After He Disappeared

Disclaimer: I'm not Sherwood Smith. I don't know if I want to be her, but I'd love to be able to write like she does! I'm not getting any money for this either. (Nobody's reading it either, but who cares?)

A/N I know it's a terrible title, maybe I'll fix it up later. This is going to be really short.

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' "Two years of work. Might not last a day. That's Detlev for you. Look, Shevraeth, you have to get out now. I'll send your things when I can. Well done," he added, grinning. But then he waved his hands. "But I can't hold em any more. Go." And so--thirsty, half-awake, rumpled and sweaty--Shevraeth reached into his shirt, gripped the medallion, said the words. The last thing he saw before the world was wrenched away was Marlovair's astonished face.'

Shevraeth in Marloven Hess

Senrid saw Marlovair's face, too. "Oh, don't you worry. Much as you hate the foreigner, you know he is no coward. Believe me, where he's going, it's going to be much harder than what we're facing." he said wryly.

"Harder than facing the eleveners? What could be harder than that?"

Senrid could see the fear lurking beneath the disbelief on Marlovair's young face.

"He will have to hide all he's learnt here with us. He will have to make believe that he wouldn't know which end of a sword is which. He will have to act as though the color and state of his clothes and the latest court gossip is worth more to him than anything else. He will have to do all that or he dies."

"Is he being sent on a mission?" Marlovair asked incredulously. "You're sending that foreigner on a mission?"

"I sent him home."

"Where is his home?"

"Did he never say? He is from Remalna. He is Vidanric Renselaeus, the Marquis of Shevraeth, heir to the principality of Renselaeus in the kingdom of Remalna." Senrid's face was unreadable.

"What does 'Marquis' mean? And, is Shevraeth not his name?" They began to move quickly through the forest, careful to leave no trace.

"I will try to answer your questions at a later date, now, we have business to do. I will be sending a rad here to lead your group. Make sure not to be seen. And about the meaning of 'Marquis', it means that in his kingdom, his rank is not very far from the king's. He has grown up knowing that he would be Prince one day. Shevraeth is his territory."

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"Van!" Marlovair's worried face cracked a smile as he saw who had hoisted himself up into the trees.

"Turned out that I was the only one who Shevraeth taught to live in the trees. Where's he gone anyway? The king wouldn't tell me."

"The king sent him home. Said that Shevraeth isn't his name but the name of his territory. What does that mean?"

"I don't know, I'll have to speak to the king later if I can. For now, we have to be quiet and stay alive." Stad said grimly.

Van Marlovair shivered at the dark look on his cousin's face.

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"I don't need a bloody guard!"

"Yes, you do," said Keriam firmly, "and since they were all close to Shevraeth, you can explain what is happening to him. This way you won't be bored and you'll be doing them a favor as well."

"Oh, all right. Put it that way."

"Good, now you're going to go to the caves in the North. You can still command us using the message boxes."

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Three fists banged on three chests as Senrid entered the room.

"We are going to the caves in the North. I'll transport us there."

Once there, they all busied themselves with preparing the sleeping arrangements, hopefully they wouldn't be staying long, but they would have to be there for at least a few days. Once the fire was readied and the hard travel bread handed out in equal shares, Senrid began to speak. "No doubt you all have questions about Shevraeth and that is partly the reason why you three specifically have been chosen to stay with me. So that I can answer your questions." As he heard them exhale in relief, Senrid thought, score to Keriam. "I think it will be best if I explain everything in one go so if you don't understand something, stop me in middle and I shall try to clarify, any questions afterwards I'll try to answer.

"First of all, Shevraeth is not his name, but the name of his territory. You see, their land doesn't go by military rank, but by way of land..."

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A/N Sorry, but I'm stopping here for today. I'll probably finish tomorrow, if I remember about it. I didn't realize it was going to be so long. I thought it was going to be the shortest of all of them yet (and that's saying something) but it wouldn't let me finish. So you see, I have to finish. Think of it as a sort of evil enchantment thingie, set to work forever on a never ending job. All I had wanted to write were the first three lines because they came into my head as I read that part in the book. Also, I apologize to anyone if I've gotten Senrid wrong, but I haven't managed to get my hands on the book Senrid yet. My library hasn't got it! How bad is that!