Name: All For Serenitatus
Author: Diamondflame
Disclaimer: ownership: kerry :: earth : people who cannot paint with all the colors of the wind. (in case that didn't make any sense...anything you recognize, is not mine)
A/N: I seem to be incapable of updating this story at a frequency of less than six months or so – mi dispiace ( I feel like finishing it up though, so I'm going to try to be more consistent in my updates. Of course, it all depends on whether I get reviews or not, as usual. Please r/r! =)
All for Serenitatus: Part Five
The Swan Inn was almost always busy, being located right at the crossroads of Dera, a small town on the outskirts of Tortall where nearly everyone was employed at the popular inn, and Ranis, a city just on the border of Serenitatus. The roads were frequently traveled, as they were most direct paths between Tortall, Serenitatus, and Iybola. No night, however, had every been as stressful or of such great importance as tonight. For tonight, Princess Arianne of Serenitatus was arriving.
Thomas Gordine, the innkeeper, groaned as he looked out over the crowd; this was no company worthy of a princess. It was only seven thirty in the evening, and already there were drunks dancing on tables. Not to mention that on such last minute notice, Gordine had only been able to reserve three rooms for the entourage, and he knew that even aside from Arianne, there were her five ladies in waiting and her ten personal guards – not to mention their horses! And their stable was scarcely anything more than sticks holding up a hay-woven roof. But everyone knew that King Gareth had been in a rush to send Arianne away – or rather, in a rush to end the war that had so impoverished the country. He again thanked the gods for the sudden willingness of Prince Schuyler to make a compromise with his sworn enemies.
Although, he couldn't help feeling concerned about this 'sudden willingness.' The Prince of Iybola had always been notorious for his pigheadedness – and when he wanted something, he got it. For him to want Serenitatus for so long, and then give it up just for a marriage...something just didn't feel right about it.
"Sir Gordine!" His thoughts were interrupted by a small messenger boy running to greet him at the counter. "Sir Gordine, I've just seen her! Coming down the road, about a mile away! Oh, it's spectacular! They should be here any minute!"
"Calm down, dear boy," he said gently, though he too felt excited at the news. "And how many times must I ask you not to call me Sir? You know I am no longer in the service of the King."
"Of course, Mr. Gordine, I'm sorry to remind you."
"Oh, don't be silly, Ben. All you are thinking about is the beautiful princess, not my feelings." He laughed, patting the boy's head. "Run along! Go greet her!" It's time for the fun to begin, he thought inwardly. Mithros help us.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Nearly the entirety of the town had gathered outside the entrance of the Swan Inn for the arrival of the princess, and when the carriage finally arrived, and the first foot stepped out, no one was prepared for just who came out.
When you think of princesses, you think of ruffles, of huge dresses that could tent an entire family. You think of hairdos that reach the sky, and of silvery shoes that light up the night.
You don't think of a timid figure wearing a common traveling cloak, with the hood drawn up, shadowing her face, and boots.
Ben had never been so astonished in his life. This was the princess?
She glanced around nervously, taking in the people before her. "Kerry?" Her voice was quiet, not at all the arrogant, bossy tone one expected of royalty.
"I'm right here, Arianne."
"I ask you again, are you sure about this?" Their exchanged words were whispered, and buried in the noise of the crowd, but Ben was close enough that he could hear them.
"And I answer you again, Arianne, with the same answer. This inn is secure; Erin and I are well acquainted with the innkeeper. No, he knows nothing of our plans, but I can assure you, he will obtain for us privacy when it is needed." Another girl had crept up next to them, slightly shorter than the other two. Like the other two, her features were hidden under a dark cloak.
"Not to mention that he has long been an enemy of the Lord Schuyler," the newcomer added in. Arianne managed a weak smile.
"You are both right, of course. And I do trust you, it's just that..." Kerry nodded, understandingly.
"We know."
"They are waiting for you, Arianne. You should not keep them long; they are eager to see the princess. Do not let them see you uncertainty," Erin urged. Arianne turned away from them, facing the gathering, and began walking towards the inn. However, neither the sisters nor their eavesdropping companion missed Her Highness' disgruntled muttering before she parted.
"I wish, just for once, they would see me for me...not the 'princess' of Serenitatus." I wish I didn't have to put up some façade, to be someone I'm not. I wish I didn't have to be concerned with what people thought of me – I wish they wouldn't interpret a bad mood as a forewarning of danger. I wish I could be like Kerry, or Erin, and make my own decisions. I wish I wasn't here, on my way to meet – to marry – the prince. Arianne thought miserably as she smiled and waved to the peasants, the picture of royal contentment. And I wish I wasn't a part of this whole conspiracy, that I could rest easy, and not be plagued by the knowledge that in the near future, my companions and I will be responsible for a man's death.
And several yards behind her, Ben pondered the conversation he had overheard, frightened by its implications. It seemed that the princess – and her two maids – were involved in some sort of plot against the Lord Schuyler...
Involved in some sort of plot against...his father.
Ben ran up the walkway, cutting off the princess as he raced into the doorway. Someone had to know about this, and now. And he knew just who to tell.
Reader + review = happy kerry = more chapters faster (
Author: Diamondflame
Disclaimer: ownership: kerry :: earth : people who cannot paint with all the colors of the wind. (in case that didn't make any sense...anything you recognize, is not mine)
A/N: I seem to be incapable of updating this story at a frequency of less than six months or so – mi dispiace ( I feel like finishing it up though, so I'm going to try to be more consistent in my updates. Of course, it all depends on whether I get reviews or not, as usual. Please r/r! =)
All for Serenitatus: Part Five
The Swan Inn was almost always busy, being located right at the crossroads of Dera, a small town on the outskirts of Tortall where nearly everyone was employed at the popular inn, and Ranis, a city just on the border of Serenitatus. The roads were frequently traveled, as they were most direct paths between Tortall, Serenitatus, and Iybola. No night, however, had every been as stressful or of such great importance as tonight. For tonight, Princess Arianne of Serenitatus was arriving.
Thomas Gordine, the innkeeper, groaned as he looked out over the crowd; this was no company worthy of a princess. It was only seven thirty in the evening, and already there were drunks dancing on tables. Not to mention that on such last minute notice, Gordine had only been able to reserve three rooms for the entourage, and he knew that even aside from Arianne, there were her five ladies in waiting and her ten personal guards – not to mention their horses! And their stable was scarcely anything more than sticks holding up a hay-woven roof. But everyone knew that King Gareth had been in a rush to send Arianne away – or rather, in a rush to end the war that had so impoverished the country. He again thanked the gods for the sudden willingness of Prince Schuyler to make a compromise with his sworn enemies.
Although, he couldn't help feeling concerned about this 'sudden willingness.' The Prince of Iybola had always been notorious for his pigheadedness – and when he wanted something, he got it. For him to want Serenitatus for so long, and then give it up just for a marriage...something just didn't feel right about it.
"Sir Gordine!" His thoughts were interrupted by a small messenger boy running to greet him at the counter. "Sir Gordine, I've just seen her! Coming down the road, about a mile away! Oh, it's spectacular! They should be here any minute!"
"Calm down, dear boy," he said gently, though he too felt excited at the news. "And how many times must I ask you not to call me Sir? You know I am no longer in the service of the King."
"Of course, Mr. Gordine, I'm sorry to remind you."
"Oh, don't be silly, Ben. All you are thinking about is the beautiful princess, not my feelings." He laughed, patting the boy's head. "Run along! Go greet her!" It's time for the fun to begin, he thought inwardly. Mithros help us.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Nearly the entirety of the town had gathered outside the entrance of the Swan Inn for the arrival of the princess, and when the carriage finally arrived, and the first foot stepped out, no one was prepared for just who came out.
When you think of princesses, you think of ruffles, of huge dresses that could tent an entire family. You think of hairdos that reach the sky, and of silvery shoes that light up the night.
You don't think of a timid figure wearing a common traveling cloak, with the hood drawn up, shadowing her face, and boots.
Ben had never been so astonished in his life. This was the princess?
She glanced around nervously, taking in the people before her. "Kerry?" Her voice was quiet, not at all the arrogant, bossy tone one expected of royalty.
"I'm right here, Arianne."
"I ask you again, are you sure about this?" Their exchanged words were whispered, and buried in the noise of the crowd, but Ben was close enough that he could hear them.
"And I answer you again, Arianne, with the same answer. This inn is secure; Erin and I are well acquainted with the innkeeper. No, he knows nothing of our plans, but I can assure you, he will obtain for us privacy when it is needed." Another girl had crept up next to them, slightly shorter than the other two. Like the other two, her features were hidden under a dark cloak.
"Not to mention that he has long been an enemy of the Lord Schuyler," the newcomer added in. Arianne managed a weak smile.
"You are both right, of course. And I do trust you, it's just that..." Kerry nodded, understandingly.
"We know."
"They are waiting for you, Arianne. You should not keep them long; they are eager to see the princess. Do not let them see you uncertainty," Erin urged. Arianne turned away from them, facing the gathering, and began walking towards the inn. However, neither the sisters nor their eavesdropping companion missed Her Highness' disgruntled muttering before she parted.
"I wish, just for once, they would see me for me...not the 'princess' of Serenitatus." I wish I didn't have to put up some façade, to be someone I'm not. I wish I didn't have to be concerned with what people thought of me – I wish they wouldn't interpret a bad mood as a forewarning of danger. I wish I could be like Kerry, or Erin, and make my own decisions. I wish I wasn't here, on my way to meet – to marry – the prince. Arianne thought miserably as she smiled and waved to the peasants, the picture of royal contentment. And I wish I wasn't a part of this whole conspiracy, that I could rest easy, and not be plagued by the knowledge that in the near future, my companions and I will be responsible for a man's death.
And several yards behind her, Ben pondered the conversation he had overheard, frightened by its implications. It seemed that the princess – and her two maids – were involved in some sort of plot against the Lord Schuyler...
Involved in some sort of plot against...his father.
Ben ran up the walkway, cutting off the princess as he raced into the doorway. Someone had to know about this, and now. And he knew just who to tell.
Reader + review = happy kerry = more chapters faster (