Maryani quite likes the Peloi--they do have those annoyingly strict gender roles, but she's come to accept such things as mere facets of existing in any country, and it's not as if they restrain her. Their wild, nomadic ways are not unlike her own of years past, and moreover the men are very entertaining. She's noticed some of the women tend to ( Read more... )

The road stretching from Chyrellos leads along the Arcian side of the River Sarin, and it is, as had been previously predicted, a truly lovely day. After both Ehlana and Sparhawk came to an arrangement on who would be making the voyage to Daresia in both a political and investigative context (both of them), and the news of Krager's increasing ( Read more... )

The attack comes not long after they're out of Demos, and it's a very poorly planned one, too, to Maryani's eye; all those knights on horseback against men on foot. It almost strikes her as a distraction of a sort, or some sort of game--but she hardly has time to think about it before Sparhawk is ordering the knights into formation and sending ( Read more... )

After a brief discussion (ahem) in Martel's offices at the palace earlier, Maryani managed to tug him along to the dressmaker's with her. Nourelle's adulthood had been kept off long enough, and she'd requested and had tailored a dress to suit her daughter's age. Most people kept thinking Maryani was the girl's sister, not her mother, which would' ( Read more... )

Politics, Maryani had learned over the past six or so years, were not quite her thing ( Read more... )

One thing, Maryani guessed, that would continually annoy Martel: her tendency to take Ehlana's side on things. It wasn't that she didn't understand his viewpoint on things, it's just that she understood the Queen's better, and of course she'd choose a woman's sensible nature over a man's desire to be protective any day ( Read more... )

Being summoned to meet the queen of Elenia is ordinarily quite a stressful circumstance, especially when you're rather personally connected to the man who betrayed the Pandion Order years ago. Regardless, Maryani doesn't show any sign of nerves--on the contrary, she seems cheerful about it. It's hard to tell what she thinks if she's attempting to ( Read more... )

Maryani had a fascinating day in town, during which she learned certain tidbits of information highly relevant to herself--ones she realized, after some resigned contemplation, she also would have to make known to Martel. Great. So much for never revealing even the slightest bit of personal information. She felt stressed enough afterward to have ( Read more... )

Maryani actually thinks she likes Jiroch better than Umanthum. Rendor is too hot, too sandy, but full of passionate zealotry that's easily roused and set to work--she understands Rendorish people, even if the weird dress and customs aren't quite her style, because what is, with this girl. Most of Arcium hasn't been as enjoyable, largely because ( Read more... )

Five months prior.

( binary star, you're the brightest blue by far )