Fic: The Birthday Ball (1/3)
Title: The Birthday Ball
Authors: miera_c
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Nearly a year has passed since Princess Elizabeth's short-lived marriage to Simon Wallis. As her 16th birthday approaches, changes begin to creep into her life and the lives of those in her inner circle.
The short woman hopped down from the carriage easily, barely touching the hand Daniel held out to her to steady her descent. Lady Catherine, wife of the steward of Langford, was one of the fortunate people for whom the advance of age had meant little in the way of losing either her physical grace or her mental acumen.
"Daniel," she said warmly. Given that she had helped to raise him since he was first crawling about on the floor as a baby, the Duke of Langford had long ago given up expecting her to address him any other way.
He embraced her just as warmly. "It is good to see you."
She did take his arm as they entered the palace of Atlantis, though that was mostly for formality's sake. "I have brought the summary reports of the year, along with our prospects for harvest, and the tax accountings," Catherine began, and then proceeded to rattle off a number of other items of business regarding the province which Daniel ruled over. He spent almost all of his time in Atlantis, watching over his cousin, and so did not return home very often. He had teased Catherine and Ernest many times that his presence was unnecessary with the two of them overseeing Langford with such skill and efficiency.
He waited patiently as she spoke, knowing full well her purpose in visiting had nothing to do with her obligations to him.
They had barely reached one of the family's private sitting rooms when Jack found them. His face broke into a genuine smile as he embraced the older woman. As they chatted and Daniel sent for tea, Catherine removed her traveling cloak and settled herself. Once all three of them were seated, she finally arrived at the question he had been waiting for.
"How fares the princess?"
Jack and Daniel exchanged glances automatically. "She is well," Daniel replied. "I am certain she will be glad to see you."
"She gets so little female company, I have no doubt of that myself," Catherine said tartly.
"She has a new acquaintance, actually. A young lady," Jack put in.
"Who?"
"Lady Teyla, daughter of the earl of Athos."
Catherine beamed approvingly. "Excellent. Tagan was a loyal servant to the king. He and Captain Sumner both served with him."
Jack looked at Daniel with amusement. Catherine had an incredibly sharp memory, and since she had been close friends with Daniel's mother, she knew a great deal about the connections between the nobility of Atalan.
"What is Lady Teyla like?" Catherine wanted to know.
"I'll wager you are about to discover for yourself," Jack answered as the sound of many voices rose in the hallway. Daniel went to the door and poked his head out.
As he expected, Elizabeth was walking down the hall in the company of her two ladies-in-waiting, Teyla and Lady Samantha. All five of them seemed to be speaking at once. Captain Sumner walked behind them, and several other black-clad guards surrounded the group loosely. Daniel had a moment of admiration for the captain, who remained stoic even through the cacophony of so many babbling tongues.
Elizabeth nodded to him and would have proceeded without pausing either her step or her chatter had he not held up a hand. "Yes, cousin?" Her words successfully silenced the group about her.
"Elizabeth, we have a visitor."
She followed him into the sitting room, her expression curious. Very few people appeared in Atlantis seeking an audience with the fifteen-year-old princess and were actually allowed to see her. Her face changed quickly to happiness when she caught sight of her old friend. "Catherine!"
The older woman curtsied to Elizabeth but as soon as the formalities were observed, Daniel was pleased to watch Elizabeth embrace her visitor like family. Samantha also hugged Catherine, and as they were speaking, Daniel was about to remind Elizabeth of her manners. She made his reminder unnecessary when she turned of her own accord. "Lady Catherine, this is Lady Teyla, the future Countess of Athos. This is Lady Catherine, who is wife of the steward of Langford."
Daniel hid a smile as Teyla nodded gracefully. Along with her father, the elegant young woman had been visiting Elizabeth regularly since the spring. As a future ruler of her own territory, she had asked him a number of questions about his own lands over those months. Though Langford was richer in resources and material wealth than Athos, some challenges were universal.
"You, Highness, have gotten far too tall," Catherine observed, looking up at Elizabeth. Catherine was a very short woman, it was true, but Elizabeth had shot up rapidly in the last year, so that she was taller than Lord George and nearly as tall as Daniel. All her dresses had been let out but it would be months before the household account was replenished enough for new ones to be made. It was a sore point, especially as both of her companions had also gone through growth spurts this year.
"So my dressmaker has told me, repeatedly," Elizabeth said with weak smile. "How long are you staying?"
"I am here to allow the duke to catch up on some necessary business."
Daniel noted the evasiveness of that answer, but he wasn't sure if anyone else did. Elizabeth glanced in his direction and Daniel nodded to her unspoken request. "You must be tired now, so we shall let you rest, so you will be fit company at supper," she said to Catherine with a smile.
All through the merry evening meal, Daniel had the peculiar sensation of waiting for some sort of revelation. Catherine's recollections about Teyla's father, who apparently had romanced a great many women during his youth, had everyone about the table laughing heartily except Lord Tagan. She also told stories of Daniel and Elizabeth's mother, who had been as close as siblings when they were young. Daniel could practically see Lord George praying that Elizabeth and her irrepressible friends would not get any inspired ideas from Catherine's tales.
When Catherine sat back in her chair, Daniel found himself suddenly tense. "Highness, I am curious. You have mentioned no plans for your sixteenth birthday, and it is less than a month away."
Elizabeth glanced to him and then to Lord George as an awkward pause took place. "I am unaware of any plans having been made. I expected to celebrate as I-" she stopped and her eyes looked to her own lap. "That is, to celebrate with the family."
The princess' fifteenth birthday had been marked by events none of them wished to relive. Daniel had to push back the flare of anger at Catherine for reminding Elizabeth of that day.
Catherine, though, appeared to have other things on her mind. "If I may be so bold, Princess, there are traditions which it might behoove you to observe." Lord George bristled and seemed ready to speak but she cut him off. "A girl's sixteenth birthday is usually the point where she is presented to society as a young lady. A member of the royal family should be presented to the nobility of the land with a formal ball in her honor."
Elizabeth gasped in surprise at this suggestion and Daniel tossed his napkin, which had been clenched between his fingers, onto the table in defeat. This clearly had been Catherine's object in coming, and there was nothing for it now but to wait out the results.
"The princess does not come of age until she is eighteen-" Lord George began. If Elizabeth's guardian was looking worried over this idea, Captain Sumner, standing behind the princess' chair, looked positively horrified.
"She assumes her throne at eighteen," Catherine corrected smoothly. "However, by all customs, she becomes a young lady at sixteen." Elizabeth was momentarily distracted, whispering to Teyla. Laura, one of Elizabeth's companions, was fairly bouncing in her seat and talking to Samantha. Catherine continued in a lower voice. "Something which I am certain other noble families of Atalan will be well aware of," she said pointedly to Lord George.
Elizabeth drew herself back from the palpable excitement of her companions with a hint of regret on her face. "A formal ball is out of the question, I am certain, Lord George," she said calmly to her guardian. "With mere weeks between now and my birthday, it is far too late."
Daniel and Jack both had to look away to hide their grins. Elizabeth rarely cast such a pitiful gaze on Lord George, and the older man, for all his wisdom and resolve, almost never failed to capitulate in the face of such an expression. "Indeed, but perhaps a more informal party can be arranged, if your Highness wishes it."
Elizabeth tipped her head to the side and answered diplomatically, clearly working to control her enthusiasm and not be rash. "I will consider it for the night."
When Elizabeth and her friends had bustled off to bed, whispering excitedly, Daniel took a long sip of wine and frowned at Catherine. "You did that on purpose."
Catherine assumed an innocent expression. "I beg your pardon?"
Jack answered before Daniel could. "Rather than wait and broach the subject of a party in private after the girls retired, you mentioned it before Elizabeth and all her friends, knowing full well none of us would have any peace once the idea was planted in their heads."
Lord George looked like a thundercloud. "Which you should not have done," he began, irritated. "After all the measures we have taken to keep the princess safe-"
"Cloistered is more accurate," Catherine huffed, unruffled by the gentleman's anger. "That girl is the heir to the throne and she has been kept shut up in Atlantis for nearly the entirety of her life."
"For her own safety!" Lord George thundered.
Catherine held up a hand. "And if you think for one moment I would suggest anything that places the princess in danger, my lord..." she said in a terrifyingly soft voice, leaving her response to such an accusation unspoken.
Lord George subsided, still looking frustrated.
Catherine composed herself. "You must know that the entire realm is curious to hear of her, to learn what her temperament and tastes are. The people are beginning to believe that she will reach her throne and they have a vested interest in knowing her disposition. You are hardly the only ones who rest your hopes on her young head."
That argument effectively quelled them all, even though there was ample evidence of threats to Elizabeth's person. It was sometimes easy to forget that Elizabeth mattered to others almost as much as she mattered to the four men in the room who had been charged with her care and keeping. Catherine continued. "Besides which, as of her birthday, I expect you will have a stampede approaching your door, so it would be easiest to begin now."
There was a pause and she rolled her eyes. "And given your baffled expressions, it's clear you need to start thinking immediately of how to deal with it."
"A stampede of what?" Jack demanded.
"Suitors," Catherine said with the air of someone being overly patient. "Sixteen is widely considered marriageable age. Even aside from the noblemen in Atalan who might seek her hand, there are any number of men from other nations who, I have no doubt, are already awaiting a chance to present themselves to the princess and attempt to win her favor."
"They'll have to get through Sumner first," Tagan said with a grin, but Catherine shook her head.
"That won't do, my lord, and you should know it. There are expectations of a royal heir, that she will meet and speak with others of her rank. She is a future leader, and she is expected to act the part. If you attempt to prevent her from all contact with the men and even the women of the nobility here and abroad, you will only build resentment and distrust that will take her years to overcome."
Lord George sat down heavily at the end of the table. "You're suggesting we allow her to be seen in order to keep the circumstances under our own control."
Catherine folded her hands in her lap primly. "She has much to learn about the ways of society. Her birthday is as good a place to start as any."
Daniel regarded her for a moment. "Did you wish to consult us on the guest list or has that already been composed?"
Catherine smiled and Jack groaned.
*~*~*~*
In Elizabeth's chambers, very little sleep was occurring. The five girls had all piled on Elizabeth's bed. Though it was customary for Laura and Kate to sleep in the bed with the princess, five people left things a little crowded. Samantha perched at the foot of the bed with Laura, while Kate had her head propped in Teyla's lap as they lay near the pillows with Elizabeth, who was actually under the covers. The princess, however, was perhaps more excited than any of them at the prospect of a dance in her honor, and the least likely to sleep any time soon.
"Did you have a ball for your sixteenth birthday?" Laura asked Samantha.
"No," she said with a tiny sigh. "My father didn't really think of such things. Besides, my birthday was not long after Kinsey became the regent, so we were otherwise occupied." Samantha was seven years older than Elizabeth. Her father, Sir Jacob, was the ambassador to the Tok'ra, and since he was often away and the Tok'ra were strict about allowing foreigners into their country, Sam spent much of her time in Atlantis. As a protégé of Lord Jonathan, she had also been granted extensive privileges in visiting the Asgard sanctuary, which kept her extremely busy. Too busy, the uncharitable women in court said, to find a husband.
Laura patted Samantha on the arm. "Perhaps you can look on this as your own debut as well, then. There are certain to be a number of handsome young men in attendance," she teased.
"Would you like me to ask Lady Catherine to add Master Beckett to the guest list for you, Laura?" Elizabeth asked wickedly. Laura, who was the youngest both in age and temper, stuck her tongue out at the princess even as her cheeks flushed.
Kate looked up at Teyla, who was threading her fingers through Kate's hair. "What about you?"
Teyla's lips curved into a grin. "We held a dance on my birthday. Athosian customs are not quite so... sedate as a formal court ball."
Elizabeth's eyebrows went up. "You realize you will now have to explain precisely what you mean by that?"
"An Athosian girl, on the night of her birthday, is freed from some of the constrictions of propriety," Teyla began. They all saw a slight blush rising in her cheeks. "It is expected that she will dance with every eligible man in attendance..."
"And?" Laura asked, leaning forward.
"And bestow on them a kiss, if they please her. A gentleman's honor is greatly heightened depending on where the kiss is placed."
"What?" Elizabeth gaped.
Teyla laughed. "A kiss on the forehead is tantamount to an insult. A kiss on the cheek means there is affection but not passion, while a kiss on the lips is the highest compliment."
Sam blushed bright scarlet, while Laura squealed. Elizabeth, Kate noted, looked torn between amusement and relief. Given Elizabeth's history with men and kissing, that was not surprising.
"And how many kisses did the future countess bestow that evening?" Laura inquired.
"And upon whose lips did her favor rest?" Kate could not help asking.
Teyla was squarely between Elizabeth and Sam in age. She looked at the older girl with a superior air. "I am not certain I should divulge such a thing to impressionable young girls."
Kate swung the pillow she was holding up and at Teyla in response.
*~*~*~*
It took Daniel a while to realize why Lord Tagan's visits to Atlantis were so strange to him. At first he thought it was because Tagan had been so seldom at court in the last few years despite his proximity to the capital, but then he realized it was because the only time Marshall Sumner ever had a drink - at least in the presence of others - was when Lord Tagan was around.
The two were old friends, having served together in Atalan's military before taking up their current posts. They had a number of stories which Daniel fervently hoped would never reach his young cousin's ears, stories of chasing women and wreaking havoc in any number of ways during their time in the army. It was a strange and unfamiliar sight to Daniel, this other side of Captain Sumner. He faithfully shadowed Elizabeth all through the day, even when she and her companions were giggling so much one could hardly tell when they could breathe, all without cracking that perpetually somber look. To see him otherwise was almost alarming.
The hour was growing late, and Daniel watched as the two men wandered off down the corridor, undoubtedly to reminisce for a while. Jack often joined them on such evenings. Daniel occasionally sat down with them as well, but more often than not he had work to do. He must have appeared envious of them, though, for when Lord George approached, he looked down the corridor where Tagan and Sumner were disappearing and said, "You could join them, you know. Or at least take the evening to yourself."
Daniel shook his head almost automatically. "Catherine agreed to let me peruse the guest list she has drawn up," he said. "If you decide to allow this party, the guests must be invited with some haste."
George rolled his eyes. "As though I could disappoint her now."
He was not speaking of Catherine, of course, but of his ward. Daniel nodded in the direction of his study, and they entered it together. "You seemed to capitulate rather quickly," Daniel remarked, once the door was closed.
"I wish it were otherwise, but that was the happiest I've seen her in some time," Lord George replied. "In the last year I have not had much heart to tell her no."
Daniel could well understand the sentiment. He reached for a bottle he kept in his desk, but the older man waved him off. "And Catherine is probably right," George added. "Elizabeth is about to be of marriageable age by anyone's standards, and her mourning for Simon will officially be over."
Daniel swallowed hard at the latter reminder. Elizabeth had not adhered to the protocols of widowhood as strictly as some in the court had thought she should. But the young princess had barely known Simon. The matter might have been different if they had been husband and wife in more than the most superficial sense. None of the men surrounding Elizabeth had been eager to force a year of black clothing on her. There was no sense in reminding her daily of their mistake.
But the year had held back anyone who might come and seek her hand. Daniel had a strong feeling that the suspected manner of Simon's death had something to do with that as well, but Catherine was right. They would need to be prepared with suitors coming to the city to seek Elizabeth's hand, whether they liked it or not.
"You should ensure that young Teyla is among the invited guests, along with her father," George pointed out, gesturing to Catherine's list on Daniel's desk. "The princess should be seen in company with more than just Kate and Laura. Lady Teyla is the daughter of an important lord and will be powerful in her own right someday."
Daniel merely nodded. "I suppose when her father dies, she will be the only woman in the college," he mused. There would have been another, but Sarah Gardner had disappeared so long ago that her return seemed impossible.
"With Elizabeth on her throne, I doubt Lady Teyla will feel utterly alone in that regard," Lord George replied, looking a little amused.
Daniel's thoughts were going in another direction, though. "Does it not bother you that Elizabeth is pulling others into her circle herself?" he asked, thinking of how Elizabeth had befriended Teyla, bringing Lord Tagan back to court more regularly, and how almost a year ago she had asked Carson Beckett to serve as her physician, without consulting anyone.
"I suppose it was inevitable. She's almost sixteen, Daniel," Lord George reminded him. "And for the last eight years, you and Jack and I have been attempting to train her to think for herself. We hardly have the right to be surprised or alarmed when she begins acting on her own authority."
"I only wonder sometimes what my uncle would say."
"I believe my old friend would be proud of his daughter. Besides, do you have any objection to any of her new acquaintances? Surely you have no problem with Lady Teyla's friendship, not after the lady saved Elizabeth's life."
"No, though I am curious why Tagan has returned to court now," Daniel said slowly. "When Elizabeth ascends to the throne, he will have a connection to her that none other in the court will have. He has a daughter who is Elizabeth's friend, one of the only friends she has aside from Kate and Laura. That kind of relationship could give him an immense advantage."
"I do not believe Tagan is so manipulative as that," George protested. "He has an excuse now to bring his daughter to court and prepare her for her future role. Besides, no matter his motives, it is good for Elizabeth. He and his daughter will do her no harm, and they may do her good in the long run."
He got up from his chair, looking out the window at how close they were to sunset. "When you are finished with Lady Catherine's list, have it sent to me," George said. "I will have the final say on who is invited to this little party."
"You realize that people who are not invited will come," Daniel pointed out.
"Yes, well, they will have to get though Sumner first."
*~*~*~*
Teyla rode with her father back home on the morning the ball was announced. This was only the third time Teyla had spent the night at the palace, and she was slowly becoming familiar with the court and its workings. At least twice a month since Princess Elizabeth's appearance in Athos last spring, Teyla and her father had gone to Atlantis to visit. At first it had been because the princess invited them, but eventually her father began to take up his duties in the court again, and Teyla often went with him. But they rarely stayed the night, as work in the village required her father's presence.
She knew that her father had some reason for having abandoned his role in the court and the college of lords, and she had guessed it had something to do with the regent, Lord Robert Kinsey. Charin had said it was nearly seven years since Tagan had gone regularly to the palace, spending all his time working in the province instead, but the old woman didn't know precisely what had passed between Tagan and Kinsey to provoke his decision.
Teyla had been prepared on that basis alone to dislike Lord Robert. However, in the course of this recent visit, Elizabeth had shared her suspicions that Kinsey had tried to kill her, and that he had been responsible for the attack that led her to wander into Athos in the spring. It was an alarming thought. There was a large gap between her father's personal dislike of a man and a traitor willing to kill the queen-elect of his own country.
"Has your sleepless night of gossiping caught up with you?" her father asked with a grin. "That's quite a solemn face you were making."
Teyla shook herself. Her father was teaching her how to lead the province when the time came, and he said often she could not learn without asking questions. However she elected not to violate the princess' confidence. "Father, is it possible the regent was behind the attempt on Princess Elizabeth's life in the spring?"
Tagan frowned. "What put that thought into your mind?"
"I overheard some people speaking of the death of Prince Simon, speculating Lord Robert had been behind it."
"It would not surprise me," he told her with a sigh. "The regent's chief aim ought to be to stand for the young lady and protect her throne. He has shirked those duties in favor of whatever makes him wealthier or more powerful. In two years, all of that power will disappear. It must have occurred to him that the only way to prolong his power beyond that is to eliminate his greatest threat."
"How despicable," Teyla said. "How could a man in such a position be so venal?"
They had just crested a small hill that overlooked the village. Tagan stopped his horse and Teyla followed suit. He watched her for a moment and then looked down the slope. "It is probably time I told you my reasons for staying away from court. I kept you from that place, from meeting the princess and the other women who will be your peers, and you deserve to know why." He pointed to the ruins of the fortress that lay along one side of the village. "Do you remember living in the manor?"
The question caught her off-guard. "Yes, a little. It was so long ago it is mostly just fragments." Teyla did not add that her memories of living there were tangled up with her memories of her mother.
Tagan nodded. "You were barely six years of age when the Ori came. They attempted to conquer Atlantis, and on the way they destroyed any large building in their path. After they were defeated, when things finally settled down I went to King Edmund and applied for help to rebuild our home. He gave us what he could manage, but we were not the only ones whose lands had been devastated by the Ori. They had been thorough in their assault and I was only just beginning to make progress in rebuilding when the king died."
Her father paused for a moment. "I was informed a few months after Lord Robert was named regent that no more money for rebuilding would be coming. He claimed the financial situation in Atalan was too desperate. Yet at the same time, he doled out sums to those who had supported him in his bid for the regency."
"You were not among them," Teyla surmised.
Tagan shot her a mirthless smile. "I have no particular love for the Duke of Langford, but the king trusted the man, so I supported him. I lost, Lord Daniel lost, and then Kinsey used his power to enrich those who helped him.
"I spoke out in a meeting of the college about the unfairness of this. The others who had similarly been cut off by the new regent agreed, but Kinsey told us if we needed money to support our families, we could always raise the taxes in our provinces." He shook his head. "One cannot get blood from a stone. Our people were only just beginning to recover at that point. There was no way to extract a tax from people who had no bread. I argued with Kinsey publicly. Two months later, I learned he had taken money from the navy to use for other pursuits."
Teyla was aghast. The regent had not only acted in a petty fashion, using his power for personal indulgences to his friends, but then he had damaged the security of the nation in a fit of vindictiveness?
Tagan continued. "Jack ended up putting much of his own fortune into keeping the army paid and standing. No one was available to protect the navy, and when the shipyards were essentially abandoned, there was nothing anyone could do." He looked at her, his face as grave as she'd ever seen it. "Lord Robert took away my ability to protect you and everyone in the village by preventing me from rebuilding our home, and then he put the entire coast at risk by striking a mortal blow to the navy, which brought the Wraith back into our waters."
"How did the other lords not protest this?"
"Kinsey trumped up fear about the Goa'uld and even the Ori, saying the money needed to be sent to the borders. Of course, many of his supporters who were rewarded were nowhere near the southern border, but that wasn't known at the time. I walked out of the college and swore to myself I would not do anything to legitimize Kinsey's rule again."
Teyla thought about that for a moment. "And so you did not return until invited by another."
Tagan looked away, over his shoulder, where the palace was visible across the channel. "I see much of the king in his daughter, and that gives me hope. I do regret that I was not able to help her in these last eight years. Some part of me feels I let my friend down by not helping raise his heir. But I had my own child to look after, and I was alone soon after that. Your mother never questioned my decision, though I suspect she assumed when I calmed down I would see reason."
Her lips quivered. They so rarely spoke of her mother.
Her father sighed. Then he nudged his horse and they continued on their journey. "You may make your own mind up regarding the regent, Teyla, but be very careful around him, and do not speak too openly to those who are his supporters. Court is a tangled web, and it's easy to get caught in a knot without intending to."
Teyla merely nodded as they picked up the pace to reach home, but her father's words stayed with her throughout the day. She remained with him as he heard reports, then she helped draw water, worked in the garden through the afternoon, and laid the table for the evening meal. It was an ordinary day in her life, but she'd already realized it was not an ordinary day for a noble woman in Atalan.
She was used to a simpler life, with the satisfaction of a hard day's labor. Court was nothing like that. Relationships were cultivated. Reputations were constructed, in ways both large and small. It would take years, she thought, to develop the kind of experience in Atlantis that would be necessary to navigate the place with any kind of success.
Teyla resolved to work harder during her visits to Atlantis to pay attention to the court and its workings. It appeared she had even more to learn than she had thought.
*~*~*~*
Marcus would have been content to lay in bed for a while and rest, but his companion began to move restlessly after a few minutes.
"It's getting late."
He sighed. In truth, he did need to leave soon. The announcement last week that the princess would be having a formal ball on her birthday meant Captain Sumner was driving all the men of the guard to train and prepare nearly every waking hour of the day. Marcus had only recently returned to his former place in the princess' personal guard after his injury in the spring. He had no wish to risk being demoted to standing at the top of the tower again.
He rolled to his side and let his hand wander lazily along the smooth skin of his companion's back. She smiled and kissed him briefly before putting a hand against his chest and pushing him away. "Marcus, it's nearly supper hour. My maid will be here any moment to help me dress."
Lady Felicia was the daughter of the Viscount of Glaston. A very pretty woman with soft brown hair and brown eyes, she had come to court for the first time during the summer and Marcus had noticed her immediately. She had noticed him as well. It had been reckless of him to have pursued her, but within a short period of time they were meeting in secret on a regular basis.
And then one night, he found himself in her bed. He had not intended for it to happen, but in the heat of the moment, they had succumbed to their passions. When he could think again, he had been terrified Felicia would be furious with him and send him from her sight for good. She had laughed in his face and kissed him, chagrined at her own lack of propriety but showing no signs of regretting their impetuous action.
Though he had dallied with a few girls in the past, he had never been so utterly captivated by a woman before now. He enjoyed hearing her talk during their trysts, passing along gossip about the nobles of the court and her own shrewd opinions of them. True, sometimes he found her words rather harsh, but since he did not know most of these people except by reputation, Marcus supposed Felicia's criticisms to be justified. And of course he also thoroughly enjoyed those times when they were together and did not bother with talking. She had gone home for some weeks late in the summer and being without her had been more difficult than he had expected.
Now, Felicia and her brother had returned to court when news of the ball had gone out. No doubt Lord Matthew was here to meet the princess in hope of gaining her favor. Marcus had no idea if Princess Elizabeth was even interested in finding another husband for herself just yet, and judging from talk he had overheard between her and her ladies-in-waiting he suspected the answer was no, but he could not tell Felicia such things.
Unfortunately, the preparations for the party and the increasing training meant Marcus had not been able to spend much time with Felicia in the days since her return, so even though he knew he should get up, Marcus drew her close and kissed her again. Felicia mumbled a protest but he put his finger to her lips. He feared if he did not get this out, he might not get another chance soon.
"I realized something while you were away from court." She looked at him curiously and he drew in a deep breath, electing to speak plainly rather than risk making an even bigger fool of himself. "I love you."
There was a moment of silence - an awful pause during which Marcus could practically feel his heart thudding in his chest. Felicia's bright eyes blinked at him and her face was shocked for a second before she smiled warmly and ducked her head, looking down at her hand, which was still pressed against his bare chest. Without looking up, she confessed, "I love you too, Marcus."
She was blushing as he kissed her, moving instinctively to push her onto her back as relief flooded him. But it was not to be, for there were loud voices in the hallway and she scrambled out from under him, grabbing her dressing gown and covering herself. "I'm sorry, you must go! Before we are discovered."
He sighed and caught his tunic as Felicia tossed it at him with a grin. He dressed hastily as she listened at the door until all was silent. Before he slipped out, she grabbed the front of his shirt and yanked him down to her for one last kiss before shoving him out the door with a laugh.
He slipped through the hallway unseen and made his way towards the barracks that housed the royal guard without rushing, so as not to call attention to himself. More difficult to conceal was the broad grin that he could barely contain.
Authors: miera_c
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Nearly a year has passed since Princess Elizabeth's short-lived marriage to Simon Wallis. As her 16th birthday approaches, changes begin to creep into her life and the lives of those in her inner circle.
The short woman hopped down from the carriage easily, barely touching the hand Daniel held out to her to steady her descent. Lady Catherine, wife of the steward of Langford, was one of the fortunate people for whom the advance of age had meant little in the way of losing either her physical grace or her mental acumen.
"Daniel," she said warmly. Given that she had helped to raise him since he was first crawling about on the floor as a baby, the Duke of Langford had long ago given up expecting her to address him any other way.
He embraced her just as warmly. "It is good to see you."
She did take his arm as they entered the palace of Atlantis, though that was mostly for formality's sake. "I have brought the summary reports of the year, along with our prospects for harvest, and the tax accountings," Catherine began, and then proceeded to rattle off a number of other items of business regarding the province which Daniel ruled over. He spent almost all of his time in Atlantis, watching over his cousin, and so did not return home very often. He had teased Catherine and Ernest many times that his presence was unnecessary with the two of them overseeing Langford with such skill and efficiency.
He waited patiently as she spoke, knowing full well her purpose in visiting had nothing to do with her obligations to him.
They had barely reached one of the family's private sitting rooms when Jack found them. His face broke into a genuine smile as he embraced the older woman. As they chatted and Daniel sent for tea, Catherine removed her traveling cloak and settled herself. Once all three of them were seated, she finally arrived at the question he had been waiting for.
"How fares the princess?"
Jack and Daniel exchanged glances automatically. "She is well," Daniel replied. "I am certain she will be glad to see you."
"She gets so little female company, I have no doubt of that myself," Catherine said tartly.
"She has a new acquaintance, actually. A young lady," Jack put in.
"Who?"
"Lady Teyla, daughter of the earl of Athos."
Catherine beamed approvingly. "Excellent. Tagan was a loyal servant to the king. He and Captain Sumner both served with him."
Jack looked at Daniel with amusement. Catherine had an incredibly sharp memory, and since she had been close friends with Daniel's mother, she knew a great deal about the connections between the nobility of Atalan.
"What is Lady Teyla like?" Catherine wanted to know.
"I'll wager you are about to discover for yourself," Jack answered as the sound of many voices rose in the hallway. Daniel went to the door and poked his head out.
As he expected, Elizabeth was walking down the hall in the company of her two ladies-in-waiting, Teyla and Lady Samantha. All five of them seemed to be speaking at once. Captain Sumner walked behind them, and several other black-clad guards surrounded the group loosely. Daniel had a moment of admiration for the captain, who remained stoic even through the cacophony of so many babbling tongues.
Elizabeth nodded to him and would have proceeded without pausing either her step or her chatter had he not held up a hand. "Yes, cousin?" Her words successfully silenced the group about her.
"Elizabeth, we have a visitor."
She followed him into the sitting room, her expression curious. Very few people appeared in Atlantis seeking an audience with the fifteen-year-old princess and were actually allowed to see her. Her face changed quickly to happiness when she caught sight of her old friend. "Catherine!"
The older woman curtsied to Elizabeth but as soon as the formalities were observed, Daniel was pleased to watch Elizabeth embrace her visitor like family. Samantha also hugged Catherine, and as they were speaking, Daniel was about to remind Elizabeth of her manners. She made his reminder unnecessary when she turned of her own accord. "Lady Catherine, this is Lady Teyla, the future Countess of Athos. This is Lady Catherine, who is wife of the steward of Langford."
Daniel hid a smile as Teyla nodded gracefully. Along with her father, the elegant young woman had been visiting Elizabeth regularly since the spring. As a future ruler of her own territory, she had asked him a number of questions about his own lands over those months. Though Langford was richer in resources and material wealth than Athos, some challenges were universal.
"You, Highness, have gotten far too tall," Catherine observed, looking up at Elizabeth. Catherine was a very short woman, it was true, but Elizabeth had shot up rapidly in the last year, so that she was taller than Lord George and nearly as tall as Daniel. All her dresses had been let out but it would be months before the household account was replenished enough for new ones to be made. It was a sore point, especially as both of her companions had also gone through growth spurts this year.
"So my dressmaker has told me, repeatedly," Elizabeth said with weak smile. "How long are you staying?"
"I am here to allow the duke to catch up on some necessary business."
Daniel noted the evasiveness of that answer, but he wasn't sure if anyone else did. Elizabeth glanced in his direction and Daniel nodded to her unspoken request. "You must be tired now, so we shall let you rest, so you will be fit company at supper," she said to Catherine with a smile.
All through the merry evening meal, Daniel had the peculiar sensation of waiting for some sort of revelation. Catherine's recollections about Teyla's father, who apparently had romanced a great many women during his youth, had everyone about the table laughing heartily except Lord Tagan. She also told stories of Daniel and Elizabeth's mother, who had been as close as siblings when they were young. Daniel could practically see Lord George praying that Elizabeth and her irrepressible friends would not get any inspired ideas from Catherine's tales.
When Catherine sat back in her chair, Daniel found himself suddenly tense. "Highness, I am curious. You have mentioned no plans for your sixteenth birthday, and it is less than a month away."
Elizabeth glanced to him and then to Lord George as an awkward pause took place. "I am unaware of any plans having been made. I expected to celebrate as I-" she stopped and her eyes looked to her own lap. "That is, to celebrate with the family."
The princess' fifteenth birthday had been marked by events none of them wished to relive. Daniel had to push back the flare of anger at Catherine for reminding Elizabeth of that day.
Catherine, though, appeared to have other things on her mind. "If I may be so bold, Princess, there are traditions which it might behoove you to observe." Lord George bristled and seemed ready to speak but she cut him off. "A girl's sixteenth birthday is usually the point where she is presented to society as a young lady. A member of the royal family should be presented to the nobility of the land with a formal ball in her honor."
Elizabeth gasped in surprise at this suggestion and Daniel tossed his napkin, which had been clenched between his fingers, onto the table in defeat. This clearly had been Catherine's object in coming, and there was nothing for it now but to wait out the results.
"The princess does not come of age until she is eighteen-" Lord George began. If Elizabeth's guardian was looking worried over this idea, Captain Sumner, standing behind the princess' chair, looked positively horrified.
"She assumes her throne at eighteen," Catherine corrected smoothly. "However, by all customs, she becomes a young lady at sixteen." Elizabeth was momentarily distracted, whispering to Teyla. Laura, one of Elizabeth's companions, was fairly bouncing in her seat and talking to Samantha. Catherine continued in a lower voice. "Something which I am certain other noble families of Atalan will be well aware of," she said pointedly to Lord George.
Elizabeth drew herself back from the palpable excitement of her companions with a hint of regret on her face. "A formal ball is out of the question, I am certain, Lord George," she said calmly to her guardian. "With mere weeks between now and my birthday, it is far too late."
Daniel and Jack both had to look away to hide their grins. Elizabeth rarely cast such a pitiful gaze on Lord George, and the older man, for all his wisdom and resolve, almost never failed to capitulate in the face of such an expression. "Indeed, but perhaps a more informal party can be arranged, if your Highness wishes it."
Elizabeth tipped her head to the side and answered diplomatically, clearly working to control her enthusiasm and not be rash. "I will consider it for the night."
When Elizabeth and her friends had bustled off to bed, whispering excitedly, Daniel took a long sip of wine and frowned at Catherine. "You did that on purpose."
Catherine assumed an innocent expression. "I beg your pardon?"
Jack answered before Daniel could. "Rather than wait and broach the subject of a party in private after the girls retired, you mentioned it before Elizabeth and all her friends, knowing full well none of us would have any peace once the idea was planted in their heads."
Lord George looked like a thundercloud. "Which you should not have done," he began, irritated. "After all the measures we have taken to keep the princess safe-"
"Cloistered is more accurate," Catherine huffed, unruffled by the gentleman's anger. "That girl is the heir to the throne and she has been kept shut up in Atlantis for nearly the entirety of her life."
"For her own safety!" Lord George thundered.
Catherine held up a hand. "And if you think for one moment I would suggest anything that places the princess in danger, my lord..." she said in a terrifyingly soft voice, leaving her response to such an accusation unspoken.
Lord George subsided, still looking frustrated.
Catherine composed herself. "You must know that the entire realm is curious to hear of her, to learn what her temperament and tastes are. The people are beginning to believe that she will reach her throne and they have a vested interest in knowing her disposition. You are hardly the only ones who rest your hopes on her young head."
That argument effectively quelled them all, even though there was ample evidence of threats to Elizabeth's person. It was sometimes easy to forget that Elizabeth mattered to others almost as much as she mattered to the four men in the room who had been charged with her care and keeping. Catherine continued. "Besides which, as of her birthday, I expect you will have a stampede approaching your door, so it would be easiest to begin now."
There was a pause and she rolled her eyes. "And given your baffled expressions, it's clear you need to start thinking immediately of how to deal with it."
"A stampede of what?" Jack demanded.
"Suitors," Catherine said with the air of someone being overly patient. "Sixteen is widely considered marriageable age. Even aside from the noblemen in Atalan who might seek her hand, there are any number of men from other nations who, I have no doubt, are already awaiting a chance to present themselves to the princess and attempt to win her favor."
"They'll have to get through Sumner first," Tagan said with a grin, but Catherine shook her head.
"That won't do, my lord, and you should know it. There are expectations of a royal heir, that she will meet and speak with others of her rank. She is a future leader, and she is expected to act the part. If you attempt to prevent her from all contact with the men and even the women of the nobility here and abroad, you will only build resentment and distrust that will take her years to overcome."
Lord George sat down heavily at the end of the table. "You're suggesting we allow her to be seen in order to keep the circumstances under our own control."
Catherine folded her hands in her lap primly. "She has much to learn about the ways of society. Her birthday is as good a place to start as any."
Daniel regarded her for a moment. "Did you wish to consult us on the guest list or has that already been composed?"
Catherine smiled and Jack groaned.
*~*~*~*
In Elizabeth's chambers, very little sleep was occurring. The five girls had all piled on Elizabeth's bed. Though it was customary for Laura and Kate to sleep in the bed with the princess, five people left things a little crowded. Samantha perched at the foot of the bed with Laura, while Kate had her head propped in Teyla's lap as they lay near the pillows with Elizabeth, who was actually under the covers. The princess, however, was perhaps more excited than any of them at the prospect of a dance in her honor, and the least likely to sleep any time soon.
"Did you have a ball for your sixteenth birthday?" Laura asked Samantha.
"No," she said with a tiny sigh. "My father didn't really think of such things. Besides, my birthday was not long after Kinsey became the regent, so we were otherwise occupied." Samantha was seven years older than Elizabeth. Her father, Sir Jacob, was the ambassador to the Tok'ra, and since he was often away and the Tok'ra were strict about allowing foreigners into their country, Sam spent much of her time in Atlantis. As a protégé of Lord Jonathan, she had also been granted extensive privileges in visiting the Asgard sanctuary, which kept her extremely busy. Too busy, the uncharitable women in court said, to find a husband.
Laura patted Samantha on the arm. "Perhaps you can look on this as your own debut as well, then. There are certain to be a number of handsome young men in attendance," she teased.
"Would you like me to ask Lady Catherine to add Master Beckett to the guest list for you, Laura?" Elizabeth asked wickedly. Laura, who was the youngest both in age and temper, stuck her tongue out at the princess even as her cheeks flushed.
Kate looked up at Teyla, who was threading her fingers through Kate's hair. "What about you?"
Teyla's lips curved into a grin. "We held a dance on my birthday. Athosian customs are not quite so... sedate as a formal court ball."
Elizabeth's eyebrows went up. "You realize you will now have to explain precisely what you mean by that?"
"An Athosian girl, on the night of her birthday, is freed from some of the constrictions of propriety," Teyla began. They all saw a slight blush rising in her cheeks. "It is expected that she will dance with every eligible man in attendance..."
"And?" Laura asked, leaning forward.
"And bestow on them a kiss, if they please her. A gentleman's honor is greatly heightened depending on where the kiss is placed."
"What?" Elizabeth gaped.
Teyla laughed. "A kiss on the forehead is tantamount to an insult. A kiss on the cheek means there is affection but not passion, while a kiss on the lips is the highest compliment."
Sam blushed bright scarlet, while Laura squealed. Elizabeth, Kate noted, looked torn between amusement and relief. Given Elizabeth's history with men and kissing, that was not surprising.
"And how many kisses did the future countess bestow that evening?" Laura inquired.
"And upon whose lips did her favor rest?" Kate could not help asking.
Teyla was squarely between Elizabeth and Sam in age. She looked at the older girl with a superior air. "I am not certain I should divulge such a thing to impressionable young girls."
Kate swung the pillow she was holding up and at Teyla in response.
*~*~*~*
It took Daniel a while to realize why Lord Tagan's visits to Atlantis were so strange to him. At first he thought it was because Tagan had been so seldom at court in the last few years despite his proximity to the capital, but then he realized it was because the only time Marshall Sumner ever had a drink - at least in the presence of others - was when Lord Tagan was around.
The two were old friends, having served together in Atalan's military before taking up their current posts. They had a number of stories which Daniel fervently hoped would never reach his young cousin's ears, stories of chasing women and wreaking havoc in any number of ways during their time in the army. It was a strange and unfamiliar sight to Daniel, this other side of Captain Sumner. He faithfully shadowed Elizabeth all through the day, even when she and her companions were giggling so much one could hardly tell when they could breathe, all without cracking that perpetually somber look. To see him otherwise was almost alarming.
The hour was growing late, and Daniel watched as the two men wandered off down the corridor, undoubtedly to reminisce for a while. Jack often joined them on such evenings. Daniel occasionally sat down with them as well, but more often than not he had work to do. He must have appeared envious of them, though, for when Lord George approached, he looked down the corridor where Tagan and Sumner were disappearing and said, "You could join them, you know. Or at least take the evening to yourself."
Daniel shook his head almost automatically. "Catherine agreed to let me peruse the guest list she has drawn up," he said. "If you decide to allow this party, the guests must be invited with some haste."
George rolled his eyes. "As though I could disappoint her now."
He was not speaking of Catherine, of course, but of his ward. Daniel nodded in the direction of his study, and they entered it together. "You seemed to capitulate rather quickly," Daniel remarked, once the door was closed.
"I wish it were otherwise, but that was the happiest I've seen her in some time," Lord George replied. "In the last year I have not had much heart to tell her no."
Daniel could well understand the sentiment. He reached for a bottle he kept in his desk, but the older man waved him off. "And Catherine is probably right," George added. "Elizabeth is about to be of marriageable age by anyone's standards, and her mourning for Simon will officially be over."
Daniel swallowed hard at the latter reminder. Elizabeth had not adhered to the protocols of widowhood as strictly as some in the court had thought she should. But the young princess had barely known Simon. The matter might have been different if they had been husband and wife in more than the most superficial sense. None of the men surrounding Elizabeth had been eager to force a year of black clothing on her. There was no sense in reminding her daily of their mistake.
But the year had held back anyone who might come and seek her hand. Daniel had a strong feeling that the suspected manner of Simon's death had something to do with that as well, but Catherine was right. They would need to be prepared with suitors coming to the city to seek Elizabeth's hand, whether they liked it or not.
"You should ensure that young Teyla is among the invited guests, along with her father," George pointed out, gesturing to Catherine's list on Daniel's desk. "The princess should be seen in company with more than just Kate and Laura. Lady Teyla is the daughter of an important lord and will be powerful in her own right someday."
Daniel merely nodded. "I suppose when her father dies, she will be the only woman in the college," he mused. There would have been another, but Sarah Gardner had disappeared so long ago that her return seemed impossible.
"With Elizabeth on her throne, I doubt Lady Teyla will feel utterly alone in that regard," Lord George replied, looking a little amused.
Daniel's thoughts were going in another direction, though. "Does it not bother you that Elizabeth is pulling others into her circle herself?" he asked, thinking of how Elizabeth had befriended Teyla, bringing Lord Tagan back to court more regularly, and how almost a year ago she had asked Carson Beckett to serve as her physician, without consulting anyone.
"I suppose it was inevitable. She's almost sixteen, Daniel," Lord George reminded him. "And for the last eight years, you and Jack and I have been attempting to train her to think for herself. We hardly have the right to be surprised or alarmed when she begins acting on her own authority."
"I only wonder sometimes what my uncle would say."
"I believe my old friend would be proud of his daughter. Besides, do you have any objection to any of her new acquaintances? Surely you have no problem with Lady Teyla's friendship, not after the lady saved Elizabeth's life."
"No, though I am curious why Tagan has returned to court now," Daniel said slowly. "When Elizabeth ascends to the throne, he will have a connection to her that none other in the court will have. He has a daughter who is Elizabeth's friend, one of the only friends she has aside from Kate and Laura. That kind of relationship could give him an immense advantage."
"I do not believe Tagan is so manipulative as that," George protested. "He has an excuse now to bring his daughter to court and prepare her for her future role. Besides, no matter his motives, it is good for Elizabeth. He and his daughter will do her no harm, and they may do her good in the long run."
He got up from his chair, looking out the window at how close they were to sunset. "When you are finished with Lady Catherine's list, have it sent to me," George said. "I will have the final say on who is invited to this little party."
"You realize that people who are not invited will come," Daniel pointed out.
"Yes, well, they will have to get though Sumner first."
*~*~*~*
Teyla rode with her father back home on the morning the ball was announced. This was only the third time Teyla had spent the night at the palace, and she was slowly becoming familiar with the court and its workings. At least twice a month since Princess Elizabeth's appearance in Athos last spring, Teyla and her father had gone to Atlantis to visit. At first it had been because the princess invited them, but eventually her father began to take up his duties in the court again, and Teyla often went with him. But they rarely stayed the night, as work in the village required her father's presence.
She knew that her father had some reason for having abandoned his role in the court and the college of lords, and she had guessed it had something to do with the regent, Lord Robert Kinsey. Charin had said it was nearly seven years since Tagan had gone regularly to the palace, spending all his time working in the province instead, but the old woman didn't know precisely what had passed between Tagan and Kinsey to provoke his decision.
Teyla had been prepared on that basis alone to dislike Lord Robert. However, in the course of this recent visit, Elizabeth had shared her suspicions that Kinsey had tried to kill her, and that he had been responsible for the attack that led her to wander into Athos in the spring. It was an alarming thought. There was a large gap between her father's personal dislike of a man and a traitor willing to kill the queen-elect of his own country.
"Has your sleepless night of gossiping caught up with you?" her father asked with a grin. "That's quite a solemn face you were making."
Teyla shook herself. Her father was teaching her how to lead the province when the time came, and he said often she could not learn without asking questions. However she elected not to violate the princess' confidence. "Father, is it possible the regent was behind the attempt on Princess Elizabeth's life in the spring?"
Tagan frowned. "What put that thought into your mind?"
"I overheard some people speaking of the death of Prince Simon, speculating Lord Robert had been behind it."
"It would not surprise me," he told her with a sigh. "The regent's chief aim ought to be to stand for the young lady and protect her throne. He has shirked those duties in favor of whatever makes him wealthier or more powerful. In two years, all of that power will disappear. It must have occurred to him that the only way to prolong his power beyond that is to eliminate his greatest threat."
"How despicable," Teyla said. "How could a man in such a position be so venal?"
They had just crested a small hill that overlooked the village. Tagan stopped his horse and Teyla followed suit. He watched her for a moment and then looked down the slope. "It is probably time I told you my reasons for staying away from court. I kept you from that place, from meeting the princess and the other women who will be your peers, and you deserve to know why." He pointed to the ruins of the fortress that lay along one side of the village. "Do you remember living in the manor?"
The question caught her off-guard. "Yes, a little. It was so long ago it is mostly just fragments." Teyla did not add that her memories of living there were tangled up with her memories of her mother.
Tagan nodded. "You were barely six years of age when the Ori came. They attempted to conquer Atlantis, and on the way they destroyed any large building in their path. After they were defeated, when things finally settled down I went to King Edmund and applied for help to rebuild our home. He gave us what he could manage, but we were not the only ones whose lands had been devastated by the Ori. They had been thorough in their assault and I was only just beginning to make progress in rebuilding when the king died."
Her father paused for a moment. "I was informed a few months after Lord Robert was named regent that no more money for rebuilding would be coming. He claimed the financial situation in Atalan was too desperate. Yet at the same time, he doled out sums to those who had supported him in his bid for the regency."
"You were not among them," Teyla surmised.
Tagan shot her a mirthless smile. "I have no particular love for the Duke of Langford, but the king trusted the man, so I supported him. I lost, Lord Daniel lost, and then Kinsey used his power to enrich those who helped him.
"I spoke out in a meeting of the college about the unfairness of this. The others who had similarly been cut off by the new regent agreed, but Kinsey told us if we needed money to support our families, we could always raise the taxes in our provinces." He shook his head. "One cannot get blood from a stone. Our people were only just beginning to recover at that point. There was no way to extract a tax from people who had no bread. I argued with Kinsey publicly. Two months later, I learned he had taken money from the navy to use for other pursuits."
Teyla was aghast. The regent had not only acted in a petty fashion, using his power for personal indulgences to his friends, but then he had damaged the security of the nation in a fit of vindictiveness?
Tagan continued. "Jack ended up putting much of his own fortune into keeping the army paid and standing. No one was available to protect the navy, and when the shipyards were essentially abandoned, there was nothing anyone could do." He looked at her, his face as grave as she'd ever seen it. "Lord Robert took away my ability to protect you and everyone in the village by preventing me from rebuilding our home, and then he put the entire coast at risk by striking a mortal blow to the navy, which brought the Wraith back into our waters."
"How did the other lords not protest this?"
"Kinsey trumped up fear about the Goa'uld and even the Ori, saying the money needed to be sent to the borders. Of course, many of his supporters who were rewarded were nowhere near the southern border, but that wasn't known at the time. I walked out of the college and swore to myself I would not do anything to legitimize Kinsey's rule again."
Teyla thought about that for a moment. "And so you did not return until invited by another."
Tagan looked away, over his shoulder, where the palace was visible across the channel. "I see much of the king in his daughter, and that gives me hope. I do regret that I was not able to help her in these last eight years. Some part of me feels I let my friend down by not helping raise his heir. But I had my own child to look after, and I was alone soon after that. Your mother never questioned my decision, though I suspect she assumed when I calmed down I would see reason."
Her lips quivered. They so rarely spoke of her mother.
Her father sighed. Then he nudged his horse and they continued on their journey. "You may make your own mind up regarding the regent, Teyla, but be very careful around him, and do not speak too openly to those who are his supporters. Court is a tangled web, and it's easy to get caught in a knot without intending to."
Teyla merely nodded as they picked up the pace to reach home, but her father's words stayed with her throughout the day. She remained with him as he heard reports, then she helped draw water, worked in the garden through the afternoon, and laid the table for the evening meal. It was an ordinary day in her life, but she'd already realized it was not an ordinary day for a noble woman in Atalan.
She was used to a simpler life, with the satisfaction of a hard day's labor. Court was nothing like that. Relationships were cultivated. Reputations were constructed, in ways both large and small. It would take years, she thought, to develop the kind of experience in Atlantis that would be necessary to navigate the place with any kind of success.
Teyla resolved to work harder during her visits to Atlantis to pay attention to the court and its workings. It appeared she had even more to learn than she had thought.
*~*~*~*
Marcus would have been content to lay in bed for a while and rest, but his companion began to move restlessly after a few minutes.
"It's getting late."
He sighed. In truth, he did need to leave soon. The announcement last week that the princess would be having a formal ball on her birthday meant Captain Sumner was driving all the men of the guard to train and prepare nearly every waking hour of the day. Marcus had only recently returned to his former place in the princess' personal guard after his injury in the spring. He had no wish to risk being demoted to standing at the top of the tower again.
He rolled to his side and let his hand wander lazily along the smooth skin of his companion's back. She smiled and kissed him briefly before putting a hand against his chest and pushing him away. "Marcus, it's nearly supper hour. My maid will be here any moment to help me dress."
Lady Felicia was the daughter of the Viscount of Glaston. A very pretty woman with soft brown hair and brown eyes, she had come to court for the first time during the summer and Marcus had noticed her immediately. She had noticed him as well. It had been reckless of him to have pursued her, but within a short period of time they were meeting in secret on a regular basis.
And then one night, he found himself in her bed. He had not intended for it to happen, but in the heat of the moment, they had succumbed to their passions. When he could think again, he had been terrified Felicia would be furious with him and send him from her sight for good. She had laughed in his face and kissed him, chagrined at her own lack of propriety but showing no signs of regretting their impetuous action.
Though he had dallied with a few girls in the past, he had never been so utterly captivated by a woman before now. He enjoyed hearing her talk during their trysts, passing along gossip about the nobles of the court and her own shrewd opinions of them. True, sometimes he found her words rather harsh, but since he did not know most of these people except by reputation, Marcus supposed Felicia's criticisms to be justified. And of course he also thoroughly enjoyed those times when they were together and did not bother with talking. She had gone home for some weeks late in the summer and being without her had been more difficult than he had expected.
Now, Felicia and her brother had returned to court when news of the ball had gone out. No doubt Lord Matthew was here to meet the princess in hope of gaining her favor. Marcus had no idea if Princess Elizabeth was even interested in finding another husband for herself just yet, and judging from talk he had overheard between her and her ladies-in-waiting he suspected the answer was no, but he could not tell Felicia such things.
Unfortunately, the preparations for the party and the increasing training meant Marcus had not been able to spend much time with Felicia in the days since her return, so even though he knew he should get up, Marcus drew her close and kissed her again. Felicia mumbled a protest but he put his finger to her lips. He feared if he did not get this out, he might not get another chance soon.
"I realized something while you were away from court." She looked at him curiously and he drew in a deep breath, electing to speak plainly rather than risk making an even bigger fool of himself. "I love you."
There was a moment of silence - an awful pause during which Marcus could practically feel his heart thudding in his chest. Felicia's bright eyes blinked at him and her face was shocked for a second before she smiled warmly and ducked her head, looking down at her hand, which was still pressed against his bare chest. Without looking up, she confessed, "I love you too, Marcus."
She was blushing as he kissed her, moving instinctively to push her onto her back as relief flooded him. But it was not to be, for there were loud voices in the hallway and she scrambled out from under him, grabbing her dressing gown and covering herself. "I'm sorry, you must go! Before we are discovered."
He sighed and caught his tunic as Felicia tossed it at him with a grin. He dressed hastily as she listened at the door until all was silent. Before he slipped out, she grabbed the front of his shirt and yanked him down to her for one last kiss before shoving him out the door with a laugh.
He slipped through the hallway unseen and made his way towards the barracks that housed the royal guard without rushing, so as not to call attention to himself. More difficult to conceal was the broad grin that he could barely contain.