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Yassia took a seat in the solar and casually looked around her, wondering how far Lord Rouland would go in his attempts on courtesy. Would she be offered a drink? And should she accept? It was the middle of the day after ll, not the right time to drink wine! At least not for her. Maybe she should ask for another type of refreshment instead. Just in case this matter came up, anyway. There was still no telling. How peculiar it felt sitting here now with the master of the house, while waiting for his niece to come home. It hadn’t been the case of course, but suddenly Yassia felt like she had been doing something behind Lord Roulands’ back. They had drunk his wine for starters; knowing Caitrin, there was no telling if she had asked her uncle beforehand. Chuckling inwardly, Yassia made a mental note not to act too familiar with anything around here. And she caught herself hoping that Caitrin would indeed appear soon.

Then it came after all, the question whether she wanted something to drink. Yassia cocked her head for a moment, as if she still needed to think, and then said: “Some refreshment would be nice, yes, but no wine for me please.” With difficulty she only just bit back the comment: ‘after all, it’s so early’. Now that would have been awkward indeed, and certainly not made to bring her into this man’s good favor. No one liked to be called out on his shortcomings after all. Or would he even bother? Hmm… better not take any risks.
It struck Yassia quite odd that he talked about Falconeyrie as ‘grand’, but then when she thought about it, in comparison it might even be. Yassia had been grown up in the splendor of a palace, so a manor and its surroundings would probably never been titled ‘grand’ by her.
”It is a nice place for sure, but it’s more functional than pretty I’m afraid”, Yassia explained, smiling. “My uncle doesn’t care for too much splendor, he just wants space for his horses and otherwise a functioning little estate. And like I said, the interior is a little winding and dark. Not a masterpiece of architecture.” For children it would have been a wonderful playground though. Too bad Kaye had never married.

A little silence ensued afterwards and Yassia wasn’t even so much uncomfortable with it. There was a time for talking, but there could be a time for silence just as well. Rouland’s attempt on making casual conversation was not lost to her, but in her eyes he needn’t try so hard. If she had learned one thing over the last year and maybe even before that, then that amiable silence was often better than awkward conversation.
“No, on the contrary, it was quite refreshing”, Yassia replied, slipping into the same nonchalant tone Lord Rouland used as well. There really wasn’t much to say about the ride, and before they both choked on their words, maybe it was time to take a leap of faith?
Leaning forward, Yassia began: “In all honesty, Lord Rouland, you don’t have to play my entertainer. If I got used to anything since living with my uncle, it is silence. He isn’t much of a talker after all.”

Yassia welcomed the slight chill of the night air with a glad heart, feeling wonderfully upbeat and carefree, not only caused by the wine she just had drunk, but also by the dance that had happened before that and by the sheer knowledge of being in wonderful, understanding company. The star gazing would be a perfect ending to an already perfect evening. Wasn’t it simply splendid how an evening could turn out to be just so much more than you had expected, just because you didn’t have high explanations at all? Good things in life, Yassia was slowly beginning to understand, didn’t announce themselves with a flourish, they sneaked up on you quite inconspiciously and only revealed their true colors in their own due time. Before you knew it, you were right inside living a wonderful moment, and all you could do was accept it with as much enthusiasm and gratitude as you could and pray for it to last just a little while longer.
Putting her fringed shawl around her shoulders again like a blanket, Yassia followed Caitrin’s lead outside into a beautiful little garden. It wasn’t as neat as she remembered manor gardens to be, but its distinctive charm lay just in this air of wilderness surrounding it. It made you almost wish to take off your shoes and feel the soft grass under your bare feet, but that of course was neither sensible nor dignified.

Copying Caitrin’s movements, Yassia lay down and stared up at a richly starred sky, giving her eyes a few moments to adjust to the darkness outside, and one by one the dimmer stars also made their appearance and completed the intricate pattern they had formed on the sky ages and ages ago. They usually never changed, and yet sometimes it could happen that a star wandered over the sky with a flaming tail. These moments were highly important to Yassia’s people, and you were fortunate to witness them, as they were moments of grace.
When Yassia’s eyes had completely adjusted, she turned her head and smiled at Caitrin, shifting a little on the grass, to be more comfortable.
”The stars are of utmost importance to my people”, she began her explanation, “as we believe they guard our fate. They are ancient souls who look down on us, watch us, guide us, and forever have the life of everyone written on their paths. My mother, when she decided to stay in Ailantha, adopted this belief, but she always told me the different names you have for certain constellations. This is the Plough, you say, right?” she pointed upwards on a very bright shining constellation. “It never vanishes from the sky. We call it the Silver Carriage”

Then her eyes travelled a little more to the southwest direction and again she pointed up. “I think you call this one Boötes or something, but for us this is Gabriel, the greatest king Ailantha has ever seen, and right next to him there’s his crown. The Silver Carriage is his as well, as he was told to have riches beyond compare, but they did not only belong to him, they belonged to the people as well.”
Yassia grinned, realizing she had started to chatter quite a bit. “Now, what constellations can you show me? And the stories connected to them?”

Alright, this would be a challenge indeed, Yassia decided. Even if she didn’t want to become best friends with this man – and sweet stars she had NO inclination whatsoever! – the sheer task of conversing with him without giving up out of confusion or irritation would be quite something to look forward to, in the strictly scientific sense of course. Yes indeed, it would be an interesting experiment to see who had the longer breath in this. If anything, it would invoke Yassia’s competitive spirit, and that was not the worst thing to exercize on a random morning like this one. He had already made the first step by inviting her inside, and now technically the next step should come from her. But she had done so already, telling him it was a chance for a meeting. Ah, the delicacies of courtesy and suitable conversation. It was always a challenge, but never before had it been like this, awkward and totally detached. They probably could call themselves lucky no awkward silence had ensued yet. But maybe that wasn’t so far off, as Yassia couldn’t quite find many conversation topics she and Lord Rouland might share.
Then she realized he was carrying a goblet in which she assumed was wine, and she only just caught herself from raising an eyebrow. Caitrin might have dropped the odd hint about her uncle loving to drink wine more than could possibly be healthy for him, but Yassia would never have imagined that he would already do justice to it that early in the day. It was midmorning! Drinking wine was something for the evening and in company, right? Where was the fun in drinking it all alone, as he obviously was?
But then, growing up with court manners like Yassia had, had also told her not to mind other people’s business unless it was absolutely necessary. Lord Rouland didn’t appear drunk to the princess, and that was all that really counted. As long as he could afford it, both physically and financially, he was fine.

”Why not, yes, let’s go to the solar”, she agreed and politely waited for him to show the way, even though she already knew where the solar was. Oh, what wonderful hours had she spent there with Caitrin! They had danced so freely and carelessly to the rhythms of Yassia’s homeland, and they had talked about both their futures in the brightest colors. With a pang of sadness, Yassia remembered how lovingly Caitrin had spoken about Griff. Her eyes had gleamed with such a special light, but this light was gone now from her eyes. It was a true shame, but hopefully nothing that couldn’t be fixed.
”I quite like your home, Mylord”, she complimented him, while walking. “Falconeyrie is quite dark and crooked in comparison.” In truth, Yassia loved her uncle's manor just for that, but still, this one was nice and she would say so.

Yassia didn’t wait for much longer as they were now settled to go into the carriage. She wanted to leave as soon as courtesy allowed her, as she was certainly not in the mood for any more niceties. Having had said goodbye to her uncle yesterday evening, there was no one now that needed any words from her, and frankly, she was no longer in the mood. It was too early in the day to keep up a happy face for too long, and only now some of the words Oliver and her had spoken really sunk in. It had sounded quite logical and rational, drawing a line under everything that had happened, but it was a far more arduous task to really put through, when you thought about it. Why had she even agreed to it? Did he deserve getting out of this so well? She was never one to start mud-wrestling, but could she really let this be?

In the end, she just gave another forced smile all around, and accepted one of the servant’s offering hands, to climb into the carriage first. Once inside and shielded from too many observant glances, she leaned her head against the wooden frame and released a long breath, trying to work up another means of composure this time. Not the cheery happiness she had had to display a moment earlier, but something more resigned, yet still not how she really felt. That would have been out of question, she one: didn’t want to adopt her uncle’s nickname of ‘sourface’ and two: had not intention to ruin the journey for Griff and Cait. She would tell her what she needed to know, but then she would wise up and the subject would be done for.

Her train of thoughts was disturbed as Caitrin and Griff climbed inside behind her, and she opened her eyes, greeting them with a tentative smile. Caitrin’s inquiry followed soon enough, and Yassia took a moment to gather her thoughts, while her fingers were drumming some sort of rhythm on her knee, the only sign that she was still somewhat annoyed. Finally she settled on something that seemed good in her eyes.
”The honest answer is: no, I am not. Oliver and I had our ‘talk’.” Oh yes, she had tried to do this earlier, but Sir Prince had thought it better to flee and go hunting. Her voice adopted a slightly bitter tone as she continued. “The outcome might surprise you, it’s certainly not what either you or I expected or hoped for, which leads to only one conclusion: It never meant anything.”

Yassia wished there was more she could do to make Caitrin more at ease with the situation, but that would probably be something her friend had to go through alone. Hadn’t Oliver asked her first to accompany him back to Mercia, she might even have felt guilty for asking such a thing of her friend as well, seeing how lost in thoughts and slightly uncomfortable she was now. But then, maybe this was a face everyone needed to go through: finding one’s place in the world. And sometimes you had to go back to an old place to realize it was no longer where you belonged. A shower ran down Yassia’s spine as she thought of her own home. What if the same happened to her, when she returned? What if she found out that the people had long since carried on with their lives as best as they could, and had forgotten about this princess who ran away and was by now probably dead? Where would she go then? Could she bear to journey another two months back to Camelot and stay there? Or would she simply… give up? Oh dear, her thoughts were running wild again indeed, maybe she was going crazy after all.That could so not be healthy! It was time she focused on other things again!
The little story about her brother finding her with Oliver brought an impish smile to Yassia’s face and she leaned forward in the saddle, eager to hear more. “And what? Did he accuse you two of doing something nasty, drew his sword and gave Oliver another wound?” A few days before she might have felt a sting of unease when it came to the subject of Oliver and Caitrin alone in one room, but that was gladly not the case anymore. There might be no better cure to ridiculous jealousy than nearly losing your best friend, apparently. Caitrin would have checked on his injury or something, being the sweet friend she was. But then there was another worm coiling in her guts, instead of the one called jealousy. Had they talked about her? If yes, what had Oliver said? And what was the most inconspicious way to get it out of Caitrin?
”I was talking about his injury anyway”, she assured Caitrin. “I mean, seriously, the blame is equally divided between both brothers. I don’t know what upset Edmund so much he lost all caution, but I bet it was something Oliver said or did. Have they always been like that?” After all, Caitrin knew them both, she would probably remember things from way back.

Was there letdown in Caitrin’s voice as she inquired of Yassia’s trip to the river? She couldn’t be completely, sure, but she still felt a little bad. Maybe she should have asked Caitrin to come along. But then, her incentive to go out there in the first place had been because she wanted to be alone, with nothing but fond memories as company. Memories of a time when life had still been simple. And then Oliver had showed up and her life had gotten even more complicated. It must be some sort of curse.
“Yes, I wanted some time to think”, she tried to explain. “I went out alone, to look for some herbs and just get a few things straight, and then I ended up taking a bath in the river.” Yassia felt heat rising up in her cheeks, and she knew that she could very well say it now, as Caitrin would inquire more anyway.
”And then Oliver came along… totally unexpected.”

When it came down to it, Yassia knew she couldn’t really complain, because she knew exactly how Oliver felt, and even felt the same way. Whenever they were seperated even for a short time, it felt like a miracle when they met again and Yassia realized he wouldn’t go anywhere for long. That they had really made it across sea and land together, had recaptured her kingdom and were now ruling side by side. When she had first discovered her feelings for him, she had been nearly torn apart by the thought she would have to decide between her heart and her mind, but then the stars had made it happen and now her heart and mind could rule together, without fear of doing something wrong. Sometimes at night she still woke up and had to reassure herself that it hadn’t all been a wonderful dream, that Oliver was really lying beside her and that they would face another day together. It was simply too good to be true, but who was she to complain?!

To know that Oliver loved her and the little life that was growing inside her to the ends of the earth was the greatest gift imaginable, and Yassia gladly accepted it. With as much gentleness and passion at the same time she could muster, Yassia responded to his kiss, slipping her arms around his back and pressing herself softly to him. Their caresses had become more gentle and careful with every month that passed in her pregnancy, while not taking anything away of the passion. It seemed like they had found a new level of understanding and it was so incredibly sweet sometimes, Yassia feared her heart might burst.
”You better”, she murmured with a smile. “I bet it’ll take a lot after you anyway. All mischief and feigned innocence, able to make its mother’s heart melt with a simple smile so I forget all the kicks it gave me.”

With a little satisfied chuckle, Yassia situated herself on Oliver’s lap in a more comfortable position and unfolded the letter she had been carrying. Of course Oliver would be asking about Griff, even though he probably knew the letter was not so much about him. He just knew how to play this game, but Yassia was far too excited to waste much more time with playing it herself. She wanted to get to the point and see Oliver’s face when he received the news himself.
”He’s getting the payback for a shenanigan he was up to nine months ago”, Yassia quipped and presented him the letter. “Read for yourself, love, I wouldn’t want to take away from Caitrin’s own sweet words!”

Thinking of Caitrin’s situation was so much easier than thinking of her own, probably because it wasn’t her shoes to fit in. Yassia always had liked the role of adviser, but she couldn’t seem to follow her own advices most of the time. So she rather stuck to giving them, and distract herself with the problems of others. That usually didn’t work well with seeking advice on her own accords, but until now she hadn’t had many reasons to get it anyway. Only Oliver had made her life so terribly complicated. And there she was, thinking of him yet again.

What had Caitrin on the other hand been up to? Had she already met up with her family, introducing Griff to them? And how would they have reacted? From what Yassia had learned of Caitrin’s family, she had found she would probably not like them much. The odd ones out were Caitrin and her uncle, both living in Camelot now, maybe for a reason. Griff and Caitrin were somehow similar in some aspects, so if Caitrin’s family had a problem with her, they might as well have a problem with Griff. But that was all nothing but speculation, and Yassia didn’t want to assume anything, until proven wrong or right by Caitrin herself, so it would be best to ask questions first.

“Really?” she assured when Caitrin told her she found it difficult to settle in her homeland. “Why is that, you think? Because you’ve been away too long, or because you suddenly find you feel more at home in Camelot than here?” It must surely feel different to come back to the place you grew up in after such a long time. Yassia herself had been only away for a year and a few months, and yet she already wondered what would have changed in Ailantha, so she thought she could feel Caitrin’s confusion quite well. “Have you already met up with your family? I’m so sorry I haven’t had the time to catch up sooner, but Prince Edmund is taking up most of my time, and if he doesn’t, Oliver is, with his crazy stunts.”

There he was again, right back in the conversation. How did that always happen? And even now, when she tried to think about Caitrin’s next question, he found his way back into her mind. How did she like Mercia? Well it surely had some unexpected perks.
“Well, it’s very … northern”, she said with a little laugh. “I’m sure Griff would agree on that part, but other than him, I really like it. The landscape has this kind of quiet melancholy to it. I went down to the river the day before yesterday.” She tried to make it sound nonchalant, but she was probably failing. Too much was connected now with that trip towards the river.

The last time they shot some arrows together… somehow Yassia felt reminded once again of her silly argument with Caitrin and what she had told her about the kiss she had once shared with Oliver. Had it happened there? But her interest was merely that – curiosity and a weird mix of anticipation and fear. Caitrin and Oliver, that was a clear thing, or even not a thing at all, of the past. And it shouldn’t be of any concern to her anyway. And yet, the weird anticipation feeling remained in the back of her mind, making her wonder if training archery together could really lead to such intimate moments. If so, she maybe should shy away from it. The very confusing intimate moment had already happened today, and frankly, she didn’t know if she could go through that mix of emotions again without breaking, without starting to beg for his attention and affection. Now that of course was out of question.

“I’m lucky Cait’s such a good friend to me”, Yassia quipped with a mischievous wink, “cause otherwise she would be serious competition. She’s just so wonderful and confident in everything.” It was certainly true, Yassia had taken her friend as a role model in many things already, just not in her former attitude towards men. That was just too far away from Yassia’s character, to ever be taken into account. But all the confusion aside, Yassia still wanted to know what she could do with bow and arrow, just because she had the opportunity now. She surely had become more adventuresome and curious in some aspects over the last one and a half year.

Yassia hadn’t thought to be such a capturing storyteller, but the rapt attention on Oliver’s face made her almost feel proud and she dived deeper into the story, trying to tell it with as much detail and suspense as she could. It surely was of legend material, and already the people in her homeland had finished the beloved story with its tragical ending, that on one day the strong king could not be at his lady’s side when she needed him most and thus she had been slain. But even though Yassia still missed her mother, this was a wound that had had time to heal and so she didn’t lose her composure, she could stay focused on the happy part of the story.
“That is the summary, yes!” she agreed with Oliver, smiling broadly. “At first she only came to the court as a guest, while preparations were made to return her to Camelot, but over the weeks both fell in love with each other, and my mother decided to stay. She drew a firm line under her past.”

Now a little frown worked itself over Yassia’s face. This was something she never understood and it had caused her mother’s brother much pain, as she had learned over the time spent at his side in Camelot. “Her family didn’t even know she still lived, and her parents died thinking they had lost her. Her brother, my uncle Kaye, became a very bitter and sad man. I never understood why she didn’t tell them how wonderful her ordeal had turned out to be.”

It was truly rare for a man of his obvious status to make friendly with the common crowd in such a way as to allow some random stranger he had only just met to use his first name and for a moment Yassia was truly speechless, not knowing how to deal with this unexpected turnout of things. But then, the person she was posing as would probably be merely positively surprised and view it as an unspeakable honor, and she would do very well in following that line of action, if she didn’t want to be found out all too quickly. So after raising her brow slightly, Yassia’s face broke into a smile and she inclined her head.
“As you wish Myl—Sebastian”, she corrected herself with a little awkward laugh. “I am… Remei”, she decided to give him her second name. It was still a long way to Camelot and she couldn’t risk being detected.

And he surprised her even more as he went on about certainly ‘liberal’ talk, saying that in his eyes every human being should be treated with the same respect, no matter how they had been born. Before leaving Ailantha, Yassia hadn’t thought much about these things, and only when starting to see life from the other side, from the view of those who had no rights, she had started to think about the common people more and had realized how differently they were treated in different realms. Some kings and rulers were more lenient than others, but fewest ever thought about treating them like they would treat their nobles and knights. Sebastian however seemed to think different.
“Your words are quite surprise for me, Sebastian”, she admitted with a smile. “As the realities I have seen prove that your words are a lone voice in a choir of common agreement. But I find your view of the world quite refreshing and positive.”

If she thought they were done with surprises now, she was proven wrong yet again. Apparently the ideas of liberty were not afflicted only on people, but on animals as well. Yassia’s people held horses in high regards, but they didn’t let them run free.
“He’s got that air of pride on him for sure”, she commented and hesitantly reached out with her hand, curious if the horse would let itself be touched by someone else than its rider. “But I agree with you: prideful horses that have their will broken are no good mounts. There has to be a certain understanding between horse and rider.” She had had a good understanding with her steed once, but now the fiery animal lay drowned on the floor of the Channel.