Weyland and Sibba
“Married!” said Gwenla. “You knew about this?”
“He asked me to help pick out the ring, but I didn’t think they’d get married straight away,” said Alison.
“How romantic,” said Willow. The cat had just come through the flap in the back door.
Alison raised her eyebrows at Willow, who was usually a relentlessly practical creature.
“Well, it is,” she said. “And a lot less of a fuss than your wedding.”
“I didn’t think you minded the fuss at our wedding,” said Keir. “Without the fuss, there would have been no guests. And no guests would have meant—”
“No Barney,” said Willow. “Alright, it was worth it for that. But Gwenla, if I never see any of those nieces and nephews of yours other than Finnli again, it will be too soon.”
“You and me both,” said Gwenla with a laugh. Willow hopped into her lap, and Gwenla set down her tea to give her a cuddle.
“This one is from Ceri,” said Alison, holding up an envelope of fine stationary.
My dear friend Alison,
I’m sending along the list you requested of courtiers that I believe may be willing to support your land preservation initiative. I hope it’s helpful.
Alison, a new member of the king’s court now that she had married a marquess, had decided to return to their idea of permanently preserving parts of the Hill Country as a Place of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It might mean some time at court to convince others to support their cause, but it would be worth it to preserve the character and natural charm of Herot’s Hollow for generations to come.
The letter continued:
We’re doing well, thank you for asking. We’ve come home to the castle for the Beltane holidays. Leo is having the best time measuring all the ancient objects here. Father doesn’t quite know what to make of him, but he’s got his hands full with the trip to Wilderise anyway. (I’m not sure if Rinka told you, but we’ll all be arriving at the end of the term. Lord Ainsley included, unfortunately.) Then Leo and I are on to Gallia to meet his (rather large) family before the beginning of fall term.
Let’s get tea when we get to town. I need to catch you up on the court gossip before your debut as the marchioness.
With much love,
Ceri xx
“We’ll figure it out,” said Keir, squeezing Charlotte’s hand at the news of the return of their father. “We could always take a holiday of our own somewhere. Maybe to the Rock to see that beach.”
“No,” said Charlotte. “I can’t hide forever. I don’t want to. He may not like it, but he has a daughter. Even if he never comes around, I won’t keep pretending I don’t exist.”
“We’ll stand by you, girl,” said Gwenla. “Let him wail and moan if he must. You know who your real family is.”
“Thank you,” said Charlotte. “I do.”
“What’s in that one?” asked Keir.
Alison could guess what the large envelope was: it looked just like the one Rinka had sent her in the winter.
“The royal wedding announcement, I bet.”
She was right.
The Wedding of the Century: Prince Idris to wed Rinka in picturesque Wilderise next spring!
The article was long and mostly pure speculation about who would be attending, which events would be happening and when, and what the future princess would be wearing, with a series of sketches from some of Loegria’s most exclusive designers.
“I hope Lydiach is ready for all of this,” said Alison, knowing who the real designer of Rinka’s wedding dress would be.
“I hope we’re all ready,” said Gwenla. “There was a reporter here last week asking to see where the future princess stays when she’s in town.”
