I know I shouldn't start another fic, but I really want to get my thoughts down. So as far as I'm concerned I have never seen a fic like this, at least for TP. So here the full summary:
Over the years of the Scanra-Tortall War Tusaine grew stronger and waited for its chance to get back its neighboring country. She found the right time when Tortall hosted a party in celebration of the victory where most knights, soldiers, and fighter would be to be honored. Along with the warriors would come their wives to celebrate as well. The Tusaines attacked in great numbers and since the Tortallans were at a party not many wore weapons. They ashamedly gave up and followed the orders of the Tusaine soldiers. Among the prisoners were Kel, Neal, a pregnant Yuki, and Thom (the younger of course!) among others. The Tortallans were marched past the border of Tusaine and Tortall and slowly the Tortallans' numbers decreased. The pregnant women were tortured and the husbands killed or disappeared. As the Tortallans' number had greatly diminished the remaining Tortallans were marched out to the field to have their chests pierced with bronze points of arrows. This fic contains Kel/ Thom goodness and it is a tragedy/angst fic. The fic is based after the life of a woman Holocaust survivor that I met and the forgotten Armenian Genocide that I just did a huge project on.
Interested? Well it's rated PG-13 for violence and probably swearing. There is some gory things in here, but I'll warn you ahead of time, I think. So hope you enjoy the first part of Tortallan Genocide.
None of this is mine, but a Holocaust survivor gives the ideas of some situations to me.
This chapter is dedicated to Alenor since she's such a sweetie and fellow chocoholic. I hope you like the chapter/fic and that things were great for you on Valentines' Day with your bf! Okay it is a co dedication because this is also for Parcheezie, sorry that it wasn't Going Long but here an update for you. I love you both with the bottom of my crooked heart.
Chapter 1- So it Begins
Kel reluctantly pulled her eyes away from the mirror, and she carefully ran her hand through a stubborn piece of mouse brown hair that was determinedly trying to stay up to annoy her. She went into the privy and nervously put water on the plaguing hair.
She came back to the mirror and for what seemed like the tenth time, looked at her reflection. Her hazel orbs gazed over her high cut crimson dress. The dress hugged her body tightly, but not so much where she couldn't breath. The arm parts fanned out to cover her muscular and scarred arms, which she had gained from fighting through the worst of the Scanran-Tortallan War. Kel sighed at the thought of the war, and remembered the devastation it had brought to her friends and Tortall. Half way through the war two of her good friends Esmond and Prosper had died saving a village from an attack.
They had been stationed together and their entire group had suffered from the vicious attack. The attack had been stopped for a time being, because of the Tortallans, but nobody was able to save the village in time. When the Own had gotten there they had found the women ravaged, children with their throats cut, and men utterly destroyed. All the property had been burned and the few crops the village had been able to save had been taken.
The Own had later used trackers to find those responsible, but they weren't able to neutralize what had been done to the poor village. The palace had gone haywire, because they now had to protect everything that they owned. The king ordered knights to be put at every village to keep everyone in his palace safe.
Kel frowned at the sad memory when Dom had told her of Esmond and Prosper. She and all her friends had been given a five-day 'break' so they wouldn't get themselves killed out in battle from worrying about their friends' deaths. She had been stationed by the border and seen more action then even a knight would have liked, but she had been positioned with Neal. Her days had gone by slowly but she was thankful that the days had been spent with her friend.
Kel turned around to face her bed and above it had small shelf that had small candles sitting atop them. Kel's eyes choked up as she watched the flickering candles. There was a red, yellow, blue, green, and brown. The brown signified the Riders' losses while the red was for knights, blue for the Own, and green for the army. The one candle that brought the most emotion out of the seasoned knight was the yellow that symbolized youth.
The war had gone on longer than Tortall's supply of men had and it resulted in a drafting going through villages and pages and squires being pulled into a situation that they weren't ready for. The blows had been devastating, and among the pages had been her cousin Lachran. He had been a first year squire ready to prove himself to his nation, but the gods had chosen to end his fate quickly.
Kel brushed away the tears that were forming in her eyes and jumped as a great bell resounded throughout her chamber. Kel turned quickly on her heel and grabbed for where she would usually hold Griffin, but remembered she wasn't allowed to hold a weapon in a time of celebration. 'I've been at war for much too long…'
Kel sighed finally satisfied with her appearance and walked into the great hallway of knights that were being honored. She walked to her right down the endless succession of mahogany doors. Kel finally found the door she was looking for since on the chalkboard it had written on it,' Nealan of Queenscove and Lady Yukimi of the Yamani Islands.' Kel knocked slowly on the thick door and a moment later Yuki popped her head out and gave Kel a warm smile.
"Neal said something about you needing to inspect him? Are you trying to steal my fiancé from me Kel?"
"Tell him he's a big lad and he can take care of himself." Yuki opened the door all the way and embraced Kel in a soft hug. Kel looked down at Yuki's stomach that had grown to the size of a very small medicine ball.
"How are you feeling? Are you sure you are up to this?"
"As the next Lady of Queenscove I must be there. And when have I not been up to going to a party?"
Kel smiled at her friend's enthusiasm and looked behind her to where Neal stood attempting to straighten his hair with a small basin of water and his hands. Kel rolled her eyes, "Fine Neal I'll help you." Kel walked over and grabbed a small towel and watered it down. She slowly went through all his cowlicks till she was finally done." There."
"Why thank you my dear friend."
"Kel aren't you going to wear any face paint." Kel frowned at the question," Okay then forget I asked…"
Yuki wore a green kimono styled dress that had swans across the front and the stomach part was magically done so it would stretch to fit her stomach. Kel assumed Neal had done all her clothes that way. Neal held Yuki's hand and he wore an olive green tunic with black breeches.
"Hey Neal do you know who else is going to be at the ball?"
"Well the Own, Riders, knights, some mages, and all the generals they could possibly force to come. So that means Raoul, Dom, Quasim, Buri, Seaver, Merric, jolly ol' Owen, Faleron, Alanna and her children and the Stump might just be there."
Kel took a deep breath as the hallway ended and led on till it reached the stairway where the heralds waited for the peoples' names so they could announce them. The man was stocky and muscular with bunched muscles. He had a rugged face and looked tan from hard work. He wore a sword at his side that Kel assumed was for decoration. Neal and Yuki stepped forward and they quietly whispered their names and in a regal accented voice the man announced their titles.
Kel looked through the red curtains that hid the ballroom from her view and Kel looked down at the man and asked, "Would you mind if I asked where you are from sir? I haven't heard an accent like yours in a long time I think."
The man moved his height to his other hip and replied in a crisp voice, "My parents were form another land my lady but I was born in Tortall." Kel tilted her head, but didn't question the man and further. She whispered her name to the man and he seemed to look surprised at who she was but announced her.
"Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan." The herald opened the side of a curtain aside and gave her a sweeping bow. Kel slowly reclined her head in a small thank you and walk down the steps. She could feel a large amount of eyes on her and her face flushed from nervousness. She had not been to a ball in over ten years, since there hadn't been anytime or reason to celebrate.
Kel wished dearly that she could have been wearing her comfortable boots instead of these horrid slippers that made her feet sweat. She constantly had to make sure she wouldn't slip out of them. Kel walked down the small aisle towards the royal monarchs and bent down into a half curtsy and bow. Kel blushed and looked up and found the king and queen smiling laughingly and the prince and princess smiling quietly along side them.
Kel picked up her skirts and walked away from the monarchs toward the crowd where she could blend in. She used her height to her advantage and stood on her tiptoes to try and see her friends. She found Dom standing beside his fiancé Aidan. She smiled and remembered the look of loss on Dom's face when he had been betrothed to Aidan after his eldest brothers' deaths in the war.
He had been planning on asking for her hand after the war, he had told her, but the deaths had come before the end of the war. The rule of no marriages for the Own had been changed for the members since the war created many problems. Many of the members were younger sons, but with their brothers' deaths they had to marry for their families.
Kel smiled and walked over to the couple and felt suddenly self-conscious as Dom looked at her. Her heart continued to beat erratically at the sight of him, but she was able to stop her face from becoming flushed when she saw the ring wrapped around his finger tightly.
Dom's sapphire eyes softened and he stepped forward to embrace his old friend," Kel, gods, its great to see you alive."
"You act if you don't think I would live through it."
"With all the deaths, it could have been possible that you were another number count. But nothing shall ever stop the Protector of the Small from looking after her children right?" Dom asked grinning.
"Well I can't have you looking after Neal, who knows how much trouble you'll get him in. Have you seen Raoul?"
"Yes he's over there." Aidan replied butting in.
"Thanks Aidan, I'll see you later Dom." Kel waved off and the small flutter in her stomach drifted off, but her mind still seemed to be burned with Dom's image in her head. Kel looked around the masses of people until she saw Raoul's ruddy curls over the heads. In the background of the murmuring she could hear all the men and women being announced.
"Kel? Gods it great to see you!" Kel turned around at the voice and smiled in return. Behind her was Quasim. He wore a red tunic and his face was beginning to wrinkle. He was aging gracefully, but aging all the same.
"Quasim, where were you stationed all these years?"
"I was up at the northeast border with my squad protecting some of the villages. How's your feather dusters and Jump?"
Kel looked down in sadness, "Most of the third generation of birds died fighting, but I do still have some. Most of the birds are buried up by the border. And Jump…Jump died fighting, just as how he would want it. He died fighting in the last skirmish. He fought till the end. Jump wouldn't have had it any other way though…" Kel looked down sadly and gave him an apologetic smile.
"Oh Kel I'm sorry. It's all right, not your fault. At least I still have Peachblossom. He's almost at the end of his life too though. I don't what I will do when I don't have him anymore."
"Cherish the time you have with them, don't mourn about the time when you won't." Kel smiled a small thank you and was about to ask him how he'd been when there was a loud whoop heard throughout the hall. Everyone turned to the sound and in the center of the attention was a taller and older looking Owen.
"Kel! Kel, isn't this great? We're heroes!"
"Owen you don't have to announce it."
"But why not? I want Seaver and Prosper to be able to hear me." He took a step forward and Kel looked confusedly at him.
"Owen you haven't been drinking anything have you?" Kel asked warily.
"Not a wee bit." He stated laughing and embracing Kel into a tight hug.
"Owen-I need to breath."
"Sorry about that, now I'll be back later so we can talk but those finger food are sounding all too good right now." Kel smiled and watched as he walked away whistling.' Always leave it to Owen to lighten the mood.'
Kel walked along the edges of the dance floor, and vaguely heard as Alanna and her family was being introduced. She continued on her until she made it to an opening to the outside. She walked carefully through the opening and found it occupied by a reminiscing couple and continued to find one that was empty.
She passed by Cleon and his wife and happily found the opening to go out into the gardens. As she stepped outside she found that it was wet and she looked up into the sky only to have a drop of water plop down to splash her eyes. She lifted up the edges of her dress and searched for a bench that she could sit on.
As she searched amongst the beautiful flowers she felt her dress growing heavier from the rain. She was finally able to find a bench covered by a great elm tree that was in honor of Jasson I of Conte. Kel sat down quietly and watched as the drops fell to the wet grass. The sky was a stormy black and Kel saw faint sparkles in the air. The stars usually looked like a yellowish gold color, but tonight they seemed to have a mystical silver light that caught on the moon. Kel continued to stare upon the stars and saw that they were much bigger or closer that they should have been, but shrugged it off. The whole atmosphere was mystical in a supernatural type of way.
Mist surrounded the palace as if it had been put magically and the moon cast a bright glow so it was easy to see despite the thick mist. Kel was broken from her reverie as she heard a twig break behind her. Kel again pulled for her weapon and again only tugged on her dress, "Who goes there?" Kel yelled since she couldn't see through the thick fog and rain.
The figure stepped forward and a tall man with copper curls stepped through the mist. The mist seemed to cling to him and he had a powerful demeanor. He wore a white shirt with an emerald green tunic and brown breeches he had a small patch on his chest that could have shown that he was a knight or noble. "My mother wanted me to come and fetch you for the ceremony." He smiled wickedly," She says you would've skipped if given the chance."
"Your mother sounds omniscient, I don't mean to sound rude but who is she?"
"You know her, but I guess the problem is that you don't know me." The man went into a sweeping bow and grabbed her hand," I am Thom of Pirates' Swoop." He lightly brought his lips to it and faster than Kel could blink he stood upright and was leading her towards the ballroom in the thickening fog.
"Hmm…it was lighter when I came…" He seemed to mumble absently to himself and let go of Kel's hand.
"Well if you are Thom of Trebond then why don't you use your magic to lighten the way?"
Thom looked towards Kel with a look of disbelief," You'd think after years at the Academy that I would be able to think clearly." Kel smiled faintly and watched as he flicked his wrist in a circle and continued to walk in the dark.
"Umm, Thom why didn't you use your magic?" Thom opened his eyes and stared in utter amazement, as there was no light of fire on his hand. His brows knitted in confusion and he once again tried.
"I-I can't, hurry something must be happening." He pulled her arm worriedly and Kel couldn't help but feel a panic inside her come brimming to the surface. 'What other enemies do we have besides Scanra? What could be so important that a person with great power can't muster a single spell?'
Kel felt herself being tugged and pulled through the mist and hoped that the mage knew where he was going. She heard Thom's hurried voice say something but she didn't hear him as her foot connected with a step and she slowly fell to the ground. Thom must have felt the tug on her arms and caught her before she cracked her head. "We can't have one of Tortall's heroes getting hurt no could we?"
They leisurely made their way to the brightly lit ballroom and Thom seemed to insist on pulling her through the thick crowd. He pulled her like they were playing 'crack the whip' and Kel resulted in running into several people. She even hit Neal who had been talking to Daine. Kel was thankful when they finally reached the Lioness since her arm had been growing sore from all the pulling.
"So you found Kel did you? Glad to see that she'll actually be honored since she's here." The Lioness grinned and her husband beside her just seemed to nod his head in acknowledgement. The Lioness wore a silvery shirt with an amethyst tunic and black breeches. She wore her sword at her waist and Kel dearly wished she had worn breeches instead of the dress she wore now.
"Mother something is happening outside. I couldn't use my magic and it looked like mist." He shot his thumb to the balcony where the mist could now be seen from the inside. " I wasn't even aware that it was there until Keladry told me to use my magic to lighten the way. It must have several backing the power up since I couldn't even sense it."
Alanna's brows furrowed, "Are you telling me that we're probably going to be attacked?"
Thom rolled his eyes why else would there be dampening spells coming around the palace." Kel half-listened to the conversation and thought of anything that would help to solve their dilemma. Kel gasped aloud when she thought about the silvery stars she had seen.
George raised an eyebrow, "What has you so worried lass? You're not Gifted."
Kel frowned but continued to say; "I saw silvery stars when I was outside."
"Yes there do tend to be stars outside this time of year." Thom said slowly as if he was talking to a small child. Alanna smacked him up side the head," Let her finish son."
"They were probably stormwings, actually I'm sure of it since the were so big and the moon glinted off the silver." Kel watched as the Lioness paled and started off to the monarchs' throne.
As Alanna walked away with her husband a lot of questioning looks came from those around her but from Thom's inherited glare they quickly turned away. "Sorry about that, but I'm just getting really nervous. I was in the war, yes, but I've only been in one siege."
"That's alright, at least you have a sword." She said gesturing to the sword at his waist.
"I only brought it because I can be very insecure. Even the safest place has enemies." He replied softly.
"Kel do you know what's happening?" Kel looked behind Thom to see Roald behind him with Shinko.
"Cousin how are you? I was wondering when we would get to chat," he reached out for Shinko's hand, " And the beautiful yet unlucky woman to marry my cousin." Shinko's eyes crinkled in amusement, but she calmly took her shukusen and brought it up in front of her face. Kel smiled in amusement since it was already starting to get harder for the Yamani to keep face.
Kel turned around as an outburst was heard. She turned to see the king waving his hands wildly at the crowd of people and Thayet trying to calm him down. As if he had just realized all the eyes on him he sulkily followed Alanna and she nodded her head at Thom to follow her.
"Come on Roald, Shinko I'll explain it on the." The four monarchs followed Alanna, George, Thom, and Kel outside the ballroom to hide them from the incoming trouble that would occur.
Gwen- thanks again for beta-ing, and keep on sleeping!
Well I think I'll stop it there for now, you have no idea how good it feels to get that part out of my head. Okay are just about the same age from what I have picked up from the Trickster books and the war went on for ten years. Yup that's right ten years, so Kel is about 28-30 and just add ten years to anyone else. Lets see I can't really think of anything else you guys will ask me, but don't kill me for making Dom engaged! I just wanted to show how many deaths there really were and Dom was sorta my scapegoat. Well I'm curious to see how you guys will respond to my idea so if you review lots that would be so wonderful! Oh and constructive criticism is more than welcome! So till next time!