Short chapter today, folks.

As always, R&R is appreciated.


First, she'd been dragged out of bed at the crack of dawn. The air had been so very cold and being dragged out of such a nice bed, oh god, the warm comfy bed with its nice silk sheets, fluffy pillows and a nice, wonderful mattress hadn't put the leather-clad woman in a good mood.

Then she'd been harassed by the maids and others ladies that Naga didn't know. None had been very nice to her and all seemed slightly frightened. More than they had before just because she'd threatened to toss around some fireballs if they tried to get her into that stupid frilly dress. How she hated pink!

After escaping the clutches of those uptight-woman-who-were-just-jealous-of-her,(something her mother always said anyway) the still half-asleep Naga had been dragged to a private room by Phil. As most of the rooms in Saillune's castle were, this one was just as large and plush as the others. A warm, cheery fire had been set up in the grate and the prickly, comfortable smell of wood smoke filled the air. The breakfast was good too, even better than the dinner if she remembered correctly.

As they ate together, (Naga drinking gallons of black tea to help with her aching head) he'd begun badgering her about some stupid stuff she'd said last night (didn't Phil know that she never meant anything she said when she was drunk?). Both had decided not to discuss the wedding problem as an unspoken agreement.

Everything from last night was a blur. She'd known it wasn't the best idea to drink all that alcohol, but this whole mess involving Dils and Saillune called for a few drinks. The sorceress could just barely remember dinner, let alone some weird conversation involving her past acquaintances. And she hadn't hurt Phil on purpose! It was just that sometimes she got violent in her sleep. Other people probably went through it all the time. And besides, she grumbled, Phil was alive and well. Naga inspected the nobleman and decided that yes, he was indeed alive and well. Those healers did a good job.

The newly healed prince was looking into his lumpy oatmeal and poking it with a spoon. His face was one of slight dismay and aggravation. Naga tossed in another lump of sugar into her teacup before slurping the aromatic tea. Phil barely noticed her less than perfect table manners.

"Calm down, Phil." She waved a bone at him vaguely. "We weren't exactly a couple. Just," She shrugged," partners."

"Just partners?"

Naga rolled her eyes and dropped the bone onto a gravy splattered plate. "Believe me, he wasn't my type."

He continued to look skeptic. "But what was that whole thing with the 'sick things to my beautiful body'?"

"Aww, you're jealous." She grinned and kicked him lightly under the table causing Phil to flinched and recalled the memories of last night. Naga frowned and wondered if he was upset over being called jealous. If she played her cards right and keep the topic on jealousy, she could avoid discussing this whole topic. "Didn't know you were the jealous type."

"I'm not." He waved his arms wildly. "I trust you. I know you're a true defender of wrong and right and the ju-"

"Alright, I get it." The tall woman flailing her arms about in an imitation of the prince. Was there no topic she could discuss without pain? Bringing everything out in the open might be a good thing. It would mean a fresh start. "Look, he wasn't a boyfriend or anything. We just traveled together for a while."

His tone was innocent and light as he played with the spoon in the oatmeal. "How long?"

"Oh, a little while…" Naga carefully avoided his eyes.

His eyes narrowed. "How long is a little while?"

The black sorceress sighed. "Don't freak out now, but we traveled together for..."

Eyes huge, the big man leaned forward. He sat on the edge of his seat, focused intently on the woman seated before him.

"It was about a year or so." It had actually been about two years. Two difficult, long years full of fighting, bad outfits, dumb ideas and annoying accents.

"A whole year?" He looked stunned and Naga felt the first stirrings of anger. What, I can't know someone for a year? Jackass.

She leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest, slightly angry and uncomfortable. Talking about her past was hard enough, and when it came to past friends and acquaintances it was painful.

Phil continued to gaze at her, noticing how vulnerable she looked. Like a little girl. Naga rubbed one of her arms and looked out towards the window. Idly, she realized that it was raining harder than it had been this morning. It was warmer in here than other parts of the castle, but still chilly. The weather in Saillune, she decided, was as weird as the people living here. The entire city probably looked gray. The dark-haired sorceress continued to rub her arm before beginning her story.

"Alright, let's see…"She cracked her knuckles loudly. "Where to begin? My childhood? The first time I used magic? Running away from home? "

"So you did run away?" Phil looked vaguely satisfied, a question he'd been contemplating answered.

Naga looked at him sharply. After a second, the prince looked away and shrugged. "I always wondered if you ran away."

She rubbed one of her temples. Although she should have been expecting it, headaches around Phil were-She smiled wryly. This was just like when she'd met her royal friend and wanting to strangle him, praying and hoping that he'd be quiet for a few minutes. Only this time she just wanted him to be quiet. Thinking about how she'd met Phil wasn't painful at all. Not too painful anyway, she amended.

Perhaps not everything that happened in her past was bad, and not all memories should be tossed and forgotten.

Naga cleared her throat noisily. Here goes.

"It all started…"