If I don't say this now I will surely break Oh, oh, There now, steady love, so few come and don't go Oh, oh
As I'm leaving the one I want to take
Forgive the urgency but hurry up and wait
My heart has started to separate
Be my baby
Ohhhhh
Oh, oh
Be my baby
I'll look after you
Will you won't you, be the one I'll always know
When I'm losing my control, the city spins around
You're the only one who knows, you slow it down
Be my baby
Ohhhhhh
Oh, oh
Be my Baby
I'll look after you
And I'll look after you
-The Fray- Look After You-
Freddie- He is a jerk face… thanks for reading and reviewing…
nativewildmage- haha Happy to see Rae go much? LoL… Well you'll be a very happy girl at the end of this chapter… that is for sure… Thanks for R&R
DreamlndxFantasy- Yeah I am glad he is gone too… I never did like him… But there is still Aria and that new son left too… I love that description about Jonathan too!!! When I was reading your review I had to go back and look at it… And I swear I started to drool… LoL…
Lady Phoenix Ice Angel- thank you very much… I appreciate your review… Thanks!
da shiz mint- haha I loved the chuck Norris jokes too… thanks for reviewing and reading…
Erytha- Don't worry no Cole or Brandon parings… I swear… Cole is her cousin after all… Lol… that would be a little weird… haha… Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Tears of Winter- you might get what you wish… lol… and I said MIGHT… haha… I am an evil author… but anyway… thanks for R&R
Elspeth25- I promise she will find someone… but not for a while… Yeah Rae is a big faker… I am sorry that you got tricked! Thanks for reviewing
Stephy- Yeah so am I… but he has prince duties to fulfill… and I can't pull a few strings to make it work… Oh well… thanks for reading and reviewing!!
jamie lynn- Thank you sooo much! That was very nice of you to say that… Thanks and keep on reading!
GinaStar- Haha… Demanding Much? Lol… no it's fine… And that sucks about your sinus affection... Hope you feel better! Thanks!
Lady Highschoolnerd- yeah it's sad that Jzet keeps getting let down… Oh well… I can't help that if it goes with the plot… Thanks for R&R
Queen of Crimson- Yeah I am glad Rae is gone too… but poor Gosha too! But Rae… He is such a jerk… I couldn't stand him… Yeah Rae's wife is going to get into some trouble… But that will be for later chapters grins evilly… Thanks for the Review and it's fine about the whole review thing… I was just having a bad day and went over the top… thanks!
On top of cloud 9- Well… the whole Jonathan thing would be complicated because of the Tyran princess (Sadie) coming… But I will give you a little present at the end of the chapter to make it feel all better… Lol… Man am I evil or what? haha… So read and find out! Thank you mucho!!
An angel on Ice- haha… So have I… I am glad he is gone though… yeah no J/J… too complicated… and plus I have other plans… muah… haha... thanks for reviewing!
Misled Nymph- yeah I know the whole killing off the mentor is a little cliché, but it had to be done… Oh well… and yeah Rae's gone… Oh well… thanks for the review/ constructive criticism… thanks!
A/N I own absolutely nothing… All Tamora Pierce's
It was about noon when Jzet finally rose from her bed. She sighed and rubbed her hand over her temple. She had only just woken up, but she could already tell it was going to be a long day. Suddenly, a rumble ripped through the peaceful silence of the room causing Jzet to groan loudly. It was her cursed stomach. She had not eaten since the night before and right now she was absolutely ravenous. But, the thought of the numerous questions she would be asked in the mess hall, by her friends and others, made her very reluctant. A dull throb began to arise in her temples. Just thinking of it makes my head ache. She thought irritably.
As she walked slowly towards the privy, dragging her feet as she went, Jzet could hear Lee's hushed, but firm voice at the front door. "I told you before, sir, my mistress needs her rest." A man spoke, but Jzet could not comprehend what he said. "I will send her to the king after she has had food in her stomach and sleep under her eyes. Now good day to you," A slam of the door signaled the end of their conversation.
The king, Jzet thought and then panicked. Her stomach instantly became overcome with fear and anxiety. What would the king want from her? Her heart began to beat so fast, Jzet believed it would soon thump right out of her chest. Did he find out about Rae? Was he going to address the prophesy made about her?
She ran to her privy, suddenly feeling extremely nauseas, and once inside, proceeded to vomit.
Lee, hearing the ruckus, responded quickly and ran to her side with a glass of water in hand.
"I assume you heard my conversation with that cove?" She asked, using the lingo of a commoner.
Jzet had to rinse out her mouth thoroughly and take a few gulps, before managing to get out a yes.
"What time does he want me in his office?" Jzet croaked, trying to shake off the feeling of clamminess.
"As soon as you are ready," Lee told her, patting her on the back sympathetically. "It's probably because Rae was a Carthaki agent." She added attempting to make Jzet feel better. Unfortunately, it didn't.
Jzet nodded, her throat suddenly feeling dry. She avidly gulped down some more water.
"Could you go down to the mess and bring me some lunch?" Jzet asked, panting slightly from drinking the water too fast. Her stomach was acting up again, and this time, it was growling even louder.
"Yeah, sure, I'll be right back."
She began to scurry away when Jzet called, "If anyone asks about me just say I am asleep and don't tell them anything about last night. Not even Jonathan," She hated to believe that the prince might think ill of her because of her fling with Rae. Especially, because I did not tell him, She added in a grim thought.
"As you wish," Lee told her, trying to sound like an obedient servant. Jzet noticed her eyes light up in mirth at the name of the prince, but it soon disappeared when Jzet threw her a dirty look. Lee then sighed deeply and continued out the door.
After washing up, Jzet collapsed onto her bed, putting her face into her pillow for comfort.
Jzet felt like screaming into her pillow, just letting all her emotions come out at once. She wanted to spend the day wallowing in her misery, not talking to the king. By tomorrow morning the whole court would know her story, including her training master and father. Jzet shuddered to think of the scolding both of them were going to give her.
Lee soon returned with a plate filled with delicious looking hot food. She told Jzet that Audrey, Brandon, Kate, Madison and Jonathan wanted to talk to her, but she sent them away.
"Thanks Lee," Jzet told her maid, truly grateful. "Especially for last night, I couldn't have killed Rae without you."
Jzet watched her maid hide a smirk. "Glad to be of service." She said modestly. Lee then curtseyed and left the room to give her some privacy.
Jzet ate her meal slowly. She certainly was in no rush to speak to the king. A shiver ran up her spine for just thinking of it. For some reason the thought of coming face to face with the monarch frightened her. She did not know why either. After all, she was friends with Jonathan, who was the prince and heir to the Tortallan throne. She certainly wasn't afraid to speak to him. But, why did she have such a fear to speak to his father? Was it because of the Carthaki attack on Corus four years ago that left the king's own father dead? Was she still guilty because of that?
A knock echoed through the room. Jzet felt her heart began to race again, this time faster than before. She began to imagine her training master standing there and demanding answers about her romance with the Shang or even worse her father.
Luckily, Lee answered the door. Jzet tried her best to hear Lee, but could not make out the words.
"My lady," She called formally, after the bang of the closing door sounded through the room. "The king requests your presence at his study in fifteen minutes. He is done waiting for you."
Jzet gulped. She did not like the fact that the king sounded annoyed with her. This would probably make their conversation ten times worse than it already would be.
"Okay, I'll be there." Jzet squeaked.
She got up from her bed quickly, making her way to her water basin. Jzet then splashed the cold water on her face, trying to snap herself out of her nervous state. She checked her appearance diligently in the mirror one last time, before heading towards the king's study.
Her feet seemed to be made of lead, as his study came into view. She took several deep breaths, shoving the feelings of nausea out of her body, and approached the door, where two large burly men in palace guard uniforms stood. She hastily wiped the sweat off of her brow, not wanting the king to see her nervousness.
"State your name and business." One guard ordered her stiffly. Jzet attentively noticed his left hand on his scabbard and then gulped.
Her mouth seemed to become drier than the sand on a beach.
"Page Jzeliette of Queenscove, sir," She managed to reply.
The guard grunted and then entered the king's study. He soon came returned shortly after, his facial expression showed mistrust, which made Jzet even more uneasy.
"The king is expecting you." He told her and they both stood aside. "You have permission to enter."
Jzet bowed to both of them and then her sweaty hand proceeded to turn the door knob.
Jzet could feel the magic present in the room, as soon as she took a step inside. She was certain it was protection spells for the king and his family, but the magic was so great it was making her itch. She wondered how the monarchs put up with it.
The king, his queen, and to Jzet's surprise Jonathan were sitting down in three arm chairs.
Jzet gulped for the second time in the past few minutes, she wasn't expecting the prince to be in attendance. "Your majesties," She bowed deep and low.
The king looked at her with thoughtful blue eyes. "Hello Jzeliette, we were awaiting your arrival." He told her. "Take a seat in the chair next to Jonathan."
Jzet obeyed and sat down quickly. She did not even take a glance at her friend.
"You look so much like your mother, Jzeliette." the Yamani queen commented, before Jzet could get settled in. "It's a shame what happened. Your mother and I were friends on the Yamani Isles. She came over to Tortall with me when I was being presented to the Tortallan Court. She was one of my best friends."
Jzet shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She had no idea how to respond to the monarch. So, she said timidly, "Thank you, my queen,"
The queen smiled softly. Jzet was surprised at the Yamani queen's display of emotions, but decided to ignore it. She's probably been in Tortall for too long. Jzet decided.
"Now, about last night's events…" The king began. Jzet studied his face. Even though he had only been king for three years, he looked as if he had experienced a lifetime of stress. I wonder if that's what will happen to Jonathan when he'll become king? Jzet wondered. "I read a report from the Provost Guard and I know most of the details, but I would like to hear the story from your mouth."
Jzet hesitated. She did not know if she was comfortable explaining the story to the monarch. Her wavering also increased because Jonathan was in the room. What would he think of her? Would he be disappointed?
The queen recognized her reluctance. "Roald, dear, I don't know if she's ready to tell the story yet."
Jzet felt her heart beat faster. She did not want the king to think she was a coward or weak. She was brave. She was strong. She could not back down now. She had to tell the story for the king.
"No, your majesty, I will tell it." Jzet told her firmly, making direct eye contact with the monarch. She wanted to show them her strength.
The king and queen exchanged glances. "Fine, then Page Jzet, proceed." the king said.
Jzet took a deep breath and then began the story. She told it slowly and carefully, not wanting to leave out any details. Jzet would have hated it if she had to repeat any of it. It was painful enough the first time.
When she was done the monarchs did not utter a word, which made Jzet quite uncomfortable.
Finally, Jzet coughed abruptly and the king began to speak, "Isabel!" He called.
A tall, timid young girl, who reminded Jzet of a frightened deer, entered the room. Her auburn hair was in a bun and her terrified blue eyes stared openly at the monarchs.
She bobbled into a low curtsey. "Yes, my king,"
"Fetch this poor girl a glass of water, please." He ordered.
"Of course, my king," She squeaked. Then, again dipping into a low curtsey, scurried away.
They sat in silence until Isabel returned with the glass of water. She handed it to Jzet, her hands shaking.
"Thank you," Jzet said.
"Your- your welcome," the girl stammered and then rushed out of the room without looking back once.
Once Jzet guzzled down the water, the king spoke again. "That was very brave of you Page Jzet. Standing up to the ones you love is a very hard task." Jzet blushed at the king's praise. "I am glad I heard the story from you because you don't always get every single detail in these reports." He held up a folder, chuckling slightly. "I am curious about one thing though," He continued.
"I would be happy to answer your questions, my king." Jzet told him, even though in her mind she wasn't.
"Well, l wish to ask you about this dream seeing matter." He said, taking a sip of the glass of wine that was placed on the table next to him. "I have heard about it before, but I have never met a dream seerer. What kind of visions do you have?"
Jzet scratched an itch on her arm. Stupid magical room, She thought sullenly. "Well, sire," She did not want to sound too cocky, afraid that she would upset the king, "I basically see visions about the present and future."
"Do they come true?" He inquired curiously.
"Well, so far yes," Jzet replied.
The king rubbed his black bristles on his chin thoughtfully and mumbled, "Amazing…"
"Jzet sometimes sees visions of the Carthaki Emperor." Jonathan piped in. It was the first time the prince had spoken during the whole meeting. Unfortunately, Jzet was not happy that he chose to say that as his first words. This comment earned her more stares from the king and queen.
Jzet glared at her friend. "Do you mind telling us what you have seen, Page Jzeliette?" the king asked.
"Of course sire, it is my duty after all, to do whatever you ask me." She reminded the king. She then sighed. "Well, the Carthaki army is ready to attack Tortall again." She told them. "They sent many of their men to Corus three years ago, almost three quarters, and had many causalities. They were hoping to overrun Corus with that force, but failed. So, that created a huge gap in their fighting force and since then they have been working to repair it."
"Carthak is ready to attack now?" The king seemed to have changed an off shade of white. Jzet was certain the king wasn't ready for war. It would be the first war of his reign.
"Yes, my king," Jzet replied, regretful that she had upset the king so much.
"Is there anything else you want to tell me?" He asked, his blue eyes seemed to penetrate into her skull as if he was searching for something more.
Jzet heard Jonathan whisper, "Jacqueline…"
Jzet flinched. She wasn't ready for this. She had no intentions of being dragged into the drama of Jacqueline and her uncle being traitors to Tortall. It was bad enough with Rae.
The prince looked at her with his deep blue eyes. They seemed to be yearning for her to tell the truth.
Jzet could not handle it anymore. "My king, my queen, Prince Jonathan," She bowed her head in acknowledgement to them, "I know of two traitorous scum from this grand nation of Tortall."
"Who?" The queen asked.
Jzet sighed. She knew she was going to regret this.
"Page Jacqueline of Blue Harbor is an agent for Carthak." Jzet told them grimly. "Her uncle, Nammir, is in Carthak, working for Zulch, the emperor of Carthak, as his right hand man."
The room was in complete silence. Jzet swore if someone could drop a pin, she would have heard it.
"Are you sure?" The king asked, he studied her face for any signs of lying.
"I am positive." Jzet said firmly. She knew the king was using his gift to see if she was deceitful.
"Very well then," He told her solemnly. "Guards!"
The two burly guards entered the room quickly, their weapons drawn.
"What is it sire?" One man asked. Confusion spread across his face as he saw there was no threat.
"I want you to arrest Page Jacqueline of Blue Harbor on charges of treason." He commanded. "And then throw her in the stocks."
"Who is going to guard your door, sire?" The other guard asked. His facial expression was that of concern.
"Oh, I think we can handle ourselves for fifteen minutes just fine, thank you." The queen told them, her voice as sweet as possible. If the situation wasn't so serious, Jzet might have laughed.
The two men bowed and then exited the room swiftly.
Once they were gone, the king turned to Jzet. "So, her uncle is in Carthak?"
"Yes, my king," Jzet replied.
"Damn," He cursed under his breath.
"Roald!" Queen Shinkonami scolded. "No cursing in front of the children."
"Ma!" Jonathan cried, clearly embarrassed.
Jzet chuckled under her breath at the royal family's bickering.
The king stood up abruptly and Jzet seeing that he was going to dismiss her, rose from her seat.
"Page Jzeliette, you have been a great help to me." He told her sincerely. "Thank you very much,"
Queen Shinkonami and Jonathan stood up also.
"Your information will help save the lives of many others, Page Jzeliette." The queen said. "We are grateful for your assistance."
Jzet felt herself turn crimson from the praise. "Thank you, sires," She told them. "But, can I ask you one favor?"
"Of course, dear, go right ahead." the queen smiled down upon her.
"Um," She glanced over at Jonathan, slightly embarrassed. "I just don't want people to know about my relationship with Rae, your majesties. I prefer that the conservatives and most importantly my father not get those details of the story." The king and queen smirked at the mentioning of her father.
"As you wish Page Jzeliette," The King said, a smirk was still evident on his handsome face.
"Thank you so much," She said gratefully.
"You are dismissed now and may the Goddess bless you on your journey." The king announced.
Jzet knew a proper dismissal when she heard one, and so she bowed low to each of the monarchs and then exited the room. She breathed a heavy sigh of relief, as soon as the door shut behind her.
Jzet was half way down the hall when she heard sharp foot steps pounding on the stone floor behind her.
"Jzet, wait up!" Jzet stopped and turned to see Jonathan jogging to catch up with her.
"Hey, what's wrong?" she asked, concerned.
"Nothing, I just wanted to talk to you." Jonathan told her.
"Can we go somewhere less…"
"Open?" Jonathan suggested.
"Right," Jzet agreed. "My rooms will be the perfect place, unless I have visitors." Jonathan nodded, knowing she meant Audrey, Brandon, Kate, and Madison.
They finally reached the Page's Wing and ran to her door, not wanting to be seen by any other Pages.
Jzet fumbled with her key, cursing as she jammed it into the lock. The door finally gave way and both Page and Squire tumbled into the room.
"Ah, you're back." Lee remarked towards the two disheveled and panting friends. "How was your meeting with the king?"
"Ugh," Jzet groaned, throwing her hands in the air. "Don't even get me started."
"I see," She mumbled. "I assume you were the cause of the commotion that just occurred here around ten minutes ago." Lee commented dryly.
"What do you mean?" Jzet asked, confused.
"Jacqueline of Blue Harbor put up quite a show I must say." Lee said, a grin plastered on her face. Jzet could feel nausea beginning to form in her stomach. She pushed it down quickly. "That girl screamed like a chicken that was about to have its head cut off." Lee smirked. "Those poor guards though, that stubborn girl certainly did not go without a fight."
"Oh joy," Jzet mumbled.
"And your training master was there also." Jzet groaned loudly. "You should have seen his face. It looked purpler than a grape ready for picking."
"Just when I thought this situation couldn't get any worse." Jzet muttered sarcastically.
"Yeah, the other pages came outside of their rooms to see what the commotion was about, but Lord Padarig screamed at them and told them to go back to their rooms." Lee began to laugh. "This story will be all over the palace in two hours flat. I guarantee you."
Jzet distraughtly threw her hands up in the air. "When I get my hands on Rae in the peaceful realms, by Mithros, I will destroy him! This is his entire fault. Look at the mess he left me in!"
"Whoa, calm down there Jzet." Jonathan gripped her shoulder and then directed her towards two arm chairs.
Jzet sat down and then sighed. Soon, a silence filled the room.
Finally, Jzet broke the silence. "So, who is this Princess Sadie?" She had no desire to talk about Rae anymore. It was just too painful to even bring up and seemed like an extremely awkward topic to discuss with Jonathan.
The prince blushed. "Some princess from Tyra, my Ma and Dad are making me marry." He coughed. "It's supposed to be for the good of the country or something along the lines of that." He rolled his eyes causing Jzet to smirk.
"When does she come to Tortall?" Jzet asked. She certainly was excited to meet this princess.
"In May, just before the big Page examinations," Jonathan replied, his voice steady. "I just hope that she isn't some fluff brained court lady. They just completely bore me."
"What do you hope she'll be like?"
Jonathan blushed. "Kind of like you," He mumbled.
Jzet grinned wickedly at the squire. "Why is that Jonathan dearest?" She pressed.
"Well," He took a deep breath to regain his composure. "It's just that you're different than most girls. You're not afraid of danger and you're willing to risk everything. And of course, you're pretty funny." Jzet threw him a dirty look. "Not in a weird way, it's just when you're angry, you can be really hysterical."
"Angry?" Jzet cried, outraged. "You think I'm funny when I am angry!"
Jonathan laughed, amused at her reaction. Jzet saw his blue-grey eyes dance in mirth. "Well, not when you're angry at me." He added in his defense. "More like when you are angry at Cole."
Jzet smiled softly, thinking back to the memories she shared with her cousin. "Speaking of Cole, how is that hooligan?"
To Jzet's surprise, Jonathan's face suddenly darkened considerably. "Well, let's just say we got in a little argument."
Jzet frowned. She did not like when her friends bickered. "What was it about?"
"Cole's love life," The prince replied simply, his gaze wavered and soon it became fixated onto the floor. "I just suggested that it would be in his best interest to give up this Michelle girl he has been seeing the past few months." Jonathan sighed. "Well, let's just say he wasn't pleased." His face became grim. "We argued and I told him he was a complete meathead because he had Audrey at home who probably loved him more than this Michelle ever would. He took this personally and threw a book at me, which I of course evaded with my excellent training." Jonathan grinned at the last part.
Jzet felt completely shocked. How could Cole do such a terrible thing to one of his best friends? "My cousin threw a book at you!" She exclaimed. "Has he gone off the deep end!" She began to rant, letting her emotions get the best of her. "When I get my hands on him, he'll wish he was never born. That stupid, stupid boy-"
Jonathan cut her off with a calm and cool voice. "Jzet, he just wasn't thinking straight."
Jzet sighed with shame. She did not know what her Yamani mother would think of her if she saw Jzet's release of her emotions. I guess I truly have turned into a Tortallan. She thought reluctantly.
"Sorry Jonathan," She apologized. "I am just so… so… surprised Cole would do such a thing."
"Well, so was I." He admitted. "But, I cannot let that trouble me right now." He told her frankly. "I have to worry about the upcoming war and of course Princess Sadie, plus a numerous other things."
Jzet sighed. He was right- as always.
"Well, I should be going." Jonathan began, looking remorseful. "Father will probably want me to attend some emergency war council meeting or something."
Jzet got up and hugged her friend.
He turned to go, but paused for a second and faced Jzet. "Jzet, if there is anything you need or just someone to talk to, just send the word. I'll be there."
Jzet smiled softly at his sincere words. "Thanks Jonathan,"
"I just wanted you to know that before things got too crazy." He told her. He then suddenly grabbed her hands, which oddly sent a shiver up her spine. "I am sorry for what happened with Rae." Jzet opened her mouth to protest that he had nothing to feel sorry for, but he put his finger to her lips. "Don't interrupt, I am about to go on a roll." Jzet smirked and let him continue. "You've had a lot of hardships in your life Jzet. I know growing up without parents or an identity wasn't easy. And now the gods are fiddling with your life and have given you a greater burden." He sighed deeply. "No one ever said life was easy. It isn't. But unfortunately, you have it tougher than others. I just wanted you to know no matter what happens, you still have your friends and family that care about you and love you very much." The grip he had on her hands became tighter. "Just don't forget it Jzet. Don't forget I love you." Suddenly, before she knew it, his lips were on hers. They grazed for a second and then departed.
"Jonathan?" Jzet suddenly felt afraid, but she did not know why. She began to shake.
He dropped her hands immediately, like they were burning hot. "I am sorry Jzet. I don't know what I was thinking."
Before Jzet could object, he strode out of the room and closed the door behind him.
Consciously Jzet felt her hand touch her own lips. They still tingled from the kiss she and Jonathan shared moments before.
What in Mithros name just happened?
Yeah… Hold back your applause… I am evil… What can I say? Lol
Oh and another quick tidbit… Sequel coming up soon… Any idea's for a name? Just leave it in your review!
Thanks
Your Evil Author and less evil editor
Caiti and Juliette
P.S. Review!