Short, contemplative oneshot. I own nothing, especially the bit in italics, which is a excerpt from Daja's book. Enjoy! R&R!
Sandrilene Fa Toren rode along the road through the country of Irod, on her way home to Summersea, Emelan. It had been three weeks since they had escaped Namorn, and already she was anxious to be back home.
As usual, her clothing seemed perfect, from her pale green silk riding dress, to the embroidered scarf pinning back her hair, all the way down to the saddle-blanket on her horse, decorated with bright threads in a flower motif. She sketched the design with her fingers idly, deep in thought.
Surrounding her were her foster siblings. Daja, with her Trader's staff lashed to the side of the horse, rode distractedly, a melancholy expression on her face. Sandry couldn't help but notice the crimson embroidery on Daja's tunic; it was a hue she rarely wore, and the Trader colour of mourning and sadness.
Briar, his face set in a tight, controlled expression, as usual of late. He wore a grey linen tunic and green cotton breeches, one hand on his reins and the other on his shakkan, nestled securely in his saddlebags.
Tris, bringing up the rear, sensibly dressed as usual, her hair up in intricate braids. She too rode distractedly, but for a different reason; her long nose was buried deep in a book, and she mumbled to herself as she read.
Suddenly, Sandry pulled on her reins, stopping her horse short. Daja and Briar followed suit, and Tris did likewise, after her horse almost walked into Briar's mount.
"Wha... What?" Tris asked crossly, putting down her book.
"Do you remember when we were in northern Emelan? The summer with the drought?" Sandry said.
"I could hardly forget." Daja said ruefully, rubbing the living metal on her hand.
"Niko said something to us then, about being great mages."
They looked blankly at each other, and Briar shrugged. "Care to remind us?"
"This way's easiest." She said briskly, reaching through the connection the four shared and feeding the memory through.
Sandry glared at Niko. "Daja doesn't exactly need to be tested on whether she's honourable or not," She told him crossly.
"Doesn't she?" asked Niko. "Don't all of you?" He looked at each of the four. " This is your first taste of the things that may come from your being powerful mages. People will offer you gold, status, even love. I want to know if your teachers will release greedy, thoughtless monsters into the world."
"Think about what he said for a moment. Money. Status. Power. Love. Weren't we offered all those things? Daja, you and Rizuka.
Briar, head gardener to the Empress, grand estates, all the women you wanted. Maybe even Berenene, I suppose. Tris, money, a favourable position, the entire Imperial library, maybe an estate, too. Me; my Namornese inheritance, status as a favourite of Berenene at court, a good marriage," She drew a breath.
Daja opened her mouth to speak, but Sandry beat her to it.
"Hear me out. I know us. How close were we? How close were we to staying? What's to say if what happened with Fin hadn't happened, or even if it had happened a few months later, that we wouldn't have accepted? Stayed in Namorn, manipulated by all the things Niko warned us about, into good little Imperial lapdogs our whole lives?"
"What's to say you wouldn't have stayed with Rizu, Daja, and me marrying one of the Empress' favourite, and Briar, living your life working on those gardens, and Tris staying on as a favoured court mage. We were tempted. Don't say we weren't, because we were.
"The question is, how close we were? And how do we know we won't make the same mistake again? We got away easily, compared to how it could have been. But how close?"
The other three stared at her for a moment, speechless.
"Umm, ooops?" Briar offered, finally.
"Ooops? Ooops?" Tris squeaked. "That's a bit of an understatement."
"Oh, I'm understating things, Coppercurls? What about the time you fried the fence at Discipline with lightning, and told Niko that you 'might've sparked a bit'?"
Sandry sighed, rolling her eyes. "Enough! Will you leave off bickering for a moment? All I'm saying is, Niko warned us. We made a mistake. We all did. Alright?"
The other two sobered. Daja, who had been silent throughout the exchange, finally spoke, quietly.
"So, what are you saying? That Rizu didn't lo...." Fresh tears welled in her eyes.
Sandry moved her horse to beside Daja, and gave her a awkward, one-armed hug. "Of course not, silly. Of course she did. I'm just saying, Berenene used that to her advantage. And we were all too distracted to notice that."
"Like I said. Mistakes were made. Let's leave it at that, and learn from them. Alright?"
The other three nodded.
"Now come on. I don't know about you, but I'd rather sleep in an inn tonight."