Griffin's Daughter

Arrayed in well-behaved silence behind their elders, the three Sakehera daughters stood with Lani, the oldest, stationed behind her two little sisters, a hand on each small shoulder. Their robes were more simply decorated, but no less finely crafted than their brother’s.

Ashinji and Lord Dai dismounted and handed their horses off to waiting grooms, as did Lord Dai’s captain, who immediately walked back to the painted carriage. The door swung open, and he offered his hand in assistance to the woman who emerged, blinking, into the sunlight.

By her age and the conservative cut of her dark blue gown, Jelena surmised that this must be Lady Dai. She was a tall woman-stately even-with jet-black tresses confined beneath a headdress of silver wire hung with merrily dancing leaves. After adjusting her headdress to her satisfaction, she allowed the captain to escort her forward and hand her off to her husband. The guard then trotted back to the carriage and held out his hand to the other occupant.

The woman who next emerged wore a resplendent gown of gold and white silk, embroidered all over with tiny pearls. A heavy white veil, secured by a gold headdress wrought to look like a garland of flowers, concealed her face. The captain led her forward where she took her place on her father’s arm opposite her mother.

Even though her face remained hidden, there could be no mistaking this woman’s identity-Lady Misune Dai, future Lady of Kerala.

Together, with Ashinji in the lead, the noble guests approached their hosts. Ashinji bowed deeply to his father and mother, who acknowledged his obeisance with nods of their heads. He then began to speak in his clear, melodic voice. “My lord and lady, Father and Mother, they who have brought your son and Heir his bride have arrived. Will you welcome Lord and Lady Dai into your home?”

“ I welcome you, Lord and Lady Dai, to Kerala,” Lord Sen replied.

“ I also welcome you and she whom you bring to join with our House,” Lady Amara added. Lord and Lady Dai bowed their heads in the proper acknowledgment between social equals; their daughter bowed more deeply, from her waist.

Lord Sen continued the formal introduction. “May I present to you my eldest son and Heir, Sadaiyo.” Sadaiyo’s bow to his future father-in-law was stiff, as if it pained him to have to show the correct amount of respect. His arrogant visage remained impassive. Jelena’s gaze darted back and forth between Sadaiyo’s face and his brother’s. Ashinji’s beauty owed as much to the kindness of his spirit as it did to his physical attraction. Sadaiyo was just as handsome, yet Jelena felt cold fear knot her gut when she looked at him.

Next, the two sets of parents exchanged gifts. Two of Lord Dai’s servants came forward at his signal to present a large bolt of fine, sea-green silk to Lady Amara and a bow made of rich, dark wood to Lord Sen.

After a few words of admiration, Lord Sen pulled a small leather pouch from his sleeve.

“ I hope these little baubles will bring you some pleasure, my lord and lady,” Lord Sen said. He upended the pouch onto his open palm and two black pearls the size of hazelnuts spilled out, their iridescent surfaces gleaming in the sun. A soft murmur of appreciation rippled through the assemblage.

“ They are most satisfactory, my lord,” Lord Dai replied, inclining his head slightly in acknowledgement of the richness of the gift. Lord Sen carefully dropped the pearls back into the pouch and pressed it into his guest’s hand.

“ Come. A meal has been prepared,” Lady Amara announced. “You must be very tired and thirsty after your long journey.” Lord Sen waved his guests forward and everyone visibly relaxed. Jelena guessed that the formal ceremony of greeting had concluded. The two noble families filed up the steps and disappeared into the keep while the servants of Lord Dai began to mill about and the Kerala staff dispersed. A few folk remained behind to mingle. Gendan came forward to speak to Lord Dai’s captain. The two men talked animatedly as if they knew each other. Gendan then spoke to the driver of the carriage and pointed toward the east wing of the keep. Jelena watched as the painted coach rolled away, a small knot of servants trotting briskly behind.

“ Well, that’s it for now,” Kami sighed. “Oh, here comes my man!” She scampered over to meet Gendan as he approached and flung herself into his arms. The passion of their kiss made Jelena blush and lower her eyes.

“ Jelena! Jelena, c’mere!” Kami called out, waving. Jelena sighed and walked over to where the lovers stood, arm in arm.

“ Hello, Captain,” Jelena greeted the older man formally.

“ Jelena,” Gendan replied. Captain Miri had never been very warm toward her, and she knew the reason behind his reticence, but neither had she ever felt any malice from him.

“ Gendan has a few hours off, so we thought we’d take a ride out to the old stone circle. Will you tell Aneko where I’ve gone so she won’t come looking for me?”

“ Yes, of course.” Jelena answered.

“ Just wait ‘til I get you alone, my girl!” Gendan’s voice crackled with mischief. He tickled Kami, and she squealed in response, twisting in his arms to punch him playfully in the chest. Captain Miri had left his youth behind some time ago; Kami had just entered into the fullness of womanhood, but despite the difference in their ages, their temperaments seemed a perfect complement each to the other.

“ You two have good time,” Jelena said.

“ Oh, we always do.” Kami sensuously nibbled on Gendan’s ear. It seemed to have the desired effect, for he grabbed her by the hand and hauled her off, stumbling and giggling, toward the gate. Kami waved happily, skipping a few steps to regain her balance. Together, the two lovers disappeared through the gate, leaving Jelena standing alone.

Only a few people remained in the upper yard, mostly house servants and the two guardsmen at the doors. Jelena wandered back down to the lower yard, thinking about Kami and Gendan and how lucky they were to be able to love each other openly and proudly. She imagined them making love in the deep grass of the stone circle, and it filled her with a longing so intense, she found it almost too much to bear.

Ashinji had looked so handsome today in his formal clothes, his beautiful hair shining like the fine silk of his garments. In her mind’s eye, she replaced Gendan with Ashinji and imagined herself lying in his arms, her naked flesh entwined with his. Gods, how it hurt, knowing that she would never experience the warmth of his love.

The lower yard stood empty, with only the soft cooing of pigeons in the eaves of the barracks to break the stillness. The day’s excitement at an end, the castle would quickly settle back into its routine.

Jelena’s thoughts turned to Magnes. She wondered if her cousin had returned home, only to find Amsara shut against him. He had committed a serious crime when he had helped her to escape. To make matters even worse, he had turned his back on a marriage contract, an act that most certainly cost Duke Teodorus a dear price, both financially and socially. The duke was a proud man and would not easily forgive such disobedience.

Jelena had known loneliness her entire life, but what she felt now was an entirely new experience. Magnes had been the last link to her old life, the only person in Kerala who knew her entire history firsthand. In a very short time, she had been forced to shed every vestige of Soldaran identity. She now lived, dressed, and spoke as an elf. She had even begun to think and dream in Siri-dar; still, she felt her otherness as acutely as she ever had back in Amsara.

She had found good friends in Aneko and, especially, Kami. Friendship with other women was a pleasure she had heretofore been denied. The easy camaraderie she felt with them amazed her, and yet, she felt the inescapable fact of her human blood would forever set her apart from them. The irony of the situation was not lost upon her.

Ashinji had never tried to sweeten the truth for her about elven attitudes towards those of mixed blood. The folk of Kerala were especially tolerant because of their close proximity to human lands and a long history of interaction and commingling, but Ashinji warned that she might encounter prejudice as bitter as that which she had endured in Amsara, if and when she ever traveled beyond the relatively tolerant boundaries of eastern Alasiri.

As a rule, people of mixed race, referred to as hikui in Siri-dar, did not have the same legal rights and protections under the law as did full-blooded elves, though within Kerala, Lord Sen had decreed otherwise. Jelena’s best hope lay in finding her father or his kin. If she were accepted, then she would be fully protected as a member of his family.

The wedding celebrations would be finished in another three days. At that time, Jelena was to take up her new duties as a messenger, which would give her the opportunity to seek out information on the possible identity of the man who had fathered her. With her ring and Lord Sakehera’s help, she felt confident that she would soon know the truth.