Years passed, as years do. From winter to winter, and winter again, and the recruits in the barracks of the Queen's Legions grew strong and skilled. The time was soon approaching when they would take their places alongside the men and women who had trained them, in defense of the realm of Arctra and Queen Talaera. That wasn't to say that it had all gone smoothly. There had been niggles, naturally - discipline handed out to those caught making life difficult for their comrades, officially and unofficially. A few of the female recruits had dropped out of the course, heavy with child and quick to be married off to the men who had gotten them that way, given a dowry from the royal purse. Not so with Shaye Dervla.
At fifteen, almost sixteen, she remained the wildcat she'd been when she had first entered the barracks, but now a wildcat with skill and training. She'd grown tall in the past two years, though she would never match the height of her best friend ....of the young man she loved fiercely, deep in her heart. No one could match her in a fight but him, and though he often seemed to let her win, she no longer goaded him about it. Their bond was closer than most, but no child came of it, a fact that impressed their sergeant and earned them as much praise off the training ground as they received on it.
She had come into her own, growing into the looks that had always been hinted at, filling out her uniform in a manner that made other recruits envious of the only one with whom she allowed herself to be soft. Dark eyes still blazed looked out from an angelic face crowned with pale blonde hair, marked often with a cheeky grin as she swung her strong sword arm. There were few who dared now to tangle with Shaye Dervla, the runt of the litter who had come into her own.
As for her best friend and closest companion, the last two years had changed him from a shy, almost timid boy to a man and a warrior in his own right. The son of the Captain of the Royal Guard, who came from a long line of Royal Guards, Liam O'Connor took great pride in his heritage and his own accomplishments. He had proven his worth beyond that of just his bloodline and showed promise in his pledge to serve Arctra and her Queen in the years to come. But for all his courage and skill, there was only one who knew him better than any other, and though he had been careful not to let his passion get the best of him, he had pledged his heart to the girl named Shaye Dervla.
Whether or not she could defeat him in a fight, she had already claimed his heart as hers, and he had given it freely and completely. Now at sixteen, nearly seventeen, years of age, he stood on the brink of manhood. He'd grown tall and broad and was not yet done growing. A mane of pale blond hair fell to his shoulders; eagle-sharp, gray-green eyes gazed out from a handsome face that could not yet grow a full beard, though he was well on his way to becoming a man and a soldier in his own right. There were few who could match his strength, courage, and skill; few he kept close to his heart, save the girl who had once been the runt of the litter.
That winter had been a hard one, but with a lot of promise hoped for by the people of Arctra. Queen Talaera's youngest daughter, Arian, was heavy with child - rumor said it was twins, a boy and a girl, proof that Arlan's line was still strong. From Loscar to Phalion, everyone waited for the news of the birth, the guarantee of the succession. And in the training barracks, the last study days before the final examination of the troops were rolling by. Though she had improved greatly over the past years, Shaye still struggled with the histories of the realm, not looking forward to the recitation of queens one little bit. She sighed, thumping onto her back on her narrow bunk with a loud groan. "Rua, I am never going to get this," she complained. "Just leave me with sergeant's bands, and be done with it. I'm never going to get any higher in rank, and we both know it."
Liam had set his sights on the rank of Captain, like his father before him. It was what was expected of him, after all, but it would take years before he reached that rank, and he would be happy to just be done with training. He had worked long and hard for this, just as Shaye had, and though he was skilled with horse and blade, he was untested and untried in real battle. He scowled over at his companion, slightly irritated by the lack of confidence she showed in herself. Where she lacked in book-learning, he excelled, and though he knew there were far more important things to know than history lessons, he had always done his best to help her along. "Come, lea, they are just names. Surely, you can remember a few names. We will make a game of it, and then you will remember." He pushed away from the desk where he sat perched upon a chair, some historical text spread open in front of him.
She raised a brow as she sat up, eying him with an unconvinced expression on her face. "You're going to make a game out of dusty old names that belong to dusty old statues in the dusty old crypts beneath the Palatine," she sighed. "I can't see that working." She flashed him her grin - her lack of confidence in herself was real enough, but it was fun to wind Liam up on occasion, too.
He was far too serious for his own good and always had been. The somber boy had grown into a somber young man, and as was often the case, Shaye was the only one who'd ever been able to make him laugh, but he was not laughing now, finding no humor in the predicament. Though he might not judge these lessons important to soldiering, if she did not pass her exams, there was a very real chance all her years of hard work might come to naught, along with her hopes and dreams, as only the very best were admitted to the Queen's Own Legions. "Oh, ye of little faith," he muttered with a sigh. "Those dusty old names were once Queens of the Realm, and you would do well to remember that," he chided gently.
Shaye rolled her eyes, flicking her thick braid back over her shoulder. She and Liam often ended up having these debates, and she always lost, but not for lack of trying. "The only ones that matter are Arlan, the founder of the line and Thalan's Blessed, and the current incumbent - Queen Talaera, and her daughters, Nepsis, Teraina, and Arian. Oh, and Arian's girl, when she's born."
"Perhaps," he grudgingly agreed. "But everyone knows those. They are not going to ask about them on the test." He was slightly annoyed with her for not knowing these already. She'd had literally years to memorize them, but had always been too busy doing something else while he pored over the books and studied for the both of them. "Now," he started as he turned his tall self sideways in the wooden chair to face her, "name the Queens of the First Dynasty."
Groaning - she knew that look on his face entirely too well to think she was going to get away without saying something right - Shaye rubbed her forehead and tried to concentrate. "The First Dynasty began with Arlan the Wise, Thalan's Blessed and Hano's Chosen. Arlan begat Lenthia, begat Jorin, begat somebody the Good, who begat Tesseria who was murdered. Tesseria begat Ariana, who restored the throne of Arctra and reforged the Sword of Arlan; Ariana begat Nerys, who begat Arlia, who begat ..." She frowned, trailing off. That was about as far as she could get, and incomplete though it was, it was better than last week's attempt.
At fifteen, almost sixteen, she remained the wildcat she'd been when she had first entered the barracks, but now a wildcat with skill and training. She'd grown tall in the past two years, though she would never match the height of her best friend ....of the young man she loved fiercely, deep in her heart. No one could match her in a fight but him, and though he often seemed to let her win, she no longer goaded him about it. Their bond was closer than most, but no child came of it, a fact that impressed their sergeant and earned them as much praise off the training ground as they received on it.
She had come into her own, growing into the looks that had always been hinted at, filling out her uniform in a manner that made other recruits envious of the only one with whom she allowed herself to be soft. Dark eyes still blazed looked out from an angelic face crowned with pale blonde hair, marked often with a cheeky grin as she swung her strong sword arm. There were few who dared now to tangle with Shaye Dervla, the runt of the litter who had come into her own.
As for her best friend and closest companion, the last two years had changed him from a shy, almost timid boy to a man and a warrior in his own right. The son of the Captain of the Royal Guard, who came from a long line of Royal Guards, Liam O'Connor took great pride in his heritage and his own accomplishments. He had proven his worth beyond that of just his bloodline and showed promise in his pledge to serve Arctra and her Queen in the years to come. But for all his courage and skill, there was only one who knew him better than any other, and though he had been careful not to let his passion get the best of him, he had pledged his heart to the girl named Shaye Dervla.
Whether or not she could defeat him in a fight, she had already claimed his heart as hers, and he had given it freely and completely. Now at sixteen, nearly seventeen, years of age, he stood on the brink of manhood. He'd grown tall and broad and was not yet done growing. A mane of pale blond hair fell to his shoulders; eagle-sharp, gray-green eyes gazed out from a handsome face that could not yet grow a full beard, though he was well on his way to becoming a man and a soldier in his own right. There were few who could match his strength, courage, and skill; few he kept close to his heart, save the girl who had once been the runt of the litter.
That winter had been a hard one, but with a lot of promise hoped for by the people of Arctra. Queen Talaera's youngest daughter, Arian, was heavy with child - rumor said it was twins, a boy and a girl, proof that Arlan's line was still strong. From Loscar to Phalion, everyone waited for the news of the birth, the guarantee of the succession. And in the training barracks, the last study days before the final examination of the troops were rolling by. Though she had improved greatly over the past years, Shaye still struggled with the histories of the realm, not looking forward to the recitation of queens one little bit. She sighed, thumping onto her back on her narrow bunk with a loud groan. "Rua, I am never going to get this," she complained. "Just leave me with sergeant's bands, and be done with it. I'm never going to get any higher in rank, and we both know it."
Liam had set his sights on the rank of Captain, like his father before him. It was what was expected of him, after all, but it would take years before he reached that rank, and he would be happy to just be done with training. He had worked long and hard for this, just as Shaye had, and though he was skilled with horse and blade, he was untested and untried in real battle. He scowled over at his companion, slightly irritated by the lack of confidence she showed in herself. Where she lacked in book-learning, he excelled, and though he knew there were far more important things to know than history lessons, he had always done his best to help her along. "Come, lea, they are just names. Surely, you can remember a few names. We will make a game of it, and then you will remember." He pushed away from the desk where he sat perched upon a chair, some historical text spread open in front of him.
She raised a brow as she sat up, eying him with an unconvinced expression on her face. "You're going to make a game out of dusty old names that belong to dusty old statues in the dusty old crypts beneath the Palatine," she sighed. "I can't see that working." She flashed him her grin - her lack of confidence in herself was real enough, but it was fun to wind Liam up on occasion, too.
He was far too serious for his own good and always had been. The somber boy had grown into a somber young man, and as was often the case, Shaye was the only one who'd ever been able to make him laugh, but he was not laughing now, finding no humor in the predicament. Though he might not judge these lessons important to soldiering, if she did not pass her exams, there was a very real chance all her years of hard work might come to naught, along with her hopes and dreams, as only the very best were admitted to the Queen's Own Legions. "Oh, ye of little faith," he muttered with a sigh. "Those dusty old names were once Queens of the Realm, and you would do well to remember that," he chided gently.
Shaye rolled her eyes, flicking her thick braid back over her shoulder. She and Liam often ended up having these debates, and she always lost, but not for lack of trying. "The only ones that matter are Arlan, the founder of the line and Thalan's Blessed, and the current incumbent - Queen Talaera, and her daughters, Nepsis, Teraina, and Arian. Oh, and Arian's girl, when she's born."
"Perhaps," he grudgingly agreed. "But everyone knows those. They are not going to ask about them on the test." He was slightly annoyed with her for not knowing these already. She'd had literally years to memorize them, but had always been too busy doing something else while he pored over the books and studied for the both of them. "Now," he started as he turned his tall self sideways in the wooden chair to face her, "name the Queens of the First Dynasty."
Groaning - she knew that look on his face entirely too well to think she was going to get away without saying something right - Shaye rubbed her forehead and tried to concentrate. "The First Dynasty began with Arlan the Wise, Thalan's Blessed and Hano's Chosen. Arlan begat Lenthia, begat Jorin, begat somebody the Good, who begat Tesseria who was murdered. Tesseria begat Ariana, who restored the throne of Arctra and reforged the Sword of Arlan; Ariana begat Nerys, who begat Arlia, who begat ..." She frowned, trailing off. That was about as far as she could get, and incomplete though it was, it was better than last week's attempt.