With much ado about nothing, here is the next installment =)
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I woke up, aching, on a pile of dead leaves. For a minute, I lay there, confused. It was impossible to describe how I felt, but I'll try my hardest to.
First of all, I ached all over. My legs, my arms, my back. I ached in places I didn't think I had. It hurt more then I could remember hurting before, but I didn't care. Some sort of feeling, even such a bad one, was welcome after hanging in a space with nothing.
The colours were brighter then anything I have ever seen before. Except the chaos vent. Maybe the whole world is a chaos vent. I was sucked into a chaos vent, to arrive here, and maybe that's all the world is.
After awhile I sat up, and wandered through the woods. Darkness was falling, but I didn't care. I stopped, to feel a birch's bark, and have a chat with it. It knew from its root system, that the city was close. Her roots were under the city bell, and vibrated whenever it was rung. I thanked it, and followed its roots.
I came to the Great Gate, and ducked inside just as it was closing. Then, I was aware that I didn't have a stitch of clothing on. I hid in the shadows behind a tent, and stole a dress which was much to big for me.
I walked through the streets savouring the small things that I had taken for granted and trying to remember the way back to the Dancing Dove. Leonie was responsible for my nine months in exile, and I knew that I would find her there.
After a few wrong turns, and two sets of directions later, I was outside of the Dancing Dove. I took a deep breath and went inside.
It was noisier then I remembered, but I felt a little more at home being there. I dodged past people enjoying themselves, and went to the bar. Dom was busy joking with some young girls at the other end of the bar, but came over to me when they made it clear they didn't have a copper on them. "Can I help ye, missie?" He asked.
I was surprised for a minute that he didn't remember me, then realised. In the anti- world, I had aged. I was now seventeen. I peeked into the mirror behind Dom and realised that I wasn't wearing my lenses, and my hair was as long as it was back home, and its normal pale green colour. "Yes, me good man," I said, recovering, "I need to have a wee talk with King Jamon."
I knew I was taking a risk, Jamon could have been killed, or kicked out of the Rogue while I was away. "Okay," he said, with a funny look on his face.
I followed him as he led me to Jamon's 'throne', where he had been sitting when we first met. He was sitting there now, joking with his friends. My heart jumped to my throat when I saw him. He looked the same as when I left, except he was older. "Jamon, this li'l lady wishes t' speak t' ye," Dom said, and walked away.
I swallowed nervously as everyone at the table looked at me. Jamon was looking at me with a smile on his face. "Yes?" he asked.
"I'm back," I said simply.
"Back? From where? And who're ye?"
I felt my heart sinking into my bare feet. He didn't know me! "We met, almost ten months ago. But I was.... abducted nine months ago. I have just left my prison."
He shot a quick glance at Dom, who shrugged. "Is this young un' annoyin' ye, Yer Majesty?" A gruff voice asked.
I turned around, and saw Olaf, the giant from my first night in the Dancing Dove. "Hey there, Olaf, how ye doin'?" I asked.
"How did ye know my name?" He asked.
"I.. I know you," I muttered.
Suddenly, he lifted me up- again. Deja vu, I thought, my head starting to swim. "Methinks yer a spy," he grunted, his face close to mine, "but it's th' King's job to take care of spys."
He dropped me on the ground, and stalked over to the other side of the room where he had been playing his dice with Red. "Are ye ok?" A worried voice asked.
Jamon's face came into view. "Drink this," he said gently, handing me a cup.
With no regard to the last time this had happened, I gulped down the brandy. "Bleah!! Gods' curse it, why d'ye ahve t' go 'n' do that t' me again?" I asked Jamon angrily.
"Ye were shocked," he replied calmly.
"I was not shocked!! Ye should know that I would be mumblin' dung if I was shocked!"
He studied my face for a few minutes. "I think I know who ye are now. But if ye are, it would be impossible, 'cos ye're at me granmother's house. Ye come up th' stairs with me, and tell me who ye are."
We went up the stairs to a room. "Now sit down at th' table, 'n' tell me who ye are."
I sat down and looked him in the eyes as he sat opposite me. "It's me, Jamon, it's Melery."
He stopped drinking his ale and put the glass down. He struggled for a minute, then opened his mouth, "By th' Gods, I almost spat out ale," he looked at me, "Olaf put ye up t' it, didna he? T' celebrate me 'n' Melery gettin' engaged."
"No, Olaf has nothing to do with it. I am Melery!"
"Yer jokin'," he said fearfully, "Melery's at home, with Granmother, lookin' after our babe."
Suddenly, he jumped up and held a pointy wood staff to my throat. I smiled. "Is this a test?"
"No, why?" He asked.
"'Cos if I'm really Melery, I can use my magic."
"Well, use it then," he said.
"Fine then."
I used a burst of magic, and the staff flew across the room and out the window. We both went and looked out, to see a small sapling growing in the courtyard.
I turned to face him. "Proof enough?"
"Mithros," he gasped. He turned to face me, "Melery, 'tis really ye!"
I nodded. "But who is th' other girl?"
"Does th' name Leonie ring a bell?"
"Leonie? Yes. She was betrothed to me. I ran away, and she followed."
"I know. She told me."
"When?"
"When I hung in a black space. She imprisoned me in an anti- world. I couldn't feel, or touch, or smell anythin'. It was the worst torture anyone could ever suffer."
"Aye. She's crazy. I think there's a Copper Islander in her blood."
"What happened while I was gone?"
"I- well we- Leonie 'n' me- had a babe."
"A child!"
"Well, I thought she was ye. Everyone did."
"Is it a girl or a boy?"
"A boy. 'Is name is Zechariah."
"Zechariah..... It's a nice name," I murmured.
"I know."
I snapped into battle mode. "What're we gonna do 'bout her?"
"Go 'ome to Granmother, and confront 'er. Then we make 'er get out!"
______________________________________________________________________
I woke up, aching, on a pile of dead leaves. For a minute, I lay there, confused. It was impossible to describe how I felt, but I'll try my hardest to.
First of all, I ached all over. My legs, my arms, my back. I ached in places I didn't think I had. It hurt more then I could remember hurting before, but I didn't care. Some sort of feeling, even such a bad one, was welcome after hanging in a space with nothing.
The colours were brighter then anything I have ever seen before. Except the chaos vent. Maybe the whole world is a chaos vent. I was sucked into a chaos vent, to arrive here, and maybe that's all the world is.
After awhile I sat up, and wandered through the woods. Darkness was falling, but I didn't care. I stopped, to feel a birch's bark, and have a chat with it. It knew from its root system, that the city was close. Her roots were under the city bell, and vibrated whenever it was rung. I thanked it, and followed its roots.
I came to the Great Gate, and ducked inside just as it was closing. Then, I was aware that I didn't have a stitch of clothing on. I hid in the shadows behind a tent, and stole a dress which was much to big for me.
I walked through the streets savouring the small things that I had taken for granted and trying to remember the way back to the Dancing Dove. Leonie was responsible for my nine months in exile, and I knew that I would find her there.
After a few wrong turns, and two sets of directions later, I was outside of the Dancing Dove. I took a deep breath and went inside.
It was noisier then I remembered, but I felt a little more at home being there. I dodged past people enjoying themselves, and went to the bar. Dom was busy joking with some young girls at the other end of the bar, but came over to me when they made it clear they didn't have a copper on them. "Can I help ye, missie?" He asked.
I was surprised for a minute that he didn't remember me, then realised. In the anti- world, I had aged. I was now seventeen. I peeked into the mirror behind Dom and realised that I wasn't wearing my lenses, and my hair was as long as it was back home, and its normal pale green colour. "Yes, me good man," I said, recovering, "I need to have a wee talk with King Jamon."
I knew I was taking a risk, Jamon could have been killed, or kicked out of the Rogue while I was away. "Okay," he said, with a funny look on his face.
I followed him as he led me to Jamon's 'throne', where he had been sitting when we first met. He was sitting there now, joking with his friends. My heart jumped to my throat when I saw him. He looked the same as when I left, except he was older. "Jamon, this li'l lady wishes t' speak t' ye," Dom said, and walked away.
I swallowed nervously as everyone at the table looked at me. Jamon was looking at me with a smile on his face. "Yes?" he asked.
"I'm back," I said simply.
"Back? From where? And who're ye?"
I felt my heart sinking into my bare feet. He didn't know me! "We met, almost ten months ago. But I was.... abducted nine months ago. I have just left my prison."
He shot a quick glance at Dom, who shrugged. "Is this young un' annoyin' ye, Yer Majesty?" A gruff voice asked.
I turned around, and saw Olaf, the giant from my first night in the Dancing Dove. "Hey there, Olaf, how ye doin'?" I asked.
"How did ye know my name?" He asked.
"I.. I know you," I muttered.
Suddenly, he lifted me up- again. Deja vu, I thought, my head starting to swim. "Methinks yer a spy," he grunted, his face close to mine, "but it's th' King's job to take care of spys."
He dropped me on the ground, and stalked over to the other side of the room where he had been playing his dice with Red. "Are ye ok?" A worried voice asked.
Jamon's face came into view. "Drink this," he said gently, handing me a cup.
With no regard to the last time this had happened, I gulped down the brandy. "Bleah!! Gods' curse it, why d'ye ahve t' go 'n' do that t' me again?" I asked Jamon angrily.
"Ye were shocked," he replied calmly.
"I was not shocked!! Ye should know that I would be mumblin' dung if I was shocked!"
He studied my face for a few minutes. "I think I know who ye are now. But if ye are, it would be impossible, 'cos ye're at me granmother's house. Ye come up th' stairs with me, and tell me who ye are."
We went up the stairs to a room. "Now sit down at th' table, 'n' tell me who ye are."
I sat down and looked him in the eyes as he sat opposite me. "It's me, Jamon, it's Melery."
He stopped drinking his ale and put the glass down. He struggled for a minute, then opened his mouth, "By th' Gods, I almost spat out ale," he looked at me, "Olaf put ye up t' it, didna he? T' celebrate me 'n' Melery gettin' engaged."
"No, Olaf has nothing to do with it. I am Melery!"
"Yer jokin'," he said fearfully, "Melery's at home, with Granmother, lookin' after our babe."
Suddenly, he jumped up and held a pointy wood staff to my throat. I smiled. "Is this a test?"
"No, why?" He asked.
"'Cos if I'm really Melery, I can use my magic."
"Well, use it then," he said.
"Fine then."
I used a burst of magic, and the staff flew across the room and out the window. We both went and looked out, to see a small sapling growing in the courtyard.
I turned to face him. "Proof enough?"
"Mithros," he gasped. He turned to face me, "Melery, 'tis really ye!"
I nodded. "But who is th' other girl?"
"Does th' name Leonie ring a bell?"
"Leonie? Yes. She was betrothed to me. I ran away, and she followed."
"I know. She told me."
"When?"
"When I hung in a black space. She imprisoned me in an anti- world. I couldn't feel, or touch, or smell anythin'. It was the worst torture anyone could ever suffer."
"Aye. She's crazy. I think there's a Copper Islander in her blood."
"What happened while I was gone?"
"I- well we- Leonie 'n' me- had a babe."
"A child!"
"Well, I thought she was ye. Everyone did."
"Is it a girl or a boy?"
"A boy. 'Is name is Zechariah."
"Zechariah..... It's a nice name," I murmured.
"I know."
I snapped into battle mode. "What're we gonna do 'bout her?"
"Go 'ome to Granmother, and confront 'er. Then we make 'er get out!"