A few questions:
How did the mage get the ring off so the ring could go to Roald?

He didn't get it off. He died.

How did the mage cause the Devastation if he died?

Let's just say that…he set the process in motion.

What did the mage want/ why did he set up the Devastation to occur?

What does every villain want? Wealth and power.

Can Kaprice see stars through the dome/what is the dome?

The dome is Roald's protective circle. His gift is the dark, shimmery, night-sky blue. And it is transparent, so she can see through it. Sort of imagine looking through dark blue tissue paper toward the light.

When did the Devastation occur?

1-2 yrs after LK.

I miss Ryker! (yes, I know, that isn't a question)

Well, since I combined two of the chapter I had written together to form chapter 12, Ryker will appear (indirectly) in chapter 13 and not 14. Rejoice, ryker fans, rejoice.

But then again, this will not be a favorite chapter for Ryker fans.

Warning, Warning: I'm switching views again. But to make things clearer, if the following segment is from Kaprice's view, I will have the title "Kaprice" at the beginning. And if it is Roald's view, I will title the segment "Roald". This is also how I'll manage the changing of views for future chapters. All right, that's it.

P.S. - when Gainel speaks, his words will be in italics and have asterisks (*) around it.

12. Meeting the Goddess

Kaprice

This had to be a dream.

Kaprice stood in a misty fog. The air smelled of green leaves and flowers. A strange smell for the desert.

"Kaprice?"

Kaprice turned, searching for origination of the voice that had spoken. She found Roald several feet away with his back toward her. He seemed to be squinting at something.

"Roald? I'm over here, behind you."

Roald turned to face her, and he gave her a puzzled glance. "Kaprice? Then who's that over there?"

"Over where?" she asked.

At that moment, the fog separated. And she was able to see what or, actually, who Roald had been squinting at earlier.

A tall, slender woman. With long black hair and blinding green eyes.

It was like looking into a mirror.

She and the strange woman were practically identical in physical appearance, except for their clothes. But as Kaprice continued to stare, and the strange woman stared back at her, Kaprice noted several differences between them. The woman exuded an other-worldly air that was dangerous and almost frightening. The woman's gaze held hers with unavoidable certainty.

She can't be human… Kaprice shivered.

*All right, enough of that.* An unfamiliar voice spoke. *Goddess, do you want to introduce yourself or shall I?* A man suddenly appeared, a pale man wearing a contrastingly black cloak.

The strange woman laughed. "I will introduce myself, Gainel." She turned to Kaprice and Roald. "Welcome. I am the Great Mother Goddess."

Roald's blue eyes widened. "Great Mother Goddess…" he breathed aloud.

Mother? Kaprice was filled with a small glimmer of hope. "Are you my --"

"Mother?" The Goddess interrupted. "I am a mother, of sorts, but not the one you are searching for." Her face softened. "I am sorry."

The small hope that Kaprice had felt was quite thoroughly squashed. "Then who are you and what are we doing here--"

"Your mother is dead." The woman interrupted again. "That was how we found you. You were crying beside the dead body of your mother in the desert alone."

Kaprice found herself fighting off sudden, angry tears. Who was this woman? Some goddess? And why was she telling her this? Wasn't it enough that she denied being her mother?

*Goddess,* the strange man said to the woman warningly.

The woman sighed. "My apologies. I sometimes forget what it means to be human. Gainel tells me that you are offended. He knows much more about humans than I; he is constantly working with them."

"I'm fine," she said through clenched teeth.

"Kaprice." Roald stepped closer toward her, offering his support. He then turned to the woman. "Goddess, I hope you don't find me too bold for asking, but why are we here?" he asked in a formal, wary tone.

"Wait, wait, wait," Kaprice said. She shook her head, as if to clear it. "Goddess? She's a goddess? Gods don't exist."

Roald glanced at her. "They did during the time of Tortall. And, apparently, they still do."

Kaprice turned to glare at the woman and man. "That doesn't make any sense. If the gods still do exist, why didn't they help us? Why didn't they somehow reverse the Devastation? Or keep it from happening at all?"

*We weren't able to. We did try to help, but there wasn't anything we could do. And by the time we figured out a way we could help, it didn't matter anymore.* The man said patiently.

"Why not?" Kaprice demanded.

"Because," the woman spoke this time, "we were losing power. As human belief in us waned, so did our power." She gave them a wry smile. "A god is nothing without his followers. By then, there were few who believed that we even existed anymore. We weren't strong enough."

Kaprice considered the gods' words.

"But what does that have to do with us?" Roald asked softly.

"When Kaprice was still a baby," the Goddess began, "she was chosen as our instrument. She was--"

"Stop talking about me like that," Kaprice snapped. "I'm standing right here."

Roald gave her a concerned look but did not move to touch her. Even though he had only spent a few days with her, he could see that she was in a bad temper at the moment.

The Goddess continued on as if Kaprice hadn't interrupted, but this time she turned to stare squarely at Kaprice as she spoke. "You were chosen. You were infused with our power."

There was an expectant silence.

"And what does that mean?" Roald finally inquired.

*It means,* Gainel said, *that Kaprice has the ability to change the past.*

Kaprice was still trying to absorb the fact that she was 'infused with power'. "This power," she said contemplatively, "it wouldn't by any chance give me the ability to know about things that I shouldn't know about, should it? Things like being able to predict the weather?"

*Actually, it would,* Gainel said.

Kaprice closed her eyes, hoping that the action would somehow help her control her anger. It didn't.

Kaprice opened her eyes to stare coldly at the Goddess. "You should have just let me die beside my mother."

The Goddess looked pained. "You have lived a hard life, we do know this."

"Oh? How?" she asked suspiciously.

"We are gods. We have the ability to see almost everything. We have ways."

"Oh? Then you know about how your damn magic ruined my life? How others of my tribe despised me for being different? No, it wasn't enough that I was an orphan, you had to give me this damn power too!"

There was a heavy silence following Kaprice's outburst. Then the Goddess spoke in a quiet, calm voice. A voice one would use to talk to an impetuous child.

"We do know about your past. And if you were any other person, I would say that the past was past and that you need to move on. But you, you have the ability to change the past, Kaprice. You can change the past and, as a result, the future. Use the power that we've given you."

Kaprice gave an ungraceful snort.

"You have the ability to reverse the Devastation. If you do that, you will change the outcome of the world. There would be no desert. No tribes. No fear of magic. You could start over."

Start over…

"And if I don't want to?" she challenged, just for the sake of stubbornness.

"Daughter, it is your choice. But will you give up the chance to start over? Will you continue your solitary life in the desert?"

*It is time to go…* the Dream king said.

"Consider it, Kaprice. And then choose. Choose."

~*~*~*~

Kaprice jerked awake in her bedroll.

Roald sat up in a more dignified manner.

They stared at one another, acknowledging that the dream was more than just a simple dream.

Kaprice then groaned, laying back on her bedroll. She turned to lay on her side, her back to Roald.

Roald scooted over to sit by her on her bedroll. She could feel the warmth of his body against her back. He leaned his head over her shoulder and glanced down at her.

"What will you do?" he asked her gently.

She repositioned her body so that she lay on her back and could stare at the night sky through Roald's blue dome.

"I wish I were normal," she said.

"If you were normal, you wouldn't have ever met me."

A smile touched Kaprice's lips, but it was a tiny, almost undistinguishable smile.

"What will you do?" he asked again.

"I do like the idea of reversing the Devastation, but…"

"But?"

"I don't want to be the gods' puppet. I realize now that they have been controlling, directing, ruining my life all along. Do you know what it's like to be alienated by your own tribe? I had no friends when I was a child because parents refused to let their children play with me. None of the families wanted to adopt me, I was passed around constantly, an unwanted burden, until I was able to fend for myself. I hunted and obtained my own food because the tribe begrudged me my fair share. I had to trade my own things for clothes and tents. I was always on my own. This magic that the gods have given me, it's ruined my life." She shook her head. "I'm tired of being pushed around like that. I'm tired of being alienated by the others, of being alone. I just want to be normal. Even if it was just for a moment."

Roald looked down at her with his unblinking blue eyes. "You would have loved living in Tortall."

She turned her gaze to stare back at Roald steadily. "You know, I'm glad to have met you."

"Glad to have met the Wanderer?" he said dryly.

She smiled. "Yes. I've never met anyone quite like you before. You didn't judge and condemn me, even when I lashed out at you unfairly." She sat up, turning to face Roald. "I can be a real idiot sometimes."

Roald's gaze fell to her lips. "Even the blackest idiot has a quality about himself that makes him shine."

After Roald's words, there was a short silence in which only the wind had a voice. Then they both leaned toward each other, coming together with a kiss.

~*~*~*~

Roald

Roald was walking in a foggy mist again. He saw a form coming out of the mist toward him. "Kaprice?"

"She isn't here."

"Goddess." Roald inclined his head respectfully, but did not break into a full on bow. His opinion of the Goddess, or actually, all gods in general wasn't very high at that very moment.

"Kaprice has agreed to trying to change the past and preventing the Devastation?"

"She did," he answered stiffly. "But not because she wanted to please you."

Roald was surprised to see the almost affectionate look on the Goddess' face. "No, I wouldn't have expected her to. She is very stubborn."

A golden medallion suddenly appeared in the air in front of him.

"Take this. You will need it. Wear it and take good care of it." the Goddess said.

Roald uncertainly plucked the medallion from the air and held it in his fist. "Is this why I was called here? Is that all that you wanted?"

A troubled look appeared on the Goddess' flawless face. "No."

"No?"

"Kaprice…she is still very troubled with her past life, is she not?" The Goddess asked him hesitantly.

"She hasn't told me too much. But yes, she is."

The Goddess contemplated on that. "You do not need to follow my suggestion, for you too have the ability to choose, but I suggest that you pull your protective circle down for tomorrow night."

"Why?" But even as he asked, he found the fog getting thicker, his eyelids becoming heavier.

"She will have a visitor. Or at least, she will if the visitor can find your oasis. That is up to you."

"A visitor? Who?"

If the Goddess answered, Roald wouldn't have known. He had left the dream and fallen into a silent sleep, his hand wrapped tightly around a golden medallion.

~*~*~*~*~

A.N.- tell me, was this chapter long enough for you? :)

~krizsta