Thank you, everyone, so much for all the reviews! I love them. And, um, *shifts weight from foot to foot* I wrote half the last chapter, then when away, then wrote the rest a few days later without rereading it. So I manage to contradict myself - first I say that Laeliena can't ride for beans, then I say she's practically an expert. My bad. I've decided that she DIDN'T know how to ride horses that well, so please forgive my li'l mistake. And I'm sorry about doing *this.* I wouldn't but I don't know how to make italics work on Microsoft Word. I mean, I DO, but it doesn't stay when I upload it. Does anyone know how to fix that?

Oh, and it's my birthday tomorrow (June 10th)! I'll be fourteen. So as a birthday/belated birthday present, don't you think you should give me some reviews? (If the answer's no, please don't tell me because I'm afraid I burst into helpless, uncontrollable tears and go running from my computer.)

Or not.

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I rose late, to find the couch empty already. After brushing the sleep from my eyes, my gaze was caught by a velvet dress. I stumbled from the bed over to the couch it was draped over, and picked it up, running my hands over it. It was a dark crimson that complimented my hair. The waist was high, gathered with a gold cord that matched the gold embroidery on the hem and square neck. Underneath the dress was a pair of gold slippers.

"Like I'll be able to ride in those," I said, frowning to myself. I smoothed my hand over the smooth fabric, then lifted my head. "Aiven?" I called out. There was no response.

With a sigh, I moved to the bathing chamber. I quickly bathed and dressed in the clothes obviously left for me. As I piled my wet red hair on the top of my head, I thought over last night. What else did he know, besides my chance to be queen? Could he pluck thoughts from my head? Was that even possible for seers? I shook my head to clear it, but that did not work. What did he know? Did he know my name?

"Damslae?" a voice said, and I jumped from my perch on the bed, spinning around. Aiven, dressed as a courtier - which he might well be - but then what was he on a farm? Was Kiyra a noble? Or was Aiven only noble because of his powers? What were his powers? What did he know about me?

It all circled back to that, I thought, sighing and gaining a puzzled look from Aiven. "Damslae, you're awake," he told me, as if I didn't know. "Come down - breakfast is to be served." He turned, making as if to leave.

"Wait," I said, and he turned back to me. "Last night -" I hesitated. How to start? "You could tell things from my mind. What had happened in the past? How - how does that work? Can you read my mind? Know everything about me?"

"I don't!" he said, exasperated. "I'm only a seer -"

"Only," I scoffed.

"Damslae! I didn't read your mind. That's impossible for me - "

"Sure," I said sarcastically. "Then how'd you get that bit of information?"

He rolled his eyes, then stepped across the threshold and grabbed my wrist, pulling me out of the room so quickly that I barely saved myself from falling flat on my face. "It was from before you came," he said with exaggerated patience, "I knew that a - girl - one who was - that had had the choice to be queen of Yvonhe would come."

"How?" I said, interested in spite of myself as we descended the stairs, and Aiven turned his tight hold into a gentleman holding his arm out. I rested my hand gently on his. "How did you know this? And why did you stumble when explaining what you knew? You left something out - what you mentioned at the farmhouse, about the Eternal Lah'nayin."

"I did," Aiven said, and said no more as we entered the dining room set aside for our party. The nobles were already there, and the two men rose. Aiven held out my chair at the round table, and I sat between him and Lady Jainalii. She smiled at me - she gave off a friendly air, and was still very pretty for a middle-aged woman.

"Good morning, Lady Damslae," she greeted me. "Good morning, Lord Seer," and she bobbed her head. Aiven bowed to her, oh so gentlemanly, and kissed her hand and greeted her. Then he and the two men bowed and greeted each other, and the lords greeted me. I was very tempted to just stand and shout hello to everyone and just get on with breakfast.

Hah. Like I could get away with that.

Breakfast was served by a pretty maid a little younger then me, who batted her eyes furiously at Aiven and Lord Kieran throughout the meal. I don't thing they even noticed. By the end of our four course breakfast - and this was just a random inn! - the girl looked ready to throw herself on the table to be noticed.

"The maid seemed to have something in her eyes," Lady Jainalii said, sounding quite amused. I laughed.

The three men looked at us in bewilderment, obviously not caring. "Oh?" Aiven said, but he plainly didn't really understand.

"I must say the lass did," I added, looking at the lady's sparkling eyes.

"Well, I - I hope she got it out," Lord Koilun said, clearly confused at why we were talking about a serving wench. He switched the topic briskly. "My Lord Seer, perhaps you would honor me by conversing about your destination?"

"Indeed, my lord," Aiven readily agreed. He stood, as did Lord Koilun. Koilun nodded to his son who bowed in return, and kissed the hands of his lady wife and me; then Aiven and Kieran bowed to each other (though Kieran bowed deeper) and the seer kissed my hand and Lady Jainalii's.

My poor hand. If I had to hold it out once more, it would surely fall off.

The two men exited, Lord Kieran was fuming that he had been excluded from the meeting, treated more like a child then a man. He glared at me as if this was all my fault, and his mother glared at him. Ignoring her vexed son, she turned to me and began a conversation about the latest fashions.

Now, I will not pretend I have fun chatting with middle aged noblewomen. I will not pretend I know the slightest thing about fashion in a foreign country. I will not pretend I know the slightest thing about noble's fashion. I didn't have TIME for fashion - my schedule consisted of thieving, fighting, eating, sleeping, and making sure I didn't die while doing any of the afore mentioned. No time for a frivolous thing like fashion in there.

But as Lady Jainalii was willing to uphold the entire conversation by herself, I could handle it. All I had to do was nod and smile, and make the occasional bland comment.

So I was having a splendid time - well apart from the fact that who really needs to know the difference between crepeback satin, antique satin, duchesse satin, and slipper satin? Seriously. It's SATIN, for God's sake.

Other then that, I was having an absolutely splendid time. After the satin, I got to hear about pashmina. What in the seven hells was pashmina? And why did I need to know about it? "My cousin - Lady Amleane - recently received a dress made out of it. It comes from the soft undercoat of mountain coats, and is soft as a cloud. Absolutely delightful! Of course, it is horribly expensive . . ."

I was about ready to nod off as the lady started to talk about velvet. Cut velvet, chrushed velvet, panné velvet. Spare me, please, I prayed. I had never so much as touched velvet (except when my hand brushed a nobles clothes as I pickpocketed them) before today. I had not the slightest idea what she was going on about. I had never imagined the lady could be so much of a talker. She had certainly seemed much quieter beforehand.

Before Lady Jainalii could give me an in depth description of how velvet was a warp-pile fabric, which meant something about one set of filling yarns and two sets of warp yarns, we were interrupted by a man wearing the inn's uniform. He bowed deeply to the three of us and I was saved from learning about the two sets of warp yarns.

"My lady, your husband wishes to speak with you alone."

I looked at her sharply, giving her more attention now then I had in the past hour of fabric speech.

She hesitated. "Alone?" She looked at us. It would obviously be immoral for a young lady and a young lord to be alone unchaperoned.

This is, of course, forgetting that I AM supposed to be sleeping with another lord. It was still improper. One also had to forget that it happens all the time anyway.

"If I am to be speaking alone with my husband, will the young lord be coming back here?" Interesting. She addressed Aiven as "the young lord," when before he had always been called, "Lord Seer." Were they keeping it a secret from the commoners? Why? I shook my head.

"My apologies, my lady, but I have not been informed on that subject."

With a sight and a glance at the two of us teens, Lady Jainalii rose, muttering something under her breath. The door swung shut, loud in the silence, as the door closed behind her and the serving man.

"Lady Damslae," Lord Kieran smiled charmingly at me. "I've been with you all morning, and we've exchanged nary a word." While that wasn't quite true, it was close enough. "I trust you slept well last night?" The question was innocent enough; the implication in his face wasn't.

"I slept the whole night though," I said loftily.

"You only slept?" He said, one brow raised, a smirk twisting his handsome features.

I stared at him, amazed at his rudeness. I could not keep myself from laughing; after all, if he was trying to be rude he'd have to try harder then that. He did not know that I had grown up in the dark alleys of Cyri.

"No, my lord," I said with a very amused note in my voice, which I made no attempt to hide. "The Lord Seer and I did not have sex last night. After all, we HAVE been riding all day, and I for one was exhausted." I cocked my head. "Were you not, my lord?"

He was shocked. I doubted he had ever heard a lady say "sex" once in his life, and wasn't sure how to handle it. I personally didn't care how he handled it; I was find as long as he kept far away for me - or at least, out of striking range, for if he came closer, he'd end up with several broken bones. I wasn't THAT comfortable with men yet.

"My lady!" he finally exclaimed, swallowing hard.

I smiled insincerely at him. "If you wish to provoke me you will have to try harder then that, m'lord. THIS lady's stomach is stronger think one might think. Good day." With that I whirled (alright, I admit it. I was rather pleased with the way my velvet dress -cut velvet. I think . . . Or was it crushed? - swept out behind me with a soft whooshing noise as I left the room.) I did not even deign to give the noble a curtsy, which made me feel like royalty.

That is, until I turned the corner in the hallway and bashed my high head into Aiven's, and fell down as graceful as a beaver. And beavers aren't graceful.

"Milady!" Aiven cried out swiftly bending down and helping me up while he apologized, as a courtier should. Of course, then he realized it was ME . . .

"Oh - it's you." His apology was as short as that, and then he began to berate me on how stupid it was for me to turn a corner without looking, to rush headlong like that. I sighed. As least Kieran hadn't seen.

Soon enough we had packed and left the inn, off to journey along the road, crowded with people, smells, and noise.

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Dear Diary,

Four long weeks on this road and we've almost reached the capital. Thank God. I have gotten considerably better at riding that cursed horse (whose name happens to be Dewdrop, of all things) though it still leaves me sore. And what is with sidesaddle? Why do men get all the comfort?

Aiven and I have shared a bed every night, sticking to this silly façade that we are lovers. I always lay stake to the bed, sometimes forcing Aiven to sleep on the floor. Oh well. I can't really understand the nobles treatment of me - they treat me as if I am a fine lady and as if it doesn't matter that I'm sleeping with someone before we're married - Lady, they couldn't possibly think we WERE married, could they? No - they would have made more of a fuss about meeting the oh-so-greet Lord Seer's wife for the first time. Anyway, they act like it's normal that we share a room, and I KNOW nobles don't do that.

Maybe it's different because he's a seer. Oh, I don't know. I'm just a thief. All I know is how to snitch things. Like rings.

It was rather amusing when Aiven found out. I'd been examining a small wooden box - "courtesy" from one of the inns - that I had stored jewelry in.

"What's in there?" Aiven had asked me, and I had airily replied that it was nothing. He obviously didn't believe me (I wonder why?) and he took the box and opened it. I was somewhat delighted to hear a shocked gasp.

"Damslae! This is Lord Kieran's ring! As it this ruby one - and this emerald! And where did you get the other three - and the earrings!"

"Places," I replied in my loftiest voice. "People."

"Damslae," his voice was low, filled with anger, exasperation, and to my surprise, disappointment.

"Well, what did you expect?" I asked, feeling defensive as I settled down on the bed I had taken for my own. "I'm a thief, Aiven, I've always been a thief, I'll always be - "

"No," Aiven interrupted, "You won't." He glared daggers at me. "As of now on, you are a LADY - prim, proper, pretty, and polite."

"Pessimistic, peevish, pathetic, and painful?" I added innocently, and more daggers came flying my way. "I won't change, Aiven, not for you, not for anyone."

"Oh yes you will," he said, and he sounded, at that precise moment, like the seer he was. I only stared at him a moment longer then took the box from his hand and stashed it away in my belongings.

Two weeks have pasted since then, and I have not become any more refined. Well, on the inside. On the outside, I can act the perfect lady - complete with descriptions of just about every know fabric.

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"I can't believe you're actually writing in a diary, like one of those silly ladies at court." Aiven's voice was filled with disgust, and I did not bother to explain, again, that as I had nothing else to do, I may as well record everything I do so the future generations will know the difference between cut, crushed, and panné velvet. Hah.

Instead, I pressed for information. "So you've been to court before."

His glance was filled with scorn. "Of course I have. What did you think, I spent all my days as a farm boy?"

"How should I know? It's not like you'll tell me one damn thing about you're life."

"It's not like you need to know," he said disdainfully. Interesting. I'd managed to get disgust, scorn, and disdain, all in one evening.

"And we will get to this court I know and need to know nothing about tomorrow afternoon?" He nodded. "And who will I be introduced as? For that matter, who are YOU? I don't even know the rank a seer commands."

"You'll learn tomorrow."

"Oh, I'll get to learn at court through trial and error? You'll be embarrassed, not I, Aiven. I'll never have to see these people again; you will.

"It doesn't matter," he groaned from where he lay on the floor. At least chivalry was not dead. Not that I'd given him much of a choice about where he slept, but he could have forced the issue. Involuntarily, I shivered.

"Fine. See if I care," I said boldly.

"I'm sure I will," he said, pulling the blanket closer though the night was hot. "Now will you PLEASE just shut up and go to sleep?"

I listened to him, for once, and slept.