Disclaimer: I don't own it.
A/N: So here's the first real story in the collection. It also happens to be the longest thing I've published. I hope that I didn't botch the job too badly, because I really love Angela's character. Unfortunately, I find her Cooky Pragmatist personality very difficult to write, so I would love some feedback on it. As for Selena, she doesn't get a character, which allows me to do whatever I want with her.
Updates will be fairly uncommon, from this point on. I've got a lot on my plate with school, and other such responsibilities.
"Only one woman agreed to it. Selena was her name. Ah, she regretted it too. Her fortune was bleak and painful. I don't think she believed it- not at first."
On the eleventh hour, of the fifteenth day, in the tenth month, during the seventy first year of the reign of King Galbatorix I, a beautiful young woman entered the shop of an eccentric herbalist.
This woman, who's name was Selena(though she would never tell you that herself- giving out your name to strangers when you were a spy, assassin, and married to the second most feared man in the land simply was not done), had recently completed a reconnaissance mission in the coastal city of Narda, and had stopped in Tierm on the way back home to restock on supplies. She didn't often enter the city, but the times when she did visit were always quite pleasurable. This had been the place where she had first seen the ocean... and this was the city in which her husband had been born raised.
Selena had been walking around the merchants section when she had caught sight of a rather odd looking apothecary shop. The walls were painted in homely shades of sunshine yellow and forest green, and the sign hanging above the doorway cheerfully pronounced the establishment to be one 'Angela's Herbal Emporium'. Selena frowned. She had heard mention of this Angela woman while walking around the city. It was said that she was the best herbalist in the area, brewed love potions that really worked(Not that anyone had solid evidence of this), and told people's fortunes. She was also known to be quite strange- almost unhinged- and many people have reported seeing her engage in a conversation with her cat. Selena supposed that all truly brilliant people were entitled to a little(sometimes more than a little) battyness. After all, Galbatorix didn't get to where he was by being sane. Besides, there were far worse outlets for madness than talking to felines.
Entering the shop, bell jingling as she opened the door, Selena was greeted by a plethora of scents. Herbs, spices, incense, aromatic mushrooms, floaty pickled things in jars- this place was a dog's wonderland. It made Selena slightly nauseous. She felt a slight pang as she took in all of the plants-common and rare alike- and thought of her old friends back in Carvahall. Gertrude would have loved it here, the woman had been in an apprenticeship with the village healer when Selena had left, and she supposed that the girl would have been fully trained by now. She pursed her lips- there was no use in wondering about her old life.
Turning her attention back to her surroundings, Selena noticed that the shop was devoid of all human life. This was very peculiar- but, seeing as everything in the shop was peculiar, she was hardly surprised. Is seemed as if the Angela had left quite recently, because the purple ink in the leather-bound journal that had been carelessly left open on the front desk was still wet. It occurred to her that this may have been why it had been left open in the first place. Still, though. There are better places to leave personal writings than on the front desk, where anybody could read them. She made to turn away from the book when a particular phrase caught her eye:
"Then again, the sixth seventh toes could very well be a mistake of nature. Humans and Elves both have the seemingly standard number of five, and yet we are taller than dwarves. It would be logical to say that with height comes toes, but this is clearly false. Urgals are also in possession of seven, and yet they are the tallest race. This leads me to believe that having more toes than fingers is a Native Alagaësian trait, however Dragons and Werecats both have five claws on their hind legs, so that theory is nil. There was probably a magical accident involving the two species that caused the other intelligent life forms in the land to grow four extra toes. No doubt it was the Werecats' idea."
Selena decided that she didn't want to know.
Well, that's not very polite. Not that I blame you of course. I don't even want to know what's going on in that woman's head half the time. But honestly, if you didn't want to know, then you shouldn't have looked.
At the sound of the intruding voice, Selena slammed up her mental barriers. Making sure to keep them stable, the woman hesitantly probed the surrounding areas for the mind that had contacted her. Who are you? Show yourself!
There's no need for that. And I'm sitting in the same room as you, if you must know.
Selena narrowed her eyes. That was to obvious to be a lie, but she would have noticed another mind in the room. She sensed the owner of the shop upstairs, but surely Angela wouldn't have referred to herself as "that woman". The towns people had said she was strange, but somehow it didn't seem to fit. Besides, the voice was masculine, and had said that they were occupying the same room as her. The only other being in the main room of the shop was the red-eyed cat that had padded in a few minutes ago.
Selena blinked. Cats didn't have red eyes. In fact, the only races that did have red eyes were Shades, red dragons, albino rodents, select elves, and... Werecats. She had read books in Morzan's library confirming their existence, but why would an incredibly rare and magical creature hang around an eccentric herbalist?
Actually, it's the other way around. She does provide interesting company, however.
Selena started slightly, surprised at the interruption of her thoughts. She narrowed her eyes at the Werecat and regarded him warily.
What is your name, Werecat?
The feline yawned and blinked lethargically. I go by many names. If your looking for my true name, then I'm afraid I can't give it to you. If your wondering what people call me, they generally don't, the main exception being Angela, as well as a few select elves. You may address me as Solembum.
As Selena contemplated recent events, the door to the shop abruptly swung open, admitting a rather short, woman with curly brown hair. The newcomer strode to the desk, not even sparing Selena a glance, and set down her basket(which seemed to be filled with an assortment of mushrooms) next to the journal. Following the woman(who Selena took to be Angela) with his eyes, Solembum rose from his curled up position and stretched.
Well, there goes any semblance of peace. Good luck. When you need a place to save one life, and ruin another, return to the nest and don't look back.
Solembum exited the front room, leaving Selena to digest this last piece of advice.
"I see you've met Solembum."
Selena started. She had forgotten that the shop's owner had returned.
"The Werecat? Yes, I've had the pleasure of his acquaintance. Does he usually give people semi-cryptic advice? "
Angela blinked, "Not for some time, no. Actually, your the first person he's spoken to since we've moved here. It probably means that he thinks your interesting. I was quite surprised to enter the shop and find him out and about. Cats, you know. Not very social creatures."
"Indeed." Selena took a moment to observe the herbalist more closely. She had a round face, one that had laugh lines around the mouth and eyes, which were bright and lively. Her hands and fingers were calloused- and Selena could tell that they were not the product of a life of toil, but rather a testament of skill with a blade, or pole-arm- and there were traces of dirt under her fingernails. She had freckles. "You didn't seem very surprised when you walked in, though."
Angela grinned, "Maybe so, but I've lived long enough to see a great number of odd and unusual sights. It takes a bit more than Solembum deciding to be social to shock me."
Selena did not doubt this, despite the other woman looking no older than she herself. After all, Selena had also seen a great many odd and unusual sights. It was part of her job description.
Angela was tapping her chin pensively, "You know, I haven't told fortunes in a while. Well, I haven't told anybody's actual fortune in a while. What do you say? If Solembum gave you advice, it means that he finds you interesting. People that he finds interesting usually end up having an important roll in what is to come, I think. Anyhow, it would be payment enough for me to know what small details the future allows us to view. Would you be interested?" She was giving Selena an oddly serious look. It completely contradicted every preconceived notion that the Black Hand had developed concerning the herbalist.
Selena sighed, she wasn't a particularly superstitious person, but she had lived around magic long enough to know when a person was legitimate or not. Angela was most definitely a witch, and anybody who would keep the company of a Werecat was bound to have some real talent.
"I would."
Angela frowned slightly, "It's not a decision to be taken lightly. I'm not going to guarantee that your future will be pleasant, or that it will be specific. I can however, tell you that what does appear will be accurate. This isn't one of my sham readings- I do those for the richer customers that frequent my shop, you see."
Selena inclined her head. She knew well enough, and she also knew that real fortunes were usually quite vague and often came around in indirect and unexpected ways. A long lifetime could mean anything. Long for an elf, long for a human, long for a dog. Very little was set in stone, and Selena had always been of the opinion that she was in charge of her own destiny. If she didn't like something, she could change it so it wouldn't happen in the expected way- twist the situation to her own benefit.
"I'm aware of the consequences, and I'm willing to take the risk." She put on her most disarming smile(something that Morzan had taught her to do). "I'm Selena, by the way." This woman was going to be reading her fortune- she might as well know her name as well. And even if she was aware of the Black Hand's identity, it wasn't as if she would be able to do anything about it. Besides, Selena was hardly and uncommon name.
Angela nodded in response, "Good to know. Now, if you'll just give me a minute..." Picking up her mushroom basket, the herbalist disappeared into the back room, only to return a few minutes later with a small velvet pouch. "In this pouch are the knucklebones of a dragon-don't ask me where I obtained them." Dragon bones, hn? Well then, this woman was either older than she looked, or she had a very interesting family background. "Casting them will give me an idea of what you're future will hold." Angela looked up with a grin, "Ready?"
Selena's quirked her lips, "Of course."
"Right then. Manin! Wyrda! Hugin!" As she pronounced the magical words, Angela emptied the bones into her hand and cast them onto the desk, where they landed in a seemingly incomprehensible pile. A solemn look dawned on the herbalist's face, "Oh, dear."
Selena frowned, "What?"
Angela looked up at her briefly, and then returned her attention to the bones. "The fate predicted of you is not a pleasant one. Here", she pointed to a bone that had a birch tree etched on it, "The Birch represents a short life. Short, of course, is a relative term. Your death may happen in a week, or in a decade."
Selena kept her mouth shut. It was possible, she supposed, that she might meet failure in one of her missions. That one of her targets might get lucky, or that she herself could fall victim to an assassination. There was also the possibility of an incurable illness. Death was not a concern for Selena, mainly because it was not something she could control or prevent. No, what held her interest were the other secrets of the future that the bones would reveal.
Unfazed by the lack of response, Angela continued on. Pointing to a new bone she said, "Here are the Broken Chains, pointing to the Starving Wolf. You will have little control over your future, but you will also have the power to change that. If you do go down the latter path, however, you will be met with hardships. It will be your choice- a choice between freedom and sorrow, or happiness and ignorance." She looked up at Selena, "I can not tell which path you will ultimately end up following."
Selena considered this. She was happy, and she didn't need to change! And was Angela implying that she didn't have any free will? That, she knew, was a falsity. Morzan allowed her to make all of her own decisions, she did what she did out of love and loyalty, not out of some twisted form of slavery. And what was all this about ignorance? She was ignorant before, in Carvahall. It was no longer so. Angela had resumed talking, however.
"The next bit concerns romance." Well that certainly got her attention. "I see the symbols for the Sun and Moon together, with the Rose at the center. You will have two great loves in your lifetime, similar in many ways and yet as different as night and day. The two will not be able to co-exist, and neither will they be able to lead peaceful lives without the other present. It is a strange situation, and one that I have never seen come up before." Angela tilted her head slightly, and narrowed her eyes at the offending knucklebones, "I can't tell if one will ultimately prevail or not. I'm guessing the answer is no, though. Can you imagine the Sun without the Moon, or vice versa? Can you imagine them together, in the same sky? It does happen, but it never lasts long. This will not have a peaceful end. It's a pity, really. Two epic romances, doomed to tragedy."
By this point, Selena was fuming in her seat. "Do you mean to imply", she said, gritting the word out with careful deliberation, "that I would be unfaithful to my husband?"
Angela shrugged, "Perhaps. I'm just reading what the bones tell me though, so really, you should blame them. Now, shall we move on?"
Selena quietly gaped as Angela continued to study the patterns in front of her. "Here is another one, slightly more cheerful than the others, I think, although it has less to do with you specifically, and more to do with your children." She was pointing at a bone with a depiction of a tree with many branches. Underneath it was one that contained a pair of crossed daggers.
Selena pursed her lips, "What is it?"
Angela looked up at her, eyes gleaming, "You will be a mother of legends. Your children will be surrounded by great battles, battles that they may even participate in." This was not surprising. Any child of Morzan would undoubtedly be great, after all. "However, and here's the catch, it is not made clear if they will be in the same army. The Crossed Daggers typical represent deadly conflict. It is entirely possible that they will end up killing each other. It's also possible that they do not share a father."
Selena narrowed her eyes, "So not only will I be unfaithful to my husband, but I will also bear the child of another man? And my children will end up hating each other, to boot?"
Angela had the decency to look abashed. "Well, it's possible, yes."
"You're insane."
"I've no doubt that many others share your sentiments. Would you like me to continue, or should we just cut the session short?"
"Oh, continue, by all means."
Angela sighed, and tapped a bone with a branching river, overlapping one with a hawthorn root. "An event is fast approaching- one that will bring you much pain, and you will be personally betrayed by someone close to your heart. And here..." the fortune teller paused, as if unsure weather she should continue. Then she shook her head and looked Selena squarely in the eyes. "Here are the Cracked Rings, and the Unraveled Rug. You will be responsible, weather you mean to or not, for tearing your family apart. There will be blood shed within the bonds, and though you may not spill any yourself, your actions will be the ones that caused it all. That, in itself, is unavoidable."
Selena was staring fixedly at a point just over the herbalist's shoulder. "Is that all?"
"Yes."
She nodded. "Then I shall take my leave." She stood up, but as she was about to exit the premise, Angela called out to her.
"If Solembum gave you advice, then I would heed it. It tends to be fairly accurate." She paused, "I'm sorry if all of that was hard to hear. But please, I would advise you against sharing what you heard today with anybody. Your fate was meant for your ears alone."
Selena scowled as she walked out the door and into the busy street.
It isn't going to be my fate. I'll make sure of it.
So like it? Hate it? Did I end up completely butchering Angela's character? Why don't you notify me in a review! ...please?