Disclaimer: What I said in Chapter One.
A/N: I still don¡¦t know if Aisling¡¦s got wild magic or not.
Oh well. And btw, this takes place right after Squire. I finally got my hands
on it! So DON¡¦T READ IF YOU HAVEN¡¦T READ SQUIRE YET!!!
I gaped in disbelief. I wasn¡¦t sure what wild magic was, but I sure understood the ¡§magic¡¨ part of it. ¡§No, you¡¦re surely mistaken,¡¨ I gasped. ¡§I don¡¦t ¡V I¡¦m not ¡V ¡¨
¡§Aisling, that¡¦s what I thought when Numair mentioned I had wild magic,¡¨ Daine explained patiently. ¡§Now look at me, Wildmage of Tortall.¡¨ Her mouth twisted into a wry smile.
¡§Why do you think so, Daine?¡¨ Numair asked. ¡§That she¡¦s got wild magic?¡¨
¡§I can see it in her.¡¨
He studied me. ¡§I see,¡¨ he murmured.
¡§What is wild magic?¡¨ I questioned timidly.
¡§Well, it¡¦s not the Gift¡K but it¡¦s an elemental magic.¡¨
¡§I don¡¦t understand.¡¨
¡§Like me, I¡¦ve got magic with animals. Stefan Groomsman, he¡¦s the chief hostler, his magic is with horses, and so is Onua¡¦s. And Miri, my friend, her uncle can talk to dolphins.¡¨
¡§Oh, all right.¡¨
¡§Numair, I think that Gainel ¡V he¡¦s trying, well, no¡K Do you remember in the Divine Realms? When he sent us those messages?¡¨
¡§What are you saying, Daine?¡¨
¡§I think her power lies through her dreams.¡¨
* * *
I kept remembering what the king had said in my dream. Your power is known throughout the land¡K Was the dream trying to tell me that I had magic? Through my dreams?
Later in the day, Daine was taking me around the palace on a tour, and I saw a girl among some boys. ¡§Who¡¦s she?¡¨ I whispered.
Daine smiled. ¡§Kel!¡¨ she beckoned.
The girl came over and smiled at me. ¡§Hello, Daine.¡¨
¡§Kel, this is Aisling, Aisling, Sir Keladry of Mindelan,¡¨ Daine introduced. ¡§Is that right? Sir Keladry?¡¨
¡§Hello, Keladry,¡¨ I murmured shyly.
¡§Hey, Aisling.¡¨ She was friendly enough. ¡§You can call me Kel.¡¨
¡§Would you take her around, Kel?¡¨ Daine asked. ¡§I think I hear a robin that needs me¡K¡¨ She listened intently for a moment.
¡§Sure, I¡¦d love to!¡¨ As Daine hurried off, Kel took me over to the group of boys I¡¦d seen her with. ¡§Aisling, this is Nealan of Queenscove, Cleon of Kennan, Merric of Hollyrose, Owen of Jesslaw¡K¡¨
I couldn¡¦t keep them all straight, but I nodded. ¡§What are you all here for?¡¨ I asked.
¡§We¡¦re knights,¡¨ a tall, green-eyed boy explained. ¡§At least, Kel, Cleon, and I are. To think, I could have been a healer, instead of bashing my head open fifty million times ¡V by the way, it¡¦s Neal.¡¨
Another redhead elbowed him playfully. ¡§You wouldn¡¦t have met us then,¡¨ he said loftily.
¡§I could have lived without you¡K¡¨
They tussled briefly, and I looked on in bewilderment. ¡§Are you the only girl among them all?¡¨ I whispered to Kel.
¡§Yes. Goddess knows they need mothering.¡¨ She rolled her eyes.
I went to bed that night in a room the palace had lent me, feeling like I had a new friend.
* * *
I awoke the next morning, unsure of what to do. Just as I was about to get up, Daine poked her head in my room. ¡§Oh good, you¡¦re awake! Kel said she¡¦d be happy to help you. You can go around with her today. If she¡¦s needed with something, just sit and try not to get in the way. Numair and I have some busy work to attend to¡K¡¨
¡§Of course.¡¨
Breakfast that day was sweetened porridge, thick, cold slices of ham, platters of fruit and cheese, and rolls melting with butter. It was all very good, but I found myself longing for some of Mama¡¦s fluffy, white, homemade bread. No, I corrected. Libby Kirk¡¦s homemade bread. She¡¦s not your mother anymore. It felt so strange, calling Mama by her first name, but she wasn¡¦t my mother¡K
Then who was?
With a sickening jolt, I realized I wasn¡¦t sure who my parents were. I resolved to find them. Daine had told me her story yesterday. I¡¦d be like her, brave and helping Tortall.
¡§Are you alright? You look all strange and twisted,¡¨ Kel noted through a mouthful of porridge.
I sighed. She was friendly. I could tell her. ¡§Well, see, it all started like this¡K¡¨
When I was done, I found even the boys were listening intently, caught up in my narrative. ¡§Wow,¡¨ someone ¡V was it Neal? ¡V commented.
¡§Jolly!¡¨ exclaimed another. (A/N: Yes, we all know that¡¦s Owen.)
¡§Do you really?¡¨ questioned another in a hushed whisper. ¡§Have magic?¡¨
¡§Daine and Numair seem to think it¡¦s wild
magic.¡¨
They nodded, but then the bell to signal that breakfast was over rang.
I followed Kel around, still unsure. As we walked through the halls, I noticed many people staring at me uneasily.
¡§What¡¦s wrong?¡¨ I whispered. ¡§Do I have something ¡V what is it?¡¨
¡§It¡¦s a time of ¡¥high political tension¡¦, according to Raoul, my old knight master. You¡¦ve got blond hair and blue eyes, don¡¦t you? Maybe they think you¡¦re Scanran.¡¨ She realized what she had just said, and blanched. ¡§Are you?¡¨
¡§No!¡¨ I stressed rather forcefully.
¡§How come ¡V where¡¦s ¡V ¡¨
I sighed. ¡§I don¡¦t know who my parents are now. I want to find them, though.¡¨
Kel relaxed and shrugged. ¡§Maybe¡K Gainel?¡¨
Gasping, I cried, ¡§How could you think that?¡¨ I thought of Daine and Weiryn. Could it be¡K? No.
¡§Well, considering how he¡¦s taken an interest in you, and the fact that you seem tied to your dreams somehow¡K¡¨
I shook my head. ¡§That wouldn¡¦t happen. I¡¦m a Commoner. Why would he ever be involved with the likes of me?¡¨
* * *
Later in the day, I was in a room playing chess with Kel, Neal, and Cleon. Just then, someone burst into the room, looking tense and very anxious. He whispered something urgently to them as I watched, feeling left out. The three¡¦s faces immediately became grim, apprehensive, and I thought I saw something like fear flickering across them. The herald speeded out again, to announce whatever he¡¦d said to others.
¡§What happened?¡¨ I inquired curiously.
¡§The king has just declared war,¡¨ Neal whispered in awe.
I clapped my hands to my mouth. ¡§War?¡¨ I squealed behind my hands. ¡§Tortall can¡¦t go to war!¡¨
¡§The Scanrans and their allies have been attacking us lately,¡¨ Cleon explained.
I bit my lip. There was no telling what would happen in a war. Were Mama and Da safe? Would they be all right?
That night I had another dream.
A
pile of limp dolls was on the floor. But that couldn¡¦t be right ¡V no one made
dolls with such grotesque faces! Battered, broken, and bruised, those weren¡¦t ¡V
with a sudden realization, I thought in panic ¡V
They¡¦re
children.
A
voice sounded. I was positive it was Gainel¡¦s, though I had no idea how. ¡§That is
your task,¡¨ he thundered. ¡§Sir Keladry has been given the same one. Join
forces, and you will succeed.¡¨
¡§How?¡¨
I whispered, trembling. I shouldn¡¦t question a god!
¡§You¡¦ve
got your magic.¡¨ He was fading away.
¡§Wait!¡¨
I cried. ¡§So I do have magic? Is it wild magic, like Numair and Daine say?¡¨
¡§No,¡¨
his voice was more distant. ¡§It is my power in you, Aisling.¡¨
¡§What
power?¡¨ I screamed after him. But it was no use.
He
was gone.
I woke, shivering. I was sure now ¡V I had magic. Gainel¡¦s power in me? I shook my head. ¡§I¡¦ll tell Daine later,¡¨ I whispered to myself. ¡§Best not worry about such things right now.¡¨
¡§Kel,¡¨ I muttered in the morning. ¡§A moment?¡¨
She followed me out of the mess hall. ¡§What¡¦s up?¡¨
I told her everything about my dream. She whitened. ¡§Yes,¡¨ she answered finally. ¡§I had that same ¡V vision.¡¨
¡§We¡¦ve got to get together then!¡¨
Kel nodded, and promised, ¡§We¡¦ll talk about it later.¡¨
I went to tell Daine and Numair. They watched me, startled.
¡§Well,¡¨ Numair announced at last. ¡§Your training starts tomorrow.¡¨
I
have got plans¡K big plans for this story. It¡¦s going to be one of my better
ones, I think. Yeah, I removed Tortall Today, ¡¥cause it TOTALLY messed up. I¡¦m
restarting it, so look out for a Tortall Today (Revised Version) and no one
take my idea!!!