Chapter 20: Reacquaintance

A/N:  Well, this clears up a few of the abandoned characters… It'll be a little while after this chapter again, because this is the absolute last thing I have, and I need to write some more before I can post the next chapter (obviously).  I'm going to be pretty busy to… bleck… anyway, here this is, though it's a bit short, I hope you'll all like it ;)

          Nautikaa, Princess of Galla, exited her carriage gracefully, placing her hand in that of her footman.  She swept her deep blue silk skirts up slightly, to avoid the mud.  She had come to Tortall to catch the eye of one of the Princes or one of the other available noblemen amassing in the capital.  She was also extremely nervous.  While she knew she was pretty and witty, she doubted that she could outshine the Tortallan noblewomen, who were famed for the beauty and intelligence.  Resolutely, she fixed her face into a charming smile, and entered through the front gates.

          Prince Althier of Tyra had been returning from the stables when he happened to glance over into the main courtyard.  He saw a lovely young woman step out of her carriage and into the sunshine.  He would have dismissed her readily enough, had she not stopped directly in the sunlight.  Her deep brown hair blazed with color, and her whole body became surrounded by golden light.  While Althier knew that it was only a trick of the light, he could not banish the image from his mind.  And when she stepped out of the light and began to smile, he knew he had to win her.  And he would.

          Within three months, he and Nautikaa would be deeply in love, and he would propose to her.  She would say yes, and they would prepare to be married within the next two years, in the court of Tortall, where they had first met.

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          Meanwhile, the court gossips were buzzing about the sudden attention that the Crown Prince was paying to Lady Tenera.  There had been numerous rumors about Lewen, as he had kept mostly to his close group of male friends and had seemed to ignore the attentions of beautiful women in the court.  His parents seemed happy to see him finally finding a woman he loved, and many matrons of the court were grumbling behind closed doors about his choice of women, when everyone knew that their daughters were the most beautiful and charming in all of Tortall.  It took only a short month for the announcement about the engagement to come, and plans for the long-awaited wedding were enacted immediately.

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          Irnai looked around uncertainly. This just seemed too strange.  She had been to Corus only twice before, once as a child, when Lady Keladry had rescued her from the town she had been orphaned in.  She remembered it as being huge, bigger than anything she had ever seen. She had been quiet then, and too worn down to notice much of the palace.  She had left for Mindelan two weeks later, and had only returned once more eight years later.  On the occasion of that visit, she had made her last prophecy.  She couldn't remember a word of it, and only two people, Daine Sarrasri and Queen Thayet had heard it.  They, in some secret agreement, refused to tell even Irnai what it had been about.

          -Mistress, would you please tell Myrgin that he is wrong about this place?-

          "What do you mean, Ales?" Irnai turned to the tall white hound in confusion.

          -Ales said that this is a majestic place, a magical place.  I told him it smelled like rotting meat and horse shit to me.-

          "Actually, you're both right, so relax.  Try not to rip out each others' throats. I need your help."

          -See, I told you I was right, Ales!-  The taller, elegant, arrogant hound turned his nose away in disgust at this, and Irnai struggled to not laugh at them.  Her tall mare, Dorine, stamped her perfect hooves in impatience.

          -Mistress, can we go now?- The mare shook her head impatiently, and as always, her mane fell perfectly back into place.  Irnai rolled her eyes and nodded, tapping Dorine with her heels.  Honestly, even mischievous Myrgin was easier to deal with than her two "perfect", arrogant, vain brats.  However, they were decidedly more intelligent than Myrgin, so she kept them around.

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A/N: heh… poor Irnai… anyway, there'll be more of her in the future… I think… damn me and my lack of perfectly planned out plots!

Next time: Uh…. *draws a blank* no clue… back to the drawing board