yamanis on deck, even though she was wearing a plain, Tortallan traveling dress.
The boat would not be leaving for several days, so she was safe to leave her belongings. Stepping off the trader was like going suddenly from sleep to awareness. There must have been hundreds of people in Port Legann.
Clutching the note that her mother had given her, she politely asked a seaman where she might be able to find Lord Imrah of Legann. When the man laughed and pointed to a large castle, Kel couldn't help but feel very foolish.
Slowly, she made her way to the castle. Once she was let inside, she saw a maid and sent her to ask Lord Imrah if he might grant her audience.
After a few minutes, the maid returned saying that Lord Imrah would see her in the study, and showed her the way.
Upon entering the room, Kel roped into a curtsey just polite enough to be exchanged between two nobles.
"May I have your name, young lady? And your reason for requesting to speak with me? Sophie didn't seem to know."
Standing straight and tall, Kel answered, "Keladry of Mindelan, my lord. I have a letter from my mother for you, sir."
He accepted the sealed parchment room Kel, then said as if he was remembering, "Ah yes, Lady Keladry, this is my squire, Prince Roald of Conte." He gestured, eyes on the contents of the letter, to the young man who had been sitting t a desk alongside the east wall. Kel curtsied as best she could for the shadowy figure that was the heir to the throne, and he stood and bowed in turn.
"You came from the Yamani Islands to become a Queen's Lady then, did you?" Lord Imrah asked, "And you need me to suggest someone trustworthy to escort you to the capital?"
"If your lordship pleases."
"My lord, if I may interrupt?" The prince spoke up, though not very loudly, and the knight and Kel both looked at him. "My mother isn't very far from here at the time. She's with Lady Alanna and the Bloody Hawk. We could, perhaps, toke her there personally?"
"And what lesson would that sere to teach you squire?"
"How to help a nice lady whom, if she's working with my mother, I might not want to get on her bad side, and know how to get out of having to do a lot of bookwork, my lord." The prince smiled handsomely.
"I think that you've been around the Queenscove friends of yours too much." Lord Imrah kept a straight face, but Kel saw his eyes laughing before the smile spread to his lips. "But, if would be nice to get out for a few days, we've been holed up long enough."
"My lord?" Kel asked politely.
"Can you be ready tomorrow morning? Good. Do you have a mount? No? Well, I can lend you one. The queen will supply one for you until you are able to get one of your own."
"Thank you ever so much, my lord." Kel curtsied to Imrah then prince Roald, and left.
Kel toured Port Legann for few hours. She was grateful that she was being allowed to sleep on the ship one last night, as that saved her money and the pains of finding a safe place for her to stay.
She was admiring some swords being sold in a small booth a little while later on Market Street when she heard a deep voice in her right ear. "Keladry of Mindelan, right?"
"She looked out of the corner of her eye, reaching for the shukusen that she had with her. "Your highness!" She said in surprise.
"If you're going to be working with my mother as you say, you're going to get pretty sick of titles very fast. Just call me Roald."
"Thank you. Will you please call me Kel then?"
"Now that we're re-acquainted, would you mind if I walked around with you? Technically, I'm supposed to be readying my lord's things, but since he's at home, the servants are taking care of everything."
After a short while of silence, Kel said, "Pardon me for asking such a rude and personal question and feel free not to answer it, but I was surrounded everyday by the topic. I was wondering how you feel about your marriage to a Yamani Princess." She knew she was being bold and stupid, but the question had come tumbling out.
He looked at her sharply. "That's right, your family is over in the Islands acting as diplomats, negotiating my future." Roald said blandly. "I don't mind. It will be good for Tortall."
Kel couldn't help but notice that he didn't really sound happy. He didn't seem affronted that she's asked the question, and he had just accepted it and answered her. That was how he sounded. Just accepting.