Briar's stomach clenched and his heart tightened. In that moment, he found
out the truth that he had been hiding from himself ever since the circle
had broken. Despite everything, he still loved Sandry. The words echoed
through his mind. He closed his eyes and leaned on the wall. After
everything . he still loved her. He knew Sandry had changed, and he saw
the pain in her eyes. And yet he loved her. Still. After everything!
His mind was in a turmoil. He had loved her and loved her still. And now,
another lord was courting her. Probably a lord with a high standing and a
long-listed genealogy. One whose proposal she would probably accept.
Because she, of course, would have forgotten about him. She would not
return his love. Never. Right?
Get real, he thought to himself. Who do you think you are? You aren't and never will be a Bag. And Sandry is. She's a noble, and she's going to marry another noble, and she'll rule Emelan. Her life will have nothing to do with you. And you'll stay at Winding Circle in Summersea all your life, or you'll live out the rest of your life on the streets. Either way, your future won't be with her. Will never be with her. If you keep on thinking of her . you will only get hurt. Like last time. But worse. The only way to do it is to avoid her.
Briar's face set determinedly. I will avoid her, he told himself. He was determined. And she'll live her life, and I'll live mine. Separately. We're just not meant to be. Will never be meant to be. Cannot be meant to be. He turned from the scene of Sandry laughing with Lord Linden. No, not Sandry anymore. He must not call her Sandry anymore. It was Lady Sandrilene. Lady Sandrilene fa Toren, probable heiress to the fair realm of Emelan.
+Earth+ +Air+ +Water+ +Fire+
Daja closed her eyes in memory. Being back at Discipline was good for her, she decided. Already, she felt more refreshed, happy, and glad to see the new day. The only way she could happier, she thought sadly, was if she were friends with Tris, Briar, and Sandry again, if they were all part of the circle again.
And that would never happen. Not with stubborn pride holding them back. She sighed as she rested on the wall. No matter what happened, the rift between them was too great to be breached by friendship again. Pain had been caused, and would not go away. It's a wonder what a few spiteful words spoken in a few moments of heat can do to a friendship, she thought wearily to herself.
She looked around her. She was outside of Discipline, huddled against the comforting presence of a tall, leafy tree. This was what she had left behind. The serenity and tranquility. The homey feeling. This was where she had belonged . and from where she had run away. But it would no longer be the same. This she knew. The knowledge that her friends would always be there . gone. She had last her saati, her three truest friends. And with it, she had lost her happiness.
And then there was the matter of Kirel. Kirel was a small matter. Frostpine had told her that he was visiting some northern city as a journeyman. He would not be back for a while, and she had the luxury of pushing him to the back of her head. Yet she did not. She worried the subject over and over. What did she feel for Kirel? She did not know when it had begun, exactly, but one day, Kirel had just hugged her, and it had felt right. And ever since then, they had taken each other, and their love, for granted.
But now what? She had left without warning, without a note. She did not expect him to love her after all these years . she did not even expect him to be single. She only hoped he had not forgotten her. For she had not forgotten him. And she never would.
+Earth+ +Air+ +Water+ +Fire+
Sandry laughed as Lord Linden told her about another hilarious incident with yet another bootlicker. She should not do this. She had consented to be his friend, but she should not have. She would only get friend. Friends would only leave her empty. But there was no harm, was there? Lord Linden was a nice man, and it would leave her with an ally in the north, at least.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Briar leave the roof. The roof. The roof she had her friends used to frequent so many times in a temporary attempt to delay chores. NO. Must not think about happy times, or I will be sad again, she reminded herself firmly. Think of the present. Not the past, or the future. The present.
"Is something on your mind?" Linden asked gently.
Sandry sighed. "It's . nothing of consequence. Just the past. And the future. And the present."
Linden wisely chose not to say anything, only observed her sad face. "I hope one day you will be able to tell me what troubles you."
"So do I, Linden. So do I." The day she would be able to tell him would be the day it would no longer hurt. And how she longed for it to no longer hurt.
+Earth+ +Air+ +Water+ +Fire+
Tris rubbed her forehead, groaning silently. What had possessed her to agree . to this? Chaos reigned. Pirelle was not paying attention to her, but was, in fact, listening aptly to Kitty, who was jabbering on about some subject or other. Tas was using his Air Magic to lob missiles all over the room every time she wasn't paying attention. And Ramon? He was just sitting there, staring at the wall. And she had the feeling that he was testing her.
She was not suited to this. She hated it when people threw eggs at her. She hated it when she had to explain something to people who didn't understand. She was impatient. She hated it when people tested her. She hated it when she was ignored. She hated teaching. She hated this. Slowly, she felt her temper build up. "Silence!" she roared, her temper getting the better of her. Almost unwillingly, she felt her magic build up within her, and tendrils of air sneak out to make her voice larger.
And at the same time, she felt the gentle warmth of fire, the soft of green of plants, and the steady rhythm of a shuttle weaving cloth.
+Earth+ +Air+ +Water+ +Fire+
Suddenly, Daja felt some of her magic jerked from her, almost unwillingly. She found herself in Tris's head, staring at four children who had stopped their unruly behavior to stare in shocked silence at her.
+Earth+ +Air+ +Water+ +Fire+
Briar's mind was immediately taken off his musing when he felt the fresh breeze against him . the mind-him. Immediately, he felt as if he were jerked of his feet, and he found himself in Tris's head, staring at four children who had finally quieted down.
+Earth+ +Air+ +Water+ +Fire+
Sandry was just about to respond to Linden, when she felt some of her magic slipping away from her. She found herself in Tris's head, facing an utterly silent room with four children and herself in it.
To be continued .
Get real, he thought to himself. Who do you think you are? You aren't and never will be a Bag. And Sandry is. She's a noble, and she's going to marry another noble, and she'll rule Emelan. Her life will have nothing to do with you. And you'll stay at Winding Circle in Summersea all your life, or you'll live out the rest of your life on the streets. Either way, your future won't be with her. Will never be with her. If you keep on thinking of her . you will only get hurt. Like last time. But worse. The only way to do it is to avoid her.
Briar's face set determinedly. I will avoid her, he told himself. He was determined. And she'll live her life, and I'll live mine. Separately. We're just not meant to be. Will never be meant to be. Cannot be meant to be. He turned from the scene of Sandry laughing with Lord Linden. No, not Sandry anymore. He must not call her Sandry anymore. It was Lady Sandrilene. Lady Sandrilene fa Toren, probable heiress to the fair realm of Emelan.
+Earth+ +Air+ +Water+ +Fire+
Daja closed her eyes in memory. Being back at Discipline was good for her, she decided. Already, she felt more refreshed, happy, and glad to see the new day. The only way she could happier, she thought sadly, was if she were friends with Tris, Briar, and Sandry again, if they were all part of the circle again.
And that would never happen. Not with stubborn pride holding them back. She sighed as she rested on the wall. No matter what happened, the rift between them was too great to be breached by friendship again. Pain had been caused, and would not go away. It's a wonder what a few spiteful words spoken in a few moments of heat can do to a friendship, she thought wearily to herself.
She looked around her. She was outside of Discipline, huddled against the comforting presence of a tall, leafy tree. This was what she had left behind. The serenity and tranquility. The homey feeling. This was where she had belonged . and from where she had run away. But it would no longer be the same. This she knew. The knowledge that her friends would always be there . gone. She had last her saati, her three truest friends. And with it, she had lost her happiness.
And then there was the matter of Kirel. Kirel was a small matter. Frostpine had told her that he was visiting some northern city as a journeyman. He would not be back for a while, and she had the luxury of pushing him to the back of her head. Yet she did not. She worried the subject over and over. What did she feel for Kirel? She did not know when it had begun, exactly, but one day, Kirel had just hugged her, and it had felt right. And ever since then, they had taken each other, and their love, for granted.
But now what? She had left without warning, without a note. She did not expect him to love her after all these years . she did not even expect him to be single. She only hoped he had not forgotten her. For she had not forgotten him. And she never would.
+Earth+ +Air+ +Water+ +Fire+
Sandry laughed as Lord Linden told her about another hilarious incident with yet another bootlicker. She should not do this. She had consented to be his friend, but she should not have. She would only get friend. Friends would only leave her empty. But there was no harm, was there? Lord Linden was a nice man, and it would leave her with an ally in the north, at least.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Briar leave the roof. The roof. The roof she had her friends used to frequent so many times in a temporary attempt to delay chores. NO. Must not think about happy times, or I will be sad again, she reminded herself firmly. Think of the present. Not the past, or the future. The present.
"Is something on your mind?" Linden asked gently.
Sandry sighed. "It's . nothing of consequence. Just the past. And the future. And the present."
Linden wisely chose not to say anything, only observed her sad face. "I hope one day you will be able to tell me what troubles you."
"So do I, Linden. So do I." The day she would be able to tell him would be the day it would no longer hurt. And how she longed for it to no longer hurt.
+Earth+ +Air+ +Water+ +Fire+
Tris rubbed her forehead, groaning silently. What had possessed her to agree . to this? Chaos reigned. Pirelle was not paying attention to her, but was, in fact, listening aptly to Kitty, who was jabbering on about some subject or other. Tas was using his Air Magic to lob missiles all over the room every time she wasn't paying attention. And Ramon? He was just sitting there, staring at the wall. And she had the feeling that he was testing her.
She was not suited to this. She hated it when people threw eggs at her. She hated it when she had to explain something to people who didn't understand. She was impatient. She hated it when people tested her. She hated it when she was ignored. She hated teaching. She hated this. Slowly, she felt her temper build up. "Silence!" she roared, her temper getting the better of her. Almost unwillingly, she felt her magic build up within her, and tendrils of air sneak out to make her voice larger.
And at the same time, she felt the gentle warmth of fire, the soft of green of plants, and the steady rhythm of a shuttle weaving cloth.
+Earth+ +Air+ +Water+ +Fire+
Suddenly, Daja felt some of her magic jerked from her, almost unwillingly. She found herself in Tris's head, staring at four children who had stopped their unruly behavior to stare in shocked silence at her.
+Earth+ +Air+ +Water+ +Fire+
Briar's mind was immediately taken off his musing when he felt the fresh breeze against him . the mind-him. Immediately, he felt as if he were jerked of his feet, and he found himself in Tris's head, staring at four children who had finally quieted down.
+Earth+ +Air+ +Water+ +Fire+
Sandry was just about to respond to Linden, when she felt some of her magic slipping away from her. She found herself in Tris's head, facing an utterly silent room with four children and herself in it.
To be continued .