#maura of dunlath
IN THE PERFECTION OF CONDUCT AND OF VIRTUES, PG-13, 9/?*
In the summer of 456, Maura of Dunlath takes up a post as Princess Kalasin’s lady-in-waiting.
“Do you think Roald will be happy?”
“I think he’s got as good a chance as anyone,” Maura says. Kalasin told her about the siege of Pirate’s Swoop a long time ago, on one of those early morning walks most of the others can’t stand, so it no longer surprises her how protective Daine is of the oldest prince and princess. “They like each other, I’m pretty sure. And they’re both kind people.”
“I know it’s all decided,” Daine says. She pulls a couple of pins from an inside pocket and sets about reordering her masses of curly brown hair. “But I can’t do anything to help him, you see, not like I can for Kally.”
Most of the stories about Daine in Carthak are true as far as they can be confirmed, Maura has long since learned from Sir Alanna. That includes the really outlandish ones about Daine bearing a goddess’s power to make the dead walk, which makes it even less surprising that every time Maura makes a kill on a hunt and reflexively mutters a prayer to Weiryn, Daine pops into Maura’s head. It wouldn’t surprise Maura if Emperor Kaddar were on his best behaviour for the entirety of his marriage to Kalasin, since probably the last thing he wants is a visit from Daine to be sure Kalasin isn’t being mistreated, but she doesn’t really like to think about it. When Kalasin is married, Maura will have to trust Lynet and Rohese to take care of her. And she will - she will - but she doesn’t want to think about it right now.
“Just between us,” Maura says, “promise me, if he hurts her, you’ll make him regret he’d ever been born.”
IN THE PERFECTION OF CONDUCT AND VIRTUES, 10/?, PG-13
In the summer of 456, Maura of Dunlath takes up a post as Princess Kalasin’s lady-in-waiting.
Maura has almost taught Zenoby of Naxen to speak up when she can’t keep up when Midwinter at the Palace veers off its carefully choreographed schedule. The first any of them know of it is a fourth-year page - Warric of Mandash, Maura recognises, one of Keladry of Mindelan’s partisans and a cousin of Lynet’s - hurrying in, face dead white, and saying: “Your highness, a message from your brother Prince Roald.”
Prince Roald doesn’t borrow pages to send messages and he doesn’t send badly scrawled notes. Kalasin takes the paper at once, reads it, and almost before her eyes have flicked to the end of it hands it to Maura and rises to her feet. “Page Warric, my thanks,” she says, bestowing one of her lovely smiles on him. “Tell my brother we shall be in the audience chamber directly.”
Maura is staring blankly at the note, which says simply that Vinson of Genlith has left the Chamber and requested an audience. She hands it to Amoret, who muffles a gasp. Maura has no idea what that’s about. So Genlith wants an audience; what’s the problem?
