A/N: Welcome to the story that will take you on a fantastic journey through love, hate, absolutely infatuation, and where anything could potentially go wrong for Numair and Daine. This story takes place after Wolf Speaker and will lead to Emperor Mage. So enjoy the story and tell me with your innermost thoughts what you think. Yours truely - sweetmari.

P.s. Disclaimer. TP has the honor to be the creator of Numair, Daine and all that are within Tortall. I have only taken the liberty to do my own version of what could have happen.


Intervention of Divine Power

Part 1

She stomped off. Daine wasn't particularly fond of snow, even though she was a girl born in Galla. The heavy mass reached her to the middle of the shins and her big comfortable warm boots was soaked before she reached her room next to the barn. How would she manage to get over the courtyard wearing a dress, delicate slippers and hair without destroying everything before she had reached the door to the great hall? A minor problem she had deferred to think about during the day. 'Damn,' she told herself.

She opened the door and walked in. Humping, she got one wet boot off and then the next. When she reached the middle of the floor, she had left large patches of melted snowsnow behind her. This didn't work, she noted quietly to herself. Taking off yet another boot and after tossing them up in a large tub, she walked over to the bed. Here she spread a large blanket and began to pack the necessary things; dress, breast band, ribbon, shoes...she looked around. What was she forgetting? The small box was on her dresser, she had to remember it.

With things properly packed together in the blanket and settled in her arms, she went over to the door. Daine stopped short and looked back. It had been a bad idea to take off her boots in the first place, now she had to wear them again; cold, wet, and frozen.

A lot of new oaths spilled from her mouthmouth, a result of working side by side with the Lioness. Alanna had never been fond of snow or cold, and she didn't mind letting everbody know it. Sighing Daine looked out at the snow, the sun was settling slowly in the horizon. She had no intention of transforming her feet so that she ended up at her destination in bare toes and besides, where she was goinggoing, there was always a little warmer.

Daine threw the bundle down and pulled the boots on again, along with her cloak. When she opened the door her shoulders slumped. Winter wasn't going to be nice to her or Tortall for the matter. Big fat snowflakes fell gently down towards the ground, dancing like crystal from the deep gray sky.

"Damn," she hissed for the second time as she struck the hood up over her head and with the bundle again secured in her arms, she stamped off over the inner courtyard.


Numair buttoned the last button in his silk shirt. He stood in front of the big mirror in his bedchamber and regarded himself. He wasn't at all satisfied with his appearance, but it had to do. He was eyeing the hook where the fabric of a long black robe was hanging and regarded it with mixed feelings. It was a symbol of his powers; he both loathed it for the trouble it had brought into his life, but he liked it for the respect it gave him in return. Also without it he wasn't sure that a certain girl would had been brought into his life, but she, on the other hand was causing him trouble - he didn't when it had happened, but he had fallen for his student, a crush that wasn't allowed.

He was about to reach for the black robe, while frowning when he heard someone knock on his door to his study. "Who is it?" he called and swung the robe over his shoulders, while he listened for an answer.

The knock sounded again.

Sighing, he left his bedchamber. Standing in front of the door he gathered his long black hair with a leash. A quiet knock sounded again this time. "I'm coming!" Numair calledand opened the door and found a figure dressed in a dark cloak and hood. From the smallness and the way the person stood, Numair knew it was a female. Her face was hidden and drops of water slipped quietly down towards the floor. Arms held a bundle.

"Can I help you?" He asked carefully and a bit unsure.

"I'm moving in," The figure replied and walked resolutely towards him, forcing him back. "I tell you, I clearly understand why Alanna hates the snow..."

"Excuse me?" Numair exclaimed shocked as he moved back, not sure why he did so. In his hands large black balls speckled with silver gathered, as he got ready to defend himself, if necessary.

"Stop it, Numair, it's just me." The voice sounded familiar, too much familiar. "Don't you know your own student?" Daine accused him, throwing her stuff on Numair's desk. Knocking the hood back she turned around and looked up at him, large stormy gray eyes gliming with mischief.

"Daine?" Numair choked.

"Yes, seriously Numair, who did you think I was? Some angry woman seeking revenge?"

He evaded her eyes "I ... uh ... no ... what do you mean 'you are moving in'?" He asked suspiciously. He had never had a woman, a young woman, he corrected himself, staying in his chambers before, other when Daine, on multiple occasions had fallen asleep on the couch during lessons. When that had happened, he had covered her with a blanket, opened the door to the corridor outside and stayed up until she woke again and was ready to walk back to her own room by herself.

"Why do you think?" Daine asked as she shook off her wet cloak. In one fluent movement she hung it over a chair standing beside the roaring fireplace, before she looked back at him while her hands seeked the warmth of the fire.

Numair scratched his head as Daine very unlady-like dropped down on the floor and began to pull off her wet boots. "Daine, I think you have to be a bit more specific as to why you are..."

"Moving in?" Daine finished his sentence, a really annoying habit she had developed.

Numair ignored his beginning irritation and pushed the door shut, but thought better of it, and allowed it to be slightly open. He saw the annoyed look on Daine face. They had had serveral conversations on why the door had to be slightly open when she visited him late afternoons or well into the night. He had argumentated that it had to be so, so others could see that she came to him for studying and not what so many at the palace cossiped about. And this night was no different then the others.

Numair cleared his throat and walked slowly towards her. "So you are moving in?"

"And I'm sleeping here tonight," Daine said and turned her back to the fire, allowing her long curly wet hair fall down on her back.

The statement got Numair to stop in his tracks, "Sleeping? Daine, you are old enough to know that, that can't be********

Numair went over to the chair at his desk and turned around so he could sit with his front turned towards the almost 16-year-old girl sitting on his floor. He wrung his hands nervously. "Daine? Has something happened? Is something - wrong? "He asked hoarsely. He knew that a certain boy had pursued her the last week or so. If the boy had hurt her in any way, he would...

She interrupted his thoughts of plotting revenge "No, but how would you climb the inner courtyard wearing a dress in this weather? I need a place to get ready Numair" she found his concerned eyes "and a place to sleep after the ball - and you happen to have a couch. "Daine pointed with a toss of her head in the direction of the major long couch, Numair had placed up the wall beside her.

Numair relaxed. So nothing had happened, nothing, but snow. He was almost sad over the fact that he wasn't giving an opportunity to do something to the young swain that had followed her around the palace. He smiled instead og looked how she with with experienced fingers began to loosen the knots her hair always managed to do. She was about to turn into a beautiful woman, he noticed a bit sad. He would have to let go of her eventually and lose her to another man in the near future, but it was a concern he had to take care of later. This evening was the midwinter-ball, the last celebration of the year.


Daine was finally wearing her dress and was standing in front of the big mirror in Numair's bedchamber. When she had come to court, she was told by Onua that women here, normaly and in daily basis walked in trousers and dresses were only necessary in special occasions. Twice a year, Daine had found herself compelled to wear long skirts that rattled around her legs.

She secretly enjoyed to have a dress on again even though she always managed to put up a show of dislike when the Queen, Onua or Alanna was near, but deep down she loved the attention she was giving when she showed herself in a dress.

This night she didn't dress herself up for the date she had, but for the tanned lanky, but strongly build man who paced the floor back and forth in the next room. She secretly wanted him to be her date, and he was or almost was - he would go with her to the great hall as her teacher, and she would stand beside him as his student - the only thing she ever was going to be. As she placed her earrings, she could hear Numair marching back and forth in front of the fireplace in the room next to where she was, muttering to himself.

Daine turned around herself as she heard the wind blow outside the window. She was happy with her decision, which had proved to be the right one after all, since the weather had turned into a violent snowstorm.

"Are you dressed?" Numair's deep voice sounded from the half closed door.

Daine giggled. She had spent a little over half an hour in persuading Numair to let her use his bedchamber. He had growled, muttered and mumbled something about women and had finally left the room, completely in despair that her argumentation had been flawless, but again proud because it showed that she certainly was a student of his. He had given in at last and allowed her to enter his very most private room. She had a feeling that this was the first time he had female-company where he slept.

"Yes," Daine answered. She had spent what felt like oceans of time to weave her hair in small braids, held together with a light blue ribbon. The dress glowed light blue with dark blue embroidery at the hem. She had found it with help from Queen Thayet, as she had grown out of the dress she had on last year. Thayet had sent several of her maids into the city and had called all the tailors, she knew had finished dresses to come to the palace quickly.

It was now a day ago and Daine had been extremely unhappy with having to go through the same process as last year, but now as she stood and looked at herself in the mirror she admired herself. Turning slowly toward the man who entered she looked up into his face and asked shyly; "How do I look?"

Numair didn't close the door behind him, he didn't need to because the sight of his student that had transformed into one of the young women from court got his heart to beat a little faster than usual. "You look absolutely marvelous," he replied softly.

His answer was rewarded with a strange glimpse in Daine's blue-gray eyes and she lifted her chin. He met her eyes and saw how she blushed a bit under his dark gaze. He paused for a moment, before he calmly walked to where she stood and placed the palm of his calloused hand softly on her chin, lifting her face a bit more. "Absolutely beautiful" he repeated again with a slight note of admiration lingering in his voice.

A lock of her hair had escaped a hairpin and Numair reached a hand out to push it into place, but instead his hand ended up at her cheek, holding it there for a few seconds.

She couldn't help herself and looked up in Numair's now cinnamon brown eyes that flashed with - something. Normally Numair's eyes was hazel, but not now.

Daine was holding her breath, unable to move and without realizing that she was doing so. Was it her imagination or was he leaning towards her? A few more inches and his lips would brush her, she began to think and panic entered her along with something, new - she was feeling a strange sudden feeling in her stomach as his thumb trailed the transition from her skin to her lips.

Numair cleared his throat vigorously. He was so close, to close and he withdrew himself. This wasn't right. This was absolutely wrong. Her presence, her appearance, her standing such - near him, in a dress that was cut low and showed her maturing body.

Taking a step back he regained control of himself and said as restrained as he could. "Maybe we should get going, we wouldn't want to be late." With this comment, he turned and left a breathless Daine, who could barely figure out how to breath normally.