A/N: I'm sorry this took so long. I've been super busy. Daine is a little OOC. This will be more exciting than last time. This takes place between Page and Squire. Review!
Disclaimer: All Tamora's except Amanda and Sage.
*Character to Daine*
" So have you sensed anything… strange about her? " Daine asked Numair as they awaited Amanda's arrival. Numair had a questioning look in his eye.
"No," he said slowly, thinking," have you?"
"Yes and No, I mean I know she has wild magic, but it seems like it's mixed with something else," Daine struggled to explain the odd feeling Amanda's magic gave off," like it's unclean, or tainted by something else. It's not pure wild magic." Numair frowned thinking.
"Maybe she has the Gift but it's masked by wild magic. Ask her she should be coming shortly," Daine thought about it and nodded." I'm going to change my shirt and I will be right back," Numair announced after noticing a jelly stain on his shirt from a pastry. Daine kissed him laughing, and he left. Daine laid back on her bed and looked at the ceiling and the eagle that rested on the rafters.
Can I join you? Daine asked the bird. She wanted to be here when Amanda got here.
You may ride with me, Was the eagle's noble reply. Daine closed her eyes and was with the eagle before she could draw half a breath. The eagle jumped off the rafter and clumsily flapped out of the door. He turned upward and a warm draft caught under the eagle's/Daine's wings. The eagle (who happened to be named Swiftclaw) flew higher. From here Daine could see the palace. Soon another eagle joined them. It was Swiftclaw's mate.
Daine?
That was Amanda's voice.She is riding with me
Swiftclaw's mate, Sunbeam, explained. Together they glided back. Daine changed to human form on the way there. She opened her eyes, thanked the eagles, and smiled at Amanda. Amanda smiled back."Sorry about that." Daine apologized. Amanda opened her mouth to protest but Daine rushed on anyway. "Numair is coming he should be back soon."
"You don't have to apologize, Lady Daine," Amanda told her," It was fun." Amanda smiled bigger than Daine had ever seen her. At that moment Numair came in. Amanda stood and bowed." Hello Master Numair," she said politely. Numair smiled.
"Hello. Nice to meet you at last. Let's get started," Numair's eyes shone at the learning experience. Just like a small boy on the Midwinter morning when presents were exchanged. Daine laughed.
"We don't have to start right away. Numair here jumps at any chance to learn," Daine explained trying to hide a smile." Tell us a little about yourself."
" As you probably already know I'm from the Yamani Islands, well," she corrected herself, " not really I was born in southern Tortall. Wolf Mountain (A/N: I made this up, I hope, I don't remember reading about it, but anyway) was our fief. Sage, he's my best friend; his family lived near mine. Our families have known each other forever. Neither of us have any siblings so we were fast friends. We all moved to the Yamani islands when I was seven. Sage and I learned to fight. We both wanted to be knights," Amanda stopped and smiled wistfully as if remembering a good memory," Our parents said a girl couldn't be a knight and Sage wanted to stay with me." Now she looked sad, even through her Yamani face." He could have gone, I tried and tried to make him, I tried being nice, money, even being mean." Daine frowned she couldn't imagine this girl angry, let alone mean." I'm sorry," Amanda said quickly." I shouldn't be talking so long!"
"It's alright, I'm the one's who asked. I asked because I wanted to know please go on," Daine insisted kindly. Amanda nodded and continued.
"Sage and I didn't talk for a while, he was going to go away. I didn't want to be mean to him I -" she cut off abruptly. Daine suspected that she was going to say love, but kept that to herself." He was my best friend. I couldn't let him give up what he loved, just because I couldn't have it. That's when I found out I could talk to animals, I always had a way with animals. They all liked me and I liked them too. I had two animals that were mine. A gelding named Windrider." She smiled," He was the fastest horse on the Island, that's what everyone said. That's where he got his name, he always wanted to run and no matter how far we went he was never tired. We would ride for hours. My other pet was a big black dog, he didn't have the endurance or fastness of Wind, but he could hold his own when we would run. His name was Starblack. At least one of them was always with me. We would go into the forest and talk. I didn't tell anyone, not even Sage. It was hard but they made it easier. One day one of my teachers, Master Rama, overheard me. They thought I was crazy of course. No one could talk to animals and thought animals talked back," Amanda sighed, her Yamani face and voice revealing nothing. Daine and Numair had questions in their eyes. Amanda interpreted it correctly," It occurred to me I was crazy, but I didn't care. Master Rama was sure. He questioned me, I knew better than to lie. He had the Gift and could see. They took Starblack and Windrider away after that. I stopped talking to humans and animals after that. I was I was ten. They killed my Wind and Star. I didn't know then. They said Wind and Black could come back when I wasn't crazy anymore. It took a year to convince them, Sage knew. He knew I wasn't crazy. That's what made him stay. My parents were furious, they insisted that I be tested for magic. Some powerful mage came and said that I had wild magic. No one thought I was crazy then, but Wind and Star never came back. I never even got to say goodbye." Daine was crying by this time, Numair was holing her. Amanda looked sad suddenly." I'm sorry to upset you." She walked over to Daine and set a comforting hand on her arm. Daine looked up at her through tears. She wiped her eyes and laughed.
"Look at weepy me! No I just think it's sad you had to go through that I had hard times when I was young too," Daine confided. She wondered if Amanda wanted to ask what it was, but she stayed quiet.
"It's quite alright. Please go on," Numair insisted. Amanda sat back down and started again.
" I learned more and more about animals, and about my magic. We came back to Tortall a little after Midwinter. I saw an announcement about the Riders so Sage and I joined." Amanda finished just as the ninth hour bell rung.
"We'll meet again tomorrow. Thank you for telling us about yourself," Numair stood. Amanda did the same and bowed before shaking his hand.
"Yes, I appreciated that tale, but I have one question," Daine explained," Do you have the Gift? Even just a little?" Amanda looking puzzled shook her head. This confused Daine even more.
"We might as well tell you, Daine sensed that your wild magic was tainted by something else, if not the gift than what?" Numair pondered as much to himself as them." Can I look at you magic?" he asked at her look he added, "It won't hurt," he promised. She nodded, still looking a little wary. Numair mumbled some words as black, white speckled magic poured from his hands. Messy brown-gray lines showed up around Amanda. "I"ve made it so we could all see." Amanda stared at her hands, which were now coated with brown-gray magic. " I see what you mean about tainted. That gray color," he closed his eyes for a moment." It's defiantly magic," he confirmed," but it's not the Gift. I don't know what it is." When Numair was stumped Daine knew that this was odd.
"If it's not the Gift, what else could it be?" no one answered Daine's question.
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No flames please!!!! I know it's a cliffhanger, but I'll write more soon. Please please review! I know I asked but should it be K/N? It will be in the next chapter if they are or not.
~Topazwolf~