AN: OK, FIRSTLY I WOULD LIKE TO APOLOGISE THAT IT HAS BEEN BASICALLY A YEAR SINCE I POSTED THE FIRST CHAPTER. I GOT WRITERS BLOCK AND COULNT THINK OF ANYWHERE THE STORY COULD GO. THAT WAS UNTIL I WAS THE DAINE IS THIS CHAPTER...YOU WILL GET THE JIST. THIS CHAPTER STARTS THE LEAD UP TO THE PRELOGUE CHAPTER. ENJOY.
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Chapter 1: Three Months Previous
"I've got something to tell you Daine, but I don't know if I should. It isn't a good thing but I think you have a right to know." Dom said, looking Daine seriously in the eye. The Captain had grabbed her arm as she stood to leave the mess hall and ask for a brief word. Now, they were stood in a small room just off the main corridor to the training wing. The woman could see something was bothering him but she couldn't tell what.
"What is it Dom?" She questioned uncertainly. Knowing it wasn't good news made the decision hard, but if she didn't find out then it would keep bothering her till she found the soldier again.
"If you are sure?" He asked. Daine nodded her head slightly, barely recognisable as consent.
"Numair tried to kiss Varis when they were journeying to Pirate's Swoop on the spring tour."
Daine stood there in shock, his words spinning round inside her head; Numair, trying to kiss Varis? It just didn't make sense. How could he? It was impossible; he said that he loved her! Spring...that was two months ago and five months into their relationship. She knew they had been arguing a bit, it had been a stressful time. Both mages were working hard to organise the plans for the upcoming year and were extremely stressed. Then the King had asked Numair to accompany him and a few others to the Swoop to hold a meeting with an Ambassador from the Copper Islands, Varis, lately arrive from Carthak. But to kiss her on route...it couldn't be right...maybe the source was incorrect?
"Are you certain?" She managed to ask as she leant heavily against the wall for support.
"I am passing on the message from one of my men who saw it happen. He was previously working for George as part of an underground unit before joining my company. I am afraid to say that I would trust my man with my life."
Daine nodded, accepting the inevitable truth. Onua was right, Numair couldn't change. He was just using her, playing with her and then moving on when he got bored. How could have been so stupid to believe him?
"Did I do the right thing Daine? Telling you I mean?" The Captain asked uncertainly. Daine paused to consider the question. Was it a good thing that she knew Numair was almost cheating on her? Ten minutes ago she was happier than she had ever been. Life in Tortall was better than she could of imagined. She had friends that were practically family, a job doing work she enjoyed and, until now, she had a man she loved with all her heart. But now, a thirty second conversation had changed everything. Now she doubted every minute she had spent with Numair; every kiss and every word he had whispered to her as they sat beneath the stars or as they rode through the countryside.
"I'd rather know so that I can do something about it" She replied evenly. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have an urgent meeting to attend." With that said Daine pushed past Dom and fled into the main corridor.
As she stepped out into the stream of people exiting the mess, Daine looked at the portrait on the wall opposite. It had been painted a few days after Numair had returned from Pirate's Swoop and showed Numair hugging Daine from behind. At the time she had been so happy. All the feeling that she had bottled up for months were out in the open for the whole world to see and she had never been happier than in his arms. But now Daine looked onto the painting with pain. When she was at her happiest, he was lying to her, every moment they had spent together was a lie and he let her believe every second of it. He had nearly committed the worst thing anyone can do, cheat!
Pain started to burn inside Daine's chest. A pain worse than any physical injury she had ever had. The pain threatened to rip her apart from the inside out, burning through her flesh and removing logical thought from her mind. Her breath became shorter as the pain ruptured through her thoughts, and the animals around the Palace became restless, horses shying away from their riders, the birds all stopped their song and the cats and dogs all got edgy as they felt here anguish.
Realising that Numair would come looking for her if he noticed the animals were acting strangely, Daine blocked off all her wildmage and broke connection with all of the People. The inside of her head was suddenly quiet without the other voices and she managed to pull herself back from the pain till it was only a dullish throb. How could she be so stupid to fall for his charms and woos and false declarations of love? She should have listened to all the people around her warning her about him. He had a reputation for a reason and as per normal; Daine had been too stubborn to listen to them. And now look where it left her, hurt and alone again; just like last time.
Drawing her eyes away from the portrait for the last time, Daine decided what she must do. She started to walk, not really paying attention to where she was going as she lost herself again in thought. She couldn't talk to Numair about it, because he would either deny it or even worse, she would see the guilt enter his eyes. She couldn't deal with that yet, so she blocked out her visions of his eyes as he told her the truth.
Firstly, she needed to get it confirmed. A part of her brain still hoped beyond hope that it wasn't true, that he was genuine and honest to her but reality kept quickly destroying them last glimmers of faith. She knew deep down that Numair had tried to kiss Varis, she was his ex and Daine knew that she had been the last women he had really been in love with. The worst part was for the wildmage was the feeling that she wasn't good enough for him. She tried her best, put in extra effort with her appearance and in her lessons but all this time he had gone off behind her back and left her to look the fool.
Looking round, she discovered that she was in the guest wing of the palace; the wing where Varis was staying. She recognised that if she couldn't ask Numair, then the only other real choice she had was to ask Varis herself. Before she could back away and change her mind, the wildmage knocked on the door, the whole time her brain begging that the woman wouldn't be in.
"Please don't answer, please don't answer" she murmured to herself suddenly regretting her rash decision. As she was about to turn away and run, the door opened revealing the blonde hair woman who had just brought Daine's life crashing down around her.
"Hi Daine, do you want to come in?" Daine shook her head mutely and opened her mouth to speak.
Unable to stop herself, Daine blurted "Did Numair try to kiss you in the sping?"
The damage was done. Daine didn't need a vocal answer, the pained look in Varis' eyes were enough to tell her the truth; It was true! Daine waited long enough for the confirming nod before she fled the guest wing.
I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THAT CHAPTER :) I CERTAINLY ENJOYED WRITING IT. 5 REVIEWS TILL THE NEXT CHAPTER PEOPLE.
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