This is a sequel to Lady Roxanne, who is Cythera's sister. She had a few fairly bruising verbal matches with Gary, and he kissed her (for a bet). Most of this is set just after Cythera's arrival at Court, which by my reckoning is after the Tusaine war and before Alanna visits Eleni.
Prologue
When news that the Elden family would be blessing the Tortallan Court with another of their offspring reached Gary, he had groaned and buried his face in his hands, muffled wonderings of how he had offended the gods escaping. His cousin also expressed his displeasure with the gods, in the form of shock at their allowing the Eldens to produce more than one daughter, and there had been a glint in Alex's eyes that Gary had caught after emerging from the refuge of his hands. He hadn't liked it at all. He found himself not liking much of what Alex did recently, but generally shook the feeling off. Alex had been a friend for years.
Gary had claimed that he would run off to Tusaine and live out the rest of his life as one of King Ain's wives if he had to so much as speak to another Elden.
Having met the lovely Cythera of Elden, he was still considering Tusaine. Only, in this new version, he would bypass King Ain's gardens and head straight for the most uninhabited corner, where he wouldn't have to worry about competing for her attention, save with dangerously attractive goats.
"She can't be mortal," Gary announced abruptly.
The other boys stared at him blankly. He struggled to recall what they had been discussing whilst he had been lamenting Cythera's absence, but was unable to remember and shrugged apologetically.
"Delia?" Alan asked, looking scornful. "She's perfectly mortal, if the way she sweats when she dances is any indication. You could solve Carthaki droughts with that amount of water." His eyes darted to Jon as he spoke and his face tensed slightly, prepared for an explosion and a detailed analysis of Delia's defining attributes. This always seemed to start and finish with how beautiful she was, missing out most of her personality - and for good reason, Gary thought privately, but only because he was over Delia now.
Jonathan simply grinned, ignoring his squire for the moment. "I think my cousin has turned the conversation toward the lady Cythera. Mithros, she's beautiful."
Gary felt a twinge of jealousy at the look on Jon's face. Evidently he was not the only one; Alan flushed, reaching a hand up to fiddle with the ends of his hair. "And not interested in you," he said tartly to Gary. "I don't remember seeing her say more than two words together to you. Or apart, for that matter."
Gary sighed. Unfortunately the (too) plain-speaking boy was right. Cythera had been sweet and attentive; everything Roxanne was not. The only problem was, whereas Roxanne had chosen him to pick on, Cythera had directed her sweetness and attentiveness to everybody except him. Cythera had danced with Alex, Jon, Raoul - Mithros, she had only danced with Raoul one night - and even the notoriously reluctant Alan had turned surprisingly obliging (well, obliging for him at any rate) when there was a chance to dance with the lovely lady.
There was never a chance for Gary. Whenever he managed to approach her, she was always off again, talking to this lord or that knight. What was so different? He was the Queen's nephew; son of the Prime Minister, the King's Champion and the training master; and hardly repulsive-looking besides. He ran a hand over his hair, as if to assure himself it hadn't all fallen out when he'd got up that morning.
"She's just perfection itself," he concluded. "She's not like ordinary girls."
Jon murmured his agreement, which caused Alan to snort loudly, and with disbelief. "Just yesterday, you were declaring Delia was the only one for you for ever and ever and you could hardly bear to look at another girl again."
An ironic smile twisted the corners of Jon's mouth and he settled back in his chair, raising his eyebrows at his squire and looking faintly amused. "Yes, I suppose I was, wasn't I? Ah, well, I guess that means this one's free for you to take, Cousin Gary. How do you propose to entice her?"
Gary looked thoughtful, considering and discarding plans such as 'Impress with Poetic Tongue', 'Make Jealous' and 'Become Indispensable'. Cythera was too special to trick into falling for him (aside from the fact that the ideas had never worked too well the first time). "Wait," he replied simply. "She'll come around eventually."