The Unexpected Heir: A Tale of Alus (3 page)

The young woman also noted that she wasn't the only one there as she passed through the well groomed garden in front of her home. A few men stood or sat on the stone benches placed in the area for visitors and her family too should they choose to enjoy the weather. It wasn't Anna's favorite place as it was more exposed to the traffic noise of the street running past the house. There was a larger garden in back with a large lawn behind the home. Tall trees for shade rose up around the manor, though most were in back where there was a pool created for the owners' private leisure which was hidden from this side of the house as well.

Located so close to the ocean; the pool wouldn't have been a necessity if not for the need for some security. Not only was her family close cousins to the princes and princess of Malaiy, but her father had done well in business using both her family name as well as his own. The son of Darius, the high wizard of Enchwold, had perhaps more weight than an outer heir to the Malaiyan throne.

Annalicia noted a few stares and even smiles from the men. They weren't technically there for her, but should they fail to attract her elder sister's attention, the braver of them might sue for her hand instead. Alicia was only a year away from gaining a title and land. Such prestige, wealth and power drew lesser lords not only from Malaiy, but from the neighboring countries looking to unite their interests with the modest size nation.

Moving her fingers as she walked, the wizard mumbled a few words under her breath as the girl lifted her right hand. Sparks of electricity played in the air around her fingers causing the men to reevaluate their mark. Wizards, even pretty ones, caused normal men to be anxious. Anna didn't need to be sold to a lord as a wife. She could pick her own man, if she decided it was time to wed. Being twenty-two could be considered old, especially among the royal family, and she was certainly of eligible marrying age; but the wizard had always been empowered to do things following her own agenda.

After pushing her way through the door, Ivanor accosted her with a frown and said, "Using your power so casually is a waste of your talent."

Returning his look similarly, the petite blonde stared down the larger man and replied, "It wasn't a waste. I won't have them looking on me as a consolation prize if my sister doesn't find them desirable. Being the daughter of a marquess might mean I will still be given a title at twenty five by the king and probably land, but I would have to think twice about a man who would settle for the second daughter just in the hope of getting to share what might be given.

"I am not even certain that King Orlaan will choose to give a wizard anything anyway, and if he does I am not sure that I want to accept it."

Ivanor didn't show any sign of surprise or shock at her words, he merely stated, "Whether you like it or not, you are his kin. There will be certain responsibilities and even being a wizard is unlikely to change that."

Though his words might have brought a sigh to her most days; the young woman simply waved him away dismissively instead. "Go home, Ivanor. I am not going to argue over this with you here. You will have time a plenty to give me your opinion on the long trip to Southwall; so now that you have made sure that I have made it home safely, you can go tell whoever wanted you to keep tabs on me that I am safe within my house."

He started to say something else, but the petite, blonde haired girl surprised him with her disdainful look. Annalicia reminded him, "Remember that I am not some child that you have to care for, Ivanor. You are just a wizard and when I wish it, I can act like a lady of the royal court."

Leaving his protest unspoken, the wizard gritted his teeth while his already bronzed skin turned a little darker. Though Ivanor's pride might make him wish to argue; he did, in fact, understand that Annalicia was royal and he was just a commoner, even if he was a wizard.

"I'll meet you at the ship in the morning then," the man replied gruffly and turned on his heel.

Welden closed the door behind him even as Annalicia turned into the central hall of the large house. An elegant looking entry hall was flanked by a pair of stairways and encircled by a walkway guarded by a wood railing. A few statues stood to either side of each stairway while paintings lined the four walls. White stone tiles made up the floor, but the bright stone was equaled by the walls. Only the paintings made the latter appear to have color.

The lady started for the stairway to the right noting the bright white everywhere with the back of her mind. Red cushions on the settees and couches making up most of the furniture in the room stood out starkly. Ignoring the room which she passed through nearly every day, Anna's attention was suddenly drawn back to one of the couches before she could make it to the stairs.

"Xerese, what are you doing here?" she questioned the taller, dark haired, young woman, who rose from where she lounged on one of the couches.

Tilting her head to the side, her cousin gave Anna a look that seemed to say that it was a foolish question. "Do I need to have a reason to visit my favorite cousin?"

Uttering a short laugh of genuine amusement, the wizard studied the other girl with her almond shaped, green eyes. Dark blue eyes returned the look and Annalicia thought that despite their near relation, the two couldn't look much different. As dissimilar as the two young women appeared physically, they were nearly the same age and had been raised almost like sisters in their bond.

"Well, if you have to butter me up, then there must be something wrong. So, yes, apparently you do need a reason."

Blowing out an exhausted breath, Xerese replied, "We are about to leave on a journey that will take months and you are acting like nothing is about to change at all."

"We were able to convince your mother to send you with me to Southwall. At least it will give you a break from all the suitors likely dotting your courtyard as well. I suppose that Aunt Pherena turned up the search hoping to sell you off before our trip."

Following her cousin towards the stairway, the two girls disregarded the guardsmen behind Annalicia. Xerese answered the shorter wizard, "She wasn't exactly happy that you offered me a place aboard your ship. Mother has wanted to give me away for years now."

Shaking her head, silvery blonde strands fluttered from her shoulders to chest and back. "You're twenty second in line. What does she hope to gain by marrying you off? You should just pick your own husband and let her pay for the wedding."

"Easy for you to say. You can at least use your magic as an excuse to make your family stop trying to arrange a marriage for you."

"Even so, I think Ivanor might be correct in his opinion that Uncle Orlaan could pressure my parents into arranging a marriage for me also. Do you think that he will offer me some title and land once I turn twenty-five like the others?" Annalicia asked referring to her older brother and sister. Alexander was twenty-eight now and had been given the title of count on his twenty-fifth birthday. Alicia's twenty-fifth birthday came in less than a year and it was assumed that she would be treated similarly, which was why there were so many suitors plaguing her courtyard.

In just three years, Anna would be the age King Orlaan had chosen for entitlement, but there was no set tradition beyond the king's preference or need. A wizard had never been a royal, however, and left the girl's future a bit up in the air. The fact that she was also an air wizard nearly made her smile as her mind came across the thought.

Xerese shrugged her shoulders. The dark haired young lady was as in the dark as she was.

Her cousin's eyes noted the guardsmen had disappeared from sight as the two women climbed the stairs. "You've lost your shadows," the girl commented with minimal interest.

"I don't need them to babysit me, especially as I plan to take a bath when I get to my room. They might guard my body, but I don't show it off to them, cousin."

Xerese's eyes looked back down the stairs a moment looking for the men who were no longer there and stated, "That's a pity. They were rather good looking men, even if they are both older than you."

"They are older than you too," Annalicia reminded the other girl and added, "Since when do you think of guardsmen as things to play with anyway?"

Feigning shock, she replied, "I would never! But they are coming with you for the tournament, aren't they?"

"You'll have your own guards, I would assume," Anna countered without answering fully. "Perhaps you can avoid disrupting my detail, so I don't have to hire new guards on this trip. It will be a long enough journey without you trying to have a romance with the help."

"The help? My, aren't you acting high and mighty today. I heard how you dismissed the wizard earlier also. What has gotten into you, Anna?"

"I guess that the pressure of this trip is already affecting me. Usually I can ignore all the ridiculous attention.

"I am a wizard after all and would like to be treated as a regular person more often. I am no longer a child that has to be followed all the time to make sure that I am safe. With my magic, I am capable of protecting myself."

Xerese would have protested the complaint, except she felt the same often enough. While Annalicia hadn't noticed her cousin's guardsmen as she entered, she could assume that they were somewhere nearby.

"Let's not dwell on it then. Shouldn't we be more excited about tomorrow's trip? Your ship is ready to go and take us on a new adventure. We will get to see a land completely new to us. Do you think that there will be snow? I have heard of it, but I have only seen ice when the wizards create it from water. Shaved ice is supposed to be quite different from falling snow."

Malaiy was too warm year round to have seen a real snowfall, but Anna had seen and used spells that could make snow. They weren't practical, though, and the flakes would often melt before touching the ground.

"We'll be there during winter... real winter. Everyone who says that they know of Southwall, say that North has places where snow remains year round. We will likely see snow and feel cold like we have never conceived of here."

The girls had wandered to her paired doors and entered without knocking. It was Annalicia's room, or more accurately, suite. One didn't knock on their own door, after all.

Opening the right side door gave the initial view of the part serving as a bedroom. A canopied bed large enough to hold two or three of the wizard was the main occupant of the room. Blue colors dominated the draperies and walls, but the floor was a dark wood made from local trees used to the weather of Malaiy. They would resist the air that could be corrosive to lesser woods. The sea air carried salts and moisture that could tear up certain boards not treated for such things also.

Treated with a dark stain, the floor made the light blue bedspread and drapery of her bed seem to float above it. Everything seemed brighter and airy because of the dark wood beneath the furniture. Though the colors satisfied the wizard's preferences, the furnishings weren't completely hers by design. Her mother had hired someone after the young lady had become a teenager to design and pick out everything. It was what the designer believed she should like. The frilly accoutrements weren't her style, but the wizard didn't care enough to have the look changed, especially after so many years of tolerating the parts she didn't love.

Two women in servants' uniforms waited inside and Anna could feel the change in the air. Steam from a recently drawn bath was already floating into the main room. Another open door led to the private bathroom that the lady had all to herself.

Her fingers lifted the lightweight, see through layer of her top up and over her head. The remaining bodice was tighter and had laces in back. Anna turned to face Xerese as her ladies in waiting worked the laces.

"All the dueling under the sun makes me perspire and that is very unladylike according to my mother. If I showed up to dinner looking like this, she would send me back to my room without food until I looked like a proper lady. You can join me, if you wish; or I will join you downstairs after," the petite girl said as the white shell of cloth loosened and was lifted over her head by the two women.

"You're changing the subject again," Xerese stated with a slight frown.

"I thought that you wanted to drop more serious matters," Annalicia retorted with a smile to soften her words. The girl removed her skirt and remaining clothing before walking towards the bathroom. Her helpers glanced to the dark haired woman waiting to see if she would accept the offer. "A warm bath with scented salts might help relax you, Xerese. You do seem rather tense. It is just a trip, even if it will take awhile to get there and return."

Xerese followed the smaller blonde, but the servants were waved away by the lady.

"I bathed before I came here. I figured that it would be simpler to stay with you tonight and leave together in the morning for the ship."

The bathroom was large enough to be a bedroom by itself, but the center held a large tub capable of holding three or four women Annalicia's size. Stepping up the three stairs, the wizard stepped down again from the stone surrounding the elegant pool. It was mostly made up of black and white marble. The shine of the stone reflected the sunlight coming through the windows set high enough in the walls to have privacy from the suitors lurking in the courtyard.

Sitting into the water, Anna settled onto a seat buried under the water. Bubbles foamed the top of the water and she could smell the scent which mimicked some of the flowers which the girl had noticed on the way into her home.