Summary: Brinya and Anoria talk to Bard. Then they talk to each other about him.

Chapter 7: Bard of Lake-Town

The next morning Brinya caught Bard's eye as he was finishing breakfast. She made certain to formally introduce her sister to him, "Master Bard, may I present her royal highness, Princess Anoria of Balinor." He had mistaken her for the princess the night before, and she wanted to disabuse him of this notion before it got either of them into trouble.

He kept his composure and when he kissed Anoria's hand Brinya imagined he held it to his lips a trifle longer than was necessary. "It is an honor to meet you, your majesty," he said.

Anoria practically swooned on her feet, but recovered herself sufficiently to reply, "The honor is mine, Master Bard. I understand that you made my sister's acquaintance last night. She told me of your discussion and we've come to you for advice."

"I'm hardly the right man to offer advice on matters of state. I'm only the master of Lake-Town by default. I'm not from a noble family and I've had little in the way of formal education. Surely King Thranduil could offer you better counsel."

Brinya spoke up, "King Thranduil is very wise, but his knowledge of current events is limited. Mirkwood is a safe haven from news as well as attacks. I'm sure he will offer us whatever advice he can, but you are a man of the world. What do you think is the best way to protect our kingdom? How can we get word to our father to give him information which is both urgent and sensitive?"

Anoria chimed in, "We've had no letters from him since we sought sanctuary here. We're worried that a letter given to a simple courier would be intercepted by those who would seek to profit from its contents. On the other hand, sending a trusted guard to carry a simple letter would certainly alarm our father and likely raise the suspicions of his advisors as well. We do not wish to cause unnecessary alarm, only to prepare our people for what they may be up against, if they are not already informed."

Bard thought silently for a long moment, "Give the letter to me," he said at last. I believe I know the proper channels to assure it reaches your father timely and without causing undue commotion."

Brinya was so grateful she almost cried. Thranduil had been very kind, but she wasn't sure he could help with this particular matter. "We are most grateful for your assistance," she said earnestly, "We will be sure that our father knows that he may count the people of Lake-Town as his friends." They returned to their chambers arm in arm and immediately sat down to write to King Stephen. Once it was accomplished, they dispatched Belinda, Dorinda, and Lucinda to deliver it to Bard.

Once they were gone Anoria said casually, "They are the most amiable creatures, but their constant chattering wears on me sometimes."

Brinya grinned, "Only sometimes? You are a good deal kinder than me."

Anoria put aside the needlework she had laid in her lap and fixed her intense gaze on her sister. "Brinya, tell me, what did King Thranduil want last night?"

Brinya felt like a child who had been caught in a lie. Her face grew hot. "I already told you. He wanted to introduce me to Bard so I could ask for news."

"Yes, but I mean why did he want you? If he was only being kind and providing us with news, why didn't he send for me? It would have been more typical."

Brinya noticed that she said typical instead of appropriate, which is what she meant. She could not meet her gaze. Perhaps it was time she told someone the truth. She couldn't keep telling herself that this wasn't really happening. "Last night he really did want me to meet Bard, but I haven't been completely honest with you where he's concerned." Brinya was expecting her sister to reproach her for acting without thinking and risking her reputation, but Anoria leaned forward and clapped her hands like a child getting a puppy.

"I knew it!" she exclaimed, "I knew there was something going on between the two of you. The other girls wouldn't believe me. They said I was reading too much into it and you were just trying to be useful to our host, but I knew something was going on. I command you to tell me everything."

Normally Brinya didn't like being commanded to do anything, but she was willing to make this exception. She told Anoria about Thranduil's garden, their ritual courtship, the angry words they had exchanged the day before, and about their kiss."

Anoria listened with rapt attention and said, "I always knew that someone special would want you for his bride, but I never could have predicted this. I thought it would be someone like Captain Laurent."

Brinya picked up a ball of yarn from beside the bedside table and chucked it at her sister, but her shoulders were shaking so hard with laughter that it missed its target. She couldn't speak for several seconds. When she recovered herself enough she gasped, "Captain Laurent! That's disgusting! How long have you been imagining me with that old man?" He was a friend of their father's and the head of the castle guard. He had always been kind to Brinya and she knew he was fond of her, but she had always assumed it was in a completely platonic fatherly way. She made noise like she was gagging, "I think I'm going to be sick."

Anoria picked up the yarn and threw it back at her, "He's not that old. We've seen happy matches made with greater age disparities."

Brinya eyed her skeptically, "Name two."

"Aunt Esther and Uncle Brian are twenty years apart in age."

Brinya consented and held up a finger, "That's one. Name another one."

Anoria thought about it, but nothing came to her mind. "Alright, I can't think of another one. Isn't one example sufficient?" Brinya snorted. Clearly, she didn't think so. Anoria continued, "How can the idea of Captain Laurent disgust you when you're courting Thranduil? He's ancient."

Brinya thought about it, "Yes, but he doesn't look ancient and he doesn't always act it. Captain Laurent looks and acts every bit of fifty."

Anoria waved her hands, "Enough about your prospects. Let's focus on more important things. Like my prospects."

Brinya laughed. She was expecting her to say like the legion of the damned that's raiding our homeland, but sure. They could talk about her potential suitors, too. "Who exactly are your prospects?" she asked.

Anoria shrugged, "Father has letters from the heirs of a few small kingdoms. He's had plenty of offers from second sons, some from very distinguished and wealthy families. There are a handful of Balinese nobleman he could benefit from a closer relationship with, but I think it will probably be someone foreign. Those alliances are harder to forge and he has only me to bargain with." Brinya winced. It was true of course. A marriage to her would hardly constitute a royal alliance. It would earn the king's goodwill, but it would never make someone a full fledged son-in-law. Realizing what she had said, Anoria tried to backtrack, but it was too late. "That came out wrong. I didn't mean it like it sounded."

"It's alright," Brinya said, "You're right. He does only have you to bargain with. Marrying me is no bargain at all." Things could have gotten uncomfortable, but she changed the subject. "What did you think of Master Bard? He's very handsome."

"Is he?" Anoria asked, pretending not to be interested, "I didn't particularly notice."

Brinya burst out laughing, "You're a terrible liar," she said, "It's one of your most endearing qualities."

Anoria bit her lip and chose her words carefully, "Do you think we'll ever see him again?"

"I think it's possible. Lake-Town is the closest human settlement to Mirkwood. I believe that King Thranduil does almost all his trade through it."

"Oh, I didn't mean here. I hope we shall see more of him while we are here, but do you think we could ever see him again once we return home?"

Brinya thought about it, "I suppose it's possible. I'm sure he and Father could discuss some manner of foreign relations. After all, he is the master of a large town. A master is not quite a king, but it could be a reasonable pretext."

Anoria giggled, "Now you sound like Mother. A reasonable pretext for what?"

Brinya sighed in exasperation, "To visit you, silly. If you were any other girl, he could simply ask Father or Mother for permission to call on you. No one would be surprised that an eligible man wanted to make your acquaintance better, or even better himself through a closer acquaintance with our family, but you are a princess and there are other considerations."

"What are they?" Anoria asked.

Brinya couldn't tell if she was playing dumb or actually completely ignorant on the subject. "They're primarily political considerations. The crown must consider the welfare of the state as well as your happiness when it comes to finding you a husband. You may like Bard best, but what if a marriage to a Beringian prince would prevent a conflict?"

Anoria thought silently for a moment. She had been a happy and content girl all her life. It had never before entered her mind that she wouldn't live the rest of her days a happy and content woman. She had never even considered the possibility that her heart's desire and her family's obligations could be in the least bit imperfectly aligned. Brinya didn't know what to say. Although in many ways she was bitter about the circumstances of her birth, in other ways she knew that she was fortunate not to be heir to a throne. Her suitors would never make pretences at affection for personal gain. She never had to worry that any man would want her for anything other than herself because she had only herself to offer. Anoria would have to be much more guarded with her heart. Suddenly she smiled a genuine smile and the time for serious reflection seemed to be over, "Do you really think he could come to see us?"

Brinya nodded, "Of course I do. I'll mention it to Father the next time we see him." Anoria's radiant smile made Brinya glad, but she also worried about her little sister. Ruling a kingdom was a hard business and some people would take Anoria's honest kindness as weakness. Brinya knew there would be tribulations and hard times ahead for her, even if Anoria didn't know it herself.