Chapter Nine: Learning
A/N: Hey there, readers! Beware: this chapter is really more of a filler, and I'm almost done with ten. On other notes, I am very happy to realize that I'm gathering more readers and that some of them are reviewing, so thanks everyone!
Hell7Born7Tara7: Thank you for being the first to review again. Also, I'm glad that you liked how they finally got together. Thanks for the swords comment, however, Alice's sword is actually just named "War". I was gonna name it water but I decided against it in the end.
lynettecullen: I see that you have reprised second place for reviewing again. I'm glad that I could make your date, and thank you for reviewing.
ShadowCub: You know, I'm beginning to think that you and the others have decided to review in order; it's pretty funny. The thing with the weapons was supposed to happen because Alice and Bella's realization is supposed to be an instantaneous thing. At the end, it was getting too long for me to have too much dialogue, but there will definitely be more talking between our two favourite lovers. Thanks for the review!
WolfDragonGod: Thanks for the review!
EAnIL: Thank you for the review; I always appreciate constructive criticism. However, the buildup isn't actually supposed to be on their relationship. The whole realization is sudden, so they couldn't really interact before. The story also isn't just about Alice and Bella's relationship, so there will be buildup of that and also the war going on around them. I'm glad that their mating didn't feel awkward or anything, since I wanted it to seem natural.
caradens: Thanks, caradens.
Paz23: Thanks for the review! I'm glad that you're happy with the story so far! Greeting!
Taiki:Thanks for your support, dude!
Now, I hope everyone enjoys, and I hope I get more reviewers next time.
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight and/or the Inheritance Cycle. Also, there is no ownage from me on anything that sounds trademark. Now without further ado, read on my eager readers.
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Alice's POV
The next morning I open my eyes to find Bella's left breast directly in front of my eyes and Jasper and Edward standing near the door with happy grins and teary eyes. Lunam's is awake too and looking at my brothers curiously.
Get the hell out, Edward! I yell in my mind.
They giggle, hysterically, but do as I say. Right after, Bella and Saphira wake up.
Bella smiles down at me lovingly, while our dragons nuzzle, and she whispers, "Good morning, my love. Did you sleep well?"
"And to you, my Bella. I did; in fact I dreamt of you the whole time. What of you?" I whisper back.
Bella blushes but replies, "I dreamt of you too."
"Did you? What was I doing, my love?" I grin, wickedly, already having an idea.
"Ahhh… I shall tell you later. We must go." She answers as a buzzing fills the room. She leans over to her side of the bed to pick up the small walnut-shaped device that the buzzing emits from. She winds the dial on it and sets it back in its place before getting up, unconcerned with her nudity. I'm not complaining either. Bella is a goddess with the rising sunlight shining on her unclothed body. Her semi tan skin glows healthily as her eyes and lips shimmer beautifully. As she heads for the bathroom, I get a nice view of her shapely bottom and the claw marks I left on her back. She turns back around, gracing me with a look of her half hard length, and raises an eyebrow.
"Are you coming to bathe, my love?" she asks, sort of coyly.
"Yes, in a moment. I'm going to get our clothes and food." I tell her with the tiniest gulp.
She nods and gives me that coy smile again before going into our washroom. I do as I said I would by going into the main atrium. Beside the statue, on one side, is a cart with breakfast and clothes for two. On the other side are my saddle and saddlebags, and my travel pack. I pull the cart and my stuff inside our room while Lunam lets me know that she and Saphira are going hunting. As soon as I finish that, I hurry my naked self to the bath. Inside, Bella is washing herself with a small towel and humming. I join her, grabbing a towel on my way, and we clean up. Despite the closeness and nudity between us, we finish bathing in a timely fashion, using the toilet and cleaning our teeth afterwards. When we return to the room, we pull on tunics the color of the ones from yesterday and put our dirty clothes on the bottom rack of the cart. We eat some seed cakes and omelets before buckling on our swords. Saphira and Lunam fly in, and Bella and I pack the things Oromis gave us, except for that book about vamps since Ed and Jazz have it.
Once we're in the air, Jasper, Nahele, Edward, and Alaula join us. We make small talk as we head for the sparring field.
"So, Ed, explain our powers." I interrupt him as he starts to stray toward what Bella and I did last night while we talk on our way.
"It's just like that show Avatar. We discovered last night that we can only use one magic at a time though; there's no back and forth. It's also on a lesser power scale than that show. We also have to say our intent in Latin and accompany that with movements." He replies with a smirk. "We'll practice after our time with Oromis, but it's actually more tiring than regular magic."
Before I can reply, we land in the field where the rest of our family is already practicing.
"Good morning!" I chirp brightly, dancing over to give the other members of my family hugs.
Rosalie and Emmett smirk at me while our parents smile happily and proudly at me.
"I take it things went well." Rose grins lasciviously.
"Did she go down on you, Ali? Does she even know what that means?" Emmett questions with a wondering smirk.
"Emmett!"
"Alice, what does that mean?"
Esme and Bella voice their statements at the same time. Rosalie and Esme glare at Emmett while the former slaps the back of his head. Bella is still looking at me, confused, and I'm blushing like crazy (nearly cursing that I can do so again).
"I'll explain some other time, honey. Let's practice." I mumble, quickly, guarding Fyrn. I strike at Edward suddenly, "En garde!"
And thus starts our second sword practice. For two hours we practice until we have all bested each other equally. Once our allotted time is up, us, dragons and Riders, go to Oromis and Glaedr for our lesson of the day. When we get there, at his request, Oromis inspects each of our swords.
"Rhunön has outdone herself," Oromis declares of mine and Bella's swords. "Few weapons, swords or otherwise, are the equal of this. You are fortunate to wield such impressive blades, Arabella and Alice."
He says much the same about my parents' work on Jazz and Ed's swords. When he gets to the glyph of Bella's, he is intrigued. When we explain what happened when we all named our swords, his eyebrows climbed high on his head. We tell him Rhunön's theories, and he accepts them. After he's done with his look at our swords, Oromis has Jasper, Edward, and I practice Liduen Kvaedhí which we are surprisingly sloppy with at first. The full extent of how much less perfect we are has set in, and we all revel in the random, almost human-like moments. While we write, Oromis teaches Bella more about summoning and sending items.
The Liduen Kvaedhí is a rather beautiful script that reminds me of ancient Greek drawn out with a calligraphy pen. There are not many symbols because they all stand for sounds rather than single letters. We spend an hour perfecting our skill on that before moving on to the small geography of Alagaësia. The whole of it is only half the size of the U. S., but I find I have no problem with that. I also express a desire to see what other lands lay beyond the sea and the belittling mountains that are so big the Beor Mountains seem like anthills (Bella's Words).
After two hours discussing the dangers and advantages of the Alagaësian land, we depart. Carlisle mentally contacts us and calls us to come practice our elemental powers. He invites Bella and Saphira along too. They accept, and we head for a clearing near a beautiful blue pond. My family goes to sit cross-legged before Carlisle.
"Alice, you are with Emmett." My father says. "We started experiments last night based off of the rules of regular gramarye. The limitations for this elemental gramarye are a bit more restricting but essentially the same as the other magic. For example: just like regular gramarye taxes the body, so too does elemental gramarye. However, using it costs more energy and greatly fatigues one specific attribute.
"Water tires your speed; fire your recovery time; air your durability; and earth saps your strength. There are two levels of depletion; stage one is the level where your natural attributes are those of a half dwarf if there is such a thing. In that stage you will feel much weaker in energy and mind function, but you will only get there by using half of your allotted energy with no immediate replenishing. Stage two is the level of a human. At that point we have used too much energy, and you will start feeling very disoriented. Our bodies will then feel the opposite of our element in a very painful manner. It would be like fighting a disease without a way to get out of it. If you don't get any blood and energy within half an hour of the first symptom, you will die. If any more energy is used than I just relatively explained, death is immediate with no intermezzo between.
"Another thing to consider is that no matter your prowess with regular gramarye, the standard is not the same. Once you find your limit, I warn everyone not to go to their limit more than once a week. Our bodies may be near indestructible to others, but we are more than capable of destroying ourselves."
Once Carlisle finishes his explanation, our family separates. Emmett joins me, Esme goes with Edward, Jasper with our patriarch, along with Rose who doesn't have anyone to pair her fire with. Then, as soon as Jazz, Ed, and I use our elements, our face and body markings tingle and change to the color of our dragons. As confused as we all are, Carlisle just puts it down to the spontaneous and mostly uncontrollable magic of our dragons clashing with our nature magic. When Bella and I get back to our tree house later, I kiss her lightly on the lips before going out on the terrace to meditate. As I sit and retreat into myself while at the same time expanding my senses, visions come back to back of just about everything. I spend an hour sorting through the visions, amazed to know that some are from the past and others are possibilities from snap decisions. My power has grown so much! After that I notice that Bella has finished her bath and is now oiling Saphira's scales. I affectionately rub Lunam's nose as I pass her on the way to wash up. I finish in there, quickly, and go back into the bedroom to find Bella bringing dinner in. on the cart are garlic bread slices and the Alagaësian form of macaroni and cheese. Bella and I eat, quietly and comfortably. When we're done eating, I'm about to read Kelaya's book, but Bella distracts me into an hour of lovemaking. Afterwards, I pick up the slightly worn leather book and begin to read, lying naked against my mate's chest.
Over the course of three hours, I avidly read about the short life Kelaya had with Zeus before they left Alagaësia. She was 94 when she met Zeus. Kelaya had been a silver-haired, amber-eyed writer, who loved life and every beautiful thing around her. Zeus was the nomad who found her in her world. Blue-eyed, yellow-haired, and silver-tattooed, he took her fancy. Once they looked into each other's eyes, they became inseparable. After their wedding they enjoyed their lives together for a decade. During that time, Kelaya had written this book. Her words explain, as Zeus told her, what it meant to be a vampire. He was the first, and he and his siblings woke in their boat on the course for here with no memory of how they'd gotten there or where or even how to get home. Zeus knew, also, that he had a hate for his brother Aro, but he loved his sister Dahlia. He and Aro didn't have a chance to really fight on the boat before they made land. Once on stable ground, though, they dueled with swords of diamond at their waists; Dahlia had one too. Neither of them won, but both were heavily wounded when Dahlia finally managed to stop them with her fire. As soon as he was healed enough, Aro took off into the new wilderness around him, and Dahlia apparently did too. Zeus healed as he made his way to finding life.
Zeus' eyes were blue because he only drank energy from any creature, and his tattoos were silver because he was the first and he could use healing magic. Dahlia's eyes were golden showing her preference for both blood and energy but not killing, unlike Aro. Being the first of their kind, they were very powerful, quick, and could last months between feedings as long as they ate food. They could also use each element as they wished (excluding Aro). They were also the first speakers Latin. By the time Zeus' decade with Kelaya was turning into more, he'd all but forgotten his curséd brother and beloved sister whom he'd never thought he'd see again. However, Dahlia showed up out of the blue one day and convinced Zeus that they all needed to leave. She had captured and sedated Aro so they could leave this land untouched by his horrors. Kelaya was pregnant when she left with them, and at the end of her book, Verin the Bard wrote a note about her disappearance. After I finish the book, I have Edward get it before settling back into bed. Bella and I speak quietly before falling soundly asleep.
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Bella's POV
I wake up the next morning to the buzzing of my time piece and find Alice smiling softly down at me. I return her smile as I lean up slightly to kiss her good morning.
"Mmm…I will so get used to waking up like this, in our bed with you." Alice says, happily.
"I agree whole-heartedly, my love." I warmly and truthfully state.
Alice gives a blissful sigh, and I marvel at the fact that I can make this glorious creature so happy if at all. I wrap my arms firmly around her waist, pulling her tightly to me, as I nuzzle her neck gently. We greet Saphira and Lunam, quietly, as they wake too. They leave to get breakfast soon.
I sigh, backing away just a bit to look into her eyes. "Are you ready for your last day in Ellesméra, Alice?"
"Yes; I'm also ready to help bring back peace to this land. Now, let's get ready." She hums, serenely, getting up.
We get ready as we did the day before, with light green robes to clothe ourselves in and shredded potatoes with panbread and syrup for breakfast. Once we are done, Saphira and Lunam return to get their saddles on and us. I make sure to grab the books and scrolls I have that belong to Oromis before we leave. Alice's brothers meet us in the air as usual, and we all fly to Oromis'.
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Oromis and I spend the rest of the morning teaching Alice, Jasper, and Edward the intricacies of gramarye with several of the starter spells I began with. At the same time, Glaedr and Saphira instruct Lunam, Alaula, and Nahele in the ways of the dragon. Near the end of our session, Oromis has each of them go separate directions for two hours to meditate. After they finish and come back, the dragons land minutes later. Once done quizzing each Rider and dragon, Oromis requests to duel each of them. They all fight with grace, especially my Alice. When they finish, (all coming to a draw) Oromis and Glaedr bid us goodbye for the day.
"Arabella, I know that you leave tomorrow. Before you do, return here with Saphira, the Cullens, and their dragons one last time." He tells us, greetings aside.
"Yes, Master." I reply.
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The clang of metal on metal sounds in my ear as Alice and Edward fiercely trade blows with Rosalie and Carlisle. Vanir and I had decided to move on to multiple opponent battle since we would be experiencing a lot of that for the next few months, most likely. Finally, I call them all to a halt.
"Okay, we're done with practice. It is our last night in this beautiful elven city. I would like to show you all around in the few hours before we must rest. Granted, the city is not as full of life as when I was first here, but I believe you will still enjoy it." I say, fondly.
The younger Cullens all turn to their father, but Emmett speaks first, "Dad, can we skip the elemental stuff, please?"
Carlisle smiles at his son's childish behavior and says, "Of course, we can; she's kindly invited us all. Let us see Ellesméra."
He gestures for me to lead them while the dragons fly off to find a meal. I take them all through Tialdarí Hall, the museum, and the library. I also show the other Riders the great Menoa Tree. We finish the tour at the stables built for the elven horses to use at their leisure, and we're lucky to see a few inside.
As we walk Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett back to their apartments, I tell them, "Tonight, you all must pack your belongings. The elves have washed each outfit you have worn since being here, and the ones you wear now will be washed. You will take them with you as well as whatever night clothes they've given you. Tomorrow, I shall gather everyone at nine to go to Oromis' hut. Goodnight."
The four bid us goodnight before disappearing into their rooms. I heave a tired sigh; it is 11 at night. We mount our dragons and hasten to our trees. Alice and I hurry our baths and teeth cleaning before quickly going to bed while Lunam and Saphira do the same.
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A/N: Hope you enjoyed!