A New Lady
Ch. 2
The Kidnapping and Rescue, And Suprising Visitors.
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note/disclaimer:
O:-) ! :-D ! Do you think Buri will marry Raoul?
I don't own anything that belongs to Tamora Pierce,(or that is recognized by you as in her books) But I do own some soon to be introduced characters.
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CH. 2:
..It had been two weeks since Raoul proposed to Buri. And due to Royal Orders, 3rd Company was staying with the Grand Progress to protect the Royal Family. Two Rider Groups also scouted on either side of the Progress looking for unpleasant traps. They were the 17th, Group Askew, and 4th, Queen's Rabbits. All was peaceful until the second-in-command of Group Askew rode up to the Royal Family.
..He looked very uncomfortable, as though he didn't want to say what he had to tell them. "Your Highnesses' I do not like to be the bearer of bad news, but Commander Buri has come up missing, and we believe she was kidnapped." He looked at the big knight commander. "We also have a lead on the direction we believe she was taken."
..The King looked at his large Knight Commander and asked, "Raoul, Why does he look specifically at you when he speaks about the lead?" The Queen even looked interested for the answer. "Is there something between you and the Commander that I do not know?"
..Keladry, his squire save him from answering by asking, "Which direction do you believe she was taken?" He pointed and she said, "Nari, come back in the alarm call if you find her, Go Scout!" Six sparrows lifted off of Hoshi's mane and went the specified direction. The entire Grand Progress had stopped so that the King could give orders for a search to start. A good fifteen minutes later the six sparrows came back in a straight line peeping their alarm call. When they were first heard, the Royal family didn't know what they were hearing, but when Raoul let off a string of curses they figured it was the alarm call.
..The sparrows told Diane what they had overheard, and Diane told Raoul, who told the King. The King then told everyone that they didn't want anyone else hurt, and would hope that Buri would be released without being injured. They then made camp for the night. The next morning the King went to see Raoul, but couldn't find him anywhere, and decided to look for Raoul's squire, Keladry.
.."Keladry, Have you seen your Knight-Master? I can't find him anywhere." He had found Kel with the Yamini Princesses. "And I have an urgent matter to discuss with him."
.."Sire, I haven't seen my knight master this morning, but he did go for a walk last night that he might not have returned from. Did you check his tent?" Kel suddenly spun from the king and caught the flying object that had drawn him to the group in the first place. It was a red fan, that one of the Yamini ladies carried. Kel, with a snap of her wrist sent it flying into the air. "I did notice one thing though, he left with his sword. Sire, you don't think he went after Buri, do you? Though he did promise her." The rest of what she had said wasn't directed at him but it spiked his attention and he wanted to know what it meant.
.."Keladry, what did that last part mean? The 'he did promise her'? You might have just explained the reason the messenger looked at him when he said we have a lead." Suddenly Kel reached into her pocket and pulled out a note.
.."I forgot, he told me to give this to you if I saw you today and he didn't. I think it will answer all your questions."
..The entire day had passed and still no one had seen Raoul. The King had started to head for Kel to talk when suddenly a lone horse entered the camp. It was Raoul, and he had brought Buri.
.."Hello, Sire, are you angry at me?" Raoul was grinning like an idiot but he looked seriously pleased. Then he spotted Kel. "Did Kel give you the note?" The King nodded. "Good, did you read it?" The King nodded again. "She said YES!!! By the way she needs to see Duke Baird, she was hurt before I got there but they didn't get to do what they really wanted to do." He was still smiling about the fact Buri had said she would be his wife, but he looked angry about what the kidnappers had wanted to do. He also looked unhappy about the fact she was injured.
..Sixteen hours later Buri woke up and saw Neal sitting there reading. "Neal, what are you doing?" Neal looked up, then he grinned.
.."Good morning to you, too, cheerful. I was waiting for you to wake up so I could tell, DAD, SHE'S UP! Are you going to kill me for that. And I heard you said yes to something, what was it? Oh, I forgot, I have to tell Raoul you're up too." Neal suddenly grinned at her. "But I don't think I have to tell Raoul, I saw Kel duck out of here when I yelled you're up. Did you know you were out of it for sixteen hours?"
.."Neal you're nothing but talk or inf., is there anything you don't know? By the way what's going on out there?" Both could hear lots of noise outside and the Queen yelling at the top of her lungs about someone she had hoped to never see again. Then she let out a yell along the lines of *you can not see her until she is well stay out of there!*. Boy it sounded like the Queen was very, very angry.
.."Buri, who might the Queen never want to see again?" Neal was interested, then he saw Raoul enter with Kel, the Queen, and the King. Three of the four looked like they were ready to kill, the fourth just had on a Yamini mask on. They were followed in by the Yamini Princess and her ladies, who were hiding their faces behind fans. In answer to his question Buri shrugged.
..The King and Queen settled on the bed next to Buri, Raoul and Kel on the other bed next to Buri, but behind Neal, and the three Yamini's at the foot of the bed. "Buri, do you remember Natura and Elian?" The Queen had asked the question. It was apparent that she remembered them too well, and didn't like them.
..At the very mention of the names Buri went paler than anyone ever remembered her going and barely got out what she wanted to say. "They're here? What do they want?" It looked like she had started to think of something else because she returned to her normal color. Then she frowned. "Why have they come all this way just looking for us? It defeats the purpose, or have they only one child and they had to get that child for the child to do their duties?" Now it was turn for the Queen to frown.
.."It does defeat the purpose, but I do believe they only have the one child. Which means they had to come get that child. But why now?" The Queen apparently didn't like the fact that these people didn't have but one child, but everyone else was confused.
.."Wait a minute, Your Highness, you haven't said who the child of these people is. And if we don't know, how can we protect them from the forces that are said to be behind these people?" Kel looked like she wanted to throttle them *now* instead of waiting for them to attack. "And what are the duties that the Child has to be reminded to do? Perhaps *we* can remind the Child to do them." Kel had an idea that wasn't very bad, but the Queen and Buri knew it wouldn't work.
.."I think Buri should tell you who the child is as she is one of the three in this camp who knows." The Queen looked at Buri with an order in her eyes to tell.
.."Like you're any help, you know also. Neal, sit back down, other wise you'll get hurt. *I* am the child. I am the daughter of the Lord and Lady of the K'mir, and I have been missing from their household for fourteen-fifteen years, I don't remember." She looked around for reactions. Kel had blinked, but the Yamini mask was in place, Neal had fallen off the chair, Raoul just gaped, and the three Yamini lilies, as they were called, snapped open their fans and hid their faces, while their eyes showed astonishment. And the King, just mouthed wordlessly at her. "Jon, you look like a fish. So do you Raoul. Shut your mouths!" They both obeyed to the astonishment of everyone. Then she grinned at them all.
..Kel suddenly suprised them all with a string of Yamini curses. "Do you realize that they have been here for four hours and nobody's thought to check the trees, and forest surrounding the camp for their 'people'." The Princess had looked up worried about her friends, but now she astonished them with an even longer string of curses and rose headed for her tent to get her glaive. The Queen and Kel followed the three Yamini lilies out with the same ideas.
..Fifteen minutes later, Buri noticed that the area surrounding the Healer's tent had suddenly grown very quiet and she decided that she didn't like the silence. Suddenly Lady Natura and Lord Elian entered the tent, they were followed immediately by the King, Queen, Raoul, Kel, Neal, Alanna, and the three Yamini 'lilies'. All of whom were armed and angry. Then Natura spotted her.
.."Well, well, well, what got you into this position, young lady? I hope you know that you will be going home with me and you will never see these people again. Nor will you ever see a fight after you leave Tortall. When we get home you will be turned into a proper lady." Suddenly Raoul had an idea that would destroy Natura's plan to take her daughter away from Tortall.
..In a rushed whisper Raoul told them that they were actually on his land and as Buri was to be his wife she couldn't be touched. "We're in Goldenlake but nearer to Malorie's peak, I already share my lands with her, just not my name, remember, that was done earlier." He looked at Natura and took a deep breath. "Lady Natura you are about to break the Laws of Tortall, by bothering a noble on his or her own lands. You will have to leave Buriram here or answer to the laws of Tortall." Raoul looked unnaturally calm for the fact his wife-to-be had armed people on either side of her.
.."Is that so? Why hadn't my daughter told me that to start with? I should be notified of any acquisitions. By the law of the K'mir she is not allowed to hold lands until she is married. Buriram, dear, which Law do you obay?" Lord Elian had spoken for the first time that they knew of. It was obvious he loved his daughter, but it was also obvious that he was greedy and wanted the lands for himself.
..Taking a deep breath Buri answered, "I abide by the Laws of the land I serve, I serve the lands and people of Tortall, and besides I am getting married next spring, and am unable to return to Sarin. Now, GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!!!!" They suddenly found out where Buri got her abilities from. Her mother let out a nasty snarl and attacked Buri, but Buri returned the glare and showed off that she had recovered from her wounds and healing completely. It soon turned into a Tortallin vs. Sarin fight. Nine Tortallin's vs. two Sarins. However the fight was at a stand off when Ilaine of Mindilan looked in while looking for her daughter, Kel, then entered with her glaive in fight ready. Ilaine joined the fight on the Tortallin's side, and with her help they defeated the Lord and Lady.
..Now the King turned all regal. "You will return to Sarin under the guard of Queen's Riders groups 4, 1, 3, 6, and 2nd Company of the King's Own. Let us hope that this will be enough to grant you safe passage through Tortall, to the Sarin border where you will cross into your own country. Let us not block your path." With that the King moved out of the entrance to the tent. Raoul was checking Buri for injuries, while the Queen watched amused, and Alanna set about to healing everybody.
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THANKS TO THE TWO LONE REVIEWERS OF CH 1:
FANNY QUEEN & SELENE HECATE McMOON
READ AND REVIEW OR I'LL NOT ADD MORE TO THE STORY.
PLEASE NO FLAMES I GET WRITERS BLOCK FROM THEM!!