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The Gilded Cage--Pawns and Queens spin-off story #1

Started by Evie, August 03, 2024, 12:03:32 AM

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Evie

The Gilded Cage

June 17, 1461
(Two and a half years before
the start of
Pawns and Queens)
The Palace at Rhanamé
Andelonia


Princess Catalina of Andelon, carefree and happy in the sunlight of the palace garden during this summer of her sixteenth year, laughed at the jest her weapon master had just made, though she had only half heard it. She wondered what she had missed, for Don Salim was quite witty in addition to his other undeniable charms that had swiftly made him very popular among the ladies of her court, but her attention was distracted, as it so often was of late, by the presence of the other man seated in her garden, tuning his lute, seemingly oblivious to the admiring glances and mild flirtations of those ladies. At last, seeming satisfied with the sound of the tuned instrument, he looked up, meeting her gaze with a smile.

"For you, Su Alteza," he said as he played the introductory notes of the song. Her entourage grew silent as they waited for Don Riordan to sing.

The ballad, once it began, was in the unfamiliar tongue of his father's people, the lilt of the Llyrian words weaving their spell among his listeners. It was not Deryni magic, she knew, but the older, simpler magic of music and words fitting together to charm the listeners' hearts and ease sorrows. And his voice, quietly pitched but resonant, drawing the listener in–also magical. His deft fingers, plucking the strings, wove their own magic deep within her, causing her to turn her face away from her duenna lest Amina notice the blush rising to her cheeks and suspect the cause for it.

The song changed, Riordan allowing the final notes of the Llyrian ballad to die away before starting a new tune, this one a more familiar love song in her native Andelonian. Her ladies, understanding the meaning of this song, seemed to enjoy it more, a few exchanging quick smiling glances at each other or stealing covertly admiring looks at the singer as if wishing he were singing the song especially for them. Catalina could hardly blame them for that; she also wished the same. Even Amina's foot tapped in time to the music, her normally serious expression relaxing into a gentle smile.

"What would you have next, Señora?" her tutor asked her once that ballad had also run its course.

You, her mind automatically supplied, but she knew better than to say so. Amina would lock her in her room for the next year, dared she ever express herself so boldly to a man. Feeling fortunate for the benefit of tight shields, she reluctantly tucked the thought away. "What about the song you wrote last month?"

Riordan grinned, playing the opening notes of a song that was far from any love ballad, but more of a satirical commentary on certain men in positions of power and their private inadequacies. It had been inspired by their recent visit to Joux. Catalina was unsure how many of the tongue-in-cheek references would fly right over the heads of most of the ladies present, but she would certainly enjoy them.

A movement slightly above and to the side of her caught her attention, and she turned her head to see her father watching her. He gave her a faint smile as their eyes met and he beckoned to her. Reluctantly she stood, bending to inform Amina that her father had need of her, and went to follow him.

They walked in silence through the sheltered walkway that bordered the gardens, leaving the courtyard where her entourage remained listening to her tutor's performance and walking through the arched entrance into a smaller, more private garden outside of her father's withdrawing room. Here, the soothing sounds of a courtyard fountain drowned out the distant notes of Riordan's song.

Mikhail, King of Andelon, took a seat on one of the courtyard benches, tapping the seat beside him. Catalina joined him, glancing at her father curiously.

"Mija." He took her hand in his, patting it affectionately. "How are your studies coming along?"

"They're going well, I think," Catalina said, "though surely Don Riordan would be a better judge of that than I am. I am mostly fluent in Fiannese now, aside from some of the more obscure idioms, and he says he thinks I am ready to start focusing on my Gwyneddan. And I've been reading up on the histories of the Bremagni states and the early years of the Hort's suzerainty over the Forcinn. Also, we've covered a fair bit of warding lore, though he says I am not quite ready to try my hand at making portals yet."

"And music and poetry on top of all that. I am certainly getting my money's worth from Don Riordan," her father joked. "And what of your other studies?"

"Don Salim has been working on my defensive skills, and I finally managed to get my throwing knife to stick into the target last week." She sighed. "It's probably for the best that I'm not a son expected to be able to lead your troops into battle, but he says I am doing well enough for a beginner."

"Well, the primary purpose of those skills is just to help your defenders ensure your safety, should there ever be a threat to your person. Hopefully the skills will never be required, except as a useful exercise to keep yourself in good physical condition, but I would rather have you know some defensive skills than not have them if they are ever needed. And what of Doña Amina? I know you have come a long way in your painting skills. What about your embroidery?"

"I'm learning how to add spellwork to it now, so that's exciting. Though as a duenna, she takes her role perhaps a little too seriously." Catalina rolled her eyes. "To hear her frantic warnings, one would think the glance of a man merely looking at me in a way she disapproves of might result in me instantly falling pregnant and consigned to a life in disgrace for the rest of my days, stuffed away in some convent to lead the rest of my life in contemplation and penitence! I know she means well, but could you please have a quiet word with her?"

Mikhail grinned. "You are asking me, your loving father, to ask your duenna to be less vigilant of your virtue? Mi querida, treasure of my heart, that is never going to happen. But I will see if your mother can convince her to be a little less...alarmist in expressing her concerns." He sighed. "And speaking of concerns, I have a few also."

"What sort of concerns, Father?"

He squeezed her hand gently, remaining silent for a long moment as he gathered his thoughts. "Catalina, you are still very young, but already I can see you are growing to be a young woman with a good head on her shoulders and a strong understanding of your royal duty and purpose, both as my daughter and, hopefully someday, as the mother of future Kings or Crown Princes." He arched a dark brow at her as her gaze lowered to her lap. "I also remember very well what it was like to be sixteen, in the springtime of one's years, and how very easy it is for affections and budding desires to be stirred up by a well-favored face and form or a charming manner." He sighed. "What is more important are the qualities that are on the inside, and I see those also, which makes this even harder. He is a very good and admirable man, Catalina, and I highly approve of your taste. Were it one of your younger sisters yearning for him, I might be more willing to put dynastic considerations aside and at least give the matter a bit more thought, but no matter how highly you or I might esteem him, Don Riordan is not for you."

She swallowed hard, fighting back tears. "Is it his birth? I know he is no King or Prince, but he is nobly born." Catalina gave her father a pleading look. "I know there is precedent! Michendra of Andelon was given in marriage to a baron of Gwynedd, and she was a Princess also.  Don Riordan has a higher rank than a mere baron!"

"I know he does, mija. But Michendra of Andelon was a younger princesa, not the Princess Royal, and that was in a different time with different needs. Tell me, my heart, what did you think of the situation unfolding in Joux?"

She wrenched her thoughts away from her heartbreak, thinking back on their visit to that court. "You mean besides the fact that Rémy is an arrogant, egotistical swine and his father is an unhinged megalomaniac?"

Mikhail chuckled. "Besides that, yes."

"I think King Renier will do anything to expand his power and hold on to it with a tight grasp. I think having to answer to a higher power than himself is a sharp sting to his ego and his pride, and if he can summon up the necessary resources, he will try to sting back if he can. He wants to regain the lands his father and grandfather lost and increase his territory beyond what either of them managed. And he hates the Hort. Not simply the man, but the position he holds, as the keeper of the gateway between the Northern Kingdoms and the South. He covets that power."

"He does. And what do you think would happen if Renier, or perhaps Rémy, ever achieve all that they aspire to?"

She pondered that notion. "It would be a great shift in the balance of power in the Eleven Kingdoms, and a huge upheaval even if they were better men, but they are not." She shot an alarmed look at her father. "Surely you don't mean to marry me off to Rémy after all, especially after I've declined his first offer? That would hardly have endeared me to him! You took his measure; you know he is a vengeful sort."

Mikhail snorted in derision. "No, querida, that should be the least of your worries. Even if Renier should end up conquering the entirety of the Eleven Kingdoms, which I very much doubt would be possible, I would kill you first before handing you over to Rémy, for that would be more merciful. But you can see, I hope, why I will need for you to marry to greater political advantage, and to make your choice wisely and well."

"Well, if I can't have the man I love, at least it's a comfort to know my own father would give me a swift end before handing me over to be used by a cur who treats women like toys, and disposable ones at that. I suppose that's something to cling to as I lie in my very strictly guarded bed at night."

"Catalina...."  Mikhail closed his eyes with a tired sigh. "I know you are upset, but you will understand better in time."

"I understand very clearly now, Father. That doesn't mean I have any love for what I know to be true." Her voice broke on the last words, and her father released her hand, pulling her close and stroking her hair as he used to do when she was a small child, letting her weep until she was spent.

#

In her private study later that evening, Catalina reread the same section of her Gwyneddan grammar for the third time, but she was too distracted to focus on the words. Doña Amina, sitting in a corner of the quiet room waiting for her charge to complete the lesson, was starting to nod off over her embroidery. The princess sighed, turning back to her book and trying again before giving up. She shut it softly, looking up to find Riordan's questioning eyes on her.

"You're very distracted tonight, Señora," he observed. "Are you feeling unwell?"

"I will survive." She pushed the book away from herself. "I'm just thinking back to the conversation I had with my father this morning." She closed her eyes. "Sometimes I feel like a trapped bird in a gilded cage."

Riordan regarded her with concern. "I wish I knew something to tell you that would be of comfort, but unfortunately that is the reality of royal birth sometimes."

She toyed with the lacing on one sleeve, studying it intently, trying to keep the tears in her heart from reaching her voice or her eyes. "Have you ever had something that seemed within your reach, something that you longed for with all of your heart, only to realize that you will never...." Her voice broke despite her best efforts. "That you will have to learn to dream different dreams?"

His silence lingered until she looked up to find him regarding her with a sad smile. He looked away. "Su Alteza, I struggle with that every single day."  He rose, tapping her lesson book with one finger. "Work on this tomorrow. Gwynedd's sphere of influence in the Eleven Kingdoms is huge, and you cannot afford to be unfamiliar with the language."

"I am sick to death of learning new things. My head feels like an overstuffed cushion."

Riordan chuckled. "You would be sick to death of boredom if I didn't keep giving you new things to learn, and your head is filled with far more than feathers and fluff." He bowed over her hand. "Get some rest, little songbird. And remember, you have a self-defense lesson with Don Salim first thing in the morning."

"Joy. It's always nice to have a subject where I can test the bounds of my incompetence."

He laughed, seeing himself out. Amina rose, setting aside her embroidery.

"Don Riordan is right, it is close to your bedtime," her duenna said, stifling a yawn. "Go up to your room now. I will get your fighting clothes ready for the morning." Amina made a slight moue of distaste, her expression showing what she thought of a young lady attempting to learn any form of martial art.

Catalina rose, obediently following Amina out of the room. At least on the fighting grounds, there would be sunshine, fresh air, and some semblance of freedom. And Don Salim would certainly keep her busy, honing her instincts, forcing her to react swiftly, far too busy to overthink or to feel.

She must learn not to focus on the cage. She must learn to focus on learning how to fly.

Even a caged songbird could learn new songs.

She got ready for bed, eager for dreams in which she could fly freely.

"In necessariis unitas, in non-necessariis libertas, in utrisque caritas."

--WARNING!!!--
I have a vocabulary in excess of 75,000 words, and I'm not afraid to use it!

Demercia

I love how understanding the king is, and how he treats her as a intelligent young adult rather than lecturing her.
The light shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehendeth it not.

Evie

Quote from: Demercia on August 03, 2024, 01:10:37 AMI love how understanding the king is, and how he treats her as a intelligent young adult rather than lecturing her.

Interestingly enough, when your sister beta-read this story, she commented almost exactly the same thing. You must be twins or something! 😄
"In necessariis unitas, in non-necessariis libertas, in utrisque caritas."

--WARNING!!!--
I have a vocabulary in excess of 75,000 words, and I'm not afraid to use it!

DerynifanK

Shows that being royal can confer more pain than happiness. Looking in from the outside, people often covet the privileges without knowing the burdens imposed by duty. It is sad that these two will never be able to follow their hearts. I do like the way the king treats her as an intelligent person who can make good choices. I do wonder how her future marriage will be affected by having Riordan as part of her household, always nearby. Is that  wise decision?
"Thanks be to God there are still, as there always have been and always will be, more good men than evil in this world, and their cause will prevail." Brother Cadfael's Penance

Evie

Quote from: DerynifanK on August 03, 2024, 07:52:45 AMShows that being royal can confer more pain than happiness. Looking in from the outside, people often covet the privileges without knowing the burdens imposed by duty. It is sad that these two will never be able to follow their hearts. I do like the way the king treats her as an intelligent person who can make good choices. I do wonder how her future marriage will be affected by having Riordan as part of her household, always nearby. Is that  wise decision?

That's a very good question! I guess we will eventually find out the pros and cons of that.
"In necessariis unitas, in non-necessariis libertas, in utrisque caritas."

--WARNING!!!--
I have a vocabulary in excess of 75,000 words, and I'm not afraid to use it!

DerynifanK

Soraya could use some lessons from the king in parenting and building relationships with your children.
"Thanks be to God there are still, as there always have been and always will be, more good men than evil in this world, and their cause will prevail." Brother Cadfael's Penance

Evie

Quote from: DerynifanK on August 03, 2024, 10:49:09 AMSoraya could use some lessons from the king in parenting and building relationships with your children.

She certainly could, though as you'll see soon enough, she's certainly not the worst parent in this story.
"In necessariis unitas, in non-necessariis libertas, in utrisque caritas."

--WARNING!!!--
I have a vocabulary in excess of 75,000 words, and I'm not afraid to use it!

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