Caell'ian - Fae Realm, Queen Mab's Court
Caell'ian and his knights knelt before Queen Mab and bowed their heads.
'These four knights will accompany the paladin on his expedition to the mortal realm, Your Highness. Alean'or, daughter of Lord Halden, has been chosen as second in command. Sandor, son of Lord Maribor and my children Halliena and Tormandor will also go with them. They have all fought bravely in the last battles and are most loyal to Your Majesty,' Almandor, the Queen's chief adviser, explained.
'All fine young men and women from good families. Are you sure we should waste the talents of such highly promising High Fae on a mission to that barbaric place? Maybe the Low Fae scouts could do the job as well.'
'Your Majesty, this is a highly delicate mission and one of the utmost importance. Only those from the most loyal families can be trusted with such weapons as we hope to acquire.'
There was a moment of silence before the Queen spoke Caell'ian's name. He raised his head and glanced at his father. Lord Morvannon's face was dignified and expressionless, as befitted as a courtier, but Caell'ian could tell he was appeased by the fact that Almandor was sending his children on the same mission.
The queen smiled benevolently at her paladin and said, 'Your mother had a great fondness for the mortal realm. She maintained that its wilderness has its own kind of magic. You will lead with honour and circumspection. Do not damage that place more than necessary, and keep the peace with the humans if possible.'
Once they were dismissed, the six of them made their way through the vast palace grounds.
'For a moment there, I thought that her majesty would change her mind, and I'd have to spend the next few decades escorting boring officials through the kingdom or standing around like a statue in the palace,' Halliena admitted.
'Still better than to be sent to Dorchad as a pawn in marriage like my brother,' Sandor remarked with a shudder.
'I hope they welcomed him more kindly than we did that poor woman. It was a disgrace,' Tormandor said with a discreet motion to his left.
Caell'ian glanced in that direction and saw a graceful figure in white. Golden hair was flowing abundantly around her shoulders, down to her waist. The woman was still too far away for her face to be recognizable, but the three white whisps following closely at her heels allowed him to identify her as Princess Andorae. Only a daughter of the Dorchad royal family was allowed to possess such a purebred animal.
'That turmoil at the gate the other day was not directed against her but against Sillan. You should pity her more for who she has to marry,' Halliena muttered.
'Hellan is not that bad. And she looks so absent-minded that she'll probably not even notice the rest of his lovers,' Sandor pointed out with a grin.
'Remember when he tried to court Alean'or while she was still our father's squire? She told him she would allow him a kiss if he could hold against her in a fight for two bell chimes. He didn't even make it through one,' Tormandor asked with a chuckle.
'I told him no such thing,' Alean'or objected earnestly.
The others laughed, but Caell'ian frowned and whirled around as something touched his leg. A furry white creature was sniffing at his boot, waving its tails in different directions. It was followed closely by its two companions and their mistress.
'Princess Andorae,' he greeted her with a respectful bow.
The expression on her beautiful, gentle face was that of dreamy absence. Andorae always left one with the impression that only her body stayed in this world while her mind was wandering in another. She gave his companions a vague smile, but they seemed of no great interest to her as Caell'ian introduced them.
'It is a pleasure,' she said in her husky voice as her pale blue eyes focused on Caell'ian again. 'I hoped you could help me find my way back to the west wing of the palace. I am afraid I am not used to this new place. Surely it is not inappropriate if you accompany me, since we will be family soon?'
Caell'ian sighed inwardly. He had more urgent and better things to do, yet his upbringing and station didn't allow him to refuse assistance to a high-born lady.
He told the others he'd meet them in the stables and led Andorae back to the palace halls. She chatted about pleasantries while her whisps seemed eager to bring him to fall by circling his legs in an enthusiastic chase of each other's tails. His mind was preoccupied with his plans, so it took him a heartbeat to catch on to what the princess was saying.
'I had hoped it would be you. Of course, I am sure your brother will be a satisfactory husband, but I think we would have been more compatible.'
Caell'ian baulked. It was considered highly inappropriate to question decisions about marriage, especially those made by the queen's council.
'My brother is much more likely to live up to the standards of your high rank. He is more ambitious and intelligent than I am and will therefore take my father's place one day when Lord Morvannon rejoins the Source.'
Andorae's blue eyes fixed on his profile, making him uncomfortable. Caell'ian pretended not to notice, but she went on, 'He is also even more handsome than you. Yet is that all one should look for in a husband?'
'It is not up to us to decide upon marriage alliances.'
'And yet you sang the 'Love Song of Rhian' as if you believed in it,' she said wistfully.
'I did?' he asked vaguely, frantically trying to remember what she was talking about.
'When you escorted Lord Morvannon to the negotiations in Dorchad. You sang that song at the banquet while my sister played the lute. It was beautiful and very moving. All the ladies of the court spoke about it for days.'
Caell'ian felt his ears heat up. His father had asked him to sing as a show of goodwill. He hated performing in front of strangers.
'It is one of my mother's songs. She often sang it when I was young. It is not the romance in it that moves me, but the memory of her.'
'Lady Aelfwyn's fame as Queen Mab's favourite bard has reached all the kingdoms of Fae. Even though we were enemies at the time, everyone regretted that she chose to rejoin the Source so early and deprive the world of her great talent. Have you never thought of following in her footsteps?'
'I'm afraid not. The only song I could write is a simple battle song. Love and romance are not my forte. My brother's literary efforts, however, are spoken of highly.'
'Politics and history. Cold, rational prose. Well written, but there is no heart in it,' she said dismissively.
'Yet surely more useful than a tale of love.'
'It is not. Politics change, and history is a constant repetition of war and peace treaties. Love, however, is a universal yet unique experience. I admit that very few people of our status find it marriage. But all civilized spouses allow each other to look for it outside the marriage bed, as long as they are discreet.'
Danghe'llan will be pleased to hear that, Caell'ian thought, then realized that Andorae was looking at him expectantly. It threw him off balance, and he stumbled over the smallest whisp that had come to an abrupt halt in front of him. Andorae brought the animals to heel, but her eyes remained fixed on Caell'ian's face. Was she suggesting something? Seeking one's pleasure outside the marriage was a common practice at court, but surely not with one's brother-in-law?
'That is something for you and my brother to agree on. I don't think I should have a part in it,' he finally managed to say, hoping he had misunderstood her implications.