The Run-Through

Title: Promises
Words: 465
Date Written: Sunday, April 16, 2006
Kingdom: Tortall, Tamora Pierce
Summary: Dove looks back at her friendship with Aly.
Genre: General/ Angst
Quoted Text:
(1) Page 268 in Random House's hardcover US release edition of Trickster's Queen, by Tamora Pierce.
(2) Page 400 in Random House's hardcover US release edition of Trickster's Queen, by Tamora Pierce.
(3) Page 434 in Random House's hardcover US release edition of Trickster's Queen, by Tamora Pierce.

Disclaimer: Everything except the plot and this piece of writing belong to Tamora Pierce. Italicized text are direct quotes from Tamora Pierce, and belong to her.

A/N: Two new things from me in the same day… That must be a record!

Promises

"I will be your friend until the end of time," she told the younger girl. (1)

The old, jaded, queen looked out her window of her suite. It had been twenty years since the raka had taken back the throne, but she had never earned another true friend. Her spymaster, Aly, had been her only true friend, other than Sarai, who was in Cathrak, and Winna, who had succumbed to disease ten years ago. Ironically, she thought of Taybur, who had been picked off by an assassin, betrayed by one of his own guards. She remembered that vow above anything else, even when the nattering of councilors, and the protests and complaints came day in and day out.

Dovasary sighed. One thing she had learned was that you could command obedience from your subjects, but loyalty, trust, friendship, love, could never be commanded. She longed for those nights; the nights that Aly used to brush her hair, and Dove could have an intelligent conversation.

The sun was setting. All glimmers of light were slipping away, like Aly. True, the spymaster still talked to her 'young mistress', but instead of the carefree, friendly, way Dove longed for, it was in the respectful way so many others talked to her, as a subject talks to their monarch, a vassal to their liege.

Her chin wobbled. "Please don't close me out." She looked at Aly. "That applies to you as well."(2)

She COULD make that a royal command, she mused, but how much of that would be wanted, and how much would be forced? Her most important advisor had closed her out. For some time, her thoughts drifted to the new law, but in the end, they came back.

Over dinner with some stuffy nobleman, lurain, she thought about the days before she took the throne. The days that Alianne still cared. The days that Alianne still embraced her.

Everybody closed Dove out. She was not conservative enough, nor progressive enough. She was not completely raka, nor lurain. She was not one of the commoners, and was above the nobles. Everyone treated her with the sort of awe and respect a good queen deserves. But, what that monarch longed for was trust, and friendship.

She had married for the good of her country, after Taybur had been killed. If that meant marrying one of the lesser princes from Tortall, well, she did it. She didn't love the man, as sweet, caring, and understanding Jasson tried to be. She couldn't. She only loved Aly, who loved Nawat.

"I thought you were my friend," she added quietly. "I still need a friend."(3)

She found herself whispering it along with her memory. "I still need a friend."

Fin.

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