A/N: Many apologies for taking this long to get a chapter out, but I have given you an amazingly long chapter as a peace offering in hopes that I will still get reviews! Here is Chapter 5, and in it, we meet some new people, as well as some old familiar faces. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Everything you don't recognize is mine.
Chasing Waterfalls: Chapter 5
Amadahy slowly dismounted, barely registering the fact that a groom came up to lead Misae away. Her attention was diverted back to her horse when the stallion snapped at the groom. At the groom's startled yelp, Amadahy turned back, slightly annoyed.
Misae, she scolded silently, I do not need to be protected from everyone.
Lady, the silver stallion shot back, I do not trust ones that would lead me away and mistreat me.
Amadahy frowned, her sharp blue gaze on her horse now, no one else. She wasn't sure if the stallion's comment was aimed towards her, or him. Shrugging it off, she caught his gaze with her own.
You will do as I ask. She instructed him gently, running a hand over his shoulder.
With a heavy snort, Misae drew his head up, his strange blue eyes challenging hers. Exhaling slowly, the stallion dropped his head, silently surrendering to her command.
Yes milady. The stallion finally sighed, and turned towards the stable entrance that was just visible off the courtyard.
Amadahy turned to the groom, smiling in apology. "He'll let you take him now," she explained. She was expecting a smile, or a word of thanks, but the groom merely stared at her, fear flitting behind his composed blank mask, and hurried off, Misae trailing grudgingly behind.
Amadahy turned to find Travis watching her, looking slightly edgy. Before she could ask him what was wrong, he had crossed to her side.
"In the future," he whispered softly, "try not to do things that scare people. Not everyone is used to what seems normal to you."
Amadahy nodded, wondering why she had to hide her personality, but at the same time knowing that he had a point. She wanted people in this new place to like her, and if that meant suppressing her powers for a time, she would do it.
She was about to ask him what they should do now; the rest of the caravan had long since scattered, off to their separate duties and to find rooms in the vast palace, and Ethan Smith had vanished within moments of their arrival, claiming that he had a important business partner that needed his attention.
The girl was distracted from her query when a young woman, about two or three years older than her slipped into the courtyard. Her long blond hair, trailing down her back, was done up in a simple braid, much like Amadahy's, and her clear blue eyes lit up when she found Travis. Seeing the way they both grinned at each other, Amadahy guessed that this young woman was important. Her heart sunk for a moment as she wondered if Travis had a sweetheart.
"Ellie!" Travis called out joyfully, striding quickly to embrace her firmly.
"What trouble have you stirred up lately, little brother?" The young woman replied, grinning as she returned the hug.
Travis pulled away, a look of mock shock and outrage covering his face. "What makes you think that I have caused any trouble?"
The lady stared back at him, blue eyes laughing as she gave him a look. "As I recall," she quipped, "you were the one who decided to steal Father's money box and then insist that he would never miss it."
Travis laughed along with her, recalling childhood adventures. "You know me too well, dear sister." He said, pausing for a moment to rub the sharp white scar that ran across his right hand. "But you are wrong about one thing," he murmured, refusing to look at her, his hazel gaze focused on his feet. "Trouble usually finds me."
The lady's gaze sharpened, and she slid her hand under his chin, forcing him to meet her gaze.
"This trip changed you," she murmured, staring deep into his eyes, as if searching for something. "You're not who you once were."
Travis dropped his gaze, looking somewhere else, anywhere else, and landed on Amadahy, lingering in the background.
A smile lit his lips, and he took her hand, leading her over to the other woman. Amadahy followed obediently, noticing how the other woman's lips twitched with some secret mirth as she watched them approach.
"Amadahy, this is my sister, the Lady Eleanor." Travis grinned at his older sister, then took her hand. "Ellie, this is Amadahy. I met her while on the trip."
Eleanor took in the other girl's exotic appearance, and apparently liking what she found, let a genuine smile grace her lips while extending her hand. "I'm glad to meet you, Amadahy," she murmured, "it is not often that my brother brings a sweetheart home."
She was delighted when they both blushed, and Travis glared through his flushed visage. "Ellie!" He hissed, thoroughly embarrassed.
Eleanor turned to her younger brother, smiling broadly. "What?" She asked, staring at him innocently.
"Ellie," Travis sighed, vexed, "I met Amadahy on the trip. She was living alone in the Sanam Jungle, and Father was kind enough to offer her an opportunity to come with us." The young man turned his hazel gaze to the girl next to him, squeezing her hand.
Amadahy blushed under Travis' gaze, but it did not go unnoticed by her that Eleanor's smile had abruptly faded, and her blue eyes lost their mirth.
"Father offered her a chance?" She asked sharply, her jaw tightening as her eyes flashed.
Travis rolled his eyes at his sister's reaction, and stared down at her, annoyed. "Ellie, don't start with this 'Father is just trying to elevate his court position' theory again. I've heard it before."
At this, Eleanor seemed to puff up in anger, and suddenly seemed to become two feet taller in her rage. Her blue eyes took on a different sheen, and she snapped, "Don't patronize me, Travis Smith! Just because you come back from a trading trip bragging about all your newfound knowledge and bringing with you some wild girl that you managed to tame does not give you the right or power to tell me what to do or what to think, nor does it make you older than I!"
"Don't call her that!" Travis snapped back, his hazel eyes dark with rage, as Amadahy looked on, bewildered and angry. Naida snarled deep in her throat, but Amadahy ignored the wolf, wondering which sibling would back down first.
Travis was the first to concede, slowly losing his fire and anger under his sister's rage-filled gaze.
"I'm going to find Daemyn," he muttered, wheeling around. Without a backwards glance to either Amadahy or his sister, he crossed the courtyard, his jaw clenched in anger.
As her younger brother disappeared, Eleanor seemed to calm down. Relaxing, she sighed and looked over at Amadahy. "I'm sorry," she told the other girl, "I never meant to insult you like that, but I can't stand it when my brother suddenly decides that he's older than me? Don't you hate it when they do that?"
Smiling despite of herself, Amadahy answered, "I don't have any brothers, but I have a friend who is like that sometimes." As soon as the sentence left her mouth, she was swamped with grief for Damek and Lady, fresh and new, but she slowly brushed it away.
Meanwhile, Eleanor had taken her silence as acquisition, and was still talking. "There is a ball tonight, which you must simply attend, for everyone will be there, and we must find you a better suitor than my brother."
At Amadahy's blush, she merely laughed, taking the younger girl by the hand. "Come with me," she urged, blue eyes sparkling, "we must get you ready for the ball."
"When is the ball?" Was the only response Amadahy could reply with to this outpouring of information.
"Two hours from now."
At this, Amadahy stopped in her tracks, checking the sun's position before staring in incredulous and slightly apprehensive awe at the court lady.
"Two hours from now?" She squeaked, her blue eyes changing to an aqua shade as she tried to process this information. Two hours to put on a dress? Two hours to do what?
Eleanor stared in wonder at the mysterious girl, watching in amazement as her eyes changed colors, it seemed, to suit her mood. She could sense the girl had never been to a court before; this may be the first time she had seen a city, let alone this many people.
Letting her facial features settle into a gentle smile, she coaxed the girl instead, trying to reassure her at the same time. "It's all right," she soothed, tugging on the tan hand enclosed in her pale one. "We don't spend the entire time trying on dresses."
No, they didn't spend the entire time trying on dresses, Amadahy mused three-quarters of an hour later, but they did spend a lot of time looking at dresses. After discovering that Amadahy had no clothes of her own except for the dress that she wore and a few spare clothes, Eleanor had flown into a whirlwind, generously gifting her new friend with what seemed to be half her wardrobe, consisting of everything from breeches and shirts to dresses and petticoats. There were also shoes to go with these outfits, and after a quarter of an hour, Amadahy felt her head begin to pound as the dazzling colors swam before her eyes dizzyingly.
A knock on the door interrupted Ella's—that was the name she insisted Amadahy call her—"Eleanor is such a grandmotherly name!"—current lecture about the disadvantages of wearing pink at the Beltane ball. There were, Amadahy learned, several sets of rules to court life, and her head swam as she tried to absorb it all. She shook her head, trying to clear it of the buzzing noise, glad for a diversion.
She melted into the background of the room to observe as Ella rushed to the door, a smile lighting her face as she pulled it open. Her blond hair flying everywhere, she eagerly pulled her guest into the room.
The person who had interrupted Ella's current tirade was a well dressed young man about two or three years older than Amadahy, dressed in black breeches and a flowing tan shirt. He was followed inside by a tall, willowy girl of eighteen, her brown hair streaked with copper, and her gray-green eyes shining as she grinned, revealing white teeth.
Ella enthusiastically embraced the man—holding him a moment more than deemed necessary, Amadahy noticed with a smirk—and then turned to the girl, her hands flying in some sort of odd pattern before enclosing the girl in a warm hug.
"Ellie, you have to come!" The young man was the first to speak, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the door.
"Jed, what's wrong?" Ella asked, her brow creasing with worry, but the young man—Jed—merely grinned in the face of her fear.
"Nothing's wrong," he was quick to reassure her, "but the Queen says they've come!"
"They're here?" Ella looked astounded for a moment, and then turned to the girl, her blue eyes almost feverish. "Arella, is he telling the truth?"
Amadahy watched in curiosity as the girl nodded, her green-gray eyes flashing with the same happiness, and her hands flashed in the same sort of pattern that Ella had greeted her with.
Ella turned back to Jed. "Well, then, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" She headed for the door, but while she had been interrogating Arella, Jed had noticed the strangely exotic girl that lingered in the back of the room.
"Hold on, Ellie," he murmured, catching her by the upper arm and bringing her back to him. He nodded to Amadahy, whose blue eyes changed to blue-gray with fear at having to meet these new people. "Who's your friend?"
"Oh!" Ella blushed in embarrassment, then ushered Dahy forward. "Amadahy, this is Jed of Hollyrose, and Arella the Singer."
Jed reached out to grasp her hand gently, raising it to his lips. "Charmed, milady." Amadahy blushed, embarrassed by all this attention.
Her hand flew to her blue glass charm as she fingered it self-consciously. Naida rumbled comfortingly at her side, and Jed's brown eyes widened in shock at the sight of the full-grown wolf by the girl's side.
He backed up a step, and Amadahy quickly curled her fingers into the wolf's ruff, showing the man that he had nothing to worry about.
"She won't hurt you," she reassured him, her voice shaking slightly. As if to back up her statement, Naida padded forward to nudge his hand, whining softly. Tentatively petting the wolf, Jed turned to his companions with an incredulous grin.
Arella the Singer, as Ella quickly explained to her new friend, was one of the most beautiful singers and dancers in the court, but she had been deaf since the age of ten. "I'll translate for you," Ella whispered, her hands flashing in that odd pattern Amadahy had noticed twice before. "We've developed a private means of communication that no else knows."
Amadahy looked up, meeting the girl's gray-green eyes with her own. Her eyes changed to a shade of aqua, the closest she could get to the girl's green-gray. "How are you?" She asked politely, extending her hand.
She was met by incredulous and awe-filled eyes, followed quickly by a pale face. Quickly, Arella's hands flashed out, and Ella watched, her brow furiously as she tried to comprehend.
"What?" She gasped, her hands flying out to match her words. Arella repeated her hand motions, her eyes now crowding with tears as she began to grin, a hope-filled smile that made Amadahy smile in response, even through her worry.
After a moment, Ella turned to her new friend, a smile of her own mirroring Arella's. "Well," she murmured, sounding strangely satisfied, "it seems the Arella can hear you."
Amadahy stared at Ella, not comprehending. "But I thought you said she was deaf?"
"She is," Ella told her, grinning, "and somehow, she can hear you. She says that she can hear your voice faintly in her head—she says it reminds her of a rushing stream."
Amadahy puzzled over this for an instant, but then realized what was happening—her water powers must have opened the sound waves. She grinned, glad that she could help, and then realized that Jed was soaked to the bone, something she hadn't noticed when he had entered. Her water powers once again unleashed, she realized that it was raining, the drops beating a tattoo on the stone courtyard outside Ella's window. The water called to her, and as much as she longed to run out in play in as she once did as a child, she knew that that carefree life was no longer her own.
Calling to the water that had collected on Jed's clothes, she pulled it to her, eagerly taking it. Jed started as the water left him and heat enveloped him. All three stared at her for a moment, and then Ella grinned.
"I can see where you would be useful." She murmured, squeezing Amadahy's hand. Dahy held it for a moment, pleased at the gesture and glad that she had just ostracized herself from court for exhibiting her powers.
"Are we going or not?" Jed and Arella were waiting by the door, but Ella shook her head remorsefully.
"We can't, not yet." She murmured, brushing her blond hair away from her face. "Amadahy and I have to get ready for the ball."
Reading her lips, Arella let out a yelp and scrambled out the door, heading for the entertainer's wing of the palace, "to get ready," Ella told Amadahy later.
Jed paused at the door, capturing Ella's lips in a soft kiss before departing. Amadahy looked on with a gentle smile at the passionate affection between the two, but her smile grew into a knowing smirk as Ella turned away from the door, blushing.
"Let's get back to our preparations, shall we?" She murmured, brushing her hair away from her flushed face as she turned back to the pile of dresses that lay neglected on the bed.
An hour later, Amadahy was poised at the top of the grand staircase in the royal ballroom. She was nervous enough as it was; the stories Ella had told her about girls that made one little error and were banished were bad enough, but she was in the first real gown she had ever worn in her entire life, and she was terrified that she was going to mess up her first chance to fit in.
Jed gallantly offered her his arm, along with a warm smile. "You'll do fine," he promised, and Ella nodded encouragely with a smile of her own from where she stood on Jed's other side.
Taking a deep breath, Dahy nodded, saying a prayer to any listening gods that they watch over her, and stepped forward.
"Lord Jed of Hollyrose, escorting the Ladies Eleanor and Amadahy," the herald announced, and Dahy walked forward, clutching Jed's arm tightly as fear swamped her.
She let out a small gasp as the grand ballroom stretched below her, and she couldn't take it all in. Her gaze swept around the glittering ballroom, the golden pillar, the marble floors, and the glittering nobles…that were all staring at her.
Gulping down her fear, her hand strayed automatically to the glass flame around her neck. Wrapping her fingers around the cool glass, she released a meditative breath, closing her eyes for an instant.
In that instant, she had made it down to the bottom of the steps, where Jed and Ella slipped off as Travis came forward to lead her onto the dance floor.
Splendid in black velvet breeches complemented by a dark blue shirt, Travis stared in wide-eyed wonder at the lady that had suddenly appeared where the half-wild girl he knew once stood. His jaw had fallen open when they had first appeared at the top of the steps, his gaze immediately drawn to the dazzling beauty that he had first found in the jungle.
"Close your jaw, you're letting the flies in," his red-headed friend Daemyn chuckled from beside his friend, but then had fallen silent at his first glimpse of Amadahy also.
The once wild girl was clothed in a shimmering gown of blue, shot through with silver threads, and her wavy black hair was pinned back away from her face becomingly. The faintest of face paints accentuated her already fine features, and the dress complemented her slim figure. Her only decoration was the glass flame she continuously wore, and she played with it nervously, looking around.
Love-struck, Travis took her hand and led her out onto the floor, thankful at last that his mother had insisted that he take dance classes along with his sister. He heard the musicians strike up a lively waltz, and he followed the music, wondering what he was going to say to this lovely young woman he now held.
Amadahy watched Travis, marveling at how handsome he had become. She was slightly nervous around him for some reason, but Arella's beautiful voice soared over the dancers, accentuating the music, and she relaxed, wondering what she was going to say as she carefully followed his lead, making a mental note to have Ella teach her the dance steps later.
The two parted without a word, both nervous, and Travis was replaced by the semi-familiar figure of his red-headed friend Daemyn. With a gracious bow, he led her into the next dance, his sharp blue eyes taking in everything about her, but his eyes sharpened considerably when they fell on her flame pendant.
"Forgive me for asking, milady," he murmured quietly, causally, "but I couldn't help but notice your unusual pendant. Might I inquire from where you acquired it?"
Reaching up to finger the pendant gently, Amadahy answered, her brow furrowed in confusion at this stranger's question. "I don't know where I got it." She answered, her blue eyes changing shades as she tried to recall some distant memory. Daemyn took in the strange occurrence, but said nothing, merely making a mental note of it.
"I was told by my mentor that I was found with it when she found me as a baby." Daemyn merely nodded, then moved on to other topics. Little did Amadahy know that she was being interrogated, and if she had known, and for what purpose, she would have been shocked.
"Your Majesty, I swear to you, it was her!" The red-headed man wiped his brow, jittery and nervous. After almost twenty years, he may have found what the King of Thieves was searching for, but the king was skeptical, something that the thief did not need.
This thief was not dressed like many he knew, though. He was dressed in dark brown breeches, expensive, a loose cream shirt, also of fine quality, and a dark red tunic glittering with golden threads. His blue eyes stared steadfastly at his monarch; he knew he had found the girl, but his king did not want to rush into things.
"You're sure?" The question was calm, collected, but by his king's shining green eyes, the thief knew that he was trying not to let his hope crumble into tiny pieces, as it had countless times before.
"She had flame pendant, she had the changing blue eyes, and I swear she looked like you and the Lady!" The thief insisted once more, his blue eyes shining. "I swear to it by the Trickster!"
The king nodded slowly, his green eyes thoughtful. "You may go now," he told the man, waving a hand towards the door. "Return to your post," he instructed, "and keep a careful watch over this girl. She may be the one we have been looking for."
The thief known as Red to the Rouge and currently masquerading as Sir Daemyn of King's Hill nodded, gave a short bow to his sovereign and exited the room, heading under the dark cover of night back to the palace.
As the man left, the king exhaled slowly, bringing a hand up to cradle his face. Wiping wearily at his face, he lowered his hand, gazing into the shadows of the room.
"What do you think?" He asked the shadows, and out of the dark silence, someone answered.
"She will find her way towards us, have no fear of that," a calm voice murmured as a figure melted out of the shadows.
Nalin Brandon, the current king of the Rouge and once known as Sprout to family and friends, eyed his younger brother critically. Chaim Brandon was only sixteen, but he took after their deceased parents, and he favored his mother in looks. He had thick black hair, and his blue-black eyes shone even in the shadows. He took after his father in his skills with knives, his silent tread, and his quick mind.
But there were strange things about this third child of the legendary Lady Ice and Shadow. He could sometimes see bits of the future, and was gifted with an extraordinary amount of information about a person just by looking at them, giving the Rouge an advantage. He helped his older siblings in any way he could, but he would often slip off and not reappear for hours.
"Do you think it's her?" The former Sprout asked his younger brother, his green eyes shining at the fact that his niece may have been found at last.
Chaim's blue-black eyes reflected that joy, but they were tempered by fear. "The nobles have her in their grasp," he murmured, his voice never rising above a whisper in the empty room.
"What?" Nalin demanded, half-rising from his chair at this potential danger.
Chaim motioned his older brother back to his chair, and a smile touched his lips for a moment. "They will not harm her," he told the King of Thieves, "and for the moment, they are protecting her. But there is one," he added, eyes shadowed, "who means her more harm than good in the end."
Nalin growled a curse, his green eyes flashing as his black hair fluttered into his face. "So there's nothing we can do?" He demanded.
Chaim shook his head slowly. "She will find her way to us in time," he promised. "The Great Seer has shown me that, at least."
Nalin stared at his brother, green eyes feverish with a wild hope. Sighing, he settled back in his chair, quiet.
"Well, then," he murmured finally, "the only thing we can do now is wait."
A/N: Well, our old friends Sprout and Chaim are back, but now, they're all grown up! No worries, Yasmin and Kiyo will appear later, along with Amadahy's younger siblings. Will Amadahy find her way back to her family, or will she get so caught up in the nobles' world that she will forget that she ever had a family? Tell me what you think in a review, and I'll try to update faster. Please review, and no flames!