About Me
- Satima Flavell
- Perth, Western Australia, Australia
- I am based in Perth, Western Australia. You might enjoy my books - The Dagger of Dresnia, the first book of the Talismans Trilogy, is available at all good online book shops as is Book two, The Cloak of Challiver. Book three, The Seer of Syland, is in preparation. I trained in piano and singing at the NSW Conservatorium of Music. I also trained in dance (Scully-Borovansky, WAAPA) and drama (NIDA). Since 1987 I have been writing reviews of performances in all genres for a variety of publications, including Music Maker, ArtsWest, Dance Australia, The Australian and others. Now semi-retired, I still write occasionally for the ArtsHub website.
My books
The first two books of my trilogy, The Talismans, (The Dagger of Dresnia, and book two, The Cloak of Challiver) are available in e-book format from Smashwords, Amazon and other online sellers. Book three of the trilogy, The Seer of Syland, is in preparation.I also have a short story, 'La Belle Dame', in print - see Mythic Resonance below - as well as well as a few poems in various places.
The best way to contact me is via Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/satimaflavell
Buy The Talismans
The first two books of The Talismans trilogy were published by Satalyte Publications, which, sadly, has gone out of business. However, The Dagger of Dresnia and The Cloak of Challiver are available as ebooks on the usual book-selling websites, and book three, The Seer of Syland, is in preparation.
The easiest way to contact me is via Facebook.
The Dagger of Dresnia
The Cloak of Challiver, Book two of The Talismans
Mythic Resonance
Mythic Resonance is an excellent anthology that includes my short story 'La Belle Dame', together with great stories from Alan Baxter, Donna Maree Hanson, Sue Burstynski, Nike Sulway and nine more fantastic authors! Just $US3.99 from Amazon.
Got a Kindle? Check out Mythic Resonance.
Follow me on Twitter
Share a link on Twitter
For Readers, Writers & Editors
- A dilemma about characters
- Adelaide Writers Week, 2009
- Adjectives, commas and confusion
- An artist's conflict
- An editor's role
- Authorial voice, passive writing and the passive voice
- Common misuses: common expressions
- Common misuses: confusing words
- Common misuses: pronouns - subject and object
- Conversations with a character
- Critiquing Groups
- Does length matter?
- Dont sweat the small stuff: formatting
- Free help for writers
- How much magic is too much?
- Know your characters via astrology
- Like to be an editor?
- Modern Writing Techniques
- My best reads of 2007
- My best reads of 2008
- My favourite dead authors
- My favourite modern authors
- My influential authors
- Planning and Flimmering
- Planning vs Flimmering again
- Psychological Spec-Fic
- Readers' pet hates
- Reading, 2009
- Reality check: so you want to be a writer?
- Sensory detail is important!
- Speculative Fiction - what is it?
- Spelling reform?
- Substantive or linking verbs
- The creative cycle
- The promiscuous artist
- The revenge of omni rampant
- The value of "how-to" lists for writers
- Write a decent synopsis
- Write a review worth reading
- Writers block 1
- Writers block 2
- Writers block 3
- Writers need editors!
- Writers, Depression and Addiction
- Writing in dialect, accent or register
- Writing it Right: notes for apprentice authors
Interviews with authors
My Blog List
-
Podcast 611, Your Transcript is Ready! - I know it’s two windows, but don’t miss the visual aids! The ads are truly incredible.9 hours ago
-
Jessie Blackadder books… - Continuing the Australian Authors whose books I’ve read and reviewed, here is another inspirational writer who passed too young. I’ve read many of her book...13 hours ago
-
“The Northman”: ‘Tis But A Scratch: Fact & Fiction About the Middle Ages - In this episode of the podcast 'Tis But A Scratch: Fact and Fiction About the Middle Ages, Richard Abels and his special guest and co-host Dr. Christine Se...17 hours ago
-
Shedding Light on Some Popular Publishing Myths - There are many hot takes on social media about how to write a book, what traditional publishers like, and what you need to do to make your novel a bestse...18 hours ago
-
How do you solve a problem like gender inequality? - How do you solve a problem like gender inequality? How do you solve a problem like gender inequality? For most women’s rights advocates, the answer is ob...19 hours ago
-
A To Z Blogging Challenge 2024 - Villains ! - Q Is For Quirrell - Professor Quirinus Quirrell, teacher of Defence Against The Dark Arts in Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone, is the first teacher Harry Potter m...23 hours ago
-
Ada Lovelace - by Sue Purkiss - On a recent stay on Exmoor, I came across an article about someone called Ada Lovelace. I had vaguely heard of her, but if you'd asked me why, I wouldn'...23 hours ago
-
Happy Birthday, Krissy - She’s fabulous and I just think she’s neat. And it’s also her birthday! If you are so inclined, wish her a happy one. — JS1 day ago
-
5 Common Problems With Beginnings - *By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy* *If your beginning isn't working, no one will get to the ending.* A novel’s beginning is under a lot of pressure. It has...1 day ago
-
I promised photos from the trip - I feel like a slacker but I have been busy. There’s so much going on, so much to write about. We’ve been back six weeks. It feels like a short time and a l...1 day ago
-
I promised photos from the trip - I feel like a slacker but I have been busy. There’s so much going on, so much to write about. We’ve been back six weeks. It feels like a short time and a l...1 day ago
-
Mastering Blog Post Creation: 10 Essential Steps to Enhance Your Writing Process - The post Mastering Blog Post Creation: 10 Essential Steps to Enhance Your Writing Process appeared first on ProBlogger. It hits you like a TON of BRICKS!...1 day ago
-
Edward Ashton - Edward Ashton is the author of the novels Mal Goes to War, Antimatter Blues, Mickey7 (now a motion picture directed by Bong Joon-ho and starring Robert Pat...3 days ago
-
Newsletter 16th April 2024 - Here’s a copy of my newsletter from April 16th, 2024. Sign up via my website to get newsletters directly to your inbox (and remember to check your Spam f...3 days ago
-
Are You Schrödinger’s Writer? Here’s How To Break Out Of This Destructive Mindset - Schrödinger’s Cat Versus Writers Schrödinger’s Cat is a thought experiment devised by the Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger, which he designed to illu...5 days ago
-
The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 13: Small Gods - There’s a phenomenon known as “capturing lightning in a bottle” that describes the sensation of being in a particular place at precisely the right time to ...1 week ago
-
'The Tic-Toc Boy of Constantinople' in the revered The Conversation as one of five "Australian literary works of particular relevance to national conversations about AI" - I've always respected and admired *The Conversation, *so it is a humbling privilege to have 'The Tic-Toc Boy of Constantinople' written about in *The Con...1 week ago
-
Ourselves: 100 Micro Memoirs - I am lucky enough to have a non-fiction piece, ‘Helicopter Parents’, in this new release from Night Parrot Press, Ourselves: 100 Micro Memoirs. This is the...1 week ago
-
The Dead Boys Detective Agency. It is a very silly name. But accurate. - April 25th. DEAD BOY DETECTIVES. It's really good -- it's funny, it's smart, it's scary, and it even has a few familiar faces... (And no, you won...2 weeks ago
-
#3 WEP GET TOGETHER - APRIL 2024 - IT'S THE A - Z CHALLENGE! - Hi WEPpers and friends! Already time for out third Get Together. Life is flashing by! Hit us with your news, writerly or personal. We'd love to hear fro...2 weeks ago
-
Henry of Lancaster and His Children - The close bonds which Edward II's cousin Henry of Lancaster, earl of Lancaster and Leicester, forged with his children have fascinated me for a long time...2 weeks ago
-
Urbenville Adventure - Wow, Urbenville, what an adventure! An approach so tough I nearly threw up. Climbs so hard I’m still hurting. Plants so vicious, one grass-spike tore my co...2 weeks ago
-
Researching the birth of the first domestic violence refuge - Read a researcher's journey exploring the first few years of Chiswick Women's Aid. The post Researching the birth of the first domestic violence refuge ...4 weeks ago
-
Trip to Brazil 2024 - Landing in the Megalopolis of Sao Paulo On February 7th I flew to Sao Paulo, Brazil to start a 17 day teachi...1 month ago
-
Photo Parade 2023 - A bit of fun at the beginning of the new year. I’m following several German travel blogs, and that way came across the annual Photo Parade (Fotoparade) on ...3 months ago
-
Happy Public Domain Day 2024, the end of copyright for 1928 works - My annual reminder that January 1st is Public Domain Day, and this year copyright has ended for books, movies, and music first published in the U.S. in 192...3 months ago
-
The White Horse Band - Live Blues/Rock - 31 March 2023 Hi All, Time for some LIVE Video Music from me… (as opposed to my original stuff)…. I got into a blues/rock band for a one off gig at ...4 months ago
-
Konrath Thanksgiving - Black Friday - Cyber Monday Kindle Bundle Sale - *Get all of my ebook box sets on Amazon Kindle for 99 cents each, November 23 - 28.* *THAT'S 33¢ PER BOOK!* Almost my entire backlist of fifty-four ebooks...5 months ago
-
Questions from year 9 students - Recently – actually, not very recently but I somehow forgot to write this sooner – I did what has become an annual online Q&A with the Year 9 girls at Bedf...5 months ago
-
On Ohio, and the novels, and the new class - Just small news here. The new class is finished in first draft, and I’m now (and for the first time ever) doing the complete course bug-hunt and clean-up B...6 months ago
-
Big disruption hit book publishing before AI showed up - Publishers Weekly recently hosted a stimulating and smart online session about AI and publishing, thanks to the organizing and moderating skills of Peter...6 months ago
-
Flogometer 1180 for Christian—will you be moved to turn the page? - Submissions sought. Get fresh eyes on your opening page. Submission directions below. The Flogometer challenge: can you craft a first page that compels me ...8 months ago
-
Storny Weather - I've just been out fixing up the damage from last night's storm. This is pretty much the first time I've been able to spend much time outside and do any...8 months ago
-
#347 - I've been querying agents for the last 6-months and have over 50 rejections. I'm not sure if my novel isn't very interesting/sellable or if my query let...8 months ago
-
Parody - The other day, for the first time in a very long time, I heard the Barbie Song. So, being me, I decided to parody it, in hour of Alianore Audley and *The...8 months ago
-
Parody - The other day, for the first time in a very long time, I heard the Barbie Song. So, being me, I decided to write a parody. Hope you like it! *Hiya, Ali...8 months ago
-
To Live and Love - To live and love for the both of us Ten years ago today I made that vow I've struggled in the decade since Not always knowing exactly how Ten years you've...9 months ago
-
“It’s Random” – a random scribble - “Why am I even here? It’s random. No Divine Thing. No actual “purpose” except what we make of it. I haven’t made anything of it except to be restless, to a...9 months ago
-
#MemorialDay, remembering a female patriot ancestor - *© 2022 Christy K Robinson* We are taught stories about heroic men who gave their lives to bring independence and liberty to their families, friends--and...10 months ago
-
A tale of two titles - I have done something notably foolish. Which is perhaps nothing new, though the circumstances on this occasion are unusual. To whit, I am publishing two bo...1 year ago
-
Poem: If Wishes were horses - A team of horses racing toward me Brown like the uniforms of soldiers fortressing me around Speckled like a found family, salt of the earth Whit...1 year ago
-
another review for the Christmas Maze - *The Christmas Maze by Danny Fahey – a Review by David Collis* Why do we seek to be good, to make the world a better place? Why do we seek to be ethi...1 year ago
-
-
-
Children’s Rights QLD Ambassador - Children’s Rights QLD appointed Karen Tyrrell (me) Ambassador for Logan City, ahead of Children’s Week, 24-29 Oct 2022. I’m an award-winning child-empowe...1 year ago
-
ANWERING THE CALL: LESSONS FROM THE THRESHOLD - NEXT STORY SANCTUARY "Anwering the Call: Lessons from the Threshold" Sept. 20, 7 pm eastern $30 Online Whether you're starting a project, a school year, ...1 year ago
-
The Green House, Chapters 1-4 (Revised) - [Dear Reader: Having refined my intentions for this novel based on a lot of recent thinking about life and art, I have restructured and revised the first f...1 year ago
-
Publishing Contracts 101: Beware Internal Contradications - It should probably go without saying that you don't want your publishing contract to include clauses that contradict one another. Beyond any potential l...1 year ago
-
Tara Sharp is back and in audio book - SHARP IS BACK! Marianne Delacourt and Twelfth Planet Press are delighted to announce the fifth Tara Sharp story, a novella entitled RAZOR SHARP, will be ...1 year ago
-
Website Update - My website www.stephendedman.com has been updated, with details of my latest books; please check it out!2 years ago
-
Non-Binary Authors To Read: July 2021 - Non-Binary Authors To Read is a regular column from A.C. Wise highlighting non-binary authors of speculative fiction and recommending a starting place fo...2 years ago
-
ATTENTION: YOU CAN’T LOG IN HERE - Hey YOU! This isn’t the forum. You’re trying to login to the Web site. THE FORUMS ARE HERE: CLICK THIS The post ATTENTION: YOU CAN’T LOG IN HERE a...2 years ago
-
I'M INSIDE A SHORT STORY!! - Ok everyone, you have to read this very short short story. Firstly because it is good, (check out the Bligh story within it too), but also because I'm ...2 years ago
-
Grandmother Dragon Forever - It feels like centuries since the last time I wrote something for the Dragon Cave. Only something of great importance would drag me out of my retirement...3 years ago
-
-
What communicates power? - Well, I have to say, I wasn't expecting to get this far behind on my reports on the show, but the launch month was very busy, and then the next month turne...4 years ago
-
The Legendary Game Pac-Man Has No Meaning. - [image: The Legendary Game Pac-Man Has No Meaning.] The Legendary Game Pac-Man Has No Meaning. Let's take a look at how this word came about. Actually, P...4 years ago
-
Readers Notice and They Care - Readers care about story details and they care about characters. Both last night and this afternoon I had conversations with readers upset about the way au...4 years ago
-
Review of Verdi's MacBeth (WA Opera) - *Our president, Frances Dharmalingham, has written a critique of a recent visit to the opera: Verdi’s ‘Macbeth’.* At Christmas 2018, my family’s gift to ...4 years ago
-
Breakout 3: tips for engaging your audience - Tips for engaging your audience: how to improve presentation, public speaking confidence and presence on stage, no matter how small the stage is. Present...4 years ago
-
The Trains Don't Stop Here - It's been a long, long time since my last blog post. One of the main reasons for this – apart from life being way too busy in general – is that, in my dwin...4 years ago
-
Portrait of a first generation freed African American family - Sanford Huggins (c.1844–1889) and Mary Ellen Pryor (c.1851–1889), his wife, passed the early years of their lives in Woodford County, Kentucky, and later...4 years ago
-
Revisiting the Comma Splice - One of the difficulties as an editor, particularly when working with fiction, is to know when to be a stickler for the rules. For some people this is not a...4 years ago
-
New releases - SFFBookBonanza - StoryOrigin - SciFi and Fantasy Book Sale - New Releases – Jul 2019 The latest and greatest new releases in Science Fiction and Fantasy books! New releases July 2019 99 cent sale - July 22nd - 28t...4 years ago
-
Assassin’s Apprentice Read Along - This month, in preparation for the October release of the Illustrated 25th Anniversary edition of Assassin’s Apprentice, with interior art by Magali Villan...4 years ago
-
STOLEN PICTURE OPTIONS TELEVISION RIGHTS TO BEN AARONOVITCH’S RIVERS OF LONDON - *STOLEN PICTURE OPTIONS TELEVISION RIGHTS TO BEN AARONOVITCH’S * *RIVERS OF LONDON* *London, UK: 29April 2019*: Nick Frost and Simon Pegg’s UK-based ...4 years ago
-
A Movie That No Writer Should See Alone - Really. REALLY. Trust me on this. particularly since this film, ‘Can you ever forgive me?’, is based on a ‘True story’ – and too many writers will see too...5 years ago
-
Review: Trace: who killed Maria James? - [image: Trace: who killed Maria James?] Trace: who killed Maria James? by Rachael Brown My rating: 5 of 5 stars Absolutely jaw-dropping, compelling readin...5 years ago
-
Dance Photo Shoots - Photo Session Planning & Preparation Have you ever wanted to do a photo shoot for dance but have been a little unsure about how and what really happens? ...5 years ago
-
On Indefinite Hiatus - (Which I pretty much have been from this site for a while already, but for real now.) You can find most archive content through the On Writing page, and li...6 years ago
-
2017 Ditmar Winners Announced - Over the Queen’s Birthday weekend, spec fic fans gathered for Continuum 13: Triskaidekaphilia. Continuum is always a great convention, and this year it was...6 years ago
-
Writing about the Crusades and talking about a "meddlesome priest" - The Middle Ages are in the news again, so here is a roundup of recent news articles. We start with three good reads from historians talking about the crusa...6 years ago
-
The One and the Many – every Sunday - My first serious girlfriend came from good Roman Catholic stock. Having tried (and failed) to be raised as a Christian child and finding nothing but lifele...6 years ago
-
A Shameless Plug Ian Likes: Bibliorati.com - A little-known fact is that I once had a gig reviewing books for five years. It was for a now-defunct website known as The Specusphere. It was awesome fun:...7 years ago
-
Book Review - Nobody by Threasa Meads - Available from BooktopiaThe subtitle for this work is *A Liminal Autobiography*. Liminal: 1. relating to a transitional or initial stage of a process. 2...7 years ago
-
A whole 'nother year-and-a-bit - Well, we have let this blog slip, haven't we? I guess Facebook has taken over from blogs to a very large degree, but I think there is still a need for blo...7 years ago
-
2017 Potential Bee Calendar – & ladybirds and butterflies - Bees on flowers – all sorts of flowers (& bees) – and lady birds and butterflies. There were hundreds (literally) of photos to choose from. This is a small...7 years ago
-
What is dyslexia? - *" **The bottob line it thit it doet exitt, no bitter whit nibe teottle give it(i.e ttecific lierning ditibility, etc) iccording to Thilly Thiywitz ( 2003)...8 years ago
-
Rai stones - *(Paraphrased from Wikipedia)*: Rai stones were, and in some cases are still, the currency of the island once called Yap. *They are stone coins which at th...10 years ago
-
Cherries In The Snow - This recipe is delicious and can also be made as a diet dessert by using fat and/or sugar free ingredients. It’s delicious and guests will think it took ...11 years ago
-
Al Milgrom’s connection to “Iron Man” - Via the Ann Arbor online newspaper - I felt it was worth repeating as a great example of Marvel doing the right thing by a former employee and without the ...13 years ago
Favourite Sites
- Alan Baxter
- Andrew McKiernan
- Bren McDibble
- Celestine Lyons
- Guy Gavriel Kay
- Hal Spacejock (Simon Haynes)
- Inventing Reality
- Jacqueline Carey
- Jennifer Fallon
- Jessica Rydill
- Jessica Vivien
- Joel Fagin
- Juliet Marillier
- KA Bedford
- Karen Miller
- KSP Writers Centre
- Lynn Flewelling
- Marianne de Pierres
- Phill Berrie
- Ryan Flavell
- Satima's Professional Editing Services
- SF Novelists' Blog
- SF Signal
- Shane Jiraiya Cummings
- Society of Editors, WA
- Stephen Thompson
- Yellow wallpaper
Blog Archive
Places I've lived: Manchester, UK
Places I've lived: Gippsland, Australia
Places I've lived: Geelong, Australia
Places I've lived: Tamworth, NSW
Places I've Lived - Sydney
Places I've lived: Auckland, NZ
Places I've Lived: Mount Gambier
Places I've lived: Adelaide, SA
Places I've Lived: Perth by Day
Places I've lived: High View, WV
Places I've lived: Lynton, Devon, UK
Places I've lived: Braemar, Scotland
Places I've lived: Barre, MA, USA
Places I've Lived: Perth by Night
Search This Blog
Monday 27 August 2018
Monday, August 27, 2018 |
Posted by
Satima Flavell
Here, as promised, is The Cloak of Challiver, Chapter 2
Chapter 2
* * *
* * *
* * *
Chapter 2
* * *
It had been a week since the birthday
celebrations, and Milana had felt restless ever since. She tried to settle down in the arbour with an old book. It was about a
knight who loved a princess who was promised to a foreign prince. Unable to
have the lady of his dreams, he wasted away and died. She’d read it before, and
found herself growing impatient with the foolish man. Surely people didn’t die
for love in real life?
She looked up from her book as
Binny bustled into the arbour, wiping her hands on the big blue apron she
always wore. Many a time Milana had cried into that apron when she was little
and had fallen and hurt herself, or when Urbancho had been bullying her. Even
when it had just been washed it smelt of flour and oil and the medicines that
Binny made in the stillroom.
‘Madam, there’s word that Prince
Morifer is on his way up from the port. My, what a surprise! We didn’t expect
him until the end of the week. Don’t you think you’d better come inside and get
dressed to greet him?’
Milana’s heart sank. Morifer,
here already? She suddenly realised how much she had been dreading this moment.
‘I suppose you’re right, Binny.
I must go and change.’
She’d known that Morifer was
coming especially to spend time with her, so they could make up their minds
about the proposed marriage, but oh, why so soon? She would have preferred him
to wait another month, or until Autumnfest, or next year sometime…‘At least,’
she thought as she hurried back to her chamber, ‘Daddy won’t force me into
marrying against my will. But Morifer must be keen on this match if he’s come
so early.’
Her mother was waiting
impatiently for her. She already had Milana’s best dark red velvet overgown,
trimmed with ermine, lying on the bed. Appearances were important, at first
meetings especially.
‘Hurry up, Milana’, said her
mother. ‘We only got word of Prince Morifer’s arrival a short time ago.
'Here, let
me unlace your robe.’
The lacings loosened, Milana freed
herself from the sleeves and let the robe slide to the floor. She stepped out
of the robe and pulled her shirt over her head. Her mother handed her a new
cream silk shirt that had been imported from Aristand only the week before.
Then came the heavy overgown with its draped sleeves, and an embroidered
surcoat that felt as heavy as one of the soup pots that hung over the kitchen
fire.
Milana looked at herself
critically in the bronze mirror that hung over her clothes chest. Her long fair
plaits resembled foxes’ tails. She loosed her tresses and tugged a comb through
the tangles.
Her mother shook her head in
despair. ‘Here, sit down, child! You can’t go down looking like a goatherd’s
daughter.’ She dragged the comb through Milana’s tresses again and again,
jerking
Milana’s head forward and back.
‘Mother, you’re hurting me!’
‘All right, all right, that will
have to do! Come on, we’d better go down. He’ll be here any minute!’
Pushing stray strands of hair
back as best she could with one hand, Milana gathered her skirts in the other
and headed for the door. A page approached as they closed the door.
‘His majesty has asked that you
come down as soon as possible, Madam. The Falrouvian delegation is on its way
up the hill.’
‘Oh, by the Lady’s tears,
Milana, make haste! It will look terrible if we’re not on the steps when Prince
Morifer arrives!’ Her mother seized her hand and dragged her toward the
staircase.
They hurried downstairs and
through the Great Hall to the steps of the keep. Milana’s jewelled belt came
undone as they reached the front door. She loosed herself from her mother’s
grasp and tied the belt in place as the page on door duty let in the sunlight.
Breathless, mother and daughter
joined their menfolk just as Prince Morifer and his retinue rode in. He was
attended by several pages, a scribe or two, a brace of priests and a number of
gentlemen-at-arms. It took Milana a few moments to work out why there were so
many, and then she realised that they had come in the expectation of
negotiating a marriage agreement, with arrangements for a dowry, trade
partnerships and such.
‘Daddy, I thought we were only
going to talk about it this time,’
she whispered. She was already starting to feel trapped.
‘So did I,’ replied her father,
‘but it looks as though Morifer’s already made up his mind!’
Prince Morifer was obviously
into his thirties, but he was tall and well built, with regular features.
Milana regarded him cautiously. His face was handsome enough, but his lanky
fair hair and pale skin gave him a somewhat insipid air, and Milana was not
especially impressed. With perfect manners, he greeted them one by one, and
called forward several servants bearing gifts for each member of the family.
Proudly, he presented Milana with a hound.
‘She comes from Falrouvia’s
finest bloodlines,’ he boasted. ‘She’ll outrun a hare on level ground.’
Milana eyed the creature warily.
It was a great brute of a bitch, standing as high as her hip. Milana beckoned a
servant to come and take the leash from the prince’s hand. She smiled and
thanked him, but inwardly she groaned. She detested hunting and only rarely went
out with the parties her father occasionally organised. Even when she went, she
took a book with her.
‘I don’t suppose I can expect
Morifer to know my tastes and interests,’ she consoled herself, as she led the
guests into the castle. ‘Maybe as we get to know each other, we’ll find some
common ground.’ But in her heart, she knew she was clutching at a vain hope.
Already, she knew Morifer was not the kind of man she wanted.
* * *
Within a day of
Morifer’s arrival, Milana was finding the visit a strain. She tried to put on a
cheerful face when they went for a walk in the garden. Her ladies walked
several paces behind, talking among themselves. Milana wished she could walk
with them, but her task was to entertain Morifer and get to know him better.
‘Do you read much?’ Milana asked
the prince.
‘Read?’ Morifer looked puzzled.
‘I make a point of reading any state papers my father chooses to show me, of
course.’ His face brightened. ‘And I read a fascinating treatise on the
training of peregrines recently. I expect you fly a merlin, though, don’t you?
They are usually the ladies’ favourite.’
‘No, I don’t own a hawk at all,’
Milana admitted.
‘Oh!’ Morifer sounded
astonished, even alarmed. ‘When you come to Falrouvia, I shall find a suitable
bird for you. I go hawking most days, weather permitting. My father has a fine
gyr falcon, which he permits me to fly sometimes, seeing as I am the only son
and will one day be king.’
Milana vaguely remembered
hearing somewhere that only kings were permitted to fly certain birds, and the
gyr falcon — whatever that was — must be one of them. She smiled at Morifer and
made an appreciative comment, and was embarrassed to see his eyes light up as
he smiled back. Inwardly, she grimaced. How was she going to talk to him for
the rest of her life? And yet he appeared to be besotted by her. She wondered
why. They had so little in common…
Milana’s last walk with Morifer
was tense. She tried to keep up a flow of small talk, but she felt embarrassed
by the way he kept looking at her with greedy eyes.
‘I am so looking forward to
having you in Falrouvia,’ he said. ‘We shall go hunting and hawking every day
and dance every night. And I shall be the envy of every prince in the world
with such a beautiful and charming wife.’
‘I shall enjoy the dancing, but
you know that I’m not an enthusiast of hunting and hawking, my lord.’
Her suitor brushed her warning
aside. ‘I shall teach you to enjoy them. Once you have a merlin and some hounds
of your own you will be as keen as I am, I’m sure.’
What could she say? It was
almost, she thought, as if the prince were looking at her and seeing someone
else: someone who met his fantasy of an ideal wife. She sighed inwardly but
smiled as she offered him her hand. ‘I shall try to learn more about these
things over the coming months, sir.’
As he bade her farewell, Milana
struggled to convince herself that she had quashed her misgivings. The
betrothal was, after all, what everyone else obviously wanted.
* * *
The next day,
after a sleepless night, Milana went to see her father. He was ensconced in his
study, as usual, looking over state papers.
‘Aha, my dear. I’m just looking
over the proposal from Falrouvia. The terms seem favourable enough, but of
course the proposed match depends on your final agreement. Morifer seems a decent
enough fellow, don’t you think?’
Milana bit her lower lip. Her
heart was pounding. Her father was a reasonable man, but he would not like what
she had to say. ‘Well, I have no reason to say that he’s not, Father, but we
have nothing in common. And there’s something just a bit… well, odd about him.’
‘Odd? In what way? He seems
normal enough to me.’
‘It’s nothing I can explain… oh,
I know it sounds silly, but there’s just a hint of something going on in the
background, as if he was playing a role rather than being himself. And I have a
feeling that himself is not very
nice.’
‘Milana, I cannot base a refusal
on something as nebulous as that. In fact, I’ve already told Morifer that I am
happy for the match to go ahead if you are willing.’
‘But I’m not willing, Father. I don’t feel ready to marry anyone, and I
really can’t imagine myself being happy with Morifer.
He set the papers aside. ‘I
don’t want to force you, Milana, but there’s a lot hanging on this betrothal.
Look, why don’t I tell Morifer that you’d like to wait for a year before
formalising the betrothal? That should give you time to get used to the idea.’
Milana hesitated. She didn’t actually
dislike Morifer, and she didn’t want to upset her father. ‘That’s a good idea. Tell
him I want to go on a pilgrimage or something.’
Her father smiled. ‘I haven’t
noticed any kind of religious streak in you before, daughter, but perhaps
Morifer will be happy enough with a promise of a betrothal in a year’s time. I’ll
suggest it to him.’
A year’s reprieve! Anything
could happen in a year. ‘Yes, Father. Tell him you will consider the matter
again in year’s time. When I’m back from my pilgrimage.’
Her father smiled.’ Very well,
child, I will do that. You may go.’
Milana gave her father a sketchy
curtsey and almost skipped out the door and down the spiral staircase. That had
been much easier than she’d expected. A whole year! Probably Morifer would have
found another, more suitable wife by then…
***
Many thanks to Cassandra for being such a lovely Milana!
Many thanks to Cassandra for being such a lovely Milana!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments: