A/N: Hm. Only Stargirl98 got it right: Tamara was mildly based on Scarlett O'Hara from Gone with the Wind. But Tamara can be much more cold, while Scarlett insults with witty but funny remarks. She is also better liked by readers than Tamara, but not as well as Melanie Wilkes from Gone with the Wind  – who I suppose is rather Nee-ish. But Bran is (luckily) no Ashley!

I know I haven't yet gotten very far into the story, but I need some advice. Should I only continue until Bran and Nee's romance is cemented, or should I do all of Court Duel from Nee's perspective? I need some suggestions please!

Saranha de Angelo: No, you're not an idiot. I wouldn't have known until I actually read Gone with the Wind. Thanks.

Stargirl98: Good job! Thanks, I didn't know that I spelled Elenet's name wrong – I'll go look for it.

charmgirl: It's okay, it was hard if you don't know anything about Gone with the Wind. Don't worry, I'll update soon!

Disclaimer: Sherwood Smith still owns everyone, etc, etc. But Tamora Pierce sort of owns the line "you've made a conquest", which Lalassa says in Page in the Protector of the Small series. Not that anyone can really own a phrase like that, but I must admit that I got it from there. Anyway……

~ * ~ * ~

Conquests and Conversations

When Vidanric and Branaric had left the room, everyone broke into titters of conversation. Trishe and Renna came over, the former grinning impishly. "Well, Nee, I see you've made a conquest," she laughed. In the old days, that is to say when Galdran was still ruling, etiquette demanded that women did not ask such questions. But being liberated from the tyrannical Merindar rule made everyone more free with their speech and actions, and no one else seemed to mind. It was also easier and restful to be so open.

But it could sometimes be embarrassing also to let all one's thoughts out. So I raised my eyebrows and tried to say skeptically, "I beg your pardon?"

Both of the ladies ignored the comment. Renna's eyes sparkled as she put in, "And what a conquest! A war hero – the brother of a valiant countess – friends with the future king – and he seems nice and charming as well!"

"Not to mention handsome," Trishe added, voicing my own silent thoughts.

"Quite a catch!" Renna set her fan to the angle of Admiration, and then swept it into Jealousy.

"Now Renna, you mustn't cheat on your husband that way. Baron Lansion would be so upset." The usually quiet and rather subdued Renna just laughed. Normally she was only like this while riding or participating in horse-talk. But I knew that Renna loved Lans very much, and they both had the passion for horses that could never be restrained.

The talk turned to other affairs, though still narrowed to the arrival of the heroes and their recent battle. "What has happened to Baron Debegri?"

"Arrow," one of the other men in the war party said simply.

His friend elaborated a bit more. "It was a strange occurrence. The Hill Folk had come to watch the battle, and used magic on all of the arrows that Galdran's archers shot. As soon as they left the bowstring, they suddenly turned into green leaves and sprouted into the ground. But I suppose one didn't – though I don't know who shot it."

I shivered slightly. Debegri's death didn't bother me a bit – he was a cruel, avaricious man, and everyone knew it. But although I admired the Hill Folk greatly, I must say that I was a bit frightened of them too. Perhaps awed is a better word. They were so detached from us – they were not even the same species as us. But they seemed to have unimaginable powers that none of the human mages could ever attain. I still respected them greatly, and was thankful for all they had done for us. However "valiant" our troops could have been, the Merindar army outnumbered them by far. By breaking the Code of War, they could have easily defeated Vidanric and the others.

After a little while, we all dispersed to our suites or to wander throughout the garden. I returned to my rose-colored room and chatted with Ilvet for a moment as she dusted and I sat to write a letter to my father and mother. (Usually servants cleaned while we were away and tried to be invisible to the courtiers, but Ilvet and I were good friends.)

Then a knock came at the tapestry, and a palace runner entered. He handed me an invitation to a ball that evening to honor the returning men and women from the war. I smiled. Such a ball was expected and all had been invited, but it was always refreshing to receive such pretty invitations. "Ilvet, what shall I wear to the ball tonight?"

I didn't mention that it was extra-special and there was someone I might want to impress, but she seemed to read my mind as usual. "If you want to really sparkle, wear the light blue one," she remarked thoughtfully.

"Do you think so?" I frowned. "I was considering the yellow with the silver lining."

My maid shook her head. "No, my lady. The blue one calls to memory of a glittering waterfall, shining in the sun. And you are clear and pure, like beautiful water."

I blushed slightly, and then smiled admiringly and gratefully. "Ilvet, you should have been a poetess. I thank you for the lovely compliment." She ducked her head, embarrassed, but I could tell that she was pleased. "Very well. I shall wear the blue, perhaps with opals in my hair."

"That would be grand, Lady Nimiar." I almost grinned again, but this time it was out of amusement. The servants in the palace always used different phrases and words than we did. Because they had uniforms, it was how they spoke that was the "fashion" instead of clothes or looks, as it was for us. This week, "grand" was the popular word.

"Thank you." I returned to my letter.

Dearest Father and Mother,

Have you heard the news of Galdran's defeat? It must have spread all throughout the country by now. The Marquis of Shevraeth killed him, with the help of the count and countess of Tlanth. Vidanric and Count Branaric Astiar arrived at Court today, but we have been told that his sister, Countess Meliara, is still detained at Tlanth. I am eager to meet her, as her bravery has been widely acclaimed. And her brother, from the little that I have yet seen of him, is charming and witty. Tonight there will be a magnificent ball held in honor of the champions.

How is everyone faring? My friends and I are all healthy and happy, as is cousin Tamara. I miss home dearly. Perhaps now that the King has been defeated, I will be able to visit more often. But Court seems more exciting and enjoyable now that I am not forced to be here, so perhaps I will stay. I miss everyone and love you all.

With loving regards,

Nimiar

It was not, perhaps, a very formal letter. But I am not usually very formal to my own parents, and they were always liberal about those matters. I did miss them dearly, but the new happenings at Court seemed exciting and kept me from returning home.

I addressed the letter and gave it to Ilvet to deliver to a runner, along with a coin to pay them. Then I began to prepare for the ball.     

~ * ~ * ~

"Nee, would you like to dance with me?"

I smiled at beaming the Lord Deric Toarvendar of Orbanith and said, "Of course." I didn't have a crowd of swains as Tamara did, or a serious lover. But I was friendly with many of them, having known them since childhood. Deric and the shy Lord Geral were two of them.

The dance was a pleasant waltz, and I easily moved throughout the dance floor with Deric's arms lightly around me. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Savona, Vidanric, and Branaric of Tlanth entering the room.

Once the dance was over, Deric and I went over to join their group, which also included Lord Enstaeus Khialem, Renna's brother; Lady Dara Toarvendar, Deric's distant cousin and the heir to the northern duchy called Hariset; Lady Arasa Elbanek, and Renna. Usually the conversation would have been (of course) about horses and sport, but the Bran and Shevraeth had obviously not seen any of the latest races. Instead the count was relating a humorous story of the battle and their victory, with Vidanric helping out when he forgot something.

"So there we were, getting ready to fight a battle, and we all had horrible colds!" Branaric said dramatically. Everyone around chuckled in amusement. "Somehow I never expected our 'heroic' ride into battle to be punctuated by sniffles. Even Vidanric had a red nose!" At that we laughed even harder. It was difficult to imagine our rather solemn, poised friend sneezing as he issued commands. Vidanric did have a humorous side, but was rarely in a ridiculous position. His wit was based on dry, but not cruel, remarks.

"And even worse, we had to wear HUGE armor to protect us from the archers. It felt as if there was a horse on my shoulders." He winced comically. "Mel had it even worse. She's an excellent fighter, but much shorter than me. So there was no armor in her size. Her mail shirt was all scrunched up and her helm almost covered her eyes."

"Bran, when will Meliara be coming to Athanarel?" Dara asked.

 "Yes, when? We are so eager to meet your famous, esteemed sister." I sighed softly as Tamara strode over, waving her fan idly and speaking in a mockingly sweet tone.

"Oh, she'll be here soon," he replied confidently. "She's just fixing things in Tlanth. Tlanth is like her little child – she's very protective of it."

I saw Tamara open her mouth to pronounce another sarcastic comment, and I replied quickly to prevent it. "That reminds me of my father. He was like that about our county – hardly ever left for fear that his steward would not know how to deal with problems or would not do it the right way. He was such a perfectionist!"

Bran laughed. "Life, that's just like my sister."

After some more idle chatter, another dance struck up, and the group dispersed into pairs. Bran came up to me and said rather awkwardly, "Lady Nimiar – "

"Nee, please," I reminded firmly.

"Er – Nee, may I have this dance?"

He was obviously testing out courtly manners and I tried not to giggle at his attempt at solemnity. "I'd be delighted."

We walked out onto the dance floor and began. He was a good dancer. After a few minutes he asked conversationally, "Where do you come from, Nee?"

"My mother is the Baroness of Rilan. She is one of the Argaliars. My father was from the Chamadis family, and his brother is Lady Tamara's father. But he loved my mother's home very much, and since she was the last of her line, he decided to adopt into her family. Luckily my two brothers will also be able to carry out the Argaliar line."

"I suppose Mel and I shall have to live up to our family heritage," he replied. "Mel loves Tlanth so much that I could not imagine her leaving it permanently."

"And how do you like Tlanth?"

"It is my home, and I do love it, but not with the passion of my sister. My father did not have the chance to keep it up very well because of the funds."

I decided to change the subject – money is always a touchy matter. "What does Mel like best about it?"

"Oh, that's easy – the Hill Folk."

My eyes widened in awe. "Have you met the Hill Folk also?"

"Well, I have seen them, all of us have. And I have heard their mysterious singing and music. But they are very elusive and it is hard to met or understand them." He smiled lopsidedly.

"At least they favor us," I said.

"Yes – if it weren't for their assistance, we would all have been slaughtered by arrows. They are very powerful when they need to be."

I hesitated, and then decided to tell him my secret. "Sometimes I am a little scared of them."

"I know what you mean, even after having been around them for such a long time. But just ask Mel – she's seen them more than I have. While I was having lessons on how to be a count, she ran and played in the hills all day for her childhood."

"That sounds wonderful."

"Yes – to a certain extent." He sighed. "Perhaps it has made her a bit too wild. It turned out that in the end both of us are ruling Tlanth. But my father always seemed to neglect her." He faltered and then said, "I don't really know why." But I could tell that he knew very well why, and chose not to reveal it. He was not a very good liar.

But I did not get a chance to discuss it any more, for the dance ended, and Trishe had gathered a group to come over. She had been conferring with Arasa and finally said to Vidanric, "Arasa, Nee and I have organized a picnic tomorrow, Danric." I had not heard anything about this and looked at Trishe, confused. She only made the private little flick with her fan of Playfulness that was the equivalent to a wink. "Geral, Savona, and some others would be coming. We would be delighted if you and Branaric also joined us."

Danric looked at Bran, who grinned in his careless way. "Of course," the marquis drawled.

"Thank you for the invitation," Bran added earnestly. It seemed as if Vidanric had instructed him slightly upon courtly manners during that afternoon, and he was eager to display them. Although this zeal would normally induce malicious comments from most, only Tamara had the nerve to mock a friend of both the Marquis and the Duke of Savona. And Bran seemed pretty thick-skinned; at least, he did not care much for his personal image.

Trishe gave a neat little curtsy and bustled me away in the pretense of getting a glass of raspberry liquor. When we were slightly away from the group, I said dryly, "Is this another attempt to match me up with Bran?"

"Nee dear, I don't think we need to attempt much. After all, the two of you went for three dances without even stopping."

I gaped at her. "Three dances? Are you joking?"

"It's true," Arasa confirmed, smirking slightly, but not malevolently. "Many of us noticed it."

"But how could that happen? I suppose our conversation was rather long, but I didn't even hear the music changing!"

Trishe laughed. "Are you so enamored by his face then? Enraptured by his voice?" she teased.

I flushed slightly and did not reply. The truth was, the two of us had been so engrossed in the conversation that we did not notice anything else. "Very well then, Trishe and Arasa. You shall have your way. I will attend your picnic tomorrow."

"I never doubted it," she said slyly, taking a sip of the red drink mixture. "Since the Count Branaric is coming, how could I think of anything else?"

I barely refrained from rolling my eyes uncharacteristically as we went to rejoin the group.

~ * ~ * ~

A/N: Phew. Is that long enough for you peeps? Oh, and by the way, I don't know if people really understand about the title of this story yet. It's based on Bran being light, because he's always sunny and – not bubbly, but humorous and lighthearted, I guess.  And Nee is water for the reasons that Ilvet already said. I'm really not sure why I made that up. Oh well.

On a light note, just take a quick look at the words used to describe Nee thinking about Bran. Why do they all begin with the prefix "en-"? Enamored, enraptured, engrossed…strange…