AN: This is a re-release of a story I wrote a couple of years ago. I posted it here on ffnet when I wrote it (as The Lioness' Daughter), but I never finished it. So...I re-edited the bit I had written, restructured the chapters, and wrote in extra scenes to make it all flow a bit better in the direction I want. Please R&R, every comment helps!
This if a fic about if Alanna had only one daughter.
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Story: Phaidon's Book
Chapter: One/??
Disclaimer: I own Morgan, Aleks, Calum, Matthew, Nikos, Gawain, the priest and
Byrna. Everyone/thing else is TP!
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The girl crouched behind the well, her hazel eyes squinting into the glaring sunlight as she searched for any sign of activity around her. Satisfied that there was no one observing, she ran swiftly into the shelter of a nearby doorway. Suddenly, a shadow fell over her. The girl yelped, stumbling backwards in her surprise.
"Oh, for the goddess' sake, Morgan!" Byrna the cook scolded. "Ye right nearly made me spill my cookin'!" The red faced, round woman strode toward the table, depositing her load with a loud clatter.
"I'm sorry Byrna," Morgan said. Unconcerned with the cooks' temper, she scrubbed her hands on her skirt. Byrna never stayed angry long, and the tarts on the table were looking very tempting.
"Over here, lass" Byrna sighed, beckoning the flame haired, tiny girl to a seat at the table. "I made those tarts 'specially for ye and Aleks." On cue, a dark haired youth burst into the room.
"What!" he cried, when he caught sight of Morgan. "I thought we were playing at hide and go seek, and you end up in the kitchens stuffing your face!" He stormed across the room and flung himself into a chair. Morgan smiled, used to her friend's moods.
"I didn't mean to. I was just trying to find a place to hide." She pushed the tray of tarts in his direction as a peace offering. Aleks scowled and reached for a tart.
"It's best ye both stopped yer playin' now, anyway." Byrna said, hoisting herself out of her chair. She nodded to Morgan. "I hear yer mothers bin lookin' for ye. I gather ye haven't packed yet?" Now it was Morgan's turn to scowl, and Aleks grinned in spite of himself. It was common knowledge that Morgan resented her parents' trip to the Roof of the World. Not because she didn't want them to go, but because she wasn't going with them.
"Ye know yer too young, lass." Byrna said, kindly. "Ye'd best go find yer mother." She slipped a handful of tarts to each child as she shooed them from the kitchens.
+ + +
"Oh, she's taking this even worse that I thought!" Alanna cried as she paced around the courtyard. "Perhaps we're making the wrong decision by sending her to Jon and Thayet. Maybe we should take her with us..." She looked up and met George's eyes, pleading.
"You know she is too young," He said, taking her small hand in his large ones. "She's only 12, and she doesn't look a day over 10." He grinned, mischievously. "We both know who she takes that after." Alanna smiled, knowing he was right.
"I suppose she will have Aleks to play with." She conceded, "and she hasn't spent all that much time in Corus. Myles has agreed to arrange training sessions with the Shang master for her at the palace. That may cheer her up." Alanna felt the familiar glow of pride for her daughter. It pleased her to have a daughter that loved the fighting arts as much as she did. She had arranged for many teachers to come and nurture her daughter's talent since the young girl had been able to walk, although preferring to teach Morgan the art of sword fighting herself. Morgan was eager and willing to learn, often pushing herself to exhaustion in her training. Another of her traits she had inherited, Alanna admitted ruefully.
+++
Morgan sat on her horse
Winter, grateful that her cloak was hiding her face. Parting with her parents
had been horrible. She had even stopped thinking about the injustice of being
left out of an adventure. At this moment she would have given all the adventures
in the world to be back with her parents in their own Pirates Swoop. She closed
her eyes and saw her parents as she had left them this morning. Her father with
his arm around her mother. Both were waving fiercely, with brave smiles on their
faces. Her parents would be leaving a few days after her, as they had a few
last minute affairs to put in place. A tear rolled down Morgan's face.
"Be brave," Her mother had said, giving her a tight hug. Her father
had also embraced her before she had mounted Winter, his hazel eyes dark with
worry.
"Keep yourself out of trouble, darlin'." He had said. "And remember to hold your head high. You're the Lioness' daughter!"
Morgan wiped her eyes. Her father was right. She was the Lioness' daughter. She sat up straighter in her saddle, and urged Winter forward to catch up with Aleks. He looked over at her and grinned.
"Finished moping?" He asked. Morgan gave an undignified 'humph'
"It's okay for you" she pointed out. "You're going back to your parents, not away from them!"
"True." Aleks admitted pleasantly. "They've been looking forward to seeing you again. My fathers been complaining that he has every right to kidnap you if you didn't come to visit us soon." Morgan grinned. Aleks' father was like an uncle to her. She even called him 'Uncle Coram.'
Although Morgan loved visiting Coram and Rispah and her grandfather, the city itself frightened her. The rare times she visited the city, she stayed within the safe boundaries of her grandfather's townhouse, or within Aleks' house that was attached to a school his parents helped to run. This visit however, she had gathered that she was to be bounced around between Coram, her grandfathers, and - Morgan gulped - the palace.
+++
Night had fallen when they arrived at Corus. Morgan wanted to head directly to Aleks' house and sleep, but Aleks announced that she was to head straight to the palace.
"They're expecting you," he said. Aleks smiled apologetically when he saw Morgans face. "Your dad said it'd be best not to say anything until we got here, with you not liking the palace and all. King Jon and Queen Thayet want you to stay with them." Morgan looked furious. "Don't worry" Aleks said hurriedly. "You'll get to stay with us sometimes!"
Morgan grumbled all the
way to the palace gates, where she said her goodbyes to her friend. She looked
after him as he rode away, wishing that she was riding with him. Sighing, she
turned around and greeted the guards.
A page led her to a richly decorated room. Morgan wiped the sweat from her hands,
commanding herself to stay calm. She loved Jon and Thayet - she had grown up
with them besotting her, but she rarely was forced to be polite and noble around
them, let alone other people. She had no experience in dealing with fellow nobles,
and it terrified her to think what they might make of her. The King and Queen
usually understood. 'Or I thought they understood,' Morgan muttered. If they
did understand her fear, they wouldn't be forcing her to live in the very heart
of it!
"Morgan!" A voice cried. The little redhead grinned in spite of her feelings and launched herself into Queen Thayets arms. She was released from the Queens embrace to find herself crushed in a massive hug from the King. Breaking away, she remembered her manners, and dropped into a low curtsy before the pair. King Jon nodded gravely, though his sapphire eyes betrayed his amusement.
"I'm glad your mother decided to have you taught some courtly skills." He said, laughing. Queen Thayet smiled.
"I know you're not too happy with staying here," the Queen began. Morgan felt her anger lessen a little. Maybe they did still understand. "Your mother thought it was about time you received the best training Tortall could give you, and that's here, at the palace." Jonathan smiled when he noticed Morgans eyes brighten visibly. Thayet continued. "You will undergo training with the court teachers, attending some sessions with the pages and squires, although your mother has told us your wish that you will not become a knight." Her eyes met Morgans, curiously, but the girl remained silent. Shrugging, Thayet continued to explain the ways of the court and what would be expected of her.
Morgan stood, forcing herself to listen. The ride to the palace had worn her out, and she felt her eyelids disobey her and droop. Jerking herself awake, she heard Jonathan laugh.
"I think she's had enough for one day," The king said dryly. Thayet grinned in agreement, and led Morgan to her rooms.
+++
The next day, Morgan paid
her respects to the Goddess. Her mother had taught her to worship regularly.
She lit incense, then sat in quiet reflection for half an hour. She asked the
Goddess to help her feel more comfortable at the palace. After all, Morgan
thought glumly, It was my mothers home for a good 8 years of her life.
As she left the temple, she decided to pay a quick visit to Mithros. While females
were not banned from this temple as males were from the Goddess's temple, it
was extremely unusual for a female to visit. Some people considered it unholy
for a female to set foot in the temple. Nevertheless, Morgan felt it was important
to thank Mithros for giving her and her mother their fighting skill.
She entered the candle-lit temple. The stone alter was covered with black and gold cloths. It was nowhere near as pretty as the Goddess' temple, Morgan decided, but it still held the same holy and mysterious air. She knelt in front of the alter and reached to light a stick on incense. An angry cry broke the calm.
"What are you doing here?!" A priest ran to Morgan and grabbed her wrist. His face was filled with rage. Morgan gasped in pain as he dragged her to her feet. "Females should not be in here!" The priest snarled and pulled her out of the temple. Once they were out of the temple gates, Morgan wrenched her hand free.
"There is no law saying I can't visit this temple!" She cried. The priest shook his head.
Leaning close to her, he whispered "Never, never let me see you here again." He was shaking with rage. Morgan took a step backwards. He must be one of those fanatics she decided. The priest showed no signs of calming down, so rather than argue, Morgan turned and fled.
When she arrived back at the palace, she decided to launch herself into training. The temple incident had unsettled her, and she wanted to do something she was familiar with. Besides, the best training in Tortall could be found at the Palace. Thayet had told her where the pages and squires would be working, and had invited her to join them. Morgan made her way to a practice court and paused outside the closed wooden door, her heart thumping. She could hear lively chatter on the other side.
"Have you seen her yet, Calum?"
"No. I've heard about her though. Tiny, beautiful, weak - doesn't look like she can even hold a stick. You know, she looks like she'd faint at the sight of blood."
Morgan flinched when she heard the voices laughing. Thayet had warned her the reaction of the squires would be like this. She had said that the only way to win was to prove herself stronger.
And prove herself she would. Morgan determinedly pushed the door open, striding into the huge practice court. The chatter ceased.
"Morgan of Pirates Swoop, I gather?" A crisp authoritative voice broke the silence. Morgan turned to face the sword master. She nodded and he motioned for her to warm up. Morgan felt awkward as she crossed the room, noticing that everyone still had their eyes on her. She plaited her long red hair and warmed up quickly. When she was finished, the sword master called everyone to the center of the court.
"Right. Over here, Morgan. Lets see what you can do." The master tossed a practice sword at her and turned to the crowd of squires, his eyes flicking from one to another. A faint smile crossed his lips as he beckoned to a tall, blond-haired youth. "You'll do, Matthew."
Morgan gulped but kept her face emotionless. She had heard about Matthew of Legann. Visiting nobles had talked in awe of his skill with a sword, saying he held great promise for Tortall. The pair faced each other and assumed "guard" position. Morgan could hear the muffled laughter in the background, and her face reddened. She understood that they must look ridiculous; she barely reached Matthews armpit.
"Begin!" The master ordered. Morgan gritted her teeth and blocked as Matthew lunged. Suddenly all feeling of unease left her. This was nothing she couldn't handle. Hadn't she spent all those years doing drills with her mother? Amazement shone in Matthew's eyes as he saw the tiny girl in front of him smile. Was it just him, or was this girl enjoying herself?
Morgan moved her sword swiftly in a half circle, forcing her opponent to block hurriedly. Matthew stumbled backwards as she cut in at his unguarded side, moving at an incredible speed. He quickly moved to block, and Morgan saw an opening. She snaked her sword to his throat, breathing heavily.
Matthew dropped his sword and bowed, shaking his head. Around them, the crowd was talking among themselves in stunned whispers. Morgan turned to the sword master, elated.
"Good." He said gruffly. He awarded Morgan with a smile, then beckoned a more solid youth forward. "Try William." Morgan raised her sword, ready.
+ + +
A few hours later, Morgan was returning to her room tired and sweaty, but feeling more at home in the palace.
"Morgan, wait!" Matthew called after her as she walked toward her rooms. Morgan spun around, surprised to see the tall squire jogging after her. "I just wanted to congratulate you. That was a great piece of swordsmanship." He frowned "Or swordswoman-ship."
Morgan smiled. She decided that she liked him. Not many men would be in a good mood if they had been beaten by a girl half their size! The pair began walking together.
"How did you learn all that?" Matthew asked, curious.
"My mother taught me how to use a sword." Morgan replied. She felt proud when she saw respect fill Matthew's eyes. The pair stopped outside her door and looked at each other. Matthew smiled and offered her his hand.
"Shall we be friends, Morgan of Pirates Swoop?" he asked, his eyes twinkling. She grinned and clasped his hand.
"Why not?" She replied.
+++
The pair were often found with each other from that day on. Morgan often helped Matthew with his training, and although Morgan was not obliged to serve at dinners and functions, she did anyway, preferring to eat with the squires in a less formal manner afterwards.
On their part, the squires began to respect her. Matthew introduced her to his friends and they accepted her with friendly smiles. One of these friends was Calum of Nond, whom Morgan found herself sitting next to one night after dinner. She played with her napkin nervously. His comment she had overheard during her first training session still stung.
He nodded to her with a warm smile. "I hope you're settling in well?" He asked politely.
"Well enough." She replied, curtly.
"You're mighty fast. I've heard the masters do nothing but praise you." He laughed. "You're proving a lot of us wrong!"
At that, Morgan felt the hurt disappear. She looked up and met his eyes. They were bright blue and friendly. His light brown hair accented the color perfectly. He's not bad Morgan admitted. She blushed and looked down, angry with herself - now was not the time to be goggling over boys!
There were footsteps behind her and Morgan turned, grateful for the interruption. A page approached her carrying a letter.
"It just arrived. It's from the city." He informed her, thrusting the paper in her hands. The page quickly left, clearly feeling out of place. Morgan hurriedly opened the letter. A feeling of happiness washed over her when she realized it was from Aleks.
Dear Morgan,
You're to stay with us for dinner tomorrow - whether you like it or not. I'll be coming up to the gates to meet you tomorrow at midday. There's an interesting person visiting as well who I think you'll like to meet.
My parents send their regards, love, and all that. See you tomorrow.
Aleks
"Who's Aleks?" Calum asked, reading over her shoulder.
"Aleksander Smythesson, he's been my friend since birth." Morgan replied, absently. Suddenly she folded the letter and looked at Calum "You should know better than to read other peoples' letters!" she said, accusingly.
Calum grinned. "You're a fiery little thing." He commented. He looked down at her, curious. "How old are you, anyway?"
"I'm 12" Morgan sat straighter. "13 in a few weeks."
"And may the goddess have pity on any poor soul who forgets," laughed Matthew, entering the hall. He pulled up a chair next to Morgan. "His Majesty sent word down that you were to meet him when you're done eating. He wouldn't say why." He shook his head, annoyed at his futile attempts to gain information.
+ + +
Morgan rapped nervously at King Jonathan's door. She hadn't seen the king since the day she had arrived. She wondered what her mothers old friend wanted to talk to her about so late at night. She didn't think she had done anything wrong.
"Come in," called Jonathan. Morgan pulled open the door and stopped short. Assembled around the room were three men. One, who motioned for her to come into the room, was Jonathan. Another was the priest Morgan recognized from the temple, and the last figure perched uneasily on the edge of one of King Jon's brocade chairs, his face hidden in a dark, dusty cloak.
Morgan stopped short, looking at the priest. Surely he hadn't complained to the King about her visit to Mithros' temple? When the priest gave no sign of recognition, Morgan shrugged and sat in another of Jon's chairs, looking curiously at the cloaked figure. Jonathan began pacing the room, as if unsure of where to start. Eventually, he paused in front of the fireplace.
"Morgan, do you know why your parents are at the Roof of the World?" He asked. Morgan frowned and looked cautiously at the other two men. The king shook his head. "It's okay to talk in front of them, Morgan." He assured her.
Morgan shrugged. "They're looking for Phaidon's Book," she said.
"And am I right in guessing that your parents didn't tell you what Phaidon's book is?"
Morgan scowled. Her parents had refused to give her any details about the book, except that it was extremely precious. Jonathan took her silence as a yes and continued.
"Phaidon's book is....perhaps it will be better to start from the beginning." He sighed and began pacing again. "Legend has it that Phaidon was a mere mortal - one of us - until a goddess saw him and fell in love. Legend says she loved him so much that she didn't notice when her affections weren't returned. She gave him powers that no mortal can handle. He became insane and created a gateway - an entrance to nothingness - before killing himself. The gateway is opened by someone speaking the words written in a book; Phaidon's book."
"And my parents have gone to get the book?" Morgan asked, confused. Surely it would be best to leave such an object alone.
Jonathan nodded, "Yes, but -" The priest interrupted the king with a cough.
"Perhaps it would be best if I explained." The priest said, apologetically. He turned to Morgan. "Several of the priests had dreams a while ago that the book would fall into the wrong hands if not found by us first. Your parents were sent to retrieve the book from the location seen in the dreams." He rubbed his hands together, distressed. "Unfortunately, we, ah...we dreamed again that what your parents are seeking is not the book as we initially thought, but half a map to the direction of the book."
Jonathan noticed Morgans confused look. "It seems Phaidon hid his book and made a map showing where it was hidden. He then split the map in two. He sent one half to the top of the world, the other to the bottom," he explained.
"What has this got to do with me?" Morgan asked. The cloaked figure, who had so far remained silent, stirred. When he spoke, his voice was tired and strained.
"It was seen, my dear, that you will be the one to seek the second half of the map."
"I'm going to do what?"
Morgan cried, jumping to her feet. A thousand different emotions rushed through
her, but she shoved them aside. First, she had to see if they were serious.
Jonathan motioned for her to sit down. The priest looked nervously at her and
the cloaked stranger resumed his silence. Morgan reluctantly sat down.
"Is it true?" she asked Jonathan.
He nodded. "It's true. You leave the day after next. Sir Gawain, who I
believe you are yet to meet; and his squire, Calum of Nond, will accompany you.
Myles also insists that his own squire journeys with you."
The stranger inclined his head forward and Jonathan gave a wry grin. "Of
course. Nikos will guide the search." He said, gesturing to the hooded
man.
Morgan looked curiously at the man Nikos. She wondered why he kept his face
hidden and was about to ask when Jon, who perhaps noticed the question forming
on her lips, stood up.
"That is all for now, Morgan." He said, a note of finality in his
voice. "You'll meet with Nikos at a more civilized hour to discuss the
trip further."
Morgan curtsied and exited the room. Frowning, she realised the priest had left
with her. Ignoring him, she turned to head back to her room. Morgan left a hand
grip her elbow, stopping her.
"What?" Morgan asked. She struggled to keep a note of irritability
out of her voice.
"Ijust wanted to make sure that everything is okay between
us. Lets put the temple incident behind us, yes?" The priest stared down
at her, trying to smile. Morgan shook her arm loose. She didn't like the priest,
even with his efforts to be nice. His majesty won't like it if I'm angry with
the priest, she realised.
"Sure." She said, emotionlessly.
+++
Morgan walked slowly back to her chambers, pondering over the priest and his
unusual behaviour. She sighed and pushed the thoughts from her mind. She had
more exciting things to think about! She was going on an adventure, even though
her parents had considered her too young. Morgan grinned. She wondered if Jonathan
had attempted to contact them, and if so, what their reactions were.
"Morgan!" cried a voice. She looked up and saw Calum and Matthew running
towards her, excitement on their faces.
"Have you heard?" Asked Calum. "Gawain just told me to pack;
we're going...where are we going? Gawain said you'd explain." The squire
looked at her expectantly. Morgan laughed and let her two friends into her rooms.
"Well...I'm not too sure where we're going exactly." Morgan admitted.
"We're going to have another meeting later I think." Suddenly she
remembered Matthew. She turned to him with a sorrowful expression "I wish
you could come." She told him.
"Who says I'm not going?" The blond squire grinned. "While Calum
was off talking to Gawain, I was having a little chat with my own knight master."
"You don't mean - not my grandfather - "
Matthew nodded, laughing at her amazement. "I believe his exact words were
'don't let her out of your sight or George will have all our ears." His
brow furrowed. "Though I don't really know what that meant..."
Calum interrupted with a volley of questions about the proposed trip. Morgan
made herself comfortable and began telling them the Legend of Phaidon.
+++
Morgan waited at the gate for Aleks to arrive. She looked at the sun and scowled.
He was late. She scuffed the dirt, imagining her friend in an assortment of
painful situations. How very like him to be late when I have something to
tell him, but then again, he's always late. She reasoned. Winter mimicked
her impatience beside her, snorting and pawing the ground. A slight cloud of
dust rose from the disturbed dirt.
"Careful, girl" Morgan murmured. She moved her cloak so that it covered
her dress - A green, lacy, expensive looking affair. As uncomfortable as she
felt in it, she was unwilling to spoil its finery. One of Thayets maids had
caught her leaving the castle in her training attire - a simple shirt and breeches.
The maid had been so shocked she dragged Morgan from room to room, looking for
a court lady with the same dimensions. It had been a hard job, with Morgan even
offering to wear one of the dresses she had brought - which upon seeing the
maid had squealed with disgust. Eventually they had found someone and the maid
finally let her out with the strict instructions to buy a suitable dress.
"Hey - are you coming?" Morgan looked up, startled. She had been so
busy being annoyed at Aleks that she hadn't noticed him arriving. She glared
at him and mounted Winter. She urged her horse forward, turning her head to
tell Aleks off. Morgan brought Winter to a halt when she realized her friend
hadn't moved his horse. Instead, he sat there clutching his stomach and laughing.
"What?" She snapped. He managed to compose himself with difficulty
and wrinkled his nose, eyeing her dress.
"Goodness." He said solemnly, and then burst into a new bout of laughter.
"What have they done to you?" he gasped.
Morgan hissed, clenching her fists. Just ignore him. She told herself.
Turn around, start riding, and don't talk to him.
+++
Aleks arrived home with his ears ringing, deeply regretting his laughter. Morgan
had given up her vow of silence two seconds after making it and hadn't relented
on her torrent of insults until dismounting from her horse. After a warm greeting
from Coram and Rispah, Morgan was led into their cosy kitchen, where a cheerful
fire was crackling in the fireplace.
Morgan absentmindedly dusted her dress while she gazed around the room. She
happily noted that not much had changed since her last visit; the scuffs and
dents on the hearth, the countless pots and pans hanging from hooks from the
ceiling, and the table - Morgan stopped short, causing Aleks to walk into her.
Morgan frowned. Sitting at the kitchen table, his hands wrapped around a tankard
of ale, and his face hidden by a heavy hood, was Nikos.
"Ah. Young Morgan." Nikos gestured for her to join him at the table.
Morgan obeyed, and Aleks plonked himself in a seat next to her.
"Don't tell me you've already met." Aleks pleaded. He sighed angrily
when Morgan nodded. "And here I was thinking I had news for you!"
Morgan ignored her friend and instead stared unabashedly at Nikos. She wondered
why his whole face was in a dark shadow. A cloak doesn't throw someone's face
in that much of a shadow all the time she realized. Her eyes narrowed.
"May I ask what's on your mind, Morgan?" Nikos asked, a hint of a
smile in his voice.
Oh blast. She thought to herself. I may as well ask. "I was
wondering why you keep your face hidden." She asked, ignoring Aleks' gasp
at her daring. "Surely if King Jonathan trusts you, you have no secrets
to hide." She continued.
There was silence in the kitchen.
"Morgan, love..." Rispah said, casting a worried glance at Nikos.
"No, no, it's okay." Nikos interrupted. "If she wants to know,
I may as well tell her."
"Tell me what?" Morgan asked.
"I'm a Diyari Warrior."
Morgan felt that this should have some significance to her, but she hadn't heard
of a Diyari Warrior before in her life.
"Uh..." She said, trying to be polite. Nikos laughed.
"It's okay." He said. "I'm not surprised you haven't heard of
us. We Diyari do not have much to do with the usual way of life." Morgan
and Aleks lent forward, interested. Coram and Rispah sighed, having obviously
heard before of the Diyari Warriors. Nikos chuckled at the youths' curiosity,
and drained the rest of his ale.
"Diyari Warriors were formed as a splinter group of the Shang warriors
- who you have undoubtedly heard of." Nikos began. "This was about
half a century ago. The founders of the Diyari were excellent Shang warriors
who did not agree with the Shang way of life: the constant wondering around
lands, the centring of their life on the fighting arts, and the abhorrence of
magical elements. And so, the founders formed a tribe of warriors called the
Diyari.
"The Diyari are also trained from a young age in every fighting art, and
are as good as the Shang. However, many of us are also Gifted. We do not see
the Gift as cheating. Instead, we believe it is another ability of the warrior
- another limb that must be trained and developed. Diyari warriors do not wonder
the lands seeking adventure as the Shang warriors do. Instead, we are instructed
by the gods as to where we are needed."
"Hold on." Morgan interrupted. "You're instructed by the Gods?"
She shook her head in disbelief.
"Indeed." Nikos calmly continued. "Of course, such intervention
is rare. Usually we live quietly; learning, teaching, and developing all elements
in our warriors."
"I don't understand what this has to do with your face being hidden."
Aleks asked, impatiently.
"I walk with my face uncovered in the Diyari village." Nikos informed
them. "Diyari warriors are assigned a symbol, on a part of their body.
Mine is on my face. In my experience, most non-Diyari people are frightened
by the mark, and so whenever I leave the Diyari village, I go with my face covered.
My Gift ensures my face is in constant shadow." He concluded.
Morgan was having a tug of war inside. Part of her wanted to see this mark,
while the other part insisted that it was beyond impolite to ask.
"Oh." Was all Morgan managed to say. She suddenly realized something.
"Where you instructed to take us to the map for this Phaidon book thing?"
She asked.
"Of course." Nikos replied. "I was given two very specific instructions.
The first is to stay beside you the entire journey to the map."
"And the second?" Morgan asked breathlessly.
"Is of no interest to you right now." He answered curtly. Aleks banged
his fist on the table to attract Morgan's attention.
"What's this Phaidon business?" he demanded. Morgan sighed, realizing
that because of their exchange over her dress, she had forgotten to tell Aleks
about the Legend of Phaidon. Impatiently she filled her friend in, with Nikos
reminding her of bits she had forgotten. When they had finished, Coram nodded
to Aleks.
"I had a word with Nikos while you two were on yer way over." He said.
"We both agree it would be best if ye also went with Morgan."
Aleks sputtered indignantly. "What?" he cried. "I'm not going.
I've never fought anyone before and I'm quite happy where I am!"
"Ye've been trained well enough" Coram growled. "It's hardly
likely ye'll fight anyone, and Smythessons have served Trebond for generations.
Yer going whether ye like it or not."
+++
Aleks rode silently up to the castle with Morgan. Night had fallen, and both
had their cloaks drawn tight to keep out the chill. Morgan eyed her friend,
worried. Aleks had hated the idea of going on the adventure. His father had
hated the idea of Aleks not going. The result was a yelling match between the
two, with Rispah throwing in her opinion every now and then. Nikos and Morgan
had sat quietly at the table.
Morgan drew Winter closer to Aleks' mare. "Stop sulking." She ordered.
"I ain't."
"You are. Stop it."
"No, I ain't" he replied, stubbornly.
"Don't you want to go on an adventure with me?" Morgan asked.
"No. Yes." Aleks shifted uncomfortably in his saddle. "I like
my life, Morgan. I don't want to go get killed." Morgan giggled at this
comment, but quickly stopped when she saw Aleks' hurt face.
"I'll promise you that no one will die." She said, solemnly. "Think
of it this way - all we're doing is going to fetch a piece of ruddy map!"
Aleks had cheered up considerably
by the time the pair reached the palace gates. He reached out and clasped Morgan's
hand in farewell.
"All right." He sighed. "I'll come." Morgan grinned and
said goodbye, entering the castle feeling relieved. As much as she was excited
about going on the journey, she felt all the more safer knowing her oldest friend
would be coming too.
+++
One week later, Morgan was preparing Winter in the stables. She double-checked
that everything was in place, before patting Winters neck.
"We're going to have some fun, aren't we girl?" she whispered. The
mare whinnied her agreement.
"Morgan?" Matthew poked his head around the stable door. "Are
you ready yet? Everyone's waiting." Morgan nodded, and led Winter into
the open where a small group of well wishers huddled together.
"Where is everyone?" Morgan asked, mounting her mare.
"King Jon didn't want everyone to know what was going on. You must have
noticed that this whole trip has been kept quiet." Matthew climbed onto
his own horse.
"No." Morgan said, dryly. "I haven't noticed anything. Probably
because I haven't been told anything." Matthew chuckled. He knew she felt
hurt because of her exclusion from most meetings planning the journey.
"They're just being protective." He told her. "And the priest
insists on talking of you as a good luck token for the trip, not as...well...an
actual person."
"Right." Morgan muttered. She trotted Winter to Nikos' side. The Diyari
warrior was riding a black horse, his long black cloak sweeping over the sides.
He turned and nodded his greeting.
"That's Sir Gawain over there." He told her. He pointed to a dark
bearded man sitting upon a fidgeting brown horse. Morgan eyed the knight wearily.
He doesn't look too pleasant She thought. His black eyes seemed permanently
narrowed, his mouth pressed to a thin line. The group had been finalised to
include Morgan, Aleks, Matthew and Gawain. Calum would be coming to serve his
knight master, and Nikos was to lead the search. Morgan waved her farewell to
Jonathan and Thayet as the group began riding away.
Morgan had ridded in silence for an hour before she turned to Nikos.
"Where are we going?" She asked, trying unsuccessfully to hide her
annoyance.
Nikos sighed. "I told them that it would be best to allow you to come to
the meetings, but the priests insisted..."
"And rightly so." Snapped Gawain, riding behind them. Calum followed
dutifully. Nikos ignored the knight.
"The map's in two places, as you know." The warrior continued. "The
top of the world, and the bottom of the world. Your parents are going to the
Roof of the World. We took that as being the top. And so, we're going to the
bottom."
Morgan rolled her eyes. "And where would this bottom of the world be?"
She asked.
Gawain snorted. "They said you were bright." He sneered. "They
were obviously wrong." Morgan felt her anger mounting, but chose to follow
Nikos' lead and ignore the knight.
"We're heading for a small island between the waters of the Emerald Ocean
and the Great Inland Sea." Nikos told her, his voice calm. "It is
believed the waters are the deepest there."
"And we plan to swim around for the map?" Asked Aleks. Like Morgan,
he had been kept in the dark about the plans. Matthew shook his head.
"Myles thinks there are water people there." He informed them. Aleks
and Morgan exchanged looks of doubt. Morgan knew they were both thinking the
same thing: People living under water? That's absurd.
