[Brat 01] - Princess Brat Read online

  Princess Brat

  Chapter 1

  copyright 1999, 2002 by Sharon Green

  Derand du Bahr, High King of the Federated Kingdoms of Arvin, strode along the hall of the palace in Sollera, one of his neighboring kingdoms, trying very hard not to laugh. The minor official he followed scurried ahead of him and his escort as though pursued, and those people they passed stared at him and his men as though they were seeing their own deaths coming. Granted they wore black leather beneath the ring mail of their light protection and they all had swords, but a single man and an escort of twenty was not the usual sign of a full-scale invasion.

  “I would guess that these people are not fighters, my king,” Listan murmured from his place at Derand’s right. Listan was Derand’s advisor and good friend, and he trusted the man completely. “They stare at us as though they expect to be eaten for lunch.”

  “Yes, they’ve always been that way,” Derand agreed in a matching murmur. “But they’re also very pleasant people, which is why my father signed that compact with King Ostrin all those years ago. My father and Ostrin are close personal friends, and my father wanted to make sure that these people never have to stand alone against invading forces.”

  “The chances of that happening are now a good deal less likely,” Listan said, the words filled with satisfaction. “Is that why we’ve come here? To reassure the good friend of your father?”

  “For that and another reason,” Derand agreed with a private smile. “I’ve also come to collect my bride.”

  “Your what?” Listan nearly yelped, then he regained control of himself. “What I meant was, I hadn’t known you were planning to look for a bride here. The women in our own lands will be crushed.”

  “Not as crushed as they would be if the point was never brought up,” Derand told him dryly with continuing amusement. “And the point I mean is that I’m not looking for a bride here, I already have one. I was married to the only daughter of King Ostrin many years ago, when she and I were both still children. She was a lot younger so she might not even remember, but I do. My father really wanted the match, and I saw no reason not to agree. I still see no reason.”

  “Yes, I wish I were as close to my own father as you are to yours,” Listan said with a sigh. “He never stopped supporting and believing in you, even when you began the conquest of the independent kingdoms in our country. Everyone expected you to fail, everyone but him. When you began to take the kingdoms over one after the other, he was the first to pledge you his allegiance and backing voluntarily. Now he’s a ruler under you as High King, and seems to be delighted about that.”

  “Not seems to be, he really is,” Derand corrected with a smile. “He also never stops bragging about me, but has somehow managed not to alienate my brothers from either of us. They’re as strongly behind me as he is, so I owe him more than I can ever repay. If he wants this alliance through marriage to work, I’ll make sure that it does. I need a wife to give me legitimate heirs anyway, so it might as well be the woman he chose. And from the glimpses I’ve gotten over the years, she’s grown up to be pretty.”

  “That’s a help,” Listan said with a thoughtful nod. “A pretty woman makes getting heirs much more pleasant. What’s she like beyond that?”

  “I have no idea,” Derand answered with a shrug, then gestured to the double doors they had almost reached. “That’s where I’ll be meeting with King Ostrin, and I won’t be long. You and the others can either wait out here, or let them show you to a place with chairs and refreshments. There’s very little chance of our being attacked in this place.”

  “I’m sure you’re right, but we’ll still wait here,” Listan said with ironbound politeness, that protective look strong in his eyes. “Waiting won’t kill us, especially since you won’t be long.”

  Derand simply shrugged again and nodded his agreement, knowing that argument would be useless. Listan had certain ideas about how to protect him, and those ideas weren’t about to change. The man’s inflexibility had kept Derand alive on more than one occasion, so he’d be a fool to want to argue. Even here, where the people were all so gentle and pleasant

  The official Derand had been following paused at one of the doors, glancing back with worry. When he saw Derand coming forward alone he seemed somewhat relieved, but not completely. Even so, he opened both doors, stood to one side, and then cleared his throat.

  “His High Majesty, King Derand du Bahr of the Federated Kingdoms of Arvin,” the man announced, and then he bowed. Derand walked past him to look around, and the first thing he saw was King Ostrin coming toward him. The older man was smiling broadly, the smile Derand remembered so well from all the times he’d visited here. Ostrin was still a handsome man with his dark red hair and light eyes, and also still seemed to be fond of his best friend’s son.

  “Derand, how wonderful to see you again,” Ostrin enthused, his hand outstretched as he approached. “You’ve grown quite a lot in reputation since the last time you were here. You’re due congratulations for what you’ve accomplished, of course, and I don’t mind adding my own to what your father must have already said. The kingdoms of Arvin have been in need of uniting for many years, but no one before you was ever able to accomplish it.”

  “It wasn’t all that difficult to do,” Derand said with a grin as he joined grips with the older man. “I just pointed out that people would stop calling us savages once we were a single, united country, and they fell all over themselves in their hurry to join. They must be as sick of being called that name as I am.”

  “I heard there was a bit more to it than that,” Ostrin said with his own grin, his grip almost as strong as Derand’s. “I’m told the fighting was intense to begin with, but the strong and decisive way you handled it told others that trying the same themselves would be futile. And now you’re High King, and have come to pay an old ally a visit. How long can you stay?”

  “Not long at all, unfortunately,” Derand admitted with a sigh. “I’d love to sit down and put my feet up for a while, but I have to be on hand at home in case someone decides to start trouble. But I’d like to see Gardal while I’m here, to remind him that our generation will be signing a pact of our own some day. And, of course, to find out how he’s doing.”

  “He’s doing extremely well, but I’m afraid he’s not here right now,” Ostrin answered, looking as disappointed as Derand felt. “You and my son got to be good friends over the years, and I know he’ll be disappointed that he missed you. Lately he’s been acting as representative of our kingdom, taking the diplomatic trips that I’ve always hated having to make. Since he’ll be king in my place some day, I saw no reason to keep him from taking an active role right now.”

  “You and my father have similar ideas about that,” Derand said with a nod of understanding. “My oldest brother is doing the same for him, and my other brothers haven’t been forgotten either. So it seems that my visit will be even shorter than I expected it to be. I hate to collect my bride and run, but – ”

  “Your bride!” Ostrin all but yelped, cutting off the rest of what Derand had intended to say. “I forgot all about that! Oh, dear”

  “What’s wrong?” Derand asked, disturbed by the way the man now looked really stricken.

  “Isn’t she here? Has she come down with some sort of illness? You look as though the end of the world has arrived.”

  “Possibly, in a manner of speaking, it has,” Ostrin replied cryptically and vaguely, then he gestured to Derand’s left. Two chairs and a small table holding refreshments stood there, and Ostrin touched his arm. “Let’s sit down for a moment, and we can discuss this more comfortably.”

  “What can there be to discuss?” Derand asked as he joined Ostrin in walking
toward the chairs. “Either Elissia is here and all right, or she isn’t.”

  “There’s considerably more involved than that,” Ostrin replied with an apologetic glance before joining Derand in sitting down. “I mentioned the matter to your father a year or so ago, and he decided to let the thing be your decision once all your campaigns were finished. Now that you’re here, I find myself the least bit reluctant to talk about it.”

  And Ostrin did look reluctant, that and a bit shamefaced. The older man filled two silver goblets with wine and handed one to Derand, apparently struggling within himself. Derand took the goblet silently, having quickly decided to let Ostrin get to what he had to say without pushing the man. He respected Ostrin too much to add to the man’s discomfort, and a moment later Derand’s patience was rewarded.

  “As you may have noticed the times you were here, Elissia has grown into a beautiful young woman,” Ostrin began, his gaze more involved with the wine in his cup than with watching his guest. “She’s my only daughter, you know, born after my two youngest sons died from that fever. Her mother and I were so delighted to have her, and she was such an adorable little girl”

  “Yes, she was,” Derand said in support when Ostrin’s words trailed off. “I also remember her as being high spirited, especially at our wedding ceremony. She didn’t want to ‘play that game,’ but then she changed her mind.”

  “She changed her mind because her mother bribed her into cooperating,” Ostrin said with a deep sigh. “I didn’t know that at the time, and didn’t even find out for quite a while afterward. By the time I noticed how strong-minded and independent she was, it was too late to change things. And she doesn’t remember the wedding ceremony as anything but a vague game played once when she was very young. About a year ago she told me the kind of husband she expected to have found for her, and that’s when I got in touch with your father.”

  Derand sipped at the excellent wine in his cup, hearing the words “strong-minded” and “independent” echoing in his thoughts. People usually used other words than those if they were being frank, so Ostrin’s use of them wasn’t a good sign. And the girl also didn’t remember that she was married

  “Just for curiosity’s sake, what kind of man is she looking for?” Derand asked, glancing up to see that Ostrin’s gaze now rested on him. “If it makes things easier for you, you might want to tell her that I’m that sort.”

  “I don’t think that would work,” Ostrin disagreed with another sigh. “She said she wanted a man no more than an inch or so taller than she is, and one who enjoys tending his garden more than anything else. She also wants him to be someone who smiles most of the time, and someone who has a completely agreeable nature. Derand, since the marriage hasn’t been consummated, it doesn’t have to stand. Your father and I are willing to nullify it, so you might want to take advantage of that. No matter how hard I try, I can’t see Elissia being the kind of wife you ought to have. You’ve earned the right to some peace in your private life, even if you have it nowhere else.”

  “Is she really that bad?” Derand asked, deciding to be more direct. “Forgive me, my friend, but you almost sound as though you’re afraid of her.”

  “Afraid? No, don’t be silly.” Ostrin spoke much too quickly, adding a strained and insincere laugh. “She’s my daughter, after all, my sweet girl child, so how could I

  possibly be afraid of her? It’s just that I dislike confrontations, and she’s really very strong in her opinions. Why don’t you speak to her yourself? That way you can form a decision based on fact, rather than wonder if you’re doing the right thing.“

  “All right, I’ll take that bit of advice,” Derand conceded, but privately kept all other concessions to himself. “Why don’t you invite her to join us?”

  “A wise decision,” Ostrin said with a smile filled with too much relief for Derand’s liking.

  “I’ll send a servant.”

  The older man turned and beckoned over one of the servants who stood out of earshot on the other side of the very large room. They were waiting to serve the two kings without intruding on their private discussion, and one of them came forward quickly when summoned.

  Derand listened to the instructions Ostrin gave with only partial attention. It disturbed him to see the man so bothered by the thought of Derand’s claiming his daughter, and there was an uneasy question involved in the matter. Was the girl really that stubborn and headstrong, or had her father decided that he wanted someone other than a bloody-handed conqueror for her husband?

  The second possibility wasn’t entirely out of the question, but the first was almost as upsetting. Had his father’s best friend been living all these years under the heavy hand of a female tyrant? If so, would it be honorable to simply abandon him as he’d been told he could do? And what would his father think about the whole thing?

  Ostrin chatted as they waited for his daughter to arrive, but Derand’s mind wasn’t on the conversation even though he contributed to it. Questions and demands kept jumping out of his thoughts, at least until the hall door was opened and a girl strode in. Derand joined Ostrin in rising to his feet, more than a little surprised. At first glance the girl seemed to be wearing a perfectly ordinary ankle-length dress in brown and gold, but a second glance revealed the divided skirts of a riding dress with matching boots beneath.

  But the girl’s clothing was the least of it. She, herself, was worth more than a second look, with her rounded figure and beautiful face. She also had hair of a lighter red than her father’s to go with large green eyes, something he hadn’t remembered about his bride. The glances he’d gotten of her over the years hadn’t shown how really desirable she’d become, and Derand wondered why he hadn’t seen her more often during those years. He’d certainly visited there often enough

  “Father, you wanted to see me before I go riding?” the girl asked as she approached, the smile on her face gentle and attractive. “Did you need something?”

  “I needed to tell you that we have a guest, Elissia,” Ostrin replied while Derand suddenly realized that the girl hadn’t even glanced at him. “You remember Derand du Bahr, don’t you?”

  “Of course I remember him,” the girl said from where she stopped, about five feet away.

  The smile she wore hadn’t changed, and she still hadn’t acknowledged Derand’s existence to the point of noticing him. “I appreciate being informed about these things, Father, but now I really must get on with what I was doing. Do enjoy your visit.”

  And with that she turned around and headed back toward the door, obviously intent on leaving! Ostrin darkened with embarrassment as he glanced at Derand, clearly not having pictured the girl causing him that much humiliation. Ostrin was a really gentle man, Derand knew, but he was still a man and a king.

  “Young woman, you come right back here!” Ostrin snapped, his voice almost a growl.

  “The day will never come that I allow a guest under my roof to be slighted so badly, not to speak of by a member of my own family. You will display decent manners, or I’ll know the reason why!”

  “If you wanted to know my reasons for acting that way, Father, you should have asked,” the girl replied after stopping a few steps away. She’d also partially turned back toward them, showing she still wore that smile. “I try to display decent manners for civilized visitors, but don’t believe in wasting them on savages. You may not have noticed, but until now I’ve taken the trouble to stay away from them when they invaded our peace and serenity. And since my behavior disturbs you so badly, I’ll just resume the practice.”

  And this time she did leave, despite Ostrin’s outraged shout of “Elissia!” She closed the door quietly behind herself as though no one had said a word, and Derand simply gazed at that door until Ostrin had emptied his wine cup in a single swallow and had turned to him.

  “Derand, I really do apologize for having put you through that,” Ostrin said, the words clearly filled with pain. “I knew she would probably do something objectionable
, but I never dreamed she’d go that far. Do you understand now why I made that offer? If I’d only noticed her behavior when she was still young enough for something to be done about it”

  “Ostrin, my friend, you make her sound ancient,” Derand said with a laugh before turning back to pick up his goblet. “She’s not even close to being ancient, so there’s a lot that can be done with her. And doing those things could well turn into my favorite pastime.”

  “You still want her?” Ostrin asked with incredulity, obviously having heard the last of Derand’s words despite the way he’d murmured them. “If I were in your place, I’d turn and run and keep running until I’d put leagues between us, but you don’t seem to see it the same. Would you mind telling me why that is?”

  “Possibly because she won’t be my daughter,” Derand answered with the amusement he couldn’t hold back on. “She’ll be my wife, and even she knows what that means. It’s the reason she spoke that way, trying to get me to turn my back and walk away. She insulted me on purpose in an attempt to get rid of me, but it isn’t going to work.”

  “You’re certain she did that on purpose?” Ostrin asked, now looking skeptical. “I’ve seen her do things almost that outrageous before, and it’s always seemed part of her nature.”

  “It may have become part of her nature because she was allowed to get away with it,” Derand pointed out, trying to be gentle despite needing to speak the truth. “She gets her own way by acting outrageously, and I’ll wager gold that she’s never been punished for doing it. Have you ever once taken her over your knee and spanked her bare backside because of something she did?”

  “Of course not!” Ostrin replied, his expression showing mild shock. “Even my sons were never punished like that, so why would I treat my daughter so?”

  “Possibly because your sons take after you but your daughter doesn’t,” Derand countered, feeling sorry for the older man. “She isn’t sweet and gentle and reasonable, and so needs more of an incentive to behave in a way decent people find acceptable. I’m going to supply that incentive.”