Emma's Viewpoints
Emma lay on her bed, staring out the window to the streets below. She hadn't even bothered to undress. Losing a little sleep wouldn't kill her. That, she thought with a wry chuckle, was the problem. Nothing would.
She had left Emily in a burial cairn in Weiryn's garden, in the Divine Realms.Part of her felt dead, and had been ever since Emily was killed.
Part of her was filled with a deep, smouldering hatred. Emma knew she would hunt Emily's killer until one of them was dead.
The sun was showing above the Royal Forest when there was a knock at the door. Emma swung herself off the bed and opened it dully.
It was Laylia. "Can I come in?"
No you can't, Emma thought. Go away. I hate you and would probably kill you myself if it wouldn't be bad for business.
"Sure."
Trator, she told her mouth.
Laylia sat down beside the bed. Emma looked at the porcelain doll faced girl who was the start of it all. "What?"
Laylia looked down and nervously played with a piece of string from her cloak. "I was wondering if you.. blamed me. For what happened."
Yes, thought Emma. If it weren't for you, and your stupid Gift, and being so special, I could have been happy.
"Yes." her mouth said. "No. You're part of it."
Laylia seemed to quail a little bit. Great, thought Emma. You've hurt her, just like you meant to, and you feel like a monster. Just great.
Laylia stood up, mouth quivering. "All right."
She was gone before Emma knew it.
She took a moment to scribble, "I quit" on a piece of parchment, write a short letter to Amice, and stuff her worldly possesions into a kit bag, and went back into the Divine Realms.
~`~`~`~
My favorite runaway place, she thought wryly, coming up to Weiryn's house. She left a small copper bracelet, purchased at Port Caynn, at Emily's cairn, and came up to the house.
Weiryn and Sarra recieved a letter from Daine, and Emma spent the night. She felt irritable, and wanted a place that felt like home.
She dreamed that night. She was small again, and still and ordinary, Giftless little girl who wanted to be a knight and fight spidrens. Her father was riding beside her, and they were laughing. It was right alongside the stream. Emma had a rabbit on her pommel, and was pleased with herself because she had managed to shoot it with an arrow.
He is going ot die in a year, the little girl thought with sorrow. But in real life, none of them doubted that Lord Jessen would present Emma with her shield when she was knighted.
Through the trees ahead, Emma caught sight of the pearly shape of a unicorn. She gasped and caught her father's arm. "Look." She pointed.
The unicorn dissapeared. Jessen laughed. "See, Emma. These are things of great magic, and they are a part of our world as much as magic itself. They are allies of the gods and Chaos, immortals are, and them being here means that the gods themselves have a hand in our lives, and in the world itself."
Emma woke up, tears on her pillow. Dawn was just painting a stain of orange on the black-velvet sky. I want to go home, she thought. I want to go home to where things were normal.
~`~`~`~
Emma looked at the imposing fortifications of fief Silvertree. It hadn't changed since childhood.
She took her mare to the stable and put her in Vervain's stall. Vervain had been killed after he broke a leg in the pasture.
"I knew you'd come back."
Emma spun around. "Alaric." she gasped, red at not having heard him.
He grinned, revealing small teeth partly hidden by shy, sensitive lips. He was tall, but with a shy demeanour, a handsome face,brown hair, and hazel eyes.
Emma smiled, looked down, and bit her lip. Alaric had kissed her the year before she left, a couple of times. Her cheeks became a light pink.
"How is everything here?" she asked, moving to unsaddle her mare. She tugged impatiently at the cinch.
"Here." Alaric moved in and slowly slid the leather strap up through the dee ring. "Lady Emelia keeps us on our toes."
"And knees, too, I'm guessing." muttered Emma, slipping a halter onto her mount's head.
"Alaric, you dolt, get out here!" a commanding voice thundered through the stable.
"Speak of the devil." Emma muttered. She stepped out of the stall. "Yes, sister dear?" she asked sweetly.
Emelia gasped, turning red. "I'm sorry- I thought-"
"That I was the stable boy." Emma smiled, showing teeth.
Emma stepped back in the stall and carried her saddle out.
~`~`~`~`~
Dinner that night was simple. Emma had forgotten how much she hated Emelia.
She refused to sit on the dias, and spent the meal with Tarac, the huntsman, and his handsome son.
Smiling, she offered a plate to Alaric. He turned red as he took it. Well well, she thought. Never been able to flirt, eh?
Smiling slightly, she recalled her happiest moments in Silvertree. No sense in avoiding what makes you happy, she thought, as the server passed around another basket of bread. Under the table where nobody could see, she balled up the soft part, and, once the way was clear, flung it at Alaric.
Emma lay on her bed, staring out the window to the streets below. She hadn't even bothered to undress. Losing a little sleep wouldn't kill her. That, she thought with a wry chuckle, was the problem. Nothing would.
She had left Emily in a burial cairn in Weiryn's garden, in the Divine Realms.Part of her felt dead, and had been ever since Emily was killed.
Part of her was filled with a deep, smouldering hatred. Emma knew she would hunt Emily's killer until one of them was dead.
The sun was showing above the Royal Forest when there was a knock at the door. Emma swung herself off the bed and opened it dully.
It was Laylia. "Can I come in?"
No you can't, Emma thought. Go away. I hate you and would probably kill you myself if it wouldn't be bad for business.
"Sure."
Trator, she told her mouth.
Laylia sat down beside the bed. Emma looked at the porcelain doll faced girl who was the start of it all. "What?"
Laylia looked down and nervously played with a piece of string from her cloak. "I was wondering if you.. blamed me. For what happened."
Yes, thought Emma. If it weren't for you, and your stupid Gift, and being so special, I could have been happy.
"Yes." her mouth said. "No. You're part of it."
Laylia seemed to quail a little bit. Great, thought Emma. You've hurt her, just like you meant to, and you feel like a monster. Just great.
Laylia stood up, mouth quivering. "All right."
She was gone before Emma knew it.
She took a moment to scribble, "I quit" on a piece of parchment, write a short letter to Amice, and stuff her worldly possesions into a kit bag, and went back into the Divine Realms.
~`~`~`~
My favorite runaway place, she thought wryly, coming up to Weiryn's house. She left a small copper bracelet, purchased at Port Caynn, at Emily's cairn, and came up to the house.
Weiryn and Sarra recieved a letter from Daine, and Emma spent the night. She felt irritable, and wanted a place that felt like home.
She dreamed that night. She was small again, and still and ordinary, Giftless little girl who wanted to be a knight and fight spidrens. Her father was riding beside her, and they were laughing. It was right alongside the stream. Emma had a rabbit on her pommel, and was pleased with herself because she had managed to shoot it with an arrow.
He is going ot die in a year, the little girl thought with sorrow. But in real life, none of them doubted that Lord Jessen would present Emma with her shield when she was knighted.
Through the trees ahead, Emma caught sight of the pearly shape of a unicorn. She gasped and caught her father's arm. "Look." She pointed.
The unicorn dissapeared. Jessen laughed. "See, Emma. These are things of great magic, and they are a part of our world as much as magic itself. They are allies of the gods and Chaos, immortals are, and them being here means that the gods themselves have a hand in our lives, and in the world itself."
Emma woke up, tears on her pillow. Dawn was just painting a stain of orange on the black-velvet sky. I want to go home, she thought. I want to go home to where things were normal.
~`~`~`~
Emma looked at the imposing fortifications of fief Silvertree. It hadn't changed since childhood.
She took her mare to the stable and put her in Vervain's stall. Vervain had been killed after he broke a leg in the pasture.
"I knew you'd come back."
Emma spun around. "Alaric." she gasped, red at not having heard him.
He grinned, revealing small teeth partly hidden by shy, sensitive lips. He was tall, but with a shy demeanour, a handsome face,brown hair, and hazel eyes.
Emma smiled, looked down, and bit her lip. Alaric had kissed her the year before she left, a couple of times. Her cheeks became a light pink.
"How is everything here?" she asked, moving to unsaddle her mare. She tugged impatiently at the cinch.
"Here." Alaric moved in and slowly slid the leather strap up through the dee ring. "Lady Emelia keeps us on our toes."
"And knees, too, I'm guessing." muttered Emma, slipping a halter onto her mount's head.
"Alaric, you dolt, get out here!" a commanding voice thundered through the stable.
"Speak of the devil." Emma muttered. She stepped out of the stall. "Yes, sister dear?" she asked sweetly.
Emelia gasped, turning red. "I'm sorry- I thought-"
"That I was the stable boy." Emma smiled, showing teeth.
Emma stepped back in the stall and carried her saddle out.
~`~`~`~`~
Dinner that night was simple. Emma had forgotten how much she hated Emelia.
She refused to sit on the dias, and spent the meal with Tarac, the huntsman, and his handsome son.
Smiling, she offered a plate to Alaric. He turned red as he took it. Well well, she thought. Never been able to flirt, eh?
Smiling slightly, she recalled her happiest moments in Silvertree. No sense in avoiding what makes you happy, she thought, as the server passed around another basket of bread. Under the table where nobody could see, she balled up the soft part, and, once the way was clear, flung it at Alaric.