January 25, 463 H.E. – 23rd year of the reign of King Jonathan IV and Queen Thayet
Corus, Tortall
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Not that anyone actually told her, as that would make Lianne's life much too easy, but apparently Jonathan and Thayet still hadn't decided on a course of action. The delay was making her nervous. The longer Hiresh was around, the better a chance she would have of running into him again, something not ranked very highly among her daily priorities.
Unwilling to trust luck, as it hadn't been helping much these past few days, she had decided last night before going to sleep that it would really be for the best if she made herself scarce to avoid any other chance encounters. It wasn't bad at all, eating in the kitchen, rather than with whichever siblings or friends made an appearance at breakfast. Roald had arranged it so that Hiresh and Lord Teuku would find their breakfast waiting in the morning in the common area between their two rooms, but the public dinning rooms were public for everyone, and the chance that the two might show up kept Lianne well away.
It was what to do with herself after breakfast that was the problem. The stables were obviously out; Hiresh was onto her, there. For the same reason, she didn't dare stay anywhere else someone might suspect, servant or otherwise. That didn't leave her with many options. Finally, she settled on hiding where Hiresh wasn't likely to go of his own accord: the menagerie. Daine had been more than happy to lend the small office she kept there to Lianne for the day, and promised to make sure Hiresh didn't come anywhere near her. Lianne wasn't entirely sure how she would accomplish this, but figured it probably had something to do with the animals, and that she was better off not knowing, in the long run.
Daine's office really was very nice. She didn't use it often, usually only when a new animal had arrived and Daine had to reorganize which exhibits went where. The menagerie had been Daine's domain for as long as Lianne could remember. Apparently once it was on the smaller side, and very unfriendly for the animals, who 'hated the cages with a passion,' Daine had told her. Lianne wasn't old enough to remember it that way. Now it was much bigger and, she always thought, quite impressive. The animals were not kept separate, but in much, much larger pens designed to hold several species from the same geographical area. The pens themselves were works of art, through Lianne had no idea whatsoever how Daine had managed them. They were designed to look exactly like the animal's native habitats, and allowed visitors to see not only the native animals, but the native plant life, too. It was one of Lianne's favorite places in the entire castle and lately, knowing Hiresh wasn't exceptionally fond of it, she found herself liking it even more.
The office had one large window looking outside, and Lianne had pulled a chair up to it. She was seated there when the door behind her opened, then shut again. For a moment, Lianne was afraid to turn around, fearful that somehow, despite all her careful avoidance, Hiresh had found her again. She did not relax until Liam stepped into her view and leaned against the window frame, clearly a bit awkward.
"Daine told me you were here. I think she figured I was safe enough."
Lianne shrugged noncommittally, turning her attention back to her book.
He sighed. "You're still mad at me."
"Shouldn't I be?" She asked, still not looking at him. "You don't tell me about Rukhev until you have absolutely have to, you scold me like I'm a little girl when you find out I agreed to show him around because I had no choice, and then you send your friends after me all day like bad spies."
"I know for a fact you told Alan you were glad for the distraction," he said, defensive.
Lianne snapped her book shut in exasperation, glaring at him. "That isn't the point! Liam, I'm not a little girl anymore, I can take care of myself."
"Then why are you hiding here, alone? I wouldn't call this taking care of anything."
She glowered at him and moved to open up her book again, set on ignoring him until he went away.
Liam reached forward, grabbing her hand gently to stop the motion. When she looked up to glare again, his expression was apologetic. "I'm sorry. I know I haven't been thinking very clearly the last few days –"
"Understatement," Lianne snapped.
"But I don't mean to be terrible, I promise," he went on, undeterred. "I wish I could explain it, but I don't think I could make you understand. I don't want you near him, Lianne. I don't trust him, and you're the only baby sister I have."
The resolve that had been slowly fading came back full force, and she pulled her hands away sharply. "I am not a baby anymore! This is the whole problem, right here."
"No," he said, standing and pacing a few steps, arms folded uneasily. "You're not a baby. But you are my baby sister. And you will be – no, let me finish."
He held up a hand, and Lianne shut her mouth, still annoyed, but holding the vehement objection on the tip of her tongue until he had finished.
"Thank you. You will be my baby sister until we're both old and grey and senile."
Lianne sighed and shut her book again, much more quietly this time. The argument between them was not a new one, though usually they danced around addressing the real problem, and bickered over whatever incident had brought it up again.
"You can't look after me forever, Liam," she told him.
He shook his head. "I can't. But for now, let me? There's a lot about men you don't know yet. You'll learn one day; I'd rather Hiresh not be the one to educate you."
Though she knew this argument would have to be settled one day, soon if she wanted to keep her sanity, Lianne decided to let it go for the time being and nodded. He's terrible at showing it, she told herself, but he means well, at least.
"You and I are going to need to have a very long conversation, once this has settled down."
Liam nodded and pulled her to her feet. "We will. For now, stop waiting around all by yourself for something to happen. Alan and I are going down into the city. Hide with us."
She smiled, content to shelve the argument so long as he knew it wasn't over yet, and let him lead her out.
-
"Ah, yes," Alan said, nodding wisely. "Dress fittings. Very hazardous, I've heard. You'll need to be careful with those."
Truth be told, Lianne honestly couldn't remember how they had gotten around to talking about the preparations for Kalasin's wedding, but she was glad for the reprieve from more serious subject matter.
"Don't laugh!" she warned him, trying her very hardest to keep a straight face (and failing abysmally). "It's not as boring as it sounds you know. Well – no – it is boring, but there's pins and measures and much too much fabric and if you move even a little bit the whole thing goes to pieces and you have to start all over again. It's a total nightmare, especially if you aren't with a very good dressmaker."
"Yours is a trying life indeed."
She sniffed indignantly. "It doesn't matter what you think, anyway. When it comes down to it, I can wear armor; I've done it plenty of times before. You could never manage a gown. So I win."
Alan took this as a personal insult. "You do not win!" He turned to Liam, flustered. "Tell her she doesn't win."
Liam held up his hands in front of him. "I have nothing to do with this."
"Have you ever worn a gown?" Lianne asked.
"…No."
"Will you ever wear a gown?"
"No."
She sat back in her chair, stretching her hands out before her and then folding them behind her head, expression smug. "Then there's not much evidence for you, is there? I win."
"I can't argue with you like this," Alan objected. "You're being completely illogical!"
"You concede?" Her smile grew. "I win again."
Alan stood, shaking his head in frustration. "You're impossible. I'm getting another drink."
"I'd like another lemonade!" She called after him, enjoying the rude gesture he turned to make in her direction tremendously.
Lianne loved The Cherry Tree; it was one of her favorite restaurants. Unfortunately, it was also one she could only visit in very specific company.
'Anne, my girl,' George had explained to her once, 'Folks in the Tree follow their own set of rules, sometimes.'
'They don't follow the law, do they, Uncle George?' At 8 years old, Lianne had considered herself very knowledgeable on such things.
'Oh, they follow the law,' he said, tweaking her nose. 'Just not your father's. You don't come here unless I'm with you, understand? Not ever.'
Eventually, that restriction had been extended to Alan and Alianne, when she had still been in Corus. Technically, it also extended to Thom, but if ever ate in the less than reputable restaurant, Lianne never knew about it. She also had never discovered who, exactly, George knew that kept his family and their guests safe (and, just as importantly, anonymous) inside the Tree, but she was thankful for whoever it was. The chance to relax and let manners slide for a few hours was nice; so was the anonymity. Above all, though, there wasn't a better spot to hide in the city. The number of people who knew Lianne frequented the restaurant could be counted on one hand. She often wished she could stay all the time.
But she couldn't, and she knew it. She also knew, though she hesitated to admit it to herself, that it was extremely unlikely that she wouldn't at least see Hiresh again before he left the palace, and only slightly less unlikely that she wouldn't have to have a conversation with him. I suppose Liam might be right, she thought. Hiding and hoping he doesn't find me isn't doing much –
Liam touched her wrist, and Lianne blinked, pulled from her thoughts.
"Stop," he said. "Don't brood."
She offered a slightly sheepish smile.
Liam removed his hand, though his eyes remained fixed on her face, which she suspected must have given her away. "Mother and Father will work it out."
"I wish I thought so," Lianne admitted, setting her elbow on the table and propping her chin in her hand. "But they've been shut away arguing for almost four days. It's not terribly reassuring."
"Actually, the term I heard was 'loudly disagreeing'," Alan said, setting two drinks down on the table and taking his seat again. "We are talking about the great debate, yeah? Relax. They know what they're going to do."
Liam nodded. "It's just how they're going to do it they're having a problem with. All we have to do is wait."
"I'm tired of waiting," Lianne muttered.
"That would be the problem with diplomacy," Alan said, taking a drink before he continued. "It's very boring. Liam and I, we're men of a very high intellect, you see. Went and got our shields, and now we don't have to worry about all that negotiation business. War happens, we kill stuff, and we're done. It's an excellent system."
"I'm sure your mother would love to hear you say that."
He made a face. "Oh, she'd die laughing. We'd better not repeat it to her. For her health."
"I'll make it a point not to. For your health."
"For which I thank you." Alan set his mug down, grinning in her direction. "And tell you what; I'll solve this whole marriage problem for you, too."
Liam raised a skeptical eyebrow. "This'll be good."
"Now, Lianne," Alan held a hand to his chest. "As my burning passion for you is well documented –" ("And mocked," Liam broke in, receiving an elbow to the side for his trouble.) "Be quiet, no one's talking to you. As I was saying, as my burning passion for you is well documented, tomorrow I will very publicly sweep down upon you in the courtyard, fall to one knee, and beg you most humbly to marry me. We will thereafter rush immediately to your parents for their blessing, which they will give, conveniently not having spoken to dear Hiresh just yet. Then, of course, they simply won't be able to accept Hiresh's proposal, unwilling to break their youngest daughter's heart. He'll return to the Isles heartbroken, you'll have a free pass, and I will greatly enjoy being envied by young lads far and wide until our inevitable, messy parting."
Liam and Lianne both stared at him, though for completely different reasons.
Alan looked from one to the other. "What?"
"Say that again," Liam demanded, eyes sharp.
"Well, for one thing, I don't remember most of it," Alan began, looking at his friend strangely. "And for another, Jasson really is a terrible influence on all of you. I'm not serious!"
With a shake of his head, Liam looked from Alan to Lianne, an odd expression crossing his face. "That's not what I mean. Alan – that's – it's a good idea."
"You're mad!" Lianne stared at her brother, trying not to laugh. "It's not at all."
"It needs to be thought out." He admitted, rapping his knuckles on the table in excitement. "Trust me. This will work."
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A/N: One or two of you might recall me saying, a few chapters ago, that by the end of chapter 8, something big was going to happen. Well, I lied. Not on purpose, I promised! Originally, certain things that will be appearing next chapter were originally planned for this one; as it happened, both the exchange in Daine's office and the entire conversation between Lianne, Liam, and Alan turned out much longer than I had planned. With the added scenes, the chapter was double the length that they usually are, so I thought it would be better to separate the two. As it is, this is already the longest chapter! Don't worry: something big is coming. In fact, a good deal of it is already written, and all I have to do are work out a few details and polish the scenes up a bit. I would expect by tomorrow, at the very latest. Which brings me to…
Shale: It's not me; it's quite honestly the story. The words are popping up into my head faster than I can get them down, and my biggest problem has been stringing the big moments together before I lose them. (And, I should also note, chapters one through three were completely finished before I posted a thing, and four, five and six only needed a few minor edits. I'm not that fast =D) And by the way…
The fact that people generally dislike Hiresh already is such a compliment. Thus far, other than some typical Royal Rudeness, he hasn't actually done anything beyond squicking out (or pissing off, as the case may be) our protagonists, so I'm going to take the fact that he's apparently creepy as a sign that I'm doing something right. Anyway.
Vanilla Fox: Trickster's Choice is Tamora's latest book, staring Alianne, Alanna's daughter. If you haven't read it, I expect certain parts of my story are probably a little confusing. I'd really recommend getting a copy; TC is a little different from some of Tamora's past books, but very good. (Also, I don't know where you're more likely to see my answer, so I'll be emailing this, as well.)
And as always, thank you SO MUCH to all the reviewers. It's so encouraging to see you all coming back and reviewing again. Things are going to start to move very soon – I hope you like where they go. =D