The hall was crowded: dancers twirled on the dance floor as others mingled by the tables filled with lavish food. Daine was deeply engrossed in conversation with her friend Evin Larse, leaving me with little to do. Noticing Alanna standing in a corner by herself, I joined her.
"No George today?"
Alanna looked up with a smile. "He escaped to confer with Myles. I really hate these things."
"I know, your distaste for social gatherings is legendary." Bowing, I said, "Would you honor me with a dance."
She made a face, "I can't dance."
"Ha, I've seen you dance before and you've never fallen over."
"I'm not sure that's a compliment." Alanna muttered, but she accepted my outstretched hand. As we spun slowly Alanna asked, "How's Daine."
"Daine?" I took a wrong step and landed on Alanna's foot. "She was a little shaken up after her battle with Ozorn, but that's to be expected. Posttraumatic stress is common, especially after something so life threatening. In fact-"
"I really don't want a lecture right now, Numair." She interrupted me. "How is your relationship?"
"Our what?" Alanna was a bit too insightful for me.
"Don't play dumb with me, I know you have a relationship." Craning her neck to look at me she asked, "Have you had sex yet?"
"I would rather not discuss my sex life with you or anyone else." I replied rather stiffly.
"Well why not? It's very important to talk about such things. Lack of communication was one of the reasons Jon and I never worked." She paused. "The other is because he's such a prig."
I looked a Jon. He was flirting with a female ambassador from Tyra. But I felt obligated to defend him. "He is helping Tortall by getting on Tyra's good side."
Alanna snorted, "Jon enjoys it. He always flirted, even when we were together."
"And your relationship with George at that time was, of course, purely platonic." I replied sarcastically.
Alanna turned red.
"Flirting with my wife, are ye?" A voice sounded from behind me.
"Now George, would I do something like that?" I asked innocently, shaking his hand.
"May I cut in?" He inquired. I moved aside.
"Numair," Alanna said. "No one will think any less of you for being with her. Besides, the ones who do don't matter anyway." She leaned against George, reminding me of the controversy behind their marriage. People still looked down upon Alanna for marrying a commoner.
Daine was sitting in a chair watching me when I approached her. "Hey," she said, smiling. It reminded me of the night before.
"I'm tired of hiding," I declared, pulling her to her feet. "I don't want our relationship to be a secret as if we're ashamed of it. I'm not ashamed, I love you and want everyone else to know too."
"Why the change in attitude?" Daine asked as we danced. I had always been so careful not to dance with her a great deal. Each dance had been torture, but I didn't have to be cautious around her anymore. One of her hands played with my hair, while mine rested on her hips holding her closer than custom dictated.
"A conversation with Alanna."
"She's a remarkable woman."
"She is at that," I touched her cheek. "But not as remarkable as one woman I know." I leaned down and eased open her lips with my own. She was surprised, I suppose I was being a little rash, but I had ceased caring. We kissed ardently until lack of oxygen forced us to break away.
"Do you want to get out of here?" Daine asked, breathing heavily.
"You're room or mine?"
Daine laughed, "Unless you want to share the bed with numerous animals and be woken up by a crabby dragon, I would say your room."
"Would one of those animals be you, maglet?"
"Maybe," She replied.
"Then I think I could face down a dragon." I paused, thinking about what Kitten was like in the morning. "On second thought, let's go to my room." We left the hall, my arm twined around hers.
As soon as we were gone Daine burst out laughing. "Did you see Lord Wyldon's face? He definitely doesn't approve."
I shrugged, "He and his boring conservative friends never approved of anything we did. Scientifically speaking, boring people's opinions don't count."
"But doesn't that include you?" A voice inquired. Leaning against the wall of the corridor was a man toying with a knife. I almost did recognize him. The beard and unkempt hair was not characteristic of the clean upstanding soldier I once knew.
"Honestly Bradley, if you wanted to kill us you could have at least used the element of surprise."
"I do have a sense of honor," He glared at me. "Unlike you, traitor." He spat at my feet.
"Because Ozorne's minions were incredibly honorable." He hurled his knife at my heart. Quickly, Daine knocked the knife away before it reached me. I noticed scarlet blood gush from her hand. "Daine!"
"I'm okay," She forced a smile. "Did I kill your leader you poor little underling?" She inquired, I could see the pain she was trying to hide. "Thought you could make one last kill before you died? Have you ever met Numair? D'you know anything about him? He defeated Ozorne's chief mage! D'you know who I am?" She smiled again. "Well, very soon you'll find out." Suddenly, Kitten came barreling down the corridor. Moving so quickly I could barely see, she ripped out Bradly's throat.
"Well," I said after recovering from the surprise. "That was interesting. We'd better tell someone about the dead body, apologize to Jon about the stains in his carpet, and find a healer for that wound." Looking at her hand again, I added "And definitely not in that order."
A few moments later we were with Duke Baird who was healing Daine's wound. "She's fine," the healer proclaimed. "I used magic so she won't even have scars."
I breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank Mithros."
Daine rolled her eyes at me. "Of course I'm fine." Thanking Duke Baird, we left. "Did'ya think I would die from a few cuts on my hands?"
"You could have lost your fingers." I replied, kissing them.
"And you could've died."
"But I didn't." We had reached my rooms. "I believe we had something very important to do before we were interrupted. It's a good thing you still have all your fingers."
"And it's a good thing you're not dead." She replied and shut the door.
For the first time I felt like I truly belonged. I had a place in the world and I had found a home.
THE END!!!
"No George today?"
Alanna looked up with a smile. "He escaped to confer with Myles. I really hate these things."
"I know, your distaste for social gatherings is legendary." Bowing, I said, "Would you honor me with a dance."
She made a face, "I can't dance."
"Ha, I've seen you dance before and you've never fallen over."
"I'm not sure that's a compliment." Alanna muttered, but she accepted my outstretched hand. As we spun slowly Alanna asked, "How's Daine."
"Daine?" I took a wrong step and landed on Alanna's foot. "She was a little shaken up after her battle with Ozorn, but that's to be expected. Posttraumatic stress is common, especially after something so life threatening. In fact-"
"I really don't want a lecture right now, Numair." She interrupted me. "How is your relationship?"
"Our what?" Alanna was a bit too insightful for me.
"Don't play dumb with me, I know you have a relationship." Craning her neck to look at me she asked, "Have you had sex yet?"
"I would rather not discuss my sex life with you or anyone else." I replied rather stiffly.
"Well why not? It's very important to talk about such things. Lack of communication was one of the reasons Jon and I never worked." She paused. "The other is because he's such a prig."
I looked a Jon. He was flirting with a female ambassador from Tyra. But I felt obligated to defend him. "He is helping Tortall by getting on Tyra's good side."
Alanna snorted, "Jon enjoys it. He always flirted, even when we were together."
"And your relationship with George at that time was, of course, purely platonic." I replied sarcastically.
Alanna turned red.
"Flirting with my wife, are ye?" A voice sounded from behind me.
"Now George, would I do something like that?" I asked innocently, shaking his hand.
"May I cut in?" He inquired. I moved aside.
"Numair," Alanna said. "No one will think any less of you for being with her. Besides, the ones who do don't matter anyway." She leaned against George, reminding me of the controversy behind their marriage. People still looked down upon Alanna for marrying a commoner.
Daine was sitting in a chair watching me when I approached her. "Hey," she said, smiling. It reminded me of the night before.
"I'm tired of hiding," I declared, pulling her to her feet. "I don't want our relationship to be a secret as if we're ashamed of it. I'm not ashamed, I love you and want everyone else to know too."
"Why the change in attitude?" Daine asked as we danced. I had always been so careful not to dance with her a great deal. Each dance had been torture, but I didn't have to be cautious around her anymore. One of her hands played with my hair, while mine rested on her hips holding her closer than custom dictated.
"A conversation with Alanna."
"She's a remarkable woman."
"She is at that," I touched her cheek. "But not as remarkable as one woman I know." I leaned down and eased open her lips with my own. She was surprised, I suppose I was being a little rash, but I had ceased caring. We kissed ardently until lack of oxygen forced us to break away.
"Do you want to get out of here?" Daine asked, breathing heavily.
"You're room or mine?"
Daine laughed, "Unless you want to share the bed with numerous animals and be woken up by a crabby dragon, I would say your room."
"Would one of those animals be you, maglet?"
"Maybe," She replied.
"Then I think I could face down a dragon." I paused, thinking about what Kitten was like in the morning. "On second thought, let's go to my room." We left the hall, my arm twined around hers.
As soon as we were gone Daine burst out laughing. "Did you see Lord Wyldon's face? He definitely doesn't approve."
I shrugged, "He and his boring conservative friends never approved of anything we did. Scientifically speaking, boring people's opinions don't count."
"But doesn't that include you?" A voice inquired. Leaning against the wall of the corridor was a man toying with a knife. I almost did recognize him. The beard and unkempt hair was not characteristic of the clean upstanding soldier I once knew.
"Honestly Bradley, if you wanted to kill us you could have at least used the element of surprise."
"I do have a sense of honor," He glared at me. "Unlike you, traitor." He spat at my feet.
"Because Ozorne's minions were incredibly honorable." He hurled his knife at my heart. Quickly, Daine knocked the knife away before it reached me. I noticed scarlet blood gush from her hand. "Daine!"
"I'm okay," She forced a smile. "Did I kill your leader you poor little underling?" She inquired, I could see the pain she was trying to hide. "Thought you could make one last kill before you died? Have you ever met Numair? D'you know anything about him? He defeated Ozorne's chief mage! D'you know who I am?" She smiled again. "Well, very soon you'll find out." Suddenly, Kitten came barreling down the corridor. Moving so quickly I could barely see, she ripped out Bradly's throat.
"Well," I said after recovering from the surprise. "That was interesting. We'd better tell someone about the dead body, apologize to Jon about the stains in his carpet, and find a healer for that wound." Looking at her hand again, I added "And definitely not in that order."
A few moments later we were with Duke Baird who was healing Daine's wound. "She's fine," the healer proclaimed. "I used magic so she won't even have scars."
I breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank Mithros."
Daine rolled her eyes at me. "Of course I'm fine." Thanking Duke Baird, we left. "Did'ya think I would die from a few cuts on my hands?"
"You could have lost your fingers." I replied, kissing them.
"And you could've died."
"But I didn't." We had reached my rooms. "I believe we had something very important to do before we were interrupted. It's a good thing you still have all your fingers."
"And it's a good thing you're not dead." She replied and shut the door.
For the first time I felt like I truly belonged. I had a place in the world and I had found a home.
THE END!!!