ella enchanted: the site

Of Humans and Fairies
by Tessandra (© Tessandra, 2002)

Chapter Eleven :: Yet Another Title

"There was Johen, who was quite the ladies' man besides being a thief. His affairs were always short and carefree. Tari was my best friend, a part elven girl with nothing but their startling green eyes to show what blood ran through her. I had no knowledge what had happened to her. Dein was her brother, younger by a year, but tough as steel. Their parents had been farmers that had died in a bandit raid." Chapter Five, describing Laeliena's friends in Yvonhe.

** - "Laeli, catch!" Johen shouted, tossing the pouch to me. I reached out a hand to grab it, the weight surprising me, and the leather bag bulging with coins. Johen laughed as he swung away from the foreign lady in her fine carriage. He caught up with me, dressed in silks like a bed boy, and we dashed away, the howls and shaking fist of the foreigner following us. He grabbed me and kissed me, twirling me in the air as we laughed hysterically. "Now," he said, plucking at his yellow fluffy sleeves, "I ought to get out of these." Fresh gales of laughter followed -** - Dream, Chapter Eight

AAnd the dream from the last chapter. Bekkah, I liked your idea about the slippers - I'm actually doing something sort of like that, except with Ella's necklace. And as BlueJewel pointed out, I did have once say "seven hells," and another time "nine hells," just cause I like using those for swears. Of course, I should stick with one number. I could make it eight, but I don't want to use an even number for it. Okay, okay, you can read the story now . . .

I hugging him and crying and all around in a state of disarray as I clung to Johen, eyes melded with his. Three words seemed to march about in my mind, refusing to let another thought near; Johen was alive. Living. My fellow thief, my friend, my love - everything wonderful was represented by him. Or at least, it used to be.

When we drew apart we both became very aware of the stunned princes, the shocked ladies, and one expressionless Seer. Staring at them defiantly, Johen turned away, and kissed my forehead. "By every god there ever was, Laeliena, I have missed you, I thought you lost to me forever."

"Laeliena?!" Three astonished voices broke in, staring at me.

Aiven was staring at me with a face white enough to match his formal robes. "What did he call you?" he asked, voice soft and disbelieving.

"I called her by her name, lord Seer," Johen said, managing to sound both respectful and defiant. Why is it he could manage that and I couldn't? He curled a protective arm around my shoulder. "Surely you've heard her name before."

By this time all three of the youth were standing. "Laeliena," the Mage prince said, eyes wide, "is the name of the Shien. The Princess of Lahtorli. "

"Oh, fun," I said sarcastically, "More titles." Suddenly my attention was caught. "Did you say Lahtorli?"

"This," said the duchess, Landraia, pushing to her feet, "is outrageous! The Princess of Lahtorli is a legend, a myth! The girl lies!"

"I haven't even claimed anything yet!" I protested.

"How can she be a from Lahtorli? The country was destroyed centuries ago," Johen chimed in.

"Do I really get to be a princess? And without marrying anyone?" I asked hopefully.

"If everyone would please . . . be silent for a moment, I would be most appreciative," Aiven said in a voice that basically meant, "shut the hell up or I will make the rest of your very short life excruciatingly painful." We shut up.

"My lady," Aiven said bowing to Kiebess. "Your Grace," he said to the brunette. "Please accept my apologies for this rude interruption of our breakfast. Would you do me the favor of resuming it tomorrow morning?"

They assented, and accepted the princes' apologies and farewells, and reluctantly left. I then had the pleasure of watching the princes and Aiven exchange glares, for Aiven obviously wanted them to leave and they would not. They would have stood there forever if Johen had not taken my hand and pulled me toward my room. "Come on Lael - we have some catching up to do."

With an oath Aiven followed us into my room.

"You can't go into the lady's room!" one of the twins called angrily.

"I can," Aiven responded. "You can't."

The door swung shut, and the three of us were alone.

Aiven stood leaning against the door, dressed in black and dark brown, which matched his eyes. He wore loose, billowing clothes much like what he wore last night; mage clothes. He twisted a ring back and forth on his finger, and bit his lower lip. His eyes were cloudy again, glazed, and I was afraid he would prophesize again. He looked unstable, and his fidgeting stilled. I watched his eyes closer this time then I had before - watched them glaze and seem to swirl gently to the right, milky white mixing in with the brown which mixed with the black of his pupil, and mixing with the iris. On top the glassy layer formed. I looked away, feeling too squeamish to watch the odd way his eyes were working. Had they mixed together this much last time?

Johen stood next to my bed, which I sat on. His blue eyes were narrowed as he gazed intently at Aiven, and one hand covered the Quov'in stone imbedded in his wrist. Why? Who had done such a horrible thing to him, and how had he come to serve food in Aiven chambers? How had he gotten to this country in the first place? The last I had known of him, royal soldiers of Yvonhe were taking him to the mines of ShiGallan. And no one comes out of those minds alive.

As I continued to scrutinize Johen, I heard a thump and turned my head to Aiven - to me met by the wall. Quickly lowering my gaze, I found him collapsed on the floor, eyes rolled up in his head - I think. It way have been that the colors of his eyes had just blended so much that I could no longer tell where the pupil was.

I jumped from my bed to go over to him, but Johen grabbed my arm. "Johen, I have to find out what's happened to him," I said, pulling my arm away while offering him an apologetic smile.

"Leave him," Johen said coldly. "He's a Seer. He causes nothing but pain." I glanced at his face, startled, then down to his wrist. I opened my mouth, but was unable to voice the words. Johen's mouth twisted. "He did not do that," he said bitterly. "I did."

I did.

"Impossible," I whispered. No one could inflict that much pain on themselves. It was like trying o strangle yourself; you passed out before you hands could stop your breathing. A person's body simply would not allow them to implant this jewel in them. The pain it causes . . . I had heard it was constant, and did not stop til the end of one's life. And sometimes not even then.

"Laeli," Johen, whispered, and then he leaned down and clutched me to him, kissing me and shaking. I pulled back, and could instantly read the hurt and betrayal in his eyes. I wanted to kiss him back, but there was Aiven . . . who didn't even like me, but he HAD kissed me. I wasn't going to go and kiss someone else the very next day.

You're being crazy, I told myself. You love Johen, so you should be happy to kiss him. Happy that he's alive. I was, truly. As for my love for him . . .

You love him, I repeated to myself, more sternly this time. And he loves you - well, at least a little bit. Aiven, on the other hand, thinks of you as an obnoxious girl who he only puts up with because you're the daughter of the Eternal Lah'nayin.

Yet he had kissed me.

I rubbed my forehead, glancing from one to another, my eyes resting on Aiven as I waited for him to speak.

He didn't.

"What's wrong with him?" Johen said, finally seeming to notice he wasn't getting up.

"Um, well, I don't really know. Something." I broke away from Johen but stopped before I reached Aiven, my mind returning to what Johen had said - "He did not do that. I did." My mind didn't seem to be able to understand that concept. It eluded me, as no sane person would torture themselves that way.

"She poisons the blood."

Johen and I both immediately fastened our gazes of the Seer, and I retreated in astonishment. He was - GLOWING, of all things. Casting out a white light, not warm, not cold, just startlingly white, which seemed to originate from his eyes. I was not sure; his eyes were so obscured by the light that I wasn't really positive that was the source of it.

"Laeli," Johen said, "we'd better get out of here."

A moment passed, as I continued to stare at Aiven. Finally I squeaked out a "Yes," and he took my arm and gently pulled me from the room.

"What happened?" I said, turning my golden eyes toward Johen. "Why's he . . . glowing? What's wrong?" My voice rose, and started to shake. "What's wrong with him? What's wrong with YOU? You have one of THOSE jewels and yet you say you put it in your wrist? Is NO ONE here normal?!"

"Oh, Lael," Johen said softly, voice sad. I didn't wait to hear another word, but dashed from Aiven's apartment, sprinting down the halls. I want to go home, I thought, but there was no home for me.

"Oh!" Shouted a figure as I banged into it and we both collapsed on the floor, skirts billowing about. I took a long look at the girl I had crashed into in my heedless run.

She was tall, taller then any of the other ladies, but she didn't look gangly at all - quite a feat when sprawled on the floor. She had brown hair and brown hair, but something in her looked familiar. She was obviously a lady, and had a worried maid standing next to her, who hurriedly helped her up, and then me.

"I'm sorry," I said, feeling abashed, and embarrassed at my behavior back in Aiven's suite.

"Perfectly all right, Lady Damslae," the girl said, curtsying to me. I gave a start, wondering how she knew my name. She must have noticed, because she spoke up again, "I sat down the table from you last night," she said with a smile. "Everyone was interested.

"Oh," I said intelligently. "I'm sorry - what's your name?"

"Mariva," she responded, curtsying. "Daughter of Duke Onviton, and niece of King Gonlaintovo."

Amazing. The king had a name. It was a rather odd name, and didn't seem to fit what I'd seen of him. I wondered if he just went by Gonny.

"Oh," I said yet again. That was what I'd recognized about her; she looked a little like her cousins. "So you're a duchess?"

She shook her head, seemingly amused at my naivete, but not unkindly. "My mother is. I'm a lady."

"Well," I said, glancing behind me, "um, this is a little . . . random . . . but I don't suppose I could have breakfast with you? Aiven is bound to be a little mad at me, and - well, could I?" I winced. My court manners were rapidly decreasing. Soon I'd be crawling on the floor and saying, "Me want food!" and "Ooh, fire. Ow! It bite!"

"Of course," Mariva said, which was very hospitable. I don't think I'd let a stranger come have breakfast with me. Perhaps I didn't qualify as a stranger; I was the almighty Seer's guest, after all.

"Is the Seer angered greatly? I know my cousins the princes went to eat at his rooms this morning."

"I have another name, which made them all go somewhat insane." We stepped into a richly decorated greeting chamber, where Mariva and I settled on a deep burgundy couch in front of a fire. "I don't suppose you know who the Princess of . . . uh . . . Latli is? Lateri? Oh, I don't know. Something along those lines."

"Do you mean Lahtorli? The Princess Laeliena?" she asked as a servant handed us tea.

"Yes, that was it. Me."

Her eyes widened, and she twisted to face me. "I thought your name was Damslae!"

"I sort of lied," I said, looking into me tea. "And know Aiven got all mad because he thinks that's impossible because I'm also supposed to be someone else, and apparently it's impossible for them to be the same person. Worse, there's this youth I knew from where I used to live and he's there and he had a Quov'in stone in his wrist which he said HE put there, and for some reason he doesn't like Aiven at all, and- " I broke off and took a long sip of tea, knowing I was babbling.

"Laeliena is the Shien," Mariva said slowly and carefully. "And some believe the Shien IS the Saint, but most do not."

It was my time to look at her with wide eyes. "You know about all of this? I - I don't suppose you could tell me?" I had been puzzling forever about all of Aiven prophecies - if they could actually be explained, in part at least -

Mariva grinned. "It seems you have been left out in the cold concerning all these things. That always seems to be the case with the person that everything centers around the most. I will tell you what I know, and you can show those squabbling little boys up when they're being difficult explaining things.

"Thank you," I said sincerely, smiling back at her. I found like I was settled in and safe for the first time since leaving the farm. I felt like I'd found a friend - not like one of the princes to flirt with or Aiven who would occasionally tell me things and could be kind, if it suited him, or even Johen who I had known for years. Here was a girl who I could talk to and would understand me, for she didn't seem at all stuck of like my previous encounters this morning of Sontái's ladies.

"All right," Mariva said, leaning forward conspiringly, "here's what I know . . ."

Chapter Twelve :: A Little History

"A war is coming," Mariva said gravely, face thoughtful as she called all her knowledge of the Seers to hand. "From what I understand, it will be far from normal. Not the raging battles where men are armed with swords and led by kings wishing for more land or to settle a dispute. This will be a battle where the weapons are magic, fought be Seers, Mages, and Mages of Darkness - the creative name we have labeled the enemy. There are certain other players. As I've heard it, the Saint and the Eternal Lah'nayin's daughter come up most frequently.

"The Saint is on the side of the enemy. She as disguised as a good person, probably beautiful, and very easy to trust. It is she who will gather information from us, learn our secrets. She is connected with the Aevai'in, a deadly catalyst that will swamp the world in darkness and greed. More then that; it is not quite so simple, so clear cut."

Mariva took a deep breath, staring at her fingers before she continued. "The Aevai'in will not cause the world to suddenly burst into flames and make kingdoms fall. Instead, life will slowly sour, like a plague slowly infecting all of humanity. People will cheat each other of goods, pointless wars will be fought, friends will betray one another. All that was good will slowly turn corrupt, leaving the world a place of greed and distrust, where those with money are thew highest gods. Not everyone will become twisted immediately - only the most susceptible, then they will drag down the rest. Eventually, the souls will leave all people. Humanity will be completely and utterly destroyed."

She glanced up now, meeting my eyes. "As the dark players have their advantage, we have the daughter of the Eternal Lah'nayin - you. The Saint, some people believe, but unlikely. The Eternal Lah'nayin is supposed to be, after all, the daughter of the Lady and Lord - or from what information I've gleaned I think that's who. Her daughter is the weapon of our side, the person who will help us - we hope - win." She smiled wryly. "I wish I knew more, but they're so secretive about her - you."

"What about - about the Princess of Lahtorli? Who I apparently am, even though I apparently can't be?"

"Lahtorli is a dead kingdom . . . ."

"Oh, great. I've always wanted to be princess of a dead kingdom."

"It was destroyed in the flames from the eyes of the Lady's father, before humans were created, before any of the land lay as it does now. The Kingdom of Music . . . The Elven land . . ." Mariva looked at me inquiringly. "Children learn of it in school, in their history course. Weren't you?"

"I didn't go to school. The only country I was ever interested in was my own."

"Oh. Well, Laeliena was the last princess -"

I was a little annoyed with the boys. If everyone knew the name of the princess, why was it that astonishing that I had it? Maybe my mother liked fancy princess-y names.

"-and though everyone is taught about her, she is only referred to as the Princess of Lahtorli. Only the Seers know her name."

"And you."

"Well, my betrothed is the Seer of Bast. And I have Priestess Magic, only I refused to go train to be one. It wasn't very much, and I had dreams of riding off with my own handsome prince, like in bedtime stories. So when the Priestesses came to me when I was only five, I threw a temper tantrum and my uncle said I didn't have to leave. I like to think I'm a little less of a spoiled brat now. The entire point of that was that I was mindlocked with Corln - the Bastian Seer - by accident. Since he had the stronger power, he was able to keep his thoughts from me - though he absorbed all of mine. However, he had only just come out of a vision concerning the Princess of Lahtorli, and I was able to gain her name, though nothing else.

"That's how I know. Anyway, *no one* carries the name of Laeliena anymore - it hasn't been used in thousands of years. Apparently the princess was a martyr of some such - I never paid much attention when my governess tutored me in history. I do know that Laeliena is the Shien - the wavering point, the focus of the powers. She is reborn, with all her all her mind intact - all knowing, but she shares none of her knowledge. The Shien makes discussions that play a grand part in determining the outcome, but they are all more to help her land that no longer exists - that is completely not clear, but that's how I understand it. I'm sorry. I don't understand a lot of it myself."

"No, it was much more then I did. Thank you." I leaned back, finishing my tea. "The Princes knew what the name Laeliena meant."

Mariva nodded. "The higher ranking Mages also know this, and Tullon would never keep a secret from his twin."

"And Landraia seemed to have a pretty good idea what she was talking about."

"Did she really? Or was she just piecing together pieces of what others have said?"

"She said something along the lines of how I was an outrageous liar and the Princess of Lahtorli was a myth."

"Oh. She probably thought they were talking about how being the Princess reborn - which they were, but connected to the prophecies. I wouldn't pay much attention to her - in magic related things, at least. In court, she's made it so she's one of the most important person."

"I don't think I like her."

"How astonishing." We grinned at each other. "Anything more uplifting you'd like to do now?

* * *

There was no one else in the courtyard Mariva and I entered. Well, except for the couple hidden by the lilac bush that we knocked into, but they barely counted seeing how they stayed there the entire time. I ignored them, concentrating on the colors in the garden; even in the late fall, they were beautiful. Late flowers bloomed and trees were full of beautiful leaves of red, brown, and gold. A few leaves were artfully scattered on the ground, but not in clumps, covering anything, or in pathways. I wondered if the royal gardeners went to classes for Artfully Arranging Dead Leaves . . .

At the center was a tall fountain. A figure stood on a wide spiral in the center, water pouring from his hands. "Which one is he?" I asked, recognizing the features of the princes.

"Both," she replied, pointing out the circlet with the design of heir, and the jeweled necklace proclaiming the owner a Mage.

"It was sculpted recently."

"This year," Mariva responded dryly. "A new one every birthday, and the old ones stand in one of the palace's galleries."

"I have the feeling you find your cousins . . . spoiled."

"Spoiled? *My* cousins? Of course not," she said sarcastically. She stirred the water with one finger. "I'm sorry. It's just that they get everything they want, and they are so . . . perfect. Gorgeous, chivalrous, charming. . . Rogien is the perfect heir, the perfect knife, the perfect dancer - his list of tributes is longer then I care to recite. And Tullon is this royal Mage; powerful, handsome, sickeningly *royal.*" She sighed, sounding a little upset. "Such wonderful *males.*"

Understanding struck. "Your parents wanted a boy."

"Prayed daily. Offered up money and jewels to the Lady. They left offerings! No one does that anymore. Honestly . . . Then Tullon and Rogien were born, TWIN boys, just a year before me. They think I'm a failure," she said bitterly. "They've been coddling my cousins ever since I was born, and my mother found out she was barren. As if they could convince Tullon to be their heir. Or marry me, something I'd rather not be part of. You have know idea how happy they were when Corln consented to marry me."

"It's an arranged marriage?"

"Every marriage is," Mariva said, looking at me oddly. "But I love him. I didn't, but I do now."

We sat in silence for a minute. Even though she was nobility, Mariva had to put up with some terrible things. I couldn't even remember my parents. I had certainly never been compared to someone else, unless it had to do with my skills as a thief. To have your worth based on your sex . . . That would be unbearable.

"Lady Laeliena?" a voice broke through my thoughts sharply. It was male, cold and stiff - not to mention very familiar. Mariva looked up, but I was slow to follow her example. He had never addressed me by my true name, and never so coldly. Besides, what was with the "Lady"?

When I raised my head, I saw Aiven, dressed all in silver, eyes slightly condemning. He bowed first to Mariva, who hurriedly stood and curtsied, looking not a little awed. Aiven bowed to me then, mouth a tight line, motions stilted.

"What is it?" I said, voice sounding uncomfortable high. "What's wrong?"

"I believe, my lady, that we should depart for Bast."

"But - "

"Now."

"Aiven -"

"We will be leaving in thirty minutes. I will await you in the audience chamber." With another bow to both of us, he turned and walked off.

"No."

He paused in his tracks as my mouth formed that one word, then turned to look at me, face shuttered. "I'm sorry?"

"I said no," I repeated, feeling my temper rising. "I've been invited to a ball, in case you've forgotten. And we are guests of their Majesties. I want to take leave of Lady Jainalii before we leave as well. But most of all," here I was standing and glaring at him, slowly pronouncing each word, "you - have - to - explain. What the hell is going on here? Why are you so mad at me, and why is it so desperate that we leave immediately? Plus, I want to know about Johen. In case you've forgotten, he's my best friend, AND I'm in love with him!" My voice had ridden to an ear splitting level. "I'm SICK of all your mysteries manners! I'm SICK of not knowing anything, of having to follow your plans. And most of all, I'm sick of being a pawn in your annoying little games!"

At that point, the sky opened up and rain poured down.

Chapter Thirteen :: Stolen Rings and Other Things

Within two seconds I was soaked to the bone, pink dress plastered against me. The rain formed a curtain surrounding me. I could dimly see Mariva's shape, and I couldn't see Aiven at all. "Mariva!" I shouted, though she was barely two feet from me. The pounding rain drowned out the sound.

She stepped towards me, and grabbed my hand. "Did you do that?" she shouted back at me.

"Me? I don't think so. At least, I hope not. I'm no Mage!" I couldn't help wondering if I had done that. I had never seen rain come down so suddenly.

Or stop so suddenly, I thought as I realized that within the space of one blink, there was no longer droplets beating on my shoulders and head. The only dripping came from our clothing and hair - which amounted to enough water to fill a lake.

"My lady," a guarded voice said, from behind me, and I turned to see Prince Tullon standing there, wringing out his sleeves.

"Is there any particular reason you're in this garden, too?" I asked, tilting my head. To hell with being polite.

"I felt an uncontained release of untrained magic," he said, meeting my eyes. It looked like he was trying to contain a smile. I watched as his gaze transferred to his cousin beside me.

"All I felt was rain," I muttered under my breath.

"Rain that you caused." I jerked. I hadn't realized Aiven was so close to me.

"How?" I asked. "I'm not a Mage. I'm not!" I protested as they continued to stare at me.

"The daughter of the Eternal Lah'nayin is not," Aiven said, staring hard at me. "The princess of Lahtorli, however . . ."

I glanced at Mariva to see her reaction, only to be met by a very unusual sight. "Mariva!" I gasped, staring at her face. Blue streak ran down from her eyes, along with black streaks. Red rouge decorated her chin and neck. I couldn't stop from laughing, and she joined in, a sort of desperate laugh.

"You look HORRIBLE!" she told me.

"So do you!" I told her. "Like a monster in a play!"

Catching her breath, Mariva cried out "Boo!" which for some reason made us both laugh uncontrollably, collapsing to the floor. After we finally stopped, we glanced at each other, then were off again.

When I looked at Aiven, he was grinning too, even though he looked like he didn't want too. Tullon was looking at us like we WERE something to be afraid of, but he too was amused.

"Here," Aiven said, pulling out two white handkerchiefs and handing them to Mariva and me.

"They're white," I told Mariva, which made us both laugh again, for a long enough time that the youths started to look concerned - of course, that only made us laugh even harder.

By the time Aiven dragged me away and Tullon took his cousin, I had managed to put on a serious face. "Are you all right?" Aiven asked once we were in his rooms, sitting on the plush sofa.

I stared out the window, watching birds dive about. "I think a better question would be, are you?" I said quietly, returning my gaze to his. "What happened this morning?"

"I could ask the same of you," her said with a wry grin. "You and - your lover - were there one moment, and then you were gone when I came out of my trance."

"He's not my lover," I said, sitting up straighter. "And he never was."

"You said he was," Aiven said, watching my face closely - more then likely because of the smudged makeup.

"I said he was my love," I said, standing up.

"Where are you going""

"To wash my face," I responded, glaring at him. "Is that all right?" I stomped into me room, glancing at the mirror. "I look terrible," I said in disbelief, then hurriedly washed everything off. Make-upless and face rubbed red, I returned to the middle room.

"What happened to you?" I asked him as I sat again. "You said, 'She poisons the blood,' but nothing else, though you certainly acted strange. What happened?"

He looked away from me. "It was nothing. Honestly." For some reason his honestly didn't sound very honest.

"Then tell me why we need to leave."

"We must go to the capital of the Bastian Empire."

"I know that," I said lowly, as if speaking to a slow child. "We've been planning on that. I'd just like to know why we can't wait."

Silence reigned in the room for several long moments before Aiven finally spoke. "They have made their first move."

"What? Who - the bad guys?"

His lips curved slightly - not that I was staring at his lips or anything. "Yes. 'The bad guys.' The Dark Mages. The denizens of flame and air, and the mists of earth and water. The hamadryad. The Saint."

"What happened?"

"You don't need to know."

I glared at him. "Does it ever occur to you that I might want to know? That since I'm involved in this I might be inter - " Aiven stopped me, covering my mouth with his hand. I glanced at him, startled enough that I didn't try to move away.

"All right," he said, which completely stunned me. He was actually going to tell me something? "The crown prince of Clait was found dead this morning, murdered by strangulation in a method unique to the country of Tharlin. Clait and Tharlin have been at odd since the formers king refused to wed his daughter to one of Tharlin's princes, and instead had her marry the son of a kingdom Tharlin dislikes. Because Clait's heir has been murdered, Clait has declared war on Tharlin. Their battles will most likely take place Sarlainth, the mountainous country between them."

"So . . .?" I said. "Two countries are fighting. It's not like it's never happened before."

"That is besides the point. The point is that this is the beginning of the Mages of Darkness' work. They have chosen the physical part of our battleground - Sarlainth, where more dead bodies will not be uncommon because of the war."

"Can't the Seers and Mages in those three countries do something about this? Stop the war?"

"Perhaps. But the Sarlainth Seer has been corrupted - in a way. As soon as a Seer is corrupted, as soon as their loyalties are twisted, so are their powers. They can no longer access the trove of our preceder's visions or any of our shared powered. Their Seeings are warped and blurred. A new Seer becomes the royal one, someone else with powers that were unawakened. The corrupted Seer is no longer the Seer of Sarlainth; that position falls to Favlon, as of two years ago. Rinthe has disappeared." Aiven looked grim, like he was remembering something painful. I wondered if Rinthe had been a friend of his. "It is this twisted Seer that arranged for the war between the other two countries, who arranged for the fighting to be on the land of Sarlainth. And so our fights will be there.

"That is why I want to leave for Bast; the war has come sooner then we thought and we must prepare for it."

I stared, stunned. Amazed as I was by all this information, I was even more amazed that Aiven had shared it with me. He was not exactly the confiding sort.

"So we're leaving now," I said slowly, trying to process all that I'd learned.

"If you'll come," Aiven said, looking away from me and moving back, as if he'd just realized how close we were. I just had; knees touching, foreheads close. Suddenly I felt very shy. I met Aiven's warm eyes.

"Damslae," he said softly, taking my hand. "I . . . what I mean is, you - would you - "

The door opened and slammed shut, and I had an almost irresistible urge to jump up and strangle whoever it was at Aiven leaned back stiffly, his eyes shuttering.

"Your Highness," Aiven said, nodding to the heir, who nodded in return. Rogien looked from Aiven to me spectivily, no doubt noticing the red in my cheeks. Even if I'd dumped all the rouge I had on them they couldn't be redder, I was sure.

"If I could just speak to you for a moment, Aiven . . ." The prince trailed off, looking at me as if by thought alone he could make me leave the room.

"Of course," Aiven said, nodding for him to sit on the seat he had vaquented, and sitting down next to me. To my surprise - and Prince Rogien's - he did not tell me to leave.

"I would ask you to watch over my brother. I know we are all of the same age, but you've been much more in control of your life then my brother or I have been. When you go to Bast, I'd just life you to make sure nothing happens to him." The prince dropped his eyes to the ground, and I wished that I had someone that cared about me as much as the prince obviously cared about his twin. "Please, Aiven."

"Of course," Aiven, agreed, smiling at Rogien. "He won't be on any of the battle fields at all, you know. His contribution will risk only his mind," Aiven said with a wry smile."

"Well that's a relief. He won't lose anything in that case," the elder prince said with a laugh, but I could see he was relieved. Standing, he nodded again at Aiven, then took my hand and kissed it. "I am forever sorry I cannot be your escort he said, smiling charmingly at him. I smiled too, almost unconsciously slipping a ring from his finger as he lowered my hand with his own. He left.

I stared down at the ring in my hand, as Aiven crossed to the window, not noticing. It was a pretty ring, with two green stones and an opal in it, but for some reason I couldn't slip it in my pocket. Without really knowing what I was doing, I jumped up and ran from the room, barely registering Aiven calling after me. I reached the prince.

"Your Highness," I said, knowing I was absolutely crazy. He turned with raised eyebrows. "You dropped something."

"I've heard that before," he said with a grin. "And here I though you needed no one but Aiven - or that servant boy."

"I'm not doing this to flirt with you!" I cried angrily. "You did. This ring." I opened my fist and showed to him.

"Oh," he said in surprise, slipping in on. "I didn't notice that slip off." He grinned again as he slipped it onto his bare forefinger. "My apologies. Some girls just come up with desperate things to get my attention."

"It's all right," I said, curtsying then hastily moving back as my skirt was dripping on his shoes. I really ought to change.

Why had I done that? I wondered as I walked back to Aiven's rooms. I had never felt the need to return anything that I'd stolen before. Never. It just did not occur to me. Yet I had just ran after someone I didn't know or care about, someone with thousands of rings, to give one back. It was as if I had qualms about taking things.

I shook my head as I reentered the room. That was absolutely ridiculous. I was a thief. Period. There was absolutely no reason for me to change.

"Why," Aiven said in a smooth voice, still leaning against the windowsill and staring out, "did you go chasing after Rogien?"

"I didn't," I said defensively. "I just - I was returning something he dropped."

"Really," Aiven said in a flat voice," turning to stare at me, all warmth gone from his honey colored eyes.

"Yes, really. He dropped a ring and I returned it."

"Why would YOU return jewelry?"

Good question. "It was his," I said weakly.

"You wanted an excuse to talk to him, didn't you?"

"Lady, you think that to, don't you? Are all men hopelessly conceited and think the only reason something nice is done is for attention. He left it here and I thought I should return it all right?" I felt my face burn, and I buried my hands in my wet, heavy skirt, aching to get out of it.

Suddenly his face changed. "You stole it!" he said, sounding half- amazed, half-gleeful. "You stole it, then felt bad, and had to return it!"

"That's completely not true!" I argued, but my red face gave me away.

"You shouldn't me embarrassed," Aiven said grinning at me. "There's nothing wrong with being a good, law abiding citizen-"

"Aiven, you're being unfair!"

"Am I?" He said, taking my arm and tugging me down next to him as he sat on the velvet couch. He looked young, smiling and laughing. He was almost never in a playful mood. I realized with a pang that being a Seer had stolen most of his life from him. It wasn't fair I thought as I smiled back at him. He could have had a good life, a happy one, unburdened by all these wars. Married whom he liked . . .

"Did you ever truly love Chayette?" I asked softly, thinking of the pretty brunette that had claimed they were pledged to each other.

Aiven's eyes slid from mine, focusing somewhere around my ear. "No," he said. "She wanted me for a long time . . . I was eleven when I had my first vision. Five years younger then you are now, and a heavy weight was placed on my shoulders. I Saw myself meeting the last Seer in a place known only to us, Saw my powers that had lied dormant awaken, and knowing what he knew as he left our world. A week later, exactly that happened.

"No one but Kiyra and our parents knew. But the rest f the village knew there was something special about me. I would disappear for long periods of time and come back finely clothed. I enjoyed my position; and I still do. With the responsibility come luxuries, friends, wealth, and pleasure in my Seeing . . . I brought back things for my family and close friends. And Chayette's father set his mind on me for a son-in-law when I was only fourteen.

"Chayette was beautiful, confident, and charming. There was the addition that she didn't know who I was; all the court ladies wanted me to wed their daughters, but that was because I was the Seer. Chayette didn't know, which gave her a more innocent air to me."

He shrugged, still staring at my ear. "As I grew older, I realized that I was still the richest youth around, and I served the same purpose to girls in the village as I did to the ladies at court, just on a smaller scale. Still, it was easy to go along with Chayette, just to keep the other girls off me. I never pledged myself to her, though I knew she expected me to marry her."

"You played with her heart."

Now he met my gaze. "As she would have played with mine if I had let her. It would have been simple enough to fall in love with her. But I was not cruel; I always told her I could not marry her. She just chose not to believe me." Is grin was lopsided. "My turn. Do you really love Johen?"

My throat went dry. I wanted to say "of course," but I had the feeling he had been completely truthful with me, and it had not sounded like something he told often. "I . . ." was my sophisticated beginning, "See - We've known each other forever. Since we were five and met when he stopped a lord from catching me when I cut his purse. It was the two of us for years, until we met Tari and Dein. They were my family. And Johen became more. NOT a lover; more then that. Everyone expected that one day . . . well, thieves don't usually marry, but we always thought we would. That we'd - oh I don't know, have a normal life, though neither of us thought of giving up our trade. Then I was dragged off because of the prince, and Johen was taken away to Shi'Gallen, a prison. I was sure he would die; dying would be pleasurable to what happens to people in Shi'Gallan. I spent three months in the company of Yvonhe's royals, then over month after being banished with you. I never really thought I'd see him again. It was absolutely shocking when - when he just entered this room - and I loved him so much. . ."

I looked away. Did I still love him? He had acted oddly, true, but that didn't change anything. And I had loved him for so long. "I don't know," I said finally. "I might - but . . ."

"But you might just be afraid to let go of him . . ."

I looked quickly at his face, which was watching me closely. I had said what I'd tried to keep from myself, what might be the truth. I hadn't ever been so confused in my entire life. Even if I didn't love Johen, I at least felt responsible for him, as if all the torture he had undergone was my fault, and it was in a way. If Praithan had not decided he wanted to marry me, his guards would never have stopped Johen when he was with me.

"I should change my dress," I murmured, slowly rising from my seat and staring down at Aiven. "I'll be ready soon . . ." I trailed off. I seemed to be doing a lot of that recently.

"Laeliena," Aiven said, also standing, and brushing my cheek with his hand. We stood like statues neither moving, barely moving.

"I should change," I said again, and tearing my gaze away from his eyes, I retreated into my room.

Chapter Fourteen :: Departure

I swept out into the main room again, comfortable in my green satin - duchesse satin, I knew, thanks to Lady Jainalii - gown, which was, Lady bless, dry. My reapplied make-up and borrowed jewelry gave me confidence as I was ready to demand to know where Johen was. Even if my feelings toward him had changed, I still needed to talk to him. And I didn't know if my feelings HAD changed. Maybe I did still love him. Certainly remembering all those times together filled me with warmth. He was so familiar, so much part of my life . . .

Aiven wasn't in the room, however, so I couldn't demand to know where Johen was. I peeked into his chamber, but couldn't see him there, either.

I started to close his door, but curiosity got the better of me. He'd never know if I just peeked around a little bit . . . The room was decorated in silver and white, which was a little boring to my eye. It was, however, impressive. A tall arching ceiling and a little fountain in the room made in seem more like an indoor courtyard then a bedchamber. On a table desk to the bed - which had three steps leading up to it - there was a clear ball.

My eyebrows rose as I looked at it. In Yvonhe, whenever the rare topic of Seers came up, we mentioned them seeing through a crystal ball. But then, the common stereotype had them as wizened old blind men as well.

The crystal - if it was that - looked exactly like what a Seer's seeing glass ought to. It was set on a cradle, a little stand with four dragons snaking out to hold it in place. The ball itself was clear in some parts yet milky in others, and throughout it was streaked with the colors of the rainbow, changing forever as I tilted it. Only the veins of gold seemed to stay in place.

"What are you doing?"

I shrieked and dropped the crystal, watching aghast as it splintered into a thousand pieces. The colors seemed to spill out of it and vanish, and the gold veins splintered off from the crystal, looking like hot molten gold on the silver rug.

I raised my eyes to Aiven's, horrified. What if he wouldn't be able to see anything now that I'd ruined this? What if it was dreadfully important, or one of a kind, and it could never be replaced and this was just positively TERRIABLE -

"Damn," Aiven said calmly, picking up one of the shreds and examining it closely. He sighed. "Oh well. I was about due for someone to break this one. I suppose I'll have to order another one."

"Aren't you going to throw a fit?" I said in a small voice.

He glared at me. "I do not "throw fits." besides, it would be pointless. You'd only retaliate by screaming louder and my eardrums would break."

I gave him a withering look, but was still afraid I had gone too far by breaking the crystal. "Will you still be able to See?" I asked. What if his powers were all centered in this ball? That was how the bards' tales went . . .

He gave me a startled look, then laughed. At my look of offense - I was really worried that I had made his powers disappear - he laughed even harder, sinking down into the carpet.

"What?" I asked, annoyed.

"You honestly believed those stories about Seers and crystal balls?"

"Why not?" I asked, glaring at him again. I don't like being laughed at.

"It's just . . . the whole purpose -" one look at me made him break out in fresh laughter.

I sat down on the floor near him, exasperated. Obviously I'd just have to wait until he was done laughing. I'd probably wrinkle my duchesse satin dress beyond repair, but I didn't care right now.

When he finally regained his breath, Aiven explained. "It's a joke, in a way. Everyone seems to expect certain things from Seers - the clothes we were, the runes we write, carrying staffs, seeing through crystal balls and using certain talismans - we sort of go along with it. The crystals especially. They're very impressive to people, who usually think it's the source of all our power and whatnot. They're wrong of course. The crystals are just for decoration, as are most of the other things we have. We all buy them from companies in Jayklin, and try to outdo each other in what we have . . . The people who make all these things make quiet a tidy profit. "

I stared at him open mouthed. "You're kidding."

"Certainly not," Aiven said with a smirk. "It's all used to impress people. And you should see Jayklin. It's a city-country, where the Seers live, and the people who support us. There are many different merchant stores specializing in robes and staffs and jewelry . . ."

"That's outrageous!" I exclaimed. "So it's all for show?"

"Isn't everything in life? Kings buy their fine clothes and their palaces and their falcons, we buy other things. People just expect mystical things to be connected to them."

"Then how DO you See?" I asked warily.

"I can't answer that."

"Why not?" I demanded.

"Because you aren't a Seer."

"When did you figure that out?" I asked sarcastically. "Come on Aiven, do you always have to be so mysterious?"

"Yes," he said shortly, all humor leaving him suddenly. "Why were you in my room?"

"I was looking for you."

"And going through my things?"

"All I did was look at the crystal, which you've admitted can be replaced."

He glared at me. "It will be expensive."

"Oh, the horror, the terror," I said sarcastically. "Can't you just make a call through the fire saying, "please send me a new crystal," and have it directly shipped here?"

Aiven drew himself up to his full height, looking at me disapprovingly. "That would be a Mage's work," he stated. "Not the Seer's."

"Ooh, sorry. My mistake." After a second of looking at each other, Aiven smiled slightly.

It struck me that I really LIKE his smile.

"Uh, Aiven?" I began softly, a little hesitant to bring up this new subject. "Um, see, before we leave, I'd really, REALLY like to talk to Johen. I just don't exactly know where he is."

Aiven watched me silently.

"That was my very obvious hint to tell me where he is," I prompted.

Aiven just shrugged, sitting next to me on the bed. "I don't know where lover-lad is," he said sarcastically. "I asked about him, but he was filling in for one of my regular servants. It appears he is one of the palace servants. A scullery boy," he said, hard-pressed to contain his glee as he pronounced Johen of that particular rank.

I frowned at him. "By the Lady, Aiven, it's not funny! He is not just a scullery boy. He has been one of my closest companions for as long as I've lived."

"One?" Aiven said, amused. Much as I liked seeing him smile, I'd rather he wasn't laughing at my friends or me.

"Yes, one," I repeated glaring at him and flipping my titan hair over my shoulder. "The others were my best friend Tari and her brother Dein. And I want to be able to talk to Johen, because he has obviously suffered a lot and I want to be able to help him."

"You don't care when *I* suffer," Aiven grumbled.

I looked at him in surprise. "You don't suffer," I told him firmly. "You're far too noble and aloof to do that."

"Was that an insult or a compliment?" Aiven asked suspiciously.

I widened my golden eyes knowing they would make a dear jealous, and fluttered my eyelashes soulfully. "Would I insult you?" I said, full aware that the look I was giving him coupled with my bell-like tone of voice was more then equal to melting men into eager pools of complacency.

Aiven however, just gave me proof that unlike most men, his heart was not made of muscle, nor even ice, but instead really, REALLY hard stone that and a burning point way past where I was able to count. He didn't appear enchanted, or suddenly freeze or anything like that. Instead he laughed, patted my hand patronizingly, and said, "O'course no, little 'un," in a pronounced country accent, before ruffling my hair.

"Thanks," I said sarcastically, reaching up and patting my hair back into place. There go my womanly charms. "Do you know were he is or not?"

Aiven flopped backwards, sprawling across the bed. "Nope," he said with a cat-like grin and looking incredibly un Seer-ish. "But you're free to search the kitchens for him until our departure at noon."

"Then I'd best be off," I said, jumping off his bed and leaving his room without a glance back at him, head held high.

Of course, as soon as I left the room I slowed my pace, waiting for him to come after me. To my pathetic disappointment, he didn't.

*******************************

The kitchens were very big, very full, very hot, and filled with people giving the gold-eyed lady in duchesse satin odd looks. Why wouldn't they? I suppose I did look a tiny bit abnormal wearing a green gown with sweeping sleeves and an elaborate hairstyle in the middle of several large rooms were the people wore aprons and sweaty faces.

"Pardon, but can I help you, m'lady?" one kitchen lass said, bobbing a curtsy and giving me an angry look. Unlike the other girls, her pretty blond hair was braided into six separate braids, whipping up and down as she moved.

I scowled. I wanted nothing more then to dress in normal - COMMON - clothes, an act as I usually did, I still felt like I was impersonating a lady, rather then being one. Still, there was no reason the six-braided blond should be giving me such an angry look. Yet the girl reminded me of myself; I had never been that fond of nobles either, and hated when they invaded my space.

"I'm looking for a youth," I said shortly. "Blond hair, blue eyes, taller then me. His name is Johen. Do you know where he is."

Six Braids glared at me and shook her head. She began to walk away, but not quick enough - as if I couldn't tell she was lying!

I caught her arm. "Where is he?" I demanded, looking around the kitchen as if he might pop into sight.

She wrenched her arm away. "Why do you want to see him, *m'lady*?" she asked, emphasizing my title as if it was an insult or something.

I rolled my eyes. "Because he's my friend," I said slowly, as if I was talking to a two-year-old.

"Nobles like you aren't "friends" with us folk," Six Braids spat angrily. "Johen's gone through a lot of pin, but don't think that I'll let some stuck up snob me even more cruel to him."

How long had this girl known him? Around a month or something? I hadn't done a single impolite thing - excluding the grabbing her arm bit, but that was provoked, - but I was getting close. "DON'T help me," I muttered as Six Braids stomped away, then I started to search the kitchens for him.

It was a little boy who finally showed me where Johen was - sitting on a narrow stairway and holding his wrist. His eyes were closed and he was gasping in pain as the colorful jewel shone.

"Johen," I said, taking his hands. He looked as if he was about to pass out. "He clenched my hands tightly, shudders wracking his body. Suddenly his eyes rolled up and he began to cough violently. "Johen," I whispered tightly, releasing one of his hands to touch his cold, damp forehead. In an instant, a wave of heat washed his body, turning his face red and making his temperature burn. I grabbed his trembling hand again, holding them both tightly and staring at my friend with huge frightened eyes.

Shuddering one last time he let out a terrifying scream, sounding like the cry of a demon. It went on and on, his body convulsing. I could not help but let go of his hands to grab my ears, praying that the dreadful wailing would cease.

It did, and abruptly too. All of a sudden, it was Johen sitting before me again; breathing hard, but himself nonetheless.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," he muttered, trying to stand but collapsing again on the steps.

"It' s that stone, isn't it? Who did this to you?" My voice was rising; I was dangerously close to hysterics. "We MUST get it removed, immediately! You can't live like this!"

This time, it was he who took my hands to comfort me. "It's okay, Lael," he whispered, stroking my cheek. "It's okay."

"It's NOT!" I exclaimed tears glistening in my eyes. "You're in pain, eternal suffering - you expect that not to bother me? Someone MUST be able to get rid of it."

"No," he said sadly. "It takes an incredible amount of money to remove it, and more often then not, the person dies from the procedure."

"It will kill you anyway!" I screamed, then took a deep breath. "Oh Johen," I said brokenly, and turned my face away to hide the tears that I could no longer blink back.

I couldn't believe this was happening, couldn't believed that wicked Quov'in stone imbedded in his wrist. The pain that it inflicted was legendary, horrifying . . . And here was Johen, bearing one. Johen, who had always been strong, filled with laughter and mischief, was now turned into a wounded, screaming youth suffering from untold agony. He had been taken to Shi'Gallen - I didn't even want to think about what had happened to him at that place, what he had undergone . . . and all because of me.

It was then that Six Braids interrupted us. "What are you doing to him?" she demanded angrily, rushing up the stairs to where we sat and glaring down at me.

Johen looked up in surprise, and all of a sudden I felt him clothe himself in another personality, a safe, comfortable one, at ease with the pain inside him. "You've met Dirlenne?" he said in surprise, looking at me.

"You know her? Six Braids said, catching her breath "How?"

He looked at her wryly. "I've known her for more years then I've know anyone, girl," he said calmly. "Why d you ask?"

Six Braids's - Dirlenne's - mouth fell open. "I - I -" she stammered.

"Can you make my excuses to Cook?" Johen said when she obviously could not go on. "I don't think I'll be helping with the rest of the meal preparation."

Biting her lip, Dirlenne nodded and left.

"That wasn't very nice," I chided once she was gone. "The lass obviously likes you."

He grinned, but I could still see pain in it. "Most girls do," he said. I refrained from mentioning that most girls would be too scared to let themselves like someone burdened by a Quov'in stone.

"How did you get that?" I softly asked, reaching out and touching the jewel's smooth surface. "Did you really -" here I stopped, wincing, "- you know, put it in . . . yourself?"

He looked away, up the staircase. "It was the only thing I could do," he bit out, and I heard the pain and sorrow and memories in his voice. "I thought anything could be better then Shi'Gallen, and when I watched the Mage with that other boy, it seemed like such a simple thing . . . I thought no pain could be worse then what I had already felt." He looked at me, but his eyes saw into the past. "I only did it to escape - stupid, STUPID, and while I left Shi'Gallen, I will never, never leave the ag -" a shudder wracked his body as it had earlier. "The agony," he finished, lowering his face into his hands.

I regarded Johen soberly. It was my fault; completely, utterly, without a doubt. Had Johen not been trying to protect me from the royal Yvonhe soldiers, he would never have been taken away in the first place. Never sentenced to what was often referred to as the worst prison on the continent, where not only were the bodies of the prisoners damaged, but also their minds . . . What had happened to Johen? It was better not to ask. I was no soul-doctor, to help him with his past troubles and difficulties. I could only do what I could to help him now.

"I *will* help you," I swore, our eyes meeting. "I have to leave, have to go to Bast . . ."

"With that Seer," Johen said, face and voice angry.

"I have to!" I exclaimed. I continued, quieter, "There is this prophecy, this web of war and good and evil which I am, though Lady forbid, unfortunately completely tangled in. I don't want to be, I don't, but there are foretellings of who I am and what I will do - oh, Johen, I don't know how to explain! He's a Seer, THE Seer, and the rest of them are all royals and Mages or both, and all I want to do is go home to our life with Tari and Dein and live like we used to, but I can't. I am not given a choice."

He looked at me stonily. "There is always a choice."

"Well, yes, but if I chose the wrong thing the world will become corrupt and evil and - well, WRONG. And don't know yet how I'm supposed to prevent that, but if I can, I want to . . .Please Johen," I begged, "PLEASE understand. You're my oldest and closest friend, and I don't want you to turn your back on me and never speak to me again, and I don't care if I'm being selfish, that's what I want. I love you Johen - I don't know right now if it's in a romantic sense or in a brotherly way, but you're the only person whose been there as far back as I can remember. You're my family, Johen; I don't want to lose you."

He was silent for a moment, closing his eyes and clenching his hands. It was over by the time I realized he had suffered from another wave of pain. "You used to know," he said softly, opening his ocean blue eyes. "You used to love me with all your heart, most definitely NOT in a brotherly way. And we always thought that we would be happy together, and live together, and maybe even - you know . . . marry . . ." Johen looked away. "It was you that I followed; you were my only motivation to break away from the prison, you who I followed through this foreign country side until I finally caught up with you here - at this castle -" Now he met his eyes. "And I thought I would be able to overcome this pain, that I could be happy no matter what, because you would be here and everything would be all right, but instead . . . *you're with him*. The Seer, the most powerful man in the kingdom. Young, handsome, powerful, rich . . . He's taken you and turned you into a fine lady, into HIS, into some piece in his prophecy, and he's obviously started to steal your heart as well . . ."

I could only stare at him, brokenly, trying to swallow the tears and not succeeding. He had been wrong about some of the things, wrong about what he'd spoken of Aiven. He had not turned me into a lady, and I certainly was not his . . . but some of the things spoken brought back so many memories. It was only my own fault that I did not know how I loved him now, and he did not deserve my betrayal. Johen was right, we HAD always been together, but now I was not sure how deep it had been, if that was true love, the romantic kind. But i did love him, and I wasn't sure I could live, leaving him alone like this, in pain, and selfishly I did not want him to be angrily with me . . .

"I am sorry," I said, staring at my hands. "Please, Johen, please, I have to go, I WANT to, but don't hate me." The tears slipped out, ungracefully and my broken hiccuping sobs didn't help. "Forgive me."

He watched a second longer, before leaning forward and circling me with his arms. "It's all right Laeli," he murmured. "I might have followed you, but it was never you're fault. It wasn't your fault that I was taken to Shi'Gallen or that I have the Quov'in stone; don't ever think that. I love you Laeli. And you don't need to ask my forgiveness, ever. We a thief- family, and we stick together." He tucked the strands of hair that had gotten loose from my clips and braids behind my ears. "I love you, Laeliena. And I want your love too, but -" here he struggled, as if he didn't want to say the words, "if you love another, well, I wish you happiness." He kissed my cheek, softly, like a butterfly wing. "Go to Bast, Lael. You've always known what was right - now you might as well do it." He smiled crookedly, pulling away. "I wonder how the most powerful Seers and Mages in the world will feel about having a pickpocket in their midst?"

He walked with me to the edge of the kitchen, then we parted with one softer kiss on the cheek. "Goodbye Johen," I whispered softly, smiling at him as I moved away, are eyes holding until I had to climb the tall, carpeted stairs. Somehow we both knew that we would not see each other for a long, long time.

*********************************************************

There were not many more goodbyes for me to make, seeing how I barely knew anyone at court. I found my way to Lord Koilun and Lady Jainalii of Jorins's room, so I could bid farewell to them.

A maid showed me into a beautifully furnished chamber full of different fabrics where Lady Jainalii sat. The pretty brunette looked up from where she sat writing a letter. "Lady Damslae!" she cried in delight, quickly putting her letter in a book and standing up to greet me. "What a delight! How are you, my dear?"

I smiled back at her. Besides her tendency to talk about cloth too much, she was the nicest woman I'd ever met - not that I'd really met many adults that could be classified as "nice," and she was the only truly motherly figure I had met.

"I'm actually leaving," I said. "I am travelling to Bast."

"So soon?" Lady Jainalii said, sounding shocked and disappointed. "I thought you would stay for a week, at least! You have not even seen my collection of exotic silks!"

I smothered a laugh. That was one thing I would not miss. "I'm sorry," I told her straight faced. "But thank you - thank you for - well, everything as we traveled. The dresses, the jewelry," showing me an example of ladies, "I will miss you."

"And I you, my dear," she said, hugging me. "I hope you have a proper escort? The Lord Seer will not be the only one accompanying you, will he?" Though her tone was disapproving, her eyes gleamed with mischief.

I laughed. "No, the second prince shall be there as well, along with a number of servants, I suppose. Good bye," I said again, curtsying.

"Oh, at least take a parting gift," she said, looking around then running into a room and returning with a gown. "Here. Do take it; one of my great aunts made it for my dowry, but the coloring was never good on me, so I never wore it, and now I have far outgrown it."

"Thank you," I said, honestly touched. No one had ever actually given me a parting gift before - with thieves it was more along the line of, "Oh, you're leaving? More victims for me, then."

"The men are out, but i will give hem your regards," Lady Jainalii promised. "I know Kieran will be so sad you have left; you must come and visit him again."

"Of course," I murmured, with no intention of doing so. We made our final goodbyes, and I went to hunt down Mariva, after giving the dress to one of Lady Jainalii's servants to take to my room. I couldn't help wondering what was wrong with all these servants as she did so. If someone handed me a gown obviously worth several old piece, especially if I didn't even work for her, I would be off to the marketplace as fast as my legs could carry me. These girls had better get good wages . . . Shaking my head, I went to Mariva's room. I didn't want to have to say goodbye to her - she seemed like she could become a veryy lose friend, and I'd like to spend more time with her.

"Mariva? I'm leaving now," I announced as the maid ushered me in - where did all these girls COME from? The palace must have depleted the countryside of all young women within fifty miles in any direction.

Mariva was wearing traveling clothes, a short jacket, and had several bags at her feet. She nodded. "Yes, they should be expecting us soon."

"You're coming too?" I said, surprised.

She laughed, handing her luggage to two servant boys, who took it out the door. "No, I'm just seeing you off. I'm meeting my betrothed there, Corln. Of course I'm coming with you, silly."

A wave of relief washed over me. We WOULDN'T have to say goodbye. And I'd have some pleasant company on the journey to Bast, someone I could really talk to without getting annoyed or flustered, or falling into a particular warm shade of brown eyes . . . Of course, I though, annoyed at myself, I seemed able to do that even when he WASN'T there.

Ten minutes later, the two of us were downstairs, ready to leave for the Bastian Empire.

Chapter Fifteen :: The Abella's

"So," I said to Aiven as I bounced along on Dewdrop, "when will we reach Bast City?" I petted Dewdrop's mane. Despite myself, I was happy to see the mare again. I had lots of good memories concerning her. Well, maybe not lots, exactly. Or good ones, as I always seemed to end up completely sore. They weren't very original memories either, seeing how they were identical.

"In a while," Aiven responded to my brilliant attempt to strike up conversation. We had been riding since noon - or since three, considering the fact that we had stopped for several hours at a famous inn for a nine- course meal. We had been riding for five hours since, and in my opinion it was definitely time for food again. For a nine-course meal, there was surprisingly little that I considered editable. Except for the chocolate cake. That was excellent. I was convinced that I was going to spend the next few nights dreaming about that cake.

"In a while?" I repeated in dismay. "What kind of answer is that? I think you enjoy not directly answering my questions."

Aiven glared at me. "All right," he said, sounding aggravated. "We'll get there in three weeks, two days, six hours, thirty-seven minutes, and fourteen seconds."

I blinked. Perhaps my mind was still dimmed from all that chocolate, as it took me a few moments to realize he was being sarcastic. "You just made that up!" I accused him, as if he might not have noticed. Then I reconsidered. "You did, didn't you? You didn't have a vision or anything about how long it will take us to reach Bast, did you?"

"Of course not," Aiven said, sounding exasperated. "You think our visions are about things that unimportant? Besides, it's too exact. Visions aren't like that."

"But there are all those stories about Seers predicting exactly when a king or whoever will die."

"That's different. That's not time."

"Really? I hadn't noticed." I told him, straight faced.

"Shouldn't you be annoying Lady Mariva with your chatter, not me?" Aiven asked in exasperation.

"It is not *chatter*," I said in as dignified a manner as I could manage.

He fixed me with a hard stare.

"It isn't," I defended myself. "And it's not like I wouldn't rather be with her than you. In case you've forgotten, I've been talking with her all day. She was just called away to talk with her cousin several minutes ago."

"Several long minutes," Aiven muttered. "Why didn't you ask her when we'd reach Bast?"

I chose to ignore that. "And what about dinner?"

Aiven had the look on his face that meant he was seriously considering gagging me. "Dinner," he said in a calm, controlled, I-want-to- kill-you-but-I'm-too-much-of-a-gentleman voice, "will be at Lord Forlakent's manor."

"That's an odd name," I mused. "I wonder -"

"Damslae, do you WANT me to shove a gag in your mouth?!" Aiven exploded. I grinned. Maybe I enjoyed annoying him a little too much.

Suddenly, his mouth tightened and his face paled. "What's the matter?" I asked. He shook his head, opened his mouth, and closed it again. Ooooh. Speechless.

"Nothing," he said tightly. An uncomfortable second passed. "I am sorry for how I addressed you, Lady La -" he snapped his mouth closed. "Princess Laeliena," he finished in a somewhat choked voice, looking straight ahead.

I watched him, a little upset. *Princess* Laeliena? There was no way anyone was referring to me as a princess. Especially Aiven. And, I admitted to myself, I didn't mind him calling me Damslae. He'd always called me that. "I'm not a princess," I told him.

"You shouldn't be," he said, his voice deadpan. "The daughter of the Eternal Lah'nayin should not house the reborn soul of Laeliena, Princess of Lahtorli. But as you do, you are. Royalty."

"Everyone says Lahtorli is gone, a nothing kingdom! I can't be princess of something that does not exist!"

"It does!" Aiven countered, sounding angry now. "Princess Laeliena is to try to reawaken her kingdom, her land of the elves and the Faerie and everything that was destroyed. She is to lead a war for the redemption of her kind! There is no way she should be you! Don't you understand? These two prophecies are happening together! Now, and they shouldn't be. They should be spaced hundreds on years apart, but instead they are colliding together, as one, in a single person. You!

"And that may destroy the world!"

I stared at him in shock as he snapped his mouth shut. After several deep breaths, he spoke again. "Forget I said that," he commanded.

"Are you joking? Forget that? But you have to explain. I don't want to lead an army. And why are both prophecies together? And why - why me?" I was dismayed to hear my own voice ask all these questions in a high pitched, nervous tone. Aiven dealt me a long, uninterpretable look. "That," he said in his regal, formal voice, "is what the Seers are trying to discover."

************************************

Several hours later we reached Lord What's-His-Name's house, which was impressive and large, and made my fingers twitch once more. I managed to restrain myself for slipping anyone's possessions into my pocket, though, for fear that whatever had overcome me with the Crown Prince's ring would occur again. It was enough to make me shudder. Except I didn't, because I was too busy playing the part of an aloof and beautiful lady.

The lord's grand hallway fit all of our small party; we included Aiven, myself, Mariva, Prince Tullon, ten knights, six lady-maids, twenty soldiers, and ten servants, rounding us out to the wonderful number of fifty. I didn't think Mariva and I needed three maids each; actually, I thought they would hinder me more then help me dress. But since when does anyone ever care what I think? Never.

Except for occasionally when Aiven actually acted like he wanted my good opinion, but that was so rare and hard to tell that it didn't really count.

The servants were not invited into the hall, though everyone else was. They disappeared to wherever it is servants go, probably to gossip and say mean things about all of us. I found myself wishing I could be with them as I curtsied to the lord. Then - joy - I listened to him fawn all over Aiven and the prince calling them by long, flowery titles, in which the lord talked about himself in the third person.

"And who are these fair flowers of maidenhood?" he asked, bowing low to Mariva and me. "Your most majestic Highness and Lord Seer, will you not allow this most devoted of your servants the names of such a perfect example of the bloom of noble ladies and chastity?"

I would have preferred a simple, "Who are you?" And where did the "chastity" part come from?

"Lady Damslae of Brientlon, and Lady Mariva of Cillyon," Aiven said briefly, obviously not caring to emphasize Mariva's titles as he could have - or mine for that matter, but apparentlyy it was suppose to be a secret. My being a princess, that is. And the daughter of the Eternal Lah'nayin. I wondered idly if I was ever going to learn exactly who she was. Was I her daughter of blood, or spirit, or what? Had she been human at some time? And why would she just abandon me on the streets of Cyri?

"My ladies, this humble lord cannot express his joy and delight to be so honored -" I stopped listening. Flowery language is for flowers, and humans have no business speaking it. I did not want to hear the man ramble on and on about what anyone else could say with a "Pleasure to meet you."

"Wake up," Aiven said several minutes later from the side of his mouth, hitting me with an elbow. I startled little, and looked around. The lord was leaning back in his chair, looking mighty pleased with his ability to refer to himself as "this most devoted of your servants."

"Is he done?" I murmured back.

"Yes," Aiven said, after glancing at the lord, who was giving his servants some instructions. "I think we might actually be able to go to our chambers now."

That, of course, would be too easy. Relax? Oh no. We had to meet the lord's daughters. "Ah," the lord said, waving his arms as two tall blondes entered. "Allow this most adoring lord to introduce the two most dazzling blossoms in his life."

They were identical twins, it was easy to tell. Blond upswept hair bound in a high bun and a cascade of curls. Both of them had wide, gray eyes and three freckles on their left cheekbone arranged in a triangle. I frowned, studying it. Maybe it was a birthmark instead.

They were also, to my disgust, dressed the same as well. The twins wore long, virginal white gowns along with lacey gloves no one ever wore anymore. Pearls dangled from their earlobes and necklaces. They looked pristine and pure, especially with their wide eyes and virtuous expression. They were the type of girls who made other girls feel dirty and crude in contrast.

"Twins?" Aiven muttered to me. "I HATE twins."

"Why?" I asked. While I wasn't inclined to like these ones, I had known some in Cyri. And it was an established fact that twins made excellent confusing thieves.

"If I show favor to one in any way, I have to show it to the other. Or worse, I say something indiscreet to one which I meant to say to the other and then all sorts of things happen." He grimaced. I smiled over at the blondes as if to say, "take that. He doesn't like twins!"

Not that I would of cared if he did, of course. For that to work, I would have to be interested in Aiven.

"My daughters," the lord said, dropping the annoying third person speech. "Isabella and Annabella, my pride and joy."

They dropped curtsies in sync, causing Mariva and I to exchange envious glances over their skills. We weren't talented enough to drop identical curtsies at the same time.

"Your Highness, Lord Seer," they said in unison. They had the annoying beautiful, bell-like voices that perfectly matched their physical perfection.

Tullon and Aiven greeted the ladies in solemn, we-have-a-very- important-mission voices, and kissed the twins in hands.

"They're all acting sickeningly noble," Mariva whispered to be as everyone else was caught up being courtly.

"I know. It makes me want to do something completely outrageous," I responded.

The entire dinner was like that; annoying compliments, gallant behavior, and despite Aiven saying he hated twins, he obviously did not hate these two. Then there was the father with his terribly obvious matchmaking attempts, and the girls fluttering their lashes an unhealthy number of times.

"They're either really stupid, or really clever," I whispered to Mariva as we watched them daintily eat their food.

"Probably clever. It would be to simple if they were idiots."

We were finally able to beg fatigue and escape to the room we were sharing; a room with the theme of silver and pink, that made Mariva and I blanch as we crossed the threshold.

"It doesn't match your hair," my friend told me seriously as I flopped down on the pale pink bed.

"This whole place doesn't match ME," I groaned.

"That's because you're jealous of the Abella's," Mariva said smugly.

"I am NOT," I said with a glare. "Why would I be jealous?" Well, THAT was a stupid question.

"Oh, I don't know," Mariva rolled her eyes. "Maybe because Aiven was paying an abnormal amount of attention to them."

"I don't care," I started to say, but stopped short when the door opened to reveal one of the twins.

"My ladies?" she said in a soft, musical voice. I watched as she took small steps into our room, that stupid white dress she wore restraining her movements. I wondered if she and her twin always wore the same clothes, or if it was just tonight. She smiled at us in that perfect, charming matter she had used with Aiven earlier that evening. Her pale, unblemished face looked earnest as she looked at us. "Are you well?"

Mariva and I glanced at each other, then instantly contrived to look tired. "Only tired," Mariva said in a quiet voice with a gentle smile.

"Well, I won't keep you awake any longer," the twin said, smiling back. "How long will your journey be?"

See girl, I thought in annoyance, NOT keeping us awake any longer requires you not to ask questions, and to go away.

"Several weeks," Mariva said.

"Where are you going?"

"To Bast," I told her.

She nodded. "'Tis a lovely city. I envy that you are to see it."

Yeah, so we can be involved in a war that might involve the end of the world. I envy me too.

"Fare thee well on your journey," the lady said, curtsying to us. Mariva and I exchanged glances. Fare thee well?

"You must be visiting the king in Bast, are you not?" she asked us, titling her head slightly.

"We are," I murmured, glancing pointedly at the clock.

"Oh, I do wish I could meet him."

Mariva and I glanced at each other, then back at the girl who showed no inclination of moving. "I'll see my betrothed also," Mariva mentioned in an I-don't-really-feel-like-telling-you-this-but-I-have-nothing-else-to-say voice.

"Oh?" the Abella said, perking up. "How delightful! Who is he?"

"The Lord Seer of Bast," Mariva muttered, a little smile dancing on her lips.

"You must be so happy to be seeing him. I would love to be engaged to a Seer!" She looked expectantly at Mariva.

"Yes, it is," Mariva said. "I love him very much."

"Splendid!" the Abella exclaimed. "And he loves you?" she pressed, her eyes wide.

"He does," Mariva said, nodding gravely. I rolled my eyes. I had no patience for this sort of mindless chatter. Odd; neither of the twins had seemed so empty headed at dinner.

"Splendid," she murmured again, eyelashes lowering and a small smile curving her lips. She looked up at us. "My apologies, for this must seem a silly question, but which of the royal twins was it that accompanies you?"

"My cousin, His Royal Highness Prince Tullon, the Mage-Prince."

The girl's eyes flashed. "Your cousin?" she asked, then turned to me. "Are you of the same fabulous bloodlines, my lady?"

Did I really have to talk with this girl? I was bored to tears, and just wanted her to leave so I could go to sleep. "My blood is not quite so exalted," I said, not managing to dig up one of the polite smiles Mariva had been serving all evening. Instead I felt the overwhelming urge to scare the girl away with tales of my less then luxurious childhood.

"Who were your parents?" she asked me, blinking her eyes and looking remarkably like a lost doe.

"Two nobles," I said in exasperation. I gentled my voice. "I am sorry, my lady, but I can feel this journey has simply exhausted me. I would hate to fall unconscious in the middle of conversing with you, so I feel it would be best if I would retire at this moment." What can I say? Being sleepy makes me talk in long, winding sentences.

"But of course. A good night to the both of you." With another curtsy, she was gone.

"She was weird," Mariva whispered, and I nodded.

"Yeah - and way too nosy." For a minute or too we mulled over her strange behavior, but our trip really did catch up to us, and we were asleep in three minutes.

************************************

I woke up early the next day, before the sun had risen, before Mariva was up. I slipped out of bed after lying there for half an hour, and made my way down to the dining hall. The servants were already up and moving about the corridors, preparing for yet another day in which they pretended they didn't exist the snobby nobles and there equally snobby guests, which unfortunately included me.

I collided into one servant girl turning a corner, who gave me an aghast look and fell into a curtsy, squeaking out apologies. I pulled the frightened girl to her feet and told her no, I was not going to report her and have her dismissed. I sighed in frustration. Why did everyone have to think I was a noble? I wasn't. I didn't even LIKE nobles. I had spent most of my life hating them for their money and their arrogance and their behavior, and now all the normal people - commoners - though I WAS one. It wasn't pleasant.

Of course, it was a little fun having the kind of people who had looked down their noses at an lying, cheating thief smile and curtsy to me now. But still. It was way too weird.

I reached the dining hall, still wishing no one thought I was a noble. I was a normal person. A thief. End of story. Except for the fact that thieves usually didn't wear velvet clothes and jewels like I had been wearing recently.

Servants bustled about, setting tables and bringing in flowers. They stopped and turned as one when I entered, and most faded away into the background. Only one older, balding man stepped forward.

"Lady," he said, bowing awkwardly. "How may I help you?"

I was a little bit unnerved by the servants' behavior. "Uh - is there a garden here? That I can walk around in?"

The man nodded and showed me through two hallways. Bowing again, he left me at an open archway that led into a well-tended garden. I walked along one path, stopping to look at the flowers and smelling them, until I turned a corner and saw one of the Abella's.

"My lady," she said. "Good morning." She curtsied to me.

I curtsied back. "And a good morning to you," I said politely.

"I trust you slept well?"

"I did. Thank you."

We continued on, side by side, the Abella with a thoughtful look on her face. Not air-headed at all, I concluded. The twins might act that way at times - like this one or her sister had last night - but for some reason I was convinced they were smarter then they let on.

She definitely wasn't letting on this morning, I thought as she began to chatter on about the flowers. This Abella seemed to know as much about flowers as Lady Jainalii knew about cloth. I listened without saying anything until her tone changed to a curious one, and she asked, "Where are you going, your company?"

So she wasn't the same Abella from last night. I had been wondering.

"Father told us we weren't to ask," the blond continued, casting a sidelong look at me, "so of course I'm dying to know. I'll understand if you don't tell me . . ." her voice trailed off as she saw my expression. I'm sure it wasn't a happy one.

"Your sister asked me last night, and I told her." In fact, Mariva and I had probably said more then we should have, but we hadn't really thought about it.

An odd look passed over the Abella's face. "Did you tell her anything . . . important?"

I shrugged irritably. "Probably."

The girl looked like she was treading on thin ice. "My lady, my sister . . . It is best not to say that much to her. She is not exactly to be trusted."

I looked at her sharply. "And why is that?"

She didn't explain; instead we were interrupted by a maid who called out to us, informing us breakfast was read, if we pleased.

What if we didn't please?

So, I thought unhappily as we walked inside, her sister wasn't trustworthy. Fabulous. And I didn't even know whether her sister was Isabella or Annabella. I'd have to ask her who she was, though I'd tried to avoid it; it was embarrassing confessing I didn't know whom I'd been talking to all morning. I didn't get the chance to ask her as we were swept apart as soon as we entered the dining hall.

Great, I thought as I watched her join her twin. I won't be able to tell them apart later in the day either. They're wearing identical clothes again.