FAQ format:
If they couldn't see Roald, why was Daine calling his name?
She recognized his gift when his protective circle flickered because of Kit's whistle.
Where did I get my info about Daine/Numair?
Someone forwarded the info to me; TP had posted it on sheroes.net (it's either that, or sheroes.com). And the info I revealed last chapter is not what TP's book is about (the plot will be revolving around something else, but the events will occur at some point within the story). I haven't gone to sheroes myself, why don't you go and check it out? It's a site ran by TP and Meg Cabot (think author of the Princess Diaries). The word 'sheroes' is from heroes, but with a 'she' instead of 'he'.
"THAT was unexpected. I half thought that you might actually do something truly despicable and have Shinko discover Roald and Kaprice"
Oooh…that would have turned this fic into a true soap opera. Luckily, having such an occurrence never crossed my mind. Although, now that I think of it, it would be a very interesting scene to write.
how are we gonna know which roald is which when u have them in the same sentence/paragraph?
I will make sure you know who's who. Have no fear.
Are you going to make Numair-unevil?
Eh? Did I make him evil last chapter? *goes back and checks* hmmm…. *is confused*
Why can't Roald take off the medallion?
Well, he could. Kaprice just told him not to touch it. We will learn more about the medallion a couple chapters from now.
Why don't you update everyday?
Well, I could go down the long list: school, school, school, school, school…
Even right now, I'm falling behind on my writing. I'm worried that I won't even be able to keep up with my every other day updating later. *sigh*
Can Roald still touch things?
On with the story…
17. Entrance to the Castle
Kaprice was hastily pushed to the side and forgotten the moment the two strangers who were leading her stepped foot into the castle.
"Numair!" A dark haired man approached and practically flattened her against the wall.
"Jonathan," Numair greeted grimly. "We received word just before we arrived. Something the matter with Roald?"
Kaprice blinked in surprised and frowned at hearing Roald's name. She turned back to Roald to give him a questioning look, but he just shrugged.
The man named Jonathan nodded. "Yes, something is definitely the matter. Last night, he collapsed while walking to his--" the man's words came to a stop when he noticed Kaprice's presence. "Who's this?" he asked as he turned to face her, eyeing her thick desert robe with curiosity.
Kaprice gasped and stepped back when she saw the man's face. Blue eyes that were uncannily similar to Roald's stared at her from under a head of messy black hair.
"She says her name is Kaprice. We found her within a protective circle in the courtyard," Daine said, stepping in.
"In the courtyard?" Jonathan frowned. "What was she doing there?"
"We don't know," Daine said with a shrug. "But when Kit whistled, her protective circle flickered."
"And?" Jonathan asked expectantly.
"Her protective circle was made from a Gift of the same blue that Roald has," Daine finished softly.
At that, Jonathan turned to gaze sharply at Kaprice. "Are you responsible for what has happened to my son?" he demanded.
"Your son?" she repeated faintly.
"Roald. Are you responsible for what has happened to him?" the king asked her again.
"Roald…Roald is your son?"
The king looked at her as if she were daft.
Kaprice turned to look at where Roald was standing; he had his gaze averted. Her eyes narrowed. "Roald of Conte is your son?" she asked again.
"Yes, Roald of Conte, first-born son of King Jonathan. You are in Tortall…why do you not know about the King and his heir?" Numair asked her gently.
Roald is a king's son…
She didn't know what she wanted to do more: scream or cry. But then she shook herself, turning away from her feeling of betrayal and to the situation at hand.
"You ask me why I do not know about your king and his son. Well, that's because I don't live here," she said stiffly.
"Then where--" Daine began.
"I come from the future." Kaprice ignored everyone's look of surprise and disbelief and continued to speak. "The gods have sent me into the past to change it. I was sent with the job of reversing the Devastation. And I am at their command," she finished bitterly.
"You were sent here from the …future?" Daine said, struggling with disbelief.
"Yes, I come from seventy years after the Devastation."
"You keep referring to the Devastation." Numair looked at her curiously. "What exactly is this Devastation?"
Kaprice frowned, struggling to find a way to explain. "Something happened here. Something so disastrous that the world was covered with sand and turned into desert. I am here to keep that from happening."
"Desert? Tortall was turned into desert?" Jonathan asked with incredulity.
"Yes, along with the rest of the continent."
The others still looked skeptical and confused.
"It is said that the Devastation was caused by a mad mage." Kaprice added.
Numair sighed. "Demon's Hill."
Daine turned to look at him, a concerned look on her face. "Is she referring to that?"
"What else could it be?"
Roald tried to talk to her during the short silence which followed Numair's question.
"Kaprice, please don't be--"
"What exactly is Demon's Hill?" Kaprice interrupted and asked Numair. Roald sighed, shaking his head. Then he turned and walked away, leaving her with the others. Watching him, Kaprice wasn't sure if she felt more sad or relieved.
"We aren't quite sure," Numair said in response to her question. "But it is made up of a pit located on top of a wide hill. Fire and smoke lives inside the pit, under the hill. There are times when the hill is calm and peaceful. And then there are times when the hill is angry and spits out liquid fire, burning everything it touches. It was created and is fueled by magic."
The gods sent her here to stop a fire-blowing mountain? Were they insane?
"How do we know you're telling us the truth?" King Jonathan suddenly spoke.
"Jonathan--" Numair started.
"Well, how do we? What if she really did have something to do with my son and is just making up this story to find a way to distract us and escape?" Jonathan said hotly.
"Jonathan, calm down. You're just upsetting yourself and the situation. You shouldn't--"
"Don't tell me what I should and shouldn't do!" Jonathan fired back. "You haven't seen the condition Roald's in!"
Silence.
Jonathan suddenly stepped back and shook his head. "Please accept my apologies, Numair. I don't know what's wrong with me. The situation of Demon's Hill and my son's sudden collapsing…" He put a weary hand to his forehead. "I've never felt so old and tired before." For a moment, Kaprice felt bad for him. He truly did look old and tired.
"It's all right, Jon," Numair said with an easy nod. "I should have looked into Roald the moment Daine and I arrived. And you aren't the only one who feels old." He stepped up to Jonathan and placed a supportive hand on his shoulder. "Come. Let's go check on Roald, shall we?"
"Kaprice, are you hungry? Have you had breakfast yet?" Daine asked, turning to her. When Kaprice shook her head, she quickly motioned for her to follow. "Come. I'll go make sure you get some breakfast. We could talk more afterwards."
Kaprice nodded and followed. "Sure."
Daine led her to the kitchen, where a table of food was laid out.
"Pick up a plate and take your pick," Daine said with a smile.
Kaprice blinked. "There's so much food,' she breathed. She had never seen so much food at one time before, except at a festival.
Daine smiled. "Well, most everybody has probably eaten by now. This is just the leftovers."
"That's a lot of leftovers."
"It's all for good cause. The leftovers are always given away, whether it's to an orphanage or just to those who are hungry." Daine paused and looked back at her. "I have to go, there are some people I need to talk to. Will you be needing anything else?"
Kaprice eyed the 'leftovers'. "No, this is more than enough, thanks."
But Daine hesitated by the door.
"Yes?" Kaprice questioned.
"What you said before, is it the truth?" Daine asked her, a troubled look on her face.
"I have no reason to lie," Kaprice said softly.
Daine nodded. "Yes, that's what I thought." She stepped through the doorway and softly closed the door.
Kaprice was nearly done with the food on her plate when Roald approached her. He walked right through the kitchen wall and stepped through the kitchen table to stop right in front of her plate.
Kaprice had frozen the moment his foot appeared through the wall, a fork still clutched in front of her mouth.
"How did you--how?"
Roald shrugged. "It comes along with the gift of not being seen or heard. But that's not why I've come," he said.
"Oh?' she said coolly. She had her gaze turned away, but not completely away. Refusing to gaze up into his eyes, she kept her gaze on the golden medallion that hung on his neck. "Why have you come then?"
He bent over, forcing her eyes to meet his. She glared at him.
"We need to talk," he said steadily.
She just shook her head. "Roald," she said, "I really don't feel like talking to you right now."
He smoothly crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, that's just too bad. Because I'm not leaving you alone until you do."
A.N.- When I first finished this chapter, there was something about the first draft that annoyed me. After further readings I figured out what it was: the ending.
It had gone like this:
He bent over, forcing her eyes to meet his. She glared at him.
"We need to talk," he said steadily.
"About what?" she said through clenched teeth.
"Us."
Very cliché, isn't it? That's what I thought when I was rereading it. The 'us' talk. Aaaahhh, horrid.
I have to remember to stay away from those clichés, they have the ability to ruin even the best people's works.
Yes, I am aware that I have asked this before, but I will ask again: what would you think if thorn/evin were to enter this story now? Not as main characters, of course, but as characters of this fic nonetheless. Good idea? Bad idea? Or perhaps you have no idea what the hell I'm talking about and, as a result, don't care (thorn is the main character from my first fic, 'Bloody Thorns'; if you want to find out more about that fic, check out my profile for a summary and a very short clip from the fic).
~krizsta