Disclaimer - I own Chalice and her servant. Oh and Mina and Tark.
Everything else belongs to Tamora Pierce.
Twisted Hearts
Chapter 6 - Ornate Anger
The Past (2 months ago)
"Mina if we get caught Tark will skin us alive" Erone whispered.
"Yeah. But that's what make's it so much fun" the red head giggled.
The girls snuck along the grand corridor that led to the ballroom. Kitchen slaves like them were forbidden to serve at banquets and royal balls like the one tonight and the girls had been repeated threatened with death if they were caught out of the kitchen
"So what does the Emperor Kaddar look like then? I've never seen him." Erone asked.
The girls jumped at a sound of laughter ahead and spotting an alcove, hidden by an ornate gold statue Erone grabbed Mina and pushed her into it. Neither girl breathed as a group of grandly dressed ladies passed them, fanning themselves and gossiping about who was courting who.
Checking that no one else was about they stepped out of the alcove and began walking again, keeping close to the walls and in the shadows.
"He is the most beautiful man in the world," whispered Mina, "He had light black skin and the most beautiful eyes." she went off into a daydream. Erone reached out and pinched her arm.
"Ow" she squeaked, "What did you do that for?"
"You were daydreaming about the Emperor's godly good looks. His long dark eyelashes, his gleaming skin" Erone teased.
"Shut up" Mina said, beginning to blush, "You never know. Our eyes might meet across the ballroom tonight and he will fall madly in love with me. We shall marry quickly and have."
"We're here" whispered Erone.
The girls stared, open-mouthed, at the great ornate doors in front of them. They were heavy oak and had intricate carvings describing hunting parties and grand banquets. Carvings of fruits near the top of the door were inlayed with gold as where carvings near the bottom. The handles were also of solid gold.
"Come on" Mina breathed, grabbing Erone's hand.
She pushed on the heavy door, not daring to place her hand on the cold gold handle. It took both of their weak muscles before the door slid open so they could slip inside. They quickly slipped into shadows at the side of the hall.
It was exquisite. Although Erone had seen marble before, none was this highly polished. It gleamed and reflected light as dancing, glittering patterns across the room. Tables were laid with rich, foreign and Cathaki, foods some Erone had never even seen in the kitchen before. The tables were decorated with gold bowls of overflowing fruits and huge gold vases of flowers. At the opposite end of the room, great doors opened onto a moonlit balcony, decorated with plants and small, glittering mage lights.
"Here" Mina thrust some sort of tray into Erone's limp hands, "Take this a begin to serve. If you see Tark duck"
Mina walked off to one side of the room and bowed to one of Carthak's ministers as she offered him and his companions her tray. Erone copied her. Wandering to the other side of the room she offered her tray of bread looking things to a group of chattering ladies who sat on one of the couches that lined the ballroom walls.
She turned and decided to walk across to a group near the dancing so she could watch the ladies as they swished their skirts around them, feet lost in a flurry of quick movements.
"Daine?" a male voice called "Daine wait"
She dropped her tray to the floor with a clatter. The closest nobles to her heard and turned to look at her with disgust in their eyes. It turned to shock when a heavily made up man, covered with twinkling jewels, grabbed the slave by the shoulder and pulled her round to face him.
"Daine. What, what's happened? Why are you here? And why are you working as a slave?" the man cried urgently at her, bending to look at her face. He had to bend nearly in half to look straight into her eyes.
"Is this slave bothering you, Emperor?" an angry voice boomed, "She should not even be here. She was told-"
The Emperor Kaddar held out a hand to silence Tark "Daine" he said "Why are you here? And stand up"
On finding that the man in front of her was the Emperor she had thrown herself to her knees. Now she looked up at him.
"I'm not Daine, Your Majesty. I'm Erone," she whispered
He studied her for a few minutes then his face relaxed. "I'm sorry I have you confused with another. Go back to your duties." And he turned from her to resume a previous conversation.
Erone didn't move. She tried to look round to warn Mina but a strong hand gripped her by her neck and pulled her up.
"Your coming with me now" a voice spat down her ear, "And when I'm finished you'll know never to disobey an order again"
Now
Chalice stormed up and down her bedroom. "I cannot believe those stupid gods realised it actually was me. I expected it to take much longer. And now they know how to give the stupid girl her memory back"
"Well, your Highness. You did tell them yourself" the gravely voice commented wryly.
"YES" she screamed "And don't you become insolent. I still have my power over you, Hawkwing"
The man nodded and bowed his head. "Forgive me, oh wonderful one," he said, a sarcastic undertone to his voice.
She ignored it, and dropped onto a nearby couch. "Well now we shall have to find something new to do to ruin her life. Her love has already married another, that stupid Varice, and we need something that would really hurt the girl. Maybe we should just kill them all, and make Daine watch," she laughed.
"Your Majesty" Hawking commented "Maybe we should leave this, Varice, alone. It is not her fault she has been caught up in this and it would not hurt the girl much if she was to die."
"Are you becoming soft now?" Chalice replied, a steely edge to her voice, "Because I can so easily find a new helper," she added.
"No, of course not. I just feel-"
"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU DO AND DON'T FEEL" she screamed "YOU OBEY ME"
"Oh course your Majesty," he said quietly. She didn't see the glint of anger in his blood red eyes.
"Now" she said, much calmer, "I need my seeing pool. Can you bring it here?"
"At once" he said, metal clicking as he left her chamber.
The Past (2 months ago)
"Mina if we get caught Tark will skin us alive" Erone whispered.
"Yeah. But that's what make's it so much fun" the red head giggled.
The girls snuck along the grand corridor that led to the ballroom. Kitchen slaves like them were forbidden to serve at banquets and royal balls like the one tonight and the girls had been repeated threatened with death if they were caught out of the kitchen
"So what does the Emperor Kaddar look like then? I've never seen him." Erone asked.
The girls jumped at a sound of laughter ahead and spotting an alcove, hidden by an ornate gold statue Erone grabbed Mina and pushed her into it. Neither girl breathed as a group of grandly dressed ladies passed them, fanning themselves and gossiping about who was courting who.
Checking that no one else was about they stepped out of the alcove and began walking again, keeping close to the walls and in the shadows.
"He is the most beautiful man in the world," whispered Mina, "He had light black skin and the most beautiful eyes." she went off into a daydream. Erone reached out and pinched her arm.
"Ow" she squeaked, "What did you do that for?"
"You were daydreaming about the Emperor's godly good looks. His long dark eyelashes, his gleaming skin" Erone teased.
"Shut up" Mina said, beginning to blush, "You never know. Our eyes might meet across the ballroom tonight and he will fall madly in love with me. We shall marry quickly and have."
"We're here" whispered Erone.
The girls stared, open-mouthed, at the great ornate doors in front of them. They were heavy oak and had intricate carvings describing hunting parties and grand banquets. Carvings of fruits near the top of the door were inlayed with gold as where carvings near the bottom. The handles were also of solid gold.
"Come on" Mina breathed, grabbing Erone's hand.
She pushed on the heavy door, not daring to place her hand on the cold gold handle. It took both of their weak muscles before the door slid open so they could slip inside. They quickly slipped into shadows at the side of the hall.
It was exquisite. Although Erone had seen marble before, none was this highly polished. It gleamed and reflected light as dancing, glittering patterns across the room. Tables were laid with rich, foreign and Cathaki, foods some Erone had never even seen in the kitchen before. The tables were decorated with gold bowls of overflowing fruits and huge gold vases of flowers. At the opposite end of the room, great doors opened onto a moonlit balcony, decorated with plants and small, glittering mage lights.
"Here" Mina thrust some sort of tray into Erone's limp hands, "Take this a begin to serve. If you see Tark duck"
Mina walked off to one side of the room and bowed to one of Carthak's ministers as she offered him and his companions her tray. Erone copied her. Wandering to the other side of the room she offered her tray of bread looking things to a group of chattering ladies who sat on one of the couches that lined the ballroom walls.
She turned and decided to walk across to a group near the dancing so she could watch the ladies as they swished their skirts around them, feet lost in a flurry of quick movements.
"Daine?" a male voice called "Daine wait"
She dropped her tray to the floor with a clatter. The closest nobles to her heard and turned to look at her with disgust in their eyes. It turned to shock when a heavily made up man, covered with twinkling jewels, grabbed the slave by the shoulder and pulled her round to face him.
"Daine. What, what's happened? Why are you here? And why are you working as a slave?" the man cried urgently at her, bending to look at her face. He had to bend nearly in half to look straight into her eyes.
"Is this slave bothering you, Emperor?" an angry voice boomed, "She should not even be here. She was told-"
The Emperor Kaddar held out a hand to silence Tark "Daine" he said "Why are you here? And stand up"
On finding that the man in front of her was the Emperor she had thrown herself to her knees. Now she looked up at him.
"I'm not Daine, Your Majesty. I'm Erone," she whispered
He studied her for a few minutes then his face relaxed. "I'm sorry I have you confused with another. Go back to your duties." And he turned from her to resume a previous conversation.
Erone didn't move. She tried to look round to warn Mina but a strong hand gripped her by her neck and pulled her up.
"Your coming with me now" a voice spat down her ear, "And when I'm finished you'll know never to disobey an order again"
Now
Chalice stormed up and down her bedroom. "I cannot believe those stupid gods realised it actually was me. I expected it to take much longer. And now they know how to give the stupid girl her memory back"
"Well, your Highness. You did tell them yourself" the gravely voice commented wryly.
"YES" she screamed "And don't you become insolent. I still have my power over you, Hawkwing"
The man nodded and bowed his head. "Forgive me, oh wonderful one," he said, a sarcastic undertone to his voice.
She ignored it, and dropped onto a nearby couch. "Well now we shall have to find something new to do to ruin her life. Her love has already married another, that stupid Varice, and we need something that would really hurt the girl. Maybe we should just kill them all, and make Daine watch," she laughed.
"Your Majesty" Hawking commented "Maybe we should leave this, Varice, alone. It is not her fault she has been caught up in this and it would not hurt the girl much if she was to die."
"Are you becoming soft now?" Chalice replied, a steely edge to her voice, "Because I can so easily find a new helper," she added.
"No, of course not. I just feel-"
"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU DO AND DON'T FEEL" she screamed "YOU OBEY ME"
"Oh course your Majesty," he said quietly. She didn't see the glint of anger in his blood red eyes.
"Now" she said, much calmer, "I need my seeing pool. Can you bring it here?"
"At once" he said, metal clicking as he left her chamber.