Winter,
in the 25th year of the reign
of
Jonathan IV and Thayet, his Queen,
464
"You do look a little bruised," Orrin observed thoughtfully, cocking his brown head as he looked down at Aremin's arm, which was splattered with purple, blue, green, and yellow bruises of all sizes and shapes. "Maybe the ladies will like your colorful arm. It's very decorative. You never know."
"Please, spare me! My dear mother has decided that it's never too early to begin planning for Corinith's future heirs, and will no doubt be throwing me at every available lady of proper blood during the festivities. Never mind that I still have my duty as a squire to uphold, that won't stop her. Perhaps I'll copy Raoul and hide in one of the back rooms until everyone goes away. It always seems to work for him."
Caelin listened with half an ear as Orrin and Aremin bantered back and forth, but the rest of her attention was concentrated on a new spell book she had found in the library. It was a fascinating read on the various types of divination and ways to predict the future. Caelin Gift didn't work to predict the future, but she still loved learning about all types of magic. Siryan would most likely have a seizure if he knew she was studying the book, because it wasn't applicable to her studies or appropriate for her supposed skill level, but he refused to let her move beyond the pace of the other first-year mages, and she was growing bored with the mundane activities he assigned her.
A smile spread across her face as she regarded her two large friends. As Lianne had predicted, Orrin and Aremin had become her closest friends, along with the princess herself. Aremin's theatrical, flamboyant, and friendly nature could brighten even the worst days, and Orrin was always there with solid, practical advice or a sarcastic comment, and his verbal sparring with Aremin was a daily source of amusement. They had taken her under their wings and helped introduce her to the nicest boys her age. They also made it completely clear to those boys who still resented her presence in the palace that she was to be treated with respect.
"So boys, are you excited that Liam's coming back to the palace tomorrow for the tournament? I dare say, things will be much more lively with the terrible trio back together," Lianne drawled from her position on the floor next to Caelin's bed. She was busy petting Baron, who had shamelessly begged her until she conceded to pet him; somehow, he always knew who the weakest of Caelin's friends were on a particular day, and laid siege until they gave up and stroked him to his heart's content.
"You have no idea, my dear, how excited we are. I'm just worried we'll be assigned to fight him in the tournament; he's got more live fighting experience than the both of us do combined, and he'll most likely wallop us. Although perhaps that wouldn't be so bad for you, Aremin. If you fight him, none of the ladies will be paying any attention to you," Orrin suggested mischievously. "They'll only have eyes for the handsome prince."
"Now there's an idea," Aremin said enthusiastically, before launching into a long aside on the many ways he could convince Liam to beat him into the dirt. Caelin was actually looking forward to the tournament coming up. She had been raised on bard's tales of the nobles and their gallant tournaments, where knights fought for the lady of their choice and the glory of victory. Since coming to the palace, she had learned that tournaments were actually fought to prepare squires for real combat and to sharpen the skills of all Tortallan knights, but she was still eager to attend. Despite Aremin and Orrin's objections, she knew they were two of the finest squires at court, and would no doubt acquit themselves honorably.
"I, for one," Caelin remarked idly without looking up, "am quite looking forward to meeting this Liam. For all that you talk about him, I practically feel like I know him already." Three pairs of eyes shifted guiltily at her words, and three hands rose up to mouths to prevent laughter from leaking out. Caelin, of course, was oblivious, as she was already thoroughly engrossed in her book again.
"I assure you, Liam will be just as excited to meet you as you are to meet him," Orrin responded finally, once he had gotten control of his fit of giggles. His words caused the other two to break out into laughter as well, and soon Caelin was the only one of the four not laughing.
"Are you sure you three are all right? Maybe that fever from last week is coming back again, and all three of you are infected. Perhaps I should notify Salma; she'll take extra special care of you, I imagine."
The laughing stopped immediately. "You wouldn't, would you? Really, Caelin, that's nothing to joke about. You know Salma doesn't like us, ever since that incident with the frogs our first year. Please tell me you're kidding." Aremin's eyes flashed wildly, and Orrin's face was stern as he tried to convince her that he had completely recovered. Watching their antics, Caelin couldn't help giggling too.
***
"I can't walk. Every single muscle hurts. I'm hurting in places I didn't know could hurt."
"Perhaps they'll take pity on us and just let us die," Caelin suggested contemplatively, feeling every bit as beaten and bruised as Lianne was. They had just finished their Sunday morning work with all the other students, and the day's lesson had been defensive tactics, in case they were ever attacked during a battle. Even though the mages and healers were just learning the basics, the pages had been instructed to wallop them thoroughly with oaken staves to drive the lessons home. Every time they forgot to block a blow or let their guard down even a little, they were supposed to be hit. The boys had been quite enthusiastic in their duty."
"Yes, but then my father would have to pay for so many funerals, and it would be quite messy. I suppose they'll just let us suffer some more," Lianne said grimly as she limped her way down the hall to her room. Caelin had been surprised to discover that Lianne had the same type of room she did, and wasn't given any special privileges because of her rank. "Oh, before you go soak your aches, come in for a minute. There's something I need to show you."
Caelin nodded in agreement and followed Lianne into her room. Once there, Lianne hurried over to the closet and drew out a stunning ball gown. It was a pale blue inlaid with silver swirl designs, and the neckline was outlined in darker blue velvet. Caelin had never seen such a beautiful dress before; it would probably feed an entire peasant family for a year. It was a work of art, the product of a master's long hours. "It's lovely, Lianne. Are you wearing it for the ball after the tournament? You'll never be able to keep those noble boys off of you."
Lianne grinned evilly and held the dress up in front of Caelin. "No, actually. You are."
"That is not my idea of a funny joke," Caelin replied weakly, stepping away from the dress. Suddenly the gorgeous dress seemed sinisterly threatening.
"It's no joke. You're going to come to the ball, wearing this dress."
"Why should I go to the ball? I'm not a noble. Balls are for important people, which I most certainly am not. None of the other students except for the serving pages and the squires will be going. You can't just make an exception for me. You're crazy." Sometimes she just didn't know what got into Lianne. As much as she loved her friend, the princess came up with the most outrageous ideas.
"You're invited now, Caelin. I asked my mother, and she said it's perfectly fine if you came as my guest. And since you are my guest, it was my duty to provide you with a suitable dress. Come on, I need someone there to keep me sane. Do you have any idea how tiring it is to listen to those fluff-brained ladies trained at the convent chatter at me? And I even have to pretend I like them. With you there, I'll at least have someone to talk who won't rot my brains. Please?"
Caelin frowned sternly. "Oh no. Don't start with the pouting. I can't, Lianne. I wouldn't know the first thing about attending a ball. It would be a scandal! People would never forgive you, and that would be bad for your family. And besides, that dress would never fit me anyway."
"Oh yes it would. I took your measurements from the palace tailors. It's a perfect fit, and if not, we can always get it fixed. We have three days, after all. And I can teach you everything you need to know about going to a ball; Goddess knows I've been to more than my fair share of them. Come on Caelin, do this one favor for me? I'll love you forever."
It's got to be the pout. I've seen her turn the charm onto Aremin and Orrin, but she's never done it to me. Curse that pout.
And, to be perfectly honest, for all that Lianne had done for her, she owed the princess more than she could ever repay in one lifetime. "I suppose you want me to try the dress on now?"
Anything else Caelin could have said was drowned out by Lianne's squeal of delight.
***
"So, how do I look. Be honest now, Caelin, I couldn't stand it if you lied to me. I await your sharp tongue with anticipation and delight."
Caelin looked over Aremin and grinned. "Sorry, there's nothing for me to complain about. You look wonderful." It was true. Aremin was a character out of a tale, outfitted in light silver chain mail, his sword hanging at his side, the bright colors of his knight-master, Duke Gareth the Younger of Naxen, gleaming on his shield. "I still don't understand why you have to get all dressed up. I thought tournaments were for you to learn how to fight, not to look pretty."
"They are," Orrin called over from the other side of Caelin's room, where Lianne was hastily polishing part of his armor. "But because this is such a big event, when the introductions of all the competitors are read off and we're paired with our opponents for the events, we're supposed to look nice. We have to impress all the ambassadors and dignitaries from foreign countries with our chivalry as well as our fighting prowess. Its really a bit of a circus before the actual fighting begins."
"You'd think that after winning three consecutive wars in a row, people would stop trying to conquer us," Lianne muttered as she finished polishing Orrin's breastplate and pronounced it fit. "But no, they always decide we're weak just because we don't regularly try to build an empire and start something new."
The four of them looked at each other nervously, wondering if they too would be called on to fight for their kingdom. Then Aremin cleared his throat and said, "Well ladies, I suppose there's no putting it off. We need to go find Gary and Neal. Wish us luck, and we'll see you tonight at the ball, even if we won't be able to talk to you."
Caelin and Lianne chorused their well wishes as Aremin and Orrin left Caelin's room. The two girls talked idly for a while before Lianne finally said, "All right, let's go down to the tournament area. I can't stand the pressure. Besides, we don't have anything else to do."
Caelin grabbed a fur-lined jacket before following Lianne down the hall. Tortall was experiencing the warmest winter in living memory, warm enough for even the Lioness to remain at the palace for Midwinter without complaining. Although extra layers were still needed when venturing outside, the tournament was being held outside for the first time, and would include jousting. In previous years, jousting hadn't been included in the Midwinter Tournament because it had to be held indoors in the great ballroom.
When they reached the outdoor practice courts, Caelin was surprised to see that they had been transformed into tournament grounds. All around the practice courts, chairs had been set up for spectators. Flags flapped merrily in the breeze and banners were stretched between trees everywhere. The coats of arms of every knight participating in the event were displayed prominently on either side of the practice courts. Colors radiated in the early morning sun. Ladies in their elegant dresses and coats waved handkerchiefs at the men of their choice as the knights and squires began to assemble on the courts. Near the stable, more chairs had been set up lining the jousting area. Stefan was busily helping to prepare horses as the tournament neared its start. He looked harried and harassed from all the activity, but was completely in his element as he directed grooms to polish the horses to a fine shine. On a raised wooden platform, King Jonathan, Queen Thayet, and the various ambassadors and important dignitaries were already sitting down, talking and laughing merrily, their breath curling up in the chilly winter air.
"Why aren't you sitting up there?" Caelin asked as Lianne led the way to two seats in the front row, near several other students their age.
"Because I begged and pleaded not to have to sit up there, that's why. If Kalasin were here with Kaddar, she would have to, but because I'm only the second princess, I get a little more freedom. Besides, tonight will be more than enough time for all my prospective husbands to look me over." Lianne shuddered. "I'd much rather be serving with Aremin and Orrin; the pages and squires get all the luck. And you only have to go to one of the balls this week; I have to attend seven!"
Caelin listened to Lianne ramble on with one ear, while the rest of her attention was focused on the myriad of sights around her. Soon the last of the seats had been filled, and all the competitors were assembled on the practice courts. King Jonathan called for the crowd's attention and welcomed them all to the Midwinter Tournament. Then a man wearing palace livery began introducing all of the knights, his voice augmented by a spell, followed by their squires, if they had any, and ending with the squires without knight-masters. Or mistresses.
She couldn't believe when the herald introduced Sir Alanna and Sir Keladry. The King's Champion, despite being middle-aged, still looked agile and impressive in gold-washed armor with her Lioness shield prominently displayed on her arm. Of course, Caelin was sitting close enough to see that the knight with fiery red hair and purple eyes was less than pleased to be taking part in the theatrical aspect of the tournament. From the sadistic gleam in her eyes, she was looking forward to the fighting that was to come. Sir Keladry was standing slightly farther down the line, far enough away so that Caelin couldn't see her face, but she could tell that the Lady Knight was talking with Sir Nealan of Queenscove, her best friend, and her betrothed, Sir Cleon of Kennan.
When Aremin and Orrin were announced, Lianne and Caelin cheered loudly, along with the rest of the pages in the crowd. Unlike some of their peers, Aremin and Orrin were always kind to the younger pages, and were clearly the most well liked squires at court. The last knight and squire pair to be announced was Sir Raoul, the Knight Commander of the King's Own, and his squire, Prince Liam of Conté. The entire crowd cheered for the prince, if not quite as loudly as they had cheered for his brother Roald, the heir.
Caelin tried to get a glimpse of the young man her friends had spoken so highly of, and his famous knight master, but they were so far down the line of competitors it was impossible to see anything. Once the cheering had died down, the herald announced that the lists of assigned competitors would be posted on the wall of the stable. The knights and squires had half a bell to change into their fighting clothes and be back to begin the first part of the tournament, which was fencing, followed by archery, hand-to-hand combat, and then jousting.
For the two girls, time passed quickly enough. They cheerfully tried to guess whom Liam, Aremin, and Orrin would be fighting and predicted which knights would win each event. The events would be run as a knockout tournament. The competitors would be randomly paired up, and whoever won the first fight would move on to the next round. Whichever knight defeated every opponent he or she faced would be proclaimed the winner. Two royal officials judged each bout, men with fighting experience who were well paid so that they wouldn't accept bribes.
When all the knights and squires assembled again, the herald read off the pairings for the benefit of the spectators. Caelin groaned when she heard that Aremin would be fighting Sir Owen of Jesslaw, one of the best knights in the realm, but was pleased to discover that Orrin had drawn a fellow squire. As expected, Aremin lost to Owen, but he fought well, and Owen congratulated him honestly on his skills after their bout. Orrin handily beat his opponent, and sat down on one of the many benches provided for the fighters as he waited for the rest of the bouts to finish.
After the first round, the only squires remaining were Orrin, Liam, and a squire who had just arrived at the palace wearing Cleon of Kennan's colors. Liam and the strange squire faced little known knights, and while the other squire lost, Liam beat his opponent to the crowd's delight. Orrin, unfortunately, drew Alanna the Lioness, and lost to her by a landslide. He didn't seem upset as he shook hands with the Champion, and his eyes were slightly glassy as he walked over to sit with Aremin.
"I think Orrin has a little crush," Lianne whispered to Caelin as Orrin re-enacted every move of their short bout. Slowly the numbers of competitors thinned, until the two remaining were, to the crowd's amusement, Sir Alanna and Sir Keladry. The two women grinned at each other, saluted the king with their swords, and began to fight. Both were excellent swordswomen, and the battle raged fiercely, until finally, Alanna defeated Keladry in an ingenious move that made the crowd roar.
The next event, archery, didn't go as well for Caelin's friends. She didn't even recognize most of the competitors that moved onto the final rounds, and the winner was completely unknown to her. The next event, hand-to-hand combat, was less interesting to watch. It wasn't until the final bout that Caelin really paid attention, and was stunned to find that Liam was one of the competitors, and the other a lithe looking Bazhir who had done well in both the previous events, and was an expert in combat without weapons. He had taken the Lioness down after a long and grueling match, although admittedly, wrestling had never been the Lioness's forte.
"This should be interesting," Lianne murmured as she leaned forward in her seat to watch. "The knight is the son of a Bazhir chief, and he was one of the first full Bazhir to ever win his shield. He learned from the best, and even received lessons from traveling Shang masters. But Liam has been training with the Shang Wildcat and Horse since he was six years old, and if he had really wanted to, I think my father would have let him join their order. But Liam's always been dead set on being a knight, so the Shang have to do without."
The new information was startling, and made Caelin pay even closer attention. Once the bout began, the two warriors circled each other warily, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Finally the Bazhir attacked Liam, and the two exchanged lightning quick kicks and punches, neither giving the other an advantage. Another flurry of fighting left the Bazhir favoring his right arm. Liam took the opening and let fly with a hard kick, rendering the Bazhir's arm useless and then knocking him unconscious with a seemingly light tap to the head.
Once again the crowd cheered loudly, and Caelin's curiosity was piqued even more by Lianne's mysterious brother. The last event of the day, before the knights and squires soaked away their bruises and the ladies prepared for the ball, was jousting. Jousting was something that fascinated Caelin, since she still found riding to be an intimidating activity; Dom hadn't had time to teach her since they'd arrived at the palace.
To Caelin and Lianne's surprise, Orrin, Aremin, and Liam all made it to the third round of the jousting. In that round, Orrin was unhorsed three times by Lord Wyldon, the old training master, and one of the best jousters in the realm. Liam drew his knight-master, Raoul, and although he managed not to fall off, was declared the loser. Aremin lost to Sir Keladry, but only fell off on one of their three runs. In the end, Sir Raoul was the undefeated champion, but only by a hair over Lord Wyldon.
The winners of all the events were given a prize of several gold coins and their pick of the weapon of their choice from Raven Armory, the most expensive and prized armory in the kingdom. It was late in the afternoon when all the presentations were finished, and the princess dragged Caelin to the women's baths so they could clean all of the dust off that they had acquired from watching the tournament. Then Lianne brought Caelin back to her room, where they could both dress. Caelin was sitting on Lianne's bed waiting for the princess to get Caelin's dress from the closet when a knock sounded on the door.
At Lianne's request, Caelin walked over and opened the door. To her complete astonishment, Queen Thayet stood with two servants and a third woman who looked vaguely familiar. "Hello, Caelin, it's nice to see you again. How are your studies coming?"
Caelin stuttered something to the queen and opened the door completely to let the women in. The two servants carried pins, bottles of unknown substances, and various other items, of which Caelin had no idea what their uses were. Lianne's room, which normally easily fit Caelin, Liane, Orrin, and Aremin, was now crowded to the bursting point. "I know this is a little uncomfortable," the queen continued, "but it's a tradition for Lianne and I to get dressed for balls together, ever since she tried to help me as a little girl and ended up pouring black ink all over the dress. She was three at the time," the queen explained, a nostalgic smile gracing her face.
Lianne's face, which was already flushed from her mother's story, turned an even brighter red when Caelin glared at her. "A warning would have been nice," Caelin whispered to her viciously as the queen retreated behind a screen with a servant to change into her dress. Lianne introduced the familiar-looking woman as Lalasa, the seamstress who had created Caelin, Lianne, and Thayet's dresses. The businesslike woman soon had Caelin and Lianne changed into their dresses. Liane's was a forest green dress that was elegant in its simplicity. The only embellishment was black embroidery at the neckline, and pearls sewn into the cuffs of each sleeve. The queen's dress was maroon and silver, with patterns of silver embroidery in the maroon velvet. Like Lianne's dress, Thayet's dress had jewels at the sleeves, but also across the circular neckline and the hem of the dress.
Next to Thayet and Liane, Caelin felt like an ugly duckling. Whereas before her dress had seemed extravagant and much to fancy for her, it now seemed to be barely passable for such an illustrious event. Caelin grimly imagined all of the ways the night could and would go wrong as the two servants began brushing all sorts of strange powders on her face. Once they had put on enough face paint to satisfy the watching Lianne and Thayet, they started pulling Caelin's hair into complicated twists, and stuck pins into her head viciously. There were tears in Caelin's eyes by the time the two women had finished their work, and although Lianne and Thayet whistled, they wouldn't let her look in the mirror yet. Another hour and a half passed as Thayet and Lianne had their hair and makeup done. Caelin felt a little more optimistic when she saw how perfect they looked, but then, they were both stunningly beautiful, and she was only average.
"All right, ladies, now you can look." Lalasa moved away from the mirror she had been standing in front of, and Caelin eagerly followed Thayet and Lianne to see how she looked. If she had been surprised when Daine had spent a few minutes fixing up her appearance before the trial, now she was absolutely stunned. Besides the dress, and the makeup that improved her appearance without being obvious, her hair was the crowning achievement. Most of the blond waves still hung down her back, but the two servants had pulled some of her hair up into a complicated knot on the back of her head, and stuck tiny jeweled pins into the knot to make it twinkle.
Caelin couldn't find the words to thank the servants, Lalasa, the Queen, and Lianne for their efforts. Every attempt was waved off, until Thayet finally ordered Caelin to desist with her 'yammering.' An order was an order, but her gratefulness still shone from her eyes. Once they had eaten a small meal, one that gave them energy but didn't weigh them down, Thayet sighed and regarded the two girls. "Well, there's no putting this off any longer. Shall we go?"
Caelin's heart was in her throat as they started down the hall on the long walk towards the royal ballroom. They passed elegantly dressed nobles every step of the way, all of whom insisted on greeting Thayet and Lianne. Caelin was grateful for their presence, because it meant the nobles were too busy socializing with royalty to notice the third member of their party. Two servants were waiting by the ornately carved, oaken doors that led to the ballroom. As they approached, the servants bowed and swung the doors open.
Never before had Caelin seen a more spectacular sight. The ballroom was the biggest room in the palace following the royal library. Golden mage lights shone everywhere, illuminating the huge room easily, even though the sun had long since dropped beneath the horizon. The floor was made of ceramic tiles with elaborate designs and brilliant colors, and the ceiling and walls were tan with ornate wooden carvings along the top edge where the walls and ceiling met. The room was already filled with dozens of nobles, with more and more arriving every second. The squires and pages, all in their best uniforms, walked among the crowd offering drinks and refreshments.
"Feeling a little overwhelmed?" Lianne asked as she led Caelin to an unknown destination. She was too busy staring at everyone around her, aware that she probably looked like the village idiot, and not really caring.
"Not at all," Caelin replied, her voice high-pitched and trembling to her ears. Why had she ever agreed to come with Lianne? Every single person in the room was above her in station. She would have been content to watch the tournament and then go back to her room for a quiet night of reading or practicing magic. Instead, she was poised to have one of the worst evenings of her entire life.
"Well, this should make you feel better. Hello, Daine, Numair, you both look wonderful."
Caelin refocused on her surroundings and realized that Liane had led Caelin to a corner of the ballroom where sure enough, Daine and Numair were standing.
"Good evening, Princess Lianne," Numair replied, before turning to greet Caelin. "You look beautiful, Caelin. It's good to see you again."
"It is," Daine continued, giving Caelin a hug. She looked very pretty in a red dress, and contrasted perfectly with Numair's black hose and tunic of velvet. "I'm sorry we haven't had time to visit, things have just been a little crazy." Daine's face darkened a little, and then she shrugged off whatever she had remembered. "So tell us how your studies are going."
Caelin was beginning a tirade on Siryan's shortcomings, many of which Numair and Daine agreed with, when Lianne pulled on her sleeve. "I'm being summoned by my royal father," she said with a depressed look on her face. "Time to go dance with arrogant nobles who seemingly possess only half a brain." She smiled wanly before walking across the ballroom to where Thayet and Jonathan were waiting with a group of young noblemen. Caelin silently wished her friend luck before continuing her conversation with Daine and Numair.
Time flew by rapidly as she talked with her friends. Although they kept getting interrupted by various visitors coming to talk to Daine and Numair, Numair had still managed to tell Caelin where some of the more advanced magic books were hidden in the library. Then, in a brief break from visitors, Numair said, "I've been meaning to find a time to come talk to you, but I suppose now is as good as ever. I'm considering taking on an apprentice, someone who I believe has enough magical talent to learn many of my secrets. If something should happen to me, we're going to need someone else to hold the mages in the kingdom together. Are you interested?"
Caelin gaped at the tall mage, not quite sure she'd heard him correctly. "I...are you sure? Aren't there other students that would be better? A boy?"
"None of them have half the potential that you do," Numair replied seriously, reaching over to take her hand. "You have the potential to be one of the greatest mages the world has seen in many years-if you get the proper training. And although Lord Pyrmon is a fine teacher and powerful mage, his method takes at least six years to develop students. You can work at a faster pace, if I teach you. And to be honest, we may need your skills sooner than you think." Numair's handsome face was dark with worry, as Daine's had been earlier.
"Is something wrong?" Caelin asked, suddenly feeling a pit of dread forming in her stomach. She didn't want anything to threaten her newfound happiness.
"Nothing yet, we've just had a few warning signs. You don't need to worry yet, and hopefully won't have to at all. So what do you say?"
"Do you even have to ask? Of course I'd like you to teach me. Will I still take classes with the rest of the mages?"
"Not unless you really like studying with Siryan." He laughed at the look of disgust that flooded Caelin's face. "I didn't think so. Of course, you'll still go to all your regular morning classes, and the Sunday morning training sessions, but the afternoons will be reserved for me. When I think you're ready, you'll take the Ordeal of Sorcery." Caelin gulped. Although the Ordeal of Sorcery wasn't as well known as the Ordeal of Knighthood or Kinghood, the Ordeal for sorcerers was just as dreaded by the mages as the pages and squires dreaded their Ordeal.
Caelin was about to reply when Numair tilted his head. "It looks like duty calls. Daine, the Carthak ambassadors would like to ask us a few questions. Caelin, we'll see you later." Caelin waved them off cheerfully, not even upset at being left all by herself. She was too excited at the thought of studying under Numair. Finally, she would learn advanced magic. It sometimes scared her how much she wanted to learn. Working magic was like an addiction, one she could never get tired of.
"Hello. What's a beautiful lady such as yourself doing all alone?"
Caelin looked up in surprise and found a young man with golden brown hair and handsome features looking at her with blatant admiration. She had seen him earlier, dancing with Lianne. Lianne had seemed bored, but perhaps he was nice. As Aremin and Orrin had taught her, it never hurt to try. "Maybe I like being by myself," she teased, a grin letting the young man know she wasn't quite serious.
"I'll bet that you'd have even more fun with me, my lady," he replied, grinning in return. "May I inquire your name, fair lady?"
"It's Caelin."
The young man's smile slipped a little, replaced by a slight frown. "Where have I heard that name before? It sounds very familiar."
"This is the wench that was involved in the deaths of Lord Panen and his family. She's studying at the court now, but she obviously forgets her place. Commoners don't belong here." Paen stepped from behind a pillar, a tray in his hands, wearing the traditional serving uniform of the squires. Although most of the students had grown to accept her presence, Paen still resented her, and led the small but vocal group that tried to make her life miserable. Without Lianne, Aremin, or Orrin around, Paen felt free to harass her as much as he liked.
The young man's face transformed from friendliness to a mask of disgust. He glared at her coldly before walking away, his head held high. Immediately he went to a large group of young men and women, and pointed back at her. Paen grinned smugly as every single one of them glared at her, and one of the ladies said something about commoners playing dress up-badly. Caelin blinked back tears as her face turned bright red. She was about to slink out of the room when Lianne rushed over, her face a study of carefully controlled anger.
"Caelin, don't you dare. You're going to retreat into that shell of yours, and I won't have it. You were having such a nice time. Don't let the castle swine ruin your ball. Come on. There's someone I want you to meet."
Caelin didn't have much choice except to follow Lianne. She could feel the astonished eyes of the nobles who had just snubbed her when they saw that she was walking with the princess. Eventually, Lianne stopped in a far corner where a young man was waiting. Caelin jolted when she realized that it was the young man who had prevented her from falling on her first day of classes at the palace. On close inspection, he was pale skinned from the winter with jet-black hair that was naturally tousled and fell close to his eyes, which were gray. "There you are, Liam. I've been meaning to introduce you two all evening, but I couldn't get away from the swarms for long enough." So this was Lianne's brother. Caelin's interest sparked as she regarded the young man. She was slightly put off by the look of blatant disinterest in his eyes, although his expression was carefully schooled into politeness. "Oh dear, here comes another one," Lianne sighed when she saw an older woman leading a young man straight towards her. The musicians struck up a new song, and as Lianne was swept away, she called, "Why don't you two dance?" Then she was lost in the crowd.
Liam regarded Caelin for a minute before holding out his arm. "If you wish, my lady." Caelin was surprised by his less than friendly treatment. Surely he knew she wasn't a lady, and that she was Lianne's friend. Lianne had said that she'd told Liam about her, and that he was interested in meeting her. Maybe Lianne had just been trying to be nice.
"Of course," Caelin replied, taking Liam's proffered arm. Even though she was sure Liam wanted nothing to do with her, now that he'd offered, it would have been rude to refuse. Liam led her into the middle of the dance floor and put his arms around her waste. A few days ago, Caelin wouldn't have had any idea how to dance, but Lianne had been good on her word and taught Caelin to dance by playing the man's part. Lianne wasn't this tall though, Caelin thought absently as she reached up to place her hands on Liam's shoulders. He was tall, and his shoulders were well muscled from a warrior's life.
As they danced, Caelin waited for Liam to make some attempt at conversation. She could see nothing but boredom in his gray eyes as he swept her along the dance floor. He was an exquisite dancer, but that couldn't distract her from his obvious personality defects. Anger began to grab hold of Caelin, sinking angry black hooks into her chest, and she could feel blue fire crackling at her fingertips, ready for use. Caelin ordered it down forcefully and looked directly into Liam's eyes, determined to make him talk whether he wanted to or not.
"You must have been very happy when you won the hand-to-hand combat this morning," she said in her most sickeningly sweet voice. Perhaps if she acted like one of the other empty-headed ladies, Liam would be happier.
"Of course," he replied distantly, eyes wandering around the room. He had barely registered her words. Caelin tried several other attempts as conversation, ranging from the seasonable weather to the upcoming midwinter festivities, each topic generating even less response from her partner before she finally had enough. As soon as the song ended, she let go and backed out of Liam's arms, her blue eyes now blazing angrily.
"If you didn't want to dance, your highness," she said in a clipped voice, trying not to draw attention, "you should have just said so. I'm quite accustomed to being slighted by nobles, but you should be proud. I've rarely been angrier. Feel free to go tell your friends; I'm sure they'll be absolutely thrilled by the news."
She turned to go, but was stopped by a warm, callused hand. "Wait. What did Lianne say your name was?" For the first time since she'd met him, Liam's eyes held a sign of life in them.
"She didn't, but it shouldn't matter. You obviously know exactly who I am." With that, she ripped her arm away and stalked across the dance floor, avoiding the elegantly dressed couples sweeping around the room. She didn't care that she was being laughed at, or that a strand of her elegantly piled hair had fallen out and was draped across her eyes. She reached the double doors and didn't even hesitate as she walked through them. Caelin cursed the dress she was wearing; if it had been hers, she wouldn't have hesitated to run, but since it was only borrowed, she was forced to walk in small, mincing steps down the hall.
"Wait!" Caelin turned to see Liam sprinting down the hall, his hair flying as he ran up to her. She turned away and was about to start back down the hall when he jumped in front of her, his eyes now an intense shade of green. "Please, let me explain." He took a deep breath and said, "Please, just tell me your name, that's all I want to know."
Caelin glared at the prince but muttered, "Caelin of Harowyn, Highness."
The prince appeared stricken at her words and sighed. "And once again, I manage to royally mess things up. I thought you were just another one of those scatter-brained ladies. I've had to dance with them all night, and I really have a very low tolerance level. Sometimes, as a prank, Lianne introduces me to the worst of them, just to torment me. I thought that's what she was doing. I didn't realize you were the friend she's been telling me so much about."
Caelin looked at the prince suspiciously, not sure if she believed his story. "Why should I believe you?" She demanded caustically. "If you're just trying to get on my good side, and then you're planning on tormenting me, you can forget it. I won't sit here and take it meekly. I'm done with that."
Liam now appeared desperate as he said, "Aremin was right, you do have a sharp tongue, almost as bad as the Lioness when she gets going. Has Paen been giving you any trouble lately? I sponsored him as a favor to his family when he first came here, and I regret that fact every day. He's an annoying little toad. Oh, and how's Baron doing? Orrin wrote me about him, says he's a bottomless tub when it comes to food."
As Liam spouted off questions like they were old friends, Caelin realized that the prince was telling the truth. Only Lianne, Aremin, or Orrin would know about those things. "They weren't joking when they said they wrote about me!" She blurted out, before blushing at her own boldness.
"I really am sorry, Caelin. I've been looking forward to meeting you, and here I go ruining everything. Do you think we could start over?"
Caelin studied him, and finally decided that he was really serious. "All right."
Liam swept a courtly bow, a twinkle in his eyes, which had suddenly morphed from green to blue. "May I have the pleasure of knowing your name, fair lady?"
"Caelin, my lord prince," she said, curtsying wobbly, a pale imitation of the court ladies, which caused both of them to burst into laughter. The ball seemed to be ready to go on all night, and whereas before that would have been cause for horror, Caelin was now thinking it wasn't such a bad thing after all.