Avalyne Series 02: The Easterling Read Online Free
and the watch guard would always have an ally in her King, whether she knew it or not.
‘ She has travelled a long way to come here,’ Dare added. ‘We know almost nothing about the Eastern Sphere, beyond the fact that its people were allied to Balfure and our alliance with them is a tenuous one.’
‘ They considered him their god and we struck him down,’ Aeron pointed out. ‘Right or wrong, that its a poor foundation to begin any sort of alliance.’
‘ Agreed,’ Dare sighed with resignation. He wanted time to rebuild Carleon, to restore the wounded spirit of his people before he inflicted another war on them. Though he had been reluctant to extend the friendship across the Burning Plains to the very people who had warred against them, Dare knew that Carleon could ill afford further conflict after Balfure’s end had come. They needed recovery more than vengeance. He prayed that diplomacy would be enough to heal the rift between the east and west because the alternative was war.
And he wanted to avoid that for as long as possible.
******
Melia stared at herself in the mirror of the room she had been provided in the Keep and wondered how long it had been since she had been required to dress for a dinner. With sadness, she realised that it was well before her father had died. Those days seemed so far away that there were times when Melia wondered if they had happened to some other girl for who she was now could not imagine that she had ever been so young. Her life after his death had been one hard turn after another but Melia regretted none of it. As difficult as it was since fleeing Nadira, her life was her own.
S till, staring at her reflection and seeing not the watch guard but the woman wearing in the one dress she owned, Melia could not help but think there was a stranger gazing back at her. The dress was simple, a blue shift that clung too tightly at the bodice with sleeves that seemed to drape over her hands in elvish fashion. She bought it when she was in Cereine, from a peddler who made his mark selling dresses sewn in the fashion of highborn ladies. She had no idea why she bought the thing for it was such a frivolous purchase but she liked the colour of the fabric and that had made the decision for her, impractical as it was.
It had remained almost forgotten in her saddlebag, kept because of its colour and a memory of better days. When the invitation from the Queen of Carleon had come, she was rather surprised and realised finally, she had occasion to wear it. The invitation itself still astonished her. True, they had experienced some extraordinary things during their adventure in Sanhael but as a watch guard it was her duty to aid the Queen. Melia had never expected the friendship shared with Arianne and Celene to continue once they returned home.
In all honesty, after Melia left Arianne and Celene at the Frozen Mountains, she never expected to hear from either again.
However, it appeared she was mistaken because the Captain of the Watch in Baffin had sought her out and presented her with the invitation to visit Sandrine Keep. It was not an invitation she could refuse and so she had set out, convinced that when she had arrived at the palace, she would be told it was a terrible mistake. Of course none of this took place when Melia did reach the Keep and was presented to the Queen who greeted her with the warm embrace of a friend.
Many claimed that the Queen of Carleon was the fairest maid of her day. Melia wondered if they knew her beauty was easily surpassed by the capacity of her kindness.
******
As Melia adjusted the gown upon her body, she pinned back her dark hair and hoped that she was suitable for the company she would be keeping tonight. However, each time she glanced at the mirror, she was startled by who she saw there. The woman in the mirror did not look like a watch guard. After one wore breeches and spent most of one's time riding through the wilderness, becoming a non person with
‘ She has travelled a long way to come here,’ Dare added. ‘We know almost nothing about the Eastern Sphere, beyond the fact that its people were allied to Balfure and our alliance with them is a tenuous one.’
‘ They considered him their god and we struck him down,’ Aeron pointed out. ‘Right or wrong, that its a poor foundation to begin any sort of alliance.’
‘ Agreed,’ Dare sighed with resignation. He wanted time to rebuild Carleon, to restore the wounded spirit of his people before he inflicted another war on them. Though he had been reluctant to extend the friendship across the Burning Plains to the very people who had warred against them, Dare knew that Carleon could ill afford further conflict after Balfure’s end had come. They needed recovery more than vengeance. He prayed that diplomacy would be enough to heal the rift between the east and west because the alternative was war.
And he wanted to avoid that for as long as possible.
******
Melia stared at herself in the mirror of the room she had been provided in the Keep and wondered how long it had been since she had been required to dress for a dinner. With sadness, she realised that it was well before her father had died. Those days seemed so far away that there were times when Melia wondered if they had happened to some other girl for who she was now could not imagine that she had ever been so young. Her life after his death had been one hard turn after another but Melia regretted none of it. As difficult as it was since fleeing Nadira, her life was her own.
S till, staring at her reflection and seeing not the watch guard but the woman wearing in the one dress she owned, Melia could not help but think there was a stranger gazing back at her. The dress was simple, a blue shift that clung too tightly at the bodice with sleeves that seemed to drape over her hands in elvish fashion. She bought it when she was in Cereine, from a peddler who made his mark selling dresses sewn in the fashion of highborn ladies. She had no idea why she bought the thing for it was such a frivolous purchase but she liked the colour of the fabric and that had made the decision for her, impractical as it was.
It had remained almost forgotten in her saddlebag, kept because of its colour and a memory of better days. When the invitation from the Queen of Carleon had come, she was rather surprised and realised finally, she had occasion to wear it. The invitation itself still astonished her. True, they had experienced some extraordinary things during their adventure in Sanhael but as a watch guard it was her duty to aid the Queen. Melia had never expected the friendship shared with Arianne and Celene to continue once they returned home.
In all honesty, after Melia left Arianne and Celene at the Frozen Mountains, she never expected to hear from either again.
However, it appeared she was mistaken because the Captain of the Watch in Baffin had sought her out and presented her with the invitation to visit Sandrine Keep. It was not an invitation she could refuse and so she had set out, convinced that when she had arrived at the palace, she would be told it was a terrible mistake. Of course none of this took place when Melia did reach the Keep and was presented to the Queen who greeted her with the warm embrace of a friend.
Many claimed that the Queen of Carleon was the fairest maid of her day. Melia wondered if they knew her beauty was easily surpassed by the capacity of her kindness.
******
As Melia adjusted the gown upon her body, she pinned back her dark hair and hoped that she was suitable for the company she would be keeping tonight. However, each time she glanced at the mirror, she was startled by who she saw there. The woman in the mirror did not look like a watch guard. After one wore breeches and spent most of one's time riding through the wilderness, becoming a non person with
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