The road to Shehrevar was a long one, and rocky, but far
easier than the road from Shehrevar, which was almost
entirely uphill. Anneke found this rather ironic. Leaving the
home of her adopted parents was far easier physically than it
should have been. She knew how Joonas felt about leaving.
Nothing about Castle Shehrevar could compare to Goranfjord.
Nothing about the surrounding city could compare to
Shehrevar. Anneke couldn't claim to have any great knowledge
of the city; Dame Elke and Steward Klaes did not approve of
her mixing with commoners. Anneke had long since decided that
her tutors feared that she was far too irregular already,
what with the sheep and the singing and the magic. Apparently
proper ladies didn't fall in for such things, which only
served to fuel Anneke's notion that proper ladies were most
boring.
The journey to Shehrevar from Gorenfjord took about half a day. The whole house awoke at the crack of dawn, even if the only people leaving were Anneke, Joonas, Kustaa, and Ean. The three men would escort their sister as far as her castle, and then continue onto Konigsstadt.
The road itself was rocky. As careful as Anneke's mare Sheep (thus named by Anneke in fit of stupidity) was, Anneke was still tossed around in the saddle. Anneke didn't really mind, having gotten used to it. She managed to in a comfortable stance that allowed her to ignore the journey for the most part. Today was simply another dreary day that had followed a dreary night. The sky was still covered in a thick blanket, which now began to drizzle weakly on the small train of horses that ventured down the mountain. Anneke had practically slept through the first village outside of the manor, and she wouldn't miss much if she slept through the second.
If the sky was dreary and the villages unexciting, the mountains were what Anneke loved. Even in the rain they were a bright, deep green, occasionally broken by fields of grain and flax or disorganized rows of stones and broken earth. Anneke smiled at a small flock of sheep as she passed the field in which they grazed. A small shepherd looked up at Anneke's party. Anneke waved, and the little boy waved back.
"Sheepses, sheepses all around," Anneke sang to him. "Going up and going down. Sheepses eating green grass down, make Pedar Weft the best shepherd in town."
"Except for Duchess Anneke, 'cause she sings good!" Kustaa belted out in a terrible monotone.
"Oh, stop it, Kustaa. Pedar's doing a very good job," Anneke scowled good-naturedly. "Look at him, he's reading that book you gave him, Ean."
"Good for him! It's about time someone in that village got a brain. You like the book, Pedar?" Ean called out.
"No, Master Ean! It's frightful boring!"
Joonas, Kustaa, and Anneke laughed. "We'll send you up a new one, Pedar!" Joonas shouted. "Something with pirates."
"Thank you, Master Joonas!" the little boy called after them.
"I told you that political philosophy was over his head, Ean," Anneke said reasonably as the continued on. "He's only eleven."
"He's the only one around besides us with half a brain," Ean argued. "I'm just trying to bring a little-"
"With philosophy, Ean? You're lucky the boy can read, let alone likes to!" Jonas said. "We'll send him the pirates book, and then maybe something with some history. That's always good. He'll like the battles."
"You could send him a book on economic theory, Ean," Kustaa joked. "Then you could get Pedar Weft, the best shepherd this side of Shehrevar, to bring money and new jobs and financial stability to the Goren Hills."
"The Goren Hills are financially stable," Anneke said. "Look at our villages. Everyone is clothed, most people can read, everyone has enough to eat. It isn't perfect, but we're much better off than some of the other places in the Shehrevar district, not to mention the rest of the islands. And the Shehrevar district, as a whole, has taken a huge slide in the past fifteen years, due to-"
"Gods, Ean, what have you done to her?" Kustaa asked. "She sounds like you!"
"Kustaa, it's my responsibility to know the issues that face the success of the people in my duchy. Far too many nobles-"
"I know, Annie," Kustaa cut her off. "Spare me the lecture." He urged his horse faster, to the front of the train.
"Just because you don't like to hear it, Lord Hedonist, doesn't mean you can ignore it," she called.
"Stuff it, Annie."
"Fine!" Just like Kustaa. All he cares about was having a good time. He never wanted to hear about the bad things, the things that needed to be done. He was a fine worker, always did whatever was asked of him around Gorenfjord and, Anneke presumed because they hadn't thrown him out yet, his master's workshop. But he could never be concerned about the welfare of less fortunate commoners.
Anneke fumed silently. Didn't he understand that this was what nobles were supposed to care about? Of course not. All Kustaa cared about was gems and precious metals, and having enough money to spend it on whatever he wanted.
"The ducal holdings fairing all right then?" Joonas asked quietly, shaking about of her reverie.
"What? Oh, yes, from what I can gather, they're fine. Steward Klaes has done a fine job of building the treasury. It's simply..." Anneke trailed off, unsure of what to say.
Joonas watched her for a moment, then off down the road, following Anneke's own gaze. "Your father was a different man." Anneke nodded vaguely. "I remember him, a little. I was twelve when they died, you know. Bernt was like you." Anneke looked up at him. "Always laughing. He'd walk into a room and he just had you. When we went to the castle, it was always bright. There were people every where. All the servants seemed happy. Your mother and Aidan, he loved them so much. Bernt and our father, they would talk for hours about politics and sheep and money and things I didn't understand, and then Miranda would bring in you and Aidan and it was like there was no one else in the world. People respected your father. He brought Shehrevar respect, something most Farlanders don't have for us. And you know what?" He paused. Anneke's green and gold eyes were bright with anticipation. "He could sing." Anneke laughed. "He could. Kustaa! What was that song that Duke Bernt always used to sing?"
"What, the one about the sailors? Across the angry sea they came-"
"So fearless and so fair!" Joonas joined in. "That's the one, Kustaa! How'd it go?"
"Gods, Joonas, by the time Bernt got everyone singing that song we were practically asleep!"
"And all the men were drunk, yes, I know!" Joonas turned to Anneke. "Ask around, Annie. Someone's bound to know. Find out about Old Bernt; people liked him. They'll remember. With you, they'll get back their old glory."
"If Steward Klaes let's me at them," Anneke grumbled, but she was smiling a little.
"Since when do you take no for an answer?"
Anneke's smile broadened a bit and they rode on in silence. There were no other villages to pass through until they reached Zauberstaadt, the capital of the Shehrevar province. A light mist began to fall. Anneke covered her hair with a deep grey shawl, and Joonas wrapped his new cloak more tightly around him. The water beaded and slid off of it; the deep green wool was completely waterproof. Joonas smiled with pride. He glanced at Anneke, and his grin faded. The rain didn't slide off of her shawl as it did his cloak. Only the natural oils present in the wool kept the water from seeping in and they didn't do a very good job.
"Annie?" Joonas called. Anneke looked over at him. He'd evidently caught her in another daydream. She had that look on her face that said he'd only just reminded her that the rest of the world existed. "Annie, why didn't you spell your shawl?"
Her eyes went wide, and she touched the wet shawl, then slid a few runaway hairs back underneath it, looking away. Joonas frowned. Evasive Annie always made him worry more than Naive Annie did.
"It takes awhile," was her quiet reply. "To spell things, like your cloak. It takes a lot of time."
"Your shawl wouldn't take half so long as my cloak, Annie," Joonas argued. She wouldn't meet his eyes. "Is this about your magic? Why wouldn't you want to use your magic for something useful?"
"It isn't like that, Joonas," Annie protested.
"Is it Steward Klaes? Are he and Dame Elke discouraging you from practicing your magic?"
"No! Joonas, it isn't them. I mean, they're not thrilled with magic, but they're letting me study it." It wasn't a total lie. Anneke had convinced Steward Klaes and Dame Elke that as Shehrevar was the magic capital of the Farlands she should be able to perform at least a few small magics to satisfy the people in her duchy. They didn't want her knowing too much, as they feared a reputation as a sorceress would damage her marriage prospects. It wouldn't hurt them any if Anneke was studying magic a little more thoroughly than they would like. "They're not bad people Joonas. They're just...self-involved. They don't understand magic. Most people outside of Shehrevar, and even a lot in Shehrevar fear magic. They're letting me study it because they know that I need to. Most people in our province appreciate magic. They're used to the Shehrevars having magic. They'll likely expect to see a little."
"Naturally. So why not practice on your shawl?"
Anneke sighed. Joonas wouldn't let it go. He was like a dog with a bone that way. He could be even more stubborn than Ean. "I can't."
"What to you mean, you can't? You did my cloak fine."
"Not so fine."
"What do you mean? Look at it." Joonas shook his sleeve. The raindrops flew off easily; the fabric was perfectly dry.
"Joonas, I know the spell came out fine."
"Then what do you mean you can't?"
"It isn't that I can't. It's...it's hard."
"I wasn't under the impression it was easy."
"No, Joonas, really hard. To you remember how sick I was when you came home."
Joonas remembered very clearly. He had arrived at Gorenfjord to find Anneke lying in bed, pale and wan. She looked like she had lost weight, and her skin was like ice. Her normally rosy blush was gone, and her face was ashen. Her green and gold eyes, normally bright and smiling, were dull, and she could barely speak. She had recovered in the next couple days, but Joonas had been sure she was going to die when he first saw her.
He nodded in reply, jaw clenched. He hated feeling helpless, and seeing Anneke so sick made him feel that way.
"I wasn't sick."
Joonas raised an eyebrow. "Sure fooled me."
"No, I mean, it wasn't an illness." Joonas looked at her, waiting for Anneke to continue. "It was the magic. The magic made me sick."
Joonas jaw dropped. He fingered the egded of the cloak. "This? You did this and you got sick like that?" Anneke nodded guiltily. "Annie! You shouldn't have done it! You could have died!"
"I wasn't going to die, Joonas," Anneke rolled her eyes. "You're being dramatic. Magics like that, they just take a lot out of me."
"I thought you were going to die, Annie, you shouldn't have-"
"Shouldn't have what?" Anneke hissed angrily. "Shouldn't have done one of the simplest spells in the book? Joonas, that's basic magic! Anyone with a Gift can do it, or should be able to. But I can't. I don't know why. Hell, I can set fires easily enough."
"Set fires!" Joonas yelped. Kustaa and Ean looked back at them.
"Who's setting fires?" Kustaa asked.
"No one is setting fires, Kustaa," Annie sighed.
"Is this about your magic, Annie?" Ean asked.
"What, they know?" Joonas asked angrily.
"Of course they know, Joonas, they were there. Honestly. This is why I didn't tell you. I knew you'd react this way."
"What way?"
"Get all protective and guilty because I did something that I wanted to do, even though I knew that I would have a not-so- nice reaction to it."
"You nearly died, Ann."
"I did not. I just looked like Hell."
"And would you stop talking like Kustaa?"
"What wrong with the way I talk?" Kustaa asked.
"You swear like a sailor," Ean told him.
"Most of my friends are sailors."
"Do you have the same nasty diseases, too?"
"Eat sheep dung, Ean."
"Crotch itch not so pleasant, eh, Kustaa?"
"That's gross, Ean," Anneke said.
"It's a social disease, Annie," Ean smirked. "Maybe the instances will go down as you fix Shehrevar's poverty."
"Too late for our dear brother, I'm afraid," Joonas said evilly.
"We can always protect the sheep," Ean laughed.
"EW!" Annie screamed "EW! EW! EW! That's disgusting! EW! EW!"
"Can I just say that not only do I not have crotch itch, but I have also NEVER looked at a sheep that way?" Kustaa said.
"You can say it, Kustaa, but that doesn't mean we have to believe it," Ean teased.
"I'm so thoroughly disgusted, I can't even tell you," Anneke said, but she couldn't help grinning slightly.
"Oh, the poor Duchess Shehrevar and her delicate ears!" Ean teased.
"Delicate health is more like it," Joonas groused, steering the conversation back to Anneke's magic.
"Drop it, Joonas."
"Oh, come on, Annie! Why did you push it? So you can't do a waterproofing spell, what of it? At least you can show those damn city folk some interesting fireworks!"
"But I should be able to, Joonas! My magic is strong enough that I should be able to do it!"
"What, just because you're magic? Maybe some people can only do fires. Why does it matter?"
"Because I can do this!" Where Anneke and her horse had been there was now a large stone wall. The other horses reared back in fright. Kustaa and Ean shouted in surprise. The wall flickered a moment and then Anneke and Sheep were back, looking right as rain.
Joonas could only stare at her. He'd seen magicians perform at carnivals and such before. He could clearly remember Bernt and Miranda casting spells. Even their son Aidan, just a few years older than Anneke could light fires on command. But never had he seen such a quick and easy transformation as that. And that she had turned Sheep too, it was amazing. Even the animals believed it.
"It's just a simple illusion spell," Anneke shrugged. "I didn't actually transform into a wall. Walls are easiest because they're fairly regular. I'm working on fields and that sort of thing. I think that if I can master invisibility-"
"Annie!" Joonas shouted at last. She looked up at him, startled. "But that's- that's supposed to be hard!"
Anneke shrugged again. "But it isn't. I've been able to do it for a long time. When I was little and we played hide and seek, remember how I'd always win? I just stood beside the barn wall and pretended I wasn't there. I guess it worked."
The three brothers simply goggled at her a moment, then Kustaa roared with laughter. "You hid in plain sight!" he managed to choke out. "That's priceless! Oh, lords, and we all thought you just hid inside with Mama and Astrid! Invisible Annie!"
"That's why I should be able to do the waterproofing charms!" Anneke said. "But I can't. I mean, I know I should be able to, and I really think I can, and I can, eventually, but I should either be able to do it or not. It shouldn't take as much out of me as it does."
"Sometimes big magics take a lot out of people," Joonas said uncertainly. "I mean, once Bernt came up when we all had a fever to heal us, and after he had made us better, the barn caught fire and Bernt just willed it out. I remember he ended up looking worse than we had."
"Can't heal," Anneke muttered sullenly. "I can put out fires, though."
"I wouldn't worry about it Annie," Kustaa said. "You probably just have to practice. You know, start small."
Anneke didn't bother to inform him that she did practice.
For once, Ean agreed with Joonas. "You probably just think you can't because you've had trouble in the beginning," he said reasonably. "The more you practice and the more you can convince yourself you can, the more you'll be able to."
Anneke nodded. "Right, Ean. Right."
Only Joonas saw her scowl.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------- Alright! Finally finished that puppy! Whew! You know, I had it all done and posted, and the day posted it I woke up at two in the morning and realised that I had completely forgotten an entire conversation, and that conversation was basically the whole reason for chapter 3 existing, besides the fact that there's usually a chapter 3 before a chapter 4.
So, we're not quite at Castle Shehrevar yet, but I promise, the next charter is Anneke at her ancestral home. This chapter pretty much was just the character stuff. Annie is more aware of her people that I realized. Her little tirade came out of nowhere! I wasn't expecting that. If you're thinking that Kustaa's an ass, don't worry, I've got a bit of redemption in mind for him, but it's a loooooooooooooong way down the line. Doesn't really matter, though, because he disappears for a good five chapters at least.
Looks like Annie may have some issues with the locals! And what's with her magic?
I'm only anticipating Anneke being in the Farlands for about 3-4 more chapters. This may seems like a while, but on my computer a chapter is about 2 1/2 pages. In that time, Anneke investigates her parents, meets somebody interesting, and finds a couple mysteries. The chapters are getting longer here on out. This one was a good eight pages long! I don't think I've written a paper for school that's been that long since I wrote my senior thesis in high school! (Which took me three and a half hours and was about the colour black and how I'm not a goth. No, I'm serious. I got an A! It's my proudest moment.)
Someone asked me about a potential romance plot. Look for somebody to arrive at the end of chapter 4 or in chapter 5. He's quite dishy, if I do say so myself. :)
And I think I promised some physical character descriptions, but I think those are going in chapter 4. I always have issues making physical descriptions seem natural. Ah, well, nothing an obnoxious tutor can't fix!
For the first time since I started, I actually have not started writing out chapter 4. So this may actually take a little while. Hopefully not too long, but we'll see.
Sorry for the long author notes, but I'm feeling chatty. Thanks for reading, and please review!
Review. PLEASE!!!! It makes me happy! A happy author is an inspired author. REVIEW!!!
The journey to Shehrevar from Gorenfjord took about half a day. The whole house awoke at the crack of dawn, even if the only people leaving were Anneke, Joonas, Kustaa, and Ean. The three men would escort their sister as far as her castle, and then continue onto Konigsstadt.
The road itself was rocky. As careful as Anneke's mare Sheep (thus named by Anneke in fit of stupidity) was, Anneke was still tossed around in the saddle. Anneke didn't really mind, having gotten used to it. She managed to in a comfortable stance that allowed her to ignore the journey for the most part. Today was simply another dreary day that had followed a dreary night. The sky was still covered in a thick blanket, which now began to drizzle weakly on the small train of horses that ventured down the mountain. Anneke had practically slept through the first village outside of the manor, and she wouldn't miss much if she slept through the second.
If the sky was dreary and the villages unexciting, the mountains were what Anneke loved. Even in the rain they were a bright, deep green, occasionally broken by fields of grain and flax or disorganized rows of stones and broken earth. Anneke smiled at a small flock of sheep as she passed the field in which they grazed. A small shepherd looked up at Anneke's party. Anneke waved, and the little boy waved back.
"Sheepses, sheepses all around," Anneke sang to him. "Going up and going down. Sheepses eating green grass down, make Pedar Weft the best shepherd in town."
"Except for Duchess Anneke, 'cause she sings good!" Kustaa belted out in a terrible monotone.
"Oh, stop it, Kustaa. Pedar's doing a very good job," Anneke scowled good-naturedly. "Look at him, he's reading that book you gave him, Ean."
"Good for him! It's about time someone in that village got a brain. You like the book, Pedar?" Ean called out.
"No, Master Ean! It's frightful boring!"
Joonas, Kustaa, and Anneke laughed. "We'll send you up a new one, Pedar!" Joonas shouted. "Something with pirates."
"Thank you, Master Joonas!" the little boy called after them.
"I told you that political philosophy was over his head, Ean," Anneke said reasonably as the continued on. "He's only eleven."
"He's the only one around besides us with half a brain," Ean argued. "I'm just trying to bring a little-"
"With philosophy, Ean? You're lucky the boy can read, let alone likes to!" Jonas said. "We'll send him the pirates book, and then maybe something with some history. That's always good. He'll like the battles."
"You could send him a book on economic theory, Ean," Kustaa joked. "Then you could get Pedar Weft, the best shepherd this side of Shehrevar, to bring money and new jobs and financial stability to the Goren Hills."
"The Goren Hills are financially stable," Anneke said. "Look at our villages. Everyone is clothed, most people can read, everyone has enough to eat. It isn't perfect, but we're much better off than some of the other places in the Shehrevar district, not to mention the rest of the islands. And the Shehrevar district, as a whole, has taken a huge slide in the past fifteen years, due to-"
"Gods, Ean, what have you done to her?" Kustaa asked. "She sounds like you!"
"Kustaa, it's my responsibility to know the issues that face the success of the people in my duchy. Far too many nobles-"
"I know, Annie," Kustaa cut her off. "Spare me the lecture." He urged his horse faster, to the front of the train.
"Just because you don't like to hear it, Lord Hedonist, doesn't mean you can ignore it," she called.
"Stuff it, Annie."
"Fine!" Just like Kustaa. All he cares about was having a good time. He never wanted to hear about the bad things, the things that needed to be done. He was a fine worker, always did whatever was asked of him around Gorenfjord and, Anneke presumed because they hadn't thrown him out yet, his master's workshop. But he could never be concerned about the welfare of less fortunate commoners.
Anneke fumed silently. Didn't he understand that this was what nobles were supposed to care about? Of course not. All Kustaa cared about was gems and precious metals, and having enough money to spend it on whatever he wanted.
"The ducal holdings fairing all right then?" Joonas asked quietly, shaking about of her reverie.
"What? Oh, yes, from what I can gather, they're fine. Steward Klaes has done a fine job of building the treasury. It's simply..." Anneke trailed off, unsure of what to say.
Joonas watched her for a moment, then off down the road, following Anneke's own gaze. "Your father was a different man." Anneke nodded vaguely. "I remember him, a little. I was twelve when they died, you know. Bernt was like you." Anneke looked up at him. "Always laughing. He'd walk into a room and he just had you. When we went to the castle, it was always bright. There were people every where. All the servants seemed happy. Your mother and Aidan, he loved them so much. Bernt and our father, they would talk for hours about politics and sheep and money and things I didn't understand, and then Miranda would bring in you and Aidan and it was like there was no one else in the world. People respected your father. He brought Shehrevar respect, something most Farlanders don't have for us. And you know what?" He paused. Anneke's green and gold eyes were bright with anticipation. "He could sing." Anneke laughed. "He could. Kustaa! What was that song that Duke Bernt always used to sing?"
"What, the one about the sailors? Across the angry sea they came-"
"So fearless and so fair!" Joonas joined in. "That's the one, Kustaa! How'd it go?"
"Gods, Joonas, by the time Bernt got everyone singing that song we were practically asleep!"
"And all the men were drunk, yes, I know!" Joonas turned to Anneke. "Ask around, Annie. Someone's bound to know. Find out about Old Bernt; people liked him. They'll remember. With you, they'll get back their old glory."
"If Steward Klaes let's me at them," Anneke grumbled, but she was smiling a little.
"Since when do you take no for an answer?"
Anneke's smile broadened a bit and they rode on in silence. There were no other villages to pass through until they reached Zauberstaadt, the capital of the Shehrevar province. A light mist began to fall. Anneke covered her hair with a deep grey shawl, and Joonas wrapped his new cloak more tightly around him. The water beaded and slid off of it; the deep green wool was completely waterproof. Joonas smiled with pride. He glanced at Anneke, and his grin faded. The rain didn't slide off of her shawl as it did his cloak. Only the natural oils present in the wool kept the water from seeping in and they didn't do a very good job.
"Annie?" Joonas called. Anneke looked over at him. He'd evidently caught her in another daydream. She had that look on her face that said he'd only just reminded her that the rest of the world existed. "Annie, why didn't you spell your shawl?"
Her eyes went wide, and she touched the wet shawl, then slid a few runaway hairs back underneath it, looking away. Joonas frowned. Evasive Annie always made him worry more than Naive Annie did.
"It takes awhile," was her quiet reply. "To spell things, like your cloak. It takes a lot of time."
"Your shawl wouldn't take half so long as my cloak, Annie," Joonas argued. She wouldn't meet his eyes. "Is this about your magic? Why wouldn't you want to use your magic for something useful?"
"It isn't like that, Joonas," Annie protested.
"Is it Steward Klaes? Are he and Dame Elke discouraging you from practicing your magic?"
"No! Joonas, it isn't them. I mean, they're not thrilled with magic, but they're letting me study it." It wasn't a total lie. Anneke had convinced Steward Klaes and Dame Elke that as Shehrevar was the magic capital of the Farlands she should be able to perform at least a few small magics to satisfy the people in her duchy. They didn't want her knowing too much, as they feared a reputation as a sorceress would damage her marriage prospects. It wouldn't hurt them any if Anneke was studying magic a little more thoroughly than they would like. "They're not bad people Joonas. They're just...self-involved. They don't understand magic. Most people outside of Shehrevar, and even a lot in Shehrevar fear magic. They're letting me study it because they know that I need to. Most people in our province appreciate magic. They're used to the Shehrevars having magic. They'll likely expect to see a little."
"Naturally. So why not practice on your shawl?"
Anneke sighed. Joonas wouldn't let it go. He was like a dog with a bone that way. He could be even more stubborn than Ean. "I can't."
"What to you mean, you can't? You did my cloak fine."
"Not so fine."
"What do you mean? Look at it." Joonas shook his sleeve. The raindrops flew off easily; the fabric was perfectly dry.
"Joonas, I know the spell came out fine."
"Then what do you mean you can't?"
"It isn't that I can't. It's...it's hard."
"I wasn't under the impression it was easy."
"No, Joonas, really hard. To you remember how sick I was when you came home."
Joonas remembered very clearly. He had arrived at Gorenfjord to find Anneke lying in bed, pale and wan. She looked like she had lost weight, and her skin was like ice. Her normally rosy blush was gone, and her face was ashen. Her green and gold eyes, normally bright and smiling, were dull, and she could barely speak. She had recovered in the next couple days, but Joonas had been sure she was going to die when he first saw her.
He nodded in reply, jaw clenched. He hated feeling helpless, and seeing Anneke so sick made him feel that way.
"I wasn't sick."
Joonas raised an eyebrow. "Sure fooled me."
"No, I mean, it wasn't an illness." Joonas looked at her, waiting for Anneke to continue. "It was the magic. The magic made me sick."
Joonas jaw dropped. He fingered the egded of the cloak. "This? You did this and you got sick like that?" Anneke nodded guiltily. "Annie! You shouldn't have done it! You could have died!"
"I wasn't going to die, Joonas," Anneke rolled her eyes. "You're being dramatic. Magics like that, they just take a lot out of me."
"I thought you were going to die, Annie, you shouldn't have-"
"Shouldn't have what?" Anneke hissed angrily. "Shouldn't have done one of the simplest spells in the book? Joonas, that's basic magic! Anyone with a Gift can do it, or should be able to. But I can't. I don't know why. Hell, I can set fires easily enough."
"Set fires!" Joonas yelped. Kustaa and Ean looked back at them.
"Who's setting fires?" Kustaa asked.
"No one is setting fires, Kustaa," Annie sighed.
"Is this about your magic, Annie?" Ean asked.
"What, they know?" Joonas asked angrily.
"Of course they know, Joonas, they were there. Honestly. This is why I didn't tell you. I knew you'd react this way."
"What way?"
"Get all protective and guilty because I did something that I wanted to do, even though I knew that I would have a not-so- nice reaction to it."
"You nearly died, Ann."
"I did not. I just looked like Hell."
"And would you stop talking like Kustaa?"
"What wrong with the way I talk?" Kustaa asked.
"You swear like a sailor," Ean told him.
"Most of my friends are sailors."
"Do you have the same nasty diseases, too?"
"Eat sheep dung, Ean."
"Crotch itch not so pleasant, eh, Kustaa?"
"That's gross, Ean," Anneke said.
"It's a social disease, Annie," Ean smirked. "Maybe the instances will go down as you fix Shehrevar's poverty."
"Too late for our dear brother, I'm afraid," Joonas said evilly.
"We can always protect the sheep," Ean laughed.
"EW!" Annie screamed "EW! EW! EW! That's disgusting! EW! EW!"
"Can I just say that not only do I not have crotch itch, but I have also NEVER looked at a sheep that way?" Kustaa said.
"You can say it, Kustaa, but that doesn't mean we have to believe it," Ean teased.
"I'm so thoroughly disgusted, I can't even tell you," Anneke said, but she couldn't help grinning slightly.
"Oh, the poor Duchess Shehrevar and her delicate ears!" Ean teased.
"Delicate health is more like it," Joonas groused, steering the conversation back to Anneke's magic.
"Drop it, Joonas."
"Oh, come on, Annie! Why did you push it? So you can't do a waterproofing spell, what of it? At least you can show those damn city folk some interesting fireworks!"
"But I should be able to, Joonas! My magic is strong enough that I should be able to do it!"
"What, just because you're magic? Maybe some people can only do fires. Why does it matter?"
"Because I can do this!" Where Anneke and her horse had been there was now a large stone wall. The other horses reared back in fright. Kustaa and Ean shouted in surprise. The wall flickered a moment and then Anneke and Sheep were back, looking right as rain.
Joonas could only stare at her. He'd seen magicians perform at carnivals and such before. He could clearly remember Bernt and Miranda casting spells. Even their son Aidan, just a few years older than Anneke could light fires on command. But never had he seen such a quick and easy transformation as that. And that she had turned Sheep too, it was amazing. Even the animals believed it.
"It's just a simple illusion spell," Anneke shrugged. "I didn't actually transform into a wall. Walls are easiest because they're fairly regular. I'm working on fields and that sort of thing. I think that if I can master invisibility-"
"Annie!" Joonas shouted at last. She looked up at him, startled. "But that's- that's supposed to be hard!"
Anneke shrugged again. "But it isn't. I've been able to do it for a long time. When I was little and we played hide and seek, remember how I'd always win? I just stood beside the barn wall and pretended I wasn't there. I guess it worked."
The three brothers simply goggled at her a moment, then Kustaa roared with laughter. "You hid in plain sight!" he managed to choke out. "That's priceless! Oh, lords, and we all thought you just hid inside with Mama and Astrid! Invisible Annie!"
"That's why I should be able to do the waterproofing charms!" Anneke said. "But I can't. I mean, I know I should be able to, and I really think I can, and I can, eventually, but I should either be able to do it or not. It shouldn't take as much out of me as it does."
"Sometimes big magics take a lot out of people," Joonas said uncertainly. "I mean, once Bernt came up when we all had a fever to heal us, and after he had made us better, the barn caught fire and Bernt just willed it out. I remember he ended up looking worse than we had."
"Can't heal," Anneke muttered sullenly. "I can put out fires, though."
"I wouldn't worry about it Annie," Kustaa said. "You probably just have to practice. You know, start small."
Anneke didn't bother to inform him that she did practice.
For once, Ean agreed with Joonas. "You probably just think you can't because you've had trouble in the beginning," he said reasonably. "The more you practice and the more you can convince yourself you can, the more you'll be able to."
Anneke nodded. "Right, Ean. Right."
Only Joonas saw her scowl.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------- Alright! Finally finished that puppy! Whew! You know, I had it all done and posted, and the day posted it I woke up at two in the morning and realised that I had completely forgotten an entire conversation, and that conversation was basically the whole reason for chapter 3 existing, besides the fact that there's usually a chapter 3 before a chapter 4.
So, we're not quite at Castle Shehrevar yet, but I promise, the next charter is Anneke at her ancestral home. This chapter pretty much was just the character stuff. Annie is more aware of her people that I realized. Her little tirade came out of nowhere! I wasn't expecting that. If you're thinking that Kustaa's an ass, don't worry, I've got a bit of redemption in mind for him, but it's a loooooooooooooong way down the line. Doesn't really matter, though, because he disappears for a good five chapters at least.
Looks like Annie may have some issues with the locals! And what's with her magic?
I'm only anticipating Anneke being in the Farlands for about 3-4 more chapters. This may seems like a while, but on my computer a chapter is about 2 1/2 pages. In that time, Anneke investigates her parents, meets somebody interesting, and finds a couple mysteries. The chapters are getting longer here on out. This one was a good eight pages long! I don't think I've written a paper for school that's been that long since I wrote my senior thesis in high school! (Which took me three and a half hours and was about the colour black and how I'm not a goth. No, I'm serious. I got an A! It's my proudest moment.)
Someone asked me about a potential romance plot. Look for somebody to arrive at the end of chapter 4 or in chapter 5. He's quite dishy, if I do say so myself. :)
And I think I promised some physical character descriptions, but I think those are going in chapter 4. I always have issues making physical descriptions seem natural. Ah, well, nothing an obnoxious tutor can't fix!
For the first time since I started, I actually have not started writing out chapter 4. So this may actually take a little while. Hopefully not too long, but we'll see.
Sorry for the long author notes, but I'm feeling chatty. Thanks for reading, and please review!
Review. PLEASE!!!! It makes me happy! A happy author is an inspired author. REVIEW!!!