Disclaimer: I do not own anything, except the Nameless Shang and King Mikael. The wonderful and all-knowing Tamora Pierce does, though!
Chapter 3: The Week of Court
Part 1: Day Two of Court
Wow, Kel thought. I didn't know that so many people wanted to observe court. And me here, trying to do my best to not make a fool of myself. She was in the back getting ready for the second day of court.
Kel had put up the list of Tortallans, the ones who were accepted for that day's court, the night before. She could only accept up to ten guests, so she chose the unusual six person reservation, another unusual one person reservation, and the king and queen and their oldest daughter, Kalasin.
"I bring this court to order. Please rise for his majesty, King Mikael of Shang and Shang Dragon and her royal highness, Princess Keladry of Shang and Shang of the Elements," cried the Shang Dolphin, Alaric. Everyone stood for the procession. The king entered first, and every Tortallan was amazed by his presence. He was very handsome with dark brown hair and blue eyes. He was tall and well muscled and had an aura of mystery. He was everything a girl could possibly want and everything a man wanted to be.
But they were more astounded by Kel. She was drop dead gorgeous and was wearing "men's clothing". She was wearing a light green shirt that accented her hazel eyes. Her breeches were a light tan. Kel had her hair pulled back into a tight bun. She wore no face paint, but let her natural beauty shine through. She had light auburn hair with a little wave to it. She was incredibly tall for a female and extremely muscled. Her back was straight up. If she had decided to become a knight anyway, she wouldn't have had such graceful muscles.
When she made it to the front of the room, she went to the podium and announced the names of the guests.
"I would like to welcome our guests," she said. "King Jonathon, Queen Thayet, Princess Kalasin, Lady Knight Sir Alanna of Trebond, Olau, and Pirates Swoop, Prince Roald, Squire Nealan, Squire Merric, Squire Cleon, Squire Faleron, and Squire Owen. We are honored that you wish to observe our court. Now to business…"
The day lasted from dawn to dusk, with one brief interval for the restroom and for a quick snack. They went over where they were going to hold court the next year and argued over the training system. Kel and Mikael were challenged numerous times and each fought every challenger. They closed the second day with a match between the two of them.
Part 2: The Third Day of Court
The third day began the same way, with the procession and Kel announcing the guests. That day there guests were: Sir Roaul of Goldenlake and Majorie's Peak, Sir Gareth the Younger, Lord Wyldon of Cavall, Sergeant Domitan of Masbolle, Buri, Diane, Numair, Squire Joren, Squire Garvey, and Squire Zahir.
The Shang court argued all day on the Shang visiting laws-should the masters be allowed to stay as long as they want, wherever they want, or should they stick to the customary four months? That was all they covered that day. The outcome was a change! That day was closed by a match between Mikael and the Shang Sphinx.
Part 3: The Fourth Day of Court
Kel was tired after 15 hours of court every day. She was excited about the week after when she could relax and enjoy Corus.
Court that day began with the reading of the guests (A/N: I couldn't think of any, but they are not of any importance. All of the important people have already visited.) That day they celebrated being Shang. This year was their 1,000 anniversary. They went through and reminded everyone of the important things Shang had done in the past, and what they could do to change the future. That day ended with a Shang story.
Kel was exhausted after that day, but she couldn't sleep. She decided to take a walk in the palace gardens where she met a handsome blue-eyed sergeant and his commanding officer. They introduced themselves, and parted. Kel went to bed dreaming of strangers with blue eyes.
Part 4: The Fifth Day of Court
Kel wasn't required to attend the fifth day of court because it was just combat testing. Instead she went to the training yards and practiced. What she didn't know was that a certain stranger was shaking himself for dreaming about unattainable women.
It isn't like you are in love with her or anything, you only met her last night, Dom told himself.
He decided to go and practice to get his mind off of her. He stopped by the King's Own barracks and told them that they had to go practice, too. When they got there, they found the Shang Princess doing an intricate pattern using the glaive and hand-to-hand combat. She didn't seem to notice them, and if she did she kept it hidden.
"I think someone just fell in love," Lerant remarked to seemingly no one, but meaning Dom. The Own broke out into a big argument. When they turned around, she was gone.
Kel went to meditate and to catch up on some much needed sleep.
Part 5: The Sixth and Final Day of Court
On the last day of court, all positions were confirmed and the day ended. It was a shorter day because everyone was tired and needed sleep. Kel, along with the rest of Shang went to bed immediately and without lunch or dinner. The next day was full of promise as Kel was scheduled to train Sir Roaul and the King's Own in hand-to-hand combat…
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Please read and review… I am sorry for any mistakes I made! Happy Day!
