Okay, so, I just finished reading "Graceling" by Kristin Cashore for like the third time. In a row. Because it's amazing. 8DDD And so I decided I wanted to write fanfiction for it. Because it's amazing. HOWEVER. I will warn you that although Katsa and Po appear in this story, along with Raffin, Bitterblue, and Oll, it's going to mostly be made up of my OC's--people in Katsa's training camp thing. I just wanted you to know that because I know that some people don't like reading fanfiction with an OC as the main character. So yeah. On with the story! XD
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Title: Ochiul Mov, Argint Ochiul (Romanian)
Alternate Story Title: Purple Eye, Silver Eye
Chapter Title: Chapter One
Alternate Chapter Title: N/A
Summary: Elyk, a young Lienid Graceling, has no idea what his Grace is—only that it's powerful enough to save the Seven Kingdoms. When a brand-new enemy from over the border arrives, he and his companions must rise to stop it—with a little help from Katsa & Co.
Pairings(s): Elyk/Jakob; Katsa/Po; Raffin/Bann; Bitterblue/Hael (OC)
Rating: Young Adult (YA)/T for Teen
Warning(s): Violence, gore, psychological stuff, torture, shounen-ai/yaoi.
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Elyk sighed and wiped the sweat from his multicolored eyes as he watched Lady Katsa drill the new recruits in a sequence that he had already mastered. But even if his skills were beyond this, it was good to relearn the basics. And Lady Katsa seemed to like that he came to participate in most of her classes. (1)
A sound behind him—a rock skittering along the floor—alerted him to someone's approach. He turned and came face-to-face with his father, Naes.
"Hello, Father." He ground his teeth together, anticipating a verbal lashing for still being at the training camp.
"Elyk." The man nodded in his general direction and made no further acknowledgement to his son's presence, seemingly content to watch the boys and girls dueling in Ror's courtyard.
Elyk turned, back tense, to sweep his gaze over the spectacle as well. Though the man beside him was his father, Elyk did not enjoy his company--because usually his company was gained at the expense of Elyk's dignity, with near-constant jabs at everything from his elusive Grace to his strength to his intelligence. Mostly the Grace.
Naes seemed to disregard the usual Lienid attitude towards Gracelings, opting instead to treat his son with disdain and sometimes contempt. Elyk knew, however, that this was really only because of the fact that no one, not even Elyk, was entirely sure what his Grace was. Occasionally it seemed as though his Grace was perhaps cooking—and then he would burn the morning eggs. Another time it might seem to be that he was Graced with balance and direction—until he ran into a wall. Or he might become exceptionally good at sensing whether the milk was rotten, and then buy a decidedly unripe tomato at the market. No one knew.
Not even Elyk, nor Lady Katsa, nor Prince Po. Elyk wasn't quite sure why he had asked them, either. They hadn't been able to help at all, except for a small piece of advice the Lady had given him.
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"Well… And I don't know what to tell you, honestly. If Po couldn't pick up on it, I won't be able to either."
Elyk turned, somewhat dejectedly, from Lady Katsa, thanking her.
"But…" she said slowly, causing him to turn back to her. "My cousin, Prince Raffin of the Middluns, just recently sent word that he was developing a medicine of sorts that might be able to tell a person's Grace. If you decided to go there, he might have it perfected by then."
Elyk's face slowly transformed into a grin. He resisted the urge to throw his arms around her for a hug, realizing that he'd probably end up with a knife between his ribs if he did so. Instead, he whirled around and said, "Thank you, Lady Katsa! Thank you so much!"
He turned once more, planning to go home and pack right away. Maybe I'll take Jakob along, he thought.
Lady Katsa stopped him with a hand to the shoulder. "However," she said, "it would be a good idea for you to finish your training here. Come here tomorrow when the sun is a handbreadth away from the horizon."
He nodded, then turned and ran home, not quite sure what reaction to expect from his parents or friends. But he was going to tell them anyway, and no matter what anyone said, he was going to the Middluns. This meant too much to him not to go.
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(1) Just to clarify—yes, Elyk is a man. I know Katsa said that the training camp was going to be for girls that didn't know how to defend themselves, but I figure that, especially in Lienid, she would let the men in, because they would hear about what a great program it was, or that Lady Katsa was teaching it, so they would want to take class. I don't think Katsa's such a feminist that she would deny them. If you think she is, fine. But this is my story, so she's not. XD