Disclaim: I do not own Broken Sky;Chris Wooding does, bless him. (
I wrote this fanfic because I really think Ryushi should have chosen Li´ain
at the end of the series, and wanted to see it happen, if only in MY story.
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Back to my Princess
A gentle breeze stirred the grass on the beach of the new land. In the distance, the other settlers, seated around the fire, laughed at some joke they had made. Calica shifted slightly in Ryushi´s arms, mumbling something in her sleep. Ryushi stared out at the sea, coloured red by the setting sun. They had arrived in the new land just this morning, after several days at sea. They had set up some tents to spend the first few nights in, and unloaded the boats. A couple of the younger, more adventurous ones had already set off into the forest to explore their new land. And now people seemed to be settling down for the night; already, the group around the fire was growing smaller as people wandered off to their seperate tents. Ryushi closed his eyes and listened to the sounds: the seabirds´ cries; the sea, its waves rolling gently against the sandy shore; the distant crackling of the fire and the quiet conversation of the other people; the wind, rustling the grass; and Calica´s quiet breathing. She must have sensed him looking at her, because she stretched, opened her eyes, and smiled up at him. "Hi," he said, quietly. Calica closed her eyes again, and smiled sleepily. "I love you, Ryushi," she said, almost asleep again. Ryushi looked back out at the sea. She loved him ... and, until a few days ago, he had thought he loved her back. But on the journey across the sea, his thoughts had not been on Calica, who had hardly left his side since they set off, but on the dark-haired princess he had left behind ... Li´ain ...
Ryushi ... Li´ain sat alone on a rock by the dying fire. Blink and Whist snored in perfect synch on the other side. Blink´s backpaw twitched as Whist scratched his nose. Li´ain shivered, and drew her travelling cloak closer to her to keep the mountain cold out. She poked the fire with a twig, and stared into the embers as she thought. The part of her that was still the proud, cold princess Aurin might not want to admit it, but Li´ain missed Ryushi. She would probably never see him again, she knew. Her Splitling, Calica, had gone on with him to the new land, while she herself had stayed on in the Dominion, travelling with the boy Whist and his dog, Blink. Li´ain smiled to herself. Whist was arrogant and selfish, but she tolerated him. Actually, he claimed she was no better herself. But Whist was not Ryushi. Li´ain sighed, and lay down on the cool, mossy ground, closing her eyes.
The fire had almost gone out further down the beach. Calica had gone to their tent for the night, and Ryushi sat, all alone, on the beach. He tossed a stone out across the water, and watched it skip across the surface before a wave covered it. He had come to a decision. Ryushi stood up, stretched, and began walking towards one of the few men left by the near-dead fire. "Anyo," he called. Anyo, a large, middle-aged man with red hair, turned round. "Oh, hello, Ryushi," he said, amiably. "You´ve not turned in yet?" Ryushi sat down opposite him. "Anyo... you´re taking the other boat back tomorrow, aren´t you?" "First thing, yes," Anyo replied. "There aren´t many good boats back in the Dominion; I´ll take this one back and pick up the next group. Why; you forget something?" Ryushi stared into the embers. "Yes," he said, almost to himself. "Or someone..." Anyo leaned forward, looking concerned. "You all right, Ryushi?" Ryushi looked up, a resolved expression on his face. "I´m fine," he said. "But ... will you take me with you?" Anyo looked surprised. "Take you with me?" he asked, sitting back. "Yes," Ryushi said. "I want to go back to the Dominion." Anyo stared at him. "You sure, boy? Why? Calica unhappy here or something?" The shadows, cast by the embers, flickered on Ryushi´s face. "She´s not coming with me," he said, so quietly Anyo hardly heard it. Anyo paused for a moment, then leant as far forwards towards Ryushi as he could. "Ryushi ... what´s happened? You can tell me, you know." Ryushi looked away. "It ... it doesn´t matter. But I have to get back to the Dominion as soon as possible." He looked back at Anyo. "Will you take me?" Anyo didn´t reply straightaway. "Ryushi, does Calica even know you´re going?" Ryushi bit his lip. "Not yet," he replied.
Calica woke up when Ryushi entered the tent. "Hey," she said. "Where have you been?" Ryushi shrugged as he lay down, but didn´t reply. Pretty soon he was asleep. Calica lay there for a while, watching him. She sensed that he was troubled, and not only with her stones. His brow was furrowed as he slept, as though something in his dreams was bothering him. Calica closed her eyes. She would ask him about it in the morning.
It was hardly light when Calica woke up to the sound of someone talking in a low voice. She opened her eyes groggily as Ryushi came back into the tent. He was fully dressed. "You going somewhere?" she asked. Ryushi nodded. "Where?" He did not reply. Instead he bent down and kissed her, gently. "Don´t worry," he said. "Just go back to sleep. Goodbye, Calica." And he was gone. Calica stared after him. Why had he sounded so formal? "Bye," she said.
The sun, shining in through a small hole in the tent, woke her up again quite a while later. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. She felt at once that something was wrong. She looked around the tent. All Ryushi´s things had gone. And on his sleeping mattress was a folded piece of paper. Calica snatched it up. Her stones flared into life. Her eyes widened, and she cried out. He´s leaving, she thought, in a panic. She tossed the paper aside, threw on some clothes and dashed out of the tent. "Ryushi!" she screamed, although she feared it was too late.
She grabbed a passing man. "Where´s Ryushi?" she demanded. The man was shocked, both at being grabbed like that, and at Calica´s desperate manner. "D-didn´t he leave with Anyo?" he stuttered. Calica felt her blood freeze. Oh, god, no, she thought desperately. She spun around. There, out on the horizon, was a small dot which, if you looked closely, was probably Anyo´s ship. Calica ran to the beach, startling the seabirds that had settled there. She tripped and fell to her knees in the sand, her eyes fixed on the disappearing ship. "Ryushi ..." she whispered.
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OK, that was chapter 1, I´ll have chapter 2 up soon, I´ve nearly finished it, so PLEEEEEAAAAASE review, I´m DYING to hear what you think, PLEASE!!! P.S. Thanks to Waffles and Sheep Girl (guys, you know who you are!!!(), for all their ideas and help!!!
************************************
Back to my Princess
A gentle breeze stirred the grass on the beach of the new land. In the distance, the other settlers, seated around the fire, laughed at some joke they had made. Calica shifted slightly in Ryushi´s arms, mumbling something in her sleep. Ryushi stared out at the sea, coloured red by the setting sun. They had arrived in the new land just this morning, after several days at sea. They had set up some tents to spend the first few nights in, and unloaded the boats. A couple of the younger, more adventurous ones had already set off into the forest to explore their new land. And now people seemed to be settling down for the night; already, the group around the fire was growing smaller as people wandered off to their seperate tents. Ryushi closed his eyes and listened to the sounds: the seabirds´ cries; the sea, its waves rolling gently against the sandy shore; the distant crackling of the fire and the quiet conversation of the other people; the wind, rustling the grass; and Calica´s quiet breathing. She must have sensed him looking at her, because she stretched, opened her eyes, and smiled up at him. "Hi," he said, quietly. Calica closed her eyes again, and smiled sleepily. "I love you, Ryushi," she said, almost asleep again. Ryushi looked back out at the sea. She loved him ... and, until a few days ago, he had thought he loved her back. But on the journey across the sea, his thoughts had not been on Calica, who had hardly left his side since they set off, but on the dark-haired princess he had left behind ... Li´ain ...
Ryushi ... Li´ain sat alone on a rock by the dying fire. Blink and Whist snored in perfect synch on the other side. Blink´s backpaw twitched as Whist scratched his nose. Li´ain shivered, and drew her travelling cloak closer to her to keep the mountain cold out. She poked the fire with a twig, and stared into the embers as she thought. The part of her that was still the proud, cold princess Aurin might not want to admit it, but Li´ain missed Ryushi. She would probably never see him again, she knew. Her Splitling, Calica, had gone on with him to the new land, while she herself had stayed on in the Dominion, travelling with the boy Whist and his dog, Blink. Li´ain smiled to herself. Whist was arrogant and selfish, but she tolerated him. Actually, he claimed she was no better herself. But Whist was not Ryushi. Li´ain sighed, and lay down on the cool, mossy ground, closing her eyes.
The fire had almost gone out further down the beach. Calica had gone to their tent for the night, and Ryushi sat, all alone, on the beach. He tossed a stone out across the water, and watched it skip across the surface before a wave covered it. He had come to a decision. Ryushi stood up, stretched, and began walking towards one of the few men left by the near-dead fire. "Anyo," he called. Anyo, a large, middle-aged man with red hair, turned round. "Oh, hello, Ryushi," he said, amiably. "You´ve not turned in yet?" Ryushi sat down opposite him. "Anyo... you´re taking the other boat back tomorrow, aren´t you?" "First thing, yes," Anyo replied. "There aren´t many good boats back in the Dominion; I´ll take this one back and pick up the next group. Why; you forget something?" Ryushi stared into the embers. "Yes," he said, almost to himself. "Or someone..." Anyo leaned forward, looking concerned. "You all right, Ryushi?" Ryushi looked up, a resolved expression on his face. "I´m fine," he said. "But ... will you take me with you?" Anyo looked surprised. "Take you with me?" he asked, sitting back. "Yes," Ryushi said. "I want to go back to the Dominion." Anyo stared at him. "You sure, boy? Why? Calica unhappy here or something?" The shadows, cast by the embers, flickered on Ryushi´s face. "She´s not coming with me," he said, so quietly Anyo hardly heard it. Anyo paused for a moment, then leant as far forwards towards Ryushi as he could. "Ryushi ... what´s happened? You can tell me, you know." Ryushi looked away. "It ... it doesn´t matter. But I have to get back to the Dominion as soon as possible." He looked back at Anyo. "Will you take me?" Anyo didn´t reply straightaway. "Ryushi, does Calica even know you´re going?" Ryushi bit his lip. "Not yet," he replied.
Calica woke up when Ryushi entered the tent. "Hey," she said. "Where have you been?" Ryushi shrugged as he lay down, but didn´t reply. Pretty soon he was asleep. Calica lay there for a while, watching him. She sensed that he was troubled, and not only with her stones. His brow was furrowed as he slept, as though something in his dreams was bothering him. Calica closed her eyes. She would ask him about it in the morning.
It was hardly light when Calica woke up to the sound of someone talking in a low voice. She opened her eyes groggily as Ryushi came back into the tent. He was fully dressed. "You going somewhere?" she asked. Ryushi nodded. "Where?" He did not reply. Instead he bent down and kissed her, gently. "Don´t worry," he said. "Just go back to sleep. Goodbye, Calica." And he was gone. Calica stared after him. Why had he sounded so formal? "Bye," she said.
The sun, shining in through a small hole in the tent, woke her up again quite a while later. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. She felt at once that something was wrong. She looked around the tent. All Ryushi´s things had gone. And on his sleeping mattress was a folded piece of paper. Calica snatched it up. Her stones flared into life. Her eyes widened, and she cried out. He´s leaving, she thought, in a panic. She tossed the paper aside, threw on some clothes and dashed out of the tent. "Ryushi!" she screamed, although she feared it was too late.
She grabbed a passing man. "Where´s Ryushi?" she demanded. The man was shocked, both at being grabbed like that, and at Calica´s desperate manner. "D-didn´t he leave with Anyo?" he stuttered. Calica felt her blood freeze. Oh, god, no, she thought desperately. She spun around. There, out on the horizon, was a small dot which, if you looked closely, was probably Anyo´s ship. Calica ran to the beach, startling the seabirds that had settled there. She tripped and fell to her knees in the sand, her eyes fixed on the disappearing ship. "Ryushi ..." she whispered.
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OK, that was chapter 1, I´ll have chapter 2 up soon, I´ve nearly finished it, so PLEEEEEAAAAASE review, I´m DYING to hear what you think, PLEASE!!! P.S. Thanks to Waffles and Sheep Girl (guys, you know who you are!!!(), for all their ideas and help!!!