A/N:

'Ello loves! Chase 'ere. Back with the next few chapters, as you can see.

This chapter marks a special place. Of 88 planned chapters, we are now at chapter 44 - the halfway point in my fan-novel.

It's been a long road to this point, one that is not without stumbles and all sorts of bruises. But hey - we're here, ain't we?

This time around, I'll just say that I don't own Pendragon, but after reading book ten, the Soldiers of Halla...damn...just...damn. I wish I did.

Thanks DJ MacHale for the years of reading and for the inspiration for this very story.

Here's to the final 44 eh guys?

-Chase


Chapter 44: Leila's Tale – Notoriety

The next few weeks on Aravil passed peacefully. Leila and Devin became very good friends very quickly, and he was accepted warmly into the fold by the Travelers. Many a day was passed with Devin and the gang relaxing in the woods or along the river, talking and laughing as they got to know each other better, and enjoyed one another's company.

Leila, much as she hated to admit it, knew she had fallen hard for the boy.

Chase, knowing her sister, did not dare tease her – she did however grin ear to ear whenever she caught Leila staring after Devin when he walked away.

The band of friends was currently in the market place on a lazy afternoon, taking in the vendors and their wares, and enjoying the pleasant warmth of the air. Devin and Leila chattered in the front of the group, while Bobby and Loor strolled off on their own. Spader and Chase hung close by Leila and Devin, being held back from matchmaking by Gunny and Patrick, who both felt the relationship should develop at its own pace.

"Fresh fish! Freshest in the entire region!" a fishmonger called out proudly, announcing his wares. Nearby, a fruit seller yelled out about the sweetness of his berries. Other merchants' voices joined in the cacophony of sound, adding to the busy aura of the place.

Leila had always enjoyed the bustle of the market, despite being claustrophobic and being a solitary person. One never knew what they would find in a market stall, and it was the promise of a rare or interesting find that held her fascination.

As they passed by the tanner's stall, a bright splash of red caught her eye. Pausing for a moment, Leila spotted the source of the color. A small red leather coin pouch tooled with the Shanley family crest, which served as the crest of the region. She reached out to touch it, hand moving on its own. The leather was buttery soft, and embroidered with golden thread around the edges.

Devin glanced down at the pouch in her hand, regarding it with a small smile. "It is rather pretty. Do you fancy it?" he asked, running a finger over the leather.

"It's gorgeous. But I know I won't have enough gold for it. I'm almost afraid to ask about the price." She sighed. Back on Second Earth, Press' fortune ensured they wanted for nothing. But back here, to say she was poor was a gross understatement.

"Don't worry about that." Devin chuckled, waving over the tanner. "How much for this, good sir?" he asked, drawing his own coin pouch from his cloak.

Leila moved to protest, but Devin merely smiled at her and rested his arm on her head, which he knew she couldn't stand. It had the desired effect – she was now too busy glaring up at him to argue about the pouch.

"Twenty five gold pieces for the pouch." The merchant told him, a smug look on his face.

Devin never so much as batted an eyelash. "Alright, I'll take it. Here." He proceeded to open his coin pouch and count out the gold on the counter.

Both Leila and the merchant blinked down at the glittering coins, wondering how a young man had so much wealth to toss around.

"Thank you, my good man. I'll remember the quality of your leathers in the future." Devin wrapped an arm around Leila's shoulder and steered her back down the street.

Spader and Chase exchanged a grin, giggling like madmen as they watched Leila turn a light shade of pink that was rapidly growing darker.

A smile crept onto the younger Tilton's face. She wanted her sister to be happy no matter what. Crossing her fingers, she said a silent prayer to the Aravillian gods, and hoped that this blossoming relationship would grow strong.


Later that evening, Leila and Devin sat by the fire pit in the back of the cottage. It was calm and relatively peaceful, despite the occasional outburst from the common room, where the others sat playing cards.

As she fingered the edges of the leather pouch, Leila tumbled thoughts over in her mind. How in the hell had Devin been carrying that much gold, and been able to plop it down for a gift without hesitation? He was just a little older than her, and must not have had a job if he was free to roam the countryside with her and the others day after day. That left mercenary work or thievery as possible answers, neither of which suited his personality.

"Is something wrong, Leila?" Devin asked, glancing down at her.

"No. Just thinking…" she smiled, trying to mask her troubling thoughts.

Devin was not convinced, but he pushed this out of mind. "Well, I've been doing a bit of thinking myself, and I had something I wanted to ask you."

She sat up from her reclining position against the log that served as a bench, heart racing. Half of her was furious with herself for being so girly, but the other half that was wondering what he could possibly want to ask was beating that fury with a stick.

"The annual Harvest Ball is approaching, and I was wondering if you would allow me to escort you there as my companion." A faint blush painted his cheeks pink.

"You've been invited to the Harvest Ball? But they hardly let anyone besides the nobility into that dance! I would be horribly out of place there as a commoner!" she shuddered at the thought of being surrounded by so many uptight rich people.

Devin chuckled. "Not as my companion for the evening, you wouldn't. I'm certain no one will dare question my choice of a lady friend."

Leila eyed him suspiciously. "What makes you so certain?"

"My father would give them a sound thrashing for making you feel like you were lower-class. He and I are both adamant about class equality. You should see him in the Courts."

"You're a nobleman?!" she sputtered, eyes wide.

His reply was to laugh harder. "Leila, you don't know who I am? That's a relief, actually. I'm so glad you weren't just being kind to me due to my birth."

"I thought you were a commoner like me – and I genuinely like you for who you are, Devin. That doesn't change now. That also explains why you had that gold on you."

"Oh that? I earned that working with the workers in the field this past season. I don't like living off of others, really…it makes me feel awkward." He scooted a little closer to her.

She gave a muffled "eep" before she could control herself. She had not guessed that her new friend was of noble birth. A nobleman of her nation was sitting next to her, a commoner. While the nobles of Aravil were not on the whole as aloof as the nobles of Neeanyah, some were just as bad, if not worse. For a young noble who could have his pick of the Aravillian version of the Playboy bunnies to be sitting here, asking her on the equivalent of a date, was slightly beyond her comprehension.

"So…will you accompany me? My father has been hounding me for not bringing a young lady for the past few years since becoming eligible." He asked, eagerness in his eyes.

"Er…sure. I would love to."

"My invitation extends to everyone, of course. I'd like all of you to meet my father."

Now things were extremely strange. For a noble to invite seven commoners to the very exclusive Harvest Ball was bordering on illegal.

"Devin, that's really sweet of you, but that's not possible. The Shanleys host the ball, and inviting us to their dance won't go over well with them or the rest of the nobility. I don't want to cause anymore of a stir than I will be already."

He looked at her as though she were a cute child. "I believe I can invite who I damn well please to the Festival Ball without anyone complaining."

"Dev…how high-ranking is your family? Are you sure you can do this?"

With a confident smile, he pulled a clan crest necklace from his cloak and extended it for her to see. It looked very, very familiar. Suddenly, the pouch in her hand felt heavy.

Leila's eyes flew open wider than they had been. "No fucking way…" she whispered.

It was the Shanley family crest – the crest of the ruling family of the entire region.

"My full name is Devin Rios Shanley – heir to the Shanley clan of Sigziel, and heir to the southern Aravillian royal throne. No one can lecture me about who I invite because it is my family's ball. So rest assured, you will be treated as an equal."

Everything clicked into place – why he had so much free time, why he was such a good swordsman, and why he was able to plop down gold as though it were rain water.

Amidst the shock to her system, something hit Leila's mind like a shot to the gut.

Devin – now one of her closest friends – was part of the reason she and the others were here in the first place. Someone wanted him dead – Saint Dane wanted him dead, to be precise. And now she was right at the heart of the assassination attempts. More than ever, she wanted to protect him, and figure out the Demon's plans.

"Well…I guess…um…" Leila fumbled for words, cursing her lack of calm in her mind. She was never this flustered normally, and was grateful the dark hid her blush.

"You'll be fine. Trust me. Now, I actually need to get home. I'm…sure you've heard that my father and I have had attempts made on our lives. And with the ball in a week, I have much planning to do. You may not see much of me the rest of this week as I begin helping father and our workers with the whole thing." He planted a quick kiss on her cheek as he stood, dropping his clan crest into her lap.

Cheeks blazing with heat, Leila's hand flew to her face as Devin walked away.

"Ohmygod…" she muttered. For once unsure of herself, she stood, and rushed into the house to talk to her sister.