Heart's Desire
Chapter 10- Balls of Fire

Disclaimer-
I don't own Alanna, Jonathan, etc.

Kelsie bolted to her room. How could he say that? Had he just been pretending that whole time? Had he never really cared, and had just led her on? But why? What was his motive for doing such a thing? Why did he want to hurt her? Did he realize that she had heard him? Was she to be expected to never find out that he was only faking any interest in her, that he had been faking their friendship? Why did he havew to put on that charade at her expense? Kelsie didn't think that she had ever done anything to deserve to have this happen to her, but maybe it was her fault for coming here. She didn't belong in the palace. She had lived a charade, too, she realized. She had pretended to her teachers at the convent that she was a beautiful and proper lady, and that she wanted to come to the palace in Corus in search of a husband, when really what she had wanted was to do exactly what she had just done- split up Thayet and Jonathan. But this was different. Her teachers at the convent hadn't liked her, and had never tried to convince her that they did. Matther had made her believe that he at least really liked her and that he calued her friendship, and she had loved him. But he had...........
Kelsie didn't even want to think about it. She just wanted to leave the palace and go back home, wherever that was.
Without knowing it, she hadentered her room and had automatically started packing. She threw things absentmindedly into her trunk, not caring that they weren't folded and were destined to get wrinkled.
"And where are you going, Kelsie?" someone asked. Kelsie turned around angrily to see that the King had been waiting for her in her rooms.
"Home. I would appreciate it if you would leave me be, your Majesty. I wish to have nothing more to do with the residents of your palace." She shoved more of her belongings into her empty trunk, not daring to meet Jonathan's eyes. She couldn't look at him, because she knew that she didn't really mean the things she was saying. Just because she was hurt didn't mean that it was the fault of the rest of her friends. Jonathan hadn't done anything to deserve her to say that to him.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly, but still refused to meet the mans eyes. If she looked up, she would know that she had to stay, and right then she wanted to be as far away from Matthew as she possibly could, and no matter how huge the palace was, it wasn't big enough for her and Matthew both.
"I know." Jonathan just stared at her. Why wasn't he asking why she was leaving? Maybe he had already known that Matthew was only leading her on? Perhaps it had been obvious to him that it was only a matter of time before this happened? But if that was so, then that meant that Jonathan had betrayed her, too. If that was true, then all of her friends had betrayed her and she had every right to be leaving. She hated to believe that, but Jonathan was so calm about everything. It was too unnerving.
"I beg you to reconsider. No one here wants you to leave," he said.
"Matthew obviously does," Kelsie spat bitterly.
"Matthew especially doesn't want you to leave. I don't know what gave you the crazy idea that he wants you to," Jon said. Kelsie looked at him.
"You don't know then?" Kelsie asked in awe.
"I beg your pardon? I don't know what?" he asked, puzzled.
"Never mind, your majesty," she said, and finally let the tears she had been holding back spill over.
"Obviously there is something I'm missing. What happened?" Jon asked.
Kelsie told the King what she had overheard. When she finished, Jonathan's face showed no emotion, but it was obvious that he was deep in thought. Finally, he spoke.
"I know what it's like to say things that you don't mean when you're angry, and I can assure you that that is the case," he said.
"It doesn't make any difference," she muttered.
"It hurts anyway that a person you care so much about would say something like that, angry or not. I've been there, done that. If you had heard some of the arguments that I had with Alanna, you would understand," he assured her.
"But I don't want to care! I want to hate him forever for what he's done. I want to get as far away from him as I possibly can!" Kelsie said.
"Oh, you'll hate him for a while. I know you hate him for the things he's said now, but don't do something as stupid as leaving. I left, and now look where I am. Two years later, I'm still as in love with Alanna as I ever was, except now she's replaced me because I wasn't there. I never apologized for the things I said, and I never accepted her apology for the things she said back, even though in my heart I forgave her as soon as she said them. Leaving isn't the answer, Kelsie." Kelsie thought about what Jon had said for a minute and then looked him in the eyes for the first time that night.
"I'll stay," Kelsie said finally, "But not for him. I'm staying because I can't leave you. I helped get you into this mess, and now that Thayet's gone I can't leave too. It was my idea to try and get you back together with Alanna, and I have to stay and see the whole thing through. I've never been a quitter, and I don't intend to start being one now just because of one stupid prig." Jon laughed.
"I knew you were up to something. You haven't messed everything up as much as you think. If I do end up with Alanna again, then I owe you everything, but if I don't, Thayet said that when she returns if neither of us has found someone else then she'll still marry me," Jon said.
"She did?" Kelsie asked.
"Yes, she did. Good night, Kelsie," he said, and turned to leave.
"Wait a second, Jon. What was it you came up here to tell me in the first place?" Kelsie asked. Jonathan pointed to a trunk in the corner.
"Alex's trunk. The mages couldn't do a thing with it," he said, and left. Kelsie looked at the trunk. All of her anger at Matthew returned when Jon left, and the trunk didn't help, either.
"Stupid thing," she muttered to herself, and hurled a ball of green fire at the trunk. A light shimmered brighter than anything Kelsie had ever seen before. It was as bright as the sun would be if she were right next to it. The sight nearly blinded her. Kelsie closed her eyes, and she felt her thoughts shift into nothingness as she fell unconcious.

When Kelsie woke up, she was aching and sore. She looked down, and wondered why she had gone to sleep on the floor. Then she remembered the trunk, and the brilliant light it had given off. She tried to stand up, but her bones felt weak. Had she used that much of her magic when she had hurled the fire at the trunk in frustration? She hadn't thought so. Kelsie gave up on trying to stand and crawled over to the trunk instead. Kelsie looked into it, and saw that the panel that had been locked so tightly, the one that the most trusted of Jonathan's mages hadn't even been able to unlock, was now wide open. Kelsie squealed in delight, and knew that she must tell Jonathan right away, since it was obvious that her half-brother had been keeping something very important in that part of his trunk. Kelsie once more tried to get to her feet, and this time she was successful. She looked in the mirror, and realized that she was still in her clothes from last night, and that her hair and face were a terrible mess from crying. She changed into breeches and a silk green shirt, and then wiped her face with a cloth to try and hide the fact that she had cried so much last night. Instead of brushing her hair so that she looked beautiful and proper as ladies should, she brushed it back and pulled it up so that it would be out of her way. She wondered where she could find Jonathan. She looked out the window, and saw the sun was nearly all the way up. It was not quite time for midday, so she made her way to Jon's study. She knocked, and was relieved when he told her to come in. She opened the door, and was about to start pouring out her story when she saw that Jonathan had another visitor. He was seated in a chair across from Jonathan, and his face was not visible, only the back of his head, but Kelsie knew that head very wall. She wanted to scream in frustration and anger, she wanted to storm out of the room, show everyone how angry she was, how much she hated the person in that room. She hadn't wanted to come face to face with him, not now, not ever. Of course, there was no way to avoid Matthew of Golden Lake forever, but it would have been nice to be able to do so. She didn't want to see him so soon, but she realized that what she had to tell Jonathan was far more important than getting away from Matthew, no matter how much she hated him. When Kelsie walked forward towards Jon, Matthew looked startled. Obviously he had not expected to see her quite so soon, either. He had thought that she would avoid him at all costs, and she wished that she could, but she knew that she couldn't let Jon down. He needed to know about the trunk, for all she knew, the things in the hidden compartment could be the very things that would save his life. Kelsie wanted to save that life. Jonathan was so kind, and he understood her so well. She didn't want anything to happen to him, and she doubted that there were very many in the entire kingdom that did want anything to happen to him. 'Delia of Eldorne must be stupid to want to kill this man. Alex must have been stupid,' she thought, even though thinking of her half-brother in that light hurt. Jonathan was the best thing to happen to this kingdom. She would see to it that he stayed alive. Kelsie tried to speak, to tell Jonathan what she needed to say, what she had come to say, but for some reason she couldn't tear her eyes away from Matthew.
"Kelsie," Matthew stuttered, "I didn't....... I mean, I'm sor.........."
"I don't care, and even if I did care, now is not the time, Matthew. What I have to say to Jonathan is far more important than anything you could possibly have to say to me. I would appreciate it if you would please leave so that I may have a word with His Majesty in private, and what I need to say regards a very important matter and should not be discussed instead of just anyone." Kelsie tried to sound as icy as was possible, and she tried to hide her emotions the best that she could, but her voice wavered slightly as she spoke.
"As you say, Lady Kelsie. Bye, Jon," Matthew said, and was on his way. After the door had been safely shut, Kelsie turned to Jon.
"Well, that was fun, wasn't it?" Jon said sarcastically, and then became serious.
"What was it you needed to tell me?"
"It's Alex's trunk. Last night, after you left, I was so mad at everything, between Matthew, and Lady Alanna's stubborness, and then at the trunk for not opening even under the power of you best mages, and I got really angry and threw a bunch of my magic at the trunk. There was a huge light that blazed from it, and then I passed out. I used a lot of magic to open that thing, and then I was so tired that I fainted. But when I woke up this morning, the panel was open."
"Can you take me to see what's in it?" Jon asked.
"Of course," Kelsie said, and they headed towards Kelsie's rooms.
"Do you know what's in it?" Jon asked.
"I didn't look in it. I woke up at midday, and when I realized that the panel was open, I came straight to you," Kelsie said.
"Do you want to examine the things with me?" Jon asked. Kelsie paused.
"I think I'd prefer not to. I still hate to think that my half-brother had plans to kill you and Alanna, and who knows how many others. I'll do something more useful," Kelsie said, "Because you don't need two people to examine what's in there. I'd only be a nuisance."
"If you insist," Jon said, "In the meantime, I found a mage who will teach you how to use you powers."
"The Heart's Desire magic?" Kelsie asked. Jon nodded.
"The mage that will teach you isn't as strong as you are. She can see what people want, but not without them being able to do. You're so strong that once you are properly trained, your talent may be the very thing that will help us uncover Delia. You can use that power to spy, you know," Jon said.
"I can?" Kelsie asked. Jon nodded.
"Once you're trained, you'll know the full extent of your powers. I don't know everything there is, since your magic is very rare, but I do know that it will help us a great deal. Your lessons start this afternoon- the sooner you learn, the sooner the danger passes. You'll be trained by a woman named Olivia Verici. She is a servant here in the palace, and she is one of those rare servants who knows how to use their powers. All right, then, I shall take Alex's trunk to my room while you stay here. Olivia will meet you here shortly- I will notify her to come up here."
"Thanks, Jon," Kelsie said, and Jon carried the trunk away towards his study.
'He's so calm for someone who has a person out to kill him hidden in the form of one of his best friends,' Kelsie thought as she lay down to take a nap before her new teacher arrived.