Post by westernsunset on Oct 27, 2018 7:30:18 GMT 10
Title: Play Your Part
Rating: PG, romance related.
Prompt: Avoid
Summary: Squire Alan tries to avoid talking to young ladies at the ball, and meets an unlikely ally.
Play Your Part
Alanna bobbed and wove through the crowd, hoping not to catch Jon’s eye. Lately, her knight master had become very interested in pushing her to dance with the many beautiful young ladies who came to court over the Midwinter holidays. She didn’t know if he did it because he thought it was funny to take her so far out of her comfort zone, to test her deception, or because (Goddess forbid) he found it exciting to imagine her and one of the young women together. But she wasn’t able to refuse him in public, and he wasn’t open to hearing her objections in private, so all she could do was avoid him.
Looking hurriedly over her shoulder, she bumped directly into Myles, who was already several glasses of wine in.
“My my, Alan,” Myles said, a slight slur in his voice. “What are we running from tonight?”
“Sorry sir,” Alanna said, satisfied seeing Jon engaged with one of the many elegant and feminine young ladies at the ball that night. “Just ah—on an errand.”
“An errand, of course. For what exactly?”
Alanna shot Myles a look. He was easygoing enough that she could get away with a small amount of impertinence, but she knew she couldn’t share her sticky situation with Jon without revealing more than she wanted to. Not to mention it would be improper to complain about her knight master in public.
“Fine, don’t tell me,” Myles said with a smile. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell Prince Jonathan I saw you.”
Alanna tried to seem angry, but she certainly could see the absurdity in her situation. She gave Myles a half-smile and ducked around him when she saw Jon searching the ballroom.
Too late. He’d spotted her, and the crowd parted easily for him to reach her quickly. “Squire, there are young ladies enquiring after you. You should know it’s rude to keep them waiting.” His eyes had some mirth in them, but she detected a steely edge to his voice.
“My apologies Sire,” she said through gritted teeth. She lowered her voice to say, “as we discussed previously, my shyness prevents me from being an entertaining party guest.”
“Nonsense!” Jon grabbed her by the arm and steered her toward a clump of young women. “Let’s not keep them waiting any longer.”
“Lady Adelina, may I present Alan of Trebond, my squire,” Jon said, to a young woman a head taller than Alanna. She held out her hand, which Alanna dutifully kissed.
“And Lady Idonea,” Jon said, his hand already on the arm of a tall, ruddy, brunette who looked down her fine nose at Alanna.
“Aren’t you a treat,” Lady Idonea said with a fake smile, turning back to Jon and resuming their conversation.
And now Alanna saw why she was brought over. Jon wanted to talk to Lady Idonea undisturbed, and he wanted Alanna to entertain Lady Adelina. The anger built up in Alanna’s chest, and she had to remind herself that she couldn’t expect Jon not to talk to eligible ladies. As the heir to the throne, he had to secure a wife at some point. Whatever her and Jon had was completely secret, they couldn’t give a hint of it in public without risking the exposure of her gender (or an entirely different set of problematic rumors).
Still, a part of her wished that Jon would take her by the hand, dance with her, make it clear to everyone that he was interested in her.
“Idonea always does this,” Lady Adelina said with a huff, breaking Alanna’s reverie. “Pawning me off on her suitor’s friends.” She looked over at Alanna. “No offense.”
“None taken. I guess.”
“I mean, you clearly don’t want to be talking to me either,” Lady Adelina said. “I saw you hiding from His Majesty earlier.”
Alanna felt herself blush. “Was it that obvious?”
“Probably not,” Adelina said. “I try to be observant.”
Alanna didn’t know what to say to that, so she didn’t say anything. Her eyes kept going over to Jon, who was leaning in close to talk to Idonea.
“You don’t have to sit here with me,” Adelina said, more kindly. “I have to wait on the wall for someone to come talk, but you can go find any pretty lady you want.”
“I think you’re pretty,” the words were out of Alanna’s mouth before she thought much about them, and she blushed again. She wished there was a better way to make Adelina realize that she wasn’t unhappy to be talking to her, she was unhappy pretending to be something she wasn’t. She was unhappy because she wished Jon would stop forcing her to pretend to be interested in other women, putting her into awkward situations like this.
“Well thank you,” Adelina said. “But you’re a little young for me, and I think we both know that. Besides…Squire Alan, can you keep a secret?”
Alanna almost laughed aloud. She could probably keep a secret better than anyone in the palace. “Yes, I’m good with secrets.”
“Good, because this is a big secret. I don’t know how much practice you have with those.”
“You’d be surprised,” Alanna said under her breath.
If Adelina noticed her comment, she didn’t say anything. “The truth is, I’m spoken for. I just come to these things to keep up appearances while my husband-to-be saves up enough for a house somewhere.”
A house? Adelina couldn’t be talking about a noble. “And your future husband is…?”
“You may know him actually, his name is Gilbert.”
“Gilbert? Gilbert the holster? That Gilbert?”
“That’s the one.”
Alanna was a little stunned. That was a pretty big secret, certainly bigger than what she was expecting. A noble lady marrying a holster would certainly cause a stir. “Oh,” was all she could think to say.
“I know, scandalous. But what can I say, when you’re in love, it doesn’t matter as much what people think. It only matters what the person you love thinks of you.”
“Does Gilbert…” the question tripped on the end of Alanna’s tongue but she made herself ask it. “Does Gilbert ever get jealous of you, dancing and talking with different people at these banquets?”
“I think he used to. He was worried I was only fooling around with him, that I wasn’t actually serious, so when I had to attend these things, he thought I would run off with one of the boys I met here. But I kept coming around, we kept spending time together, and eventually he realized that the social things I have to do to still be seen as a proper lady have nothing to do with what I may feel about him. And he got used to it.”
Alanna rubbed her nose, deep in thought. She didn’t know if she would get used to Jon dancing with other ladies, ignoring her, avoiding her, treating her like his squire and nothing more. She knew it was necessary, but she didn’t know if she’d ever be able to look at it the way Gilbert looked at Adelina’s possible suitors.
“Something on your mind Squire Alan?” Adelina said.
“Yes,” Alanna said, figuring Adelina would understand at least part of what she was going through. “But nothing I can discuss.”
Adelina just nodded. “Fair enough. You’re an easy conversation partner. I hope the next time you’re avoiding your knight master you’ll come find me. We can keep each other company while we avoid everyone else at these things.”
“I’d like that my lady.”
“Please, if we’re to defraud the masses, you must call me Addy. It’s what all my friend’s call me.”
“Very well, Addy,” Alanna responded, hoping someday she’d have the chance to tell Addy her real name too.
Rating: PG, romance related.
Prompt: Avoid
Summary: Squire Alan tries to avoid talking to young ladies at the ball, and meets an unlikely ally.
Play Your Part
Alanna bobbed and wove through the crowd, hoping not to catch Jon’s eye. Lately, her knight master had become very interested in pushing her to dance with the many beautiful young ladies who came to court over the Midwinter holidays. She didn’t know if he did it because he thought it was funny to take her so far out of her comfort zone, to test her deception, or because (Goddess forbid) he found it exciting to imagine her and one of the young women together. But she wasn’t able to refuse him in public, and he wasn’t open to hearing her objections in private, so all she could do was avoid him.
Looking hurriedly over her shoulder, she bumped directly into Myles, who was already several glasses of wine in.
“My my, Alan,” Myles said, a slight slur in his voice. “What are we running from tonight?”
“Sorry sir,” Alanna said, satisfied seeing Jon engaged with one of the many elegant and feminine young ladies at the ball that night. “Just ah—on an errand.”
“An errand, of course. For what exactly?”
Alanna shot Myles a look. He was easygoing enough that she could get away with a small amount of impertinence, but she knew she couldn’t share her sticky situation with Jon without revealing more than she wanted to. Not to mention it would be improper to complain about her knight master in public.
“Fine, don’t tell me,” Myles said with a smile. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell Prince Jonathan I saw you.”
Alanna tried to seem angry, but she certainly could see the absurdity in her situation. She gave Myles a half-smile and ducked around him when she saw Jon searching the ballroom.
Too late. He’d spotted her, and the crowd parted easily for him to reach her quickly. “Squire, there are young ladies enquiring after you. You should know it’s rude to keep them waiting.” His eyes had some mirth in them, but she detected a steely edge to his voice.
“My apologies Sire,” she said through gritted teeth. She lowered her voice to say, “as we discussed previously, my shyness prevents me from being an entertaining party guest.”
“Nonsense!” Jon grabbed her by the arm and steered her toward a clump of young women. “Let’s not keep them waiting any longer.”
“Lady Adelina, may I present Alan of Trebond, my squire,” Jon said, to a young woman a head taller than Alanna. She held out her hand, which Alanna dutifully kissed.
“And Lady Idonea,” Jon said, his hand already on the arm of a tall, ruddy, brunette who looked down her fine nose at Alanna.
“Aren’t you a treat,” Lady Idonea said with a fake smile, turning back to Jon and resuming their conversation.
And now Alanna saw why she was brought over. Jon wanted to talk to Lady Idonea undisturbed, and he wanted Alanna to entertain Lady Adelina. The anger built up in Alanna’s chest, and she had to remind herself that she couldn’t expect Jon not to talk to eligible ladies. As the heir to the throne, he had to secure a wife at some point. Whatever her and Jon had was completely secret, they couldn’t give a hint of it in public without risking the exposure of her gender (or an entirely different set of problematic rumors).
Still, a part of her wished that Jon would take her by the hand, dance with her, make it clear to everyone that he was interested in her.
“Idonea always does this,” Lady Adelina said with a huff, breaking Alanna’s reverie. “Pawning me off on her suitor’s friends.” She looked over at Alanna. “No offense.”
“None taken. I guess.”
“I mean, you clearly don’t want to be talking to me either,” Lady Adelina said. “I saw you hiding from His Majesty earlier.”
Alanna felt herself blush. “Was it that obvious?”
“Probably not,” Adelina said. “I try to be observant.”
Alanna didn’t know what to say to that, so she didn’t say anything. Her eyes kept going over to Jon, who was leaning in close to talk to Idonea.
“You don’t have to sit here with me,” Adelina said, more kindly. “I have to wait on the wall for someone to come talk, but you can go find any pretty lady you want.”
“I think you’re pretty,” the words were out of Alanna’s mouth before she thought much about them, and she blushed again. She wished there was a better way to make Adelina realize that she wasn’t unhappy to be talking to her, she was unhappy pretending to be something she wasn’t. She was unhappy because she wished Jon would stop forcing her to pretend to be interested in other women, putting her into awkward situations like this.
“Well thank you,” Adelina said. “But you’re a little young for me, and I think we both know that. Besides…Squire Alan, can you keep a secret?”
Alanna almost laughed aloud. She could probably keep a secret better than anyone in the palace. “Yes, I’m good with secrets.”
“Good, because this is a big secret. I don’t know how much practice you have with those.”
“You’d be surprised,” Alanna said under her breath.
If Adelina noticed her comment, she didn’t say anything. “The truth is, I’m spoken for. I just come to these things to keep up appearances while my husband-to-be saves up enough for a house somewhere.”
A house? Adelina couldn’t be talking about a noble. “And your future husband is…?”
“You may know him actually, his name is Gilbert.”
“Gilbert? Gilbert the holster? That Gilbert?”
“That’s the one.”
Alanna was a little stunned. That was a pretty big secret, certainly bigger than what she was expecting. A noble lady marrying a holster would certainly cause a stir. “Oh,” was all she could think to say.
“I know, scandalous. But what can I say, when you’re in love, it doesn’t matter as much what people think. It only matters what the person you love thinks of you.”
“Does Gilbert…” the question tripped on the end of Alanna’s tongue but she made herself ask it. “Does Gilbert ever get jealous of you, dancing and talking with different people at these banquets?”
“I think he used to. He was worried I was only fooling around with him, that I wasn’t actually serious, so when I had to attend these things, he thought I would run off with one of the boys I met here. But I kept coming around, we kept spending time together, and eventually he realized that the social things I have to do to still be seen as a proper lady have nothing to do with what I may feel about him. And he got used to it.”
Alanna rubbed her nose, deep in thought. She didn’t know if she would get used to Jon dancing with other ladies, ignoring her, avoiding her, treating her like his squire and nothing more. She knew it was necessary, but she didn’t know if she’d ever be able to look at it the way Gilbert looked at Adelina’s possible suitors.
“Something on your mind Squire Alan?” Adelina said.
“Yes,” Alanna said, figuring Adelina would understand at least part of what she was going through. “But nothing I can discuss.”
Adelina just nodded. “Fair enough. You’re an easy conversation partner. I hope the next time you’re avoiding your knight master you’ll come find me. We can keep each other company while we avoid everyone else at these things.”
“I’d like that my lady.”
“Please, if we’re to defraud the masses, you must call me Addy. It’s what all my friend’s call me.”
“Very well, Addy,” Alanna responded, hoping someday she’d have the chance to tell Addy her real name too.