just to clarify, because im gonna do this a lot, i comment on comments in the beginning of stories.
black robe mage- greek myths rock. but they are sick. especially aphrodite, like you said. its like scuze me do you haveta sleep with everybody? ok im ranting now, but thats ok! im going nuts! ahahahahahahahahaha....
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Waking, Lianah sat up. "Terrin?" She blushed slightly as she saw her hand around his warm wrist. Stirring, the boy looked up.
"Wha?" he mumbled groggily. Sitting up from the floor, he stretched. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine."
Standing, he stretched again. "Good." Also rising, the girl tried to straighten and smooth her wrinkled skirts. He chuckled at her antics, shaking his head. Would he ever understand girls? He couldn't one hundred and ninety nine years ago, and he never would know why clothes was important. "There are a few wardrobes in your room, there may be something in there you like."
"Thank you," Lianah said, trying to hide her shock. Few wardrobes? She only had four dresses at home...
She ran upstairs, shuffling her creased skirts as Terrin watched, amused.
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Lianah stood in front of the open closets, amazed. Four wardrobes! Four? Rummaging through velvet, silk, and brocade gowns, she couldn't find a single simple dress. "The likes of me cannot wear this, its too fine for a peasant girl!"
Well, half an hour later there was still nothing plain, so she just decided to choose a pretty dress. Still a gown, but pretty. After all, Terrin was always dressed in fine clothes, so she might as well...
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"Aaagh." Terrin flopped back down on the couch once Lia had left. He just couldn't admit to her that he was dead tired, not sleeping for three nights waiting for the Byrd to come home. Sleeepppp...
"Terrin," Lianah stood over him, smugly grinning at his fatigue. "It's my turn to make supper." He just lay there, completely stunned. The girl, who was very pretty dressed in rough homespun, was downright lovely in a velvet green gown. The gold ties at wrist, bodice, and waist accented her graceful movements and slender frame. The neckline was a bit low...not that it was bad... She blushed at his shock, and embarrassment blossomed in his face when he realized he was staring plainly.
"Im...not tired..." he mumbled, turning his red face away to the pillow. "Up in a sec..."
"I can manage." Plumping up a cushion, she placed it behind his head and went into the kitchen. He could hear her humming and sashaying around the small kitchen contentedly.
Well, after seeing her Terrin just couldn't go back to sleep. He lay there, thinking, until she returned with a tray of soup, crusty rolls, and something in a covered bowl that smelled fantastic, which turned out to be a steaming apple pie.
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They sat there, full and happy. Rain, pouring down the windows in streams, pattered down audibly onto the stone walkway outside. "Well," Terrin said, "since it's raining, would you like to see the inside of this palace?" He gestured to the story below, visible from their dining room table on the balcony.
She perked up instantly. "There's more?" Her emerald eyes lit up in excitement at the prospects of investigating. "That would be wonderful!"
Wandering around the sumptuous castle, Terrin showed Lia all the treasures and hidden rooms. Passing through seemingly thousands of guest rooms, sitting rooms, powder rooms, bathing rooms, a grand library, and yet another ballroom, Lianah's country-bred eyes were spinning with wonderment.
And, the best part was, the sorrow in Terrin's eyes seemed to diminish as he gleefully ran around with her until the early hours of dawn.
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They stood on the grand staircase, surveying everything under them. "And this is your room," he pointed, his finger tracing the small ivory and rose hall that held her gorgeous chamber. That was her new home?
Yes, her new home, and it already felt like home, too.
This was food for thought. She had already accepted her mother's untimely death, and was welcoming this kind boy's friendship as naturally as she breathed. And even more strange was the slow acceptance of her imprisonment, although her mind whispered evilly that she was just content to share this mystical palace with a handsome young man.
Lianah shoved her thoughts into the back of her mind and instead looked down, leaning over the polished oak railing. "There? Where do you live?"
"Over there, three halls down from yours," the boy pointed to a gold and scarlet decorated area. "If you ever need anything after nightfall, knock on the fourth door down, I use that room for sleeping."
"Ah." Suddenly, the girl turned to the window and the sunlight streaming through the clear glass. "It stopped raining!"
"There are some interesting things outside. Lets go?"
"It's dawn, and the sun is rising! How can you be so...untired?" he laughed, feeling drowsy.
Giggling, Lia shrugged. "I just am!"
Determined not to show his fatigue, Terrin followed her outside to watch the sunrise...and explore the vast palace grounds.
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copyright sorka robinton 2001