I'm afraid there isn't much action in this chapter, but there are a couple of important details if you pay attention.

Have I mentioned before how much I absolutely adore writing Lasaraleen? :)

Warning: There is complaining ahead.


The next day of travel made the previous one seem mild. Tempers in the traveling group were short due to lack of sleep, and in addition to Lasaraleen's almost constant whining, Corin was grumbling about his now freshly-scorched sunburn. Again riding double with the Tarkheena, Cor stayed silent for the most part (when he wasn't quarreling with Aravis), his pale face expressing his weariness beneath his sweat-soaked turban. Aravis found herself biting back impatient remarks nearly half of the day, and the remaining half was spent snapping at one companion or another and wishing she had allowed Corin to find a gag for Lasaraleen.

Lasaraleen Tarkheena was in rare form that day. Whatever energy and enthusiasm she had possessed the previous day and night had apparently disappeared when the sun rose. Scarcely five minutes of riding could go by without her voicing a complaint or request.

"Aravis darling, the sun is so hot!"

"My seat feels dreadfully uncomfortable, darling,"

"Oh, darling, could we stop here and rest for an hour? I simply can't bear to ride any longer!"

"Darling, perhaps you should tell your barbarian friends to bathe more than once a month."

"My back hurts, darling!"

"I'm so tired!"

"These horses smell positively dreadful, Aravis darling. I don't know how much more my poor nose can take!"

"I'm hungry,"

"Darling, my skin is suffering from this heat!"

"Aravis, I need to relieve myself!"

The entire group was more than ready to rest at the end of the day, and scarcely had they tumbled off their horses in another thicket clearing before they were all asleep. Needless to say, there was no storytelling that night.


The third day, in regards to heat and sweaty horses and humans, was much the same as the previous two days. However, the group was better rested than the day before, so Aravis, Cor, and Corin were in much better spirits. Cor managed to convince Aravis to ride with Lasaraleen, but throughout the day he found himself envious of the much easier time she was having with the Tarkheena. The complaining that had soured the fraction of the trip that had already been traveled was now nearly nonexistent. Lasaraleen was unusually quiet, and the day passed with only three outbursts from her.

The fourth day passed as uneventfully as the third, and when the fifth morning arrived, Corin reluctantly agreed to allow Lasaraleen to ride with him. Two hours into the day's riding, the younger twin prince was ready to tear his hair out of his sun burnt scalp.

Lasaraleen picked up her complaining right where she had left it two days prior, and as the day went on, her whining only grew in intensity. After lunch it didn't bother Cor, who had torn some fabric off of his turban and stuffed it in his ears. All he could hear of Lasaraleen was a tinny, distant voice, and he was quite content with it that way.

Corin, however, was in agony. He was getting a headache, his ears were throbbing, his face was burning once more, and his nose was suffering as well. No one in the group had bathed since they were in Tashbaan, and Lasaraleen had drenched herself in excessive amounts of expensive perfume to compensate for this fact. Corin's temper grew with each breath he took and each sound that was uttered from the Tarkheena's lips.

Finally, halfway through the afternoon, he blurted, "Cor, don't you think we should stop soon?"

His inquiry was not even acknowledged, and Corin looked over at his twin with a dark glare. He opened his mouth to repeat the question, but snapped it shut again when he observed a telltale bit of fabric protruding from Cor's left ear. Certain that a similar plug occupied his brother's other ear, Corin yelled his question at Cor, earning a lifted eyebrow from Aravis, who rode in front.

"Did you say something?" Cor said loudly in response, looking innocently at Corin.

Corin growled and maneuvered his horse next to Cor's. Gripping his reins in one hand, he yanked the fabric out of Cor's nearest ear just before Lasaraleen let loose yet another louder than necessary complaint.

"Ow…" Cor rubbed his ear, grimacing. "Give it back!"

"No." Corin said, pocketing the bit of fabric. "Do you think we should stop soon?"

Cor narrowed his eyes. "No."

"But Lasaraleen is giving me a headache."

"I've already had to ride with her for two entire days. It's high time that you take your turn enduring her griping."

"He's right, Corin," Aravis called back with no mercy.

Corin huffed and allowed Cor to move ahead of him, next to Aravis. He simmered in silence for a few moments, imagining ways that he could make his twin and Aravis pay for the torture that they were making him endure.

"Darling, I'm ready to stop now," Lasaraleen called to Aravis. "I'm getting an absolutely awful headache!"

"You're not the only one," Corin muttered.


"My poor little bird," Daynah sighed, shaking her head sadly.

"Daynah, I don't understand why you pity our mistress."

Daynah pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow at the servant girl next to her. The two were kneeling next to one of the vegetable gardens that occupied the expansive grounds of Iresh Tarkaan's palace. Covered in dirt up to her elbows, the older woman was carefully pulling weeds from around young plants, and the younger woman was doing her best to look busy without actually getting dirty.

"And why don't you pity her, O lazy one?"

The servant girl shrugged off the pointed remark and replied, "Well, there are the obvious reasons, such as her social standing and wealth. One who possesses such things has no need of pity."

Daynah stood up and solidly planted her hands on her hips, staring intensely down at the girl who remained kneeling. "On the contrary, foolish one, those who possess wealth and power can quite easily have difficult lives. Tragedy strikes both rich and poor, and sadness is an epidemic that invades every social group."

"Why should our mistress be sad? I can think of no recent tragedy in her life, and she is about to be married to a close friend of Crown Prince Rabadash himself! Why, if Deshan Tarkaan were my betrothed, I should be happy for the rest of my life!" The girl sighed dramatically and stared into the heavens.

"That man is the most recent cause of my pity for Anaya." Daynah spat vehemently, causing her companion to jump slightly. "If you had but an ounce of sense in your head, you would feel as I and our mistress feel about him. Now, if you'll excuse me…"

The incensed woman stormed off, her robes flapping and earrings swinging. The lazy servant girl, however, flopped backward into the lush green grass and daydreamed about how wonderful her life would be if she was a Tarkheena.


"Aravis, darling," Lasaraleen called up to her friend.

"What is it, Las?"

"When are we going to stop for the day?"

Aravis sighed. "We still have several hours of daylight left. We'll ride until sunset."

"But I…"

"Please, Las," Aravis interrupted wearily. "Could you be quiet for just five minutes?"

The group rode in silence for three minutes, taking in the scenery on either side of the road upon which they traveled. The woods that surrounded them were quite different from those of the North. Exotic plants sprouted everywhere, laden with bright flowers of different sizes and colors. Strange birds trilled from the treetops, and the occasional large butterfly fluttered past, riding the lightly perfumed air.

"Ugh," Lasaraleen moaned, breaking the peace that had momentarily surrounded the group. "Darling, stop the horse!"

"Why?" Corin asked, not even slowing down. "What is it this time?" he wondered.

Lasaraleen moaned again and started to slide off their mount's back. Cor, who was riding beside them, managed to catch one of her arms and prevent her from falling on her face. As soon as her feet were solidly on the ground, the Tarkheena put a hand over her mouth and stumbled into the woods. Sounds of retching followed, and the rest of the group exchanged worried glances as they dismounted and waited for Lasaraleen to return.

"I'm going to check on her," Aravis finally said when the sounds in the woods subsided and Lasaraleen didn't appear.

Cor and Corin watched as Aravis disappeared into the lush foliage beside the road, and seconds later, they heard a murmur as she spoke to Lasaraleen. The Tarkheena responded, and the two feminine voices exchanged words for a moment. Then Lasaraleen let out a protesting screech.

"What do you think is wrong?" Cor asked.

"She probably got her dress dirty," Corin replied with a roll of his eyes.

Aravis appeared just then and stomped to Lasaraleen's extra horse. Grabbing a saddlebag, she turned around sharply and went back into the woods. Rustling and more murmurs followed moments later, and soon the two females emerged. Aravis carried the saddlebag and a bundle of cloth, and the twins observed that Lasaraleen had donned a different dress.

"Do I want to know what happened to her other one?" Cor whispered to Aravis.

The girl stuffed the bundle of cloth into the saddlebag and threw her hands in the air. "She gets one spot on it and thinks she's not presentable to the public eye."

Corin asked, "Are we going to stop for the day?"

With a sigh, Aravis nodded. "If Las is coming down with something, I think we should all get some extra rest tonight. Aslan knows we'll need it if she's contagious."

They led their horses into the woods and set up camp for the night. Aravis took the opportunity to make their first hot meal since Tashbaan. Leaving his twin to keep Lasaraleen company, Cor insisted on helping her with dinner, claiming that his experiences as a slave had made him more than capable of preparing soup.

Corin and Lasaraleen sat far enough back from the campfire to be safe from flying sparks and wayward smoke. The Tarkheena seemed to be deep in thought, and Corin felt restless in the silence. He fidgeted; picking at loose threads on his tunic, shuffling his feet in the dirt, and sighing every once in a while.

Finally, he spoke to Lasaraleen. "So…what do you think of the journey so far?"

"It's fine, darling," was her absentminded reply.

Corin could not believe that she did not say more. "Are you feeling better?"

"I don't feel sick to my stomach, if that's what you mean."

Curious as to how many questions he could ask before she began chattering away, he continued making inquiries. "Is that a new dress?"

"Yes, of course, darling,"

"Do you miss your monkey? I'm sure he's terribly lonesome without you,"

She waved a hand nonchalantly. "He's perfectly fine. My servants are taking care of him, and if they don't do it properly, they'll be tossed in a dungeon for the rest of their lives and then be drawn and quartered and then have to sleep on the floor for a year."

Corin barely held back a snicker that bubbled up. "How many parties do you usually attend each week in Tashbaan?"

"Oh, perhaps three or four. Sometimes five or six. I quite often have to decline invitations, or I would be at a different party all of the time."

"And that would be a problem?"

"Why, of course, darling. If I was always at a party, I shouldn't have any time for shopping for new clothes, or fixing my hair, or doing my make-up."

"Is that all you did in your spare time?"

Lasaraleen straightened, and her eyes seemed to gleam. Corin wondered if he should have instead asked how big her closet was…or better yet, kept his mouth shut in the first place.

"Oh darling, of course that isn't all I did. Every day I have a bath (you have heard of our Calormene baths, haven't you, darling? I believe they're quite famous) and I play with my monkey. And I have outings with my friends. We have the most delightful times, darling. Why, one time…"

Corin felt like kicking himself as the Tarkheena prattled on and on. Soon, she was gossiping to him and wishing she had the most recent tidbits that she had most likely had missed by leaving. The prince soon unwillingly felt as though he personally knew half of the population of Tashbaan.

Cor eventually walked over to announce the completion of dinner, rescuing his twin from hearing about some Tarkaan's youngest nephew's wife's cousin thrice removed.

Corin only hoped that the story would not be completed when the group should be sleeping.


"Las, you look positively green. Do we need to stop?" Aravis asked.

It was the next afternoon, and the Tarkheena was clinging tightly to an uncomfortable Corin, her eyes squeezed shut and her lips pressed together. Lasaraleen nodded, and the group came to a stop. Corin dismounted and helped her down, and Aravis accompanied her into the woods.

"Do you think this is going to happen every day?" Cor asked as they waited for the girls to return.

Corin sighed and stretched. "I don't know. I'm just glad she's not suffocating me anymore."

They stopped early again that night, and Aravis made Lasaraleen lie down immediately after checking for a fever. However, other than being sick to her stomach, Lasaraleen seemed to be fine.

"My back hurts, darling."

Well, except for that.


"This will certainly slow us down," Aravis remarked the next day, searching the skies for any sign of the sun.

A slow, continuous drizzle had begun in the morning and would persist until after dark. The entire group was miserable, as the temperatures had decided to drop with the sky's tears.

"Aravis, we're going to need shelter tonight. It's too wet and cold to sleep outside."

The girl sighed. "I know, Cor. We'll most likely catch our deaths if we don't find a place to stay. I just was hoping that we wouldn't have to stay in an inn. We aren't exactly an ordinary group of travelers, and who knows if there are people searching for Las."

"I hadn't even thought of that possibility," he muttered and began listing things in his head that could go wrong.

"Oh, you think someone is looking for me?" Lasaraleen peeked around Cor's shoulder. "How perfectly thrilling, darling!"

"I said there might be," Aravis said. "And no, it isn't thrilling. This is dreadfully serious, Las."

Lasaraleen pouted. "There's no need to become snippy, darling."


Thankfully, stopping at an inn was unnecessary. They neared a small village when darkness was descending over Calormen, and Corin spotted a large shed set a short distance away from the road. It was dry and stuffed with fresh hay. The cozy shed was the nicest sleeping arrangement they had experienced since Tashbaan. (Cor and Corin privately agreed that they actually preferred the shed over their lavish bedroom in Lasaraleen's palace.)

Lasaraleen and Aravis, however, were not quite as thrilled. The latter began sneezing almost as soon as she stepped through the weather beaten door, and the former was convinced that she had seen a mouse scurry under the mound of hay in the far corner. (Corin was able to solve the second problem by kicking the hay several times, grabbing a fistful of air while blocking the Tarkheena's line of vision, and pretending to throw the 'mouse' out the door.)

Dinner was cold bread and meat again and did nothing to take the chill out of the young people's bones, but nevertheless, their spirits had risen. They had changed into dry clothes, and their stomachs were full, and Aravis believed that they were making better progress than she had thought they would, even with the early halts the previous two days.

Finally, they all settled down for the night, eager for sleep. Aravis and Lasaraleen nestled into the hay on the far side of the shed, and Cor and Corin slept in front of the door. It was very peaceful, and not long after they drifted off into dreams, the rainclouds floated away and soft moonlight filtered through the shed's one dusty window.

Several times in the night, Aravis awoke suddenly, thinking she heard something. However, the princes had not moved or been moved from the doorway, and no strange shadow appeared from a dark corner. No hint of foreboding touched her, and she fell back to sleep each time thinking that she needed to relax.


I'm so hot. Coughing. Ouch. Oh, I need to breathe…can't stop coughing. My chest hurts…

Cool hands helping me sit up. I can breathe…no, coughing again. It hurts! Oh, the room is spinning…let me lie down…I'm going to be sick…

I'm so cold. Need heat. Still coughing…agony. Strange faces when I open my eyes. The light hurts.


I need water, darling.

Lasaraleen opened her eyes and peered around the shed. Bright sunlight was streaming through the gleaming windowpane. Hay cushioned her body from the floor, and blankets enveloped her in warmth, protecting her skin from the scratchy nest. She was alone, although not deserted, for saddles and packs were piled neatly in a corner.

"A-Aravis?" The Tarkheena's voice cracked. She licked her dry lips with a tongue nearly as dry and croaked out her friend's name again.

The shed's door swung open and Aravis stepped in with a sneeze, her hair unkempt and clothes wrinkled. When she observed Lasaraleen's open eyes, she rushed over to the Tarkheena and felt her forehead for any sign of a fever. The sensation of cool skin brought a relieved smile to her worried face.

"You're awake!"

Lasaraleen nodded. "Water…" she managed to rasp.

Aravis practically flew over to a bucket that Lasaraleen had managed to miss in her scrutiny of the shed. Soon, a cup of cool liquid was trickling down the Tarkheena's throat, and Lasaraleen pushed herself up fully into a sitting position.

A wave of nausea overwhelmed her, and Aravis barely had time to hold an empty earthen bowl under her friend's chin before Lasaraleen's stomach expelled the water that had just occupied it. Lasaraleen sank back into the hay when she had recovered.

"Oh, Las," Aravis sighed, tucking a blanket back around her and sneezing again.

"How long have we…" Lasaraleen's sentence broke off in a coughing spell, and Aravis helped her sit up again. "How long…have we…been h…here…darling?" Lasaraleen gasped out between hacking coughs.

Aravis made sure that the coughing fit passed before answering. "Nearly a week,"

The information almost sent the Tarkheena into more coughs. "I've become a terrible bother, haven't I, darling? I've delayed the entire plan." Lasaraleen sighed and weakly shifted down onto her back to rest her head.

"You are not a bother right now, Las!" Aravis exclaimed fiercely. "Yes, your illness has delayed us, but it isn't your fault. I'm just glad you're recovering." She stood and brushed hay off of her clothes, preparing to exit. "Now, get some rest. The more quickly you heal, the sooner we can get back on track to rescuing Anaya."


I hope I haven't bored you all to death, or disappointed you after the dreadfully long wait I put you through (sorry!). Now, I'd like for everyone to know that I'm about a thousand words into writing the next chapter. If I can find the time, I'll try to finish and post it tonight, tomorrow, or early Friday morning. However, if I don't get it done, you'll have to wait at least a week before I update. I'm leaving on Friday and won't return until probably late next Saturday night. And after that, there's a possibility that I'll be leaving again a few days later. I'm really sorry, but we're nearing the end of the summer and my family seems to be trying to squeeze as many activities as it possibly can into August.

And once again, thank you faithful readers, reviewers, and people who favorite and alert this story! You always bring big smiles to my face! :D