Chapter Four: Their Highnesses
Thayet looked at Cat apologetically. "He'll be alright," she assured her. "He's just-"
"Pride means a lot to him," Alanna informed her. "He'll be fine once he's thought things over." She put an arm around Cat's shoulders. "I for one am glad you're here."
"You knew she existed," George pointed out. "Thayet and Jon have had a rough awakening." Alanna grinned sheepishly.
"Sorry," she apologized to Thayet. The queen smiled.
"It's fine. Apology accepted." Alanna's smile became less sheepish.
"That's a load off my chest," she admitted. "I didn't want you mad at me."
"Jon still is," George pointed out. Alanna shrugged.
"He has to talk to me in a business setting," she reminded him. "Thayet doesn't. I wasn't sure if she'd ever talk to me or Jon again -not that I care about him, that's his problem. Besides, it's partly his fault. Thayet's just the innocent bystander. She didn't even know him when Cat was born." Just then, Jonathan walked in.
"Sorry," he muttered. "I let my pride get the better of me."
"I'll say," Alanna drawled. To Cat's surprise, Jonathan laughed.
"I deserved that," he admitted. "Alanna, I am truly sorry. You were right; this was my fault. I was an idiot just now and I was an idiot then. Forgive me?"
"Only if you agree to admit to the court gossips that it's entirely your fault," she said cheerfully. Jonathan groaned.
"Fine. Am I forgiven?"
"Of course, my king."
"Hate to break up this little forgiving session," Cat interrupted. "But what in the name of the gods am I supposed to do?"
"Ummmmmmm." Was the general response.
"You could return to Trebond?" Thayet suggested before shaking her head. "What am I saying? Court will be like a dog with a bone on this; they won't take no for an answer. It won't accomplish anything, and I'll feel like a moron to exile my husband's daughter who I've just met."
"She could come to Swoop, give court some time to settle down before we introduce her as Caterin of Pirate's Swoop," George suggested. Alanna shook her head.
"Same problem," she pointed out. "Court won't take no for an answer. Besides, they won't settle down on this one, not until they have the whole story."
"You could just flat out tell the story?" Caterin suggested. "I mean, just introduce me as Caterin of Conte, your daughter. Make it clear that, since I'm not legitimate, I'm not in line for the throne."
"That's crazy," Thayet said. "Jonathan and Alanna's reputations will go down the drain."
"People will say I slept with him to get my shield," Alanna said bluntly. "They'd say that he was going to tell I was a girl and I slept with him so he wouldn't. He was my knight-master. Even if we don't say we were lovers while I was a squire, someone else will."
"Say she's Roger and Alanna's daughter?" Jonathan suggested. Alanna glared at him.
"What, and let me and some dead guy take the blame?" she asked incredulously. "I don't think so. And anyway, she's got your Gift." Jonathan shrugged sheepishly.
"It was an idea," he muttered.
"Not a good one," Thayet pointed out.
"Mother, Father?" A voice at the door made Cat jump. Thayet winced. In the doorway stood Kalasin and Roald of Conte. Kally was wearing a dress, and Roald was in the red shirt, red hose and gold tunic of a page.
"Kally, Roald," Thayet greeted them pleasantly, a look of worry in her eyes. "What did you want?"
"Daine said you were here," Kally said -she seemed to be the more outgoing of the two in spite of the fact that she was Roald's junior by a year. "You left when she came down." She pointed at Cat. "And why did she say she's of Conte? I thought we didn't have any brothers and sisters other than us five."
"Kalasin, Roald," Jonathan began. "Meet your sister, Caterin." Kalasin stared at her.
"I thought we didn't have any brothers or sisters other than us five," Roald repeated quietly. Both children looked confused, though Roald was looking with suspicion at the Lioness and Kally gazed beseechingly at her mother.
"Your father didn't know Caterin existed until today," Alanna said quietly. "Ummm-" She glanced at Thayet, unsure of how much to say.
"We're going to have to tell them," she murmured. "Kally, Roald. Caterin is Alanna's child, not mine." She bit her lip. It was hard explaining these things to an eleven and twelve year old. "They weren't married-"
"Oh," Kally and Roald said together. Roald stared at his father, Kally gazed at the Lioness. "You mean she's illegitimate," Roald supplied. Thayet stared at him.
"How did you know that?" she asked. Roald shrugged.
"I hear things," he said vaguely. George hid a smile behind one hand.
"He told me what it meant too," Kally added. "He said it means when a person is born, but the parents aren't married." Something about the way Roald smiled indicated that he knew a great deal more than that, but he wasn't about to tell his little sister.
"Thank you, Kally," Thayet said. "Could you and Roald meet your father and me in our rooms in a few minutes? Roald nodded, but Kally stayed.
"Can Caterin come?" she asked shyly. Thayet looked at her husband and Alanna who shrugged.
"Certainly," Alanna said. "Cat, be careful, avoid people and stay with Kally and Roald." Cat nodded, curtsied and left with the prince and princess. Thayet turned to Alanna.
"How long do you think we have before we have to come up with an explanation?" she asked quietly.
"Not long enough," George answered. "Not long enough."
Thayet looked at Cat apologetically. "He'll be alright," she assured her. "He's just-"
"Pride means a lot to him," Alanna informed her. "He'll be fine once he's thought things over." She put an arm around Cat's shoulders. "I for one am glad you're here."
"You knew she existed," George pointed out. "Thayet and Jon have had a rough awakening." Alanna grinned sheepishly.
"Sorry," she apologized to Thayet. The queen smiled.
"It's fine. Apology accepted." Alanna's smile became less sheepish.
"That's a load off my chest," she admitted. "I didn't want you mad at me."
"Jon still is," George pointed out. Alanna shrugged.
"He has to talk to me in a business setting," she reminded him. "Thayet doesn't. I wasn't sure if she'd ever talk to me or Jon again -not that I care about him, that's his problem. Besides, it's partly his fault. Thayet's just the innocent bystander. She didn't even know him when Cat was born." Just then, Jonathan walked in.
"Sorry," he muttered. "I let my pride get the better of me."
"I'll say," Alanna drawled. To Cat's surprise, Jonathan laughed.
"I deserved that," he admitted. "Alanna, I am truly sorry. You were right; this was my fault. I was an idiot just now and I was an idiot then. Forgive me?"
"Only if you agree to admit to the court gossips that it's entirely your fault," she said cheerfully. Jonathan groaned.
"Fine. Am I forgiven?"
"Of course, my king."
"Hate to break up this little forgiving session," Cat interrupted. "But what in the name of the gods am I supposed to do?"
"Ummmmmmm." Was the general response.
"You could return to Trebond?" Thayet suggested before shaking her head. "What am I saying? Court will be like a dog with a bone on this; they won't take no for an answer. It won't accomplish anything, and I'll feel like a moron to exile my husband's daughter who I've just met."
"She could come to Swoop, give court some time to settle down before we introduce her as Caterin of Pirate's Swoop," George suggested. Alanna shook her head.
"Same problem," she pointed out. "Court won't take no for an answer. Besides, they won't settle down on this one, not until they have the whole story."
"You could just flat out tell the story?" Caterin suggested. "I mean, just introduce me as Caterin of Conte, your daughter. Make it clear that, since I'm not legitimate, I'm not in line for the throne."
"That's crazy," Thayet said. "Jonathan and Alanna's reputations will go down the drain."
"People will say I slept with him to get my shield," Alanna said bluntly. "They'd say that he was going to tell I was a girl and I slept with him so he wouldn't. He was my knight-master. Even if we don't say we were lovers while I was a squire, someone else will."
"Say she's Roger and Alanna's daughter?" Jonathan suggested. Alanna glared at him.
"What, and let me and some dead guy take the blame?" she asked incredulously. "I don't think so. And anyway, she's got your Gift." Jonathan shrugged sheepishly.
"It was an idea," he muttered.
"Not a good one," Thayet pointed out.
"Mother, Father?" A voice at the door made Cat jump. Thayet winced. In the doorway stood Kalasin and Roald of Conte. Kally was wearing a dress, and Roald was in the red shirt, red hose and gold tunic of a page.
"Kally, Roald," Thayet greeted them pleasantly, a look of worry in her eyes. "What did you want?"
"Daine said you were here," Kally said -she seemed to be the more outgoing of the two in spite of the fact that she was Roald's junior by a year. "You left when she came down." She pointed at Cat. "And why did she say she's of Conte? I thought we didn't have any brothers and sisters other than us five."
"Kalasin, Roald," Jonathan began. "Meet your sister, Caterin." Kalasin stared at her.
"I thought we didn't have any brothers or sisters other than us five," Roald repeated quietly. Both children looked confused, though Roald was looking with suspicion at the Lioness and Kally gazed beseechingly at her mother.
"Your father didn't know Caterin existed until today," Alanna said quietly. "Ummm-" She glanced at Thayet, unsure of how much to say.
"We're going to have to tell them," she murmured. "Kally, Roald. Caterin is Alanna's child, not mine." She bit her lip. It was hard explaining these things to an eleven and twelve year old. "They weren't married-"
"Oh," Kally and Roald said together. Roald stared at his father, Kally gazed at the Lioness. "You mean she's illegitimate," Roald supplied. Thayet stared at him.
"How did you know that?" she asked. Roald shrugged.
"I hear things," he said vaguely. George hid a smile behind one hand.
"He told me what it meant too," Kally added. "He said it means when a person is born, but the parents aren't married." Something about the way Roald smiled indicated that he knew a great deal more than that, but he wasn't about to tell his little sister.
"Thank you, Kally," Thayet said. "Could you and Roald meet your father and me in our rooms in a few minutes? Roald nodded, but Kally stayed.
"Can Caterin come?" she asked shyly. Thayet looked at her husband and Alanna who shrugged.
"Certainly," Alanna said. "Cat, be careful, avoid people and stay with Kally and Roald." Cat nodded, curtsied and left with the prince and princess. Thayet turned to Alanna.
"How long do you think we have before we have to come up with an explanation?" she asked quietly.
"Not long enough," George answered. "Not long enough."