Alternate Endings
Chapter Six
Once in Corus, which wasn't too far from where they came aground in Port Caynn, Kel felt awkward and out of place all over again. She had always felt that she didn't quite fit in in the Yamani Islands, and now, after trying so hard to fit in there, she came home and didn't feel as if she belonged either.
Mostly she stayed in her rooms in the Royal wing. Other than that, she could be found in the gardens or the practice courts used by the Queen's Ladies.
Something that annoyed Kel was her bodyguard. Assassination attempts were rare in Tortall, unlike the Islands and Carthak. He was always outside her door like a guard dog.
Keladry, she found out, had been the last to know of any arrangements made for her to do this. This angered her, but she rarely confided in anyone.
One day, after about a week, the Lioness came to see her. She, like the queen, was surprisingly easy for Kel to talk to once she got over her initial nerves. They had talked for a while when Alanna noticed one of Kel's glaives on the wall. The lady nodded to it, directing Kel's attention.
"What it that? It looks like fun."
"A glaive, my lady. The Yamanis call then naginata. At the court there we were trained to use them. Would you like to see it?" The visiting woman nodded, and they both rose from where they were seated, going over to the rack on the wall. Yukimi met them there, taking down Kel's practice glaive and handing it to her mistress. Kel, in turn handed it to the Lioness.
"Goddess." The lady whispered as she took it. "So, it's like staff, but with this baby at the end." She mused as she ran a small finger down the flat of the curved blade at the top of the weapon. "So how do you use this thing, can you show me?"
"Of course. I can teach you as well, if you'd like." Kel offered, and got and excited nod in response. "Yuki," she asked her friend in Yamani, "may I borrow your naginata? Lady Alanna can use mine. I assure you that nothing will happen your precious one." Kel's eyes danced as she teased her friend who couldn't care less for her weapon. Yuki preferred to use a shukusen if she could, or martial arts.
"Of course my lady." Yuki and Haname addressed Kel as 'my lady' at the very least when company was about, even if they were speaking in their native tongue.
As Yuki retrieved her glaive for Kel to use, the latter set the Tortallan visitor in the stance for 'guard.'
Kel took Yukimi's glaive and demonstrated for the Lioness to copy, a simple pattern dance in very slow motion.
For a while, Alanna taught, while Alanna copied and talked, just filling her in on little things in Tortall things she might not have heard from her brothers or sisters in their letters.
Finally, Alanna asked Kel a question. "Would you like to meet more people here? Maybe some people a little closer to your age? We could start small. With friends of mine, such as my squire. I think that you two might get along well. Besides, he's a friend of Roald's."
"That would be very nice Lady Alanna." Friends here would be nice.
"But only if you stop calling me lady. I'd much prefer it if you just called me Alanna."
"Alright Alanna, but could you please call me Kel, then?"
"Deal." She smiled and rested against the glaive that she was holding upright that was so much bigger than her small self. "Would you like to start today? You can meet my squire." She offered. "I know he's been dieing to meet you."
"That sounds nice. Bring him in at your convenience." Excited and nervous about meeting more people, Kel suddenly didn't know what to say.
"I could catch him now. It wouldn't hurt him to eat a little later than usual. Gods know that we eat at the queerest hours on the road." Alanna told her young friend. In turn, Kel nodded and Alanna left in search of her squire.
Kel's handmaidens sensed her discomfort. Their mistress was smoothing the kimono she wore that was already immaculate.
"Kel!" Yuki tossed her friend a shukusen as Kel looked up. Without thinking, the caught it and reflexively tossed it back. Haname joined soon and they played, Kel forgetting everything but the game, until they were interrupted by a visitor.
"That may be the prettiest thing I've ever seen." Came a male's voice, but it was not directed to the ladies playing. "Do you think they'll let me play?"
Kel caught the fan and held it, stopping the game. Bowing slightly to the squire who looked too old to be a squire to acknowledge his presence, Kel advanced on him and his knight-mistress.
"Nealan of Queenscove, your highness." He bowed low in a sweeping Tortallan style.
"Neal, you idiot." The Lioness none too gently nudged his foot with hers, "She's not a princess yet." The squire blanched at his mistake.
"It is a matter of little importance." Kel surprised herself by saying. "You may play, if you'd like." She added, thunking the shukusen into one of his hands, careful not to hurt him.
"What is this thing?" He nearly dropped it.
"A shukusen. In the Islands, if a lady feels she is in danger, she carries one." She took the fan back and snapped it open, letting him lose all him color at the sight of the lethal steel. She could have laughed.
Chapter Six
Once in Corus, which wasn't too far from where they came aground in Port Caynn, Kel felt awkward and out of place all over again. She had always felt that she didn't quite fit in in the Yamani Islands, and now, after trying so hard to fit in there, she came home and didn't feel as if she belonged either.
Mostly she stayed in her rooms in the Royal wing. Other than that, she could be found in the gardens or the practice courts used by the Queen's Ladies.
Something that annoyed Kel was her bodyguard. Assassination attempts were rare in Tortall, unlike the Islands and Carthak. He was always outside her door like a guard dog.
Keladry, she found out, had been the last to know of any arrangements made for her to do this. This angered her, but she rarely confided in anyone.
One day, after about a week, the Lioness came to see her. She, like the queen, was surprisingly easy for Kel to talk to once she got over her initial nerves. They had talked for a while when Alanna noticed one of Kel's glaives on the wall. The lady nodded to it, directing Kel's attention.
"What it that? It looks like fun."
"A glaive, my lady. The Yamanis call then naginata. At the court there we were trained to use them. Would you like to see it?" The visiting woman nodded, and they both rose from where they were seated, going over to the rack on the wall. Yukimi met them there, taking down Kel's practice glaive and handing it to her mistress. Kel, in turn handed it to the Lioness.
"Goddess." The lady whispered as she took it. "So, it's like staff, but with this baby at the end." She mused as she ran a small finger down the flat of the curved blade at the top of the weapon. "So how do you use this thing, can you show me?"
"Of course. I can teach you as well, if you'd like." Kel offered, and got and excited nod in response. "Yuki," she asked her friend in Yamani, "may I borrow your naginata? Lady Alanna can use mine. I assure you that nothing will happen your precious one." Kel's eyes danced as she teased her friend who couldn't care less for her weapon. Yuki preferred to use a shukusen if she could, or martial arts.
"Of course my lady." Yuki and Haname addressed Kel as 'my lady' at the very least when company was about, even if they were speaking in their native tongue.
As Yuki retrieved her glaive for Kel to use, the latter set the Tortallan visitor in the stance for 'guard.'
Kel took Yukimi's glaive and demonstrated for the Lioness to copy, a simple pattern dance in very slow motion.
For a while, Alanna taught, while Alanna copied and talked, just filling her in on little things in Tortall things she might not have heard from her brothers or sisters in their letters.
Finally, Alanna asked Kel a question. "Would you like to meet more people here? Maybe some people a little closer to your age? We could start small. With friends of mine, such as my squire. I think that you two might get along well. Besides, he's a friend of Roald's."
"That would be very nice Lady Alanna." Friends here would be nice.
"But only if you stop calling me lady. I'd much prefer it if you just called me Alanna."
"Alright Alanna, but could you please call me Kel, then?"
"Deal." She smiled and rested against the glaive that she was holding upright that was so much bigger than her small self. "Would you like to start today? You can meet my squire." She offered. "I know he's been dieing to meet you."
"That sounds nice. Bring him in at your convenience." Excited and nervous about meeting more people, Kel suddenly didn't know what to say.
"I could catch him now. It wouldn't hurt him to eat a little later than usual. Gods know that we eat at the queerest hours on the road." Alanna told her young friend. In turn, Kel nodded and Alanna left in search of her squire.
Kel's handmaidens sensed her discomfort. Their mistress was smoothing the kimono she wore that was already immaculate.
"Kel!" Yuki tossed her friend a shukusen as Kel looked up. Without thinking, the caught it and reflexively tossed it back. Haname joined soon and they played, Kel forgetting everything but the game, until they were interrupted by a visitor.
"That may be the prettiest thing I've ever seen." Came a male's voice, but it was not directed to the ladies playing. "Do you think they'll let me play?"
Kel caught the fan and held it, stopping the game. Bowing slightly to the squire who looked too old to be a squire to acknowledge his presence, Kel advanced on him and his knight-mistress.
"Nealan of Queenscove, your highness." He bowed low in a sweeping Tortallan style.
"Neal, you idiot." The Lioness none too gently nudged his foot with hers, "She's not a princess yet." The squire blanched at his mistake.
"It is a matter of little importance." Kel surprised herself by saying. "You may play, if you'd like." She added, thunking the shukusen into one of his hands, careful not to hurt him.
"What is this thing?" He nearly dropped it.
"A shukusen. In the Islands, if a lady feels she is in danger, she carries one." She took the fan back and snapped it open, letting him lose all him color at the sight of the lethal steel. She could have laughed.