Alternate Princess

Chapter 1

"Father, no!" ten-year-old Princess Eliena of Conté cried. "I don't want to go to the convent."

"Oh, Jonathan," Eliena's mother, Queen Alanna of Olau and Conté, said. "She can't go to the convent. She's going to be a page." Eliena made a face.

"I don't want to be a page," she replied. "I want to work for the Riders."

"You're too young," King Jonathan IV of Conté told his oldest daughter.

"Thayet promised she'd teach me. She said that by the time I'm thirteen I could help. Not be a trainee," Eliena said. "Please, father? Please? I'll be good for Uncle Thom in my magic lessons, I promise. And I'll be good for Thayet, Sarge, and Buri. Please." She widened her violet eyes and stuck out her lower lip in a pout. Jonathan gave his wife a withering look.

"We've allowed our friends to spoil her, Alanna. You've spoiled her," he remarked. Alanna looked offended.

"I've spoiled her, Jonathan?" she asked incredulously. "I believe you have been spoiling her."

"I am not spoiled," Eliena injected stubbornly. She turned the violet eyes she had inherited from her mother onto her father. "Please, father? I promise I'll behave." Jonathan sighed.

"All right. But I want model behavior at the state functions," Jonathan said. Eliena squeaked and threw her arms around him.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" she enthused.

"Remember, Eliena. Model behavior," Alanna said. Eliena looked at her mother.

"As if you should be talking! I see you yawning at the banquets, mother!" Eliena revealed. Alanna gasped and Jonathan laughed. "Besides, state functions are boring." She held up crossed fingers. "And I crossed my fingers when I promised, so I don't have to!"

"If you want to be an assistant, you will," Alanna said. Eliena frowned.

"Fine." She turned on the heel of her riding boot and marched out of her parents' room. Once the door was closed, Jonathan and Alanna heard the young heiress tear down the hall screaming, "I'm going to help the Riders! Thayet! Come here!" Jonathan focused laughing blue eyes on Alanna.

"She gets it from you," he told her. Alanna glared at him and called him a rude name. Jonathan laughed again. "Don't let Eliena pick that up, Lioness. Or we'll have a real problem!"

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Three years later, Eliena was thirteen. She had been learning the ways of the Queen's Riders from their commander, Lady Thayet of Goldenlake, formerly Thayet jian Wilima. Eliena had also been learning how to use her powerful Gift from her Uncle Thom, Alanna's twin brother and a Master mage. Whenever Thom couldn't teach her, Eliena was sent to Master Numair Salmalín, née Arram Draper, for lessons. Eliena liked learning about her magic. She was a skilled girl, and picked up lessons quickly, allowing her to learn faster than many others.

At thirteen, she was the youngest assistant to the Riders. She had learned all she needed to know from Thayet and her co-commanders, Sarge, Onua, and Buri. Even though Eliena was the heir, she was allowed to go on all sorts of adventures because of her talent. She could wield a sword as well as many of the pages her age- better even! She knew basic war magic, illusion magic, and countless powerful spells that even some older than she had trouble with. Along with that, because of the strengths of her parents Gifts, Eliena had a strong reserve of power to tap. While many mages had to tap their life force after a while (Numair, Alanna, Jonathan, and Thom excluded), Eliena had a large supply she almost never used.

This particular adventure was to meet Onua, Numair, a company of the Own, and Onua's new assistant at the Tortallan border. Thayet had sent Eliena in place of the other commanders, because the new assistant was her age. Also, Eliena knew Sir Raoul of Goldenlake, Thayet's husband and the Knight Commander of the King's Own. Raoul knew that Eliena's Rider group (the Second) was strong enough to safely take Numair, Onua, and the new assistant to Corus. Numair was weak, and Eliena had enough skill as a mage to help him. She could also heal him a bit, which was what he really needed.

Finally, Eliena caught sight of them. She kicked her black warhorse (her parents wanted her on a warhorse instead of a pony) that she had named Abyss into a gallop.

"Princess Eliena!" her "keeper", Sergeant Tucker, called. "Wait!" Abyss stopped and Eliena whirled around.

"Sergeant Tucker, since when do I wait for anyone?" she wanted to know. Abyss spun again and Eliena continued galloping toward her friends. Her horse stopped right in front of a girl who looked to be about Eliena's age. She had smoky brown curls and blue-gray eyes. Eliena felt itchy just looking at the girl's dress. She dismounted easily. Onua and Numair hugged her.

"Eliena! I didn't know you were coming!" Numair said.

"Yes, Thayet decided to send us at the last minute," she replied. "Now, where's this new assistant of yours, Onua?"

"Right here," Onua replied. She put a hand on the curly-haired girl's shoulder and guided her to the princess.

"Veralidaine Sarrasri, this is her royal highness Princess Eliena of Conté. Eliena, this is Veralidaine Sarrasri," Onua introduced. Daine curtsied.

"Please, don't curtsy. I'm in breeches and I look like such a fool when I bow," Eliena said. She extended a hand. "My friends all call me Eli for short. And I think we'll become friends, seeing as I'm also helping the Riders." The girl shook Eliena's hand. "If we're to be friends, I would like to know what I should call you."

"Excuse me, your- Eliena. My friends call me Daine," the girl replied. Eliena smiled.

"Excellent. Now, if you will excuse me. I have to find Sir Raoul…" her voice drifted off as she searched for the big knight. "Where is he?"

"Right here!" a voice said. Eliena stood on tiptoe and the big knight came out of the bushes. He rode over to Eliena and scooped her up. He placed her in front of him and gave her a huge hug.

"Raoul, you're crushing me," Eliena squeaked. He let her go with an apologetic smile. "Now, are you going to go get that Sinthya or not?" Raoul grinned and put Eliena down.

"How did you know about that?" he asked, and then held up a large hand. "Oh, wait. Never mind. I always forget who you are, Eli." Eliena smiled at him.

"Goddess bless you," she called as the Own rode off. She turned back to her friends. "Now, Numair. I've been told I have some healing to do." She sighed. "How the mage changed you back into a man from a hawk and didn't heal you I'll never know." She looked at Daine. "Daine, d'you want a pair of breeches? You look awfully itchy." She shuddered. "Goddess knows how much I loathe dresses." Daine smiled gratefully.

"Thank you. I would," she replied. Eliena nodded.

"Good. Sergeant Tucker, you no good keeper, where are you?" Eliena yelled. Onua and Numair exchanged a look as they saw Daine's shock.

"Her mother has a terribly sharp tongue," Onua explained quietly. "Eliena's picked it up over the years. Her language sometimes makes the soldiers blush. But she, like her mother, is really not a terrible person. She can just get that way sometimes. Trust me, Daine, you'll forget she's a princess."

"I know you're talking about me, Onua, so why don't you just say it out loud?" Eliena called as Sergeant Tucker handed her breeches, a shirt, and a tunic. Eliena handed them to Daine. "You look about my size. These should fit. Say, how old are you?"

"Thirteen," Daine replied.

"Same with me," Eliena replied. "D'you really have wild magic?" Daine gave her a puzzled look. "I thought they told you… Numair!" Numair came over. "How do I know about Daine's wild magic before she does?" Numair pulled Eliena aside.

"We didn't want to tell her until Thom had checked," Numair whispered. Eliena looked at him and put her hands on her hips.

"Well you could have told me that!" she huffed. "Anyway. We should get moving. I want to make it to Goldenlake by nightfall. Is that too much to ask?" The men who had ridden with her straightened up and the women smiled.

"No, your highness!" Eliena smiled.

"Very good. Let's move!"

Author's Note- Eliena is a little different character than I normally write. It's refreshing. REVIEW, please.