Er…whoops? When I asked people if they preferred pirates or ninjas last chapter, some people thought that that meant that I was going to have ninjas/pirates in this fic. I'm not. Although I am considering them for a different fic, they will not be entering this one.
So what was the final tally? Even though most people thought that pirates would fit better in the fic, people liked ninjas more. Now for a question:
What's with the mirror thing? Why was Alanna in there?
Oh, don't let that mirror thing throw you off. It's just a communication device: they talk to one another and keep each other updated through the mirror, sorta like a telephone (except that they could actually see one another).
19. A Ring and a Medallion
Kaprice stared at the seeds that lay in the palm of her hand.
Even now, just looking at the seeds, she was able to imagine the beautiful smell that the flowers of these seeds would produce. Staring at the seeds, she almost wished she was back in the desert.
Almost.
The wind suddenly picked up, pulling at her hair. She lifted a hand and tossed the handful of seeds up into the air, letting the wind carry the seeds away. She watched silently as the wind scattered Ryker's last gift to her into the courtyard, the courtyard in which she and Roald had first arrived.
She still had about half of the precious seeds left; they were tucked, still in their bag, into one of her robe's pockets.
She heard Roald come up to her from behind.
"It's strange being here," she murmured. "It's so different from the desert."
After the awkward moment in which she had told the others not to compare her to the Goddess, the woman in the mirror had demanded that Kaprice be brought to her. No one had been able to object. On Numair and Daine's way back to Demon's hill, they would bring Kaprice back with them. They were going to leave soon; even now Numair and Daine were preparing for the journey.
"Are you happy? To be back home where you belong?" she asked Roald curiously.
Roald leaned against the tree she stood underneath and watched her carefully. "Yes. It was wonderful to see my family again," he said to her quietly.
"You're lucky: you actually have a family."
He started toward her, but she stepped away.
"I wish…" he began.
"You wish what? That things were different?" she asked dryly. "I used to wish that, but things always became worse. I mean, look at me, all I wanted was to be normal. Instead, the gods decide that I need to reverse the Devastation."
She glanced up at Roald helplessly. "Roald, how am I supposed to do that?" She shook her head warily. "They should have chosen someone else."
"Is that what you think?" he asked her softly.
"Definitely," she said with a nod.
"That's strange," he said lightly. "I think they've chosen the perfect person for the job."
She just laughed bitterly. "Thanks for trying to boost my confidence level, Roald, but--"
"Is that what you think I was doing?"
She glanced away.
"Kaprice, I've known you only for a short time. But in that short time period, I've come to learn…you are amazing."
"That's not a very common view."
"No matter. It's the one that I have. If anyone can reverse the Devastation," Roald said, coming around to face her, "it's you." He took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Look at you. You've been through so much. But you've been able to retain strength and wisdom, something few would have been able to do when placed in your cruel situation." He smiled. "Standing beside you makes me feel weak and insignificant."
She wasn't quite sure what to say to that. So she changed the subject. "Are you horribly disappointed that the others can't see you?"
He took a moment to contemplate her question. "I am disappointed," he admitted, "but at the same time, I'm glad."
"Why?" she asked him curiously.
"Things are different now. I am different." He gave her an uncertain look. "What will they think of me now?"
"They will love you. As they always have."
Roald shook his head, running an agitated hand through his black hair. Something golden caught her eye.
She held out a hand. "Give me your hand," she commanded.
He glanced at her, startled. He started to give her his hand, but she shook her head.
"Not that one. That one," she said, pointing to the one that bore the ring.
He gave it to her, and she stared down at the ring he wore, eyes narrowed. Yellow power still crackled over the black stone that lay in the center, but somehow, the crackles of power seemed much weaker than they had been before.
"Try taking it off."
He did. And he gasped when it smoothly slid off his ring finger.
They stared at it.
"It came off," Roald said with wonder. "What does this mean?"
Kaprice closed her eyes. A familiar cold shiver ran down her back.
There were strange times in her life when she just knew things. And each time it happened, it was accompanied by the cold shiver.
"Put it back on."
Roald gazed at her with disbelief. "What?"
Kaprice opened her eyes to give him a regretful look. "I don't know why and I don't know how…but we're going to need it," she said.
"You want me to put it back on?" he said with a slightly strained voice.
She gave him a sad look. "No, I don't want you to. But it's necessary. That ring is going to help us reverse the Devastation."
He stared down at the ring in the palm of his hand, an obvious look of hate, disgust, and pain on his face. And it hurt her to see Roald's face that way.
She started toward him. "Roald, I'll wear it if you don't want to."
His fist closed around it and he immediately stepped out of reach. "No." His eyes were dark. "No, that's not necessary. I'll wear it."
"Are you sure?"
He looked at the ring hesitantly.
"You don't need to be heroic for me, Roald. I like you the way you are." She held out her hand. "It doesn't matter; I'm willing to wear it."
Roald grimly slid the ring on his finger. He then stared at his hand for a long moment.
Kaprice delicately covered his hand with hers. She waited until he met her eyes.
"Now I'm the insignificant one."
He shook his head. "Kaprice, I --"
She was immediately able to sense what he was trying to say and interrupted him. "Hush, Roald. Don't say anything that you'll regret later."
He tried to speak again but she beat him to it. "Let's not forget that you're married."
"That was seventy years ago."
"No, it's now."
"Seventy years ago," he said again. "Kaprice, I've lived in the desert for seventy years by myself. Do you think that I'm the same person I was before the Devastation?"
She gave a half-hearted shrug.
"I've changed. I'm not the same person and I can't just go back to the way I was." His gaze was steady upon her face. "I will not deny it: I did love Shinko. But that was decades ago for me, and I can't just go back to loving Shinko now. Not after meeting you."
Kaprice shook her head. "This is getting so complicated," she said with a sigh.
Roald looked hurt. "Do I mean so little to you?"
"If you did, then this situation wouldn't be so complicated."
Roald gently pulled her into his arms, settling his arms tightly around her waist.
She sighed again, resting her head against his shoulder. Her gaze fell upon his medallion.
"I wonder what that does," she said curiously.
Roald grabbed the medallion, lifting it up to the sunlight. "Who knows," he said.
"Lady Kaprice?" A servant girl entered the courtyard. "Lady Daine wishes to tell you that they are ready to go -- Prince Roald?"
Kaprice and Roald froze, eyes wide with surprise.
"You can see me?" Roald said with shock.
A cold shiver ran down Kaprice's back. "Put the medallion down," she hissed in his ear. He promptly dropped it from his grasp, and it settled back to its original spot, hanging off his neck.
The servant girl's eyes became wider. "Hey, where'd he go?"
"Who?" Kaprice asked lightly.
The girl's eyes clouded over with confusion. "Prince Roald. I thought I saw him here-"
"Oh, that," Kaprice said airily. "That's just an illusion I've been practicing. Did it work?"
"But--"
"So what did Daine want to tell me?"
The girl frowned, but did not insist on further questioning what she had seen. "She and Master Numair are ready to leave. They wish for you to meet them in the stables."
Kaprice nodded. "I'll do that."
She waited until the girl left before turning to Roald.
They both stared at the medallion that hung from his neck.
"Well," Roald said slowly, "I guess that answers that question."
~*~*~*~
A.N.- the daily conversation between Krizsta and her laptop:
Laptop: *message pops up* An error has occurred…
Krizsta: What?! Die! *click*
Laptop: *message pops up* An error has occurred…
Krizsta: …again?! *growls while clicking CLOSE WINDOW* Die…
Laptop: *message pops up* An error has occurred…
Krizsta: Die, b*stard, die! *click*
Laptop: *message pops up* An error has occurred…
Krizsta *click click click click click*
Laptop: *message pops up* An error has occurred… (x5)
Krizsta: *gives up and presses Ctrl + Alt + Delete twice*
Laptop: *blinks and then starts to restart*
Krizsta: Hah! I win…
Laptop: *window pops up* Improper shutdown detected. Wait while disk is scanned…
Krizsta: …or not. *is forced to wait several long minutes while the computer slowly scans itself for errors*
Final Score:
Computer: 1
Krizsta: 0
Krizsta: This war is far from over…