Reality, Thank Mithros
Disclaimer: Nothing mine, so don't send the icky people with law degrees after me!
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Thom sighed, sinking gratefully into his bed. After word came of new noble ladies arriving he had been even more pleased than usual that his Knight Master was Duke Gareth. Once married and not interested enough to be fluffing himself for any of the Balls and feasts being held for what was known amongst the boys training to be knights as "mating season". He wondered if his sister and his cousin would be coming in on this trip, as they were very vague in their letters to him.
The young squire thought on the strange events that had happened in his 6 years at the palace. For one, the Sweating Sickness had suddenly and mysteriously vanished, faster than it had come. Leaving the heir to the throne weaker, but not beyond the ability to continue until he reached Knighthood, though the Chamber had spat him back out half-dead. His mother, on the other hand, was a frail stick figure, growing weaker everyday. He was one of the ones to help in the treatment of the Queen when she took ill, learning much with his gift.
Then Duke Roger came, Thom had been instinctively put off by the Duke, though he had no clue as to why. The Duke was there by request of the King, to teach the young pages and squires to use their Gift. Then, after a few classes, Thom had felt cheated because, instead of being able to learn more from the class, he instead found himself being held back. Though his dislike of the Duke, and the true strength of his powers, had been masked-on request from his cousin of all people!-he still felt a deep resentment towards the Duke.
Then there had been the Hunting expedition, Wolves had attacked, which in itself was extremely odd, and if not for the fact that the Prince was being carefully watched and heavily guarded since the fever, he would have been killed. Then, shortly before he became a squire, Thom had heard of a campaign to Persopolis to discus peace talks, which had been cancelled due to unexplainable circumstances by the Bazhir.
All-in-all the past six years had been eventful, and he felt sure, for some reason, that the excitement wouldn't stop there. With these thoughts flitting about in his head, Thomas of Trebond, fell asleep.
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Duke Gareth looked down at the boy, his squire, with affectionate amusement. The red-headed lad was practically twitching in hopes of seeing his sister and cousin on this run of noble-ladies from the convent. He himself was hoping his daughter would come with the others, and he saw his son grinning randomly, no doubt thinking of his sister, and then frowning, most-likely thinking of all the men he'd have to defend her from.
The last two carriages arrived, as Duke Gareth observed, with some interest, the presence of Duke Roger. He had been there last year as well, waiting, then leaving toward the end. No one questioned his presence there, not this year, nor the last. Those who knew him thought that he was looking for future conquests, he was a known womanizer. Those who didn't thought that, perhaps, he was looking for a bride. Duke Gareth assumed he would leave before the end, as he did the year before, but this time he stayed.
The first carriage emptied out Ladies Cythera, Cornelia, Elizabeth, and Charmaine. Duke Gareth saw his squire deflate a little, and noticed the same reaction of his son.
The next carriage openned to show a Lady Delia, who came off as the most haughty and self-loving woman alive. She may have had plain brown hair, but it gleamed and shone like silk and made her green eyes shine.
Following her was Lady Danielle, who Gary swept up to and hugged dearly. The brunette's hair had more of a natural gloss than Delia's, though she had unremarkable brown eyes, and Duke Gareth welcomed his daughter joyfully. Tension between the Ladies Delia and Danielle was palpable.
Lady Leslie followed, kind of. The red-black haired girl with honey-gold eyes - who would look quite plain, pretty but plain, if not for the exotic beauty gained from the shade of hair and eyes the Yamani-looking girl had - took one look at a smirking Duke Roger, and practically leapt back into the carriage. 'Ah,' Duke Gareth mused, 'So that's who Duke Roger's been waiting for.' And truely, the Lady seemed older than the other girls, though not by much.
Lady Alanna, a fire haired lass with brilliant violet eyes, emerged, to greet her brother, Thom. The two were remarkably similar, though Alanna followed the same mold as Leslie, pretty but plain if not for the unusual hair and eye color. Then she disappeared back into the carriage and dragged out Leslie, Thom's cousin. Alanna then clasped her brother's arm between her's, and began to chatter about the lives they led.
Lady Delia had walked off with Prince Jonathan, and Gary had taken his sister away, the only girl left was the timid Lady Leslie. Duke Roger gallantly offered an escort to the girl, which she accepted hesitantly. "My Lady, I would have been sure that you would have come last year, with the others of your year."
Leslie stiffened at that. "Surely you can't be implying that I would be avoiding you Your Grace, such a thing is not heard of."
"No," Came the genial reply as they entered the castle, "It's not..."
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A.N: Bored out of my mind, that's gotta be the reason I'm posting this.
