Author's Note: Shagai is a Mongolian game involving the tossing of sheep anklebones, like one would dice. Tammy once said she based the K'miri off of Mongolia, so I tried to honor that when thinking of a game Buri might enjoy. All I know of it comes from the wiki page on it, so I apologize if my depiction isn't entirely accurate. The shagai itself are the bones, and then there are different games based on the bones.

Jon courted Buri, just like he courted Thayet.

Well, not just like he courted Thayet. It definitely wasn't romantic, but he laid siege to Buri's affections all the same. He made comments specifically designed to amuse her, he gave her gifts that reflected careful attention to her tastes, and he was courteous to her in a way he didn't have to be as she was technically a commoner here. Buri wasn't fooled; Jon wasn't the first man to recognize that Buri and Thayet were a matched set. Any man who had Thayet in his life also had Buri, and any man who wasn't stupid quickly saw that the more Buri approved of him, the easier his life would be. Buri, for her part, remained wary. She had long ago learned that men are never sweeter than when they desire something from you, and that no Player could ever rival a man when it came to pretending to be someone else.

Sure, Alanna had vouched for Jon, but then again Alanna also vouched for Liam. While Buri loved and respected Liam as a comrade, it was very clear to her that he was not a great romantic partner to Alanna. After the Dress Incident, Buri realized that Alanna was willing to accept a lot more horseshit in a relationship than Buri ever would be. Every time Alanna would pat herself on the back for introducing Jon and Thayet, crowing about her matchmaking skills, Buri would roll her eyes. Maybe Jon seemed good, but Buri had her doubts about whether or not he could ever be good enough. He could be arrogant, and he was used to getting his way. From Alanna's affectionately told stories Buri quickly recognized that as a youth Jon had no problem with leaning on his power and charm to ensure he got the things he wanted. He had taken Alanna for granted, Buri had read that in between the lines. He talked a lot about making progressive changes, but Buri could tell he was still too comfortable with the traditions that benefitted him. And so she withheld her approval of Jon. She didn't disapprove of him exactly. She wasn't blind, she saw all the positives that Alanna saw in him, but when Jon showered kindness on her Buri remained polite, nothing more and nothing less.

"Mistress?" a maid asked tentatively as she stood in Buri's doorway, "His Majesty is here."

"So?" Buri replied, more annoyed than she meant to be. She continued to lace her riding boots, getting ready to leave. "Her Highness isn't in here, she's in the study with Sir Myles."

The maid shook her head, "His Majesty didn't call on Her Highness today, he asked for you, Mistress".

Buri squinted at her suspiciously for a moment. "Me? What for?" She knew she was being rude, but she couldn't help it.

"His majesty didn't say, Mistress. He said he would wait in the library for you," the maid shrugged, her formal posture dropping in the face of Buri's own nonchalance.

Buri walked slowly to Myles' library, feeling confused and uneasy.

When she entered, Jon stood to greet her. "Buri, I'm glad to find you still at home!" he said with a smile, "I know you usually go out with Alanna during the times I call on Thayet."

Buri bowed the required amount for greeting a king, then said slowly, "Her highness is still here, your Majesty, I can go get her for you if you want."

Jon shook his head, "No, I was hoping to speak with you today, if that suits you. Am I disrupting any plans?"

His face looked concerned. But if he was really that worried he would have given me some notice of his visit, Buri thought in irritation.

"No," she lied, knowing a foreign-born commoner probably ought not to be honest with a king.

"Excellent!" Jon smiled even more broadly. "Buri, do you play chess?"

The question caught Buri off guard. "Excuse me?" she asked.

Jon gestured for her to sit in an armchair by the fireplace. He sat across from her, and between them was a small table upon which a chessboard was set up.

"Chess, it's a game quite popular here in Tortall," Jon began.

Before Buri could stop herself she interrupted him, "I know what chess is, I just don't understand why you're asking me." Before she even finished the thought Buri winced internally at her gall, and added a hasty, "begging your pardon, your Majesty."

To her surprise, the king wasn't bothered. "Buri, it's alright. This is an informal setting, you can call me Jon." His blue eyes twinkled at her, and for a brief moment Buri could clearly see what had so enchanted Thayet and Alanna about him. This is how he charms people, Buri's mind whispered, this is how he gets what he wants.

"Thank you, Jon" Buri replied evenly. She could tell Jon was expecting her to say more, so she waited.

After a moment of awkward silence, Jon sighed deeply. "Buri, you seem like someone who appreciates straight forward honesty. I think you know that I enjoy spending time with Thayet, and in fact I think you can tell that I'm attracted to her. And I can tell that you are the most important person in the world to her,"

Buri opened her mouth, startled, "I'm not-"

Jon put up a hand, effectively stopping her from saying more. "Yes, you are. You're all she has left, and she's all you have. You have a deep bond with each other, and only a fool would fail to see that." Jon looked her in the eyes again, but this time Buri saw only sincerity. "I can tell you're not sure of me, and that's fair. You don't know me, and it is only right that you are protective of your princess. It's your job to keep her safe, and that means being suspicious of outsiders. I'm glad Thayet has someone like you in her life, watching out for her." Jon paused for a moment, searching her eyes, then continued, "You don't know me, so you're not certain of my intentions or suitability. But you can get to know me. And I would very much like to get to know you. I know you're not one for teas and chit chat, so I thought perhaps we could start with chess. You don't have to talk much, we can just play and see where it takes us." Jon looked at her imploringly, his eyes seeming vulnerable.

Buri squinted again, "Really? Just chess?"

Jon laughed, "Really. That's all. Just chess."

Buri sat for a moment, mulling over his offer. Finally she replied, "That seems fair."

Jon's shoulders drooped in relief, and Buri almost felt touched. This really mattered to him, she thought.

"You said you were familiar with chess, does that mean you know how to play?" Jon asked, adjusting his pawns until they were perfectly aligned.

"I'm know it, I just don't enjoy it," replied Buri without thinking. Quickly she realized what she had said, "I mean, your Majesty-"

"No, no, that's alright. The whole point is to get to know you, and now I know that you don't care for chess," Jon said with a reassuring smile. "And I told you to call me Jon. If you don't like chess, is there a game you do like?"

Buri shrugged, "Yes, but I doubt you'd like it. It's K'miri."

"Why wouldn't I like it?" Jon asked.

Buri shrugged again, "Most of the lowlanders didn't, they thought it was beneath them. They preferred games like chess." She waited to see how Jon would react to that.

Jon nodded, "Well I'm not a lowlander, and I'm interested in learning your game. What is it called?"

"It's like dice," Buri hesitated, unsure if she should say more. He is trying, the least you can do is give him a chance, Buri thought to herself. She sighed, then added, "but the pieces are made with sheep bones." She waited for him to turn up his nose, but Jon only sat attentively. "We call them shagai. I have a set in my room I can get, if you'll excuse me."

Jon nodded eagerly, "Please!" and Buri went to retrieve them, still wondering if this was a good idea.

After that first afternoon, Jon came to call on Buri regularly. Always they would retire to the library, and always they would play with the shagai. Buri taught Jon how to recognize the four different ways the shagai could land, and was impressed by how quickly he learned the basic games. Bit by bit she found herself relaxing around him, seeing more and more of his good nature. She could still see the arrogance and the nobility, but those traits were tempered by his humor, his kindness, and his cool disposition. Jon, for his part, started to treat her like a comrade; someone he could both tease and confide in. Jon told Buri stories about his life, and about Tortall. Sometimes, against her better judgment, Buri told Jon stories about growing up in Sarain. The only subject Jon avoided was Thayet. Buri got the sense he knew better than to try to outright use her to further his relationship with the princess by pumping her for information, and for that she was grateful.

One day, when Jon came to play with Buri, he was clearly fizzing with nerves. After the third consecutive time his hands were shaking too hard to properly flick the shagai, Buri couldn't take it anymore.

"Jon, whatever it is, just say it! You're trembling like a spooked deer," Buri snapped.

Jon drew a deep breath. "Buri, I have something I need to ask you. You know how I feel about Thayet, you know that I care for her very deeply. I would do anything to make her happy, and I think I can. Make her happy, that is." He paused, licking his lips nervously. "Or at least as much as anyone can, I guess-"

"Jon!" Buri cut in, "For the love of all the horse gods, what-"

"I want to ask Thayet to marry me," Jon said suddenly. There was silence, for a moment.

Finally Buri said, "Well, I guess I ought to have seen that coming."

That was apparently not the reaction that Jon desired. He frowned, then said, "I didn't really explain myself, did I? In Tortall, often a man will ask permission of his intended's parents before proposing marriage. The idea is their approval is very important to the bride, and she won't marry someone her parents do not approve of."

Buri rolled her eyes, but remained silent.

"I know those kinds of traditions are archaic," Jon contined, "And I'm very aware that Thayet is free to do as she pleases, but I just thought…Look, you're her family, and I just thought that she might appreciate it if I asked for your approval first." Jon panted slightly, apparently exhausted from his torrent of words.

Buri thought, assessing the man in front of her. Finally she said, "K'miri don't ask the family before proposing. If marrying you is what Thayet wants," Buri smiled "then I will give you my approval."

Buri was deeply touched by the relief that spread over Jon's face. In the weeks they had spent together, Jonathan had shown more respect for her, and for the K'miri, than Warlord Adigun jin Wilima ever had. Buri sent a brief prayer up to Chavi West-Wind, horse-lord who watches over marriages, Please, please let me be right about him.

Planning a royal wedding while piecing a country back together again was something that took up nearly all the time and energy either Thayet or Jon had, and so Buri found other ways to occupy herself. She forced herself to get used to the palace, learning her way around the labyrinthian passageways and meeting the people who worked tirelessly to keep things running smoothly. She personally vetted every member of Thayet's guard, and oversaw their training. Anyone who sneered at the idea of a young female foreigner being in charge was eliminated from the group immediately. Buri found Alanna and Jon's friends to be very persistent; inviting her to morning drills that she did want to attend, and to social events that she didn't. She was kept so busy that she almost didn't mind the fact that neither she nor Jon had time to play shagai anymore.

Jon glanced up, startled, as Buri entered his study. "Why aren't you with Thayet?" he demanded, halting in mid pace.

In response, Buri raised an eyebrow. "What about giving birth do you think necessitates a bodyguard? Are you concerned that the baby is an elaborately disguised assassin?"

Jon let out a sharp bark of laughter, the harshness betraying his nerves. "I just thought you'd want to be there, to be helping," he said after a moment.

Buri shook her head. "Birth is…not my area of expertise. I don't think anyone can be more helpful or supportive than either Lady Cythera, or the midwives. It's best for all if I wait in here, with you."

Jon nodded, then said quietly, "It's been a long time, do you think that means something is wrong?" The kingliness dropped from his face, turning into common worry.

Buri shrugged. "I'm sure if there were, someone would fetch you. I poked my head in on my way here, and Thayet was still walking around, trying to move the labor along. Childbirth takes a long time; you'll be waiting for a while to meet your heir." Jon frowned, not looking remotely relieved by this news.

"Jon. Everything will be fine, I promise. It will all be over before you know it." Buri pulled out a small sack from her belt purse, smiling at the sound the shagai made as they clinked together. "I can think of a better way to occupy your time than pacing and fretting."

Jon finally smiled back at her as she pulled out the familiar bones, and began to set up their game.

They played well into the night, until finally a tired looking Gary arrived.

"Finished the paperwork; now we should be completely ready for the upcoming council meeting," Gary said as he dropped into a chair next to them. "My wife never returned home, so I assume Thayet is still in labor?"

Jon sighed, "Yes" with deep frustration.

Buri snorted at his impatience, and began to pick up the shagai pieces in preparation to leave.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Jon jerked upright in his chair. "We're in the middle of a game!"

Buri looked confusedly at Gary, "Oh, I thought…" she didn't complete the sentence: I thought you would want to spend the time with your real friend.

Jon grinned at her, exhaustion making him look loopy, "You thought that because Gary arrived you could just sneak out of here before I win?"

"If you think there is any chance in any realm in this world, that you could have won that round, then you are more delirious than we realize," Buri snapped back, feeling warmth fill her chest.

"Jon always talks about this game, can you teach me how to play?" Gary asked, leaning forward eagerly.

Buri couldn't stop the smile that lit her face as she began to once again arrange the shagai, listening as Jon explained to Gary the four different ways the pieces could land.

Buri wasn't shocked to find Jon in Thayet's now deserted sitting room, but she was taken aback by the state of him. Alone, in the dark, slumped on a ragged looking chair (it had clearly been left behind for a reason), drinking brandy directly from the bottle; Jon looked less kingly than Buri had ever seen him before. His face appeared lined and ragged in the light from Buri's candelabra, and it made her sad to see him that way. Or it would have, if she wasn't so pissed at him.

"Excuse me, your Majesty. I was asked to retrieve something for Her Majesty," Buri stated, as evenly as she could. She should have backed out of the room, should have bowed and apologized, and then told Thayet she couldn't find the damn book, but her anger with Jon made Buri bold. How dare he sit there, getting sad and drunk, as though he were the wronged one!

In reply Jon only waved his hand, his Gift instantly lighting the fire place and the candles in the room. Since he didn't have the decency to warn Buri first, her eyes stung from the sudden burst of light. Asshole, she thought. "Thank you, your Majesty," she said. Jon didn't even acknowledge her, and continued his silent moping.

Buri crossed the room to the bookshelves by the windows, and began hastily searching for the title Thayet had asked her to get. Thayet ought have sent a maid instead, but she insisted that Buri play errand girl. Buri wondered at Thayet's motives, and about how much of Jon's current behavior the queen had predicted.

"I told you to call me Jon," the king said suddenly.

"Excuse me?" Buri asked, still facing the bookshelf. She knew she was skating on thin ice with her rudeness, but it was too hard to resist.

"We're alone, are we not? I told you to call me Jon," he said, setting his brandy bottle down on the floor with just slightly too much force.

Buri finally turned to look at him. "Thank you, Jon," she said, forcing a neutral tone.

Jon glared at her. "So you hate me now too, is that it?"

Buri rolled her eyes, feeling her anger begin to rise.

"I'm the villain, that's right. I'm the villain, even though she's the one that left-" Jon's voice cracked on the word left. Buri could see him fighting to regain control, but it was too late for her to feel any sympathy.

"Yes Jon, you're the villain, because you are the reason she left. And not even left! She's still in this same gods cursed palace, just in a different wing! Most kings and queens don't share the same rooms anyway, they live separately!" Buri felt out of control, unable to stop herself from shouting.

"Not us!" Jon roared, clearly feeling the same way. "We agreed when we got married, neither of us wanted that! And she broke that vow."

"Well you broke some vows too," Buri hissed.

"What vows? What's my crime, that I tried to protect my daughter?" Jon snapped back.

"Oh!" Buri was now so enraged she had to walk away and then come back to face Jon, the energy boiling inside of her. "Oh, so that's how you justify it? Waiting until Thayet is gone, and then talking your daughter out of the one dream she has? That's protecting her?"

Jon glowered. "Kally has to get married, to secure an alliance that will protect all of us. If she is a knight, no country will want her. She will be severely limited in her options, and may end up in a match that is ill-suited for her. I want her to marry someone she could grow to love, and I want her to live in a country that doesn't despise her for who she is. So yes, I talked to her about her options. I told her the reality, and she made a choice."

"You bullied her," Buri replied in a growl. "You scared her into agreeing with you, because you always have to get your way. When you wanted to marry for love you got to, but now-"

"Now we have enemies at every turn!" Jon leapt to his feet as he shouted. "Tusaine! Scanra! Carthak! I married for love, and now we reap the rewards! If I don't form any alliances, none of my children will ever know peace!"

Buri looked Jon in his dazzling blue eyes, and said very quietly, "You treated Thayet like Adigun treated Kalasin."

"No!" Jon shook his head violently at this. "No. I have never, never been less than faithful to Thayet," he said with vehemence, pointing his finger at Buri. "If she thinks I have a mistress-I'll swear a blood oath, I'll swear it to any gods she chooses, I have never had another woman since I met her."

Buri put a hand up, "I know you don't have affairs, that's not what I'm talking about. Adigun didn't just humiliate Kalasin with his mistresses. He didn't listen to her, he didn't consult with her, and he didn't trust her. Nothing she said ever seemed to impact the way he acted, or the decisions he made. He didn't care how his choices affected Kalason or Thayet, or how they felt."

Buri sighed, "Thayet was so proud of Kally. She told people sometimes, that her daughter just might be the first girl to openly train for knighthood. Thayet taught Kally how to fight, like her mother taught her. Like the K'miri teach all their girls. Kally was going to have the opportunities Thayet never had. And then you waited until Thayet was off with the Riders, and you convinced Kally to give all of that up, without telling Thayet, or consulting with her." Buri got close to Jon, she could smell the brandy on him as she spoke, her voice heated and soft, "You didn't want to have the fight, you just wanted to get your way without a lot of fuss, so you removed Thayet from the decision entirely. Like she didn't matter. That's low Jon, and you know it."

Buri was shaking now, her fists clenched at her sides. She had never spoken to Jon like this, had never revealed Thayet's confidences like this, had never gotten herself so involved in their relationship before. It was too late to go back now. Her anger inside had turned into a raging fire, and she realized she wasn't just mad on Thayet's behalf anymore.

Buri glared into his eyes, and couldn't stop herself from adding, "I trusted you Jon. I trusted you to treat Thayet better than this, but you're no different than Adigun, are you?"

"Get out," Jon snarled at her, his face red and blotchy with rage.

Buri knew she was way past the line, that she was lucky to only be forcibly expelled from a room after talking to a king like that, and so she left quickly. As she rounded the door she heard what sounded like a chair being thrown across the room.

Two months after Thayet had moved back in with Jon, Buri received a royal summons.

"His Majesty requested my presence?" Buri asked, standing in the doorway of Jon's private study.

"No, I demanded your presence. I assumed if it were merely a request you wouldn't have come," Jon replied drily, standing behind his desk. "I know," he added, putting a hand up, "More of me forcing things to get my way. I just figured, if you already know that about me, why hold back?"

In another time Buri would have laughed, but now she was still too unsure. She continued to look at Jon, forcing him to make the next move.

"I think you know, I acted shamefully the last time we talked alone," Jon said after a moment. "I was upset, and I wanted a fight, and the person I wanted to fight with wasn't speaking to me, so I prodded you into it. I should never have done that, and I'm sorry." Jon's eyes bored into Buri's, his face a mask of contrition.

Buri sighed. "I'm not especially proud of how I acted that night either," she admitted.

"You said some things I needed to hear. I, uh, I don't think I could have understood well enough on my own to make Thayet forgive me without your help." Jon said, his voice edged with emotion.

He drew a breath then added, "I-look, Buri, I know that just because Thayet forgave me, doesn't mean you have to. I don't expect you to, I mean, just because she did," Jon stammered, seeming nervous. "But, Buri, you're my family. I want to try to make things right with you, I want-" Jon stopped suddenly, looking uncertain of what to say next.

Buri thought for a moment, then said, "Where's the shagai I gave you?"

"What?" asked Jon, appearing nonplussed by this sudden shift in conversation.

Buri entered the room, seating herself in an armchair by the fireplace. She began to clear the small table in front of her, and asked again "Where is the shagai set I gave you? It was your Midwinter present, oh about four or five years ago? What, did you lose it already?"

A slow smile began to creep over Jon's face, and he reached down to open a drawer in his desk. "No, I have them right here. Why, you up for a game?"

Buri gestured at him, and Jon tossed the small bag of bones to her with ease.

"You got me to like you once by playing together, let's try it again and see if it still works." Buri smirked at Jon as she began to set out the pieces.

He walked over to the chair across from her, his smile strengthening as he sat down to play once again.

Author's Notes:

-This fic came from me suddenly realizing, you know what relationship I never see, either in canon or in fanfic? Buri/Jon. And that's kind of crazy, because Buri's obviously hugely important to Thayet, and thus I would think she would have her own relationship with Jon. I feel like Buri is like Thayet's very protective younger sister, and so Jon probably had to go through Buri to really get Thayet's love. Buri was there before Jon, and she's probably going to be there after him. But I could also see Buri and Jon clashing a bit; he's kind of difficult in many ways and Buri isn't likely to be wowed by his looks or his station. I felt like their relationship would have friendly and loving parts, but also an undercurrent of "I sure as hell didn't choose to marry you." In-laws are family that don't choose each other, but they try to make it work because they love the ones who are married. So yeah, this was me imagining what the relationship between Thayet's oldest friend and her husband would look like.

-"The Dress Incident" refers to the time in Lioness Rampant when Liam put Alanna down in front of everybody for wearing a dress in Lioness Rampant. I personally dislike Liam, and kind of think he has emotionally abusive moments. I know it's canon that Thayet and Buri love him (hence why Thayet names a son after him), but Buri seems so practical and unwilling to take BS. I feel like she could love Liam as a person but recognize that he was not a great boyfriend to Alanna. Also, I just really like the idea of Buri looking at Alanna and going, "I admire this woman but dear god she has awful taste in men" (George excluded, obviously). I had the idea of Buri judging Alanna a little bit, almost the way a younger sibling judges their older teen sibling for their crazy behavior, and then that teen sibling going, "Just wait until you get to high school, then you'll see." I don't know if that concept of Alanna and Buri's relationship works for everyone, but it sure amuses me.

- In Tortall: A Spy's Guide it's revealed that Thayet's father would parade his mistresses around court in order to humiliate Kalasin and Thayet.

- Tammy has said in interviews that the reason Kally gave up on being a page is because Jon talked her out of it, knowing it would limit her options for marriage. He did it while Thayet was gone, and when she returned and found out what happened she was so upset that she moved into a different part of the palace for a year.