Author's note: True_Blue, can I make a friendly suggestion? LAY OFF THE DAMN SUGAR!!!!
Thanks for the review, though. Guys, I'm going on holidays next week, but I should be able to update anyway as normal.
Yet More Meetings
"That's why he let me wander around for so long. I promised to be home by winter."
"And winter's coming." Thariin murmured.
"Yeah."
"All right."
He looked at her in surprise. "Really?"
"Sure. I can't keep monopolizing you, after all."
"Come with me." She stared at him.
"Excuse me?"
"Come with me. Come meet my family."
"Cerbhall…" she slid away from him a little. "I don't…"
"You're a princess. They'll love you." He looked up through his eyelashes. "Like I do."
["Is this gonna be sappy?" Max asked, making a face.
"It's a love story, Max. You don't have to listen."
"Can't you just leave out those parts?"
"No! Those parts are the point of the whole thing."
"Yeah, but 'through his eyelashes'? What is that?"
Tara looked up, spotting Cole coming into the clearing.
"You know that look Cole gets sometimes, girls?" she asked. Alyssa nodded. Taylor made a face. "Cerbhall invented that look."
"What look?" Cole asked, ambling over and sitting by Alyssa.
"Your puppy-dog look."
"My what?"
"We'll explain later. Go on, Tara. He's just proclaimed his love." Taylor prompted her.
"Who has?" Cole asked.
"Later! Tara's telling a story." Alyssa said firmly. Cole nodded meekly.]
"Just because I'm a princess?" she asked softly.
"No!" He wrapped his arms around her. "Because you're sweet…" he kissed her quickly. "And kind…" he kissed her again. "And beautiful…"
"Let go." She slid out of his arms and pushed him away, laughing. "Breakfast's going to burn."
"I don't care." he said, helping her rescue the food. "Will you come with me?"
Thariin sat back on her heels, studying him for a long time. "I'm not really one for staying in one place, Cerbhall." she said softly.
"Then we won't stay. As soon as spring comes we'll go again. Please, Deirbhile? Please come home with me." Smiling faintly, Thariin touched his cheek lightly.
"Of course I'll come with you."
"Really? You will?"
"Sure. I'd like to see the court you're the Crown Prince to." Cerbhall puzzled his way through the sentence, then he frowned suddenly.
"Hey! That was an insult!"
"Yep. Eat your breakfast."
"You just insulted me!"
"Get used to it, love. Now eat your breakfast so we can go home."
Cerbhall steered Thariin through the throne room towards the dais. The court of Tara was housed in a long, low-roofed room, full of smoke and noise and people. It was as far from their months of aimless wandering as could be. Dogs wandered through the room, getting underfoot and yelping loudly. People yelled at each other, calling for food or ale or conversation; serving girls scurried from table to table, trying to avoid wandering hands.
"Are you sure this is your court?" Thariin asked softly. "It doesn't seem right."
Cerbhall threw her a quick smile over his shoulder, not slowing down. "Guess we're about to find out." He stopped in front of the main dais; Thariin stood behind him and slightly to one side, where she could see what was happening.
"Cerbhall!" The king had spotted him and rose to his feet. "What do you think you're doing?" Thariin poked Cerbhall pointedly in the shoulder, but he ignored her. "You've been missing for months! A fine way for the Crown Prince to behave."
"Forgive me, Father. I've been…" he hesitated, looking to Thariin for inspiration. She looked blandly back at him. "…getting to know our lands and people." Cerbhall finished in a rush.
"Getting to know the girls, anyway." a voice just on the edge of hearing said. Cerbhall spun, staring out over the crowd.
"Who said that? Stand up, Adomhán!"
["A-do-van's an insult." Tara explained briefly. "It means coward. Anyone running away from battle was labeled Adomhán as a matter of course, and refusing to answer to that was an offense. Especially if the prince called you."
"So…was this guy a coward, or was he called Adomhán?" Cole asked.
"Cerbhall was insulting him." Tara said, smiling.]
There was some shuffling among the crowd, until a man a bit older than Cerbhall stood up. Unusually for this place, his skin was sallow and his eyes were very dark.
"Conchobar." Cerbhall spat. "Know this now!" he yelled to the room at large. "Anyone insulting this girl insults me!"
"I wasn't insulting her, Cerbhall, I was insulting you." Conchobar drawled lazily.
"Anyone insulting my son insults me!" the king bellowed. Conchobar hesitated.
"My apologies." He bowed. "I spoke in haste. Please accept my apology."
"Accepted." Cerbhall said shortly, turning away.
"I hope the girl's worth it, Cerbhall." the king said softly.
"She is, Father. May I present her?"
"You'd better, I suppose." The King turned and sat back down. "Present your companion, Cerbhall." he bellowed over the noise of the hall.
"Father, may I present the Princess Deirbhile?" Thariin bowed politely.
["I have a question." Danny said suddenly. Tara jumped.
"Where did you come from?"
"If you were paying more attention you'd have seen him." Cole told her solemnly.
"Never mind. What's the question?"
"Why did you bow when he presented Deirbhile?"
"Because I was Deirbhile, Danny."
"You weren't using your real name?"
"Danny, I don't use my real name now. Or at least, I don't use the name my parents gave me…I've had a lot of names."
"Can't you just use one or the other for the story?" Danny asked.
"Fine. Any time I say Deirbhile, that's me, ok? Right…"]
"We are glad to meet the Princess." the king declared.
"Thank you, King Cathal. Your court is the wonder of many people I have met in my travels, but now I am here I see they have scarcely done it justice."
"Smooth." Cerbhall murmured.
"I have my moments." she answered softly.
"Will you sit with us, Princess?" the queen asked. Deirbhile bowed again.
"Thank you, your Majesty, but is there somewhere I could clean up a little? We've been traveling for several days to reach here."
"Certainly." She gestured to one of her servants. "Show the princess to my quarters and help her tidy herself." The girl bowed and turned to Deirbhile.
"This way, my Lady."
"I'm not…" Deirbhile started. Cerbhall took hold of her arm.
"You are." he whispered. "Here, you are." Deirbhile surrendered and followed the girl out of the hall.
