Chapter Twenty-one

"I saw her," Kahl'aan whispered to his brother from across the table.

"Saw who?" Asked Noaa'lan as he reached for another biscuit.

"That girl," Kahl'aan said, swallowing a mouthful.

"What girl?" Noaa'lan asked, rolling his eyes.

"The one in your dream!" Kahl'aan hissed.

"Oh! Okay. So, where did you see her?" Noaa'lan asked with interest.

"I didn't actually see her, I dreamed about her, stupid!" Exclaimed Kahl'aan. "I was at this dance, and she just appeared out of nowhere and came up to me! This is all your fault, Noaa'lan!"

"How is it my fault?"

"You were the one who dreamed her up!" Kahl'aan growled, a little too loudly.

"So, if Noaa'lan's scantily-clad woman appears in your dream, it's his fault?" Cel'aanaeus asked with a chuckle.

"Precisely! I never would have dreamt about her if not for Noaa'lan's description of her!" Kahl'aan said, pointing a utensil at Noaa'lan.

"Maybe Noaa'lan's dream is a prediction of things to come and you just saw it later than he did. Your brother certainly does have a talent for clairvoyance," Bel'aanaea commented.

"I sure hope not!" Kahl'aan said adamantly.

"Why is that? Did you do anything with her that you regret?" Noaa'lan asked with a wide grin on his face.

"Shut up!" Kahl'aan yelled, giving his brother a malicious glare.

"Noaa'lan, how many times do I have to warn you not to harass your brother at the table? I am not going to allow you boys to start another fight at mealtime! For once can we just eat in peace?" Cel'aanaeus said firmly, pointing a finger at his son.

"Yes father," Noaa'lan muttered, giving his brother the evil eye when Cel'aanaeus looked down at his plate again.

"Yes father," Kahl'aan said, mock-sweetly, sticking his tongue out at Noaa'lan.

"Enough!" Cel'aanaeus said in a booming tone that made both boys flinch momentarily. It was never a good thing when their father raised his voice at them. Noaa'lan saw his brother swallow hard and turn back to concentrate intently on his food. He took one look at his father's icy stare and proceeded to do the same. His mind wandered off to pleasant thoughts of J'aa'nalia and the two of them together and he smiled to himself as he ate.

A sharp beeping sound cut through the quiet dining hall, prompting Noaa'lan to jump up from his seat and head toward the kitchen.

"For El'aanus' sake, Noaa'lan, ignore the damn Comm. for once during breakfast!" Cel'aanaeus snapped.

"But, it could be important father, and-"

"No Buts! We're going to sit down and have a nice meal as a family! It'd be a shame if I didn't teach you boys some manners before you become men! We don't interrupt meals for Comm. transmissions!"

"Maybe it's his GIRLFRIEND calling to tell him to 'meet her somewhere private'!" Kahl'aan suggested in an all-too-pleased-with-himself tone.

"Why you little D'aarat! You'll pay for that!" Noaa'lan said while lunging at Kahl'aan, who had slipped skillfully from his grasp.

"Noaa'lan! Watch your language!" Cried Bel'aanaea in disgust, but the two boys had already run from the room.

"So much for a nice family meal," Cel'aanaeus said with a sigh, shaking his head.

"Well, look on the bright side," Bel'aanaea said softly as she squeezed her husband's shoulder. "At least things are now quiet in here."

"Ah yes. It's a very rare occasion that anything around here can be described as 'quiet', isn't it?" Cel'aanaeus asked.

Bel'aanaea nodded her head in agreement and the two continued to eat breakfast in silence.

Noaa'lan quickly tired of chasing his brother through the corridors of the palace. Kahl'aan was quite illusive when he wanted to be. After deciding that this was a losing battle, Noaa'lan hurried into the kitchen to receive the Comm. message. His brother was already there waiting for him.

"Get out of here, Kahl'aan! Can't you ever respect my privacy?" Noaa'lan snapped as he pushed the button beneath the flashing transmission signal.

"Not on your life! It's my duty to annoy you, remember?" Kahl'aan said with a sneer.

"Therefore it must be my duty to beat you up, am I right?" Noaa'lan said, flashing a clenched fist at his brother.

"Oh, allow me to join in on the fun, Noaa'lan!" K'aashi's image said from the Comm. screen.

"Believe me, he deserves it today," Noaa'lan told his best friend while throwing a warning look at Kahl'aan. Kahl'aan flashed Noaa'lan a grin and crossed his arms stubbornly over his chest.

"So, what did you call me about, K'aashi?" Noaa'lan asked.

"Well, I forgot the homework for S'aahai's class, and I need you to give it to me," K'aashi said sheepishly.

"Man, you're darn BORING to talk to, K'aashi! I guess I'll stop bugging you now, Noaa'lan," Kahl'aan said as he walked out of the room.

"Now for what I really have to talk to you about," K'aashi began in a whisper. "You know how S'aalia was talking about seeing her uncle at the festival of M'taknai?"

"Yeah, I remember that. Our family is holding another formal celebration for the festival, and I don't doubt that's where S'aahai will be," Noaa'lan said thoughtfully.

"Yeah, well I think you and I have to go to that, just to make sure that S'aalia doesn't skip out on us," K'aashi insisted. "I don't trust her to do the right thing, Noaa'lan."

"You just don't like her. I don't think I'm the one she has a grudge against, and since I asked her to question her uncle for me, I think she'll do what I asked her to do. Plus, she's being paid, remember? She's getting a chance to annoy you!" Noaa'lan chuckled.

"I'm glad that you find my misfortune so amusing, Noaa'lan," K'aashi said with a glare. "Seriously, I don't trust the girl. I'd feel better if we went to the ball or whatever you elite people call it."

"Well, it's more of a diplomatic ball. I, of course, will have to be there. If you insist on being there, I guess I have no choice but to invite you. We'll just have to work on you manners."

"What's wrong with my manners?" K'aashi asked indignantly.

"K'aashi, you're a peasant! You just haven't been taught how to act in the presence of royalty and powerful diplomats in a formal setting, that's all!" Noaa'lan insisted.

"Oh, so now I'm a peasant? I'll choose to ignore that last comment Noaa'lan, since I think it's the first time you've called me that in all the years we've been friends," K'aashi said.

"Don't take that as an insult, because I didn't mean it that way!" Noaa'lan exclaimed. "You just need to learn the formal stuff, or else you'll surely stand out."

"All right. It's a deal, just as long as I get to come along and spy on S'aalia," K'aashi said.

"K'aashi, you're turning into quite a stalker!"

"Thanks buddy. I'll let you get back to your breakfast now. I hope everything works out with this!" K'aashi said.

"I hope so too, K'aashi. We really need to get to the bottom of this mystery," Noaa'lan said. "I'll see you later in school."

"Yeah, I can hardly wait to go there!" K'aashi said, rolling his eyes and grinning. "See ya' later, Noaa'lan." Noaa'lan switched off the Comm. and sighed to himself. K'aashi's manners were rough at best. This was going to take some work, and he only had a day left.

"I enjoyed the part where you called K'aashi a stalker," Said a voice from the doorway that made Noaa'lan jump. Kahl'aan stood there with his arms crossed over his chest, a big grin on his face.

"Who said you could listen in on my conversations?" Noaa'lan said with an annoyed look on his face.

"You should have checked to see if I'd left," Kahl'aan said nonchalantly. "It's your own fault for not paying more attention. Anyways, why do you have any interest in what Professor S'aahai has to say? I thought you hated his guts!"

"That's none of your business, Kahl'aan!" Noaa'lan warned.

"All right, that's fine. I'll just have to tell mother and father what little plots you've hatched and see what they have to say about this. I'm sure father would have some theories about why you're snooping around in other people's business!" Kahl'aan said gleefully.

"The only person snooping around in other people's business is YOU, Kahl'aan, and if you don't leave this room in the next instant I'm going to take a lightsaber to your entire holodisc collection!" Noaa'lan said, raising his voice.

"All right! Both of you boys get back in here and finish breakfast this instant!!" Yelled their father from the other room.

"Yes father," Noaa'lan called, and after giving his brother one last dirty look he walked back into the dining hall.

'I don't care what it takes, Noaa'lan. I'm going to find out what it is that you're hiding from me,' Kahl'aan thought with a smirk as he followed his brother back to the table where their parents waited with angry expressions on their faces. The two brothers slinked sheepishly into their chairs, waiting for the lecture that was sure to follow.