Title: Wolf Tower Twisted
Rating: T
Pairings: All cannon
Warnings: None, except I'm a lousy updated. ::punted through a wondow::
Description: Claidi turns back the night that she and Nemian escape the house, and never meets Argul or destroys the Law of the Wolf Tower. Or at least not yet.
Disclaimer: I do not own Claidi. I do not own Nemian, Argul, Ven'n or any of the other guys she's sleeping with. Although I wish. Maybe she'll share if I ask nicley...
Dedicated to Sedge, because by default all of my stories are for her. And Jesus, of course.
In need of a beta, so email me if you're interested.
We've been here for two months, Nemian and I. That night, the night everything changed…we turned back. I'm sure you have almost no idea what I'm talking about, so I'll write it all down here, like I did for that short period of time before Nemian came.
That night, what they now call "Lion's Night" or sometimes, "Claidi's Night", I helped Nemian escape the cage in the garden, and we got outside the walls when he fell asleep. Well, of course your know this, it was the last thing I wrote to you. But, the next morning, I smelled smoke. Lots of it coming from the house.
And I know it was a stupid thing to do at the time, and Nemian yelled at me for it later, but I thought of Pattoo, and Daisy, and Dengwi, and Groother, and all of my other friends at the house, and I thought, "No, they can't be hurting them because of me." By them of course, I meant the royalty. Or what was the royalty.
It took me about three hours to run back through those tunnels under the ground, with Nemian chasing after me the entire way. Never let it be said I have no endurance.
When we got back to the house, there was noise, a lot of noise, and even though it was only two months ago, much of my memory of that time was a blur. But, in the hallways, I heard people, slaves, and maid-slaves shouting and whispering the same thing.
Revolution.
Nemian and I had sparked this, I later learned. The Lady Jizania had set it up so the maid-slaves of Lady Jade Leaf had the means to overthrow the royalty. Torches and bonfires were lit (the cause of all the smoke) and all 94 lords and ladies were ushered out of their beds into the great debate hall.
"We demand justice from what you have taken!" cried Dengwi (!) from the spot in the hall that the Old Men and Old Ladies usually sat. She appeared to be in the middle of a speech. "We demand justice for our freedom, our pride and dignity, for the disregard you have shown for our lives! And what we demand we shall take!" she shouted. I had by then lost Nemian in the crowds of people.
A roar came from the assembled servants. They demanded blood.
I think that Dengwi sensed this, so she said next, "But we will not take the road you have. We will demand your lives," there was a quick intake of breath from everyone, royalty and servant (I think a few of the more delicate ladies fainted) "but we will not take them. You are all henceforth stripped of your titles. You may either stay here, and become equal with the working men and women of this House, or you will be," here, she paused, "exiled to the waste!" More gasps and faints from those in the hall.
Then, a cheer rang out from the crowd of servants. I smiled. We deserved this. I cheered too. I danced. I sang a song that I had heard the slaves sing. I hugged the woman standing next to me that I had never met, and I'll admit that I cried a little.
Because I was free.
The rest of the day was mainly spent figuring out who of the royalty would stay, and who would leave. Jade Leaf was rejected by her mother, and Jizania decided to take her on as a personal servant. I felt a twang of pity for her, but then dismissed it. She deserved everything life dealt her.
I became lost in the crowds and chaos. The House is big; there are at least 4,000 people here, more if you count all the slave-farmers in the outer garden. So it was a few hours until anyone I knew recognized me.
"Claidi!" yelled Groother from a few yards away. I waved enthusiastically. "What are you doing here?" he shouted over the din. "We were all told you left with Nemian, the golden prince!"
"We saw smoke and came—" Someone jostling me cut me short. I would've fallen but by then Groother had managed to make his was over to me and caught my arm. "Thanks."
"No, Claidi. Thanks to you. Dengwi lead this, but you sparked it. You'll be a hero," he said in all sincerity. I was floored.
"Me?" I squeaked. Until this point, I had been running on the thrill of freedom. The adrenaline. I didn't think of what part I had had in this revolution.
"Dengwi will probably want to see you." He started to tug me through the crowd. I had to hold tightly on to his hand for fear of being separated.
"How do you propose we find her?" I had to raise my voice to be heard.
He led me into a quiet side-hall where we could talk. "She's probably still in the debating hall. I heard that she's sort of set up a temporary residence there."
"Groother," I asked slowly, "is Dengwi to be the new princess here?"
He looked at me. "I think it's too soon to know that. Come on, let's go find her." We continued on our way.
When we entered the debating hall, a loud cry came from the other end.
"No," sobbed a former lady who was kneeling before a figure on a wooden chair, "you can't! This is my life. It's all I know! Don't take me away!" she shrieked.
"You are given the option to stay here," said a regal-looking Dengwi very calmly. I then noticed that the Lady Jizania-or is it just Jizania now?-was sitting next to her on Dengwi's left side and had the same look a kitchen cat had on it's face after it caught and ate a particularly annoying mouse.
"Oh be silent, Ralia," snapped Jizania. "Why can't you be as cooperative as Iris, hm?"
"Tower trash," spat Ralia, who then turned and started to run from the hall. "I'm leaving to the waste, Jizania, and don't think the other houses won't hear of this!" She slammed the heavy wooden door behind her with a thud.
I had a thought. Other houses? Well, I suppose it makes sense. If there are other people and even cities in the waste, there stands to reason that there should be other houses.
"Claidi!" It was Nemian. And, much to my delight, he sounded very pleased to see me. Pleased and relieved.
Dengwi's eyes shot up. She grinned. "We wondered when you would be joining us." We were now the only people in the room. Groother had, for some odd reason, left.
"Where are Daisy and Pattoo? What started this? Jizania, what are the Towers?"
"You have so many questions," said Jizania in a lazy languid manner. "You friends are fine, probably running around somewhere celebrating. As to this revolution…. I grew weary of the way things were. And I needed to be able to be sure that no one would follow you two on your way to Nemian's city." She flicked her gaze over to him. "The Towers are merely a group of people. That is all."
Nemian coughed. We all looked at him. "Madame…," he began.
"No, no, just Jizania," she insisted.
He paused. "Very well then. Jizania. May I request a mode of transportation back to my city, so that Claidi and I may reach there sooner?"
"I'll contact Ironel and request a balloon for you, how's that, Prince?" she asked airily.
"We would be most pleased," he said.
"Wait," everyone looked at me, " 'we'? Both of us are still going? But, why do I have to go?"
There was a silence.
Then Nemian said, "But you don't want to go with me? Darling Claidi, I am crushed."
"Well," I flushed, "I mean, I think there's a lot to be done here…," I trailed off lamely.
"Claidi, I can handle it," said Dengwi softly. "You go ahead with Nemian."
"Yes, they may even need you in his City," Jizania put in slyly. I wasn't sure, but I thought I saw Nemian glare at her.
He quickly recomposed himself. "It's settled then. Claidi's coming with me."
"I suppose so," I said quietly.
Dengwi suddenly jumped up. "Let's go find Daisy and Pattoo, Claidi." We quickly exited to room together.
Things had calmed down a bit, but not much. There were fewer people around, but everyone stopped to shake Dengwi's hand or give me a hug or something along the lines of that.
We found Daisy and Pattoo in my old room, sitting on my old cot crying together. They looked up when we entered the room. There was a silence, and then I started crying, and I heard Dengwi sniffle, and we all hugged.
"We're free," whispered Pattoo.
"I've never been so happy," sobbed Daisy.
And neither had I.
The next week, a balloon showed up for Nemian and I. There was a man piloting it (a ballooner, maybe? No, that's not right.), and two guards in it too. Thankfully we weren't shot out of the sky.
The journey took longer than I expected. A month. Nemian was distant the entire cramped time, and he barely spoke to me. I was so lonely I almost couldn't stand it. But the two men, their names were Daskk and Nivlow, were kind to me, and we would stay up late at night, and they would tell me stories about their god Anansi.
(Gods are funny things, aren't they? If you know Gods, I mean. There were no Gods at the House, needless to say.)
The City is completely and absolutely dismal. But maybe it's just the betrayal that made it worse.
For you see, Nemian is married.
We reached the City, and were led through twisting hallways (still in our traveling clothes, might I add) to a large room. I was rather lost, but Nemian seemed to know where we were going.
There were two women in the room. One was old, possibly older than Jizania, and sat on a golden throne. Nemian knelt before her and kissed a gnarled had.
"Grandmother," he said regally and softly. Then the other woman, young pretty and shy, made a noise that attracted his attention. Nemian let out a noise like a wounded animal and threw the woman (a girl really) into his arms. They kissed.
"Moon Silk," he whispered, while all the while the other woman (his grandmother, I suppose) stood by watching, me in horror, and her with mild fascination.
"Are you quite done?" she asked. "You haven't even introduced Claidissa" I almost forgot about my new name "to your wife."
Shock. "Wife?" I asked shakily. What have I done?
"Yes. I had to leave her, but now I am back."
"And you haven't introduced Claidissa to me," his grandmother said dangerously.
"Claidi," Nemian straightened, "this is my grandmother, Ironel. She will be you mentor."
I just stared blankly.
"All will be explained, Claidissa. Now, let's have you shown to your rooms," cackled the old woman.
And it was.
I'm here to be their new Law Maker, their Wolf's Paw. Nemian is from the Wolf Tower, a huge tower with a hulking wolf on top. Their law is positively vile.
They (or more precisely, Ironel, the old Wolf's Paw) rolled dice that chose numbers in a large book. The numbers chose a law or more like a punishment to be dished out to a civilian or noble of the city. Everyone here lives in fear of the things they may be made to do.
A princess was forced to give up her noble life and become a slave in a distant city. A man has to swim forever more in the cold gray river in this cold gray city and only stop for short rests. Another man was ordered to be a hermit and sell all his things to go live in a shack.
Nemian was forced to marry Moon Silk and then go find me.
I have to get out of here before I have to take over the law. I've packed a bag. I drugged the guards like I did on the night of the revolution, and I swapped the horrid armored beetle-clothing of the city for traveling clothes.
I wrote all this down, in case I die and no one knows my story.
There's a trader leaving tonight in ten minutes down by the gates who will take me to a city north of here. It's a safe city, he says, and no one will be able to harm me there.
I feel bad, leaving the people here to live in fear, but what can I do? Maybe they'll have a revolution themselves. There's a twinge in my belly. I think it's guilt.
But now I have to concentrate on what tomorrow brings.
Oh, yes, now wasn't that sensatonal? I don't expect you to review, and I'm going to save us both our dignity by not begging for bones. :smileemote:
