by Robin Roseau
"No."
"Imagine that. And was I riding the sort of mount you would slide underneath me, or was I riding the sort of horse I grew up riding from birth?"
"Um."
"Do you think if I had any interest in riding Framaran horses, I need look further than to the woman who holds the quarters besides mine? You know her perhaps as Princess Juleena."
"Lady Yallameenara," he started to say.
"It is one thing to offer to go riding. I might have enjoyed that. But to tell me I can't pick a good horse that suits me, and to suggest my horses are not excellent creatures and my life's blood besides, is about the deepest insult you can give to a daughter of the Horse People."
"Lady Yallameenara-"
"I realize my mounts are unusual to you. They are small, and the proportions are different from your Framaran mounts. But there are reasons the Arrlotta breed horses in this way, and if you weren't so caught up in your own superiority, you might have been interested in wondering why."
He wasn't a complete imbecile. He slipped off his chair and dropped to a knee. "Lady Yallameenara-"
"I do not believe we have anything further to discuss. This has been enlightening. Good day." I stood, stepped around him, and headed for the door.
Shortly before I reached it, there was a knock, and then one of the serving staff from the kitchen entered holding a tray with a fresh teapot.
"Excellent, Miera," I said. "Thank you." I grabbed the pot of tea. "This will be perfect in my room. Could you find someone to show Drendick the door? Thank you." And then I kept going.
* * * *
"So," said the queen, sounding quite casual over dinner that evening. "Your time with Drendick was well spent, I understand."
I snorted, and Muranna actually laughed. I'd told her all about it. At length. She thought it was the funniest thing.
"Ralalta, could you advise me on the best way to officially remove someone from my list of suitors?"
"You tell me, and I handle it," she said. "What happened?"
"Have I embarrassed you?"
"Not yet," she said. "Yalla, what happened?"
"Oh, please, Mother," Juleena said. "He clearly said something about Zana and Hamper." At her words, I nodded.
"I suppose that was obvious. How odious was the comment?"
"Which one of the odious comments should we discuss?" I asked.
"You mean you actually gave him a chance to say more than one?" Juleena asked. "Mother, how restrained of her."
"Quite so. Yalla, I really do need to know what he said."
"Fine. He called them strange. He said they weren't proper mounts. Then he offered to take me riding with the loan of a more fitting choice, and that I clearly didn't know what I was missing." By the end of the repetition, I was spitting mad. "If he'd said any of that to a man of the Arrlotta, blood would have spilt."
"Yalla, I need to know if those were his exact words."
I sighed. "As near as I can remember. He said..." I thought about it. "Everyone was waiting for me to begin riding proper mounts, or something like that."
"So you're not taking license with his words?"
"No, Ralalta. Definitely not. It wasn't so bad that he spent the entire time talking about his horses. A man should be proud of his mounts, after all. And there are ways to suggest a man's mount is better than another's without being insulting."
"There are," the queen agreed.
"Ralalta," said Muranna. "How stupid is he?"
"Clearly to the extreme," she said. "Or perhaps someone is playing games. Juleena, I don't know much about Lady Reese's children. What have you heard?"
"You know I don't pay attention to gossip."
"Muranna?" the queen prompted.
"I think Lady Reese has largely kept him away from the capital," Muranna replied. "I hear more about his older sisters." She turned to me. "You've met Lady Parmeed."
"Hmm. Long face and laughs too hard?"
"That's the one," Muranna said. "She's actually quite brilliant, but socially awkward. She does much better in small settings. She has a dry wit you would like."
"I didn't know that," said Ralalta. "Well, I knew she was brilliant. She manages some of her mother's lands and does quite well. But I've never seen her in a more intimate setting, so I didn't know about her sense of humor."
"Do you think someone is playing games with me?" I asked. "Or with Drendick? Did someone put a bug in his ear?"
"I don't know if any games are being played, Yalla," Ralalta replied. "He could have been nervous and stupid."
"Ralalta, if I were going to court someone important like Lady Yallameenara, Princess of the Arrlotta, foster daughter to the queen, and one of the best riders in all of Framara, I think perhaps I might do a little research," said Muranna. "I might, for instance, learn the names of her mounts. Discovering they are somewhat unusual, I might attempt to discover why. Knowing she wins nearly every race she rides, I might wonder further. I might attempt to discover where she shops, and see if that told me something about her. And I almost certainly would attempt to engage her closest companions in conversation to learn a little more about her."
Three pairs of eyes swiveled towards Muranna, at least one pair open very widely.
"If I were serious, at least," Muranna added.
"Don't stop there," Juleena said. "Now it's getting juicy."
Muranna laughed lightly. "I suppose it is. I can say Drendick hasn't done the latter, and I find it unlikely he did any of the former, either. He either wasn't serious or is too stupid for Yalla."
"Quite so," agreed the queen. "I believe we are all agreed Drendick will not be paying further call on Yalla."
"That's for sure," I said.
"But my daughter is right, Muranna. It's just getting juicy. Please, do go on."
"Some of the suitors may be more serious than others," Muranna said.
"Which ones?" I asked.
"I'm not sure I could say," she said with a grin.
"Oh, no. There's no keeping secrets from me, Muranna."
"Now, now," she said. "It may be that one or two people approached me directly after ensuring I would keep the conversation private. And it may be that one or two others approached me through their agents."
"And?"
"And," she said. "I couldn't trace for whom the agents were working, unless they were working for their own benefit, and simply haven't offered suit yet."
"Wait, what?" I exclaimed. "There could be more?"
The three of them laughed. "Almost certainly," said Juleena. "You are quite fierce, and there may be some waiting to see how the first batch does."
"You're serious."
"Quite so," she said. "I know of at least one woman who is watching quite carefully."
"Who?"
"I'm sure I shouldn't say," she said with an obscure wave of her hand. "How did you answer these probing inquiries, Muranna?"
"Yalla," Muranna said, "No one asked after secrets or even hinted I should tell them anything that would upset you. Do you trust me?"
"Of course."
"One or two may have asked what sort of gifts you might prefer."
"Gifts," I said somewhat dully.
"Offering gifts would be traditional," Juleena said. "I received the most unexpected things until I put a stop to the entire thing."
"I can't take gifts from anyone," I said.
"Of course you can," said the queen. "That's half the fun of letting them court you!" She was smirking when she said it.
"All of you are enjoying this far too much."
"I'd say we're enjoying it just right," Juleena said. "What else did these paramours learn?"
"Yalla," Muranna said, "I didn't say anything someone shouldn't be able to guess. I did say you prefer honesty and directness, that you love to ride, that you love your horses as if they were your own children, and that you were sweet and kind. Does any of that upset you?"
"No," I said.
"Two probed somewhat more
deeply into our relationship. It is known I spend nights in the palace, and it isn't entirely a secret we share a bed. It isn't the first time I've been asked about it, and I always say something about sisters."
"Do you confirm the sleeping arrangements?" Ralalta asked.
"Neither confirm nor deny," Muranna said. "There's no reason to feed the rumor mill, but as everything is quite proper, lying could cause problems. If I would lie about that, what else might I lie about. If someone is persistent, I mention that Princess Juleena's bedroom is one thin door away and point out she is a very light sleeper."
Juleena snorted. "True."
"As no one has ever caught us acting in any way contrary to a relationship between loving sisters, the rumors haven't gotten much traction, as far as I can perceive. And I've listened."
I hadn't realized any of this. I wondered if I should have. Oh, I wondered if there were rumors, but not that Muranna was watching for them.
"Why?"
"Why, what?" she asked.
"She's protecting you, Yalla," said Juleena. "On her own, Muranna could be quite outrageous, and it wouldn't hurt her. But it could hurt you."
"Oh. Thank you, Muranna."
She inclined her head. "So, that's what I know that I feel free to say. Yalla, at least two of your suitors are serious enough to have talked to me. If any of them offer you ribbons for your hair, you'll know they aren't the ones to have approached me."
I laughed at that, but the entire situation made me uncomfortable. I couldn't believe people were talking about me behind my back.
At the end of the meal, Ralalta said, "Yalla, remain behind a moment. I'll send her along in a few minutes, Muranna."
"We'll be in my quarters, Yalla," Juleena said. And she squeezed my shoulder as she walked past me, heading for the exit.
As soon as the door closed, Ralalta said gently, "This falls under experience, Yalla."
"Experience?"
"Your future is unclear. I am not going to pressure you, but my hope is that your future keeps you living under this roof and becoming increasingly valuable to my government, and later, to Juleena's. The more you learn, and the more experience you have, the more we can ask you to do for us, things we couldn't ask anyone else to do."
"Really?"
"I believe Juleena has talked a little bit about this with you."
"A little, but not in those words."
"Juleena is not a military commander, but when I needed the Arrlottan raids to stop, I sent her. Do you know why?"
"No. I never thought about it."
"Because she goes with the weight of my voice, and if she acts, it is not just a military commander acting. It is almost as if I did it myself."
I didn't entirely understand, but I nodded. "But you couldn't treat me the same way, Your Majesty."
"Not yet. You didn't grow up to this, and you have far more to learn before I could let you operate so independently. But that is my hope, and my desire, second only to your happiness."
"Oh." I thought about it. "Which of my suitors are at odds with that goal?"
"Only the ones stupid enough to insult Zana, Yalla. Please do not marry someone that stupid."
I laughed. "I think we can count on that."
"So this qualifies as experience, Yalla. Dealing with Drendick was experience. Dealing with this little intrigue Muranna describes is experience. Being visible, and handling it with grace is experience. Do you see?"
"I suppose," I said.
"All right. Good. You, Juleena, and me will share breakfast Saturday morning. I will want to hear about your evening with Lady Malta. Be sure to pay attention to the conversation, as I will ask about it."
"You want me to spy on Lady Malta?"
"Of course not. I want you to spy on the host. Oh, don't look at me that way. I'm not asking you to poke through their papers. Just pay attention to the conversation. If anyone says anything she doesn't want me to hear, she's a fool. You and Malta are both as loyal as can be, and everyone knows it."
And so I nodded.
"Get used to this, Yalla," she said. "It isn't always interesting, but pay attention to what goes on around you." She smiled. "That's all I wanted to say. Questions?"
I shook my head.
* * * *
Over my four and a half years living in the palace, I had acquired a great deal of clothing. When I had first arrived, I was shocked at the size of my closet. Now it was full. I knew there were storage rooms in the castle where much of Ralalta's and Juleena's wardrobe was kept. My closet was to the point that Mellara was beginning to ask what she should put into storage. But it wasn't quite there yet.
The clothing could be put into three basic categories. There were the everyday clothes, which was heavily dominated by clothes in which I could go riding. These were my favorites, and if Muranna had a weakness for hats, I had a weakness for riding jackets. Oh, I didn't buy them remotely the way Muranna bought hats, but I had grown somewhat vain about my appearance atop Zana.
I didn't wear frilly clothing when riding, either. It was all deeply practical, some quite plain, some with piping and other decoration to add to the look.
But these were the clothes I wore the most, even when engaged in other activities besides a trip upon Zana's back.
At the other end were the formal gowns. These were made of the richest fabrics and most intriguing cuts, and I felt quite out of place in them. Everyone told me I looked quite beautiful in them, but I thought that was due to the gowns themselves being so beautiful, and not me personally. These were what I wore to events in the palace, and then afterwards a particular gown might see use in events throughout Marport, although not often.
In between were the dresses I was forced to wear when I wasn't allowed to wear the clothing I might prefer, but it wasn't such a formal event as to call for a gown. This category of clothing was actually the most varied in my closet, and it was the type of clothing I was most likely to wear when Muranna and I went about in the evening, or if called to a dinner with the queen and there were to be guests.
For my evening with Lady Malta, Mellara selected one of these dresses for me to wear, a form-fighting red sheath with a white sash about my hips. I had not arrived in Marport with the classic figure I had learned was most desired in a woman, but I had grown a few of those curves since arriving. I would never have Muranna's looks, but that didn't bother me.
Of my dresses, I thought I looked best in the red sheath, although I didn't like that I was forced to take such short steps when wearing it. I didn't complain when Mellara pulled it from my closet and began to fit me into it. She took care of my full appearance, and when she was done, I stood before her as she made her familiar final adjustments.
"What would I do without you?" I asked her when she declared me ready, handing me the cloak she had selected.
"Hire someone else?"
"You take such good care of me."
"I'm glad you think so," she said. "Maybe I shouldn't tell you this, but you're very easy to take care of. Some of the ladies about town are quite dreadful."
"I imagine they are dreadful ladies to begin with," I replied.
"I couldn't say." She smiled. "I'm looking forward to this new phase in your life. I'll get to dress you like this far more often."
I laughed. "We'll see. I imagine I'll drive most of the suitors away."
"You know that everyone is wondering what Lord Drendick did. I heard you were spouting fire when you left him in the library. You wouldn't believe the guesses."
"Enlighten me."
"Some said his face was red from when you slapped him."
"Well, his face may have been red."
"Some say your face was red from when he slapped you."
"He didn't lay a hand on me," I said. "What else?"
"Some people think he tried to..."
"Yes?"
"Touch you."
"Oh. No. I'd rather you put a stop to rumors of that nature, Mellara. What do you think happened?"
/>
"If I had to guess?"
"If you had to guess."
"He said something about Zana."
"I'm that predictable?" I asked.
"I wouldn't say that."
"You're right. He said several things about Zana."
"Then he's a complete idiot. Do you want me to spread it around what he did?"
"No, but put a stop to any rumors that paint him as anything except stupid."
"And any about you that paint you as unreasonable. Can you imagine Princess Juleena's reaction if you insulted Daggarwind?"
"Crossed swords at dawn, I might imagine," I said. "I'd say a tongue lashing was a mild response."
"So you didn't slap him. Why was his face red?"
"I imagine from the tongue lashing," I said. "And mine from anger."
"Can I say that?"
I thought about it and then nodded. "Don't say why. If anyone else is also stupid enough to insult my mounts, let them." I paused. "And what about you, Mellara? Are there any boys in your future?"
"Maybe one or two," she said with a grin. "But I'm not ready to settle down yet. I didn't spend four and a half years training you only to let some other maid see you through the next few years."
I laughed. "Well, I wouldn't want to stand in the way of your happiness, but I'm glad you'll be here, Mellara." I caressed her cheek briefly. "Where am I meeting Lady Malta?"
"Don't you know?" she asked in a shocked voice. "And she's probably waiting!"
"Her note didn't say," I said quickly. "She isn't coming here to collect me, is she?"
"That would be highly inappropriate, Lady Yallameenara. Maybe she's in her office. Wait, no, she's smarter than that. That would be entirely the wrong message, that you should attend her in her office. No, no, you are the queen's foster daughter, and she is only the chatelaine. Meeting her in her office would entirely turn the relationship around. If that's where she's waiting, you can let her wait all night long!"
"Someone must know where she is. Quick. Can we find a page to track her down?"
Then Mellara began to grin.
"Oh, you little shit," I said.
"Front door," she said. "If she's not there, then waiting in the library is appropriate."
"I'm going to get you," I said.
"Have a nice evening," she offered.
"I will. I'll spend the entire time plotting my revenge. I think I'll short sheet your bed."