Yanar
by
Ellie Smith
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The characters in this book are fictional products of the author’s imagination. Resemblance to any person or persons, either living or dead, to any names used, or to any specific locations, events or locales is purely coincidental.
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Chapter 1
Yanar slipped out from under the soft down comforter and perched on the edge of her bed. She watched a buxom woman cross her bedroom to the window and ease the sheer curtains back before draping them over the hooks on either side of the window.
"It's going to be a beautiful day Princess."
Soft blue eyes slid to the open window and Yanar watched the first rays of sunshine streak over the distant mountaintops. She sighed almost dishearteningly. "It is always a beautiful day Mimina." She stretched her arms above her head then flopped back onto the bed, searching the soft, delicate folds of the lace canopy above her as a frown distorted her otherwise flawless brow. "I wish, just once," Yanar said thoughtfully. "That it would rain or snow or something."
"Oh Princess!" the stout woman said aghast as she hurried toward the bed. "Certainly you cannot mean that."
"But I do mean it." Yanar shoved herself up and met the wide-eyed gaze of the woman who had been her personal servant for all of her twenty-five years. "Don't you wish for a change? Something different besides the same old thing every day?"
Mimina's deep-set eyes darted to the window and, for a fleeting moment, she thought of agreeing with her charge. She scowled, shaking her head disdainfully. "I wish no such thing your highness. We are quite privileged that the Gods give us such beautiful weather." She took a quick step toward the young woman who would, one day, rule their vast nation. Her voice softened to a whisper. "You should not wish such things Princess. The Gods might hear you."
Yanar's face twisted into a grimace before she clambered to her feet. "Perhaps it would do some good if they did hear." She stripped off her gown, tossing it on the bed before she started for a door on the opposite side of the room. "I think they've been deaf for years."
The maid's gasp and her hands covering her mouth were simultaneous and she stared at the disappearing slender form before her eyes shifted to the window and she blinked. "She didn't mean that," she whispered almost pleadingly before darting after her ward.
"Good morning Father."
A tall, good-looking man who was sitting at the far end of a large, ornate dining table looked up from the papers he was reading. His crevicing frown melted into a beaming smile as the slender brunette entered the room. "Good morning Yanar." He laid his hand in hers, watched her bow with the grace of a gazelle before she touched her lips to the back of his hand reverently. When she lifted her head, his gaze caressed her face. "I swear you get more beautiful every day."
The woman smiled up at him before planting a kiss on his forehead. "You're prejudiced," she teased then made her way to the opposite end of the table, her usual place at all meals.
"Of course I am," he agreed without hesitation. "What kind of father would I be if I did not think my daughter was the most beautiful in the land." The corners of his lips curled even more. "And it does not hurt that she happens to be the future Queen of that land." He laid aside the papers he had been reading. "What is on your agenda today my daughter?"
Yanar swallowed a spoonful of fresh fruit then took a sip of her coffee. "The same as all of the other days. Nothing."
"Enjoy them while you can my princess. For one day soon you will wish for a day that you could do nothing."
She recalled what she had said to Mimina and how she had been scolded all during her morning bath. Her dark head swung. "I do not see that as ever being one of my wishes Father. It would be quite enjoyable to know that I have something to do every day."
"Could you not take more classes?"
Her classes, taught by tutors from throughout their vast kingdom, had been the only bright spot in Yanar’s otherwise boring life. Unfortunately, she had learned everything the tutors had been able to teach and, six months ago, was left to her own resources. "There is no one left to teach me. I have taken every class you wished and more." Her sigh was soft. "All I have to do now is wait until I ascend the throne."
King Garron chuckled. "I do hope you will allow me a few more years before I turn the kingdom over to you.”
Yanar’s smile was instant. "You can have all of the years you wish Father. That is not what I meant."
"I know. But, you will admit, I did manage to get you to smile."
Yanar chuckled softly. "Indeed you did."
King Garron watched his daughter as she ate her breakfast. He knew she was bored. His servants had, on more than one occasion, told him of her wanderings through the castle. He had tried to ease her weariness by bringing in the best tutors from every corner of his kingdom, thinking that would appease her and keep her happy. It had, for a time. She had been so willing to learn what they taught that she had exhausted the knowledge of every one he had summoned. And again, as she had been before the tutors, she was bored. If only his wife was here. She would know what to do to keep their daughter both happy and busy. But Felicia had died when Yanar was only eight, leaving both of them alone. And, even though Garron knew he had raised their daughter well, he also knew that he did not have his wife’s touch with their only child. He frowned in thought. What would Felicia do? What would she find to keep Yanar busy? One thing was for sure, she would, most assuredly, be contemplating every young man in the kingdom as a prospective mate for their daughter. But there were very few, if any, young men of enough noble blood to be worthy of a future Queen's hand. And it was imperative that Yanar have a husband who was of nobility. A simple man, someone who did not have royal blood running through his veins, would not do. Garron thought of the neighboring kingdoms and wondered if there might be any eligible young men in them who would be worthy of his daughter. "Perhaps," he said under his breath. He could send dispatches to the neighboring kings requesting information. He would inspect the information he received then send for the men who met his strict qualifications. But with his daughter wandering the halls how could he interview prospective suitors? He had to get her out of the castle for a few months. And, considering that Yanar had never been outside the castle walls, for any reason, that would be difficult to explain. He met his daughter's dull gaze and decided it might not be that difficult after all. "Yanar," he said with a gentle smile. "Perhaps you would care to take a journey."
The soft blue eyes blinked. Her father had never allowed her outside the castle walls. He had always said there was too much vile in the world and that people could not be trusted. "A journey?"
"There are always things to do at our ancestral castle," Garron informed, hoping to raise her interest. "I have a stable of horses that you could learn to ride."
That puzzled Yanar even more. Her father had told her, many years ago when she had first mentioned her interest in learning to ride, that it was too dangerous. Why, now, was he changing his mind? "Why are you changing your mind about me leaving the castle?" she inquired curiously. "You have always told me there were too many vile and wicked people in the world and I would be safe here."
"True. But you can be just as protected at our ancestral castle in the highlands," Garron replied then abruptly got to his feet. "It is settled. You will depart with the first lights of dawn tomorrow." He hurried from the room before his daughter had any further opportunity to question him.