by Robin Roseau
"If speak slow," I said. "Thank you."
"Is it true?" she asked. "You are from Garneer?"
"Yes. I born Arrlotta. Horse people."
"Is this your first visit to Framara?" I nodded. "Do they have palaces like this in Garneer?"
I avoided laughing. "No. We have nothing like this."
"Then I will begin with your room. You have seen the bedroom, and this is the sitting room." I nodded. Both were obvious. "Have you been on the balcony?"
"The what?"
"Here," she said with a gesture. She walked to the windows. I hadn't noticed, but there was a handle, and she twisted it, opening a door leading outside. She led the way to a narrow path outside my windows. There was a stone railing, and I could look down and see cliffs below me, and then the sea crashing against the cliffs. I leaned away quickly, backing up to the wall of glass behind me.
Looking down here was far worse than standing at the edge of the Wizard's Gorge.
"It got me the first time, too," Marletta said. "Catch your breath and look around."
And so I did just that. I could see a great distance, and I could see we faced west. The sun was beginning to lower in the sky, although it was some time until dark. Then I saw something out upon the water. I pointed. "What is that?"
Marletta looked. "A fishing boat," she said.
"Oh," I said. "That boat? It rides the water?"
"Yes," she said. "Do you understand about fishing?"
"Is hunting fish?" I ask. "Princess Juleena give fish first time." I made a face. "Taste funny, but I eat anyway. She say good for me."
Marletta chuckled lightly. "It is. We get a lot of fish here. I hope you grow accustomed to it."
"I hope also."
She gestured to the left. "That balcony belongs to Princess Juleena." I nodded.
"Where Queen Ralalta balcony?" I asked.
"She faces the other way, towards the town. The previous queen had the room that Princess Juleena has now, but Queen Ralalta says the queen must watch over her people."
She let me think about that. "Good ruler," I said.
"We all love her," Marletta replied. "Shall we continue the tour?"
* * * *
Marletta's tour took a long time, and I was hopelessly lost only minutes into it. I couldn't believe there were so many rooms, and she didn't even show them all to me. But she showed me a ballroom and two libraries. There was the green room and the game room, but they both appeared to have games I didn't understand.
She explained the castle was broken into wings. The first floor contained the official rooms of the castle, such as the ballroom and the throne room. But above that, the right side held the private rooms, and on the left were offices for various officials that worked in the castle. And beyond those offices were the private rooms for the staff, including Marletta, Xiella, and Mellara. She didn't take me there.
Finally she returned me to my room. I had a terrible headache and was ready to lie down, but I managed to thank Marletta for the tour. She wished me well and left me to myself.
For about five seconds.
"Lady Yallameenara," said Mellara, startling me. She was standing near the fireplace. I turned to her. "Princess Juleena asked you to step next door when you return. You may knock at that door." She pointed.
I thanked her, sighed, and hurried to Juleena's bidding.
* * * *
"What did you think?" she asked me a minute later. We were alone in her sitting room, and I had gravitated to the windows.
"Is there word that means word your mother teach, but three times?"
She laughed. "I understand. And now you get to have dinner with Mother."
"You'll be there?"
"Of course."
"And cousin. Future husband?"
"Oh, no. You won't meet him for a while." She grinned. "That first meeting will be very carefully arranged. It must be quite proper, you see."
"What queen say I not Arrlotta princess?"
"We're going to quietly drop that title," she said.
"She yell at you?"
"No." Juleena chuckled. "But she wants to tell you the rest herself, so no more questions."
"You owe many answers. I learn many, many words."
She chuckled again. "And you have received many, many answers. I think we stopped keeping score." She took my arm, and soon we were on our way to dinner.
With the queen. Which I now realized meant a great deal more than a meal with my grandfather.
* * * *
There were just the three of us at the table: Queen Ralalta, Juleena, and me. But there was a small army of servants who scurried about, bringing foods and filling glasses with water and juice. At Juleena's urging, I accepted small amounts of everything the servants tried to give me.
I wasn't the only one of us who had changed clothes. Both Juleena and the queen were also dressed far more casually than they had been. The queen sat at the head of the table with Juleena and me to either side, across the table from each other. The queen and Juleena made small talk as we began to eat.
I felt awkward. It might have been a casual meal, but my first time eating at a table at all was only a week previous. And there was so much silverware. Why did I need three forks, two spoons, and two knives? I didn't even try to figure that out. I remembered to place the linen in my lap, and I avoided wiping my mouth with my sleeve. I ate slowly and carefully, avoiding spilling, taking small amounts of everything to see what sat well.
"She has much to learn," the queen said.
I knew who "she" was, and I felt like I had just been judged and found deeply wanting. I lowered my eyes and set down my silverware, moving my hands to my lap.
And I blushed deeply.
"Oh, child," said the queen. "That was not criticism. It was acknowledgement of reality."
"Yes, Your Majesty," I said carefully, still not lifting my eyes.
"Juleena, you said she was spirited. This isn't spirited."
"She's worn to the bone, deeply overwhelmed, and in spite of her words earlier, I suspect deeply homesick. And I imagine she's terrified of your displeasure. But if you ask her if she wants to go home, I imagine she'd say 'no'. Mother, you didn't warn me the Arrlottans were such animals."
I flashed my eyes at her, suddenly angry. "We're not animals!"
"You misunderstood my daughter," the queen said, setting her arm on my hand.
"I understand fine," I said hotly. "She call me animal. I not know fancy ways, but I not animal!"
"No, Yallameenara," Juleena said gently. "You are not. I was referring to your grandfather."
"What?"
"Well," said the queen. "There's the spirit you mentioned."
I glanced at her, but I was still angry at Juleena. "Child of animal also animal," I said. "Child of child animal, too. I not animal!"
"Yalla," Juleena said, "that word has more than one meaning."
I stared at her.
"In this case," the queen said in Arrlottan. I turned to stare at her. She carried as thick an accent as her daughter, but she spoke clearly. "A better word might be brute. Tell me, did your grandfather beat you?"
"No," I said. "Of course not."
The queen raised an eyebrow.
"If I needed a beating, he would tell my father to beat me."
"And that is why my daughter called the men of The Hippa brutes. Do you see?"
I didn't understand. "How could my father make me obey if he didn't beat me?"
"With kindness," Juleena said.
"With patience," added the queen. "And love."
I looked down, tears moving quickly into my eyes. "Mama loved me," I said quietly. "Now no one loves me."
"Your mother still loves you," said the queen. "Even if you are so far away. And my daughter has grown quite fond of you. I imagine she feels the stirrings of love. And now I start to understand why."
Then she shifted back to Framaran. "But you must learn this language, and so I will not often use your birth language. It is di
fficult for me, but Framaran will grow easier for you."
"Yes, Your Majesty." I looked back down at my plate, embarrassed and still a little angry.
"Eat as much as you like, and then we shall retire to Juleena's chambers for dessert," suggested the queen. "We have things to discuss."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
* * * *
Juleena sent all the servants away, closing and locking her door. And soon we all sat, me in one chair, both of them on the sofa. We had a plate with something on it the queen had called cake. I eyed it dubiously. On a table beside me was a cup of hot tea.
"Go ahead," the queen said. "We're waiting to see your reaction."
"You use your fork," Juleena said, using her own fork to take a modest piece out of her own cake. But then she waited for me, and so I took a bite and slipped it into my mouth.
I couldn't have explained what it tasted like, but I closed my eyes and held it in my mouth.
After a moment, they both chuckled. "You should swallow," the queen said. "Is that an expression of enjoyment she is wearing?"
"I'm not sure," Juleena replied.
I swallowed the bite of cake and immediately grabbed another. But by the third I remembered the manners Juleena had been trying to teach me, and so I paused.
"I believe that was enjoyment," the queen said, and when I looked up at her, there was a twinkle in her eye.
I was able to enjoy the rest of my cake and drink the tea without entirely embarrassing myself. Then we each set our plates aside, and the queen looked at me earnestly.
"Well," she said. "I think perhaps there are some advantages to living in Framara. Would you care to list a few?"
I smiled. "Cake."
"I'm not surprised that is first on the list."
"You have so much water," I said. "The sea is just there. Juleena says you cannot drink it. But you have boats that ride upon the water."
"Yes," the queen agreed. "But the sea is quite frightening during a storm. Spray from the waves will wash against your windows."
"I not understand."
"The wind-" and she waited to make sure I knew the word. "It blows water. Water builds into moving walls. The walls hit the rocks." My eyes grew wide. "The water splashes."
"I don't know that word."
"Have you thrown a rock into a river or lake?"
"Yes."
"The water that leaves the lake is a splash."
"Oh, I understand," I said. "I don't think we have a word for that."
"If you do, I don't know it," the queen said. "During a storm, those splashes are driven further by the wind and splash against your windows."
"So high!"
"Yes. It can be frightening, and deeply frightening if you are at sea."
"I would be too frightened to go out on a boat! Even when there is no storm."
"I don't blame you," she said with a smile. "What else?"
"Princess Juleena-"
"In private, it's just Juleena," the woman in question said. "Just like always."
"Lady Malta-"
"Lady Malta worries too much about what people think," Juleena said. "Besides, I outrank her." I didn't know that word, either, but I figured it out.
And so I nodded. "Juleena bought me a knife," I said. "It's a far better knife than my grandfather has!"
"Were there knives in what you gave them?" the queen asked her daughter.
"Yes, but not from Hondie's shop," Juleena responded.
The queen smiled. "Ah. I was going to suggest your grandfather probably had as good a knife as my daughter bought you, but if Hondie made your knife, then perhaps not."
I smiled, pleased with Juleena's gift to me.
"Have you discovered other ways Framara is better than The Hippa?"
I thought about it. "There is so much different. I do not know better."
"I can offer a few more," the queen said. "Perhaps you have noticed your bed."
"It's so big!" I said.
"And you'll find it is very soft. Once you grow accustomed to the nighttime noises of the palace, you will sleep far better under warm blankets and with a soft pillow."
"That sounds very good," I said.
"The roof does not leak when it rains."
"It almost never rains on The Hippa," I said.
"It rains quite often here, but you will remain warm and dry."
"And clean," Juleena added.
I'd never really thought about those, but I nodded.
"Have you found ways in which it is better on The Hippa?"
"My Mama is not here. She is on The Hippa."
"Ah, true. What else?"
"Horses do not require shoes on The Hippa."
"Also true," the queen agreed.
"And I think it is further to go before I can ride the way I can on The Hippa."
"Yes."
Then she waited, and I couldn't think of anything else. Oh, there were great differences, and I was sure there would be things I would miss from home. But when I said nothing else, the queen smiled.
"Of all those, perhaps you miss your mother more than the others. For while your horse must wear shoes, and you must ride a ways before there are open places to run, at least you can ride in those open places."
"Yes," I said. "I miss Mama."
"And the rest of your family?" she asked.
I shrugged.
"When you grew older, would you have stayed in Three Cats Tribe?"
"No. I would have been traded to another clan."
"And so, it was not too much longer before you would not see your mother very often, if ever again."
I looked down. "No," I said quietly.
We were silent for a moment, but then the queen said, "You have made a friend in my daughter."
I looked at Juleena, who was smiling at me. I nodded.
"Arrlottan does not have a word for this, but I must explain something," the queen continued. "It is quite common in Framara for a child to leave his or her home, even much younger than you are, and to be raised in another home. It is called fostering."
"Why do you do this?"
"For experience and opportunity. If you are, perhaps, Baroness Qualta, you may wish your daughter to learn things you cannot teach her yourself."
"Who is Bar-"
"Baroness Qualta," the queen repeated. "Lady Malta's mother. Malta came to Marport when she was seven. She may return to Qualta some day, or she may remain here as Chatelaine. She has risen quite far, you see."
I nodded understanding, for what it was.
"Usually when a young boy or girl comes here, they may stay in a barracks for children. I understand you know what a barracks is." I nodded. "Or sometimes the child is fostered in the home of a minor noble." Again, I nodded. "Perhaps an uncle's home, perhaps a distant cousin of the child's mother, or perhaps simply it is a family friend. Sometimes it is a business friend."
She paused, waiting for me to respond.
"Sometimes, the queen takes a foster herself."
I looked up at that, sure this was the queen's main point.
"And then the queen takes the title of foster mother to the child."
"You would be my mother in Framara."
"You are living in my household," she said. "So yes."
"And would I call you Mother?"
"Perhaps not right away, but if we grow close, you may choose to do so. I will not pressure you."
I stared then looked away as tears crawled into my eyes. I was getting tired of that.
"But you understand? You are now my foster child, and while that does not make me your mother, it means you may come to me when you need the things you might need from your mother."
"Or you may come to me," Juleena said. "But I do not want you to consider me a sister. We are friends."
And so I nodded. I hadn't gotten along with my sister, anyway, and so I didn't mind the distinction.
"All right," said the queen after a moment. "In private, like we are here, you should call me by
my name. Do you remember it?"
"Ralalta," I said. She adjusted my pronunciation and then declared me good.
"What shall I call you?"
"I prefer Yalla."
"Then Yalla it is," she agreed. "Now, I understand my daughter has made promises to you."
I looked over at Juleena nervously, but she returned my glance with a smile.
"Specifically, she has promised to hold you blameless if the clans of Arrlotta do not keep their promises to us." The queen paused, but I said nothing. "I stand by those promises, but I do not want you to tell anyone else of this promise. Do you know why?"
I shook my head.
"Do you know the word politics?" She said it with a certain amount of disgust. I admitted Juleena had tried to explain that word, but I didn't understand. "You understand you were meant as a guarantee of the promises the chiefs made to us."
"I am a poor guarantee," I said. "Not even for my own grandfather, and certainly not for the other chiefs."
"Well, I hope between the occasional trade we offer, and the threat of a return visit by my daughter, they will keep their promise. But if they do not, I will not harm you."
"Thank you, Ralalta." I felt some relief with her words, and I let out breath I didn't even know I was holding.
"Very good. Juleena has told you that you are to marry my nephew."
"Yes."
"I am withholding that decision for some time," she continued.
"I am not to marry Jalek?"
"I haven't decided. When I do decide, you will do as you are told, won't you?"
I looked down. "Yes, Ralalta."
"Good. Do you know why I am waiting to decide?"
I looked up. "Politics?"
She smiled. "Yes. Politics is part of it. And I also would not wish for a poor match for either of you. And so we shall see. We shall see who shows an interest in you. We shall see who fits you, and whom you fit. You will marry, and it may be Jalek or it may be someone else."
I nodded understanding.
"Would you have had a choice in who you married if Juleena had not picked you?"
"No. I probably would have become someone's second wife."
"Well then, it should not distress you if you become someone's first wife at my choosing then. I promise to choose better than your father would have."
I didn't know what to say about that.
"To be clear," the queen said, "I do not wish you to engage in a romantic relationship with a young man. Tell me you understand."