Disclaimed

Note from the Author: Due to overwhelmingly good reviews, I'm doing thank-you's again already! So here they are…

"kalika": Thank you so much! I'm glad the characters seem true to form; I was worried about that. **blushes** But you really can't compare my style to Ms. Bishop's… I'm not that good; she is The Goddess of Nifty Writing!!

"hunni bunches": Here it is! I'm glad you like it.

Ice Queen: Thanks. You should post your fic! I'm sure I speak for Demona SaDiablo and shanis when I say it is very lonely in here! If you're still not sure, why don't you e-mail it to me? I'll read it and tell you what I think! ((Sorry if that came out pompous or something; I just love reading everything, and I love reviewing/editing stuff))

"Riadolores": Thank you so much!!! I love long reviews; I never get them (lol). I'm glad that the characters are okay, I'm especially glad Aravian is! In my first character outline ((It's really insane how many outlines I sometimes do before I actually write something)) for Aravian I had her as really perfect. Then I read it and realized I'd gone a little overboard… she's still not as un-perfect as she ought to be, but I'm glad she's not coming off as this… I don't know, the typical "I'm the main character I have no faults" type of thing… erg… I have no clue what I'm trying to say.

"dreamsmadeflesh": I'm glad you found it funny! Nice name, by the way, LoL.

"Thera's Blaed": **blushing** awww shucks. Thank you so much!! I can't wait for you to post you're fic; it is entirely too lonely in this section. You can bet I'll be one of the first to read it when you do! I'm so happy that Aravian is turning out well. I captured Anne Bishop's humor?? **bows head bashfully and scrapes floor with foot** aww shucks...

Bunny Barton: Funny you should mention Daemonar! Yes, he's actually in this chapter! Briefly, but I think you get a basic idea of who he is ((at least in relation to Aravian)). I'm going to try to get as many characters from the original books in as I can; it just wouldn't be the same without the coven. And… dum dum dum…. We will have the various children of the coven!! Mwuhahaha! Later, though. So yes, I think Khary and Aaron will be in here.

Now! For the story…

*~~~~~ Chapter Four: Avaesel and Craft Lessons~~~~~~*

Aravian stilled the urge to say "meep" as all eyes in the room turned to her. She smiled, nervously, but stopped when Nickolaes, Daemon and Jaenelle's eldest son, raised an annoying dark eyebrow at her. He glanced from his father, to his uncle, to his grandfather and then Daemonar, the last two of which he'd been talking to when the small procession had come in. The jerk looked tempted to grin.

"So, Pest, what have you gotten yourself into now?"

Aravian merely stuck her tongue out at him.

He responded in kind.

Saetan rolled his golden eyes, somewhere between amusement and exasperation. She smiled at him hopefully, and he gave her a good glare.

The five men looked at each other over her head. Saetan said, "Thank you for tracking her down for me, Daemon, Lucivar. I think I can handle her from here." He eyed her thoughtfully.

"Come on, boyos," Lucivar said to his son and nephew. Daemon was already heading out the door.

Daemonar ruffled her hair on his way past, making her growl at him. He just chuckled and drew Nickolaes away before he could make another comment.

Saetan watched the parade of his descendants leave with something like amazement. A mere few centuries before, if anyone had told him he would be the patriarch of a rather large family (even larger if one counted the first circle and their children), he would have smiled and laughed. Now, he had his Hall filled with people and children every summer and off and on throughout the rest of the year. Now, he actually enjoyed his alone time. Not to mention he had given way to four Warlord Princes, two of which looked almost exactly like him, a Warlord, a Prince, a natural Black Widow and Healer, and by soul the most powerful Queen/natural Black Widow/Healer in the Blood's history. And those were just the living descendants he had around him.

Hekatah wouldn't have been happy.

Then, he looked at the girl-child in front of him. She really was too smart for her own good. It hurt his head to think about all the ways she'd avoided lessons in the past.

"So, where were you?"

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, not moving from where she stood across the room. "Why?"

"Because I wish to know."

She smiled evilly. "Not telling."

He sighed and rubbed his face, wondering why he was teaching Craft --him! High Lord of Hell, Saetan Daemon SaDiablo, Prince of the Darkness, first Black Jeweled Warlord Prince in the history of the blood, Warlord Prince of Dhemlan!-- to The Kiddies. There had been reason for teaching Jaenelle and her friends when they were young. A reason for teaching Jaenelle's and Daemon's children, and Lucivar's. But why was he teaching Aravian? And the children of the coven, for that matter. Why was he teaching all these obstinate children?

When he opened his eyes, he saw Aravian was now sitting in the chair across the desk from him.

"Do you promise not to get mad?"

Saetan nodded solemnly.

She sighed, tapping her fingers against the arm of the chair distractedly.

"Okay, I'll tell you. I was in the kitchen talking to Mrs. Beale."

He raised an eyebrow, unconsciously reminding her of Nickolaes earlier. "You weren't… destroying the kitchen, or something outside the kitchen?"

Aravian made a decidedly unladylike face, stating in a tone that said it should have been obvious, "No, I wasn't destroying anything. I was talking with Mrs. Beale. She made me a sandwich. And cookies." The girl looked delighted with this last bit, and Saetan couldn't help but smile.

Then he made himself seem stern. "Now, as glad as I am that nothing was harmed, you must realize that you cannot just try to skip your lessons like that!" Aravian made another face. "Arav-" He started to scold her, but it ended sounding more like a word he would deny he ever said in front of her, as a medium to large sized, very furry thing with legs hurtled into the girl's lap.

She hugged the creature that was nearly as big she. He could now see that it was actually not even half-grown for its species. It was Avaesel, Aravian's Familiar. He was an Arcerian cat.

It hadn't taken the Blood of Kaeleer long to notice that often a human and one of the kindred would have a… connection. Like Surreal and Gray's Fang. Or, as they had found not long after Jaenelle had become well, Daemon and Kaelas. Wilhelmina, they had surmised, had had one with Dejaal. After much searching, Geoffrey had found references to such phenomena in old texts about the kindred. They had referred to the kindred bonded to the human as Familiars, and the human of the pair as an Intimate.

Avaesel was orphaned, and Jaenelle had taken him in very young. Almost immediately he and Aravian had discovered each other, and been almost inseparable every since. It had been quite cute when she was very small, to see her lugging a kitten the size of a large cat around with her. She had loved holding him, and had cried vehemently when she realized he was getting too big to carry. So, whenever she sat down, he sat on her.

Aravian looked up from Avaesel to see Saetan clutching his head. She couldn't hear what he was saying, but from his lips it looked like he was repeating over and over, "I give up I give up I give up…." She had to bite her lip and bury her face in Avaesel's thick fur to stifle the giggles.

He looked at her a moment, and she met his eyes solemnly. He smoothed his salt and pepper hair back (with as many grandchildren as he'd "adopted," he had many gray hairs) and eyed her and the cat a moment. Then, he started the day's lesson. "Well, since Avaesel seems to have mastered the ability of passing through solid objects, we may as well work on that for you. Now…"

Aravian never did get the scolding he'd had planned for her.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Author's Note: BTW, a friend who's read the books and read this chapter told me Geoffrey is demon-dead, so would have been used in Jaenelle's spell, but he's not!!! Remember near the end on QotD, Saetan said Geoffrey was starting to feel his years and had offered Saetan a place at the Keep? Ha! So there! **sticks tongue out at Tran**

Okay, I know my chapters are short. When I finally get into Aravian as an adult, I think they'll get longer. That's when I'll actually have a plot to develop--lol. Now, I'm just trying to introduce everyone, (and figure out everyone, you never know a character until you work with them in a scene), and have a bit of fun with the fic before I get into the seriousness I have planned. And trust me, the plot idea I have is serious! Do you want me to tell you beforehand what the general idea is?

And also, expect serious romance stuff!! I swear I'll have it!! I'm going to try to wrap up Aravian's childhood ASAP, but I'm so busy… finals as soon as we get back from Christmas break ((which means my birthday is in the middle of the week of finals **growls**)) and all these projects due this and next week… argh. Anyway, please review! If you leave an e-mail address or I can find it on you're bio, I'll e-mail updates to you. I love you all (except those who just read and don't review)!! Happy (insert seasonal thing you celebrate here)!!