Disclaimer: I do not own what belongs to Tamora Pierce

Empress Lessons

Daine awoke feeling groggy. She didn't really feel like getting up. She knew what was going to happen today. It was the same thing that had been happening the whole year since Kaddar had left. She had to go to her Empress lessons. She hated them with a fiery passion.

The day always began the same. She arrived at the palace where she was immediately reprimanded about the time she arrived. If she was late, "Empresses must be on time to all affairs," while she was hit. If she was early, "An Empress must never be too early. She is above all others and they should wait on her to know their place," while being hit. Even when she was on time she was hit because, "An Empress must never arrive in such a hurried manner, it gives the people the wrong idea." And that was just the beginning of her day.

Next came the actual lessons. She had to sit properly, walk properly, and eat properly. For the six months she was constantly berated and called a savage. She couldn't even do those simple activities correctly. How was she ever going to help run a country? Of course, in the beginning she made the mistake of making comments about how she didn't want to run a country. Those just added more bruises to the ones she was already receiving from messing up in her training.

Then came her speech lessons. She had to learn to speak as royalty. She had to rid herself of her accent and expand her vocabulary. She couldn't sound simple anymore. She had to read up on many great works to accomplish this. Daine also had to learn the proper manner in which to speak to commoners. She had to learn the totally different manner involved in speaking with nobility. She also had to learn the proper way to address her future husband and other nobility. Anytime she made a mistake she was severely punished.

After her speech lessons were through, she would have to have lessons on her royal duties. These included everything. She learned her duties as a wife, taking care of her husband. She learned the concept of obedience along with those duties. Daine was taught her duties as a hostess. Whenever there was someone staying with Ozorne, she was in charge of all preparations. If one little thing was out of line, she was in trouble. She finally started learning her duties of the estate. She had to read up on Carthak's history. She was required to know all the laws of the land and to seat in on new laws being made. However, although she was there, she was never to intrude on the discussions. She was after all a woman, no matter how royal. She was there to observe in case the emperor missed something.

Yes, she knew what was in store for her. That was why she wasn't even going to get out of bed. A year of that torture was enough. She had had it. She was going to lay there and wait for death to take away her pain. Of course, then she thought about her friends, both animal and human. If she died, Messa and the animals would be left on their own against the horrors her husband to be would bring. Not to mention her friends back in Tortall, they wouldn't even see what hit them. She felt a pang in her heart at the thought of her dear friends. She began to wonder how they were, what was going on in their lives, and if the still remembered her.

She began to remember her life as it had been. She hadn't realized how good she had had it. She'd had wonderful friends who would do anything for her. She, for the first time, had a place in life. She began to remember the travels she had gone on with just Numair, Cloud, and Kitten. Daine remembered how annoyed she would get when Numair would start to go off on one of his famous academic speeches. Now she just wished she could sit with him for hours listening to him ramble on.

Suddenly her thoughts turned to Kit. She still wasn't allowed to see her. They still hadn't found a way to restrain Kitten the way they did Daine. As much as she wished to see Kitten again, she hoped that they never did. She didn't want Kit to be tied to this horrid place as she was. No matter how much she missed her.

It was then that Messa entered the room, interrupting her thoughts. "Daine, this came from the palace. The messenger said to read it immediately." Daine took the letter warily, opened it, and read it. Her eyes widened as she went to reread it. She hung her head when she was finished. Messa inquired worriedly, "What's it say? Is it that bad?"

Daine looked up at her good friend with tears in her eyes. "It is telling me to come retrieve my dragon as I am now allowed to have her. She is finally awake and she is a prisoner here just like me.," Daine replied sadly, rising from her bed. She changed quickly and left immediately for the palace.

Upon her arrival, she was ushered immediately to a back cage where the immortals were kept. She saw Kitten awake and moving within her cage and new tears started leaking out of her eyes. She didn't even notice that Ozorne was there until he spoke. "My dear Josephine, a gift from me to you. I hope you realize that it can be taken away at any time?" Daine only nodded. "Good, then I expect perfect behavior from now on. Now come on, you are already late for your lessons. And bring that dragon of yours, I'm sure it needs to be taught some lessons, too." As he walks away he adds, "I'll leave it to you to explain to the creature. I suppose it would prefer it that way." Daine and Kitten just silently follow the man who was the master of their fates.

A/N: Thanks to the following for their reviews:

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