Chapter 2: April 470 H.E. (6 years after Trickster's Queen)
Rajmuat Harbour
A small, heavily guarded ship, the Deliverance, waited in the brown muddy waters of Rajmuat harbour. The ship was a royal dispatch vessel which, in a few hours, would be taking the Queen and her closest advisors across the sea to Tortall. As her Majesty Queen Dovasary Haiming Temaida Balitang boarded the vessel a loud cheer went up from the crowd gathered on the dock. On deck a beautiful young woman grinned wolfishly, her long strawberry-blonde hair blowing around her shoulders. She was tanned and thin and wearing a traditional raka sarong, at her side a girl of about 6 clung to her hand. Duchess Alianne Crow of Krypin Point (she had been give a fief and peerage shortly after Dove's coronation), hand signaled to her Queen. 'Still worried they'll rebel in your absence?' Dove grinned at her Spymaster and shook her head. Aly was not worried either. In the last six years since the rebellion Dove had confidently won the hearts of the islands and was a loved and stable monarch. Dove stood on the top deck waving to her subjects as the boat departed. Aly stood at the bow rail her eyes scanning the ship, she spotted Duchess Winnamine and smiled at her over the head of Lady Petranne, who at thirteen years old was a blossoming young beauty and, as the sister of the queen, highly in demand for marriage contracts. Winna had decided to bring her on the voyage to get away from the flurry of men and boys at court. Aly jumped as she left a large presence at her back, the small child at her side leapt into the mans arms with a cry of,
'Daddy!' As Nawat lifted his daughter into his arms he leant in and kissed his wife on the cheek, as he withdrew his eyes were glinting with mischief. Aly smiled as he walked down into the cabin, hauling their giggling daughter after him.
'Good morning your majesty,' She said as Dove came up to greet her, 'How are we feeling about meeting our great neighboring monarchs?'
'Nervous. And you? How are you feeling about going home after… eight years is it? Turned out to be a lot longer than a summer didn't it?' Aly laughed dryly,
"That it did", her bright green eyes glinting in the sun. Dove smiled and set off back to the stern of the ship, to wave to her subjects. Queenship hadn't changed Dove at all and Aly couldn't believe how the time had flown since she had arrived in this very harbor, a bald headed slave. So much had happened. Dove had transformed before their eyes from a slightly awkward and precocious teenager to a beautiful, graceful and competent young queen. Her beauty was reminiscent of Sarai, her infamously enchanting elder sister. Aly thought for a moment. Was she nervous? She couldn't tell. She couldn't wait to see her parents, her brothers and the rest of her motley family. She was nervous she decided scared even. Scared that it wouldn't be the same as before, scared that once she begun to rekindle her old relationships she would fall back into her previous life... and not want to leave again. At that thought she felt a strong, tanned arm wrap about her trim waste and squeeze her tightly. Aly smiled to herself, how could she be scared of reliving the past when she had such a lovely present…and such an exciting future ahead? She twisted her neck and pressed her lips to his in a loving kiss. They stood there, arms wrapped round each other for some time, watching the sunset over Rajmuat harbour. As the ship undocked Aly smiled, all nerves gone. She was going home!