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February 13, 463 H.E. - 23rd year of the reign of King Jonathan IV and Queen Thayet
Rajmuat, Kypriang Island, the Copper Isles
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When she was younger Lianne had thought that Corus was the most exotic, colorful place in the entire world. She was, of course, incorrect by a wide margin, something she now knew. Even only looking upon the crowded streets of Rajmuat from the river, Lianne felt incredibly plain and out of place among all the sounds and smells and colors filling the air around her.
Their boat had sailed into the mouth of the river on which Rajmuat was located early that morning. The small fishing ships with their colorful sails has caught Lianne's eye, and she had waited up on the deck as the boat was navigated through the harbor, staying as well out of the way of the men working to prepare their cargo as she could. The river was busy; it was extremely slow going, making their way around the other ships.
"Cargo ships dock a little further up river," Aly said, joining her at the railing. "But we should be there soon."
Lianne nodded, drumming her fingers against the wood. "Where are we going once we're off?"
"My home. I'm not sure if I'll be able to put you on a ship right away, and you'll be able to stay there." Aly glanced at Lianne sideways. "You will have to work there, though."
"That's alright," she said, frowning slightly and keeping her eyes straight ahead. She wasn't entirely comfortable with the realization that Pirate's Swoop could be hundreds of miles away, but 'Aly's home' was presumably within walking distance.
"Also – once we get off this boat, you can't be Lianne anymore."
This startled her enough that Lianne looked fully at Aly, who was now looking back at her seriously. "What?"
"Even if you weren't being looked for, which I'm sure you will be, being a princess of anywhere isn't particularly safe here right now. Least of all Tortall."
"Oh," Lianne said, though she wasn't entirely sure she understood.
"It's bad enough, the way you look," Aly went on contemplatively, studying her. "Maybe we should cut your hair."
"My hair?" She knew it was vain and silly, but Lianne put a protective hand to her braid, eyes wide.
"And you'll need to pick a name. A new one, one you'll remember to answer to. If someone says Lianne, will you be able to not look up? That would help."
"Aly," Lianne broke in, pressing her palms down against the wood to keep herself calm. "What is going on?"
Aly halted just as she was about to speak again, closed her mouth, and frowned, searching Lianne's face for…for something, Lianne couldn't possibly imagine what. She didn't say anything.
"I'm glad you're here and I'm glad you're helping me, but I still don't know how you found me! And now you're telling me I have to go into hiding, but I'm not even sure who I'm hiding from anymore. And…" she took a steadying breath. "And it's not fair, you have to tell me."
"Don't try pulling rank here." Aly replied after a long moment. "Servants can't, and that's what you are until you leave."
"I'm not pulling rank," Lianne snapped, annoyed at the attempt to change the subject. "I'm pulling friendship. You can't ask me to walk into this blindly. You wouldn't. I'm not leaving this boat ignorant."
There was another long pause before Aly spoke again, during which she took her eyes off Lianne and looked back towards the river and the dock they were gradually nearing. "There are a lot of powerful people interested in you," she finally said. "Some know you're here, but most of them don't, and it'd be better if it stayed that way. The one I'm working for wants you out of the country yesterday."
"He's the one who told you where I was?" Lianne asked, for the lack of a better question. Aly nodded, and she went on, "And I don't suppose there's even a chance you'll tell me who he is?"
Aly's lips twitched, almost as if she wanted to smirk. "Absolutely not."
"I didn't think so." They stood in silence as the boat was drawn up alongside the dock and tied down. Aly straightened and started towards Nawat, who was now behind them, the small bundle of their possessions in his hands. "Aly," Lianne said suddenly to her back, turning as well. Aly stopped and looked back. "I am glad that you found me."
Aly smiled at her - genuinely, Lianne was relieved to notice. "I know."
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February 1, 463 H.E. - 23rd year of the reign of King Jonathan IV and Queen Thayet
The Emerald Ocean
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Liam watched the harbor of Port Caynn grow smaller and smaller on the horizon with a mixed sense of relief and foreboding. On one hand, they were now off Tortallan soil, and it was extremely unlikely anyone would be able to find them. On the other – well, now they were off Tortallan soil, and it was extremely unlikely anyone would be able to find them. Alan had seen to it with great efficiency.
He had refused to make any promises that they wouldn't be at least partially followed – hiding from his father wasn't something many people ever successfully accomplished, and there wasn't a chance they wouldn't be tracked as far as the inn, and probably Demeyson, as well. Liam wasn't surprised – he couldn't imagine Demeyson or the innkeeper withholding any information if so much as a single gold noble was offered their way. Where they went next, though – that Alan could try and muddle a bit.
The same morning their ship set sail for the Copper Isles, another departed for Carthak. It was that ship that Alan, Liam, and Jasson had officially booked themselves on. Alan did most of the work, Liam admitted. He, for one, was not very good at all this subterfuge. He had expected Alan to come up with some ingenious names for them to give, ones that would only reveal who they really were upon close examination. He had also expected Alan would book them on a Carthaki cargo ship. Much to his surprise, when it came time to put themselves down on a passenger's log, Alan had paid for full passage on a much more expensive merchant's vessel, and written all of their names down in full, with titles.
"They'll find us straight off!" Jasson had protested.
Alan had looked at them, amused. "Oh, to be so young and uneducated. Yes, they will. After all, we're just taking a trip to see Kalasin. Why wouldn't we go on a nice ship?"
True to the lie, Liam had added a bit about their intentions to surprise Kalasin on her birthday into his letter before he handed it off to a courier. It was, again, an excuse that would fall apart under close examination, but the time it would buy them might prove invaluable.
The ship they were actually on was not nearly as nice as the one they would be tracked to. Trade with the Copper Isles was extremely regulated, and out of from Port Caynn, it wasn't allowed at all. Understandably, the smuggling ships that sailed in and out of the harbor on a regular basis, law permitting or not, were not very well maintained. The cabin they had paid a ridiculous fee for seemed too small for one person, let alone three. Liam knew already he'd be spending a good deal of the trip above deck.
"Where's Jasson?" he asked when Alan joined him.
"Seasick already," Alan replied, sitting casually on the lid of a nearby barrel. "Not used to smaller boats, is he?"
Liam shook his head, smirking. Jasson, of course, had been completely intolerable since the moment they had left, reveling in his brother's annoyance at who his new knight-master was. It served him right, having to travel by boat. "The only ships he can tolerate are anchored ones."
"Royalty," Alan sighed. "So delicate." He dodged the elbow jabbed towards his side with practiced ease.
"And your mother?"
Alan smirked. "That's protection for the rest of us. Just imagine if we couldn't hide on boats, at the very least."
Liam stepped away from the railing he had been leaning against and sat down on a crate a few feet away, knowing by Alan's expression that he had not managed to force the smile on his face to reach his eyes.
"She's fine." Alan said when the silence stretched between them for too long.
"I know," Liam nodded.
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February 13, 463 H.E. - 23rd year of the reign of King Jonathan IV and Queen Thayet
Rajmuat, Kypriang Island, the Copper Isles
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It was a nice house. Lianne wasn't sure why she was surprised to notice this, but the elegant, decorated interior of the home – of the manor, really – caught her eye the minute Aly led her through the front door.
Those who they passed greeted Aly warmly and stared at Lianne. Most of the eyes on her were curious, some reserved, and a select few – she couldn't help but notice – quite cool. Though Aly greeted everyone in return, she did not stop to speak with anyone, and instead led Lianne directly up a large staircase and through a pair of wooden doors at the end of the hall.
Inside, a brunette woman Lianne knew instantly had to be a noble sat with a small boy, who was intensely focused on a thin book clutched in his pudgy hands, on her lap. When Aly entered the room she looked up and smiled; the smile faded marginally when she noticed Lianne, becoming slightly more formal.
"Aly," the woman said, and at the noise the little boy looked up. "I hadn't been expecting you back so soon."
"We made very good time through the strait," Aly offered as an explanation. As she spoke she moved about the room, opening doors and peering into the rooms beyond casually. "Lucky, too. The sailors say there might be a storm coming soon."
The woman nodded and largely ignored Aly's movements, watching Lianne with dark, kohl accented eyes. "You are the one who will be staying with us?" she asked after a moment, turning a page in the picture book before her. The little boy's attention shifted away from Lianne instantly and returned to the bright colors before him.
Lianne began to curtsey when Aly, standing behind the woman, bowed pointedly and mouthed something. Lianne corrected herself and mimicked the bow quickly, though she was only partially sure what Aly was trying to tell her. "I am…Your Grace."
Evidently her guess as to what title Aly had been mouthing at her was correct, as the woman – the duchess – did not react to it. "And what is your name?"
"Maera," Lianne replied with what she hoped was a convincingly nonchalant air.
"Aly has told me you are good with horses. While you are with us, I am having our head holster look after you." It was unspoken that Lianne would be paying for her stay in work. She understood without the words.
"Thank you," she said, unsure of herself. It made sense that the woman clearly didn't trust her – but Lianne found herself a little put off by it, all the same.
"Aly," the woman went on, glancing over her shoulder. "I have some messages I'll need you to deliver tomorrow morning, so please come see me this evening."
Aly nodded and moved towards the door. Realizing with a start that they had been dismissed, Lianne bowed again, and followed Aly out. "I don't think she likes me" she confessed as they descended the stairs.
"She doesn't like most people she doesn't know," Aly said. "We've had a very long year."
"Why is she letting me stay?"
"I've told her I was sent to bring you back for a short while."
Lianne raised her eyebrows. "By whom?" Upon receiving no response, she sighed. "Oh, the mysterious friend. Of course."
The grin Aly flashed at her was wicked, as if she thought it was a great joke. "Come on. We can get you some clothes that fit before I take you to the stable."
Somewhat cheered by the prospect of leggings she did not have to roll – the clothes she had been lent were Aly's, and too big for her – Lianne followed and did not question Aly any further. She'd sooner save her breath, anyway.
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Author's Notes: 138 reviews as I'm posting this – you're all wonderful! Thank you, as always, so much.
Since a lot of people wrote me to ask me a particular question, I'll put the answer here, for anyone who may be wondering.
"Wait a minute, why can't Liam take Jasson as his squire?" you ask. He's not allowed to. "What?" You say. "I've never heard of that!" Well, here's the thing: this is a little rule I've invented for Tortall. It's not one that Tamora has specifically stated – so no, for those of you who asked – you didn't miss it anywhere in the books. But she hasn't contradicted it either, which is why I don't feel bad about it.
It's really all about practicality. For one thing, they're brothers, and if you ask me, one brother being another brother's squire is a little sketchy to me – that's not the best arrangement for really serious training. The older brother is either going to be much too hard or much too lenient. It'd just be bad all around. For another thing, they're both heirs. Crowned princes, no, but heirs all the same. We see knights taking their squires off to battle all the time, and personally, I think it'd be pretty dumb to let two heirs take part in the same battle. What if it's a massacre? So there you go. Liam can't take Jasson as a squire because they're brothers, and more importantly, heirs. It's too risky. (Of course, our boys are pretty blatantly ignoring the good sense of this, but that's them.)
And for those of you who keep writing me and asking what Alan's deal is – don't worry, we'll get there.