((A/N Chapter Two!! Yes, I know the first part sucked.......but please bear with me....oh, the setting is post-Mallorean series by the way. ^_^() Ehehe...I guess I forgot about that. Enjoy!))


Boring. Mayaserana, joint ruler of all Arendia, was bored.

She had tried everything. Counting flagstones on the floor, counting courtiers she would like to squash like bugs, even flicking dust particles off of her throne, but nothing worked.

So it was with great relief when Sir Mandorallen, Baron of Vo Mandor, entered the throne room in the company of others.

Queen Mayaserana stared at the two ladies with Mandorallen, appalled and intrigued by the clothing they wore. The older one, the girl's mother she assumed, wore a skirt that only reached to halfway below her knees, and obviously was not of normal make. Her tunic, if that's what you would call it, was white with "The King" written on it, and she wore spectacles, something reserved for the scholarly population and not a normal citizen. The lady had short blonde hair, which was frizzy and resembled a triangle around her face. Mayaserana had not been queen long, but judged the lady to be fairly middle class.

The girl, however, was in sharp contrast to her mother. She wore a short black skirt, showing off her envious legs, and a black sleeveless top accentuated her pale skin, almost resembling a Nadrak woman. Her eyes were a crystalline blue, and her hair a lustrous blue-black, which fell in a silky cascade just below her shoulders.

"Your Majesties, may I present, uh---" Mandorallen looked questioningly to the blonde woman.

" A-Anita Namir," the woman half-whispered tremblingly.

" My Lady, Anita Namir," Mandorallen boomed, "And----"

"Aidan Namir," the girl supplied.

"And Lady Aidan Namir, citizens of the fair kingdom of-- of --"

"America."

"America," he finished lamely.

Mayaserana covered her mouth, smuggling a giggle at the knight's discomfort. For a moment she felt almost jealous of the Baroness Nerina, and looked sadly to her own husband, the newly crowned King Korodullin of Arendia. She sighed to herself, wishing political marriages weren't so--- so--- so, well, political.

"We thank thou kindly, sir Mandorallen," Korodullin intoned formally, " and we are once again reminded of thine chivalry and honor. As such-----"

Mayaserana smothered a yawn. Typical Mimbrate flattery and foolishness.

"---- inquire the reason for thou gracing our presence with these divine ladies, as our curiosity hath been stirred," Korodullin continued, an eyebrow raised.

Mandorallen coughed, and signaled to some unseen being at the door. Moments later, the door swung open, and a large machine brought in, supported by a set of wheels. Mayaserana drew in a breath sharply.

"What is it?," she breathed, staring at its shiny cast.

"A car, Your Majesty," the girl spoke up. She smiled wryly. "I guess you could refer to it as a horseless carriage." She paused. "Equipped with all the latest accessories, of course," she added, a hint of amusement in her voice.

Mayaserana frowned even as her husband hopped from his throne eagerly to look at it. She rolled her eyes. Men and machinery. She thought of it as foolery, but then, she supposed, men probably thought the same of fashion. She brightened upon the thought of fashion. And these poor ladies would need something decent to wear, most surely.....

"My ladies," she said formally, yet with a touch of friendliness in her voice, " What would you say to a nice hot bath and some decent clothes?"

The girl, Aidan, smiled at her and curtsied. "We would be honored, Your Majesty."

~*~

Aidan stared at herself in the mirror, letting her giddiness envelope her, and feeling a strange tug at her mind. She frowned, the heard a voice.

'Well, I wondered how long it would take you to get here', it observed dryly.

She dropped her comb, startled. "You're the voice of Necessity, aren't you?," she asked, mind whirling.

'Am I really that predictable?'

"Well, I've kind of read all about you and your counterpart," she reminded him, picking up her comb.

'Fascinating. Now, when you get out there tonight, Mayaserana's going to parade you around for all she's worth. As soon as you have a spare minute, insist upon going to Riva. Say some sort of Belgarathy thing.'

"Belgarathy?," she inquired, amused.

'You know what I mean. Oh and, by the way, Polgara will be arriving tonight for the ball. Talk to her about this."

"I'm not the Child of Light or anything, am I?," she asked apprehensively.

'At the moment, no. Now go do what I told you.'

"What do you mean, not at the moment?," she demanded, then realized the voice was gone. Aidan ran the comb through her hair again, feeling a bit suspicious of this whole adventure. Of all people Necessity could have chosen, it picked her, an ordinary fifteen-year old girl, plucking her out of her mundane day-to-day world and into a land she had worshipped since her sixth grade.

Suddenly this all seemed very absurd to her. This could not be real. How could there be an exit along the highway to Tol Honeth that put you on the Imperial Highway in Arendia? It just wasn't possible. Arendia and Tolnedra didn't exist. They were simply lands in a book, not reality.

A dream. This must be some wonderful dream that would end soon. Aidan pinched herself, and immediatly tears sprung to her eyes. No, not a dream. She rubbed the offended skin, wincing at the sharpness of her nails and sighed.

It looked like she was going to Riva.



((Ok, Ok, I know, these chapters are short, but they're the only way I'll get this written. Oh, and don't be surprised if another chapter doesnt show up for an eternity. Im technically grounded off the comp, but what mother doesnt know, wont hurt her, right? So anyways, thankies for reading and please review! ^_^))