Summary: Right after The Realm of the Gods. D/N. Numair gets hurt on his
way back to Port Legann, Daine tries to help, gets somewhat overwhelmed
over the events of the day.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. They belong to Tamora
Pierce. yada yada
Numair pulled Daine beside him as they went to meet Kitten, Tkaa, and Onua down by the river where they were waiting for them. He was still very weak from his battle with the mage Inar Hadensra. As he leaned against Daine for support he thought, *" How lucky I am that she found me before anyone else did. I.."* He suddenly stumbled, grabbing Daine to regain his balance, but instead bringing her down with him.
"What in the world." cried Daine as she pulled herself into a sitting position. "What happened Numair? Numair? Are you okay?"
She looked over at him and saw that he was grimacing in pain. He looked down at his leg, and she followed his eyes and there they saw the reason for his anguish. There was a gash on his leg, from his knee to his ankle. Blood was starting to trickle down to the ground and Daine had to force herself to stop watching it flow and to bandage the wound. She yelled for Onua and hoped that she was close enough to hear her. Then she turned back to Numair and gasped at the amount of pain and fear that she saw in his eyes.
Daine forced herself to look away for the second time and busied herself by tearing the bottom of her petticoat into strips, to use in washing and bandaging the wound. She loosened herself from under Numair's arm and started to walk to the river to wet the strips. "No, Daine, please don't go. Please don't leave me here alone." She turned around and saw that he had started to rise.
"Numair, don't move. You'll just hurt your leg more. I'll stay here, I promise. Just please, don't move." In her mind she was thinking, *"Goddess, please get Onua here quickly. Numair needs help."*
As if to answer Daine's plea, Onua came crashing through the underbrush, shouting her name. "Over here Onua, we're over here," called Daine. Onua found her and looked over the pair quickly. She found that Daine was unhurt other than several scrapes and bruises. Then she saw Numair.
"What happened?" She knelt down and quickly used her magic to see if there had been any other magic involved. She was relieved to find the cut free of any magical residue. Calling for Tkaa to bring Kitten over, she started to work on the wound. Looking around for something to clean it with, she saw Kitten coming toward her with the pieces of fabric that Daine had torn from her petticoat. Onua got up and took the pieces from the young dragon and walked toward the nearby river. It wasn't until she was halfway there that she realized that she had not found out what had happened. She dismissed the thought and began to moisten the strips of cloth. After she finished the task, she walked back to where the injured mage and his student were. She found Daine sitting beside Numair, talking to him, with tears running down her cheeks. She decided to leave them alone for a moment longer and went to find some herbs to help heal the wound with.
Daine was furious. She was furious at herself for not being able to help Numair, she was furious at whatever had injured him further from what he had suffered earlier in his battle with the other mage, she was furious at the gods for letting something like this happen to her love. Numair, meanwhile, was trying to use some of his magic to ease the pain in his leg. When he looked up, he saw her tearstained face and immediately was worried.
"Magelet. Daine. Look at me. Why are you crying? You aren't hurt anywhere, are you?" She shook her head. "So why are you crying?" She pointed to his leg. " I have only a scratch, so what's wrong?"
"A scratch?" She gave a slight giggle through her tears. " I should say that you have a bit more than a scratch."
Onua had by this time come back to the camp and she started to mend Numair's leg. He reached out for Daine's hand, as much to give her comfort as to get comfort from her. They sat together, neither saying anything to the other until Onua was done healing his leg. The sun had trailed down the sky, leaving only a sliver left on the horizon, and the birds had begun to sing their nighttime farewells before Onua tied a knot in the string and wrapped a bandage around the wounded leg.
Daine realized that Numair could not make it back to the camp on his leg. But what could she bring him in on. She then remembered that she had brought Cloud with her when she had gone out looking for him and whistled for her to come over to them. With the help of Onua and Tkaa, she got Numair up onto the pony. Then she took the reins in her hands and began to lead the horse back the way she had come. When Kitten started to follow behind them, Tkaa called her back. "They have been through a lot this summer, especially these past few days. Let them go alone, just this one time." He laughed as the baby dragon began to berate him for telling her what to do. "I know that I'm not your guardian Skysong, but you should still listen to my advise." The chirps and whistles slowly stopped and the dragon walked over to the basilisk and hung her head in apology.
"That's the first time I've seen a dragon do that before," boomed a voice overhead. Kitten's grandfather, Diamondflame, was swooping in the darkening sky above. "Most dragon's don't think it necessary to apologize when they make mistakes." Kitten's chatter started to come fast and loud again, as she reached her hands up. Onua soon figured out what she wanted and came up behind her and scooped her up.
"I think that it is okay to go home now, Kit." She held the little Skysong up in the air so that the older dragon could carry her home. Kitten whistled her thanks as she soared away, to Onua and Tkaa, who were waving from the ground below "I'm going to miss that little dragon when she has to leave." Tkaa nodded sadly in agreement. Once the dragons were out of sight, they began their trek back to the camp.
On the path ahead the mage and the student were making very slow progress. For most of the journey, they walked in silence, neither knowing quite what to say. It had been a very long day for both of them. Cloud was about to tell Daine to snap out of her mood when Numair cleared his throat.
"I think that you are probably wondering what happened back there, with Inar and everything." She nodded. "I'm sorry. I know how much you like it when others withhold information."
" It's okay. I know that we have both had a very long day, and now is not the time to talk about what happened today. "
" I agree. I think that we should get rested and fed though, before we go into any long discussions. And I have a feeling that both of us have long stories to tell." She nodded and they walked the remainder of the distance to Fort Legann in silence, trying to stay awake as they made their way home.
A/N: I think that Onua only has Wild Magic, but I needed her to have some normal magic (what an oxymoron- normal magic) for this fic. hmmm. I think I'm forgetting something. Oh yeah. review and I will be extremely happy, which is a good thing. if you don't, I will be so depressed that I will eat my 5 pound chocolate bar and that will put me on a sugar high, which is a very bad thing. so please review :)
Numair pulled Daine beside him as they went to meet Kitten, Tkaa, and Onua down by the river where they were waiting for them. He was still very weak from his battle with the mage Inar Hadensra. As he leaned against Daine for support he thought, *" How lucky I am that she found me before anyone else did. I.."* He suddenly stumbled, grabbing Daine to regain his balance, but instead bringing her down with him.
"What in the world." cried Daine as she pulled herself into a sitting position. "What happened Numair? Numair? Are you okay?"
She looked over at him and saw that he was grimacing in pain. He looked down at his leg, and she followed his eyes and there they saw the reason for his anguish. There was a gash on his leg, from his knee to his ankle. Blood was starting to trickle down to the ground and Daine had to force herself to stop watching it flow and to bandage the wound. She yelled for Onua and hoped that she was close enough to hear her. Then she turned back to Numair and gasped at the amount of pain and fear that she saw in his eyes.
Daine forced herself to look away for the second time and busied herself by tearing the bottom of her petticoat into strips, to use in washing and bandaging the wound. She loosened herself from under Numair's arm and started to walk to the river to wet the strips. "No, Daine, please don't go. Please don't leave me here alone." She turned around and saw that he had started to rise.
"Numair, don't move. You'll just hurt your leg more. I'll stay here, I promise. Just please, don't move." In her mind she was thinking, *"Goddess, please get Onua here quickly. Numair needs help."*
As if to answer Daine's plea, Onua came crashing through the underbrush, shouting her name. "Over here Onua, we're over here," called Daine. Onua found her and looked over the pair quickly. She found that Daine was unhurt other than several scrapes and bruises. Then she saw Numair.
"What happened?" She knelt down and quickly used her magic to see if there had been any other magic involved. She was relieved to find the cut free of any magical residue. Calling for Tkaa to bring Kitten over, she started to work on the wound. Looking around for something to clean it with, she saw Kitten coming toward her with the pieces of fabric that Daine had torn from her petticoat. Onua got up and took the pieces from the young dragon and walked toward the nearby river. It wasn't until she was halfway there that she realized that she had not found out what had happened. She dismissed the thought and began to moisten the strips of cloth. After she finished the task, she walked back to where the injured mage and his student were. She found Daine sitting beside Numair, talking to him, with tears running down her cheeks. She decided to leave them alone for a moment longer and went to find some herbs to help heal the wound with.
Daine was furious. She was furious at herself for not being able to help Numair, she was furious at whatever had injured him further from what he had suffered earlier in his battle with the other mage, she was furious at the gods for letting something like this happen to her love. Numair, meanwhile, was trying to use some of his magic to ease the pain in his leg. When he looked up, he saw her tearstained face and immediately was worried.
"Magelet. Daine. Look at me. Why are you crying? You aren't hurt anywhere, are you?" She shook her head. "So why are you crying?" She pointed to his leg. " I have only a scratch, so what's wrong?"
"A scratch?" She gave a slight giggle through her tears. " I should say that you have a bit more than a scratch."
Onua had by this time come back to the camp and she started to mend Numair's leg. He reached out for Daine's hand, as much to give her comfort as to get comfort from her. They sat together, neither saying anything to the other until Onua was done healing his leg. The sun had trailed down the sky, leaving only a sliver left on the horizon, and the birds had begun to sing their nighttime farewells before Onua tied a knot in the string and wrapped a bandage around the wounded leg.
Daine realized that Numair could not make it back to the camp on his leg. But what could she bring him in on. She then remembered that she had brought Cloud with her when she had gone out looking for him and whistled for her to come over to them. With the help of Onua and Tkaa, she got Numair up onto the pony. Then she took the reins in her hands and began to lead the horse back the way she had come. When Kitten started to follow behind them, Tkaa called her back. "They have been through a lot this summer, especially these past few days. Let them go alone, just this one time." He laughed as the baby dragon began to berate him for telling her what to do. "I know that I'm not your guardian Skysong, but you should still listen to my advise." The chirps and whistles slowly stopped and the dragon walked over to the basilisk and hung her head in apology.
"That's the first time I've seen a dragon do that before," boomed a voice overhead. Kitten's grandfather, Diamondflame, was swooping in the darkening sky above. "Most dragon's don't think it necessary to apologize when they make mistakes." Kitten's chatter started to come fast and loud again, as she reached her hands up. Onua soon figured out what she wanted and came up behind her and scooped her up.
"I think that it is okay to go home now, Kit." She held the little Skysong up in the air so that the older dragon could carry her home. Kitten whistled her thanks as she soared away, to Onua and Tkaa, who were waving from the ground below "I'm going to miss that little dragon when she has to leave." Tkaa nodded sadly in agreement. Once the dragons were out of sight, they began their trek back to the camp.
On the path ahead the mage and the student were making very slow progress. For most of the journey, they walked in silence, neither knowing quite what to say. It had been a very long day for both of them. Cloud was about to tell Daine to snap out of her mood when Numair cleared his throat.
"I think that you are probably wondering what happened back there, with Inar and everything." She nodded. "I'm sorry. I know how much you like it when others withhold information."
" It's okay. I know that we have both had a very long day, and now is not the time to talk about what happened today. "
" I agree. I think that we should get rested and fed though, before we go into any long discussions. And I have a feeling that both of us have long stories to tell." She nodded and they walked the remainder of the distance to Fort Legann in silence, trying to stay awake as they made their way home.
A/N: I think that Onua only has Wild Magic, but I needed her to have some normal magic (what an oxymoron- normal magic) for this fic. hmmm. I think I'm forgetting something. Oh yeah. review and I will be extremely happy, which is a good thing. if you don't, I will be so depressed that I will eat my 5 pound chocolate bar and that will put me on a sugar high, which is a very bad thing. so please review :)